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!

I love this organization with all of my heart. I first started volunteering on the Louisiana program in August 2016, when the floods in Baton Rouge and Denham Springs first happened. I signed up for a week in between university semesters, and I knew from my first week that I was hooked. I came back in December to serve with the organization in Louisiana for another five weeks, and returned again in July for another ten months.

Since then, I've been exposed to so many people throughout the world who are eager to make a difference. At the time, I was a disgruntled political science student and seeing how many wonderful people are willing to sacrifice their time and other commitments to help someone else in need spoke volumes to me. Not only will you get to meet people from around the world and be exposed to new cultures, but you'll also learn new skills and help a community in need. Before volunteering with All Hands and Hearts, I had never used a construction tool in my life before, but everyone is so patient and eager to help that it was fun to pick it up.

Thank you for changing my life, All Hands and Hearts. You flipped it around in the best way possible, and I owe a lot of love to the organization for doing it.

This was my first project with All Hands and Hearts and most definitely not my last. I was originally signed up to volunteer in Houston for two weeks, but after my first few days I knew I wanted to stay longer. I ultimately remained on project for just over three months, and in that time I worked on sites that will stay with me forever and made friends who became family.

The Houston project is filled with a variety of different work, including muck & guts, sanitations, rebuilds, and more. I've had days where I was installing flooring and others where I completed entire kitchen guts. No matter the task at hand, each day's work was overwhelmingly gratifying .

Words cannot fully describe the level of love and admiration I have for this project, and I'm sure each new volunteer will feel the same. I would return in an instant if I could.

Volunteering with All Hands and Hearts - Smart Response in both Denham Springs, Louisiana and then in Aransas Pass, Texas was the most life changing experience I’ve had thus far. I went in wanting to do something adventurous but selfless and All Hands and Hearts provided just that. An incredible, fulfilling, exciting, yet difficult in all of the best ways possible experience. I met some of my absolute favorite human beings, learned an entire new skill set, and above all else gained a new perspective on life and how I think we as human beings should spend our lives. Being given the chance to travel, meet new like-minded people, and put myself to work to help people who have been put into unexpected and unfortunate circumstances is something I cannot thank All Hands and Hearts for enough. I highly recommend applying to volunteer on any of AHAH’s programs open around the world.

I was the better part of a year with this project. I go back with the org to Katrina and Rita response in Biloxi. Always a productive and amazing experience with great people. I've been staff multiple times, a non-profit partner, and a volunteer again on Project Louisiana. The housing facilities in Denham Springs were amazing and extremely welcoming. Reunited with a lot of recurring peoples from past responses and rebuilds, and met a lot of great new peoples too. Good stuffs all around.

I've been a part of multiple programs, but the combination of work output and overall need in the community puts Puerto Rico at the top of my list in terms of most impactful All Hands' projects. The volunteers are the most genuine people I've ever met, and the staff are both brilliant problem solvers and caring helpers. Time on base reminded me that life is best when its simple, and humanity peaks when people help others without any explanation or reasoning.

People still need help in Texas after Hurricane Harvey and AH&H is still there when most organizations have left. AH&H brings a variety of people together to live and work with each other. You create a family with the people you meet and they become life long friends. I have learned so much about myself and the value of community from working with this organization. I highly recommend this organization to anyone seeking adventure and a valuable learning experience. They work all over the world and get there early and stay late.

Talk about hard and rewarding work... With years of volunteering, its rare to find a volunteer community as strong and passionate as this one. All Hands and Hearts does an excellent job balancing work completed with an immersive and structured volunteer experience. Program staff make incredible strides to insure the comfort of all the volunteers, so that they can better impact the communities they are assisting.

With skilled leaders at the helm of every site, volunteers can expect to challenge themselves learning basic to advanced construction skills with opportunities to lead and teach others. If you're searching for a way to give back, one of the most valuable things you can give is time. It means the world to the people who need assistance getting back on their feet after a devastating disaster that displaced thousands. Prepare to share tears and smiles with amazing and grateful homeowners and like-minded volunteers.

Give two weeks now, impact someones life forever.