Housing

In Israel

During the first part of the program, housing will be in youth-hostel or dormitory-style housing. Hiking trips will involve sleeping outdoors with equipment provided. Food will be provided during in-house seminars. The last three weeks before leaving for overseas will involve more independent arrangements.

The third part of LIFE, after the overseas period, will be centered in Jerusalem in apartment-style housing or dormitories. Participants will be independent in relation to food and housekeeping. Some participants may live out of Jerusalem to enable specific intern placements; they will travel to Jerusalem weekly to participate in group learning and activities.

Overseas

As the internships will be either in Hyderabad or in a village, the housing will be as follows: In Hyderabad, participants will live independently in small groups in apartment or dorm-style living. For those interning in villages, housing will also be in independent apartment-style arrangements. Getting to work in a village will involve a public bus ride to and from the village (usually about 10 miles). Some options may be available for individuals to live in a village with a family; such arrangements will only be for those seeking it, most likely for a limited time. Housing will be safe and within reasonable distance (by local standards) of the place of the internships. Participants will be independent in relation to food, cooking, cleaning. During seminars and touring, housing will be in hostels or other modest, but safe and clean housing.

Insurance

In Israel

Insurance in Israel i provided by Clal Insurance. The policy covers:

• Primary Medicine, family doctor, gynecologist, laboratories, medical institutes.

• Doctor’s house call by a general doctor, at no cost, within 2 hours, 24 hours a day.

• Specialized medicine without the need of a general doctor’s referral.

• Emergency Room & Ambulance - with a doctor’s referral or in an emergency situation

• Hospitalization Expenses with a referral of a doctor, an emergency room or in an event of an emergency – up to 90 days

• Medicine – up to $250 worth of medicines for an insurance period according to the Israeli health basket – without any payment.

• Emergency dental treatment - First aid only.

Full details of the policy are available on request.

Insurance – Overseas
Health insurance is not provided for the Diaspora participants for the period in India and will need to be obtained indendently by them in their country of origin.

Visas and Overseas Flights

Visas to India will be arranged for participants after arrival in Israel through the Israeli Indian embassy. You passport needs to have an expiry date later than the start of 2010. If it currently expires before then, still send us your current Passport details with your application and immediately ensure that it will be extended before you arrive in Israel.

The shots required for travel to India will be provided by Israeli health experts; the cost is included.

The flights to India and internal program travel there are included in the cost of LIFE.

Vacations and Time Off

There are three kinds of vacation periods during LIFE. They are tentatively scheduled over the following time periods:

• While in India – in coordination with our Indian partner and Indian public holidays (to be determined and notified)

• Pesach (Passover)

• Free-floating holiday days (about 1/month) which you can take in coordination with your internship manager/mentor and LIFE staff.

Family and friends may wish to plan visits accordingly. These are the only dates during which participants will not be obligated to participate in work, learning programs, etc.  If your friends and family will be in Israel or India at other times of the year, they will be able to visit you after your work or other obligations are fulfilled.

Please take into account that travel to another country (from India or from Israel) is not allowed without written staff approval. Doing so can serve as grounds for dismissal from the program. Special family circumstances requiring travel should therefore be brought to the staff's attention well in advance, where possible, or immediately in the case of an emergency to enable an appropriate and timely response. 

Early departures or late returns from vacation periods can serve as grounds for dismissal from the program.

Leaving or ceasing to participate in the program without written permission from staff can serve as grounds for dismissal from the program.

Being Law Abiding and Staying on LIFE

LIFE requires participants to confirm to all laws of the country in which they are living. We will not be able to assist participants who break the law, irrespective of the nature of the infringement. This includes, but is not limited to, the use of illegal drugs. Law breaking is considered by LIFE to be self-destructive and damages the program’s standing in the eyes of local partners and potential future participants. Irrespective of whether lawbreaking by a participant leads him/her to be is caught or charged by local authorities, it is sufficient reason to be removed from the program.