Last updated: June 16th, 2020

KEEP CALM and CARRY ON –

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

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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. 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.

 

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.

 

For most volunteers, it’s legally not possible or at least not advisable to go on medical/dental volunteer abroad at this time.

 

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 end of September, 2020. See what projects catch your eye, bookmark them, and apply to one later.

 

With these volunteer programs, use a wait-and-see approach. Because we don’t know when the Coronavirus outbreak will slow. The situation changes rapidly, so it’s hard to plan a Nepal Dental volunteer trip now. 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 apply and go to Nepal for a life changing volunteering experience.

 

Note: Hopefully, the rate of new coronavirus cases slows and effective treatments and a vaccine are developed. There has been much progress already and the way countries and international health organizations have been working together bodes well for all of us. In the meantime, we’ll continually update this guide and our list of Nepal Dental Volunteering Projects as the situation evolves.