Trip Cancellation Insurance

As of July 2008, all participants on Global Village teams are covered by a Trip Cancellation Insurance. The cost for this is included in your trip fees. Please read over this policy, below, to make sure it covers everything you need. If not, you may want to consider additional insurance at your own expense. Remember, you already have Travel Medical Insurance thru GV as well. Please read about that policy on this blog at a different posting.

TERMS OF COVERAGE

1. The Trip Cancellation Benefit takes effect at 12:01 a.m. the day after the receipt of the appropriate plan cost that covers the full cost of Your Trip.

2. The Trip Interruption Benefit takes effect at 12:01 a.m. local time at Your location on the departure date of Your Trip.

3. All coverage shall terminate on the earlier of the following dates:
(a) Your return to the origination point as specified in the travel tickets;
(b) 11:59 p.m. local time at Your location on the date Your Trip is completed.

4. If You extend the return dates, all coverage will terminate at 11:59 p.m. local time at Your location on the date originally Scheduled Return Date.

EXTENDED COVERAGE

All coverage under the policy will be extended, if:
(a) Your entire Trip is covered by the policy; and
(b) Your return is delayed by covered reasons specified under Trip Cancellation and Interruption.

If coverage is extended for the above reasons, coverage will end on the earlier of:
(a) the date You reach Your return destination; or (
b) seven (7) days after the date the Trip was scheduled to be completed.

Notice to State of Washington Residents: This is not Your insurance policy. To obtain Your state-specific insurance policy, call 1.800.537.2029. You are entitled to cancel the policy within 14 days of Your purchase date with a full refund provided You have not already departed on Your Trip or filed a claim.

Protection plan fees are non-refundable.

Plan is designed by: MEDEX Insurance Services.
Plan Administrator: MEDEX Insurance Services
8501 LaSalle Road, Suite 200
Baltimore, MD 21286
1.800.537.2029

This Insurance, under policy #AIC-TRVL-P (2/03) is underwritten by:
Arch Insurance Company, with its principal place of business in New York, NY Policy terms and conditions are briefly outlined in this Description of Coverage. Complete provisions pertaining to this insurance are contained in the Master Policy on file with American Group Travel Trust, BankNewport as Trustee. In the event of any conflict between this Description of Coverage and the Master Policy, the Master Policy will govern.

SCHEDULE OF COVERAGES MAXIMUM BENEFITS

and
SERVICES PER PERSON

Trip Cancellation $5,000
Trip Interruption $5,000

Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption: The Insurer will pay a benefit, up to the maximum shown on the Schedule of Coverages and Services if You are prevented from taking Your covered Trip or continuing on Your covered Trip due to the following Unforeseen events:

1. Sickness, Accidental Injury or death of You, Your Traveling Companion, or Your Family Member which results in medically imposed restrictions as certified by a Physician at the time of loss preventing your continued participation in the Trip. A Physician must advise cancellation of the Trip on or before the Scheduled Departure Date

2. Strike that causes complete cessation of services for at least 48 consecutive hours;

3. Weather which causes complete cessation of services of Your Common Carrier for at least 48 consecutive hours;

4. You or Your Traveling Companion are terminated or laid off from employment subject to three years of continuous employment at the place of employment where terminated;

5. You or Your Traveling Companion are hijacked, quarantined, required to serve on a jury, required to appear as a witness in a legal action, provided You or a Traveling Companion is not a party to the legal action or appearing as a law enforcement officer, subpoenaed, the victim of felonious assault within 10 days of departure; or having Your or Your Traveling Companion’s principal place of residence made uninhabitable by fire, flood, or other Natural Disaster; or burglary of Your principal place of residence within 10 days of departure;

6. If within 30 days of Your departure the United States government issues a travel advisory indicating that Americans should not travel to a destination named on the itinerary. The travel advisory must occur after the Effective Date of Your trip cancellation coverage;

7. You or Your Traveling Companion who are military personnel, and are called to emergency duty for a disaster other than war;

8. You or Your Traveling Companion being directly involved in a traffic Accident substantiated by a police report, while en route to departure.

You Must: Contact MEDEX as soon as You know the Trip is going to be canceled or interrupted. Failure to do so may affect coverage.

Trip Cancellation:
non-refundable cancellation charges imposed by Your Travel Supplier and/or airfare cancellation charges for flights joining or departing Your Land/Sea Arrangements; or the additional costs You may incur as a result of a change in the per-person occupancy rate of prepaid travel arrangements if a person booked to share accommodations with You cancels his/her Trip for a covered reason and You do not cancel.

