"I thought that I would just be making a difference in other peoples' lives, but through serving them and working with these people I grew to love them and found that the biggest difference that took place was in my life. This is an experience I will never forget."
-Anna Smith, Guatemala 2008
"HELP International has the perfect amount of structure to give you lots of support if you need it, and yet enough autonomy to feel empowered in making your own decisions and creating your own experience. I loved HELP International because through them I discovered what I could do as an individual to make a difference in the world, and then they helped me do it. Because of the training and leadership we had, we were prepared to be culturally sensitive and good examples of Americans, and the people of Mukono thought very highly of us. HELP isn't a huge organization and it doesn't have a ton of resources, but I was impressed at how well they organized this experience and it inspired me to return next summer."
HELP International is dedicated to offering a wide variety of volunteer opportunities to young people seeking to change their lives, while creating positive change in the world. We know that we are only as safe as our least informed and vigilant volunteer. HELP has recognized the importance of establishing policies and procedures in the effort to protect the safety and well-being of HELP participants, while acknowledging that no single plan can address all contingencies. Listed below are a few of the ways HELP strives to keep our programs, before and during participation, as safe as possible.
HELP regularly and responsibly monitors safety issues in each of our program locations. A review of all programs at a local, regional, and country level is conducted in which safety, security, and overall quality are measured.
HELP regularly consults with other organizations such as the U.S. Department of State Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), The LDS Church Security department and BYU's full-time travel security analyst responsible for overseeing health and safety concerns.
All HELP programs are registered with the OSAC's local Regional Service Office (RSO) to receive regular safety and Warden Messages.
Each HELP program's safety and security conditions are evaluated yearly by our Board of Directors. The board has ultimate authority for approving the safety of programs and sites, and has the ability to cancel programs or revise them to address safety and security concerns.
All participants are required to attend a health, safety, and security training session that stresses safety issues and understanding cultural differences. In this session we also provide a country specific orientation in which safety precautions are outlined.
Emergency procedures are in place, including medical and general emergency evacuation procedures.
Each HELP Country Director is required to carry an international cell phone to facilitate emergency communications. If there is a problem, HELP volunteers can use the cell phone to call internationally and talk directly to the HELP Executive Director.
HELP International strives to keep volunteers informed of conditions and decisions related to travel safety and well-being. However, in these changing times, it is necessary that each volunteer take responsibility for his/her own safety by staying informed and conducting themselves accordingly. We provide tools and resources about a variety of such issues, including information from the U.S. State Department about volunteers having a "safe trip abroad," the consular information sheet for each country, and security briefings distributed by the U.S. State Department local Regional Service officers.
