AHAH Monthly Program Update - The Bahamas (January 2021)

THE BAHAMAS HURRICANE RELIEF UPDATE JANUARY 2021

TOTAL PROGRAM IMPACT TO DATE

2,294 523

Current Situation

LIVES IMPACTED

VOLUNTEERS

8,136

VOLUNTEER DAYS

207

JOBS COMPLETED

We’d like to say a big thank you to our first cohort of DM12 volunteers, who departed The Bahamas last month after completing their twelve-week service commitment. They had much to celebrate, having supported the completion of three buildings at Every Child Counts School (ECC) - Seydel Hall, the Residence Hall and the Training Center - as well as repairing a total of nine residential homes, and helping our partner organizations and local contractors to finish rebuilding Central Abaco Primary School (CAPS)!

The second cohort of DM12 volunteers arrives on January 11 and our team has been busy overseeing preparatory work at the ECC Convent building, which will be our next full rebuild project at ECC. They’ve also been putting the plans in place for our Resilient Roof Repair and Rebuild Program, which cohort two will continue.

Volunteer Spotlight “DM12 was my first AHAH experience and what a ride! Although there were challenges, I loved getting to know the other volunteers and staff.

I learned life long skills and put my skills to good work for the people of Marsh Harbour."

Catie B, Volunteer

Photos: (top) volunteers completing the painting of the playground at ECC, with the completed Residence Hall in the background, (left) before and after of the interior of ECC Residence Hall.

Learn about our programs at

allhandsandhearts.org

Disaster Profile In September 2019, Hurricane Dorian made landfall as a Category 5 storm in The Bahamas with wind speeds in excess of 185 mph, lashing the Bahamian islands of Great Abaco (pop. ~17,200) and Grand Bahama (pop. ~51,000). After striking The Bahamas, Dorian’s travelling speed slowed to 1 mph over Grand Bahama, prolonging the island’s exposure to life-threatening storm surge of 18-23 feet above normal tide levels. Over 76,000 people have been affected and 10,000 children displaced from schools. Dorian is the strongest hurricane on record for The Bahamas and tied a record for the strongest Atlantic hurricane to make landfall.

Our Work During the first six months, our focus was on response capacity in some of the hardest-hit areas. After a six month COVID-19 suspension, our long-term recovery program is now targeting reconstruction in schools and critical community infrastructure, while continuing to work on roofs, mucking and gutting, debris removal and mold sanitation within homes. With immense support from our local and global partners, we’re committed to performing continuous work in The Bahamas for the next year.

About All Hands and Hearts We effectively and efficiently address the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters.

We communicate directly with local leaders and community members and then deploy our unique model of engaging volunteers to enable direct impact, helping to build safer, more resilient schools, homes and infrastructure.

We have earned a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator for the seventh year in a row. This year only seven percent of rated non-profits received this distinction for financial and operational efficiency.

Photos: (top & middle) Central Abaco Primary School before and after the work was completed; (bottom) the AHAH team working on a residential roof repair.

Our Partners in The Bahamas

info@allhandsandhearts.org