Trip Interruption:
unused, non-refundable land or sea expenses prepaid to Travel Supplier and/or the airfare paid, to return home or rejoin the original Land/Sea Arrangements (limited to the cost of one-way Economy Fare by scheduled carrier, from the point of destination to the point of origin shown on the original travel tickets) less the value of applied credit from an unused return travel ticket.

In no event shall the amount reimbursed exceed the lesser of the amount You pre-paid for Your Trip, or the maximum benefit shown on the Schedule of Coverage and Services.

EXCESS INSURANCE PROVISION
This coverage is secondary to any coverage provided by a Common Carrier and all other valid and collectible insurance indemnity and shall apply only when such other benefits are exhausted.

EXCLUSIONS
The following exclusions apply. This plan does not cover any loss caused by or resulting from: 1) Suicide, attempted suicide, or any intentionally self-inflicted Injury while sane or insane committed by You or Your Traveling Companion;
2) War, invasion, acts of foreign enemies, hostilities between nations (whether declared or not), civil war;
3) Participation in any military maneuver or training exercise;
4) Participating in bodily contact sports; skydiving; hang gliding; parachuting; mountaineering; any race; bungee cord jumping; scuba diving, and speed contest;
5) Participation as a professional in athletics;
6) Piloting or learning to pilot or acting as a member of the crew of any aircraft;
7) Being under the influence of drugs or intoxicants unless prescribed by a Physician;
8) Commission or the attempt to commit a criminal act by You or Your Traveling Companion.
9) Pregnancy and childbirth (except for Complications of Pregnancy)
10) Dental treatment except as a result of Accidental Injury to sound, natural teeth within twelve (12) months of the Accidental Injury;
11) Mental or emotional disorders, unless hospitalized.

DEFINITIONS
1) “Accident” means a sudden, unexpected, unusual, specific event, which occurs at an identifiable time and place, but shall also include exposure resulting from a mishap to a conveyance in which You are traveling.
2) “Accidental Injury” means Bodily Injury caused by an Accident (of external origin) being the direct and independent cause in the loss.
3) “Bodily Injury” means identifiable physical Injury which:
(a) is caused by an Accident, and
(b) solely and independently of any other cause, except illness resulting from, or medical or surgical treatment rendered necessary by such Injury, is the direct cause of death or dismemberment of You within twelve months from the date of the Accident.
4) “Common Carrier” means any land, sea, and/or air conveyance operating under a license for the transportation of passengers for hire.
5) “Complication of Pregnancy” means a condition whose diagnosis is distinct from pregnancy but is adversely affected or caused by pregnancy.
6) “Economy Fare” means the lowest published rate for a one-way ticket.
7) “Effective Date” means the date and time Your coverage begins.
8) “Family Member” means You or Your Traveling Companion’s legal spouse, parent, legal guardian, stepparent, grandparent, parents-in-law, grandchild, natural or adopted child, stepchild, children-in-law, ward, brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew.
9) “Injury” means Bodily Injury caused by an Accident occurring while this policy is in force and resulting directly and independently of all other causes in loss covered by the policy. The Injury must be verified by a Physician.
10) “The Insurer” means Arch Insurance Company.
11) “Land/Sea Arrangements” means land and/or sea arrangements booked through the Travel Supplier.
12) “Natural Disaster” means flood, fire, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, volcanic eruption, blizzard or avalanche that is due to natural causes.
13) “Physician” means a licensed practitioner of medical, surgical, or dental services acting within the scope of his/her license. The treating Physician may not be Yourself, a Traveling Companion, or a Family Member.
14) “Scheduled Departure Date” means the date on which You are originally scheduled to leave on the Trip.
15) “Scheduled Return Date” means the date on which You are originally scheduled to return to the point of origin or to a different final destination.
16) “Sickness” means illness or disease which is diagnosed and treated by a Physician on or after the Effective Date of the protection plan and while You are covered under this plan.
17) “Strike” means any unannounced labor disagreement that interferes with the normal departure and arrival of a Common Carrier
18) “Terrorist Attack” means an incident deemed an act of terrorism by the U.S. government.
19) “Travel Supplier” means tour operator, cruise line, hotel, etc., who has made the land and/or sea arrangements.
20) “Traveling Companion” means a person who is sharing travel arrangements with You to a maximum of 4 persons including You. Companion unless You are sharing room accommodations with the group or tour leader.
21) “Trip” means prepaid land/sea arrangements and shall include flight connections to join and depart such land/sea arrangements
22) "Unforeseen" means not anticipated or expected and occurring after the Effective Date of the policy.
23) “You,” “Your,” or “the Insured” means a person who has purchased a Trip and who has paid the required plan cost for the protection plan provided herein.

