Sarah, who spent four weeks in a rehabilitation center for vervet monkeys in South Africa, shares her experience with us. If you'd like to share your experience with us, once you've returned from your mission, click here.
Name of the organization you worked with
VolonTerre Africa, Mission Vervet monkey rehabilitation center.
Rates: 220 euros per week.
Mission duration: 4 weeks.
The work of the ecovolunteer
The days are packed!
They generally start around 7am and finish around 5pm. But these times can vary because we work with animals!
Ecovolunteers are responsible for cleaning the enclosures, feeding the animals, doing manual labor around the camp and caring for the animals. The activities are many and varied. In general, the work is fairly physical and intense. Volunteers do, however, have some time to themselves, as well as one free day a week for sightseeing or rest.
The positives
> Upstream organization. The responsiveness and communication skills of Nathalie, founder of VolonTerre Africa, who is the French contact for the association in charge of the project in South Africa. The apparent reliability of this structure.
> On site, the strong points are :
- the animals, which are everywhere, all the time.
- The warm welcome from the teams at the center.
- The site, remote and surrounded by nature.
- The work required, which is repetitive and tiring, but which allows us to spend time with the animals.
- Sunday morning talking circles.
- Evenings by the fire.
- The outing to Kruger Park, which will remain unforgettable!
Negative points
- Meals not always very well-balanced...
- Communication with some of the staff remains difficult, especially with the managers, who are often absent, which is a shame, as benefiting from their knowledge of the animal world would surely be very enriching.
But the negative points are few and far between: it was a truly magical 4-week experience that I recommend to everyone!