ProWorld places the highest priority on ensuring a safe and stable environment for all participants.

If one imagines concentric circles of support and safety, the first that surrounds our participants is the host community. ProWorld’s long relationships and good standing within our host communities offer a high degree of community support to participants.

Within that circle, participants are bolstered by the next circle of safety: ProWorld orientation tools and standard operating procedures in place to protect participants. Thorough health and safety preparations precede each program, beginning with extensive pre-departure materials, a carefully designed on-site orientation, and followed by regular staff and participant check ins.

At the center of these circles of safety lies the core to participant safety: the participant. By using the tools, systems, and advice of the ProWorld teams and by connecting positively and respectfully to their host community, the participants themselves take the most important steps to ensure a safe and successful program.

Nevertheless, risks are inherent to the very nature of travel and cross-cultural learning. Participants must understand the nature of our programs and accept all risks involved. ProWorld takes great precaution to minimize and eliminate risk during each program.

Throughout each program, ProWorld relies on many resources to assess and respond to the specific health and safety needs of each participant including:

• On-site Program Directors, in-country staff, and cooperating institutions
• Local health care professionals and facilities
• Health background and needs of individual participants
• US, UK and local government advisories from each site
• Centers for Disease Control 

All ProWorld participants receive health and travel insurance, providing additional protection and security.

Communication

All Program Directors carry cell phones and communicate regularly with onsite participants, staff members, and the ProWorld headquarters. Email and phone communication are available for staff at all country headquarters. An emergency contact person is available 24 hours a day at every site for participants and families.

We also recommend that all participants take time to learn more about travel, disease control and advisories in the country they'll be working in by visiting the sites below.

United States Department of State: Visit the Travel section of the US. State Department website for the latest travel warnings, consular information sheets, and public announcements. Here you can also find valuable travel tips for students and women traveling alone. You can find contact information for the U.S. embassy or consulate in the country you will be visiting. If you need information for obtaining or renewing your passport, you can get that here as well. 

Centers for Disease Control: Visit the Travel Health section of the Centers for Disease Control website for the latest health-related travel warnings, recommendations for immunizations, and important information about safe food and water in the country you will be visiting. 

• No specific inoculations are required to travel to Peru, Belize, Mexico, India, or Thailand.
• ProWorld participants in Ghana are required to be vaccinated against Yellow Fever before departure. 
• CDC Recommendations: Tetanus-Diphtheria and Measles boosters should be current for each participant and for Peru and Belize. Typhoid and Hepatitis A vaccinations for Peru, Belize, India and Thailand and Hepatitis B for India and Thailand.
• We recommend that you consult a travel physician and your family physician prior to the trip.

World Health Organization: The World Health Organization website offers a wealth of health-related information for the international traveler. The International Travel and Health section of the site offers insightful suggestions on the precautions one can take before, during, and after international travel. The site is well-organized and allows you to search for specific information on the country or countries you will be visiting.