Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
16 Jan 2025
Reply rate
97.4 %
Usually responds within 3 days
Feedback
14
Email verified
Badges (2)
Find your perfect host
Details
Description
Please note: We cannot accept couples or friends traveling together and prefer volunteers who are 21+. We recommend our live-in volunteers be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (including boosters if eligible) before arrival at the sanctuary.
We are a nonprofit farm animal sanctuary located in Laupahoehoe on the beautiful east coast of Hawaii's Big Island. We were founded in 2018 and are now home to over 90 animals who were saved from slaughter, rescued from neglect, have special needs, or were orphaned or injured in the wild.
Animal Care Interns typically have a 3 month minimum commitment; focused on feeding, cleaning, and enrichment, plus a special project based on your interests and experience; accommodation in a shared yurt
We look forward to welcoming you!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity Work
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We think we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, on the Hamakua coast of Hawaii's Big Island. On days off you can explore the lava fields, black and white sand beaches, swim with turtles and manta rays, go on breathtaking hikes with hiking groups in the area, or connect with our wonderful local volunteers to explore with.
We are a nonprofit animal rescue and sanctuary. We are a small team, completely volunteer-run, and are working to grow the organization. We would love your involvement in all areas such as practicing your social media marketing skills, learning to lead sanctuary tours and other outreach programs, learning or putting to use grant writing skills, and other projects you might want to explore. You will also have the opportunity to help alongside me and learn how to care for all aspects of a farm animal sanctuary including pasture management, veterinary healthcare, enrichment, and other ways we holistically care for the animals.
Our sanctuary is founded on a profound compassion for all animals, and we aim to provide the most loving safe haven possible for these truly special beings. We do not keep livestock or breed stock, nor do we employ working animals. We love sharing this special opportunity to connect with farmed animals in a totally positive way, where their personalities and natural behaviors are encouraged to shine. We feel confident that these animals will enrich your life as they do ours.
We are originally from Sweden and have traveled extensively. We will love sharing travel stories with you and hearing about your adventures!
Help
Thank you for considering volunteering with us! A little more about us and what a day in the life at the sanctuary looks like...
Animal care is centered around feeding, cleaning, and enrichment from 7am to 6pm, with long breaks in between shifts. Alternating shifts include babysitting for our special needs animals. Animal care interns also contribute to special projects such as supporting outreach programs, managing our social media presence and external communications, providing veterinary care, or helping on construction and property maintenance projects. The help is physically challenging (lots of walking and moderately heavy lifting) but very accessible.
You will need to be able to get things done independently, but we all work closely here as it is our home as well as the sanctuary, and we want to be with the animals all day every day too! We are in a rural area so volunteers should be excited for the opportunity to totally immerse with the animals and team here on our beautiful property for the duration of their stay, with the exception of your two days off each week.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Swedish: Fluent
Accommodation
Five volunteers (typically four interns and our animal health manager) live in a shared yurt. The yurt is a fully inclusive living space, with solar power, hot water shower, and outdoor kitchen. Volunteers use the Wi-Fi connection at the office, though cell phone service (including data) works well elsewhere on the property depending on the provider. We do not allow any smoking or excessive drinking, and no animal products onsite out of respect for our rescued dairy cows, pigs, chickens, goats, etc.
Everyone lives and helps together close to the main house (our home), and it is important that we find volunteers with similar lifestyles to ours to ensure a good fit. We are quiet and respectful, and we enjoy working together during the days and having peaceful time on our own in the evenings once the work day is finished. We love getting to know our volunteers and sharing this beautiful life together, but we are also looking for individuals who can be independent in their off hours. The property (and Big Island in general) is a peaceful place of stunning natural beauty, but very little nightlife or social activities, so volunteers should be okay with a small network of people to connect with and of course quiet time with the animals.
Food is not provided with this position and will be one of your expenses while staying with us. We do receive frequent food donations to the sanctuary, so almost always have basics like rice, pasta, canned beans, fruits, and veggies. We don't always know what or how much will be donated, so recommend those donations be supplementary to what you buy at the grocery store each week. We do ask that all volunteers maintain a vegan diet while on the property, out of respect for our rescued dairy cows, pigs, and other farmed animals. You will have tons of resources and support in this here if needed.
What else ...
Please note: We cannot accept couples or friends traveling together and prefer volunteers who are 21+. We recommend our live-in volunteers be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (including boosters if eligible) before arrival at the sanctuary.
We are looking for volunteers with prior experience who are mature, responsible, and professional, willing to work hard, interact with visitors and oversee local volunteers, and have the patience to overcome challenges that may arise (knowing that we will be right alongside you finding solutions together!).
Volunteers must be appropriately licensed to drive a car in the U.S. We make the sanctuary vehicle available for volunteers to grocery shop and explore the island one day per week (schedule permitting, as sometimes it needs to remain onsite for sanctuary chores or in case of emergency). Volunteers will be responsible for the fuel costs for personal use of the sanctuary vehicle, and we also ask for a reimbursement of 67 cents/mile driven in order to cover gas and vehicle maintenance costs. Both of these costs are usually split between two volunteers who are off together.
We are a completely volunteer-run organization and there are no paid positions available. We sincerely appreciate the time our volunteers generously donate to caring for the animals and supporting our cause, and hope that you feel well compensated by the love they will shower you with every day.
Note that we don't have many recent reviews on Workaway since we have largely been staffing our volunteer positions through Indeed. But you will interview with a former or current live-in volunteer, so you'll still get the inside scoop and an honest opinion!
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
Feedback (10)
Mel is an amazing young woman with good work ethics and a great personality. We normally have several volunteers staying together in a shared living space, and Mel always got along really well with everyone. She's easy to be around and always… read more
Aptly named, I do think the place is magic. I have now been away from the sanctuary for longer than I stayed there, and, with… read more
Photos
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(4.9)
Communication:
(5.0)
Mel is an amazing young woman with good work ethics and a great personality. We normally have several volunteers staying together in a shared living space, and Mel always got along really well with everyone. She's easy to be around and always… read more
Aptly named, I do think the place is magic. I have now been away from the sanctuary for longer than I stayed there, and, with… read more
The work can be physically and mentally tiring. Working at the sanctuary means you are there for the animals. Living in the country means you are subject to Mother Nature. You’ll have to be flexible and ready to help out when it’s… read more
I must admit I was a little bit hesitant when our volunteer coordinator told me she wanted to book Alyssa for an immediate start at the sanctuary. I run a nonprofit animal rescue and provide a home for all kinds of farmed animals here at the sanctuary, by the time of Alyssa's… read more
