Introduction
Namibia is a large, and sparsely populated country on Africa's south-west coast, which has enjoyed more than a decade of stability since acheiving Independence on 21 March 1990. Today Namibia is a peaceful country which is economically prosperous as a result of its productive mining, fishing, tourism and agricultural industries. Essentially a desert country, Namibia offers contrasting landscapes. The desolate Namib Desert is said to be the oldest in the world, with its high dunes and awe-inspiring sense of space. The central plateau, with its thorn bush savannah and rugged mountains, rising abruptly from the plains, gives way to the majestic Fish river Canyon in the south. In the north of the country, landscapes range from dense bush and open plains of the great Etosha Pan, to woodland savannah and lush vegetation. The African Wildlife Rehabilitation centre is located about 3 hours from the capital city, Windhoek. Famous for rehabilitation of baboons, lions, leapord, cheetah and the endangered wild-dog, the centre is at the forefront of predatory conservation in Namibia.
The volunteer project
At this project we have adopted the term "working guest" rather than a volunteer. The two reasons for this are firstly, because all people to the centre are guests and are welcomed with warm hospitality and friendly service. The working part originates from the responsibilities which are placed on our working guests' shoulders.
The centre is always busy. Every day of the year the needs of the animals must be attended to before anything else and often there are not enough hours in the day to acheive all the other things we would like to. This is why the skills of working guests can be used so effectively on the farm. All working guests participating can be certain that there will be something to help us with. It is important to note that there may be times that we will give priority to certain skills depending on the need at any one time.
Feeding the animals always comes first and so financial support is simply not always available for extra staff. Again, this is why working guests are so important to our establishment. You can make the most extraordinary difference to the progress of each of the projects by using your skills in a practical way. To support you to do this you will be given a comprehensive introduction and training, clear guidelines as to the policies and procedures of the centre and support in your work.
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