volunteers

Are you looking to help out with animals while experiencing a unique travel experience? 

We welcome volunteers from all around the world to assist here at the farm. Though we have a great team of people employed here, extra hands make a huge difference! Our staff can take care of daily responsibilities, but with extra help we can get necessary chores done quickly and focus more attention on completing extra projects and brainstorming new ideas for improvement! Though volunteer work can require a level of focus and dedication, it is less demanding and more rewarding than regular jobs tend to be. The work days are short, with many opportunities to spend time with the animals. 

As a rehabilitation center and sanctuary, it is our primary goal to offer realistic and engaging environments for the animals, while consistently looking after their health and well-being. Volunteers have the ability to assist in making this happen, by working and interacting with the animals to provide enrichment. Some volunteer responsibilities include activities such as building enclosures, cleaning, feeding, playing with the animals, as well as the chance to relax during their stay here in the Free State province, South Africa. Our passion is to care for animals and ensure their safety and quality of life. It is our duty to protect and preserve all wildlife; all volunteer assistance is greatly appreciated and targeted towards this cause. Once the work is done there is always time for fun! 

Volunteers live on the property in provided housing, where they can hear the lions roaring at dusk and dawn. Here on the project you can listen to cheetahs purr, work hands on with small cats such as caracals and servals, learn about conservation, and assist a very passionate team!

Traveling with the intention of doing volunteer work is quite different from regular tourism. Tourism is often about the enjoyment of the individual – the focus is what a place can offer a person. Volunteer work is somewhat the opposite – it is all about what a person can do for the place. The focus is on program goals and helping the local community. Indirectly this does bring a sense of pride and satisfaction to the individual as well – the contributions and new experiences make the trip worthwhile. Though many of our project goals are underfunded and understaffed and difficulties may be faced; overcoming challenges creates a sense of achievement and satisfaction not found in regular tourism. 

Here at Zanchieta, we do not look to make any profit by having volunteers come to visit us. We appreciate the extra help, and while donations are always welcome, we do not expect monetary donations from our volunteers. If you can offer your time and energy, we will be forever grateful. That being said, we also cannot afford to lose money by paying to house or feed volunteers, so we calculated how much money it costs to cover things like meals and electricity, and we have created a transparent price list for any inquiring volunteers. All costs are broken down and explained, and the costs vary based on the different accommodation options here at the farm.  

If you live locally and can commute to the farm, you also have the option to be a “day volunteer.” This is a great option for community members who also have school or work commitments and cannot volunteer full time. To cover the cost of training and keeping another trained volunteer or animal caretaker with you, we charge day-volunteers R150 to come and help out for the day, this can be supplemented with R150 worth of items from our Wish List. We would love to see more local community members, so please reach out!

Our main requirements for volunteers are a basic level of competency in English, 10 minimum days to spend working at the farm, and a medium level of fitness. If you are interested, download our volunteer information pack and contact us! 

Download Volunteer Information Pack