Operation Orion

Operation Orion 2018

March 12, 2019June 28, 2020
by Operation Orion

Location: Philippines!

From 11 to 28 December 2018, Operation Orion (a total of 24 of us!) embarked on an Overseas Community Involvement Project at the Philippines, Negros Occidental, Cauayan, Mambugsay district. We collaborated with Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation, a Non-Government Organisation based in Philippines to provide a better standard of living and quality of life for those living in the rural areas. Our project encompassed two main segments—Operations and Programmes.

Operations

The population there relies on lemongrass production as their main source of income. Also, most farmers have resorted to using land at higher altitudes due to the high rents of agricultural land. However, the lack of irrigation at such altitudes and the prevalence of droughts result in frequent crop failures and rather seasonal incomes. Therefore, to ensure that they have a stable water supply all year round to secure a sustainable source of income and also a conducive environment for lemongrass production, our team set out to complete three large-scale projects.

1) Renovation of the lemongrass factory:

In the beginning, the state of the lemongrass factory was very run-down. The production of lemongrass oil is often hindered due to issues such as roof leaks that damaged the crops and a lack of space. In view of these problems, we decided to provide them with a new roof and an additional outdoor meeting area which served as an expansion of the factory. Renovation works done by us involved laying of concrete floor slab, painting of shelves and attaching of corrugated roof sheets. One of the villagers there, whom we call Tito (uncle in a Philippines dialect!) Ping Ping even gave us an overview of how lemongrass production works, where all of us got to personally experience the grinding, sacking, cooking and distilling of lemongrass.

2) Building of the reservoir and Installation of the ram-pump:

Both the reservoir and ram-pump function cohesively to pump water from a nearby stream to the storage reservoir at a higher elevation. During the dry season, the stored water becomes an important source of irrigation for the lemongrass plantations. We aided in tasks such as concrete mixing, assembling of skeletal frame with wire mesh and plastering of reservoir walls as well as laying of pipes for the ram-pump. Something memorable about working at the reservoir site was definitely having to descend extremely steep mountains to get to the house of the lovely villager who prepared our lunch for us. Not to mention ascending those mountains!

The Canter

Nearing the end our Operations segment, an obstacle came our way which remained as the favourite memory of the trip for many of us. Our transport vehicle, the Canter got stuck in the wet mud due to a downpour the previous day. The only choice we had was to pull the truck up using two ropes because pushing it from behind was too dangerous. One, two, three… we ran up the hill and pulled the truck behind us. After numerous attempts, we managed to successfully pull the 2000 kg truck out. It was the perfect encapsulation of the essence of Orion—team work, hard work and everything in between.

It was certainly no easy feat, but we did it. Here are some pictures of us with our completed projects!

Programmes

Thereafter, we spent the next four days interacting with the locals ranging from toddlers to young adults, via practicum and cultural immersion. Our purpose was to impart English and Science skills to them through hands-on activities such as Charades and Water Diffusion demonstration respectively. On the last day, we also organised a mini carnival to introduce our Singaporean culture to them. Beyond that, we aimed to develop greater confidence and a sense of social well-being in the locals through their self-reflections. While our programme lasted for merely four days, the mutual exchange between the locals and us where we both learnt from each other was indeed fulfilling and enriching. The personal and meaningful connections forged with the locals would be cherished and remembered by all of us.

All good things come to an end

Throughout this journey, we achieved our motto to Aspire, Inspire and Perspire. We perspired under the scorching sun to complete our projects targeted to improve the lives of the locals. We aspired to bring smiles to the faces of the locals and we did it. We inspired ourselves to take on the challenge to embark on a second project to further return to the community. Beyond that, we grew as individuals and as one entire team. The camaraderie fostered, strong bonds forged and memories formed will be etched on our hearts forever.

Last but not least, our biggest takeaway would be this quote by Tito Ping Ping:

Laughter is timeless,

Imagination has no age,

and Dreams are forever

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YVvzCvoONo&t=19s

Feature by the Philippines newspaper:

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Operation Orion 2016

April 1, 2017
by Operation Orion

Operation Orion is a community service project spearheaded by the Civil Engineering Club. A well-established OCIP in NUS, Operation Orion has started making a difference spanning 10 different regions since the year 2000. In its 17^th year, Operation Orion 2016 broke new ground and headed to Methinkot VDC, Nepal for the first time. Our main project was to build a classroom in Shree Krishna Lower Secondary School for the students living in the nearby rural villages and came up with plans to improve the seismic resilience of the current building method.

