All Hands and Hearts purple and white logo

All Hands and Hearts

Why choose All Hands and Hearts?

All Hands and Hearts provides community-inspired, volunteer-powered disaster relief.

With both the frequency and intensity of disasters on the rise around the globe, there’s an urgent need for a more thoughtful approach to the way we respond and help impacted communities recover. When a disaster strikes, All Hands and Heart arrive early and stay late to address the immediate and long-term needs of disaster communities. We work alongside the local residents and deploy our unique volunteer model to enable direct impact — helping families and communities recover by building safe, resilient schools, homes and other community infrastructure.

Thanks to passionate volunteers, donors and partners, we’ve provided nearly 20 years of disaster relief support to over 1.2 million people.

Join us on our global volunteer programs where we provide:

- Three meals a day
- Free accommodation
- No program fee to volunteer

Reviews

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Sushant
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Absolutely Recommended!

Volunteering with All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) for a week was an unforgettable and transformative experience. As my first time going for such volunteer opportunity, AHAH set an incredible example of meaningful community service combined with cultural exchange. The experience not only allowed me to contribute to a great cause but also provided invaluable exposure to diverse cultures and perspectives.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my time with AHAH was working on projects that directly benefited school children. Seeing their smiles and knowing that our efforts were contributing to their future brought me immense happiness and a deep sense of fulfillment. The experience reinforced my belief in the power of education and community-driven initiatives.

AHAH also did a fantastic job of helping volunteers immerse themselves in the local culture through initiatives like Mason’s Day and Friday school visits, where we got the chance to interact with children through games and activities. These moments helped me connect with the local community on a personal level and understand their way of life beyond the worksite.

Beyond the local engagement, interacting with volunteers from around the world was an eye-opening experience. I learned French and German phrases, discovered how to make authentic Italian gnocchi, and exchanged stories about traditions and customs from different parts of the world.

The staff were incredibly friendly and supportive, making it easy to blend in with the team and the locals. While the work was physically demanding at times, the encouragement and camaraderie of my fellow volunteers made every challenge worthwhile.

Suggestions for improvement:
Overall, the program was well-structured, but having more opportunities to engage in longer conversations with local community members could further enrich the cultural exchange.

Rating: 5/5

What was your funniest moment?
It was when we chose to climb a dry water stream thinking we will find a way to other side from the top of hill but there was no way neither up nor down once we were halfway there.
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Tyler
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Maui, HI-Wildfire

Cannot say enough about this program and the staff. It is amazing how welcomed I felt and I could easily get involved. I felt like I had a purpose and was shown the proper safe way to work. The staff are very helpful and take their time with you. The on-base activities after work are awesome as well. The atmosphere is really cool and it feels like family. I love meeting people from all over the world and making connections with good hearted people. All Hands and Hearts has a really good system and I would recommend volunteering to anyone who loves to have fun while helping people in need.

What was your funniest moment?
One night we were playing a game called salad bowl and my face hurt from laughing so much.
Pros
  • meeting interesting people
  • helping people in need
  • sense of community
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Alice
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Chance of lifetime

I've been a lifelong volunteer, and my experiences with All Hands and Hearts have been some of the most meaningful of my life. I've met people of all sorts while on program, and had the opportunity to be immersed in different cultures while feeling like I'm really making a difference. I felt fully supported and listened to by staff, and the diversity of the other volunteers and the people we served have expanded my understanding.

The communal living and team environment allows each person to bring their unique gifts to each project; you never know who is going to come up with a solution! The AHAH staff are very good at letting teams figure things out and find ways to get the job done. The program informs volunteers on how to be culturally sensitive to the often traumatized people you may be serving, while still allowing for meaningful exchanges.

I look forward to many more trips with AHAH.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
If you're an open-minded person who loves travel, you will enjoy your time at AHAH.
Pros
  • Community involvement where you know who you are helping
  • Get to spend time and get to know the local scene
  • Sharing space with people of all ages and experience
Cons
  • Communal living can be challenging
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Brian
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

School build

Lovely experience assisting with a school build in Southern Leyte in the Philippines. Accomodations are pleasant, food is good, and the fellow homo sapiens are wonderful. Working on a school construction site can be tough work in the Philippine rain and heat, but the knowledge of having a positive impact on the local community outweighs any negative aspects. Felt safe then whole time, as they have a nurse on site for an accidents that may occur. Great experience, and the staff, mason, other volunteers, and locals are all wonderful.

What was your funniest moment?
Christmas holiday party. Locals doing some fun dances in the dance circle.
Pros
  • People
  • Experience
  • Learning
Cons
  • Rain. Lots of rain.
  • Sun and heat. Lots of sun and heat.
  • Dirt and mud. Lots of dirt and mud.
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Annie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Awesome way to explore new places

It was really cool to explore a place like Maui from such a different perspective. You have the weekends off to enjoy the beach and go on different adventures, but the week throughout the work is really what made the experience. The impact that we are here to make is always made clear and it's great to feel so connected to the community and to feel like being a small part of the recovery. The staff and team leaders make sure that safety is a priority, with learning and fun as a close second! I am excited to go on another program

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
It's whale season now so we see whales breaching in the ocean on our drive to and from site!
Pros
  • Incredible people
  • Impact and meaningful work
  • Ability to live and work with people from around the world

Programs

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Alumni Interviews

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

Chloe Wheeler

Job Title
Volunteer Engagement Coordinator
To promote and facilitate fundraising for the program.

What is your favorite travel memory?

My favorite travel memory was when I was given the opportunity to come out to Los Angeles. Despite there being a pandemic, I have been given the chance to travel and be a part of the solution. I have gotten to see a new part of the world while providing COVID-19 relief. Most people are not given that opportunity, especially with free airfare.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

The way I have changed/grown since working for All Hands and Hearts is that I have become much more confident due to the support from the organization and coworkers. They fully believe in me and my capabilities which empowers me to remind myself that they're right and I can do this. I have accomplished more than I ever expected in this position.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

I just love that so many people have volunteered before and multiple times. For example, one volunteer here on the program currently is their 6th project! People fall in love with All Hands and Hearts and will jump from one project to the next. What I also love is that people who may have not had the best time on a certain program still give others a chance. They don't let one bad experience ruin All Hands and Hearts for them.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

I would go on any of the programs that All Hands and Hearts however, I am interested in helping out with the Australia wildfires. That was a dream opportunity for me, personally. Traveling to a new part of the world and helping that community out is all I want to do with my life. I am so thankful All Hands and Hearts allows for me to actually achieve this goal of mine.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

I do happen to live where I work which can be difficult but most of the time, I love the opportunity to gives to connect with your coworkers and volunteers. I'm especially proud my team for being so resilient. Lots of ups and downs, yet we have always stuck together and found solutions for any situation.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

Networking and support are absolutely crucial to being successful. Especially in my specific role of fundraising, those connections are what actually gets people to raise money for the organization. That just boils down to the people. The people are the ones that make this a successful organization.

Staff Interviews

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

Jessica Thompson

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!