Street help with dogs in Guerrero, Mexico

Details

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  Description

  Our daily work is to be out and about in the streets of Guerrero to save dogs. Our headquarters, that we lovingly call "Hope-quarters", is based in the beautiful little village Troncones. From there we drive nearly every day to the surrounding areas to rescue puppies, to provide medical care, to bring dogs to the vet, etc. In the near by city of Zihuatanejo we have a shelter, where we are able to care for around 15 dogs. In our headquarters in Troncones we hold a few cases that need special attention.
  
  We try to educate children on how to treat animals with better care and we also raise awareness in Mexican pet owners for malnutrition, disease prevention and the importance of neutering. We have a t-shirt and water bottle program where the money goes straight to spay and neuter and we are looking for someone with creative ideas on how we can gain more awareness for our program. During high season we have a booth in a farmer's market were we sell our t-shirts designed by a famous local artist/environmentalist.
  
  The organization's biggest mission is to spay and neuter as many dogs and cats as possible. We organize sterilization and vaccination campaigns with local veterinarians at least once every month. We started officially in January 2017 and have rescued, aided or helped thousands of animals since then. Our organization is non-profit and we are growing our foster and adoption network all over Mexico and North America. This helps us reach supporters and donors for our mission which is all volunteer based. In 2021 we re-homed 250 animals and sterilized 2000.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You will learn how good the simple life can be and how to connect with nature through working with the animals. You will learn to cultivate compassion and start to understand how we can make a difference for animals in need. Many volunteers have pointed out, they learned a lot about dog behavior, diseases and medical care. We are in very close contact with the locals when we care for their dogs, which means you will get a very good insight of the living conditions of people and dogs and to experience their friendliness. It's a good chance to also practice Spanish with the locals.

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  Help

  We are looking for volunteers who are coming to work with animals as their passion!
  
  We are looking for these qualities:
  1. Love Animals!!!
  2. Clean and Organized
  3. Communication Skills (roommates, group chat messages, medical administration)
  4. Compassionate
  
  The main part of the job will consist of:
  
  1. Shadowing our team leaders in the streets of rural villages in the La Union district and the Zihuatanejo district (where we have a shelter hosting 10-15 dogs).
  
  2. Volunteering at our sterilization and vaccinations clinics and children's education events.
  
  3. Caring for a handful of special case dogs in our Troncones headquarters and maintaining the order of the yard and living space which will be shared with one or two other volunteers.
  
  We need someone who is willing to deal with hot, humid, buggy, muddy conditions in the rural countryside of the small village of Troncones. Joining us on our trips to the main shelter in Zihuatanejo will be required a few times a week. Same as helping us with bringing adopted dogs to the airport.
  
  On the side, we sometimes have construction for projects going on in areas where we are working with local fosters to shelter animals we are caring for medically. We are currently looking into collaborating with a permaculture project in the famous wave of Saladita (20 min north of Troncones) where we may be building some corrals. If you are interested in construction and living in a camping environment we may have a job for you.
  
  There is a lot of attention required along with tending to animals. It's a selfless job that comes from the heart. The furbears will give you as much love as you give them, so we are looking for very compassionate people that are strong and stable emotionally. We accept couples or friends, keep in mind that it is not always possible to have the same shift or day off. So make sure you are okay to work alone. The best volunteers are the most organized and are able to communicate very well.
  
  We see a lot of disease and suffering, but that's why we do this...to lessen the hardships for those who can't take care of themselves. It's a very rewarding experience.
  
  If you have any social media/marketing experience or skills we also need someone to help keep our Instagram and Facebook pages up to date. We need to keep spreading the word about our mission in order to raise awareness, funds and love for the furbears!
  
  It's hard to say exactly what is required of you until you arrive depending on how many dogs we have at any given moment and what kind of medical attention they require. 70% of dogs and cats are discarded into the streets of Mexico, mostly females. It's a huge problem and we are working hard to change it. That's why we need people who think about helping animals as your sole reason for coming. This is not a party at the beach, or social experience to meet people like a hostel environment (however, there is an opportunity for fun and a social life). People who can be ok with loving on the animals and reading in a hammock or meditating on the beach will thrive better. That being said, it can be an adventure of lifetime if you are coming with the right intentions.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  French: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  We are based east of Troncones in an up and coming rural pueblo called "Nuevo Troncones" which is 15 min walk to the main street of Troncones proper, where you find typical Mexican restaurants, shops, laundry mat etc. and the ever so long and nearly empty beach. There are surf spots in the near beach villages, all a bit more then half an hour away with the local busses.
  
  Our house (Hope-quarters) is small and rustic, but very idyllic and the beautiful jungle starts right behind it. Wet season is June- October. After February it becomes very dry. You will have to share a room with another volunteer. The house consists of two bedrooms, a big storage room, a bathroom and an outside kitchen. The property has a fenced garden, where the dogs hang out most of the time. The main place to hang out is on the porch in the hammocks with a nice view of the jungle.
  
  We will provide basic food supplies, like rice, pasta, lentils, beans and eggs.
  
  You will work with our team leader Sandrine from France. Natalie, the founder of the organization, will also be around and will need help from time to time.

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  What else ...

  Troncones is close to some surf-spots. You can get there by hitchhiking or with the local busses (1/2 - 1 hour away). There are hidden hot springs near by. In high season from November to April Natalie offers donation-based therapeutic and areal yoga classes. There are amazing hiking trails to the next villages, to view points or to local caves. Every now and there are eco-projects and kids education classes, where you can get involved.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 25 hours a week

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