CLAIMS PROCEDURE
To facilitate prompt claims settlement:

TRIP CANCELLATION CLAIMS
IMMEDIATELY Call Travel Supplier and the Claims Administrator to report Your cancellation and avoid non-covered expenses due to late reporting. The Claims Administrator will then advise You on how to obtain the appropriate form to be completed by You and the attending Physician.

INTERRUPTION
Obtain medical statements from the doctors in attendance in the country where Sickness or Accident occurred. These statements should give complete diagnosis, stating that the Sickness or Accident prevented traveling on dates contracted. Provide all unused transportation tickets, official receipts, etc.

To obtain claim forms and any additional information on how to report a claim, call or write the plan administrator and refer to the Habitat for Humanity Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption Program.

Travel Medical Insurance Information

Travel Medical Insurance

Global Village Program
A portion of your work trip fee established by your team leader covers the cost of insurance coverage. Through paying your fee, you will automatically be insured against accidental loss of life, limb, sight, speech or hearing while participating in volunteer activities sponsored and supervised by Habitat for Humanity. This mandatory insurance coverage is consistent with policies recommended by Habitat for Humanity International’s Legal department and ratified by the HFHI board of directors on Feb. 10, 1994. The coverage is designed to ensure a comprehensive risk management program and to provide protection to Habitat’s Global Village trip volunteers. We have a serious commitment to risk management and assume everyone is willing to comply.

Note: Covered medical expenses incurred for treatment of a pre-existing condition are limited to a maximum of $50,000. “Pre-existing condition” means any injury or illness that was contracted or that manifested itself, or for which treatment or medication was prescribed, prior to the effective date of this insurance.

Claims
To file a claim, consult with the team leader immediately and request a claim form. See “Quick Tips for Filing a Claim” (below) for proper procedures and assistance in filing a claim.

Specifications, Provisions and Exclusions
Coverage is sold on a per-day basis and commences at the actual start of the trip from the insured’s residence or designated departure point. Coverage terminates immediately upon return to the insured’s residence or designated return point, or at the end of the published itinerary.

Note: Anyone traveling five days before or five days after their official team dates is offered (automatically) the same coverage at no additional cost. Unfortunately, no other extensions of this coverage are available. You must be sure to properly insure yourself for all other personal travel.

The policy does not cover loss caused by or resulting from any of the following: intentionally self-inflicted injuries; suicide while sane; attempted suicide while sane; pregnancy, childbirth or miscarriage; accident occurring while a passenger on, operating or learning to operate, or serving as a crew member of any aircraft. Injuries or sickness sustained while under the influence of drugs (other than prescribed) or alcohol are not covered. Injuries or illness sustained while racing or committing or attempting to commit a felony are not covered. This is a general summary, but it is still subject to the policy terms, conditions and exclusions.

Medical Assistance
Medical assistance for Global Village team members is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It includes the following:

• Medical evacuation and repatriation benefit. Your expenses up to $150,000 will be covered in the case that accidental bodily injury, disease or illness requires your medical evacuation or repatriation while on a covered trip.

• Multilingual MEDEX assistance specialists.

• Assistance in locating the nearest, most appropriate medical care.

• International MEDEX preferred provider networks.

• MEDEX program medical advisors (physician) consultative and advisory services, including review of appropriateness and analysis of medical care.

• Assistance in establishing contact with family, personal physician and employer, as appropriate.

• Monitoring progress during treatment and recovery.

• Emergency message transmittal services.

• Translation services and referrals to local interpreters, as necessary.

• Verification of insurance coverage facilitating entry and admissions to hospitals and other medical care providers.

• Special assistance regarding the coordination of direct claims payment.

• Emergency funds transfers.

• Coordination of embassy and consulate services.

• Management, arrangement and coordination of emergency medical transportation, as necessary.

• Management, arrangement and coordination of repatriation of remains.

• Knowledgeable legal referral assistance. • Coordination of securing bail bonds and other legal documents.

• Special assistance in replacing lost or stolen travel documents,including passport.

• Courtesy assistance in securing incidental aid and othertravel-related services.

• Special assistance in making arrangements for interrupted or disrupted travel plans resulting from emergency situations, including:

1. The return of unaccompanied travel companions.

2. Travel to the bedside of a stranded person.

3. Rearrangement of ticketing due to accident or illnessand other travel-related emergencies.

4. The return of stranded motor vehicles and relatedpersonal items.

Covered Services Per Volunteer Benefits
Medical Accident or Sickness. . . . . . . $250,000 Max.
Deductible. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . None
Coverage (%) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100%
Permanent Total Disability . . . . . . . . . . . . $250,000
Emergency Medical Evacuation . . . . . . . . $150,000
Accidental Death & Dismemberment. . . . . . $250,000
Repatriation of Remains . . . . . . . . . . . . . $150,000
Medical Assistance Services . . . . . . . . . . . MEDEX

Quick Tips for Filing a Claim

Policy 6404-54-47

MEDEX Code CHB

1. Notify your Global Village team leader of any accident or need for medical attention as soon as possible.

2. Your team leader will supply you with an accident claim form that needs to be completed and sent to Habitat Claims Unit c/o Chubb Group of Insurance Co. Details are on the form.

