Walk for a Cause: All Hands and Hearts Partners with WeWard to Support Typhoon-Impacted Schools in the Philippines

News provided by

Aug 29, 2024, 14:33 ET

SOUTHERN LEYTE, Philippines , Aug. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- All Hands and Hearts (AHAH), a non-profit organization that provides community-inspired, volunteer-powered disaster relief to international communities, announced a new partnership with WeWard, the free mobile app that rewards 20M people for walking.

The app tracks users' daily walking activity, allowing them to earn 'Wards' for their steps, which can then be converted into cash deposits, charitable donations or retail gifts. WeWard also offers various competitive and social features, such as challenges, leaderboards, collectibles and streaks, to further gamify the experience and allow users to earn more rewards. WeWard users have been shown to increase walking activity by nearly 25%, and to date, the company has given $20M in cash back to users, $1M to charity partners and helped save more than 600,000 tons of CO2 from the walking activity generated.

Starting July 1, 2024 through November 1, 2024, WeWard users will have the option to donate their Wards to a dedicated AHAH's fundraiser, with the goal of reaching 3.4M Wards. Donations raised through the campaign will go directly towards the construction of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities at Mahayag Elementary School as part of AHAH's Philippines Typhoon Relief program in Southern Leyte. AHAH staff and volunteers are working with the local community to rebuild the school affected by Typhoon Rai, impacting 82 students and their teachers. Super Typhoon Rai, known locally as Odette, made landfall in 2021, causing devastating impacts. An estimated 9.9 million people were severely affected, leaving about 2.4 million in need of assistance. Most notably, 29,000 schools were damaged, leaving students with no safe place to learn or play.

Through WASH initiatives, AHAH aims to ensure health, dignity and school attendance to work toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #6. Donations raised through the WeWard app will support a drainage system, three additional toilets, an accessible bathroom, handwashing stations, a clean drinking water station and WASH training at the school.

"We're excited to partner with WeWard to turn daily steps into palpable change," said Jess Thompson, Chief Executive Officer at All Hands and Hearts. "This collaboration provides a fun and engaging way to support the Typhoon Relief program, giving us the support needed for essential WASH facilities at our school rebuild."

AHAH proudly maintains its 4-star rating, the highest awarded by Charity Navigator, for the tenth consecutive year. This rating is a testament to its commitment to transparency and efficiency, assuring donors that 95% of every dollar contributed goes directly toward global relief efforts.

Turn every step into support to rebuild safe and healthy learning environments in the Philippines – download the WeWard app and start walking for a cause!

SOURCE All Hands and Hearts