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SCENARIOS FOR FALL 2020/WINTER 2020/SPRING 2021 PROGRAMS

 

1. RUN DENTAL PLACEMENTS WITH LIMITED MODIFICATIONS

Our preferred plan is to run dental hospital placements and dental outreach volunteering projects with very limited modifications. For this to happen, important criteria for re-opening programs would need to be met. These include the re-opening of international travel to the country and the granting of visas to our travelers. In addition, global and country-specific travel health advisories would need to be lowered.  This would likely result from significant decreases in COVID-19 transmission both in the US and other regions  where students are traveling.  Events that could facilitate this possibility would be an increased understanding of the disease, adherence to restrictions and social distancing guidelines, changes in acceptable risks, widespread testing & contact tracing, and the development of a vaccine. We anticipate that these changes will emerge differently on a country-by-country basis. In all cases, AROUND GOOD PEOPLE would make decisions that prioritize community, instructor, and student safety above all other considerations.

 

WHICH PROGRAMS WILL BE OPEN THIS YEAR AS PER THE SCENARIO #1 ?

We are making plans for reopening programs on a case-by-case basis, based on the latest travel advisories for Nepal, the status of local health risks, and any local government restrictions that might remain in place. Since we support dental/oral health volunteers from countries all over the world, our approach to opening programs is based entirely on local conditions and guidance from the relevant local authorities. Each volunteer should make their own assessment on whether they will be able to travel to participate in their program based on their own individual circumstances.

 

The following programs are due to re-open in October, 2020 under scenario #1:

  1. City based Dental Hospital Placement.
  2. Dental Outreach Project. This placement is available for group sign up only (minimum 6 volunteers)

 

2. RUN DENTAL PLACEMENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT MODIFICATIONS

Our secondary option is to run planned dental hospital placements and dental outreach volunteering programs with more significant modifications to account for COVID-19 risks, local ordinances, and new cultural or social expectations.The most likely modifications under this option would be  a 2-week quarantine upon arrival and elimination of high interpersonal contact activities on course.

EnglishAustraliaUSA

Attention: Students from Australia & New Zealand

For the students intending to join the Nepal Dental Volunteering Project scheduled for the year end 2021, through the dental school in a group sign up, please contact our Global Dental Alliance representative Shreejal Poudel for further details; email: shreejal.poudel@jcu.edu.au 

Download Our Factsheet 2021-2022

COVID-19 UPDATES

KEEPING YOU SAFE AS OUR PROGRAMS RE-OPEN

Last updated: 4th April, 2021                                                                                         Contact Us 

KEEP CALM and CARRY ON –

The Enlightenment that speak to this time of coronavirus shutdowns and of health and economic fears.

WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER

Travel in response to COVID-19 continues to evolve rapidly. AROUND GOOD PEOPLE is closely monitoring the situation, following the advice of public health experts, and making decisions with our participants, staff, and global community partners at the forefront of every conversation. 

As the world begins to re-open, your wellbeing is our highest priority.

Thanks to the incredible team effort of millions around the world, many countries are beginning to exit their COVID-19 lockdowns and re-open their countries for visitors. While some regions may remain restricted for some months more, we plan to restart our Dental Placement volunteer programs where the local health situation and government advice allows this, and currently it looks like we will be able to resume our flagship dental outreach volunteering projects by the 2nd half of November, 2021. Through these marquee community dentistry outreach AROUND GOOD PEOPLE’s volunteers provide invaluable support to our local communities around the underprivileged communities in Nepal. Now more than ever, our volunteers’ contributions of time, expertise and local spending money are critically needed to help these communities to get back on their feet.

Since long before COVID-19 began to spread, AROUND GOOD PEOPLE has followed industry-leading procedures to ensure the safety of our volunteers. As our programs start to re-open to volunteers, we will maintain our pledge to keep you safe. In addition to our standard volunteer safety processes, all of our local program teams will be following enhanced procedures we have developed to minimize risks from COVID-19 for everyone concerned.

 

Our volunteers should also take personal responsibility for their own health and the safety of others. Please do not travel if you are feeling ill or if there is a risk you may be an asymptomatic carrier of COVID-19 – for example, if you have been exposed to an infected individual within the 14 days before you start your AROUND GOOD PEOPLE program.

