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All Hands and Hearts

9.66 Rating
85 reviews
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Group of volunteers prepping for the day!
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Done
Ride
Team barrett
Fiancé working
Painting
Working hard
Working together
Learning new skills
Left my knee pads at base
The might Bach Sind Wall
Janakalyan Hnadover
Bach Sind
Bachchhala Handover day
Bach Sind Family

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  • Go Overseas Award

About

All Hands and Hearts – Smart Response efficiently and effectively addresses the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters. By listening to local people, and deploying our unique model of engaging volunteers to enable direct impact, we rebuild safe, resilient schools, homes and other community infrastructure.

Through volunteer and community engagement, we aim to help families recover faster after natural disasters using our “smart response” strategy. By rebuilding in a disaster resilient way, we prepare them for future events and, through the process, strengthen both volunteers and communities.

Volunteer Applications are now open!

Volunteer applications for our DM12 Programs are now open! Join All Hands and Hearts as we work to rebuild communities affected by disasters. Our current programs range from rebuilding homes in Louisiana after Hurricanes Laura and Delta to rebuilding after Hurricanes Iota and Eta in Guatemala. Find out about our new and upcoming programs below.
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Website
www.allhandsandhearts.org

Reviews

Default avatar
Valeria
31
Female
Colombia
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
DM12 Volunteer Opportunities
Mar 18, 2021

All hands projects have giving me a lot of knlowledge and fun. I love hands on projects in construction and with all hands we do all the time. The work is hard but is amazing to know that all my effort is for the kids that really need the help! All hands projects have giving me a lot of knlowledge and fun. I love hands on projects in construction and with all hands we do all the time. The work is hard but is amazing to know that all my effort is for the kids that really need the help! amazing!!!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Find time for yourself while live on base and work hard on site
Default avatar
Kaitlin
9/10
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
DM12 Volunteer Opportunities
Mar 17, 2021

i really like ahah, and have volunteered on a few projects pre covid. they are better, but the fact that this organization is able to run entire volunteer stuff in the middle of a pandemic and keep everyone looked after is pretty amazing. I would definitely recommend this program for anyone with a drive to work hard and meet new people. and i need 150 more characters to get this review submitted. what kind of website puts a minimum for something like this.. kinda strange gooverseas. anyways, shout out to ahah, it has been a great time.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
come ready to work hard and get dirty! The staff go out of their way to make sure that all your needs are met and that you are well taken care of, especially in this covid context. You will learn a ton about construction processes and tools as well as interpersonal skills around teamwork and shit like that.
Default avatar
Jenny
Female
United States
10/10
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
DM12 Volunteer Opportunities
Mar 13, 2021

All Hands and Hearts offer both domestic and international programs that serve disaster affected communities. The Los Angeles DM12 program focuses on Covid 19 relief work and is a 3 month commitment. There is no cost to volunteer with this organization, and food and housing are provided while on project.

The focus of the project works with local NGOs to provide testing, vaccines and food box preparation/distribution to those in need. The work is much needed and rewarding. The layout for the project work is rotated weekly which provides variation and aids to help in many areas.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
If you have a hammock, bring it. You have evenings and weekends to use at your leisure and base is situated in a beautiful campground at the base of the mountains.
Default avatar
Kyana
28
Female
8/10
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
DM12 Volunteer Opportunities
Mar 13, 2021

I am grateful I had the opportunity to join this program. It was an enjoyable, impactful and practicable experience. The program accommodates and takes good care of their volunteers from flights, living accommodations and meals — I was never hungry lol. The area was beautiful and safe. The partner programs were helpful and welcoming when working at the different sites and locations. I commend the staff for being supportive and present while adapting to all of the different personalities and needs of each volunteer.

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
Cactus
Default avatar
Kymber
25
Female
9/10
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
DM12 Volunteer Opportunities
Mar 10, 2021

All Hands and Hearts DM 12 programs offer a unique opportunity to serve and meet community needs in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Los Angeles program specifically offers a nice variety of work, caring and supportive staff, as well as a beautiful location. The program also takes Covid-19 precautions very seriously, which helps volunteers feel safe and comfortable working in the field. Overall, it has been an incredibly rewarding experience to be apart of. If you’re considering it, I would definitely encourage you to go!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Say yes to this amazing opportunity to serve, meet new people, and explore a beautiful location.
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Programs

Displaying 1 - 1 of 1

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Dana Beguerie

Program
Help Puerto Rico Recover From Hurricane Maria | No Program Fee
Dana Beguerie

Why did you choose this program?

I've worked with All Hands and Hearts twice now. The first time I volunteered in St. Thomas, they were offering free flights for people able to stay for 2+ weeks. I have generous vacation time, so I decided to go for it!

