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Volunteering in Nigeria
CERCOPAN's first volunteer arrived in 1995 to
take over from project founder and volunteer Zena Tooze when family commitments
required her to return to Canada for several months.
Since then, over 70 long and short term volunteers have been integral to this growth and development,
and as the project changes, so do the type of volunteers, bringing more and different
levels of expertise with them. CERCOPAN considers ongoing training
of local staff vital to the sustainability of the project, and is now able to
support enough staff to enable more serious training to begin. Apart from animal husbandry
and wildlife rehabilitation, volunteers have brought skills related to environmental
education, fundraising, veterinary nursing, biology, engineering, mechanics, and building,
welding, and construction.
Why do we take volunteers?
Volunteers are vital to CERCOPAN's growth and
development, providing a variety of skills and expertise for minimal cost, thus conserving
scarce resources for project development. CERCOPAN believes all long
term volunteers should
bring a skill to the project which will help staff learn and the project expand and grow
in new ways.
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Is volunteering for you?
Commitment, flexibility, sense of humour and passion about conservation are all
required, as well as the stamina to 'go the distance', even when things seem
tough and the distance from home and loved ones seems too much. If you have these
qualities, you will have the experience of a lifetime, and will definitely
develop skills to continue in conservation in the future. Long term volunteers
will come to work with our local staff, carrying out important training, and
providing vital skills to the organisation. Short term volunteers will be coming
to above all learn, and experience grass roots conservation first hand.
Long term or short term, you are guaranteed a wonderful experience! If you feel
you don't (yet!) have the necessary life and work experience skills, or
have commitments which don't allow you to be away from home for extended period,
then the short term option may be just the thing for you. CERCOPAN accepts
both long term supported volunteers, and short term volunteers who are self
supporting (3 months or less).
VISIT
THE VOLUNTEER PHOTO GALLERY
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How to Apply
First decide whether a long term or short term option is for you
(more details below).
Then send an e-mail to info@cercopan.org
outlining
at least the following:
your background and information
to support your application
your transferable skill
why you want to volunteer
when you would be available and
for how long
whether you are financially ready
IMPORTANT: Please keep file attachments
below 1 MB, otherwise we may not be able to read your application!
Long Term
To be a long term volunteer, you should be financially (including medical
insurance) and mentally prepared to commit to between 6 months and 2 years, and
have
a transferable skill to offer. You must be
mature, willing to work long hours, often with little free time or privacy, have an understanding and tolerance of different cultures, a sense of humour and
be able to work well as part of a team. Finally, you
must be passionate about conservation, whilst understanding the difficult issues facing conservationists in developing
countries. CERCOPAN provides for room & board, and local travel needs
for long term volunteers; stipends are offered, depending on the period of
commitment.
Short Term
To be a short term volunteer, you must be prepared for anything,
flexibility is the name of the game! Above all you must be keen and used to hard
work. Short
term volunteers should plan a minimum stay of 3-4 weeks, and can stay for up to 3 months.
They must provide their own
flights and medical insurance, and in addition, pay a weekly fee which
covers room, board and training at CERCOPAN.
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