At iGo Global, we take issues like safety and supervision of teams very seriously. While it is true that some things are outside of our control, and we cannot guarantee safety for anyone, we will never use phrases like “God is in control” and “the safest place to be is in God’s will” as an excuse for not being diligent, prepared, and wise in our movement and decision making.

We want parents and church leaders to be aware of the steps we take in order to ensure safety of our trips. The following list is not exhaustive, but it does convey the major precautions we take to minimize and manage risk on our teams:

Supervision of Qualified Team Leaders and/or Adult Chaperones – All of our teams have a designated team leader or leaders. Each of these leaders attends an additional training retreat in the spring preceding the team’s trip, ensuring that they are prepared and adept to handle any situation that might occur during the process of the team traveling.

Guidance of Missionaries – Our teams work alongside church planters who live on the field and are adept at handling situations that might arise in their particular environment. They set guidelines that our teams are required to follow to help ensure their safety. They are also prepared to cancel a trip if they feel the team’s safety would be compromised.

Embassy Registration – iGo registers all international trip participants with the nearest US embassy. This means in the event of a large scale emergency, the US government workers in that country will be aware of the team’s presence.

Travelers’ Insurance – iGo purchases travelers’ health insurance for all participants on international teams.

Emergency Contact Information – Each of our students receives contact information to use in the case of an emergency. We provide them with contact information for their team leaders, missionaries, lodging location, and any other information helpful to the location where they are serving.

Emergency Procedure Preparation – Although significant measures are taken to prevent a student from ever being separated from the team, we have an explicit protocol to follow if that happens. Each student will be prepared on what to do in the event that he/she is separated from the team. Additionally, the training and strategy of the work never allows a student to travel anywhere alone.

Contingency Plan – In addition to the contact information that each team member receives, each Team Leader receives contingency training and information directly from our staff. In the event of any sort of emergency, whether within the team or on a larger, national scale, iGo Team Leaders know the protocol for who to contact, where to go, and what to do in any situation that might arise.