MEXICO EARTHQUAKE RECOVERY UPDATE OCTOBER 2021
TOTAL IMPACT TO DATE
2,180
STUDENTS IMPACTED
1,250
VOLUNTEERS
15,516
VOLUNTEER DAYS
20
SCHOOLS REBUILT
Program Announcement We are pleased to announce that we have begun Phase V of the Mexico Earthquake Recovery Program. This will be the ninth disaster-resilient school AHAH has rebuilt in Mexico since the 2017 earthquakes. In this phase, we’ll be working on the only elementary school in the community of Albarradas: Guillermo Prieto. The scope of work includes rebuilding one of the buildings that hosts one classroom, a library, a storage equipment room and a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) facility, and repairing the other three buildings along with completing landscaping. Thanks to the hard work and commitment of our Program Development Team (PDT) and Program Team, we welcomed volunteers to contribute to our critical work at Guillermo Prieto Primary School as of September 27.
Current Activities Over the past month, the construction team has finalized the schedule, overseen demolition of unsafe structures, excavated the foundations for the new building, unloaded six trucks worth of equipment, set up the tool shed and are now awaiting the delivery of 250 bags of cement and over 8 kilometers of rebar! With the support of General Motors and The American Society in Mexico, we were able to transport all of the tools and materials waiting in our warehouse. The operations team has set up our base and hired the masons and excellent cooks who will surely delight our team and volunteers with local dishes. The community has been very engaged, providing the team with insight into potential supplementary projects to be developed in collaboration with local community members while we are on the ground. We are excited about the possibilities!
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Photos: (top) Guillermo Prieto Elementary School; (left) The team unloading the equipment with the support of General Motors and The American Society in Mexico.
Disaster Profile In September 2017, one of the most lethal earthquakes in Mexican history hit close to the southern state of Chiapas, with a devastating magnitude of 8.2. Just 12 days later and a few hundred miles away, a 7.1 magnitude quake rocked central Mexico, toppling buildings, breaking gas mains, knocking out electricity and sparking fires across the city and other towns in central Mexico.
Our Work Our efforts in Mexico began in 2007 after the Tabasco floods. When the 2017 earthquakes shook southern Mexico, we intensified support through the application of our unique volunteer model in the impacted areas. Volunteers began in March 2018 in El Jicarero, Morelos, to reconstruct and retrofit two primary schools. Since then, we’ve run three volunteer programs in Oaxaca and have rebuilt another six schools, including playgrounds, libraries and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) facilities. In addition to our construction work on the schools, our teams collaborate with local partners to identify Renewal Projects with an aim to build community resilience. To date, we’ve implemented three community Disaster Risk Reduction Training programs, reactivated a community waste management system and piloted an agricultural education program. We’re looking forward to returning to work on Escuela Primaria Guillermo Prieto.
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. Photos: (top to bottom) Program Development Team and Program Team for Phase V of Mexico Earthquake Recovery; Team building bunk beds for the volunteers; Staff unloading truck with tools and equipment.
Our Partners
We have earned a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator for the seventh year in a row. This year only seven percent of rated nonprofits received this distinction for financial and operational efficiency.
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