3. Be certain the attending physician completes the “Physician’s Report” section of the claim form, including diagnostic/treatment, signature and date.

4. Obtain a copy of the hospital/clinic invoices and make copies of all prescriptions/invoices and submit same with the claim form.

5. Have your team leader sign the form.

6. Claims must be submitted within 90 days from the date of the accident/injury/illness.
Important: If assistance is needed in identifying an appropriate medical provider or facility, contact MEDEX at (800) 527-0218 or collect at (410) 453-6330. MEDEX code is CHB.
Urgent Care and Evaluation: If emergency evacuation and/or urgent care are needed, contact MEDEX immediately. MEDEX will make all the appropriate arrangements. See phone numbers above.

Note: Even if the claim amount is considered too small for submission, or it is determined by diagnostic evaluation that the condition may not be serious or requires no further medical treatment at the time, the Global Village program and its underwriter recommend completing all of the above steps in order to establish a basis for admission of a valid claim later. Toll free numbers are available in some countries as listed below. You should call collect if the toll free number is not accepted by the local telephone exchange.

International Toll Free Telephone Access Numbers
Australia and Tasmania. . . . . . 1-800-127-907
Austria . . . . . . . . . . 0-800-29-5810
Belgium. . . . . . . . . . 0800-1-7759
Brazil . . . . . . . . . . 0800-891-2734
China. . . . . . . 108888-800-527-0218 (North : Beijing, etc)
China. . . . . . . 10811-800-527-0218 (South : Shanghai, etc)
Egypt. . . . 510-0200-1-877-569-4151 (inside Cairo)
Egypt. . . 02-510-0200-1-877-569-4151 (outside of Cairo)
Finland. . . . . . . . . . 0800-114402
France and Monaco. . . 0800-90-8505
Germany. . . . . . . . 0800-1-811401
Greece . . . . . . . 00-800-4412-8821
Hong Kong . . . . . . . . 800-96-4421
Indonesia. . . . . . 001-803-1471-0621
Israel . . . . . . . . . . 1-800-941-0172 I
taly, Vatican City and San Marino . . 800-877-204
Japan . . . . . . . . . . 00531-11-4065
Mexico. . . . . . . . 001-800-101-0061
Netherlands. . . . . . . 0800-022-8662
New Zealand. . . . . . . 0800-44-4053
Philippines. . . . . . 1-800-1-111-0503
Portugal. . . . . . . . . . 0800-84-4266
Republic of Ireland (Eire) . . 1-800-409-529
Republic of South Africa . . . 0800-9-92379
Singapore. . . . . . . . . 800-1100-452
South Korea . . . . 00798-1-1-004-7101
Spain and Majorca. . . . 900-98-4467
Switzerland and Liechtenstein. . . . . 0800-55-6029
Thailand. . . . . . 001-800-11-471-0661
Turkey. . . . . . . . 00-800-4491-4834
UK and Northern Ireland, Isle of Jersey, the Channel Isles and Isle of Man. . . 0800-252-074
United States. . . . . . 1-800-527-0218
Canada, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Bermuda MEDEX Assistance Coordination Centers United States. . . . . [1] 410-453-6330 Baltimore, Maryland
United Kingdom and England. . [44] 1-273-223000 Brighton

Notes:
• When a toll free number is not available, travelers are encouraged to call MEDEX collect. The country code precedes the phone number in brackets. The toll free numbers listed are available only when physically calling from within the country.

• The toll free Israel line is not available from payphones and there is a local access charge.

• The toll free Italy, Vatican City and San Marinonumbers have a local charge for access.

• The toll free Japan line is available only from touch-tone phones (including pay phones) equippedfor international dialing.

• If calling from Mexico on a pay phone, the payphone must be a La Datel pay phone.

Global Village Department:

P.O. Box 369 Americus, GA 31709-0369

USA phone: (229) 924-6935, Ext. 2549; (800) 422-4828 in the U.S. or Canada

fax: (267) 295-8714

e-mail: gv@habitat.org www.habitat.org/gv

3405/2M/GV/12-06

How Habitat Cambodia is Combating the Need

Habitat for Humanity International registered a branch office in January 2004. Habitat’s program aims to reduce poverty by empowering communities to improve their access to affordable basic services and better living conditions.

