Responding to COVID-19
Last updated: February 24, 2023
After more than a year of suspended operations due to COVID-19, we are thrilled to welcome volunteers back in our partner countries. Based on data reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Global Brigades has developed several resources to keep our partners and volunteers updated on our latest safety precautions. We encourage you to review these resources regularly, as they are updated when new content becomes available.
Frequently Asked Questions
We appreciate the trust you place in our teams, both nationally and internationally when you participate in our programs. Please review the following frequently asked questions for more information about how we are adapting to respond to COVID-19.
For additional information, please refer to the following resources:
- Center for Disease Control COVID-19 International Travel Guidance
- State Department COVID-19 Traveler Information
- World Health Organization
- Government of Canada Coronavirus Information
For country-specific COVID-19 information including entry requirements/restrictions, please visit the following US Embassy websites:
What additional precautions are being taken in light of Covid-19 to ensure the safety of staff, volunteers and community members?
Global Brigades is taking a number of precautions to mitigate the risks of COVID transmission on brigade programs, including but not limited to the following:
- Recommending that volunteers are fully vaccinated prior to their arrival in-country.
- COVID health screening of all brigade staff prior to the brigade.
- Making face masks and other PPE available for all brigade participants, staff, and community members.
- Regular cleaning/sanitizing of all lodging facilities.
- Enhanced precautions on brigade days: health screening of community members, social distancing guidelines, and encouraging use of PPE.
Will I need to obtain a negative COVID-19 test prior to my participation in a brigade?
Global Brigades no longer requires all volunteers to obtain a negative Covid test before the brigade. However, depending on your vaccination status and the entry requirements of the country you are traveling to, you may be required to show proof of a negative Covid test prior to entering your brigade destination. Specific testing requirements and time frames vary based on the destination. Please refer to the appropriate Embassy’s website below for the most up to date information of each country’s requirements:
Do I need to have the vaccine in order to participate in a brigade?
You may be required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 depending on the requirements of each country. Please refer to the links above for the updated entry requirements for each country. In all cases, the COVID vaccine is strongly recommended.
Based on the advice of our advising physicians, Global Brigades strongly recommends, but does not require, that all volunteers who wish to participate in an in-person brigade are fully up to date on their COVID vaccinations. Volunteers who have received their full vaccination more than 6 months before their brigade are recommended to receive a booster shot before traveling.
*Non-US citizens who are traveling to or through the United States on their return will be required to show proof of vaccination at the airport before re-entering the United States.
Please visit CDC Vaccines for COVID-19 and VaccineFinder for more information on the vaccine and where to get it. Non-US volunteers should check with their local healthcare providers.
What is the protocol if a volunteer presents symptoms of COVID-19 while on brigade? What insurance coverage do they have?
In the event that a volunteer presents symptoms of COVID-19 while on the brigade, our local medical staff will arrange for a Covid test to be administered. Upon consultation by a local physician if the symptoms are mild, the volunteer will remain quarantined and under observation at their lodging facility or other designated accommodations. If the symptoms are serious and the volunteer is at higher risk of complication due to pre-existing conditions, they will be transported to a medical facility in the capital city as recommended by their treating physician. In the event a volunteer tests positive for Covid towards the end of their Brigade and symptoms persist through their date of departure, they are encouraged to remain in-country under the care and support of Global Brigades’ staff until they recover. However that decision is solely left to the volunteer.
All volunteer participants are automatically covered under emergency Global Brigades’ medical travel insurance for the duration of their program. The emergency medical travel insurance policy covers medical expenses for emergency medical treatment related to a diagnosis of COVID-19. Visit this page for more information on the emergency medical travel insurance that all GB volunteers are automatically enrolled in, and for information on increasing coverage.
Additional details about the Core Travel insurance program, the trip cancellation benefits, and answers to frequently asked questions can be found in the FAQ: Global Brigades Insurance Document and the FAQ: Global Medical Brigades Insurance Document.
Volunteers wishing to secure additional travel insurance coverage through third-party providers can find available options on Square Mouth.