In Operation Orion, we aspire to enable our team members to contribute to the team by applying their knowledge and skills. Thus, in addition to the main project, the team explored the concept of a personal water filtration system using local materials that are affordable and easily accessible by the villagers. We also worked in conjunction with the teachers at Shree Krishna Lower Secondary School to plan and conduct scientific experiments that demonstrated the concepts taught in real life. In addition, the team also brought over portable solar lamps to bring lights to the villagers who do not have access to electricity.

Before the overseas project, the team also volunteered with YMCA to clean the rental apartments of the elderly who lived alone. The team also volunteered at Camp Explore, an initiative by Central Singapore CDC to engage children from lower-middle income families meaningfully during the holidays. These volunteering opportunities enabled all of us to work with each other in less than ideal surroundings and to practise techniques taught by trainers on how to interact with and inspire children to have a passion for continual learning.

During the project, we realized that many students had to leave by 3 pm as they had to walk down the mountain back to their home before the sun set. On the last day, we experienced this for ourselves by walking down the mountain and back to our guest house. Since night fell early, all was dark by 5.30 pm. It was a suspenseful experience as we stumbled around on uneven paths in the darkness with our torch lights as the only source of light. It gave us a better appreciation of the difficulties that students in rural Nepal have to face to get to school. It also allowed us to appreciate the various basic infrastructures that we often overlook.

To understand more about village life, we took part in a cultural exchange where we hiked through the village. As we walked through their village, there were still remnants of structurally damaged buildings present even though months had passed since the last earthquake. Despite this bleak scene, the villagers were still optimistic and welcomed us warmly with local songs and dances that we tried our best to learn. Along the way, we also visited a brick making farm to know how to make the bricks that we were using to build the classroom. Some of us even tried their hand at making bricks!

Watch the following video to meet the people who led Orion 2016 and find out more about what we did.

The summary of our journey in Nepal:

At this point, we would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to the various partners for making Operation Orion 2016 a successful project:

The National Youth Council (NYC) and the NUS Office of Student Affairs (OSA) for their assistance and support. Our Youth Expedition Project (YEP) would not have been possible without the insightful comments and feedback, various leadership workshops and funding provided by them.

Living Hope Nepal (LHN) for the valuable advice and hospitality given. The guidance provided has enabled us to better understand the situation in Nepal and to apply our skills and carry out projects effectively.

PAYM Whampoa CC Youth Club for the generous funding and belief that we can make a difference.

YMCA for providing us the opportunity to expose ourselves to the living conditions of the less-fortunate in Singapore. The life lessons we absorbed while volunteering will not be forgotten by our team.

Central Singapore CDC for providing our members the invaluable experience of being a facilitator. All of us came away with the knowledge and ability to provide guidance and inspire children to learn and explore.

Dr Chew Soon Hoe, for his many years of continual unwavering support. His invaluable advice on earthquake resistant structures has enabled us to suggest ways to improve the seismic resistance of the classroom.

We are also grateful to all NUS students and staff who have in any way supported us, be it in our various fundraising activities or in words of encouragement.

Every end marks a new beginning. While we reluctantly bring Operation Orion 2016 to a close, the journey for Operation Orion 2017 has only just begun. We can’t wait to see what Operation Orion 2017 will bring to the next team. December 2017 will definitely be an exciting time filled with unforgettable experiences and life lessons that we look forward to sharing with you. Till then!

Overseas Trip

Operation Orion 2016 Plans

October 24, 2016October 24, 2016
by Operation Orion

This year, Operation Orion will be heading to Nepal for the first time in her history!

We will be collaborating with Living Hope Nepal (LHN), a non-governmental organisation based in Nepal.

We will be having our project at Methinkot VDC, Kavre District, an area which was struck by the April 2015 earthquake. The primary plan is to build a new classroom block for the local village school, Shree Krishna Lower Secondary School. The school buildings were badly damaged during the earthquake. Two of the classroom blocks collapsed entirely, and the remaining blocks are left with servere cracks, leaving them unsafe for the students to study in.

Remains of collapsed mud-plastered classrooms

Currently, lessons are held in temporary classrooms built by local volunteers after the earthquake. These make-shift classrooms are made from logs and zinc sheets which are not structurally safe. The poor insulation also caused the classroom to be extremely hot during the summer and cold during the winter. Thus, making the environment unsafe and unconducive for learning.

Exterior and interior of temporary classrooms made from zinc sheets and logs

In addition, as the school is one of the only few schools nearby offering secondary education, it has around 160 students from Class 1 to Class 8. The temporary classrooms are not sufficient to accomdate the population even after the construction of new classrooms from the salvaged bricks.