The initial project was to assist poor families around the capital with micro-loans to provide a way to escape from the “jaws” of proliferating loan sharks and allow them to save for shelter improvements.
Habitat is closely involved in a major government initiative to improve land rights for squatter families through a World Bank-supported project in Battambang, Cambodia’s second city.

Habitat is also developing new partnerships with local authorities, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, corporate donors and sponsors, churches and volunteers.
A Habitat house is usually 31.5 sq. m. in size. The walls are made from fired brick with a reinforced concrete post. The layout comprises a living room, bedroom, and kitchen with a toilet.

Habitat home partners repay mortgage loans pro-rated to their incomes, enabling even very poor families to benefit. The average repayment is approximately US$22 per month over a period of about five years.

HFH Cambodia welcomed its first Global Village volunteer team, from Australia, in July 2006. Since then, it has also hosted volunteers from the US, Australia and elsewhere.
HFH Cambodia is expected to host part of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project in November 2009. The build will involve 350 local and international volunteers building alongside 21 families who will be moved from a dumpsite about 40 km., west of Phnom Penh.

HABITAT HIGHLIGHTS
• HFH Cambodia coordinated its first MoneyGram-supported project in July 2008. The project involved repairing four houses in Phnom Penh, and one house repair and one new build in Siem Reap province.
• Habitat for Humanity International’s chief executive Jonathan Reckford witnessed the dedication of the 339th Habitat house, built in Trapeang Anchanh community, Phnom Penh, during a visit in mid-June 2008.
• HFH Cambodia hosted its first Global Village team from Singapore in May 2008. The team built houses and community water systems in Habitat’s first rural project in the district of Angkor Chum, 60 km from Siem Reap town.
• In June 2008, Habitat signed an agreement with World Bank and local officials that enables hundreds of squatter families living in a public park in Battambang to gain land rights. The US$436,000 project also involves training, and microfinance schemes to build core homes and upgrade services.
• In 2007, HFH Cambodia began a home-improvement scheme based on building core houses and upgrades for 150 families in Siem Reap, known as an historic tourist destination because of Angkor Wat and other temple complexes, but also the second poorest province in the country. Partners include Credit MFI, a locally registered micro-finance organization affiliated with World Relief.
• The Phnom Penh Urban Housing Development Initiative started in partnership with Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community, and funded by The Charitable Foundation Australia and Habitat for Humanity International has built about 350 homes in four areas, directly benefiting 1,870 people since 2004.

COUNTRY FACTS
Population: 14.2 million (est. July 2008)
Capital: Phnom Penh
Land Area: 181,035 sq. km.
Ethnic groups: Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, others 4%
Languages: Khmer (official) 95%, French, English
Religions: Theravada Buddhist 95%, others 5%

The Need in Cambodia

THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA, located in the heart of Southeast Asia, is an ancient land with a young population. The median age of its people is 21 years. Regardless of their age, Cambodians are often poor. According to the 2006 Human Development Report published by the United Nations, about 34 percent of Cambodian population lives on less than US$1 a day in 2004.

After the fall of the communist Khmer Rouge regime in 1979, there was an influx of migrants from the rural areas to the capital Phnom Penh. About 250,000 people, or 20 percent of the city’s population, live in squatter settlements, slums and other poor urban communities. They lack secure tenure or basic services as they settle in every conceivable empty space, from courtyards and rooftops, to the sides of railway tracks, river banks and swamps.
The oft-claimed “uncertain legal status” of settlements is actually a misnomer: recent land laws tend to favor the poor. The barriers are largely administrative, capacity, and resource issues. The largest problem is that powerful private and local interests routinely circumvent or flaunt the law and evict families from choice sites, often using violence meted out by local thugs

25 Things You Should Know About Poverty

25. There are different definitions of poverty.To define poverty, it is necessary to define what constitutes basic needs. Basic needs may be defined as narrowly as those things necessary for survival, or as broadly as the prevailing standard of living in the community. Thus, poverty in one area or part of the world may have quite a different meaning than in another area or part of the world. In the United States, poverty thresholds are determined by taking the cost of a minimum adequate diet for families of different sizes and multiplying that cost by three to allow for other expenses.

