AHAH Monthly Program Update - The Bahamas (March 2021)

THE BAHAMAS HURRICANE RELIEF UPDATE MARCH 2021

TOTAL PROGRAM IMPACT

2,306 561

LIVES IMPACTED

VOLUNTEERS

9,781

VOLUNTEER DAYS

211

JOBS COMPLETED

Current Situation Marsh Harbour Time is flying by in The Bahamas and having said goodbye to our second cohort of Marsh Harbour DM12 volunteers, we’re now preparing to welcome our third cohort on 15 March! On site, we’re starting block work for the walls of the convent building at Every Child Counts (ECC) and in Sochet Hall volunteers and contractors continue with interior work, including installation of new windows.

Our roofing team is working on Dawn’s home and is on the home stretch to complete work at Oscar’s.

Dundas Town We were excited to have our first cohort of Dundas Town DM12 volunteers start work on site last month after their period of mandatory quarantine and onboarding training. The initial focus was on site layout and work station set-up at Little Darlings Academy, whilst the roofing team started on Bethlyn’s home.

Work on the school unfortunately had to be placed on hold temporarily due to a positive COVID-19 case, which necessitated that two of our three “bubbles” be placed in quarantine. However the remaining bubble has continued to work safely on the roofing program, and we will be back to full working capacity within the coming week.

Community Stories A local community member, Bob, whose child goes to ECC, kindly provided the equipment needed for our Marsh Harbour team to play Pickle Ball - a paddleball sport that combines elements of badminton, table tennis, and tennis. Being able to wind down and have some socially distanced fun after their long days on site is hugely beneficial to volunteers and staff, and the team are so grateful to Bob that they’ve nicknamed him “Fun Bob”! Bob owns an activities company on Abaco so the team are now discussing the possibility of having more “Fun Bob” days.

Photos: (top from left) local community members who have been instrumental in the setup and running of our programs, including Pebbles (chef), Lynette (cleaner), Marie (chef), Lou (who supplies and services our porta-potties but also provides invaluable advice and guidance anytime there’s an issue) and Dina (chef); (left) volunteers playing pickle ball with “Fun Bob”.

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 through to the summer.

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) one of our AHAH roofing teams celebrating the completion of the roof at Rochelle’s house (middle) volunteer Ashlyn working on the interiors at Sochet Hall, ECC (bottom) volunteer Allie working on Oscar’s roof.

Our Partners in The Bahamas

info@allhandsandhearts.org