I just added a link to the Government of Canada Travel Info page for travelers, you can find it under my link at the top of the page ‘A Full Suitcase’, then scroll down to travel agent. While I find this a helpful link, and important information on helping make the decision regarding safey and security while travelling, I certainly do not treat this as Scripture while preparing any team for short term missions. I try to keep in mind that often percieved risk is higher than actual danger.
The only promise regarding a life of mission is that it will be real, raw and life-changing. Although all reasonable care and caution is considered, risks assessed and participants informed for each initiative undertaken, it is important to note that while risk management is very important, it is not the primary method by which we determine our future mission endeavors.
The reality is that the greatest risk for participants in travel to foreign destinations is the same primary risk that all Canadians face every day – auto accidents are the number one issue for injuries for missionaries on the field (Source: Murray Cornelious. Director of Missions PAOC). Additionally, by far, the most dangerous place for Canadians to travel the last couple of years has been the resort towns of Mexico, with several national publications headlining a variety of attacks and injuries on Canadians. It is the unknown and exotic quality of African and other distant travel that tends to elicit a stronger reaction to most people when it comes to risk management. Similar to the fear of international guests afraid to travel to Alberta because of a few SARS cases in Ontario a few years ago; the fear of the unknown (coupled with an all to common ignorance of geography in this case) exaggerated the actual risk.
In keeping with similar organizations involved in missions relief and development – and within the primary foundation of our calling by Christ to people in need – the following determinants will provide the missions committee the appropriate information in order to make an informed determination of the allowable risk:
• Government of Canada travel advisories.
o Intended to provide a helpful starting line to determine future risk management, not to be the determining factor.
o See the next section ‘Travel Warnings’
• Like minded organizations involvement
• Insurance assessment
• Partner perspective
o Need and Opportunities
o Our capacity to meet the need and opportunity
• On Field Host Assessment
o Nature of the danger.
o Frequency of the danger
o Distance of the project/partner from the danger.
o Capacity to mitigate or avoid the danger.
• Scout Trip Assessment
o Missions Committee Member
o Informed and Experienced Leadership Scout Trip Assessment
After weighing all applicable factors, the prudent mission committee will offer a recommendation to the Senior leadership for for written approval. Understanding the risk often allows for better training and risk management strategies.
Travel Warnings
The Government of Canada uses a website to relay information to assess the threat level of a destination. Travel Reports and Warnings.
In short there are four specific categorizations of risk:
• Advisement for Canadians in the specified country to leave
• Advisement against all travel to a country
• Advisement for Canadians in a specified region(s) of a country to leave
• Advisement against all travel to a specified region(s) of a country
The four broad categorizations are also further specified into ‘all travel’ and ‘non-essential travel’. These various categories are combined to form the nine travel warnings found on the Government of Canada website.
It is important that the leadership of a group interested in international work make the determination of their own risk and liability expertise and ability. Once this is determined it is important that board of director approval is written and obtained.
For example, the following recomendation may work for some experienced or entrepreneurial agencies.
The Missions committee is not asking for permission for travel to countries or specified regions where the Government of Canada (GC) advisement is for Canadians to leave, or where the GC advisement is against all travel to a specified country.
The Missions Committee is requesting that the board of directors would:
• Approve travel to countries where there is no advisement against all travel to the country.
• Approve travel to regions where there is no advisement against travel to that region.
• Approve travel through regions where there is an advisement against travel in the specified region in order to reach a final destination in a region where there is no travel advisory.
• Require a travel restriction to international initiatives only when it refers to ‘all travel’, and not to ‘non-essential’ travel
In short, the following nine travel warnings would be taken into consideration, and would be used alongside the determination of partner perspectives, other organizations knowledge, and scout trips to help make a determination on destination selection. The government warnings are not intended to be the final arbitrator of travel approval, but instead are helpful starting points to allow for a reasoned strategy for missional engagement, participant warning/education and risk management.