Most of our volunteers book their trips months in advance, so please take this time to plan for the future. With AROUND GOOD PEOPLE you can register for trips up to three years ahead.

Thank you for your ongoing support of AROUND GOOD PEOPLE and the communities we work within. If there’s anything we can do to help you with your travel plans during this time, please get in touch with us for further information, support and guidance.

If you continue scrolling down this page, you’ll find answers to some of the most common questions the AROUND GOOD PEOPLE team are being asked, including details on which programs will open in the near future under different emerging scenarios.

Please stay safe, be kind, and protect the health of yourself and others, wherever you are in the world.

Rij Baskar

Co-Founder & Chief Executive, 

AROUND GOOD PEOPLE

Before we continue, let us say:

Thank you to all those on the front lines, the doctors, the nurses, the pharmacists, the first responders, and other medical staff. You’ve risked your health to save us. You are the true heroes.

Thank you to everyone working to get us what we need. Without the grocery store employees, the delivery drivers, the warehouse staff, the manufacturing workers, and others who are supporting the relief operation, we wouldn’t be able to fight this deadly virus. Without teachers and childcare workers, we couldn’t support our youth. You all are the everyday heroes.

Thank you to everyone practicing social distancing and staying at home. You’ve done your part to prevent the spread.

  

So, in this note, we have highlighted dental volunteer projects in Nepal that you can join after the Coronavirus pandemic has passed and life returns to some sort of normalcy, which we are hoping by the second half of November 2021. See what projects catch your eye, bookmark them, and apply to one.

With these volunteer programs, we used a wait-and-see approach these past one and a half years. Due to the roll out of the vaccines in various parts of the world we can now anticipate the slowing down of the pandemic although some pockets are getting resurgent. The new normal is – just in case the situation becomes stable, and the international travels are eased, we are preparing for the year-end dental outreach projects in Nepal. If you’re interested in a specific program, stay in touch with us. That way, once things do settle down, you’ll be ready to go to Nepal for a life changing volunteering experience. To make things simpler for the student communities who still want to make it to Nepal projects, money matters have become the most vexed of the issues; despite of the vicissitudes of the Covid19, AGP will make full refund of the Placement Fees if any of the signed projects are cancelled due to covid exigencies. Our commitment and solidarity with the volunteering students and the host community in these difficult times are honest -to-goodness.

A RESPONSIBLE AND INTENTIONAL RETURN TO TRAVEL

After months of planning and preparation, Around Good People successfully ran two Nepal dental hospital based placements this Spring 2021. Although there has been heavy demand for in-person programming, we have followed our travel mantra to go slow and mindfully as we navigate the many considerations of programming amidst a public health crisis. This intentional approach has allowed us to develop, hone, and implement our COVID safe travel practices with the best interests of our staff, participants, and communities at center. Over the past year, Around Good People has been a leader in developing industry wide pandemic best practices, advised schools on COVID mitigation strategies, and collaborated with partner organizations to offer modified programming. With a strong and tested risk management foundation, we will be able to gradually return to international dental programs in the Winters 2021-22.

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING OUTLOOK

We have been heartened by the recent trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the US and Australia, we’ve seen a steady decline in numbers likely due to a combination of preventative measures, vaccination, and broader immunity in the population. Globally, travel restrictions have started to soften and countries are reopening their borders to travelers once again. We are not out of the woods yet, but we are headed in the right direction: we believe international programming will be possible by the year end 2021.

TO OUR GLOBAL COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY RELIEF FUND

Many of the global communities and nonprofits that have made Around Good People programs possible over the past 10 years have been hit especially hard by COVID-19. In response, the Around Good People Fund —a nonprofit 501c3 and our nonprofit partner organization Mt. Everest Forest Botanicals Alliance—created the Community Relief Fund.

The Community Relief Fund provides direct support to our in-country partners who are particularly vulnerable. The fund has raised more than $6,000 which has been distributed through small grants, mostly aimed at providing food and essential supplies (like PPE) to households and rural community health outposts in our partner community. 

