Bohol's Recovery

We dumped dozens of wheel barrels full of concrete rubble over the ledge of his home's old foundation. The rubble would crash into the jungle and roll to a stop between the pig's stye and a pile of old coconuts that had rotted during rainy season. Despite the fact that we had been using sledgehammers to bring down the concrete walls of his home for the last four hours, the reality of his situation hadn't hit home for us.

  

Suddenly the steady shoveling sound stopped. Our shovels had uncovered what must have once been a women's closet. We tenderly swept the dirt and concrete from the clothes and pulled out mismatched shoes, trying to match pairs whenever possible.

As we set the belongings on the concrete ledge that was once his living room, he suddenly appeared and leaned down to sort the items. He inspected each item carefully before determining if it could be salvaged. His solemn face never showed any emotion, but his eyes showed sadness as they glazed over.

The homeowner (in green) sorting through the belongings our team uncovered

The 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Bohol, Philippines on October 15, 2013, killed dozens of people and damaged countless homes and centuries old churches. We were volunteering with All Hands to help those in need safely deconstruct their severely damaged homes in a manner that allows them to recycle as many materials as possible to use in rebuilding. 

The 60+ volunteers from all over the world working tirelessly for months on end were truly inspirational to us. For six days a week their time is spent tearing down walls of damaged homes with sledgehammers, pulling nails from rusted metal roofs, shoveling never ending concrete rubble and sorting out the rebars to be salvaged. Each day new sites would be completed and twice as many would be added to the list. We are grateful to have joined this amazing group of people and contributed a tiny piece to the long rebuilding process that lies ahead for Bohol.

stepping over one of the many fault lines in the area