Paraguay Trip meeting - Thursday 17th May 2012 at 6pm

For all participants of the trip to Paraguay please be advised there will be a meeting on Thursday 17th May 2012 at 6 pm. Location is ChristChurch, Middle Road, Warwick (near Belmont).  Entrance is just off Ord Road next to Church. discussions to help prepare everyone for the trip.

Fall Build - October 2012 to Dominican Republic

Dear BOM Friends,

I am happy to announce that I will be leading an 8 day Habitat for Humanity trip to the Dominican Republic this October 2012.

The dates are: Saturday, October 20 to Sunday, October 28. We will be building in San Juan de la Maguana, Domincan Republic. San Juan is a small city in the San Juan valley in the western part of DR.  Due to the shorter length of this trip, our R&R portion will be held in Santo Domingo on the Saturday, and we would fly home on Sunday, October 28.

This will be a smaller group, with a cap of 20 participants. The rough budget amount at this early stage is $ 2,300 -$2,500  . We may be able to get a group rate, however 10 people will have to commit to the set airline schedule.

Please contact me at pwight@ibl.bm  if you are interested so we can lock in the airfares.

Peace,

Paula Wight

Paraguay meeting will start at 6.30 p.m. today - 22nd February 2012

BOM - Paraguay meeting - Wednesday 22nd February 2012 - 6pm

For all those interested in participating in the Paraguay trip we shall plan a meeting on Wednesday 22nd February, 2012 at 6 pm at Christ Church, Middle Road, Warwick. Just turn left on Ord Road after you pass the church and take the first turning on the left to enter the church car park.

see you there.

David Thompson

Paraguay Trip Information - 21st January, 2012

Dear friends

 Now that we have started our new year it is time to commence preparation for the Paraguay trip.  We plan to hold our first meeting of the group during the second week of February to discuss the trip and fund raising activities. This will be the first of a number of meetings and I urge you to attend the meeting so that we can share information about the build and preparation for the trip to enable you to be ready.

 A few things to note at this time:

 RegistrationRegistration is on line through the Habitat web site. The link is www.habitat.org/gv/closed

 This will bring you to a page where you have to input the code for our trip GV13206.  Once you click proceed it will provide the trip dates and name of your trip team leader. Acknowledge this and then follow the instructions to input your data. I suggest you have your passport and medical insurance information available as you complete the paperwork.  Once you have registered this will generate a report that is sent to me and will be acknowledgment of your intention to participate.  It will also give you an 8 digit unique code.  With this code you can contact your family and friends to help you raise money for your trip and they can donate this to Habitat.  However, remember that they must enter the code or the funding sent to Habitat will go into their general pool of fund raising (see below). Please also visit our website www.bom.bm and download the forms applicable for students being school reference, code of conduct and sponsorship form if applicable.  These can be found under the header “Info” and then “downloadable content”. 

Fund Raising If you want to raise money through the Habitat web site you can go to the following link: www.habitat.org/gv/create.html

You will need the unique 8 digit registration number to get started and then follow the instructions.  The reason some people prefer this is that the donations go to a recognized US charity and Us taxpayers will receive a tax certificate for the fund they donate so ideal if you have family and friends in the USA who would like to financially support your trip.  We will also be raising funds and if you require sponsorship you will need to download and compelte the application. You will find this on our website www.bom.bm . Sponsorship requires that you complete the paperwork and commit to giving BOKM a minimum of 20 hours fund raising support. We shall discuss the fund raising activities at the next meeting. If you wish to be sponsored and unable to assist in fund raising (due to commitments like being away at college) then please advise which members of your family and/or friends will assist you in fund raising.

Deposits We are asking for a $250 deposit to secure your place on this trip.  Kindly transfer these funds to our account – Bank of NT Butterfield, account Bermuda Overseas Missions – US$ account 20006 840 727 453 200 or BD$ account 20006 060 031798 100.  On the transfer please ensure that your name is detailed so we can identify the transferor.  Alternatively you may drop a cheque or cash off at our offices.  Once we have firmed the budget we will notify you the deposit is non-refundable should you later change your mind.  We will have to make deposits to the airline and for hotel accommodation which will be non-refundable when booked.

Documentation We will require a copy of your passport. Please note that passports must have a duration of at least 6 months following the trip so if your passport expires before February 2013 now would be a good time to renew your passport.  Visas are required for citizens of the USA and Canada.  Citizens of Europe do not require a visa.  I have read that Bermuda passports also do not require a visa as part of the British Overseas Territories but it is a grey area and will research this further. My advice to you is that if you hold a Bermuda passport now would be a great time to apply for a British Passport and use that for your travel. One other complication is if you are a minor travelling with a USA or Canada passport you will also need the following documents for your visa application:- two notarized copies of your birth certificate + two notarized copies of a letter signed by  parent(s) or guardian giving you permission to travel with the group and naming a member of the team as the responsible person (such as team leader) + a copy of each parent or guardian(s) passport. In the case of a guardian proof of guardianship. For USA and Canada citizens we will need a completed application form + two passort photos + appropriate fee for tourist visa being US$65.  Please advise me as I have the visa application form available.

Vaccinations

 1. Tetanus; Hepatitus A; Typhoid; Yellow Fever

Victoria Health Clinic organize the vaccinations. I think the travel clinic is restricted to Thursday afternoons from 2 -4 pm. Please call 239 3560 or 239 3561 and make an appointment.  As we get closer to summer the clinic becomes very busy so take my advice and go early. There is some cost associated with certain vaccinations.  If you already have your vaccinations please visit the clinic again to ensure these are current for this trip.

 PLEASE NOTE YOU WILL NOT BE PERMITTED TO JOIN OUR TEAM UNLESS YOU PROVIDE PROOF OF THESE VACCINATIONS (OR PROOF WHY YOU ARE ANABLE TO HAVE THESE VACCINATIONS DUE TO HEALTH OR AGE ISSUES).

 This should be enough to get you started.  I look forward to our meetings to get to know you personally and work together to build a great team and have an incredible experience of a lifetime.  I encourage you to start researching Paraguay to become familiar with the country. We will send a Spanish handbook to give you some simple Spanish words for the construction site.

 Finally, if you have changed your mind please reply so I can take you off the mailing list.  If not  - beware, I am prone to send large amounts of email messages.

 Regards

David Thompson

President

Bermuda Overseas Missions

The Continental Building

25 Church Street

Hamilton HM12, Bermuda

Tel: (441) 295 1078

Fax: (441) 292 3623