I had such an amazing experience in the St. Thomas program that I decided to sign up for their Puerto Rico program and had another fantastic experience. I can't wait to volunteer with them again and I hope to spend longer than a week.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

For the St. Thomas trip in 2019, they booked my airfare and had accommodations set up on their base, where they provided meals, transportation to work sites, and sleeping quarters. My responsibility was to get from the airport to and from their base and cover meals on the weekends.

This most recent trip to Puerto Rico, I was responsible for my airfare, transportation to and from the base, and weekend meals. They took care of the rest.

Neither of these trips required a Visa as they're both US territories.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

Once All Hands and Hearts has confirmed your volunteer dates, they send you a packet of information with everything you need to know: what to pack, transportation options, the type of work you'll be doing, etc. It's incredibly informative and in line with what to expect when you arrive on base.

After the St. Thomas trip, I orchestrated a group trip to volunteer with All Hands and Hearts through a social volunteer organization I work with called One Brick. We traveled with a group of ten and everyone told me they had a great experience and would volunteer with All Hands and Hearts again - even without the group.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

For the two programs I have worked on, workdays are Monday to Friday from 8 am-4 pm. All Hands and Hearts operate multiple worksites at once all in various stages of completion.

In St. Thomas, I did a lot of interior and exterior painting and installing doorknobs. For Puerto Rico, we did mold remediation and roofing work. The site supervisors and team leaders are knowledgable and do not make you do any work you're uncomfortable with doing.

After work, there is a base-wide debrief meeting at 5 pm where we go over successes, work for the next day, program updates, fundraising updates, etc. Dinner is served between 5:30-6 pm and then people mostly hang out on base. Both locations had a curfew.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

I was pretty nervous about sharing a room with 10-20 people because we're also spending the day together at the worksite, but there are so many people on base to hang out with and if you need your space and are feeling burnt out, people give you plenty of space.

I know some people are concerned that they do not know enough about construction or home repair to help. Since All Hands and Hearts has different types of projects going on, there is something for everyone. Don't let that stop you!

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Jessica Thompson

Program
Help Puerto Rico Recover From Hurricane Maria | No Program Fee
Job Title
All Hands' Director of Volunteer Coordination
Jess Thompson is All Hands and Hearts' Training and Development Manager. She helps make sure staff and volunteers have the training they need to be efficient and effective in the field.
Director of Volunteer Coordination

Did you volunteer abroad? If so, where and what inspired you to go?

I volunteered with All Hands for 16 months in Indonesia and Haiti before becoming staff. Like all of our volunteers, I was driven to help those who need support following the impact of a natural disaster

As with a large number of our alumni I signed up for just a couple of weeks but the work was so meaningful, my fellow volunteers so inspirational and the communities so welcoming I found I didn't want to leave. In the last five years I have now been to 17 projects, and a part of many more from my desk at home, and seeing communities being supported on the road to recovery is as satisfying as it was my first week on the ground as a volunteer.

What does the future hold for All Hands Volunteers - any exciting new programs to share?

As a disaster response organization it is impossible for us to predict where and when our next project will be. We have cleaned up after floods, rebuilt after typhoons, cleared debris after tornados and shoveled snow after the historical snowstorms that hit the Boston area this year.

If local mechanisms, agencies and individuals are overwhelmed by the scale of the damage All Hands will look at ways that volunteers can plug in and fill the gaps, whether this mean winterizing homes in Colorado or building boats in Samar. We're always looking for unmet needs in the communities we serve and how we can use the motivation and dedication of our volunteers to address them.

Do your volunteers require certain qualifications or go through a training process?

All Hands is committed to enabling motivated people to assist communities affected by natural disasters. We try to remove as many barriers to participation as possible so that our volunteer population is as diverse and innovative as possible.

We do not require our volunteers to have any special skills or previous experience, and there is no minimum or maximum amount of time you must sign up for. If you have the time and ability to travel to the location of our of our projects, and we have space, you're in! Our Team Leaders will share their expertise with you, making sure you have all the information and techniques you need to have a positive and productive time in the field.

What is the level of cultural immersion your volunteers receive?

All of our projects involve lots of interaction with the local community. We welcome local residents as volunteers, and many projects hire a large local workforce to help us with highly skilled tasks such as translation and construction.

You'll also work side by side with the homeowners and beneficiaries you're assisting, clearing basements of debris, building houses, cutting down and removing fallen trees and so on. Outside of the workday, you are free to explore the area as much as you'd like, eating in mom and pop restaurants, riding local transport and getting roped into the local sport of choice - your skill level is irrelevant!