My volunteer work in the animal sanctuary in Costa Rica

Areas of responsibility

Many different animals live in the animal sanctuary. There are several species of birds, monkeys, sloths, pigs, deer, turtles and various nocturnal animals. Every day after breakfast there is a morning meeting where the tasks for the day are distributed. The tasks are very varied. On the one hand, a distinction is made between feeding and cleaning. On the other hand, there are different groups of animals, for each of which a team is responsible. You usually work in pairs or threes and can also swap tasks with each other. But it's actually all fun. In the afternoon the animals are fed again and the water checked.

Food and accommodation

The days begin with breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. That sounds pretty early at first, but by then it's always light and you wake up relatively quickly. At 12 o'clock there is a warm lunch and then you have some free time. For example, you can go to the pool on the premises. After dinner you have free time again.

The team on site is very nice and helpful.

leisure

Many trips can be made from the center. For example, we have been to a volcano, a football stadium, a beach and a national park. In general, I can recommend going on as many excursions as possible, as the country is very beautiful and worth seeing. These activities are especially fun with other volunteers. How long you work and how much free time you have depends primarily on how many volunteers are currently in the center. For example, there were significantly more volunteers in my first week than in the second week.

Why RGV?

I have had very good experiences with Rainbow Garden Village. The project was really great and questions were answered quickly and nicely.

Field report by Nicolas, volunteer in Costa Rica, March 2023