Hands On Disaster Response Says Goodbye to Peru

Volunteer Project Comes to a Completion

CARLISLE, Mass., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hands On Disaster Response (HODR), a volunteer-driven 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization, completed their volunteer project in Pisco, Peru on January 15, 2008 after five months of providing help to the survivors of the 7.9 earthquake that struck Peru on August 15, killing over 500 people, interrupting schools, disrupting livelihoods, and destroying over 40,000 homes.

Project Pisco ranks as HODR's largest international project to date. The 535 volunteers from 30 countries; 120 of whom donated 25 days or more to Project Pisco, gave their time, energy, skills and hearts to an extensive array of projects carried out in the community. Some of the projects included debris removal, reconstructing 500 meters of an irrigation canal, building 300 temporary homes, stuffing 15,000 backpacks with UNICEF, building 100 temporary classrooms, contributed to the rebuilding of the Abraham Valdelomar School, and cleaning the beach and costal wetlands in San Andres.

Alcalde Juan E. Mendoza Uribe (mayor) presented Hands On Disaster Response a plaque from the Municipalidad Provincial de Pisco at the completion on January 16, 2008. He commended the volunteers and team for their hard work and support in the Pisco Providence. To read more about Project Pisco visit our website http://www.HODR.org.

HODR currently has a volunteer project in Rayenda, Bangladesh providing relief to the survivors of Cyclone Sidr. We are accepting volunteers and donations to provide this aid and to help offset the costs of the project. Donations can be made securely on our website http://www.HODR.org. All donations are tax-deductible and will be used effectively in this relief project. All funds donated to HODR go directly towards these efforts to help run a successful relief project. Please give generously to support our volunteers and the people they assist.

For additional information on HODR's Project Pisco or Project Rayenda, please visit http://www.HODR.org or contact Paula Ogletree at 706-476-0310 or paula@hodr.org.

-- ABOUT: Hands On Disaster Response is a US-based, volunteer-driven, 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization dedicated to timely disaster response and relief. HODR strives to provide hands-on relief to survivors of natural disasters with maximum speed and minimum bureaucracy. Our projects focus on applying volunteer resources and expertise to communities affected by natural disaster; projects typically focus on rebuilding and community development. Previous projects have included Thailand (2004 Southeast Asian Tsunami), USA (Hurricane Katrina), Indonesia (2006 Jogjakarta earthquake), the Philippines (Typhoon Reming), Peru (2007 Pisco earthquake), and Bangladesh (Cyclone Sidr). Donations made to HODR are tax deductible.