Posted: 24-December-2005 at 7:48pm | IP Logged

Dear all,

Christmas is a day of joy and a day of love, and I believe that it is a day to give. On that day, you party down Orchard Road or attending church function, or perhaps just lazing around in front of your computer in your cosy home. How great and peaceful life is.

But it seems that we are the only few around the world living in such a world. The earth is so big and its mother is crying. Crying dry without tears.

There is a place around you, where the people can’t feel that Christmas is approaching, snow doesn’t fall, joy isn’t seen. The only thing they know is the hunger they are having and seen the only few drops of water known as tears

I am talking about the place of West Timor in Indonesia. A place where hardship don’t seems to be ending. After the unrest in the year of 2000 after East Timor independence from Indonesia, the place was soon hit by famine for two years. The rivers don’t flow, crops can’t grow, many people are dying, living in darkness and fear. Just like what Bob Geldof said: “Do they know its Christmas time at all?”

Since its Christmas seasons, let us share our joy with them. They don’t need an Mp 3 player, they don’t need toys to play with, they don’t need a plasma TV. They only gift they would need this year is life. And I am appealing to you. Please save them.

I am hoping to form a team under YEP (youth expedition project) to West Timor, I would need 20 youth participants age 17 to 29, able to go to visit the place during march 11 to march 25 2006 to be in this project. The place has settled down from the unrest and safety precautions will be impose for the trip. The price each participants will have to pay will be about $ 300 and not more the $400. You will be there as a great person, saving lots of life and share the joy.

as all of you knows, capt budi runs an orphanage over there for 300 children.  he has spent a lot of his own money and time with his wife on this life long project. We will be doing two projects there:

1. to ease their water shortage problem such as digging wells   or   building a  playground hoping  that they would forget about some sorrows through play

2. to empower import skills to the orphanage children such as English language training or goal setting workshop.

Do visit his website at:

http://www.geocities.com/roslinorphanage/

It will sure be fun and unforgettable experience. And not to forget, you will be there to give an important gifts, which if the gift of life. We might be going for a sight seeing tour where one could enjoy the clear blue sea with activities such as sknoring.

New Year is fast approaching, a time where we would look ahead and plan for the future. Let us give them a new hope, a new path and a bright future to the place and to the children. 

The dateline for the registration is 30 of December 2005, please do feel free to give me a call or email if you are interested. Pass this message around, you will help by doing so. Do contact me if there is any further enquires.

Thank you

Yours truly,

Yihao

Posted: 25-December-2005 at 5:34pm | IP Logged

Yihao, well done! Can you get in touch with Budi to firm up your travel plans etc. He is expected back in Singapore on 28 December 2005! 

Posted: 02-January-2006 at 2:55pm | IP Logged

Hi hi all eclub forumers....

Happy New Year to all...

I have great progress from my West Timor project.. currently, there are 21 youths whom has signed up and alot are still poundering if they are to join in (25 max).. i could only have the chance to speak to budi over the phone and would finilised everything and summit a proposal to Eclub 3310 once i could meet up with captain.. So far these are the projects we should be doing there:

1. Encourage the locals to plant Cashew nuts which should be suitable in the climate and is a commodities.. this is a project that captain budi is planning and preparing.. and he has introduce to us as he feels this would increase the weath level of the locals.. thus he will be leading and guiding us for the project..

2. To speed up their english learning progress

3. To have good hygiene practice

4. goal setting workshop (under consideration)

5. looking at possibility of setting up a Rotaract club of Rotary community Crops (like the one in brookside village) (under consideration)

The project name would be "Seedlings Fission"... 

Seedlings because our project is a very small project and we will only be there for 14 days.. but, we will not be there just to give them gifts and then go away (such as english course or provide them with free cashew nuts), we will be "planting" for them until a Seedlings has grown out from the seed. AFter we left the place, if they would take care and continue to work on the seedlings, the seedlings would eventually grow up to become a mighty tree that bares fruit.

Fission is because, once i hope that we teach them about english and good hygiene practictise, they could spread their knowladge to others like a fission reaction. also, the cashew nuts that we gave them, the project would hope that they could continue to plant the seeds after harvest..  Most importantly, i hope that this project would not be just a one time project.. i am hoping that some one from the participants team would be daring enoughto be leading a team to west timor in the future.

I am not too sure if i should also add the word Revolution to Seedlings fission: e.g: Revolution: seedlings fission or Fission seedlings revolution.. any comments??

The First project meeting should be next saturday evening.. is there any rotarians whom would like to be there?? i have yet to confirm the venue.. is there any rotarians whom could provide us with a meeting room at town?? (i got a place but i would cost the project $80.)

the participants so far are:

Lin Yihao (leader)	Male	sole pioritor
Adrian Oh	Male	student
Maimona Binte Abdul Wahab (welfare head)	Female	Editor/Writer (doing school textbooks and children's magazine)  SNP Panpac Pte Ltd
Sandy (vice leader)	Female	Early childhood educator
Lin Wai kuan (treasurer)	Female	Fincial advisor, prudential
Zhenni	Female	student
Siti	Female	student
Shiu Wei Qiang	Male	student
kellyn sim	Female	assistant mgr/pizzahut singapore pte ltd
TOH WEI-XIANG	Male	student
Tan Bang Yang Joseph	Male	student
Daniel Tan Zheng Feng	Male	student
Lim Ngiap Sheng (Lin Yesheng)	Male	Executive, Support Services The Mill International Pte Ltd
Chew ShuXiang	Male	student

and there are 6 others SP rotaracters (5 female and 1 male) who has yet to inform me about their details..

Posted: 02-January-2006 at 8:25pm | IP Logged

Good preparatory work, planning and thinking, Yi Hao

Posted: 02-January-2006 at 8:31pm | IP Logged

Dear Yi Hao

I met up with PDG Osman over the New Year in KL and he highlighted to me the environment and condition there is very poor indeed.

I understand the Australian Rotarians are also helping out the local Rotarians there. If any Australian Rotarians who know the place is reading this, please give us some input too. Better still more helping hands...

Posted: 02-January-2006 at 9:24pm | IP Logged

Well done indeed Yihao! Do co-ordinate this with International Service Director Rtn Budi Soehardi so that your trip shall be enjoyable, safe and fruitful...

Together with his wife, Peggy, they are the resident expert in that region...