FAQS: AROUND GOOD PEOPLE AND COVID-19

HOW IS AROUND GOOD PEOPLE RESPONDING TO COVID-19?

We are consulting regularly with our risk management team, regional staff, and a variety of global health experts and organizations including the WHO, CDC, and our partner in managing student health and safety, International SOS. In addition, Around Good People is in touch with peer organizations in order to share information and work collaboratively in the interest of our participants and partner communities. We have developed an in-field management and response plan and trained our staff to risk factors, prevention measures, and response protocols. As travel restrictions lift and conditions improve, we will engage international programming that take into account COVID-19 considerations.

WHEN WILL AROUND GOOD PEOPLE RESUME INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMMING?

Around Good People has cancelled all spring 2021 scheduled international programs, although we are operating domestically for the dental hospital placements. While there have been a few positive developments at home and abroad, the persistent global uncertainty, risk of contagion to host communities, and unprecedented travel restrictions still make it difficult for us to offer international programming. This said, we are optimistic that we will be able to resume international programming in the near future; additional time, downward trends, interventions, & understanding will greatly increase the chances of programs running as soon as the year-end 2021. Once the global travel conditions improve, it will still be likely that certain restrictions and social distancing measures will remain in place and ultimately, that travel may look different until we have a widely distributed vaccine. We anticipate that the coming months will be a very telling time in determining the short-term trajectory of the response to COVID-19 as vaccine distribution, social distancing policies, and travel restrictions shift. We know that our participants, instructors, and in-country partners are eagerly awaiting definitive updates, and we are grateful for your patience and understanding as we collectively hope for the global situation to improve.

HOW WILL AROUND GOOD PEOPLE DECIDE WHICH PROGRAMS TO RUN?

We have been actively assessing programming feasibility on two primary areas in which we need to feel high confidence before committing to an international program:

  1. International TravelGlobal and country specific travel restrictions need to be relaxed. This includes things like travel advisories, country entry requirements, flight availability, quarantine upon arrival, etc.
  2. Host Country ConditionsWe cannot offer programs if mandatory shelter in-place type policies are in effect in the specific areas in which we travel. While we could operate with enhanced health & safety precautions, we need to have general freedom of movement & association in order to facilitate an interactive and engaging experience, as well as minimize the risks to host communities and our students. Host country conditions are being assessed on a place-by-place basis.

The above is a very simplified summary of some of the key global switches that need to turn from red to green over the coming months in order for us to resume programming in the year end of 2021and early 2022. In each of these areas, we will be giving foremost consideration to the safety of our students and in-country partners, as well as the impacts on the overall quality of the experience. In addition, we may need to consider other program modifications and alternatives to adhere to public health best practices in the places we travel.

Student safety is always our top priority, and we would not hesitate to modify or cancel upcoming programs should it ever appear that student health and well-being could not adequately be ensured, or if travel restrictions inhibited us from delivering a high-quality program experience. This said, we are increasingly confident that we will be able to offer international programs in the year end 2021 and early 2022. 

WHAT IS AROUND GOOD PEOPLE REFUND POLICY FOR UPCOMING PROGRAMS?

We have updated our Refund Policy to give you additional flexibility in making plans in these uncertain times. We will continue to proactively update our refund policy to provide you with added flexibility as new information comes to light. Our intention is to minimize financial commitments and risk so that you can stay with us as we wait for the global situation to improve. There will be full refund of the Placement Fees if the outreach project is cancelled by Around Good People pursuant to a travel ban or official lock down by either the governments of the host country or the country of residence.

SHOULD WE CONSIDER TRAVELING IN THIS NEW REALITY?

Around Good People core mission is to foster face-to-face human connection through experiential learning and sharing of skills, which feels more necessary now than ever. As restrictions begin to relax, we want to acknowledge that travel will continue to have inherent risks and the decision whether to travel is a very personal one. In a world increasingly eager to shut itself off from one another we fear that the pandemic may be another catalyst for increasing divisions and fear of difference. We hope that this trend will lessen as COVID is brought under control and that we can continue to build bridges and greater understanding between cultures. Ultimately, it’s not a question of if this global health crisis will pass, but rather when. And once it does, the need for an immersive and empathetic global education of experiential learning will be greater than ever.

WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT AROUND GOOD PEOPLE AND COVID-19?

We are here to support you during this difficult and uncertain time. If you would like more information related to COVID-19, some of the best online resources can be found on the websites of the US. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. For more information about Around Good People and our approach to COVID-19 (or anything else for that matter) please do not hesitate to drop us an email: info@aroundgoodpeople.com We’re always happy to help in any way we can.

Tentative Nepal Dental Outreach Schedule:

 

  • Nov 10 – 19, 2021
  • Nov 20 – 29, 2021
  • Dec 01 – 10, 2021
  • Dec 11- 20, 2021
  • Dec 21 – 30, 2021
  • Jan 02 – 11, 2022

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FAQS: AROUND GOOD PEOPLE & COVID – 19

FOR THE UPDATED INFORMATION ON ARRIVAL VISA REGULATIONS AND COVID-19 QUARANTINE REQUIMENTS, PLEASE VISIT THE FOLLOWING NEPALESE GOVERNMENT IMMIGRATION LINK:

https://www.immigration.gov.np/post/updated-notice-regarding-arrival-in-nepal

 

HOW IS AROUND GOOD PEOPLE RESPONDING TO COVID-19?

 We are consulting regularly with our risk management team, regional staff, and a variety of global health experts and organizations including the WHO, CDC, and our partner in managing student health and safety. In addition, AROUND GOOD PEOPLE is in touch with peer organizations in order to share information and work collaboratively in the interest of our participants and partner communities. We have developed an in-field management and response plan and trained our staff to risk factors, prevention measures, and response protocols in preparation for a  time when programming can resume. We are hopeful that once travel restrictions are lifted, and greater understanding of the disease emerges, we will continue to run programs that take into account new COVID-19 considerations.

WILL AROUND GOOD PEOPLE RUN DENTAL VOLUNTEERING PROJECTS IN 2021-22?

 We are optimistic that we can resume international programming once the global situation improves, yet we acknowledge that certain restrictions and social distancing will likely exist for the near and medium term. We anticipate that the coming months will be a very telling time in determining the near-term trajectory of the global response to COVID-19 as social distancing policies and restrictions begin to shift. The reality is that we still need to wait for conditions to improve before reaching any conclusions about planned programs in 2021-22. We know that our participants, instructors, and in-country partners are eagerly awaiting definitive updates, and we are grateful for your patience and understanding as we collectively hope for the global situation to improve. For more information on likely travel scenarios, review our Fall 2021/Winter 2021-22 Programming Outlook page.

 

HOW WILL AROUND GOOD PEOPLE DECIDE WHICH PROJECT TO RUN?

 Over the coming weeks and months, we are actively assessing programming feasibility on three primary fronts, in all of which we need to see significant improvements before running a AROUND GOOD PEOPLE program:

  1. International Travel Current global and country specific travel restrictions need to be lifted. This includes things like travel advisories, country entry requirements, flight availability, etc.
  1. Host Country Conditions We cannot offer dental volunteering projects if social distancing and shelter in-place type policies remain in effect in the areas in which we travel. While we could operate with enhanced health & safety precautions, we need to have general freedom of movement & association in order to facilitate an interactive and engaging experience, as well as minimize the risks to host communities and our students. Host country conditions will be assessed on a place-by-place (of different dental village communities) basis.
  1. Home Country Conditions For AROUND GOOD PEOPLE, and most of our participants, this means Australia/U.K/USA. We cannot responsibly run international programming until conditions at home improve, particularly with regards to international re-entry requirements and freedom of movement domestically in the light of various mandatory requirements for the quarantine.

The above is a simplified summary of some of the key global and regional switches that need to turn from red to green over the coming months in order for us to resume our flagship dental volunteering projects. In each of these areas, we will be giving foremost consideration to the safety of our students and in-country partners, as well as the impacts on the overall quality of the experience. In addition, we may need to consider other program modifications and alternatives to adhere to public health best practices in the places we travel which are in line with the recommendations of CDC  & FDI.

