I arrived in Nepal in October 2015 thinking I would stay just a couple of months. It is now April 2016 and I am so sad to leave my new home!
All Hands is a truly wonderful organisation where like minded people can come together and simply help. The organisation provides a platform for everyone to come and share their ideas and create an experience of their own. There are opportunities to team lead, where you can gain knowledgeable skills in leadership and organisation. You can also take on a base manager role and help the operations staff with the running of the base. Considering all the mobile (camping) sites logistics can be hectic and busy so if you like a challenge and want to learn more about the organisation base managing is a perfect place to start.
The work on site is hard but so rewarding! You will build muscles you never knew you could and learn construction skills that you don't usually get the opportunity to!
You will also make some of the best friends of your life and amazing connections with these beautiful communities.
All Hands has given me these astounding opportunities and I can't wait for the next time I can come back and volunteer!
Dhanyabad All Hands! See you on the next one!

I first volunteered with All Hands in 2014 in Bohol, Philippines. This was such an incredible experience that I volunteered again in Leyte in 2015 and am now currently in Project Nepal. Each experience with All Hands has surpassed the last, and it has been very reassuring to see that the organisation improves each year. As a volunteer I have felt looked after and able to discuss any matter with members of staff. Volunteer welfare is paramount, and health and safety protocols are impressed upon volunteers on a daily basis. One of the most admirable aspects of All Hands has been the organisation's relationship with the local communities; in identifying and addressing need and also ensuring ongoing communication with the beneficiaries. On each project local people have also either volunteered or worked along side international staff and volunteers, which ensures a cohesive environment rather than a them/us dynamic. Above all, the compassion, dedication and love shared among volunteers after a hard day's work is simply awe-inspiring and my time with All Hands has changed my life forever. I will continue to volunteer with All Hands in some capacity for the rest of my life! I can't express my gratitude enough for this truly incredible experience.

All Hands Volunteers(AHV) offers one of the most unique and valuable volunteer experiences through cultural immersion, program structure, social culture, and tangible meaningful work for those skilled and unskilled. A volunteer on All Hands Volunteers Program Nepal said during his leaving speech after 6 months on program, "Best job I've ever had". A perfect description of the trans-formative experience offered on AHV programs. If you ever do visit an AHV program, you will hear this a lot, "i signed up for a week, here i am 2,4,6, 12 months later". In my case, i signed up for one month in 2014, since then i have worked on 7 different programs, for a total of 18 months. Each program different in work, leadership, and location, but consistent in vision and quality.

Ever wanted to be a par of a family that you were not born with? Ever want to go out and do some of the most intense physical work and yet come back at the end of the day with the biggest smile on your face and feeling a sense of accomplishment rarely found when not travelling? Do you feel the need to help people who have just experienced a major natural disaster but are not sure how to go about it ? Join All Hands Volunteers. Best job I ever had.

Program Louisiana has been wonderful! The community we are staying in is very supportive and the homeowners are so appreciative of our help (we get all sorts of food and dessert made for us). It can be a dirty job at times, but the volunteers make working fun. The staff and the volunteers have great attitudes and work ethic.

I have been volunteering with All Hands Volunteers for a year now and i can honestly say its one of the best organizations I've ever been with. You find your way to the program and they provide you with food, water, housing and the tools/training needed to be successful. Money is not asked just the determination to work hard. Its a great atmosphere to be in. The staff is very organized and work well with everyone. No prior skills are required.

Before heading down to Louisiana I had no idea what to expect, but once I arrived I realized the intense need for disaster relief there. I really loved the people that we were able to help, everyone had very moving stories. I enjoyed working with all of the amazing All Hands volunteers, they were all very knowledgeable and wanted to do all that they could in the area. Everyone is so invested in the program and want to do the best work possible.

If you have never done a volunteer trip like this, this is the perfect place to make that leap. Even if you have experience in the volunteer world, All Hands Volunteers is an amazing opportunity. They are a fun, lively bunch of hard working volunteers. You don't need any skills to start off, but I promise that by the end you know exactly what you're doing!! Once you start with All Hands it's hard to stop working with them. South Carolina has a really special community with a strong need that makes doing the dirty work 100% worth it. You'll leave exhausted and wanting more.