Nepal Earthquake Recovery

I volunteered for four weeks in Nepal Haibung Project. It was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. All Hands and Hearts is doing such great work on the field. It was great to interact with the community and the its kids. I learned new skills and met some amazing people. I highly recommend this program if you want to help Nepal get back on its feet. As this program is resuming again in October 2018, I hope more and more volunteers apply for it and the program can have maximum impact.

I arrived in Nepal on April 25, 2016, 1 year to the day since the earthquake struck. As soon as I arrived I knew this place would be a second home and I would never want to leave! I immediately extended my stay on the program to the full 5 months (Nepal visa restriction) and it was the best decision I have made!

This was a life-changing experience for me in so many ways. I was able to form strong bonds with the local community and as well as other volunteers on the program. I can honestly say these people will remain in my life forever. All Hands also allowed me to develop professional skills and gave me a foot in the door to working for a Humanitarian NGO.

The work is tough, you will sweat like you have never sweated before, but it is all for a good reason, that reason is the community you are helping. The love and kindness they showed me was worth every second of work I put in!

I ended up returning and in total was with All Hands and Hearts in Nepal for 11 months.I attend the handovers of 6 schools that we built, and the teams have since built even more! As soon as I can I will absolutely be returning!

All Hands Nepal was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. The work was challenging but it was really rewarding to look back at the end of the day and see what you had accomplished. We had an amazing group of people (standard All Hands) and I loved spending time together at the end of the day. We were living in a remote village and got to really know some of the locals which was lovely! I also really enjoyed the lifestyle, we all became quite addicted to it. Would really recommend this program to everyone!

I spent over 5 months in Nepal with All Hands, and I can say that it was one of the best experiences. It was my 5th time volunteering with All Hands Volunteers, and as always the organization exceeded my expectations. The volunteers work their butts off, and the staff work hours and hours into the night to ensure that everything runs smoothly. You arrive onto base and you immediately feel at home, and as if you're with family. The work you do is meaningful, and the communities truly need it.

I recommend everybody to volunteer at least once with AHV, to live in not perfect living situations, to come home exhausted every night, and know that what you've done has made a difference.

Volunteering with All Hands was a great experience. No prior skills/experience is needed and you get food and accommodation in exchange for your work. No fees. Atomosphere around the base and work site was always fun and everyone worked very hard as you can see the difference it makes to the community, the work that All Hands does. Work on site varies from day to day and if there are any small issues, staff are always very helpful. All hands interact well with the local people (also hiring locals on staff) which helps so much to he project, and also improves the experience for the volunteers

I have had a very difficult time tying to put the right words to adequately describe my experience in Nepal with All Hands. I have come to the conclusion that there are not enough superlatives to describe how amazing this experience was for me. I will do my best to share this most awesome experience.
Firstly, the people of Nepal are the kindest most resilient group of people I have ever encountered. Their lives were turned upside down by those devastating earthquakes yet they greet you with the warmest of smiles and greetings. To be able to help these beautiful people was an absolute honor that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
All Hands is an amazing organization because it hired the best staff I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I have worked for some amazing organizations so it speaks volumes to say that the staff in Nepal are best. More importantly, they bring in the best volunteers from all corners of the world. The relationships that I formed with the people I served with in my short six week timeframe have become some of the most important relationships in my life. I am still amazed that I fell so completely in love with so many people in such a short span. When you serve with All Hands you become this big beautiful family. Most of the people I served with are my daughters ages. I love them as if they are mine and they reciprocated that love back to me in the most beautiful and loving manner. Going to Nepal and working with All Hands to rebuild hope has changed my life. I am a better person because of the people I served and the people I served with. I am eternally grateful for this experience and for every staff and volunteer I had great honor of working with.

I started my volunteer experience with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. Through AmeriCorps, I discovered All Hands Volunteers in Project Detroit Flood Rebuild. All Hands Volunteers (AHV) completely blew my mind in regards to an incredibly high-caliber work ethic, multi-talented team leaders, site supervisors, organized and intelligent staff...especially for a non-profit. So I decided to leave AmeriCorps to join AHV. My goal with AHV was to become a rebuild site supervisor. Within 3 months I was trained how to dry wall, mud and tape, how to install chair rails, baseboards, how to frame, the safety of mucking and gutting basements ridden with dangerous molds and debris, and much much more. I was taught so well that I became a rebuild team leader with zero knowledge of any of this type of work before I joined AHV.

Shortly after this Michael Hecker, an AHV mentor came to Detroit explaining a new program called the Global Service Fellowship (GSF) within AHV that "offers emerging leader a transformative experience in the US and abroad rebuilding communities impacted by natural disasters, empowering volunteers to serve and challenging themselves to become innovators in the non-profit sector all the while enhancing AHVs capacity to achieve its vision. GSF Fellows work as understudies in three key work areas: Volunteer Coordination, Program Management, and Field Coordination."

I was recommended by the Project Director, Reuben Grandon at the time to apply for this position and sure enough I was accepted into the GSF. After a two week orientation learning about what the fellows would be a part of, we were sent out to our projects. I was sent to Melamchi, Nepal along with another Fellow. I have learned a great deal about how AHV is run in another country in regards to the staff positions and work that the volunteers were doing. Through the Fellowship in Nepal, I have been able to learn a great deal of the Nepali language, cover different staff positions whenever needed, attended the Hackathon led by effect.org where employees from Google, AHV, and Nepal Rises put their heads together to create technological solutions to issues that NGOs are having (My idea actually won the entire Hackathon), I have also been able to build my resume tremendously, network with amazing people, and build overall life skills in ways I could never have learned otherwise.

Be prepared to be tired and dirty in exchange for the best experience of your life.

As a volunteer with All Hands Volunteers in Nepal you could be demolishing damaged schools to make them safe, working with volunteers from around the world to remove rubble from a family's home, or in a team with local skilled staff to build homes and schools. Whatever you do, you'll be part of an incredible group of people helping Nepal recover from the earthquake.

You'll work side by side with local families affected by the earthquake, you'll learn a new language, gain skills you never thought you could have, and maybe even get a blessing! After a hard day's work you'll come back to base and share stories with people of all ages from all over the world.

Volunteering your time and hard work here is life changing. You can really make a difference to people who have been hit hard by a disaster.