When most people hear the word holiday, they picture white beaches, sun, exciting new cities and, most of all, relaxation. But a growing number of travellers are hungering for something more than the standard beach club scenario or the latest shopping trends in the world cities. If you feel you’d like to make a difference somewhere off the beaten track, help someone out or if you have a certain skill or passion you’d like to pursue, but which doesn’t fit in to your everyday life, then volunteering might be the thing for you.
Volunteer projects exist all over the world, from the barren steppes of Mongolia to the sweltering jungles of the tropics, covering everything from fledgling media projects to established programmes in teaching, environmental and wildlife care.
One such project is located in the brilliantly glittering country of Belize, a few hundred miles south of the bustling Mexican tourist hotspot Cancun. Here, volunteers can choose between spending their days with orphaned manatees, or helping young primates find their way back into the wild.
Volunteers working with the manatees help nurse them back to health, teach them basic skills for survival in the wild and also work to promote awareness in the local community. The manatee is a gentle herbivorous marine mammal, living in the shallow waters near the coast. Their natural curiosity and proximity to the coast put them in the path of fishing boats and other vessels, often with disastrous results. There are no specific skills required as volunteers work closely alongside experienced biologists and support staff but, of course, a passion and interest in the manatees is at the top of the list!
In the primate centre the plight of the animals is similar but stems from a different cause. Many of these endangered monkeys are captured and sold illegally as exotic pets, leaving their young to fend for themselves and seriously endangering the species survival. Volunteers help care for monkeys in all stages of rehabilitation, bottle-feeding the babies, caring for the adolescents and monitoring the monkeys as they are finally released back into the wild.
Volunteering in projects like these is extremely rewarding and most people come away from their experience with fantastic memories and many valuable skills. The work is hard and accommodation can often be very basic, but in return there is often a fantastic community spirit and a chance to learn not just about the projects but also about yourself and your place in the world.
It’s important to know what you want out of your volunteering and to be prepared before you go. In remote locations you will often need a visa and maybe vaccinations. It’s also important to have full travel and health insurance. The manatee and primate projects both require a minimum one-month commitment, but there are many other projects where you can contribute everything from a week of your time to several months. You can find these and more information about the projects above on www.globalnomadic.com.
Global Nomadic offers a broad range of volunteer adventures, careerships and paid placements around the globe. It offers commission-free and impartial advice and will assist participants all the way through the volunteering adventure.
(Featured image: Julien Harneis)
