By Emma Parkhouse | Director of International Development
Project Overview:
Our recent Back to School efforts have been truly inspiring. Over the past three months, we’ve launched the reconstruction of classrooms and essential WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) facilities at two new schools in rural Nepal, completed another school in a typhoon-impacted community in the Philippines, to ramping up the start of our next school reconstruction there, this period has been full of momentum. At the same time, our team has been working closely with communities in Mexico to design rainwater harvesting systems that will soon support two additional schools in Puebla - a region prone to prolonged periods of drought - with access to safe drinking water. It’s been a whirlwind three months and we’re so grateful to have you along for the journey.
Back to School Impact:
While our latest activities have focused on reconstructing schools across Mexico, Nepal, and the Philippines, together they have contributed to a much larger achievement: helping children safely return to learning. As a result of this work,376 schools worldwide have been supported, and 125,000 students are now back in safe, functional classrooms
One of those students is Jessabel, who attends Obi School in the Philippines. Her school was destroyed by Super Typhoon Pepito in December 2024, forcing Jessabel and her classmates to learn in temporary tent classrooms. These spaces quickly became unbearably hot under the sun, muddy during the rains, and far from ideal for focused learning.
All Hands & Hearts helped restore hope and opportunity for this school community by constructing five new resilient, sustainable classrooms. Less than a year after her school was destroyed, Jessabel is now learning in a safe environment and already dreaming of the future. “When I grow up, I want to be an engineer,” she says, “because I was inspired by All Hands & Hearts and the volunteers who built beautiful buildings and schools.”
Looking Ahead in 2026:
In the coming months, All Hands & Hearts will complete a major education project in Nepal, supporting two rural communities still recovering from the 2015 earthquakes. At Shree Basic School in Jhunga, we are building six disaster-resilient classrooms, upgrading WASH facilities, and rehabilitating the school campus - creating a safe, supportive learning environment for over 220 students and 11 staff. At Shree Nabajyoti Secondary School, a new toilet block and water filtration systems will ensure clean water and sanitation for more than 300 students and 18 staff.
Beyond construction, we are working with our partner Relief Nepal to provide essential trainings in Disaster Risk Reduction, Child Protection, and WASH, while expanding our Female Mason Training Program to empower local women with hands-on skills in sustainable, disaster-resilient construction. Using Compressed Stabilized Earth Brick (CSEB) technology, our classrooms will be durable, low-carbon, and disaster-resilient - helping children learn safely, families feel secure, and women lead in building a brighter future for their communities.
We are deeply grateful to the community members, donors, partners, and volunteers whose support continues to help get children “Back to School”. Together, you are not only helping children return to school today - you’re building opportunities, hope, and resilience for generations to come.
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