Elephant & Community Water Access Project in Namibia
Project Summary
Volunteer in Namibia if you want to have a chance to observe elephants in their natural habitat while working on a project providing solutions to the existing elephant-human conflict. A water war is taking place between elephants and the rural communities, as access to water becomes more and more difficult, with desertification and erratic rainfalls limiting water supplies. This project, working with the government, is trying to improve the lives of both, the communities and the elephants, by implementing sustainable solutions to enable them to live side-by-side. In addition to the challenges faced by elephants vis-a-vis water, hunting permits have also been granted to villages as elephants are deemed to be pests in certain areas. Overall, the population of the desert elephants of Damaraland has risen dramatically from 52 to over 600 over the last 20 years. This is great news not only for the elephants but also for the people of Namibia as the elephants generate important revenues through tourism in the region. Education is a key part of the project’s activities ensuring that local people stay and know how to act around elephants. Initiatives involving schools and communities have been set up to educate the locals to enable animals and people to live amicably in this beautiful landscape.
Why Choose this Project?
- Learn about water issues in the community, as well as how destructive the elephants can be causing shortage to the communities.
- Provide an extra set of hands to rebuild the water structures destroyed by the elephants.
- Learn about the monitoring of elephants and their behaviors in their natural environment.
- Learn navigation and tracking skills as well as camp and key bush craft skills, an experience not to be missed.
Role of the Volunteer:
The volunteer role is split into 2 distinct week during which time you will develop your bush and wildlife monitoring skills. An example of your daily schedule is as follows:
Week 1 - Build Week
Arrive into Namibia on a Sunday. Monday Morning, leave Swakopmund at 11 AM, transfer to basecamp, and unpack.
The rest of the week will resemble the following:
06.00: If you are on breakfast duty, you’ll wake up and make the fire for tea and coffee and deliver them to everyone in bed! Then you’ll prepare breakfast.
07.30: Start work. Tasks involve hand mixing cement, collecting rocks, sand and water and building walls.
12.00: - 14.00 Lunch time followed by a much needed siesta.
14.00 - 17h00: Finish work for the day and head back to camp. If you are on duty, you’ll cook dinner.
Week Two – Patrol Week: (precise times are set by the movements of the elephants)
06.00: If you are on breakfast duty, you’ll wake up and make the fire for tea and coffee
07.30: Pack the cars and head out to track elephants. Volunteers will collate ID photos note down GPS positions and also help to spot other game that the project monitors. This will be on foot.
12.00: The group will take sleep while the elephants rest. Once they move, so will you.
The end of the day depends on the elephants and the work that needs to be done. You will return to camp before dark. If you are on dinner duty you will prepare the dinner.
Skills Required:
Volunteers on this project must love the outdoors and have a passion for wildlife. Volunteers should also be able to work as part of a team and have a spirit of adventure.
Volunteers should note that you won’t have access to shower facilities Tuesday to Friday, so being clean should not be a priority!
You will be in a rural setting sometimes sleeping and cooking under the stars. It is recommended that you have a reasonable level of fitness as it may be hot during the day, which can be tiring.
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