Classes combined due to lack of classrooms

The primary objective of Operation Orion 2016 is to create and environment much more safer and conducive for learning. We hope to raise sufficient funds to construct 2 classroom blocks. This design of the classroom block is approved by the local authorities. The classrooms block will be a brick structure with concrete mortar. It will be built on reinforced foundation, with double brick walls and reinforced columns and beams, which will be much more durable than the old mud-plastered classrooms. We have considered other options and decided on our structure due to the availability of resources and expertise in Nepal. To further improve the seismic performance of the building, under the guidance of our professor, we have come up with a few modifications to the existing design retrofitting the walls with wire mesh on both side before the walls are plastered and to add in bracing bars for the beams and columns.

Designs of classroom blocks (building in progress and completion)

We hope that with a proper primary school education and a proper environment, more students will be motivated to obtain secondary level educations and advance on in their education paths.

Other than the primary project of building classroom blocks, we have also came up with various side projects, with hopes to benefit the local community:

Cost efficient water filter
- The villagers generally get their drinking water from tube wells, and lack the knowledge and tools to filter the water off particles before consuming them. The plan is to come up with an improvised water filter that can be easily make with locally available materials, as the resource needed for a standard biosand filter is not readily available, and villagers are not able to afford a it.
Lighting up homes of victims of earthquakes
- Some of the villages are still staying in simple oval zinc huts with no windows, making it dark during both day and night. We hope to fit some of the huts with solar light bulbs or PET bottle lights to bring light into the home.
Education and demonstrations
- We will be having science demonstrations and english lessons with the local school to enhance their learning. Some of the demonstrations include building of simple water heating system using solar energy, and simple structure building contest. We hope that such demonstrations and inspire their interest and provide them with ideas of small projects that they can do on their own to improve their daily life.

We hope that both the locals and the members of Operation Orion will be able to gain some valuable learnings in the project, and that the project will serve as an opportunities for our members to learn and appreciate their lives here in Singapore. We also wish to help every member of the team achieve their potential as leaders.

If you are interested in sponsoring or working with us, please email us at orion@ceclub.sg.

Operation Orion 2016

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Operation Orion 2015

August 7, 2016August 7, 2016
by Operation Orion

On 9 December 2015, Operation Orion 2015 went on an overseas expedition to Prey Veng province, Cambodia! In a span of 13 days, the team managed to build a house with a water catchment installed, and also refined the education curriculum at a local orphanage, Hope Village Prey Veng. Towards the end of the trip, a Christmas party was also held with the orphanage. The trip was mainly focused on the planning and management of the construction of the house and the water catchment in the village and the programs and Christmas celebration with the orphanage nearby. The team learnt a great deal from liaising with the different organisations and NGOs to get supplies or information about the situation there in Cambodia. Dr Chew Soon Hoe, our student advisor from the Civil Engineering club, also assisted in the planning process of the project. A great amount of interaction was also done with the locals, be it the villagers, the orphanage staff or the children in the orphanage. This encouraged mutual learning as we gain valuable insights and perspectives on life in a different country as well. We hope that through this project, many more NUS students will be inspire to embark on further overseas community projects. Last but not the least, this project would not have been possible with the help of the National Youth Council’s Youth Expedition Project.

Watch the following video to meet the people who led Orion 2015 and find out more about what we did.

The summary of our journey in Cambodia:

A short interview/documentary about the project:

Here is a reflection by a member of Orion 2015, Mark Chang.

Orion on CE magazine — Credits: The FUSE April 2016

All News

Orion Appreciation Dinner 2015

February 7, 2015January 18, 2016
by Operation Orion

Last weekend, NUS Orion Alumni Network organized the Orion Appreciation Dinner to celebrate the success of Operation Orion’s 15th Expedition! Past Orion members also came down to see and hear about what the 2014 committee has done during the trip and awards were given out to the past committee as well!

Wondering who are the lovely seniors behind the success of the previous expeditions? Here they are!

Here is a photo of us all.

There is still more great news to come. At the 10th Student Achievement Award (SAA) 2015, Operation Orion 2013 was awarded the GOLD AWARD for Community Service Projects! Only 4 out of more than 20 projects were awarded the GOLD Award. Here are the leaders behind Operation Orion 2013, receiving their well-deserved award and maintaining Operation Orion’s Gold streak!

While celebrating the success of the past committees, a new and upcoming committee emerged as well. Seems like there are big shoes to fill, but everyone has confidence in Operation Orion’s new leaders. As the 2014 committee’s term comes to a close, we would like to thank NUS Orion Alumni Network for their support, advice and for organizing the Appreciation Dinner.

Let us all look forward to what Operation Orion 2015 brings!

Cheers!

Author: <span>Operation Orion</span>

Operation Orion 2018

Operation Orion 2016

Operation Orion 2016 Plans

Operation Orion 2015

Orion Appreciation Dinner 2015