AHAH Monthly Program Update - The Bahamas (June 2021)

THE BAHAMAS HURRICANE RELIEF UPDATE JUNE 2021

TOTAL PROGRAM IMPACT

2,328 669

LIVES IMPACTED VOLUNTEERS

11,195

VOLUNTEER DAYS

214

JOBS COMPLETED

Current Activities Dundas Town Despite some delays caused by heavy rains and lightning storms on the island, the team has managed to progress with pouring the concrete foundation slab and starting the walls for buildings A and B at Little Darlings Academy! Our Resilient Roof Repair team has seven active sites running, and is aiming to finish most of these within the coming week, enabling families to return to safe and resilient homes.

Marsh Harbour Our fourth cohort of DM12 volunteers arrived on program in early June and everyone is excited to finish the work at Every Child Counts School (ECC)! The majority of the external decking on the Convent is now complete and as soon as the contractors have completed the plumbing, electrics and air conditioning installation, the team will start installing the drywall and putting the finishing touches on the newly rebuilt building. Finishing works are also underway at ECC’s Sochet Hall, and we’re on track for a handover at the end of June.

Community Stories “Partnering with All Hands and Hearts was an easy decision for me. As a native Abaconian my heart lies in the community I was born and raised in. After the devastation of Hurricane Dorian I wanted to see our island come back as soon as possible and with the help of this amazing organization we are seeing it happen.

I would like to congratulate All Hands and Hearts for the wonderful job they are doing and on behalf of the Abaco community extend a huge THANK YOU!” Chad Sawyer, local businessman who very generously donated the land that’s being used as the Marsh Harbour program base.

Photos: (top) the foundation walls of building A at Little Darlings Academy, Dundas Town, (left) Chad Sawyer, local businessman and supporter of AHAH.

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 Abaco (pop. ~17,200) and Grand Bahama (pop. ~51,000). Dorian’s traveling speed slowed to 1 mph over Grand Bahama, prolonging the island’s exposure to a life-threatening storm surge of 18-23 feet above normal tide levels. Over 76,000 people were affected, and 10,000 children were 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 activities in some of the hardest-hit areas. After a six-month suspension of our volunteer operations due to COVID-19, our long-term recovery program is now targeting reconstruction of schools and other community infrastructure, including our resilient roof repair program.

With immense support from our local and global partners, we are committed to continuing work in The Bahamas through 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: progress on the Convent Building and Sochet Hall at Every Child Counts School (ECC)

Our Partners in The Bahamas

info@allhandsandhearts.org