What is the protocol if a community member presents symptoms of COVID-19 during the brigade?
All community members at the brigade site are screened on intake Participating community members will be required to practice social distancing and are asked to wear masks while interacting with staff and volunteers.
Will I need to obtain a negative test in order to re-enter the United States at the conclusion of my brigade?
No, as of June 12th, 2022, the CDC announced they will no longer be requiring all air passengers arriving to the US from a foreign country to present a negative result before boarding their flight into the US.
*Non-US citizens traveling back to the United States will be required to show proof of vaccination at the airport before re-entering the United States.
Is Global Brigades going to provide PPE for volunteers and community members? Do we need to bring masks/equipment with us?
Yes, Global Brigades will have PPE (ie: masks, face shields) available for volunteer participants as well as community members. However to ensure these resources are plentiful we would also encourage all volunteers to bring their own supplies of PPE, particularly masks and face shields.
What happens if my brigade is postponed due to COVID-19?
In the event your brigade is postponed,, your Program Associate will work closely with you to provide options on rescheduling your brigade, either to an in-person brigade at a later date or switching to a virtual brigade program (TeleBrigade). For additional information please refer to the relevant fundraising page on the Volunteer Resource Site for information about postponements or cancellations.
Will I be required to have my booster shot before coming on the brigade?
Though not required, Global Brigades recommends that all brigade volunteers be up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations in order to participate in a brigade. We follow the CDC’s recommended booster timetable, and strongly suggest all brigade participants to receive their booster shot once eligible.
Non-US citizens will be required to show proof of vaccination at the airport before re-entering the United States.
How we are adapting our programs
HCP Access
Coordinated through our Community Health Worker network, participating community partners will have monthly access to primary care doctors and affordable medications. Doctors will leverage our pharmacy in Tegucigalpa and bulk deals for medications to buy medicine from us and “sell” the medicine during patient consultations in the community. In the first clinics we have been implemented to date, the sale of medicine during each community visit was able to cover the expenses of the doctor and support to cover some of GB Honduras' operational costs. The cost of medicine to the community members was still half of the retail amount and they avoided having to pay any transportation costs to access it (which can sometimes exceed the cost of medications themselves). In addition to providing basic supplies of over-the-counter and commonly prescribed medications for acutely sick patients, the program is critical to provide follow-up for chronic patients to receive their refills. We are also implementing a discounted fee-for-service program for vision and dental care.Microfinance
Direct lending to Community Banks is a key opportunity for GB to continue to increase access to basic financial services and strengthen local economies while creating new revenue streams for the organization. We will continue to support communities in Honduras through the establishment, training, and follow-up of Community Banks, while also significantly increasing our loan capital for these banks, shifting away from the more traditional ‘donation’ model. We will focus on working with communities to develop innovative financial products to continue to invest in their businesses, homes, WASH, and healthcare solutions. The continued improvement in the performance of Community Banks in Honduras will allow us the opportunity to further leverage the capital available from Kiva and other external sources. We are currently in the process of establishing a new subsidiary of GB, a Second Level Community Bank, designed to serve as the mechanism through which Community Banks can access and repay the capital. With the proceeds, GB can ensure a sustainable return on investment to support international operations and to continue investing in The Empowered 100 goals.WASH
Traditionally, GB contributes roughly one-third of the construction costs of the community-wide water systems and the other two-thirds is covered from counterpart funding from partner organizations, the local municipality, and community members. In our revised methodology, we will be striving toward having our portion recovered through the community banks (cajas) in the form of a longer-term and low-interest loan. We are currently conducting financial modelings of the timing and rates of payments and how this cost can be recovered through each household’s monthly bill from the local water committee for operation, maintenance, and administration. If successful, we can begin to leverage Kiva.org or other loan programs to capitalize the construction. Similarly, WASH and Microfinance teams will continue to develop innovative financing options aimed at increasing access to public health infrastructure, while recovering investment, to further perpetuate impact through a sustainable economic model.Microfinance
