Disaster relief organization completes construction, renovation of 21st school in Mexico

MATTAPOISETT, Mass., March 15, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- All Hands and Hearts (AHAH), a Mattapoisett-based non-profit organization helping people and communities impacted by disasters, unveiled the recently-constructed Guillermo Prieto Primary School to a crowd of more than 200 people on Saturday in Santa María de Albarradas, just outside of Oaxaca, Mexico.

This project marks the 21st school constructed by AHAH Mexico and will benefit more than 70 students grades one through six in the region.

In attendance for the celebration were representatives from Oaxaca's educational infrastructure agencies, local community leaders, donors and AHAH Mexico's chief executive officer.

"Our commitment to Mexican education doesn't stop under any circumstances, not even because of the COVID-19 pandemic. To continue with school reconstruction, we implemented additional safety and security protocols," commented Nicolette Koeman, CEO All Hands and Hearts Mexico.

Since last September, volunteers have joined from countries including the U.S., Belgium, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Switzerland and Spain to carry out the reconstruction and repair of the school, which was damaged by earthquakes in September 2017.

The program included the demolition of unsafe spaces, total reconstruction of a new building and the repair of three existing buildings with superficial but not structural damage. Two classrooms, one warehouse and two bathrooms were fully reconstructed and five rooms, one office and two bathrooms were repaired. AHAH improved the school's outdoor spaces including a basketball court, garden and children's playground.

"We couldn't be happier to partner with the community of Albarradas and to celebrate the exciting culmination of this school construction," said Perry Maddox, CEO of AHAH. "As we celebrate this new facility, I thank the community members who've hosted us and been our partners in this work, as much as I thank the All Hands and Hearts volunteers and staff who worked tirelessly to make this happen and the generous supporters whose gifts made this possible. Coming together — all in, all together — to rise together after disasters is what we're all about."

Since the beginning of operations, the organization has benefited 21 educational establishments in seven states of the Mexican Republic.

"This construction will be beneficial, especially for the children; they will have more comfort," said Maria Benitez Angeles, a cook for the recently-constructed school. "In the past, they have had problems with the classrooms; they did not have enough or were at imminent risk. Now, they will have more security in the school and it will be safer for them. I was very excited when the organization invited me to work with them. This is my job and I enjoy it, and I was happy that the organization has reached out to the community."

"This experience gave me personal and professional growth. At first, I was hesitant to come, but I decided to face that fear. It was not easy on day one, but from the second day, everything went very well," said Yasia Pelaez, a volunteer with AHAH. "Being a volunteer is a heavy job but fun at the same time; you learn from scratch about different jobs, from the handling of rebar, laying foundations, to structural construction. When you come here, you understand what it's like, and what I have seen is that many people come back, including me; once they come, they fall in love."

Donors who made this construction possible include TUMI, RLH Properties and its corporate foundation SANCUS, Fundación SURA, The Home Depot Foundation Mexico, The American Society of Mexico and its allies, and Happy Hearts Fund Czech, who over the years has supported AHAH's initiatives to provide a better quality of life to communities in Mexico.

The vision of supermodel and Tsunami survivor Petra Nemcova helped to form All Hands And Hearts in 2017. The founding of AHAH helped provide a greater impact for communities worldwide affected by natural disasters, and thus began a new chapter for children in Mexico.

Those looking to donate, support, or learn more about AHAH Mexico are encouraged to visit http://www.ahahmexico.org/haz-voluntariado or visit @ahahmexico on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

To get in contact with International recovery, please visit: http://www.allhandsandhearts.org/programs/mexico-earthquake-relief/.

About All Hands and Hearts:
Formed in 2017, All Hands and Hearts is a 501(c)3 that effectively and efficiently addresses the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters. We communicate directly with local leaders and community members and then deploy our unique model of engaging volunteers to enable direct impact, helping to build safer, more resilient schools, homes and infrastructure.

Media Contact

Justin Clements, Judge PR, 8126210631, [email protected]

SOURCE All Hands and Hearts