Juara Turtle Project

Date : 20th August - 23rd August 2011 (First Batch) ; 23rd August - 26th August 2011 (Second Batch) ; 20th August -22th August (Third Batch)

Aim : To actively raise awareness about conserving the marine ecosystems

Juara Turtle Project

First Batch

In mid-August, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Club spearheaded a volunteer project in conjunction with a non-profit body called the Juara Turtle Project (JTP). One of the main objectives of this project was to actively raise awareness about conserving the marine ecosystems. JTP regularly organises a number of volunteer projects in order to enlighten society about the importance of protecting the environment and its inhabitants. Besides the obvious motion of the project, which is to prevent the extinction of turtles, this community also strives to save other endangered wildlife. As a culture-oriented club, UNESCO seized this opportunity to instil the importance of creating awareness in our pool of young-adults.

Due to the overwhelming response from the student body, four batches of students were formed, each batch consisting of eight to fifteen volunteers. All four batches were sent directly to the volunteer site which was at Juara Beach in Tioman Island, Pahang. This project was carried out from the 14th August to the 23rd August. Fortunately, HELP's Department of Student Affairs was very generous to provide land transport to the nearest jetty to Tioman Island, free of charge. This act of generosity was greatly appreciated by all the volunteers.

The groups of volunteers were sent to Mersing Jetty by a van provided by HELP. Their journey lasted around 5 hours. They then took a ferry to Tioman Island and got off as they arrived at Juara Beach. On the first day of the four days three nights programme, JTP's project leader, Simon, gave a warm welcome followed by a further detailed explanation about the JTP agenda. Many of the volunteers were first-timers. It was their first time being involved in a volunteer project. Activities such as beach-camping, beach patrol, turtle lookout, construction and gardening were a part of the contributions made for the project.

By the end of the project, the volunteers had helped to increase the survival rate of the turtles and instilled in themselves the spirit of volunteerism. Simon and his team showed great appreciation towards our efforts in helping them. Volunteers not only did their part for the environment but also formed new bonds with their fellow volunteers through cooperation, coordination and team-building activities. All in all, they brought back precious experiences to share, as well as succeeded in bettering themselves as individuals.

Prepared by,

Low Kah Haw
1st Batch Volunteer Representative,
UNESCO Division, HELP United Nations Club.

Second Batch

This volunteer project has truly been an eye-opening experience. I was in charge of the second batch of volunteers. At first, I did not even know most of my group members but thankfully they turned out to be friendly and like-minded people who made my trip enjoyable. The journey to Mersing was uneventful as we travelled by a van, courtesy of HELP. However, the moment we reached the Mersing jetty, I and a few others were stunned. This was because it was our first time to Tioman Island. There were guides asking about which ferry operator we would follow, what time we were leaving and whether we already bought tickets. It was a lot to take in at once. After several hours of the ferry ride, we all reached Tekek safely. We arrived at Tekek around 2pm and were fortunate enough to have the chalet owner transport us to the chalet for free via jeep.

The next day, we began the long trek through the island forest to the village of Juara after securing a four-wheel-drive vehicle to transport our luggage and two people from our group. Along the way we detoured to a waterfall for some rest and recreation. We swam and dived into a beautiful lake to cool down. The forest was very beautiful and easy to trek. Even one of my group members who had asthma managed to trek through the forest. Along the way we met a lot of foreigners who were very friendly and had only good things to say about Juara. However once we were out of the forest things got tough. The guide insisted Juara Turtle Project was only 5 minutes away, but it turned out to be closer to 30 minutes. Once we reached there, we were served French toast and were briefed about Juara Turtle Project and our duties.

Upon unpacking and settling down, we proceeded to help around with chores and tasks, which included gardening, light construction, cutting down bamboo and beach clean-up. At around 2pm, we took a break and went snorkelling at the beach. In the evening, we set up tents on the beach and went out for dinner. When we returned to the beach we could not find the tents. Lo and behold, it ended up being blown away into the sea. After recovering the tents, we were exhausted so we slept in the rooms provided. However, those in charge of patrolling still continued to carry out their duty. It was that night that we saw a few eggs hatching. We were very lucky to be able to chance upon that sight.

