At FSD we consider safety and security for our interns and volunteers of utmost importance. Our in-country and San Francisco-based staffs consistently work to ensure our program participants are safe, supported, and well-educated on issues that affect their well-being.

Overview of FSD's Health and Safety Approach

Key aspects of our integrated approach to health and safety include:

• Providing program participants with critical information on pre-departure issues related to health and safety preparedness
• Training interns and volunteers on safety competencies that include cultural integration, local health and safety concerns, and approaches to dealing with the most common safety issues
• An in-country staff available 24/7 with connections to the local communities
• Regular check-ins with participants and their partner organization throughout the duration of their program
• Emergency plans focused on preparing the staff to respond to situations that could potentially arise.

Even though FSD consistently strives to provide a safe and secure environment for its program participants, health and safety risks are an inherent part of work abroad. We seek to reduce risks by asking participants to follow recommendations for locally appropriate behavior, exercising sound judgment, and abiding by FSD policies and procedures.

Health

Every program participant is provided with Travel Medical Insurance & Emergency Evacuation Assistance. This service provides an emergency phone line available 24/7. The participant receives contact information about in-country health resources and approaches during onsite orientation.

Each FSD program maintains relationships with local healthcare professionals and facilities for treatment of emergent health issues. FSD develops a more thorough understanding of how we can best support a participant's health by collecting a health background for its participants. It is vital that each participant fully disclose all health issues in this form so that we can be prepared to react appropriately if a health issue arises.

Safety

FSD's approach to safety melds planning, education, and community integration in order to prepare program participants for their time working with FSD. In an effort to ensure a productive and safe experience for participants, FSD reviews work and housing sites in advanced, communicates with our participants' partner organizations on a regular basis, and maintains plans for responding to participant safety concerns.

Program participants initiate their FSD experience with a week of intensive training. This orientation includes trainings on safety competencies, cross-cultural communication, local health issues, and strategies for community immersion. After orientation, a participant moves to his or her homestay with a local family. The homestay experience facilitates the important process of building and maintaining a network of friends and contacts in the community, which is a vital key to personal safety in a new environment.

FSD continues to provide personal support for participants' safety throughout their time in the program. This is provided through site visits, meetings with participants, contacts with the participants' host agency, and phone contact.

Emergency Communications and Planning

All FSD Program Directors are host country nationals who have extensive information about the local community and infrastructure. This background in conjunction with FSD guidance and planning helps to ensure that the in-country staff is prepared to work with emergencies as they arise.

All Program Directors and Program Coordinators carry cell phones and communicate regularly with participants, staff members, and the FSD San Francisco Office.

An emergency procedure handbook provides additional guidance for the in-country staff. These emergency procedures establish lines of communication, provide guidance on health and safety emergencies, and ensure that notification of parents or appropriate persons is made in the case of true emergencies.

The San Francisco Office uses a "duty officer" system that monitors an emergency phoneline 24/7 to ensure that our San Francisco office can efficiently respond to emergencies as they arise.

Please contact our San Francisco office with any specific questions you may have about safety and security.