Volunteering with All Hands and Hearts in the USVI

Though the media has long stopped paying attention to the damages that hurricanes Irma and Maria inflicted on the people of the Caribbean, rebuilding efforts in the region are far from over. On many islands, power lines are still down, houses are still uninhabitable and businesses are still closed.

Puerto Rico received much of the media attention in the months following the deadly storms. And rightly so; the island suffered over 3,000 casualties. But the twin hurricanes also devastated the nearby United States Virgin Islands (USVI)–flattening shops and hotels and reducing homes to unrecognizable lumps of debris.

In many places across the USVI, Maria downed what Irma failed to destroy, stripping the islands of their vegetation and ravaging some of the Caribbean’s most idyllic beaches.

The winds of Irma and Maria annihilated nearly everything in their path. On the island of St John, they destroyed 90% of the electrical grid, reduced hotel rooms to rubble, and all but convinced tourists to spend their vacation days elsewhere.

For an island that relies heavily on tourism, the consequences were catastrophic.

Tourism generates a third of the gross domestic product on St John. It is a revenue stream that the local government cannot afford lose. So as Virgin Islanders awaited medicine, fuel and manpower to rebuild their flattened communities in the aftermath of the storms, a substantial drop in tourism rubbed salt in their newly inflicted wounds.

In February—six months after the terrible twin storms, and just as the island’s forests began regaining their luster—I traveled to the small island of St John with All Hands and Hearts, in order to dedicate a bit of my time to the island’s rebuilding.

Why Volunteer with All Hands and Hearts?

I’d originally heard about All Hands and Hearts from a childhood friend, who has worked with the organization on numerous occasions. After listening to her testimonies and doing my own research, I knew that I, too, wanted to dedicate a bit of my time to the non-profit’s relief efforts.

All Hands and Hearts (formally All Hands Volunteers), was founded in 2004, in response to a 9.1 magnitude earthquake that killed 250,000 in Southeast Asia. Today, the organization responds to natural disasters around the world–from Dominica to Peru and from Mexico to the Carolinas.

It is easy to find charities that are well-intentioned, but it is much more difficult to find ones that have a long-lasting impact on the places they claim to serve. All Hands and Hearts brings assistance to disaster-stricken areas by rebuilding schools and homes. Instead of rushing to afflicted areas and leaving as soon as new, more pressing assignments arise, the organization sticks around until its projects are complete. 

Working with All Hands and Hearts is tough. And while volunteering in the USVI granted me the opportunity to visit many of the best beaches in the world, those seeking a sponsored vacation may want to look elsewhere.

• What Is It Like to Volunteer with All Hearts?

During my ten days in the USVI, I worked from 8 to 5, Monday through Saturday. Each morning, my alarm went off at six o’clock sharp. By seven, our team was generally on the road and headed toward the worksite.

I spent my first two days on the island clearing rubble from a home near Coral Bay. On my second day, I donned a respirator mask and salvaged dishes and silverware from a house in Cruz Bay. Throughout the following five days, I worked on gutting the collapsed house of Eddie Bruce–a drummer, linguist, scholar and self-declared “information junkie,” whose life was turned upside down when the duo of storms ripped apart the home he had so lovingly built with his own hands.

Eddie’s heartbreaking story is not unique. And day after day, we met people who lost their homes, businesses and livelihoods.

Unlike many organizations that ask exorbitant fees from those who seek to help, All Hands and Hearts provides volunteers with basic accommodation and three meals per day. On the island of St John, volunteers stay in one of the functioning facility buildings of the now-decimated Caneel Bay Resort.

• Free Time to Explore

Though the resort lays in ruins and floating debris still litters the waters of Caneel Bay, the rustic home base of All Hands and Hearts sits in a prime location. Situated within the Virgin Islands National park and a stone’s throw away from some of the most beautiful beaches on St John, it offers tired volunteers unparalleled access to some of the Caribbean’s most beautiful scenery.

St John’s beautiful beaches and rolling green hills offer abundant opportunities to unwind and explore. The island is surrounded by turquoise water and blessed with a smattering of idyllic white sand beaches–including Hawksnest, Cinnamon, Trunk, Maho and Honeymoon.

Honeymoon Beach is a mere ten minute walk from the All Hands and Hearts base. It is a popular place for volunteers to take a post-dinner swim and admire the sunset. Following a tiresome day of mucking and gutting and lifting and hauling, the warm Caribbean waters of Honeymoon Bay provided the perfect remedy for my sore muscles.

The true magic of Honeymoon Beach reveals itself after sunset, however. Here, when the sky grows inky black, the waters glow with millions of phosphorescent plankton that reflect the stars up above.

On my last night in the USVI, I headed to the beach for a starlit swim. In a magical moment that was too difficult to capture on camera, I watched the plankton flicker around me and was reminded that each volunteer–like the millions of stars and plankton that illuminated the darkness–was a tiny part of something much bigger. We may not have individually made a monumental difference in the lives of Virgin Islanders, but each of us contributed to a larger cause. In doing so, we helped bring a sense of hope to those who need it most.

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Though years have passed since the winds and rains ripped though the small US territory, the rebuilding process in the USVI has been a continual uphill slog. Humanitarian aid has been slow to reach the people of the Caribbean and many are still struggling to restore their lives.

Luckily, All Hands and Hearts is there to help. And–despite the fact that the media has long since focused its attention elsewhere–the volunteer-sustained non-profit organization isn’t going anywhere until the work is done.

If you are interested in assisting with hurricane relief in the USVI, Puerto Rico or elsewhere, I encourage you to volunteer with All Hands and Hearts.

I assure you that the experience will be as rewarding as it is necessary.