The next morning was spent washing the sand-filled tents. Next we did some arts and craft by building a fake sea turtle. Upon completion, we attended one of the many talks that were held about Juara Turtle Project at the project site. Visitors were told about the project’s history and goals. Undeterred by the happenings of last night, we set up the tents yet again. However, we wizened up this time around and placed bricks in the tent to prevent it from being blown off. Night came and the tents did not get blown off. We slept in the tents for a short while until most of us decided that it was too hot and decided to camp out in the open.

The next day, we hired another four-wheel-drive vehicle to transport all of us back to Tekek. We then waited for the ferry back to Mersing on the mainland. However due to a misjudgement, we waited too long and missed the ferry to Mersing. We had to take a ferry to TanjungGemok and managed to hitch a ride on an express bus heading to Mersing. The transport van then sent us back home and we reached HELP around 8pm. Overall, the Juara Turtle Project was an enjoyable experience and I would recommend everyone to go for it.

Prepared by,


Kelvin Lim Ming Ken
2nd Batch Volunteer Representative,
UNESCO Division, HELP United Nations Club.

Volunteer Drive Report

Date : 3rd August 2011

Aim : To give you the opportunity to volunteer at WWF, Zoo Negara, Juara Turtle Project, World Vision, Malaysian Nature Society, Habitat for Humanity

The Volunteer Drive was one of the highlights of UNESCO’s eventful year in 2011. A stellar number of prominent organizations supported our event. Global NGOs such as WWF, World Vision and Habitat for Humanity, as well as local organizations such as the Juara Turtle Project and Zoo Negara were involved in the event. The preparations began a few days before the actual event where UNESCO members camped out in the lobby of KPD E for a few days to distribute flyers and inform people about the upcoming volunteer drive. Kudos to all the organizations for sending us flyers and other merchandise in support of our event.


On the big day itself; we had the volunteer drive at both Main Block and KPD. UNDP, UNICEF and WHO divisions supported us by sending their members to man the booths. In the main block, a projector was set up to play videos and slideshows courtesy of the organizations. Booths were set up for each NGO in the Main Block as well as KPD. In fact, Habitat for Humanity even sent their own representatives to promote their volunteer program.


Overall the event was a success, as many students pledged their support and volunteered. An example would be Juara Turtle Project which was supposed to be a small inter-club event at first. In the end, we succeeded in recruiting around 40 volunteers to go to Tioman Island to help out in local turtle conservation efforts. Essentially, this event achieved its target of raising awareness on volunteerism and gathering volunteers for all programs.

Fundraise for Japan Report

Date : 28th March - 1st April 2011

Aim: To raise funds to aid the victims of earthquake and tsunami in Japan. 

 

 

Posters for "Fundraise for Japan"

UNESCO was among the first in HELP University to react and lend a helping hand to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. We organized a raffle fundraiser called “Fundraise for Japan” to raise funds through the sale of raffle tickets to the student body. UNESCO members went all over campus from KPD to Wisma HELP and finally Main Block, selling raffle tickets. By the end of the week-long programme, our 15 man team had succeeded in raising approximately RM1072 from the raffle sale. We then had a lucky draw at KPD A, in which 3 winners were selected at random from a box of raffle stubs. Each winner received a cash prize equivalent to about 10% of the total donations received. This money was generously sponsored by the HELP Customer Marketing Department. We’d like to express our thanks to the donors which consisted of students, teachers and faculty staff for their generous donations. The money collected was in turn given to the HELP Department of Student Affairs and consequently directed to those in need in Japan.

 

Vincent's Representative (Fundraise for Japan)

FUNDRAISE FOR JAPAN

RM1072

Audit	RM
Donations From Raffle Ticket Sales	828
External Donations	60
Sponsorship of Prize Money by HELP Customer Marketing Department	250
Sponsorship of Prize Money by UNESCO	26
Prize Money Awarded	276
Donations from Prize Winners	184
Total Donations Received	1072

Thanks to your generosity, UNESCO has successfully collected RM1072 through numerous donations from raffle ticket sales and other sources.

We would like to thank all  HELP students who donated towards this cause.

100% of the proceeds will be directed to the Japan Embassy and used to aid victims of the tsunami and earthquake in Japan.

Special thanks to prize winners Rachel Ho and Vincent from HMC who donated back the prize money they received for winning the raffle.