Project L.I.F.E. Yogja Calling all Volunteers

Project L.I.F.E.

Calling all volunteers who wish to make a difference to those less fortunate. Rotary Club of Singapore is recruiting volunteers to extend humanitarian assistance to affected communities of the Mt Merapi Volcano Eruption disaster (last Oct-Nov 2010), one of the worst eruptions in centuries. These communities are now living in bamboo shelters after few months of living in tents and temporary housing.

After the disaster, communities still live in fear of lahar flow after rainstorms and afraid to return to their land where they have tilled for generations. And because of that, the communities have no income generation and many have to look for jobs in the cities, creating a social problem for the local authorities.

Project LIFE refers to Livelihood through International Friendship & Education. "It is precisely this theme that we want to help the communities by creating a livelihod project that will give HOPE to them", commented Project Leader Jimmy Ooi, member of Rotary Club of Singapore. "We have gathered many ideas from our experience after the Asian Tsunami Disaster in Khao Lak Thailand and the Bantul Tsunami & Earthquake Disaster, south of Yogyakarta that will help the local communities. But we need volunteers to assist to make this happen", says Jimmy.

Project LIFE will be a 2-year programme. The first team is planned for July this year and hopefully more youth volunteer teams will travel there to gain a meaningful experience through Project LIFE Yogya.

More details available at Facebook under "Rotary Project LIFE Youth Volunteers"

USA Air Travel Tips

Here is a selection of air travel tips that I suggest to all of my student groups when they travel to/from USA:

· Do carry on all documents (passport, visa, student pass, medical information, prescription copies, etc) and have copies of these documents both at home and packed in your checked bags.

· Don’t lock your bags. Use cable ties or twist ties to secure zippers, if you wish. These kinds of fasteners may be removed by the security personnel if they need to examine the bags, and they will replace them. Trust me; your locks WILL be cut off. Even if you use TSA approved locks, there’s a good chance that they will be taken off and not replaced, so don’t waste the money buying them.

· Laptops must be removed from briefcases and sent through the x-ray separately, unless you have a special “checkpoint friendly” laptop bag, so have them out before you get to the security check.

· Check with your carrier to ask if your cell phone will work in your destination country, also ask about international plans for Blackberrys and PDAs, these are generally pro-rated and can be turned on and off for your travel dates. And when you are abroad, switch off data roaming mode to avoid substantial roaming charges

· Do carry on all prescriptions, over-the-counter medication, vitamins, anti-diarrhea, anti-gas, antacid, and pain-killer tablets of choice in the original containers. Don’t expect to find your favourite brands available in the destination country.

· Do pack your favourite brands of personal products (feminine products, soaps, shampoos, cleansing tissues, deodorant, and lotions) in the smallest sizes possible in non-aerosol containers. No glass containers. Put any liquid containers in zip-lock bags for extra protection. If you are carrying on liquids, remember TSA’s 3-1-1 rules.

· A light inflatable pillow is nice on long flights, and much more comfortable than those the airlines provide.

· Bring a bottle of water (purchased after the security checkpoint!), a snack or two, and something to read. There are many hours of waiting when traveling in today’s world.

· Pack light – you will have to haul your own luggage, possibly up and down stairs. Airline regulations of how many and what size bags you may check through and carry on vary from carrier to carrier, and they change often. Be sure you know what the regulations are for your carrier and what rules have been established for your particular trip.

Have a wonderful trip!