24. There is more to being poor than not having money.“Poverty is not just about money: lack of access to essential resources goes beyond financial hardship to affect people’s health, education, security and opportunities for political participation. …While economic growth is essential to lifting people out of poverty, this alone is not enough.” — United Nations Development Programme Annual Report 2008

23. The lower a family’s income, the more difficult it is to find housing.In 2003, there were 78 rental units affordable to extremely-low-income renters in the United States for every 100 such households, but only 44 were available for these households (the remainder being occupied by higher-income households). Homelessness affects more than 600,000 families and more than 1.35 million children every year. It is estimated that families make up about half of the U.S. homeless population over the course of a year, and more than a third of the homeless are children. — U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Joint Center for Housing Studies

22. Having a job does not preclude poverty.Last year in New Jersey, it took an hourly wage of $22.25 to afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent. In Ohio, it was $13.07, and in the District of Columbia, it was $25.46. — National Low Income Housing Coalition, “Out of Reach 2007-2008”

21. Owning a home does not preclude poverty, either.At the same time that home prices were rising rapidly during the late 1990s and early 2000s, consumer spending was growing faster than income, as reflected in the falling rate of personal saving. Many observers have concluded that those two facts are linked: that consumers used their growing housing wealth to boost their spending, in effect letting their houses do their saving for them. Some experts expect U.S. house prices to fall 20 percent from their peak by 2011. — Congressional Budget Office, “Housing Wealth and Consumer Spending,” January 2007

20. Women often face more challenges than men in overcoming poverty.Women who become single heads of households, particularly in Africa, are significantly more vulnerable, as in many countries in the region they can still access land only through husbands or fathers. Where women’s land ownership is relationship-based, they risk losing access to land after widowhood, divorce, desertion or male migration, which can lead to destitution. — United Nations’ Centre for Human Settlements, “State of the World’s Cities 2008/2009”

19. Yet women are an important part of the solution.“Women have proven to be the best poverty fighters. Experience and studies have shown that they use the profits from their businesses to send their children to school, improve their families’ living conditions and nutrition, and expand their businesses.” — The Grameen Foundation

18. Poorly planned urbanization, especially in developing countries, is aggravating poverty.“In cities where spatial and social divisions are stark or extreme, lack of social mobility tends to reduce people’s participation in the formal sector of the economy and their integration in society. This exacerbates insecurity and social unrest which, in turn, diverts public and private resources from social services and productive investments to expenditures for safety and security.” — Anna K. Tibaijuka, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, “State of the World’s Cities 2008/2009”

17. Poverty directly affects many, many people every single day.Some 1.2 billion people around the world live on less than a dollar a day, while almost 850 million people — almost three times the entire population of the United States — go hungry every night. — United Nations Development Programme Annual Report 2008

16. Adequate housing is a basic human right.In 1948, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights identified housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living.

15. If you know someone who supports a child on a minimum-wage job, you know someone who is poor.There is no county in the United States where an individual can work 40 hours per week at the minimum wage and afford even a one-bedroom apartment at the local fair market rent. — National Low-Income Housing Coalition’s “Out of Reach 2007-2008”

14. Your “rainy-day cushion” probably isn’t thick enough.In 2005, the personal savings rate in the United States fell into negative territory at -0.5 percent, the first time the savings rate for a whole year has been negative since 1933. Since then, the savings rate improved to almost 3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008. — Bureau of Economic Analysis

13. Poverty is a moral issue.Almost 9 million children are internally displaced because of armed conflict. Roughly 1.8 million children are trapped in the commercial sex trade, and the annual revenue generated from human trafficking is $9.5 billion. — UNICEF, 2007

12. Education can help — but only if children can actually attend school.The funds to pay for teachers, classroom materials and school uniforms oft en are out of reach for poor families, even when they recognize the role of education in improving income-earning potential. The average student-teacher ratio in industrialized countries is 13:1; in sub-Saharan Africa, it’s 44:1. — UNICEF, 2007

11. Poverty is not inevitable.In 1960, roughly 20 million newborns did not live to see their fifth birthday; by 2006, the most recent year for which firm estimates are available, the annual number of child deaths globally fell below 10 million, to 9.7 million, for the first time since records began. — UNICEF, “State of the World’s Children,” 2008

10. People still die from being poor.More than 26,000 children under age 5 die each day, mostly from preventable causes. More than one-third of all child deaths occur within the first 28 days of life. — UNICEF, “State of the World’s Children,” 2008

9. Holistic solutions to poverty are essential.Addressing only one area of social services — food security, health, education — may not be enough to create lasting change. In 2006, 2.5 billion people, or 38 percent of the world’s population, did not have access to improved sanitation facilities, and unsafe drinking water and a lack of improved sanitation and hygiene contributed to about 88 percent of diarrhoeal deaths. Declining soil fertility, land degradation and the AIDS pandemic have led to a 23 percent decrease in food production per capita in Africa in the last 25 years, even though population has increased dramatically. — UNICEF, United Nations Millennium Project

8. Poor people pay back loans.The repayment rate for microfinance loans, a development strategy in which very poor people are loaned small amounts of money to incrementally improve their lives, is between 95 and 98 percent. In fact, it is higher than the repayment rate of student loans and credit card debts in the United States. — The Grameen Foundation

