Help welcome at our dog shelter and explore Surinam, Mauritius

Details

• 

  Description

  We are an organisation non-profit for dog welfare in Mauritius. Our mission is to help injured dogs all around Island to give them a better life and rights. There are approximately 200'000 stray dogs in Mauritius, we are willing to do mass sterilization campaign with a catch neuter and release program.
  
  Our shelter with around 250 dogs are all rescued from the streets with severe injuries, sick or too young to live by their own. We treat them and try to find the perfect family for each of them ! We are based in a peaceful place around trees, river and nature in the south. There are lots to see around and also great trekking or water sport as Kite surf :)
  
  About us :
  Cindy and Malika are the founder of the shelter and non-profit association in Switzerland, France and Charitable Institution in Mauritius. Both lives in the shelter.
  Our main goal is to help and save as many dogs as possible.
  
  Christopher, Rosemay, Hinsley, Louise, Tina and Shanone are the permanent workers at shelter, they are 6 beautiful persons and knows the dogs perfectly.
  
  We will be happy to tell you more about us and feel free to ask for our website

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Light maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
• 

  Interests

  

  Music

  

  Animals
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  South West of Mauritius is well known for his beautiful small villages and beaches. There are also lots of trekking over there and the best place to learn (or do) KiteSurfing (Miguel is our instructors). It's an authentique place !
  Even if we are not born mauritian, we will be more than happy to make you discover the real mauritian life. With so much culture and incredible food.

• 

  Help

  🐾 What We Expect From Our Volunteers
  
  We are looking for volunteers who are passionate, strong, proactive, reliable and ready to get their hands dirty.
  
  Working in a dog shelter is hard physical work. You will probably be tired at the end of the day, and some days will be more demanding than others.
  
  If you are mainly looking for a holiday, a relaxing stay or a way to spend your time on a tropical island, PLEASE choose another host. We would rather be completely honest from the beginning than have you arrive and realise that shelter life is not what you expected.
  
  🧹 The reality of the work
  
  A large part of the work is cleaning. This means cleaning kennels, picking up poop, washing and disinfecting areas, changing bedding and keeping the shelter as clean as possible.
  
  So yes — you need to be comfortable with poop. A LOT of poop. 😅
  
  But there is also plenty of fun and rewarding work: walking dogs, giving them baths, spending time with them, taking them to the beach and, of course, giving them lots of cuddles.
  
  You also need to be comfortable entering a park with 20 dogs at once. Our dogs have different personalities, backgrounds and levels of training, so confidence, common sense and the ability to follow our instructions are very important.
  
  We expect volunteers to help at the shelter for at least 5 hours per day. Some days may require a little more time depending on the workload, emergencies or the needs of the dogs.
  
  Our minimum stay is 4 weeks. This is important because it takes time to learn our routines, understand how the shelter works and build a relationship with the dogs.
  
  🐕 Main tasks
  
  Your main responsibilities will include:
  
  - Morning feeding
  - Picking up poop in all dog areas
  - Cleaning and disinfecting kennels and common areas
  - Washing and changing blankets and bedding when needed
  - Walking dogs
  - Taking disabled dogs to the beach for swimming and rehabilitation
  - Giving dogs baths when needed
  - Spending quality time with the dogs and giving them attention
  - Taking lots of good-quality photos and videos to help us promote our dogs for adoption
  - Helping with general shelter tasks and keeping the environment organised
  
  🚨 Rescue work
  
  You will also have the opportunity to participate in real rescue situations.
  
  Rescue work is not always pretty or easy. You may see dogs arriving in poor condition, frightened, injured or traumatised. Some situations can be physically and emotionally difficult.
  
  At the same time, you will experience some of the most incredible moments: watching a frightened dog slowly trust humans again, seeing a sick dog recover, helping a dog find a family, or simply seeing a dog enjoy something as simple as a walk or a swim for the first time.
  
  This is real rescue work. It can be hard, emotional, exhausting and sometimes chaotic — but it can also be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.
  
  We don't expect you to be a professional. We do expect you to be committed, responsible, willing to learn and ready to be part of the team.
  
  If you are looking for a genuine experience where you can make a real difference in the lives of animals, welcome to Indie’s World. ❤️🐾

• 

  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: 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.
• 

  Accommodation

  🏠 About the House & Living Conditions — Please Read Before Applying
  
  We want to be completely transparent about the living conditions at Indie’s World, so you know exactly what to expect before coming.
  
  You will be staying in a 100-year-old Mauritian house with a lot of character and history. It is a beautiful and unique home, but it is also an old house, and it does not have the comfort or infrastructure of a modern hotel or guesthouse.
  
  Living here means being part of our everyday life, and sometimes that comes with a few inconveniences:
  
  💧 Water: Water pressure can sometimes be low, and occasional water interruptions can happen.
  
  🚿 Hot water: Hot water is not always guaranteed. The system can sometimes be unpredictable, and you may occasionally have to deal with a cold shower. We do our best to fix problems when they occur, but things may not always be immediate.
  
  🐀 Rats: Because of the age of the house, the tropical environment and being inside to the shelter, rats are present. We take measures to control them, but we cannot guarantee that you will never see one. If the idea of seeing a rat is something you absolutely cannot handle, please consider this carefully before applying.
  
  🐕 Dogs inside the house: Dogs are part of our life and some dogs live or spend time inside the house. You may find dogs in common areas, hear barking, and occasionally have dogs walking around or sleeping near you. The house is therefore not a dog-free environment.
  
  🧹 Cleanliness: We keep the house clean and do our best to maintain a pleasant environment, but with dogs coming in and out, and with a refuge full of animals, there can sometimes be hair, dirt, muddy paws or animal-related smells. This is part of our reality.
  
  🔊 Noise: This is a working animal refuge. You should expect barking and other noises, sometimes early in the morning or during the evening. A completely quiet environment is not possible.
  
  🌴 Tropical environment: Mauritius is a tropical island, so insects, mosquitoes, geckos and other small creatures are part of everyday life.
  
  ❤️ This is not a hotel.
  
  We want our volunteers to feel comfortable, but we also want to be honest: living at Indie’s World is a real immersion into refuge life. It can be messy, noisy, unpredictable and sometimes exhausting — but it can also be incredibly rewarding.
  
  If you are looking for a comfortable, quiet and perfectly predictable place to stay, this may not be the right volunteer experience for you.
  
  If, on the other hand, you are comfortable with a little chaos, old-house quirks, dogs everywhere, occasional cold showers and the realities of rescue work, you will probably feel very much at home here. 🐕❤️
  
  We would much rather explain all of this before you arrive than have you discover it after a few days.

• 

  What else ...

  During your time off we hope you will enjoy everyplace of the Island that is a beautiful country. Trek, beach, sport Whatever makes you happy :) There are buses coming at the village and goes to principal big cities.
  There are many restaurants in the village and many place to eat local food (roti, gato piment, etc...)

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

• 

  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

• 

  My animals / pets

  250

Website Safety

Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host

+4

Feedback (10)