Description
Who we are
We are an animal liberation organization (and registered society) based in Brandenburg, Germany.  

During 2018 we were able to save more than 200 sheep from slaughter and to shelter 14 pigs as well as 4 cows. That was the beginning of our journey. Meanwhile, we care for more than 400 animals, including cows, geese, pigs, ducks, horses, bunnies, sheep, cats and dogs. We are partitioned in two sanctuaries: Our big sanctuary, located in Hermersdorf and a smaller one, located in Hasenholz. We are always looking for helpers for both of the locations. By the way: Its just a 20min drive between the two locations and it may happen that you will help on both sanctuaries, depending on the capacity and needs. Our project is not a normal farmsanctuary, it is bigger and more like a "start-up".

The sanctuary in Hermersdorf:
 The area on our main sanctuary was several years ago a mass animal facility and is still being rebuilt and adapted to the new requirements. We renovated the living area including the bathroom in 2021. You will sleep in a heated camper and you will have access to a kitchen area to cook and relax. We have a washing machine there and WIFI. If you need luxury, this place is not for you. Please note: Our sanctuary manager Matty and team member Katharina are living on the sanctuary as well.

The sanctuary in Hasenholz 
The sanctuary in Hasenholz is based on the home of our chairwoman Elisabeth. She lives in a 96m² house with a 5200m² piece of land. Elisabeth and team member Dshamilja are living in the house as well. For helpers we offer a zoned space in the living room with their own bed and cabinet. There is one bathroom with a bathtube in the house. Also a kitchen and a spacious living room, with a very nice free view on the landscape, to share. Here you can make yourself delicious vegan food after a day of (mostly hard) work. WIFI is available. Please note that there is hardly time to cook together so you are responsible for cooking your own meals (applies to both of the locations). And please note further: there are dogs and cats inside the house.   

The work (applies for both of the locations): 
We care the whole day for the animals. There is no "5 hour work and then freetime". The work extends from (early) morning to evening, with space for your own activities. You will have your freetime in between. The work is exhausting and you probably wouldn't get enough energy left for reading books in the evening.  We are still improving our organizational processes and the work changes with the needs of the animals. Main tasks are taking care of the animals including, cleaning the dung out, cleaning stables, paddocks and the outside areas, gardening and lots of support work for our sanctuary manager.
For Hasenholz: Please be aware that keeping the house clean is also part of the regular tasks.
Please note that feeding is a very sensitive job which will be done just by our core team and the sanctuary manager. This probably won’t be a main task for new helpers.

The animals feel safe and are loved here so you NEED to be an animal lover here.   

The animals 
Almost all of our animals were planned to be killed. We saved the sheep from slaughter, the calves from malnutrion and early death, the pigs from euthanasia after animal testing and the geese from the Christmas Dinner. We have also street cats and dogs, horses, goats, bunnies and ducks. If you are on social media, you will find lots of pictures and videos of the animals.

 The ideal candidate:
- has time for at least 4 weeks (less than 4 weeks is sometimes possible but needs to be discusses individually) 
- is vegan: vegans tend to understand the project better, it is absolutely necessary to have empathy and compassion for the animals and also to us people. And: we just provide vegan food for your stay. 
- speaks English or German, because good communication is very important 
- has a flexible schedule due to the occasional changes in the animals' needs, which is to be expected in farmlife
- is not allergic to animal hair, hay or smiliar
- is mentally and physically able to do hard physical work
- is able to work pro-active and to internalize workflows quickly
- is an absolute team player

Please not: Two people who travel together are possible - it is easier to split the work and to work with someone you know (but its not a must of course). Having a car driver license is preferred.

  What we can offer you:
 - valuable experience in a vegan project, that is rare to find: We turn a former mass facility into a sanctuary. That is pioneer work.
- You will get in touch with animals, that you usually don't see and that show you their characters and individuality 
- Delicious vegan food, a lot of love and many many karma points <3
And: If your are interested in buddhism, you can get in contact with tibetan buddhism.    

