PERU EARTHQUAKE RECOVERY UPDATE FEBRUARY 2020
TOTAL PROGRAM IMPACT
204 37
385 7
STUDENTS IMPACTED
VOLUNTEERS
VOLUNTEER DAYS
CLASSROOMS IN PROGRESS
Current Activities We are delighted to announce that our Villacuri Earthquake Recovery Program officially opened on January 13, 2020! The beginning of the construction process was celebrated by a wonderful groundbreaking ceremony organized by the parents and staff of the kindergarten. Hundreds of community members attended and the All Hands and Hearts team had a beautiful introduction to Peruvian culture with plenty of traditional dancing and food being shared. Progress on the school site is moving fast, and excavation of three out of four building plots already complete. Volunteers have been busy preparing and installing rebar for the footings, and the first concrete pour was a great success. The plot of land designated for the new school is very small, so our construction staff deserve a special mention for their efficient planning of building placement and for developing a safe, smooth-running work site.
Community Engagement “Happy Fun Time” was created from the idea that the table is a place of sharing, forming friendships, and strengthening relationships. Given that we are new to the community, local people have shown interest in getting to know us better, and we, of course, want to get to know the community better as well. We believe a great place to start is to coordinate small evening groups to meet members of the community and introduce ourselves. Either in a restaurant or someone’s home, we can sit down together and share where we are from, what life in our country is like, what we do for fun, and other topics on our different cultures and customs. Given that All Hands and Hearts will be staying in the community through June, these meetings will also serve as open spaces to learn about the community needs, and how All Hands can help address them.
Learn about our programs at
allhandsandhearts.org
Disaster Profile The 2007 Peru earthquake, which measured 7.9 on the moment magnitude scale, hit the central coast of Peru on August 15th. The cities of Pisco, Ica and Chincha Alta in the Ica Region were most affected. On August 28, 2007, the government reported 89 schools affected. Thirteen years later, only 50 percent of the affected schools have been rebuilt by the government and 30 schools remain affected and their students displaced.
Our Work With the support of our generous donors, partners and volunteers, we are working to rebuild Institucion Educativa Inicial 140 Kindergarten of Santa Cruz de Villacuri, which has been declared unsafe for use by the Civil Defense Authority due to the insufficient and precarious structural design of the building. All Hands and Hearts is rebuilding a new, safe and resilient school, inclusive of a 10,000 liter underground water tank, which will provide a constant supply of water to the school community.
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 Peru
info@allhandsandhearts.org