Help at our shelter in Bethlehem, Palestine

Palestine

Favourited 155 times

Host rating
Feedback
5
Last activity
31/01/2020

Map

Availability

2021

Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks

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What's this?

Details

Description
Hello, I am Diana, taking care of over 100 dogs as well as cats at our shelter in Bethlehem. I created this shelter myself because I could not see how dogs and animals are treated here. By the way, this is the first shelter in West Bank, Palestine. I need animal lovers and volunteers to help me in daily tasks now. You are warmly welcome in Bethlehem.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Animal Care
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
You can live with locals, experience Palestinian hospitality, learn Arabic and Palestinian culture and the way of living. We can learn from each other.
Help
It is an advantage you are experienced in helping and working in the shelter with animals as well as volunteering. You are realistic about the daily tasks like feeding, giving medications, washing dogs, cleaning the cages, naturally loving the dogs, playing with them. It is important to be with the dogs and treat them with love and respect. They need an extra portion of love. Searching homes for the dogs is a part of our work too. We help animals also in emergency situations when needed. Only to mention some of our tasks. We work in 3 shifts, each 5 hours. For example, 8-13, 13-18 and from 16-21.

Update 14.6. 2019: Thank you for all feedback. We are editing a volunteer handbook and work out issues.
Languages spoken
Arabic: Fluent
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Hebrew: Fluent
Accommodation
We are looking for another place close to our shelter.
Free wifi is available at the shelter.
What else ...
In your free time you can explore Bethlehem, Jerusalem and other towns in Palestine and Israel. The Dead Sea, Jericho are also near.

Bethlehem has a lot to offer, not only the church of Nativity. You will experience a vivid mixture of Christians and Muslims.

Or hanging around with locals, drinking sweet tea with mint and chatting. And enjoying a piece or two of local sweets.

Good transport services are available.
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
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Photos

Feedback left by and about host (5)

27/10/2019

Left by Workawayer (Miriam) for host

I had a wonderful time in Bethlehem. Everyone was extremely welcoming and went out of their way to be hospitable! Everyday, at least one strange yet thoroughly enjoyable thing happened…riding bareback on a donkey near the shelter, with a goat on my lap…driving four hours to the vet with about eight dogs on top of me…passing by a stranger's house… read more

(Excellent )

24/11/2017

Left by Workawayer (Barbara) for host

Diana and her work are remarkable. I couldn't stay for long but the little I stayed was enough to see the love and compromise she puts into helping the dogs and helping them find loving homes. I was very well received by Diana and her whole family and we even rescued a puppy at an under-construction house. She helped me with everything I needed… read more

(Excellent )

12/11/2017

Left by Workawayer (Jennifer) for host

I stayed a week in August with Diana's family in Bethlehem. I join Nathan on his feedback, my time was not really enjoyable.

First of all, despite the dogs' conditions in the shelter, I loved taking care of them, I took the dogs out, washed them, played with them. I got since my first day very well connected with them. It was not easy at all… read more

(Neutral )

31/10/2017

Left by Workawayer (Nathan) for host

An extremely frustrating experience. I will briefly sum up my experience:

The pros: Working with abused, neglected, and lonely dogs/puppies is rewarding work. When you meet a dog and it's scared of you, but after time it warms up to you and then is excited to see you every day...THAT is a very nice feeling. Helping the dogs become MORE adoptable… read more feels nice. Especially when, on adoption day, someone takes the dog home and gives it a good life forever. The accommodation for volunteers was good with at least two meals each day. I did have a free day to walk around and explore. Fun neighborhood, 0.3 miles from the Church of the Nativity. Supermarkets closeby. Diana (the Host) learned I liked sugary coffee and surprised me with a cup one morning. That was thoughtful!

The cons: No consistent work schedules. Sometimes we were woken up in the morning without notice and would begin a 10-hour day. One day was 14 hours of working/driving/doing tasks. Most days were 10am-6pm. The shelter is overcrowded and a stressful place to be. I broke up dog fights routinely. I felt constantly belittled on the job. Diana really stressed me out.

Personal note: All this type of work I would be OK with (even 14-hour days!) if there was more gratitude or empathy towards volunteers. On my first day, I was left at the shelter (with 32 dogs) and told to wash them all...but no instruction on the correct procedure, which dogs were aggressive; I wasn't even told where to find shampoo! The next day I was shouted at for not washing the dogs well enough, not using tweezers to pick out ticks, not using the correct shampoos for different flea conditions, etc. How was I to know?
My frequent requests for a list of procedures, expectations, or even directions were deflected because Diana was "too busy". It seemed she expected me to already have four years' experience, like herself, when in reality I had only a few hours experience.
That is one example, but after seven days of being expected to handle ALL tasks perfectly, without any direction on how to complete them, then being yelled at for "not doing a good enough job", I had had enough! Even when I approached Diana outside of working hours to express my frustration and see if we could figure out a way to communicate better, I was interrupted and told about how busy she was and, in short, she said, "This is the way it is."

I originally agreed to 10-11 days. I only stayed 7 because I was very, very frustrated with Diana. And that frustration got in the way of the real work--helping the dogs! So I felt it was best to leave.

I wouldn't describe my experience as "neutral" because most of the time I was angry and stressed.

A future volunteer should know that yes, the work is noble because the dogs need your help! Ask for expectations from the beginning and be strong from the moment you arrive. See if you can plan a schedule that enables you to fulfill the 5 hours/day commitment. Then stick to it.

(Negative )

11/08/2017

Left by Workawayer (Sherry) for host

When I arrived in Bethlehem and called Diana, she was there to pick me up within 5 minutes... it was perfect timing as she was just on here way to take a dog to the clinic... she gave me the chance to rest at home or join them.,. I wanted in on the action right away. From that moment on we were busy traveling all over from Yev Aviv, Jerusalem,… read more

(Excellent )

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