7. Defeating poverty creates dignity.Marrie Gessesse, a mother of eight in the Amhara region of Ethiopia, used microfinance loans to buy goats and cultivate fruits and vegetables for income. Eventually, she was able to send her children to school. “No one used to consider me before,” she says. “When they saw that I was becoming autonomous, people started to respect me. Now they have elected me member of the administrative council and the women’s association.” — International Fund for Agricultural Development

6. Reducing poverty here can reduce poverty there, too.“For generations, poor people around the world have left their homes to seek better wages abroad. Today, the money they send home totals an estimated US$200 billion a year. In Latin America, remittances are worth more than direct foreign investment, official development assistance and foreign aid combined.” — International Fund for Agricultural Development

5. In the United States, the issue is affordability.Severe rent burden, not severely inadequate housing, is the only priority housing problem for most households with worst case needs (91 percent). While low-income renters make up the largest share of severely burdened households, a rising number of middle-income homeowners also face cost pressures. Between 2001 and 2006, the number of severely burdened renters in the bottom income quartile increased by 1.2 million, while the number of severely burdened homeowners in the two middle-income quartiles ballooned by 1.4 million — Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2003; Joint Center for Housing Studies, 2008

4. AIDS worsens poverty.Children are particularly affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Globally, children under age 15 account for one in every seven deaths caused by AIDS. An estimated 15 million children under age 18 have been orphaned by AIDS. Orphans face increased risk of death, violence, exploitation or abuse, and many are growing up in poverty. By 2010, the number of AIDS orphans worldwide may exceed 18 million. — United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2007

3. And poverty worsens AIDS.“Often poverty, and the marginalization associated with it, contributes to vulnerability. … It can keep adolescents out of school, depriving them of an opportunity to find out about how the virus is transmitted and putting them at greater risk of drug abuse and risky sexual encounters. It can exacerbate family tensions that lead to domestic violence. Addressing the underlying causes of vulnerability to infection, including poverty and gender equality, is critical to eventually ending the epidemic.” — United Nations Population Fund

2. Children notice poverty.“I applied for a house through Transylvania Habitat for Humanity, on the suggestion of my best friend. A year after that, my children and I were moving into the home of our dreams. Nothing fancy, but it was dry and warm and safe. Most importantly, my children had a home they could take pride in. They were no longer embarrassed to invite a friend over, for fear of being labeled ‘poor.’ We were no longer poor!” — Stephanie Grubb, Habitat homeowner in North Carolina

1. You can do something about it.“We’re making an impact together. We’re tending the wounds that poverty housing inflicts upon our neighbors. We’re helping them renew the feeling of dignity substandard housing steals away. Like the Good Samaritan, we’re committed to compassion, justice and mercy. In whatever way we engage in Habitat for Humanity’s mission, we’re stopping for our neighbors along the way — and lives are being transformed in the process — starting with mine, and perhaps with yours as well.” — Jonathan Reckford, Habitat for Humanity CEO

From an article published in Habitat World, June 2009

Passport and Cambodian Visa Requirements

Passport Requirements
All participants on the Cambodia team must have a valid passport that does not expire before July 2010.

ALSO, you must have at least FOUR blank pages in your passport for the Cambodia visa. You cannot count the last three pages that say "for ammendments". If you are a frequent international traveler, make sure you have this many pages. If not, you need to apply at the US State Departmentf or your own country's embassy for an extension (extra pages) to be put in your passport.

Cambodian Visa
I think we've researched the Cambodian visa situation pretty thoroughly, and although a few earlier readings indicated that online visas were a scam, we don't find that to be true. The Cambodian Embassy in Washington DC encourages you to use this Cambodian government sponsored program that was created several years ago to promote tourism.

Since the 90 day Tourist visa is valid from the date it was issued, you could apply for it anytime now. It is good for a 30 day stay. I don't think anyone is staying longer than that, but if you are, you're going to need to apply for a business visa.

The process for Bob and I only took 36 hours!! We submitted ours on a Saturday morning and got them back on Sunday night! The directions say it could take up to 3 business days.

For couples/families traveling together, you can apply for up to visas at one time on the same application. Cost is the same: $25 each, paid by credit card.

As noted above, you MUST have a passport that is valid AT LEAST 6 more months after you enter Cambodia (ie: those entering January 2, 2010 must have a passport that does not expire until after July 2, 2010). You also need to have four pages in your passport that can receive stamps. Those four pages can NOT include your two picture/information pages in the front, and not the three pages in the back that are for "ammendments". For those of you traveling to other countries before/after, make sure you have enough pages for each of those countries. We've never seen them really take up 4 pages, but at least 2/country will be used. You can have extra pages inserted in your passport, but you have to send it in to the US embassy to have that done.

