Monthly Program Update - Bahamas (December 2019)

BAHAMAS HURRICANE RELIEF UPDATE DECEMBER 2019

TOTAL PROGRAM IMPACT

908 107

LIVES IMPACTED

VOLUNTEERS

1,541

VOLUNTEER DAYS

24

JOBS COMPLETED

Current Situation Since opening our program in early September, over 100 volunteers from thirteen countries have come to work wherever help is needed. We’re at different stages of work in six schools and have added other communitybased facilities like a library, and clinics to our queue. The team’s excitement was palpable when we announced we were also going to begin working on teachers’ homes!

By the end of December, our base will be moved from St. Francis de Sales School. We have completed the work there, which included complete roof repair, additional structural support, full interior rebuild and a lot of debris removal. We are very pleased to turn this school back over to the Catholic Board of Education.

Check out the powerful story of the community’s ongoing transformation here.

Community Voices “As teachers we have to do more than just show up. We have to be mentors and role models. I’ve always had strong relationships with my students — that’s the reason I succeed at teaching. Teaching is hard, being in devastated Abaco is harder and putting a smile on my face and trying to move forward is the hardest. I thought this was the most challenging job in the world... then Dorian came to test my strength.” Amanda DeGregory (Bahamian Teacher)

Learn about our programs at

allhandsandhearts.org

Disaster Profile On September 1, 2019, Hurricane Dorian made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane in The Bahamas with wind speeds in excess of 185mph, 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 With immense support from our local and global partners, we were able to arrive early and stay late in The Bahamas. We’re committed to performing continuous work for the next two years, with an immediate focus on response capacity in some of the hardest-hit areas. Our long-term recovery program will target reconstruction in schools and critical community infrastructure (e.g. health clinics).

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 six years in a row and a Perfect 100. Less than one percent of rated nonprofits have received this distinction for financial and operational efficiency. :

Our Partners in The Bahamas

info@allhandsandhearts.org