As the executive director of Soccer Without Borders, a non-profit organization that runs year-round youth development programs in under-served areas in the USA and abroad, Mary McVeigh knows that her mission faces singular challenges.

Visiting Egypt earlier this month, McVeigh noted that while in many countries the balance of resources between men’s and women’s soccer is skewed, in an Islamic country the challenges to building youth soccer programs for girls are even more complex. For example, on the one hand, girls do not traditionally reveal their legs, but on the other hand, international soccer regulations at some levels prohibit players from wearing lycra below their knees.

From Nicaragua to Uganda, Soccer Without Borders volunteers face a broad array of social challenges, and also have to cope with the reality of being in places where things can, and sometimes do, go wrong. The non-profit organization sends its volunteers to live year-round in cities and villages in Central America, South America and Africa where good healthcare is generally unavailable.

Global Rescue is proud to announce its new sponsorship of Soccer Without Borders to help provide these volunteers with peace of mind and access to critical resources in the event of an emergency.

McVeigh said the program has experienced medical emergencies in the past, when signs and symptoms of a serious parasite were not treated early enough, due to a lack of trust in the local medical services.

“Our relationship with Global Rescue is going to give our people incredible peace of mind,” McVeigh said. “The hardest part about being in areas where good healthcare is lacking is gaining access to important medical information when you need it most. To me, this is going to be such a huge asset.”

Early awareness can help prevent the escalation of illnesses. Global Rescue members who are injured or ill can call the company’s medical staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to receive critical medical advice, and through its relationship with Johns Hopkins Medicine, members have access to the advisory services of the world’s top specialists. Global Rescue then performs medical evacuations for members in need of hospitalization to the home country hospital of their choice.