Social Policy

• We send people in small groups (no more than 15-20) at a time per country. This minimises the environmental and social impact that the participants have on the destination. Once in country, the groups are usually split down further into 2 or 3 people in a village. We do this to enhance the integration of our participants into the culture and for the local people to not feel too overwhelmed and apprehensive of them. Our participants become fully immersed and integrated into the community.
• All of our participants attend at least a 1 day pre departure briefing roughly 10 weeks before departure. This covers topics on how to be culturally sensitive, how to best look after the environment when in country and how to stay safe as well as up to date information on the political situation. They are also briefed on how to dispose of waste properly and where possible, to avoid using plastic water bottles as these are not easy to dispose of environmentally.
• When in country, all participants take part in an orientation course which is designed to remind them to be culturally sensitive and to minimise their negative effect on the country. This course is run by our in-country Representatives. During this course participants are also given language lessons so that they can communicate at a basic level with the local people in their own language. These lessons are run by local people and so are helping the local economy.
• In all of our destinations, the work our participants do is beneficial to the host country. Be it in teaching the local community, caring for orphans or working in hotels. Participants are genuinely needed in the projects that they work in.