Quest Overseas story

In 2002 a group of gap year volunteers went with Quest Overseas to work with hundreds of children in a shanty town in Villa Maria, Peru.  This project provides a program of cultural and recreational activities for the children during their summer holidays, helping to prevent them from becoming victims of poverty and drug abuse.  

A very popular activity for both volunteers and children is swimming in one of the two Olympic size swimming pools situated in the middle of the shanty town.  For the rest of the year the children are unable to afford the entrance fee and so it is a real treat and very exciting for them.  The Quest students will typically spend an entire afternoon playing with the kids in the pool.

On a visit to the pool one volunteer ignored safety briefings and dived into the shallow end misjudging the depth.  He hit his head and fractured his spine.  The Quest Overseas leader who was with the team 24hrs a day throughout the expedition had full first aid training and a comprehensive medical first aid kit to hand.  A neck brace was fitted and the volunteer was kept stable.  The leader immediately contacted a local hospital and the insurance company.  They were also able to speak directly with a leading Neuro surgeon in Lima.  The injured volunteer was quickly transported safely to a nearby clinic and his family were flown out to Peru.  He spent 2 weeks in a hospital in Lima before flying home and making a full recovery.

This could have been a much more serious incident if it had not been for the support of Quest Overseas, their in country contacts and longstanding relationship with the insurance company.  If travelling by yourself to remote areas bear in mind that medical help might be hours away, mobile phone reception might not exist and your insurance might be inadequate.  If the risk seems too great then review your plans and always check your insurance covers every activity you are undertaking.  Many ‘cheap’ backpacker policies do not cover as standard high adrenaline activities such as quad biking, hangliding, horse riding and off-road mountain biking.

If you are considering travelling in your Gap Year with a company check up on their safety standards and risk assessments.  They should provide pre-departure training and fully brief volunteers on safety issues.  There are now British standards for any expeditions that fall outside the UK that many companies claim to be self assessed in, however very few have been externally assessed to check that they meet the standard.  The Young Explorers Trust now externally audit companies to check for corporate compliance to this code of practice.

Quest Overseas was the first gap year company to achieve corporate compliance to British Standards 8848 and it is hoped that it will be adopted as an international standard resulting in safer travel for all.  Quest also offer full pre-departure training so that volunteers are prepared for their expedition.

Many developing countries do not have the health and safety culture of the UK and USA and so the dangers might not be as obvious.  Whether you travel with a company or by yourself the key to safety is preparation.  Be aware, think about the risks and anyone can have a safe trip and a fantastic time overseas!