All Hands and Hearts Monthly Update - Dominica (January)

DOMINICA HURRICANE UPDATE (January 2019) CURRENT ACTIVITIES (RECOVERY PHASE) ● Finishing work at Morne Prosper Primary and Pre School are well underway in preparation for the Opening Celebration. ● Skilled local workers are installing internal fixtures & fittings, whilst volunteers have been working hard to complete all of the painting. ● Repair works and improvements are being made to the existing school buildings.

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25 new roofs are now complete in Morne Prosper.

See Roofing Training Video here.

Charlotte’s Pre School’s new roof is complete.

Volunteers are now working on internal renovations.

Our community project - the Liveier Tadour Water Source - is complete and in daily use.

DISASTER PROFILE Regarded as the worst natural disaster on record in Dominica, Hurricane Maria made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane on September 18, 2017 with winds over 160 mph. Hurricane Maria left Dominica completely devastated, damaging tens of thousands of buildings, all power, water and telecoms, and obliterating 100% of agriculture – a major source of income.

Damages and losses are estimated at USD $1.3m, or 224% of Dominica’s GDP. OUR WORK All Hands and Hearts – Smart Response has been focusing its efforts in Dominica on rebuilding schools and repairing residential roofs. Having completed our first project - rebuilding Paix Bouche Primary and Pre School in St. Andrew Province - we are now focusing on rebuilding Morne Prosper Primary and Pre School in St. George Province, and have recently started our third school project at Charlotte’s Pre School in Newtown. At the center of our work are Build Back Better techniques to ensure that the schools and roofs are resistant against future hurricanes and earthquakes. Working closely with the Ministry of Education, other NGOs, the schools and the local communities, this essential work will create much safer homes and more appropriate learning environments, which also serve as evacuation shelters for the surrounding communities.

Volunteer Spotlight Mini Creole Fest with the community at our base Visit to a local community farm in Morne Prosper

Volunteer Tim Panchot (Poncho), 51, from Minnesota, USA, is a Landscape Architect by trade and is putting his skills and knowledge to good use here in Dominica! Since the completion of the structural work for both the Primary and Pre-School, Poncho has designed and is now implementing his ideas with a group of volunteers, aptly named “Team Awesome”. His plans include a cricket field, an octagonal bench surrounding a large Flamboyant (Delonix regia) tree, a large staircase linking the lower ground to the new school buildings, and a community garden in the shape of a flower (each large petal being a space for every grade to grow plants and vegetables to represent Morne Prosper as an agricultural village).

OUR IMPACT

81

STUDENTS IMPACTED

3

SCHOOLS IN PROGRESS

Volunteering over the holidays!

3,558

VOLUNTEER DAYS

129

VOLUNTEERS

“To me, the holiday season is about reflection. The new year approaches, and we’re challenged to look at how far we’ve come, and to set new goals. And I’m on such a different path than a year ago. I think that every year, I’ve sought how to be in a better position to make the impact I want to. But this time, I can say I’ve made an impact instead of wondering how to do it.” Stephen Hong, 24. New York, USA.

Having started work at Charlotte’s Pre School on December 10th 2018, the team have made incredible progress. The Pre School now has a brand new, hurricane resilient roof, and it is the talk of the Newtown community. Next steps will be to renovate the interior of the building, including laying a new floor, repainting and building and fitting new furniture.

Progress at Charlotte’s Pre School

OUR MISSION To effectively and efficiently address the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters.

By listening to local people, and deploying a unique model of engaging volunteers to enable direct impact, we rebuild safe, resilient schools, homes and other community infrastructure.

OUR DOMINICA PARTNERS

5 YEARS IN A ROW! Only 10% of charities have received at least 5 consecutive 4-star ratings. This means All Hands and Hearts outperforms most of the other 1.5 million charities in America in operational and financial efficiency.

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For additional information: Ellie Griffies-Weld, Partnership Manager ellie.gw@allhandsandhearts.org www.allhandsandhearts.org