If you are travelling on your own and aren't completly vegan yet, but are really motivated and willing to help us, it could also work. Just contact us and we will talk about it.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity Work
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
General Maintenance
UN sustainablity goals this host is trying to achieve
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What's this?
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
You see a sanctuary as a start up, can learn teamwork, get in contact with a lot of vegan animal lovers and see how easy it is to connect as human beeings when you have the same ideas and goals.
Help
Daily care for the animals and the sanctuary
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Accommodation
Hermersdorf: heated camper on the sanctuary
Hasenholz: zoned area in the living room with a bed and closet
What else ...
There are many beautiful lakes and forest around here (Märkische Schweiz Natur Park), it is very nice for swimming and biking.
It is quite close to Berlin, you would be able to get there by train within an hour. It is also close to the Polish border (about 40 mins by train).
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
- Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
4-5 hours a day

Host ref number: 682244986634

Feedback (8)

07/01/2022

2 months later, but here is my feedback about my time in Hasenholz!
I was with Elizabeth, Dshamilja and all the animals in Hasenholz for 2 weeks in October. During this time I got to know and appreciate the work that the team (+ Matty and Katharina) do. I live vegan myself, but there happens active animal welfare 100% with heart and soul. It was… read more very impressive to experience that there are such people who feel the needs of the animals and give them priority. For this experience I would like to thank you, guys!
Daily routine:
I slept with Dshamilja and various cats, dogs and Galileo (sheep) in one room, which I only mention because future workawayers should be aware that you live there WITH the animals. Around 6 o'clock the day started with feeding the calves.After that I cleaned the enclosures (horses, calves, pigs, geese, sheep, cats), took care of rabbits and did some housework. The days are quite long. The last task was usually feeding the calves at 9pm. However, there were opportunities in between to take your breaks and certainly you can check with Elizabeth and Dshamilja if you want an afternoon off. The daily routine is also never the same, but always depends on the current needs of the animals, so your field of activity can also look quite different. Especially on weekends there are often people coming from Berlin to support as well, so it is definitely possible to take some free time then. Nevertheless, animal care is of course not a nine-to-five job with free weekends.

At the beginning it is normal that helpers do not do more specific tasks at first or only under supervision.For the welfare of the animals, the focus is on providing them with the best possible care. Therefore, tasks such as feeding or medication are only assigned with experience and after getting to know the animals. Gradually, however, I gained more and more trust from Elizabeth and Dshamilja and in the end I took over a large field of tasks on my own responsibility.

Hasenholz is a bit remote. If you don't have your own car, you have to make arrangements or just enjoy the beautiful surrounding landscape of Brandenburg with many fields, forests and lakes. But there was also an old bike in Elizabteh's garage, I gues.
After that I cleaned the enclosures (horses, calves, pigs, geese, sheep, cats), took care of rabbits and did some housework. The days are quite long. The last task was usually feeding the calves at 9pm. However, there were opportunities in between to take your breaks and certainly you can check with Elizabeth and Dshamilja if you want an afternoon off. The daily routine is also never the same, but always depends on the current needs of the animals, so your field of activity can also look quite different. Especially on weekends there are often people coming from Berlin to support as well, so it is definitely possible to take some free time then. Nevertheless, animal care is of course not a nine-to-five job with free weekends.

At the beginning it is normal that helpers do not do more specific tasks at first or only under supervision.For the welfare of the animals, the focus is on providing them with the best possible care. Therefore, tasks such as feeding or medication are only assigned with experience and after getting to know the animals. Gradually, however, I gained more and more trust from Elizabeth and Dshamilja and in the end I took over a large field of tasks on my own responsibility.

Hasenholz is a bit remote. If you don't have your own car, you have to make arrangements or just enjoy the beautiful surrounding landscape of Brandenburg with many fields, forests and lakes. But there was probably also an old bike in Elizabteh's garage.