The World Bank has named our Panama team as the most effective microfinance workers in rural Central America. We will continue to support communities in Panama through the establishment, training, and follow-up of Community Banks. Using the Merkel Funds and Kiva.org, we will also significantly increase our capital available to these banks. and develop innovative financial products so small businesses have access to affordable loans. We are currently in the process of establishing a new subsidiary of GB, a Second Level Community Bank, designed to serve as the mechanism through which Community Banks can access and repay the capital. With the proceeds, GB can ensure a sustainable return on investment to support international operations and to continue investing in The Empowered 100 goals.HCP Access
Our Panamanian health team is currently exploring ways to adapt the HCP access model from Honduras to focus on dental health at first for the existing community partners. However, additional research is being done to expand our scope to primary health care in the far West of Panama in Ngäbe and other isolated communities with less access to health services and medicines.HCP Access
Our health team has adapted the community pharmacy model in Nicaragua for our operations in Ghana. This will consist of a central pharmacy strategically located from partner communities, taking advantage of their closer geographical proximity as compared. We are also considering opening a private clinic to provide primary health and complement the services that are being conducted in the community health outposts. We will continue to collaborate with the government’s National Health Insurance Agency to align their efforts with our developing cost recovery solutions.Microfinance
GB Ghana has renegotiating its relationship with its lending partner, Microfin, to take over follow-up of the MHope lending groups that we have established. We will be continuing to build capacity of our local coordinators to strengthen the MHope groups (similar to Community Banks in Central America) to ensure the continuation of strong repayment rates and the identification of new businesses to lend to.WASH
GB Ghana will continue to work on strengthening its relationship with large international partners like Lions Club and Rotary Club, with the focus of securing funding for water infrastructure projects to meet E100 communities' goals. In addition, the team will work with communities and local government partners to develop innovative cost recovery solutions for both toilet projects and household water connections to the Ghana Water Company’s already existing clean water network.Community Pharmacies
The GB Nicaragua team will continue to collaborate with the existing Community Health Workers and follow-up with Community Pharmacies to provide basic services in certain Empowered 100 communities. The team is also pursuing a telemedicine solution that is being piloted with a local partner organization and working to adapt Honduras' Health Care Professional Access program to provide monthly primary health care services.Microfinance
We will continue to support communities in Nicaragua through the establishment and training of new and follow-up of existing Community Banks. Using the Merkel Funds and Kiva.org, we will also significantly increase our loan capital available to these banks. As in Panama, the strength of the loan performance of Community Banks there are critical to our ability to leverage capital from Kiva and other external sources.WASH
In Nicaragua, we will strive to complete water and public health infrastructure that has already been started. At the same time, we will be renegotiating with partner organizations to reposition the GB portion of financing from a donation to a cost recovery model.HCP Access
Leveraging the HCP access model developed in Honduras, we will be piloting a similar program in Guatemala. Coordinated by Dra. Gladys Turcios, who was previously the one leading the initiative in Honduras before moving to Guatemala, the communities that we were planning on running brigades will have regular access to primary care doctors and affordable medications. Doctors will leverage our current medical supply and “sell” the medicine during patient consultations in the community. Similar to Honduras, the sale of medicine during each community visit is meant to cover the expenses of the doctor and provide a margin to GB. We are currently assessing the present costs of medication in community partners and overall demand from a feasibility side while navigating travel restrictions within Guatemala to access those communities.Microfinance
Our Executive Directors in Central America are collaboratively seeking a funding opportunity with the World Bank to expand our microfinance programming in Guatemala.Health Access
While access to the population of asylum seekers in Long Term Accommodation Sites in Greece is greatly limited due to COVID-19, our Greece team is taking this opportunity to explore the possibility of establishing our own private health center in Athens focusing on improving access to primary healthcare for vulnerable populations. As such, the potential clinic in Athens would serve the general Greek population, allowing for a sustainable business model, while also designating times to serve under-resourced populations, pro-bono. The current plan is to identify a space that is also large enough to run primary health clinics with Medical Brigades as well in the future as a back-up strategy when conditions in the camp are not conducive for volunteers.
