Help out on our quaint rescue farm and learn how build trust with animals in Kildare, Ireland

Details

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  Description

  We live on an old estate with 12 rescue equines (donkeys, ponies and horses), 125 rescued pigs and various sheep, goats, dogs and chickens.
  
  The animals thrive in a calm environment; therefore we are looking for positive attitudes, happy to muck in and get through the manual labour, as well as patience and thoughtfulness with animals who need time to come around. This is incredibly rewarding if you enjoy tuning in to the little daily achievements and rehabilitation of the animals.
  For example, each person is matched with one animal a week to spend a few moments of one-on-one quality time with. This may be an animal who has recently lost their companion, or someone who needs company to gain trust. This helps both the animal and the team to do daily treatments such as hoof trimming, eye cleaning etc.
  
  A little heads up before you read on! Here is not a suitable place to come if you have problems with energy levels, lethargy or migraines from exertion. If you struggle with your mental health please consider that there may not be a lot of alone-time here as it's a busy farm and not many places to be totally alone. Some days can be physically and mentally demanding and one volunteers' absence will put a strain on the team. So please be aware that physical and mental fitness is a must. It's farm work with sick, injured or traumatised animals, and we must be their rocks! it will be unpredictable and stressful at times and you must be able to work in pressurised and demanding environments. You will be expected to respect communal living spaces and tidy up after yourself. We have a probation period of 6 weeks. We rarely have to ask people to leave but please ensure you have a 'Plan B' for if it doesn't work out for you here.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  In return for your help you will learn how to gain trust, be safe with animals. You will learn about not just the everyday care of pigs, sheep and goats but also the less agricultural side of care such as the psychological and nutritional needs of farm animals not intended for slaughter. Here the focus is, instead, on longevity and health and animals who are excited to see us everyday. You will be an essential part of providing this sanctuary with the joy and trust that animals gain when a team work together for a common cause. We are not traditional in certain methods where force is used, so you will learn a great deal about body language, reading behaviour and monitoring your own behaviour to ensure successful interaction with the animals here.

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  Help

  You must be a genuine pig lover! We have so many pigs here who need attention and understanding, as well as the equines and other animals. They are big dogs!
  
  We are looking for volunteers who are over 22 years of age and have had experience in a busy, working environment before.
  
  Daily tasks include: feeding, mucking out stables or paddocks, helping to move animals to different areas, providing enrichment and toys for the animals, field management such as fence fixing; various yard management tasks to keep the place organised, and, of course, spending time with all the animals, providing attention and companionship.
  
  Additionally, helping to document the progress of certain animals with videos or photographs, building work, meeting potential adopters and visiting our main rescue centre are all optional, depending on your interests and time.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  Your accommodation would be a cabin with heating, several volunteer bedrooms and a bathroom or one of the single room wood cabins adjacent to the main big cabin. If you are travelling alone there will always be other like-minded volunteers here (approx 15) with you so you won't be lonely! You will have to share your room with another volunteer - please ensure this is fine for you before applying to stay here. You'll need to be flexible and you may sometimes be asked to change rooms. Long term volunteers are given priority for our single room.
  
  You can prepare your own meals in our volunteer kitchen with ingredients of your choice that we provide. At the moment the volunteers work out their own rota for 2 people per meal cooking for the whole team, which means a wide variety of dishes every day from all over the world. We do a communal food shop once a week. You get 3 meals a day, 7 days a week and are welcome to snack as often as you like.
  
  *Please note this is a vegan residence so please be sure you are comfortable to avoid eating animal products during your stay. This arrangement has previously not suited people who eat a lot of meat normally.

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  What else ...

  Volunteers must have advanced English. The routine here can change daily so understanding English is very important. Also for safety reasons there is sometimes the need for quick explanations.
  
  Volunteers must have their own health insurance before making travel arrangements.
  
  My husband and I work from home and need our home farm to be a place of tranquility. This means you are free to relax as you please in your common areas, watch movies with your cabin mates or visit the local pub for a pint of Guinness. We are close to canals, forests and country lanes. We have a covered decking area where in the summer you can cook, enjoy a good book and stay warm in the evenings. There are buses to Dublin, Galway and everywhere from the local village, as well as our regular travels to Dublin where we can give you a lift. As you can probably tell so far, we are looking for peaceful souls, not party animals, who are comfortable in nature, independent and, most of all, excited to learn about animals and how to care for them.
  
  Serious stuff!
  We are committed to making our farm a safe space for people to learn and work. We have a zero tolerance policy of bullying, racism, sexual misconduct, homophobia, harassment or intimidation. If anyone exhibits any of these behaviours they will be asked to leave immediately. We host lots of young people who are travelling and excited to meet like minded souls. With this in mind we require everyone who stays to have read and confirmed their understanding of sexual consent in our waver form. We have a core team of staff including 4 women who will act as confidants and provide a constant support network for anyone who wishes to report inappropriate conduct or wishes to communicate any female-specific issues. 


We have a zero drugs policy and anyone with drugs on the farm or under the influence of drugs around our animals will be asked to find somewhere else to go. We do not drink alcohol on the farm as care for the animals is priority. It's important for people to understand that this is a workplace and sanctuary for neglected animals, not a summer camp.
  
  Working at an animal rescue requires a willingness to provide the highest quality of care to animals who need help. This can mean nursing infant animals through the night, rehabilitating injured wildlife or having to work through emergencies like extreme weather or animals falling ill. Working with animals is totally unpredictable and will *constantly* pose challenges that require a little more. In these instances, the extra help will be offered at a completely voluntary basis and any hours helped will be repaid by being deducted from future shifts.
  
  *Before you get in touch you must ask yourself can you stay motivated if work and conditions are harder than expected. We are a country farm, so please make sure you are comfortable with bugs, wildlife and getting grubby! Facilities will break, we might be short on help due to cancellations, days will be hard and unexpected obstacles will occur. Only those with a real drive to work hard and help animals in need are a suitable fit for this workaway.
  
  Finally, and most importantly, you will be expected to respect our teams' passion for animals as sentient beings. We do not adhere to the concept that they are here to serve us in any way, our job together is to undo the damage done without question :)

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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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  Can host digital nomads

  Yes but we have had people struggle in the past to balance farm work with their remote work. The priority must always be the farm work.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  Camper and and small motor homes very welcome!

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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