WEEK TWO: MA Founders Volunteer with All Hands and Hearts
Thu 18 Jun 2026
Annie Gault, MA, Marketing Coordinator
Mark & Lynda Bridge, founders of Mark Antony Estates, are spendin 6 weeks volunteering on the remote Philippine island of Catanduanes, helping to build a school for children in need. The island is frequently hit by typhoons, leaving communities reliant on disaster relief charities - like All Hands And Hearts - to rebuild their infrastructure. Working six days a week, their efforts highlight a meaningful commitment to supporting vulnerable communities despite challenging conditions.
CLICK HERE to read more about what inspired Mark & Lyn to dedicate themselves to this cause.
Week Two - Journal
Thursday: Storms and a stubborn door.
Finished the run of eight windows in the morning. A thunderstorm halted work for half an hour. Attempted to hang the last door but it had gone out of shape - tomorrow's job. One of their fellow volunteers finished her placement and went home, with warm goodbyes - "the bond forms fast here".
The work is getting increasingly tough, with conditions about to become even more demanding as a local Dengue fever spike requires volunteers to wear full-length base layers underneath their heavy work shirts in the baking sun, to protect them from mosquito bites.
Friday: Detail work and community.
Mark checked every door and window fits its frame. Began fitting Amakan (woven bamboo panelling) to both sides of them. Flagged an engineering snag: once panelled, some frames were too thick to open and too heavy for hinges. "That's the reality of building with improvised materials; you solve problems as they appear".
Lyn spent her day with a class of the local schoolchildren, drawing with them, playing games, and singing. Building those connections, supporting school curriculums and community leaders, is a core part of AHAH's mission.
The day closed with an Auction Night - "the best evening on base yet" - where volunteers auction off their own unique skills to each other: yoga, languages, even a frisbee masterclass from an actual Olympian athlete! Mark & Lyn came away with a pasta-making lesson from an Italian volunteer, motorbike rides to the beach, and a home cooked meal.
Saturday: Framing and logistics.
Mark finished building the Amakan panels for all 8 windows so they are ready for hanging. Lyn spent the day back sifting sand by shovel. At the end of the day they headed off base for their mandatory day off at a very basic local hotel. Despite being exhausted from the working week, they had little to no sleep due to a faulty air conditioning unit in the hotel that vibrated throughout the entire night, and a loud local fiesta took place outside until well after midnight!
Sunday: The reality of travel.
Feeling a bit worse for ware from lack of sleep, Mark woke up to fathers day messages and donations from his three children back home, which completely turned his mood around!
Travelling back to the AHAH base camp was a logistical headache involving a tricucle, a chaotic 2-hour wait at a sweaty van station, then an overcrowded 90 minute drive.
Monday: Material shortages and big ideas.
Lyn spent the morning manually shifting heavy stones away from the delivery area, and moving sifted sand out of the playground. Mark hit a wall on the canteen doors after completely running out of nails, so switched over to attaching more Amakan to the rear wall, which is an incredibly slow job due to the irregularity of the hand-woven sheets.
Despite a difficult day, Mark & Lyn feel that the work they are doing is so impactful that they are already looking into joining other AHAH programs during future trips abroad to Jamaica and Mexico.
Tuesday: A promotion!
Lyn spent a brutal and tedious day watering plaster in the heat to keep it damp. Mark finished up the canteen Amakan panels and organised the materials on site.
The big news?... Mark has been asked to act as the official site manager! This means he is now responsible for tool inventory, material tracking, and running power tool safety orientations for new volunteers as they arrive - all on top of his existing daily built labor!
Wednesday: Problem solving and pure exhaustion.
Mark started the day shadowing the existing site manager to learn the ropes, and giving some safety briefings. The nails needed for the canteen doors finally arrived in the morning, so Mark got right to work finishing the decorative framing for the door. Unfortunately, he discovered that the team who built the rear wall put the framework 15cm lower than the rest of the building, meaning nothing lined up correctly - oops. The project coordinator wanted it torn down and rebuilt, but after Mark pointed out that meant 3 days of lost labor, the team came to a sensible compromise that kept the project on schedule. They then finished the day making custom plywood bases to fit the bunk beds before collapsing from sheer exhaustion.
How can YOU help?
If you can spare anything at all, please donate by clicking the banner below.You can rest assured that every single penny donated through Mark & Lyn's official fundraiser page goes directly to the project. Even just a couple of pounds buys essential building materials like bags of plaster or nails that simply aren't available otherwise.
It's support from back home that keeps volunteers going through the heat and hard work!
