Volunteer in the Colombian cloud forest!
Our colleagues at WeCollab in Colombia are looking for 2 volunteers to work in a natural park near Bogotá. The length of stay is flexible between a minimum of 2 months and a maximum of 6 months.
Your tasks
The natural park is a nature reserve where there are two areas for volunteering: the first focuses on nature conservation, and the second on education with children, an alternative school and learning community in the heart of the reserve. As a volunteer, you can work in the area you like best and you have the opportunity to work in both areas.
Concrete activities are the following:
1. Accompanying and supporting research in the reserve
2. Maintaining various places, such as the small lake "Laguna", the forest nursery, the organic gardens, the hiking trails and the infrastructure
3. Environmental education
4. Waste and compost management
5. Supporting reforestation and restoration work (planting days)
6. Accompanying the activities of the local learning community (accompanying walks with the children, starting new projects, accompanying learning processes, playing games...)
7. Language lessons with the children (depending on the language(s) you speak)
8. Suggesting, developing and carrying out new initiatives and projects
9. Other activities according to the skills and abilities of the volunteer and according to the needs of the natural park and the community living there
Working with the children in the park requires a high level of commitment and empathy. We are not looking for teachers, but people who understand that children are responsible for their own learning process and who want to accompany them in their exploration and self-directed learning.
Location and leisure
This natural park is located in the middle of a cloud forest near Bogotá (about 40 minutes) in the mountains, so it can be cold and rainy depending on the season.
If you don't want to leave the reserve, here are some activities for your free time:
1. Night walks to observe animals on weekends
2. Trekking inside and outside the park (e.g. visiting other villages on hiking trails)
3. Zip line, tree care, tree climbing, music therapy (must be agreed in advance with the areas, the park does not cover the costs of these activities)
4. Horseback riding (must be agreed in advance with the areas, the park does not cover the costs of these activities)
5. Campfire
6. Bird watching
Accommodation and meals
You will be accommodated in the volunteer house in the heart of a natural park. It has 2 shared rooms with beds for 4 people individually and a double bed.
There is a bathroom, an equipped kitchen, a small living room, a terrace and a washing machine. The house is not always fully occupied. Depending on the season, you may be the only volunteer.
You will be assigned a monthly budget to buy food according to your diet; the amount is enough to buy basic food at the local market. You are responsible for cooking your own meals. Vegetarian food is available.
Good to know: Water heating depends on the availability of gas, so sometimes hot showers may not be available, but generally hot water is available. The volunteer house has limited WiFi (as there is only satellite internet in this remote area). It can only be used for basic purposes such as communication (some calls, messages, emails) and information (research, press), but not for large downloads, videos, streaming (music or movies), video calls, etc.
Requirements
You should bring:
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Good health and physical condition,
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Desire to work outdoors,
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at least intermediate Spanish skills (English is a plus),
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a tetanus vaccination (strongly recommended) and health insurance.
The activities require constant contact with nature. This means that you will exert physical effort and get your hands dirty. You will encounter rain, sun, mud and insects. In addition, to carry out the activities it is necessary to walk the different paths that go up steep slopes.
Additional fee
330,000 COP/month = approx. 80 EUR. (The additional fee may change a little due to exchange rates). The additional fee includes the WeCollab administration fee and local insurance during the volunteer service.
Apply now!
Apply for this volunteer project here.
If you have any questions about longer volunteering services and applying for them, Lukas is happy to help:
Email: outgoing@ibg-workcamps.org
Telephone: +49 6022 279 38 51