Habitat for Humanity and All Hands Volunteers to work together to help disaster victims
ATLANTA (June 22, 2012) — Habitat for Humanity International and All Hands Volunteers have formed a partnership to help families affected by disasters and to allow both organizations to better coordinate a joint response to future disasters.
“We look forward to expanding our relationship with All Hands Volunteers to help low-income families impacted by disasters,” said Kip Scheidler, Senior Director of Global Disaster Response with Habitat for Humanity International. “These families face dire living conditions following disasters, and working with All Hands Volunteers will help us strengthen our efforts to provide long-term housing solutions.”
Through the partnership, Habitat for Humanity and All Hands Volunteers will collaborate on response options immediately following a disaster, including damage assessments, fundraising, volunteer support and recovery operations.
“Partnering with Habitat for Humanity complements our disaster response activities very well,” said Paul Burnore, managing director of All Hands Volunteers. “We respond to the immediate needs of the affected communities, like clean up, digging drainage trenches, deconstruction and demolition of unsafe structures. At the same time, in partnership with Habitat, we rebuild homes for families that have lost theirs in the disaster.”
Habitat’s disaster response program focuses on the housing needs that arise from natural disasters and humanitarian emergency conflicts. More than 80,000 families worldwide have been served under the program since 1999. All Hands provides hands-on assistance to survivors of natural disasters around the world and has helped nearly 25,000 families since its founding in 2005.
Habitat and All Hands are currently working together to build more than 200 homes in the Philippines with families affected by a tropical storm that struck the country last year. Previously, the organizations helped families obtain transitional and affordable housing in Léogâne, Haiti, following an earthquake in 2010 and mobilized volunteers to clear debris and rehabilitate homes in Ofunato, Japan, following an earthquake and tsunami last year.
About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International is a global nonprofit Christian housing organization that seeks to put God’s love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. Since 1976, Habitat has served more than 500,000 families by welcoming people of all races, religions and nationalities to construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. For more information, to donate or to volunteer, please visit www.habitat.org, or follow us at www.facebook.com/habitat or at www.twitter.com/habitat_org or join Habitat’s blog community at www.habitat.org/blog.
About All Hands Volunteers
All Hands Volunteers is a US-based, nonprofit organization that provides hands-on assistance to survivors of natural disasters around the world, with maximum impact and minimum bureaucracy. At project sites, volunteers help to clear rubble, rebuild homes and schools and remove mud and debris after flooding. Community members also benefit from Cash for Work programs, professional development and water-filter construction in under-served or underdeveloped areas. During the past seven years, over 6,000 All Hands volunteers have contributed to 25,000 families globally. For more information, to donate or to volunteer, please visit www.hands.org, or follow us at www.facebook.com/allhandsvolunteers or at www.twitter.com/allhands.