Student safety is always our top priority, and we would not hesitate to modify or cancel upcoming programs should it ever appear that student health and well-being could not adequately be ensured, or if travel restrictions inhibited us from delivering a high-quality program experience.

WHAT IS AROUND GOOD PEOPLE REFUND POLICY FOR UPCOMING PROGRAMS?

We have updated our Refund Policies to give you additional flexibility in making plans in these uncertain times. We will continue to proactively update our refund policy to provide you with added flexibility as new information comes to light. Our intention is to minimize financial commitments and risk so that you can stay with us as we wait for the global situation to improve. There will be full refund of the Placement Fees if the outreach project is cancelled by Around Good People pursuant to a covid-19 travel ban or official lock down by either the governments of the host country or the country of residence (where the dental/oral hygiene school is located).

SHOULD WE CONSIDER TRAVELING IN THIS NEW REALITY?

AROUND GOOD PEOPLE core mission is to foster face-to-face human connection, which feels more necessary now than ever once public health allows. Currently, global and domestic travel is not advised for public health as well as personal safety reasons, nor is it possible in most cases. As restrictions begin to relax in the future, we want to acknowledge that travel will continue to have inherent risks and the decision whether to travel is a very personal one. In a world increasingly eager to shut itself off from one another we fear that the current outbreak may be another catalyst for increasing divisions and fear of difference. We hope that this trend will lessen as the disease is brought under control and that we can continue to build bridges and greater understanding between cultures even as this emerging public health concern threatens to re-enforce borders and cultural divides. Ultimately, it’s not a question of if this global health crisis will pass, but rather when. And once it does, the need for an immersive and empathetic global experiential learning in community dentistry will be greater than ever.

WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT AROUND GOOD PEOPLE AND COVID-19?

We are here to support you during this difficult and uncertain time. If you would like more information related to COVID-19, some of the best online resources can be found on the websites of the US. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.

For more information about AROUND GOOD PEOPLE and our approach to COVID-19 (or anything else for that matter) please do not hesitate to send us an email. We’re always happy to help in any way we can.

In addition, AROUND GOOD PEOPLE is in touch with peer organizations in order to share information and work collaboratively in the interest of our participants and partner communities. We have developed an in-field management and response plan and trained our staff to risk factors, prevention measures, and response protocols in preparation for a  time when programming can resume. We are hopeful that once travel restrictions are lifted, and greater understanding of the disease emerges, we will continue to run our flagship projects of dental outreach volunteering that take into account new COVID-19 considerations.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY OF CONTACTING AROUND GOOD PEOPLE?

AROUND GOOD PEOPLE’s Volunteer Travel Specialists are available to answer any of your queries related to existing registrations or help with your planning for the future. You can get in touch with us by email info@aroundgoodpeople.com, direct to your Program Manager by email, or through our online enquiry form.

WILL I BE SAFE IF I CONTINUE WITH MY PLANS TO VOLUNTEER?

From the very start of the outbreak, our local teams implemented procedures across all our programs to ensure early detection of any cases, in accordance with the advice from local and international authorities. There were no reported cases of Covid-19 among any volunteer or staff member on any AROUND GOOD PEOPLE volunteer program before they closed. We will only reopen programs when we believe the local conditions provide a safe environment for our volunteers and we will implement enhanced procedures for monitoring the health of our volunteers and isolating, caring for, and reporting any cases, should they arise, will remain in place.

We have calibrated our Dental Outreach Volunteering Project Clinic Manual for post COVID-19 situation following the safety protocol recommendations of FDI & CDC, USA

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY OF CONTACTING AROUND GOOD PEOPLE?

AROUND GOOD PEOPLE’s Volunteer Travel Specialists are available to answer any of your queries related to existing registrations or help with your planning for the future. You can get in touch with us by email info@aroundgoodpeople.com, direct to your Program Manager by email, or through our online enquiry form.

For the students intending to join the Nepal Dental Volunteering Project scheduled for the year end 2021, through the dental school in a group sign up, please contact our Global Dental Alliance representative Shreejal Poudel for further details; email: shreejal.poudel@jcu.edu.au