Monthly Program Update - Philippines (February 2020)

PHILIPPINES TYPHOON RELIEF UPDATE FEBRUARY 2020

TOTAL PROGRAM IMPACT

464 51 258 15

STUDENTS IMPACTED

VOLUNTEERS

VOLUNTEER DAYS

CLASSROOMS IN PROGRESS

Current Activities On January 20th 2020, All Hands and Hearts officially opened the Amulung Typhoon Recovery Program! We are thrilled to be back in the Philippines and have been warmly welcomed by the two local communities where we’re rebuilding schools. Groundbreaking ceremonies have been carried out at both sites, and construction is well underway at the first site - Dadda Elementary School.

Our scope of work at Dadda Elementary School includes demolishing unsafe buildings, rebuilding a three-classroom building and canteen, retrofitting and repairing eight existing classrooms and creating a drainage solution for the school site. Volunteers and staff have completed excavation works and are now focusing on preparing rebar for the foundations and constructing the resilient steel frames.

Beneficiary Stories “During the typhoon, most of the crops were destroyed and it's before the harvest. I was devastated and don't have hopes. I need to sell it super cheap, to feed my family and send my kids to school. It was a battle between the food and finances of my kids to school. Education is something that I want for my kids but given the situation, I need to prioritize food in our table. It is hard for me as I knew how my kids like school a lot. When I heard that your organization is going to build a school in our area, I was so happy as it gives me hope for kids to have a safe school. I can't thank you enough for choosing our area as one of your beneficiaries. We can't wait for progress”.

- Dodong, Local Farmer and Community Member

Learn about our programs at

allhandsandhearts.org

Disaster Profile Typhoon Mangkhut, known locally as Ompong, made landfall in the Philippine province of Cagayan late on September 14th 2018, as a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon. With sustained wind speeds of more than 205 km/h and gusts of 255 km/h, the typhoon was the strongest storm to hit the Philippines since Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

Two years before Typhoon Mangkhut, Typhoon Haima, known locally as Lawin, made landfall in Cagayan in October 2016 as a Category 5-equivalent storm. The super typhoon had a diameter of 800km and caused devastating damages in the area. We identified schools within the Cagayan province which sustained destructive impacts from both typhoons and have yet to receive help.

Our Work We are rebuilding and repairing two primary schools, which accommodate over 500 students aged 6-12-years-old. The schools are located in the municipalities of Amulung and Alcala, in the northern Cagayan province of the Philippines. We are rebuilding five classrooms, two canteens and individual toilets for the classrooms, as well as refurbishing the fifteen standing classrooms, offices and gymnasiums.

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.

Pictured at right: (top) AHAH Program Director and Project Manager breaking ground at the first school site; (middle) School children at the groundbreaking ceremony; (bottom) Steel frame construction

Please support our work in the Philippines by getting in touch or clicking here.

info@allhandsandhearts.org