Pres and I have always wanted to join charity groups since we moved to Singapore in 2011 so we decided to sign up for CARITAS Humanitarian Aid & Relief Initiatives, Singapore (CHARIS) early 2012.

CHARIS is the umbrella body of the Archdiocese of Singapore for overseas humanitarian aid.  Humanitarian situations cover natural disasters and other adverse circumstances faced by the poor and the less fortunate especially  in developing countries across Asia.  Help provided by CHARIS includes project funding, medical missions, and volunteer work for immediate relief as well as for long-term support of those in need.

CHARIS conducts several talks, seminars, and workshops and in September 2013, we attended this Bottle Light Making Training.  Most rural villages in developing countries do not have electricity and turning used water bottles into bottle lights attached to their roofs will provide them with natural daylight in dark areas of their cramped windowless homes.

(Photos grabbed from CHARIS site http://www.charis-singapore.org)

(Photo grabbed from Positive News site http://positivenews.org.uk)

Interesting to know that the story of bottle lights began in the Philippines as conceptualized by Illac Diaz who took interest in finding ways to provide cheap replacement shelters in storm-stricken areas.  He set up MyShelter Foundation to provide architectural and technological solutions to storm-damaged areas and his bottle light project had brought light to 28,000 homes in Manila alone. (source: Positive News)

 

“It is impossible to be involved in all situations, but there’s no excuse not to be involved in something, somewhere, somehow, with someone.  Make an ounce of difference.”  – Richelle E. Goodrich