Volunteering with monkeys in Ecuador

Carbon reduction

Your holiday will help support local people and conservation. We must also reduce CO₂. Learn about the CO₂ emissions of this holiday and how to reduce them.

• For each traveller that goes away with us, we voluntarily plant a tree with our charity partners Tree Aid. Trees are planted in rural African communities and local people are taught how to sustainably use the trees to improve their economic situation - whilst also benefiting the planet.
• Where food is provided, it is locally produced and sourced, reducing food miles, supporting local industry and minimising single-use plastic
• As a traveller you will learn about the importance of reducing our carbon footprint, both pre-departure and through your volunteer project
• Accommodation is on-site, reducing the reliance on transport. When volunteers wish to go off site, this is encouraged to be in groups using local drivers
• Where possible, and without jeopardising safety or quality, transfers are done on a shared basis to reduce carbon emissions
• A vegetarian diet is provided

Environment

Conservation:
This project is all about conserving animals and enabling them to live with protection in their natural environment. Everything that is done at the sanctuary is done to maintain the environment for these rescued primates. Without this sanctuary there would not be a suitable environment for these rescued and abused monkeys to go.

Protecting the world
We are passionate about encouraging our travellers to be kind to the environment as they travel. Each participant receives advice about how to care for the environment whilst they are away. This includes water usage, how to avoid single use plastic, and electricity usage.

We insist that all participants bring their own water bottles when they travel with us, and clean free water is always available. We have even created a water bottle that can be purchased before departure and encourage people to use it at all stages of their journey including at the airport, on flights and whilst on their project. We are striving for all of our projects to be free of single use plastic.

Community

Meeting local needs:
In addition to helping to protect primates and other abused animals, this sanctuary plays an important role in protecting the local economy. This rural area relies on conservation and wildlife for tourism as there are no big cities nearby. The sanctuary brings volunteers to the area and has created jobs for local people, both directly at the sanctuary and indirectly through using taxi companies, supermarkets, markets and restaurants. By helping at the sanctuary our volunteers are ensuring its survival and allowing it to expand the number of animals it can help.

Cultural sensitivity:
We emphasise the importance of showing respect for local people and their customs in our briefing material. Participants will work alongside permanent staff, forming close bonds and getting an insight into real life in rural South Africa. Our policy is to send people overseas in small groups or individually. This minimises the environmental and social impact that the participants have on the destination and helps them to integrate into the local community. We really emphasise the value of learning some Spanish before departure.

All of our participants receive comprehensive pre-departure briefing. This covers topics on how to be culturally sensitive, how to best look after the environment when in the country and how to stay safe as well as up to date information on the political situation.