“Each event triggered a reaction that turned into a strength and created a purpose.”
In 2009, Off-The-Grid Missions was founded by Angela Maria Nardolillo, a hard-of-hearing woman of Puerto Rican and Italian descent. She spent years traveling alone into isolated regions providing Deaf Communities with access to educational supplies. During her travels, she witnessed that individuals with significant hearing loss were being deprived of language which resulted in lack of access to communication, education and overall day-to-day information –making them most susceptible to neglect, abuse, sexual assault, and even murder. Angela was exposed to the most extreme cases of violence against deaf people, the murders of three deaf women in Haiti who she was providing resources in an effort to keep them safe while in transit. She was also caught in the eye of an earthquake, which further revealed the unique barriers in the aftermath of a natural disaster. In response, each mission evolved into emergency preparedness and disaster relief; providing life-saving and sustainable resources to deaf people in regions most cut-off from basic resources, as well as, disaster-stricken.
Now, a decade later, the organization has evolved into a global movement that welcomes individuals from the Deaf Community to work towards a common goal: to bring light to the source of the problem in order to disarm it with tangible and sustainable solutions.
Behind The Name
“Off-The-Grid” refers to the remote and isolated geographic regions that we focus on.
While “Missions” refers to the boots-on-the-ground, 007, grassroots, and guerrilla way in which the organization operates.
Team
Frontlines are made up of members of the Deaf Community. They volunteer on the ground and at the core of each mission; are fluent in Sign Language; and are trained in implementing sustainable solutions for survivors of disaster. Each member of the frontlines posses a different set of skills –it is every one of our strengths combined that makes us most productive in delivering tangible and effective solutions.
Donors fuel each mission by donating funds of their own, or hosting fundraisers.
Partners & Sponsors are companies and organizations who work in partnership with our organization.