When you get the e-visa back, you need to print TWO copies and staple them in to your passport. One will be removed when you enter the country at Immigrations, the other will be removed when you depart. You will still need to fill out an entry and departure form that has nothing to do with a visa. These fairly simple forms are usually given to you on the airplane so that you can have them all ready once you go stand in the Immigrations line. If not, the forms are available near the Immigrations counter. It gives you something to do while standing in line. You SHOULD be able to go through that line relatively quickly if you already have your e-visa and entry/departure form filled out.

Alternative to online e-visa: get it when you arrive in Cambodia. It costs the same. That may turn out to be quite a simple and quick process, or it could be frustrating and time-consuming. We've experienced both in other countries. In Thailand, it is a simple process. It's free, no photos needed....just a passport. In Nepal, you can get it ahead of time, or upon arrival where you need to fill out the application that they give you there, have your photos & money, and then stand in a line that can be quite long. I'm going to guess that the Cambodia visa process will be much more like the Nepal experience since there are applications, photos, and money involved. It's your choice, however, as to how you want to handle it.

OK, ready?

The following is a brief summary of information that we found:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has launched e-Visa, which enables you to apply for a Cambodia tourist visa online. Instead of applying through Cambodian Embassy, all you need to do is to complete the online application form and pay with your credit card. After receiving your Visa through email, print it out and bring it along when you travel to Cambodia.
Tourist Visa
Entry Type: Single entry only
Fees: USD20 + USD5 (processing charge)
Validity: 3 months (starting from the date of issue)
Length of Stay: 30 days (more)
Processing Time: 3 business days
Requirement: A passport validity of more than six months balance at time of entry, a recent passport-size photo in digital format (JPEG or PNG format), a valid credit card (Visa/MasterCard/American Express/Discover).

To actually apply for your visa, go to this site: http://evisa.mfaic.gov.kh/e-visa/start.aspx#

BEFORE you do, however, here's some tips that may be helpful:

1) you should have your flight arrival information. If you don't, you can still apply, but you will need to put an approximate date and time you will arrive and a flight number. Then later, when you have your flight confirmed, you will have to go back in a change the application. It will be a lot easier if you have your flight confirmed before you apply for the e-visa.

2) have your visa photo ready. It should be a regular color passport-sized photo. You need to scan it and save it to your computer. When you go online to apply for the visa it is going to ask you to browse for that photo. If you don't have a scanner at home or work, you can have someone else scan it (like a friend, or at Kinkos) and they can send it to you in an email. Then you just need to save that scan on your computer. Make sure you get the original photo back or have an extra copy of it to use later.

3) when you are filling out your travel information it will ask you for where you are staying. Write "Golden Gate Hotel, Phnom Penh".

4) it will also want the name of any group travel. Leave it blank.

5) it will also want "organization, persons to". Leave it blank.

Remember, you are traveling on a "tourist" visa, not as a group and not associated with an organization.

6) have your passport information ready to fill in as well. And your credit card information.

Now you're ready to apply (link above). Only takes about 10 minutes.

In addition to the e-visa that you are issued, be sure to bring along the actual photo that you scanned, just in case they want to verify it. When you go through Immigrations in Cambodia you will submit your passport with TWO copies of your e-visa stapled inside, and the original of the photo you used.

Water & Sun - Staying Healthy and Safe

The Habitat hosts of the countries where we work want our teams to be healthy and safe at all times. The following are universal reminders and warnings that they give in order for them to help you stay healthy and safe:

Always wash your hands thoroughly before eating.

Always request purified or bottled water. Even when taking mixed drinks or soda’s with ice, please request for ice/ ice cubes from purified water. Or don't use ice at all.

Using bottled water for brushing teeth.

Bottled water is abundant and readily available.

Water contamination may apply to bathing as well as food. If bathing or swimming in rivers is a practice, be cautious if the water could be contaminated. Wash thoroughly and disinfect cuts and sores afterwards. Do not shave while bathing in such water.

If purchasing fruits and vegetables on your own, please have them thoroughly washed with soap and bottled water, or peeled before eating.

Street food: Volunteers are advised to ask the host about buying any “street food”. Though this is a culinary experience, please ask the advice of your local project host before doing so.

In special cases where the toilet facilities are a challenge to some participants, some may choose not to drink enough water just to avoid using these facilities. Dehydration can be the consequence.

Sunburn and even heat exhaustion and stroke are a potential risk. Always put on sunscreen before working or even going to the city. Wear a hat or bandanna on the work site. Wear a long-sleeved shirt to protect the arms and long trousers for the legs.

Also, working on a construction site for prolonged periods of time is not a usual activity for most international team members. Frequent breaks and rest are encouraged.

“Drink lots of water! The greatest health threats to any team working in the tropical heat are dysentery and dehydration”.