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22 Apr 2024
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Description
Did you know that there are an estimated 1 million stray dogs and uncountable cats struggling to survive in Costa Rica, a country the size of West Virginia? we can't save them all but we've been caring for as many as we can. Currently we are the only dog and cat rescue organization with a shelter in the Costa Ballena region of Costa Rica.
As is true throughout the world, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a dramatic increase in the need for our work in this community. Many local families are being forced to surrender their pets because they simply can no longer afford their food and medical needs. The number of dogs and cats that have been abandoned at our shelter's front gate and along highways, mountain roads and the beaches in the Costa Ballena region at large has skyrocketed. Daily, we receive intake requests from families that can no longer care for their pets or a community member who has found an abandoned cat, dog, puppies or kittens. For these reasons, and more, your volunteer work with us matters hugely to the dogs and cats in this region.
Our Mission Statement summarizes our work:
● For every cat and dog of Costa Ballena to feel the safety and warmth of a loving forever home, offering first to every animal that needs it, a temporary home at our Refuge;
● To reduce the population of unwanted and ill cats and dogs by offering easy and cost effective access to spay/neuter surgeries and appropriate vaccines;
● To act as stewards to every animal in our care from rescue through to adoption and beyond;
● To provide free education to school children and the community at large to improve the overall welfare of animals in our area;
● To place as much focus on our animals’ emotional well-being as we do on their physical wellness.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Animal Care
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
By being a Volunteer in Residence - you will have the opportunity to gain much more beyond caring for and sharing your love with cats and dogs in need, including:
• become a member of a cohesive, friendly team of animal lovers...so you will make many new human friends from all over the world, too;
• practice your Spanish with both native and second language speakers, in a safe and calm learning environment;
• learn new skills, including basic medical procedures, bottle feeding baby kittens and puppies, caring for dogs and cats in recovery following spay/neuter surgery, and teaching techniques while sharing our Animal Welfare Education Program to local community kids;
• experience the natural wonders of this region, including beautiful tropical beaches, magnificent rainforests, pristine waterfalls and mystical mangrove forests.
Help
Volunteers in Residence work at our shelter for a minimum of four weeks, ten shifts each week. Daily shifts (seven days a week) occur from 8-11 am and 3-5 pm so you'll be working 25 hours per week, on average. Your shift schedule will vary from week to week and you'll work both days some weekends, but you will have at least one full day off each week for a serious adventure or a day of relaxation. Occasionally you will be asked to work a bit extra, for example if we have a litter of kittens or puppies that need our care 24/7. But most workdays you will have from 11am-3pm and 5pm-bedtime free to explore the area or relax on site.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Beginner
Accommodation
You will live in one of two modern buildings that are separate from the rest of the shelter but located on the same property. There is one shared kitchen (with fridge, stove, dishes, pots and pans, and basic cooking supplies) and one shared washer/dryer for everyone in our Volunteer in Residence program.
You will have your own double bed. We have three single rooms (one double bed and a private bathroom) and one double room (two double beds and a shared bathroom). The bathrooms are large, each with a toilet, sink and shower (with hot water). Bed linens and bath towels are provided, but please bring your own beach/adventuring towel.
There is no air conditioning, but ceiling fans and nice ocean breezes will help you stay cool. There is ample outdoor space for hanging out. The property is surrounded by a fence, for the security of our cats, dogs and humans.
You will purchase your own groceries and prepare your own meals, be responsible for keeping the kitchen and your living space clean and tidy, and do your own laundry. A host lives on-site and will help you with any problems that may arise, as will a member of our Shelter Management Team. They'll also check in on a regular basis to make sure everything is in order regarding cleanliness, tidiness and the facility.
We have high-speed internet, 24/7. We do not have television service.
What else ...
We are located in the Southern Zone of Costa Rica, specifically in the coastal town of Uvita in the Costa Ballena region. If you look at a map of this beautiful country, focus on the area along the Pacific coast just north of the Osa Peninsula, in the southwest. Uvita lies between Dominical to the north and Palmar Norte to the south.
Here the rainforest-covered mountains meet the Pacific Ocean, making for a glorious landscape full of wildlife including howler and white-faced capuchin monkeys, scarlet macaws, green iguanas, tamanduas, sloths, and ocelots. There is a plethora of magnificent beaches, waterfalls, rivers, rainforest and mangrove forest to explore in your free time, and many local tour operators who will be happy to help you with this if you so desire. It is very hot and humid here, with ample rainfall from April through November most years, but that's what makes this region so verdant!
Our shelter is located in the Bahia sector of Uvita, which is in the lowlands abutting the ocean. We are a few minutes walk from the beach as well as the central shopping/banking/restaurant district of Uvita. Longer walks, bike rides, and/or taxi rides will get you to waterfalls, rivers and rainforest. Bicycles can be rented in Uvita, and taxis are plentiful.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
5 hours a day, 5 days a week - living on site
Feedback (8)
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Besides the chores like feeding, giving medicine, walking the dogs and doing the laundry, a big part of the job is spending time with the animals. So you should really like dogs and cats. As a live-in you live right next to the cats. I liked that… read more
The location was perfect, the apartment had everything I needed and it was so close to the beach and the town and you have a lot of free time to explore both!
The work is easy… read more