You should be aware, however, that this is not a vacation in exchange for a little help, where you can indulge in your daily excursions. Animal care takes a lot of time and is also physically demanding.However, I personally found it a super experience to support and help Elizabeth and Dshamilja.

As for the animals, they are all unique and adorable, although I will probably not become a goose whisperer in this life :D I found the 6 calves especially memorable, with their playful and cuddly nature you can just love them.

I wish you Elizabeth, Dshamilja, Katharina and Matty that you will still have a lot of strength and energy to stand up for the animals and that your work gets the appreciation it deserves.
Maybe we will see each other again!:)

(Excellent )

22/09/2021

We stayed here for two weeks with our family.
Katerina, Matty and Elizabeth's enthusiasm is infectious and they made us feel very welcome. There is a lot of work to do to take care of so many animals; geese, chickens, ducks, cats, pigs, sheep, rabbits, cows, dogs.
There is also plenty of work to do improving the site if you have the skills. The… read more

(Very good )

06/09/2020

Other workawayers have already written a lot so I will try to keep it short:
The sanctuary in Hermersdorf is one of the best places I've ever been to! So many happy animals at one place! And so many lovely, warm-hearted, animal-loving humans at one place!
There is always work to do but it is done with love and with the knowledge that it's all… read more

(Excellent )

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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)

Cultural exchange:
(4.8)

Communication:
(5.0)

07/01/2022

Left by Workawayer (Line) for host

(Excellent )

22/09/2021

Left by Workawayer (Matt & Liz) for host

(Very good )

06/09/2020

Left by Workawayer (Maria) for host

(Excellent )

31/08/2020

Left by Workawayer (Alexandra) for host

I stayed 2 months and a half at the sanctuary and it was a very beautiful experience, I actually left the place with tears in my eyes. I stayed at Elisabeth's place, which is very clean and most of the times, quiet. I had a room for myself but I also often shared with another workawayer-which was actually very nice. My work included cleaning for… read more

(Excellent )

15/12/2019

Left by Workawayer (Daryl & Simon) for host

We stayed in Hermersdorf for 5 weeks in autumn and will never forget the fantastic time we spent here.

Every day was different, we were always ready to be called to help with a fresh problem or task on top of our normal every day duties. Because you're doing the work for the animals and their wellbeing, it feels much easier than any other… read more

(Excellent )

21/07/2019

Left by Workawayer (Bart & Taniya) for host

We've been travelling for two years, Elizabeth was workaway host nr 26 and we think she was a really special one! And that's positive. It's incredible that all hosts are so nice and helpful but this one was definitely in our top 5.

This is not your typical workaway address. It's an animal sanctuary. While we arrived there was a bit of chaos. The… read more sanctuary is very young (about 1,5 year old) and still in it's (sub)baby steps. So still searching for the 'perfect' plan. That's also the beauty we think, you can really leave your mark. That being said, it's already just lovely. The place for the workaway people is just perfect, very comfortable, and with all the others volunteers still very private. And in the evening you are by yourself which is very special with all the non-human animals.

We worked a bit more than normal but that was by our own choice, Elisabeth told us every day we worked to much. She's really kind but we understood we arrived in some difficult weeks for the sanctuary and loved to help them; we didn't feel like lying down and reading a book....

The area around is farming area but with lots of nice walks. If you go a bit further you have nice swims and we especially liked the parc in Buckow to hang out. We didn't see that much though because it was very warm (+30) and we stayed with the animals a lot. Dex is good company, just like the 14 pigs:)

We saw lot's of deer and hare just next to the shelter. For birds lots of cranes (!) and the 'usual' birds and there is a couple of crested lark at the shelter every day, and if you walk just ten minutes there is a couple of great grey shrikes just to name a few! And lots of poppy's and cornflowers to make the picture complete.

We've been working with animals before and it was a pleasure to get this drive be satisfied again. That's what makes the difference. Being involved with animals for years this was still a VERY good place to open up our eyes again and see things as fresh. If you're involved with animal rights, veganism, diy, this is your place. The people are so cool, i'm not going to mention names, because we don't want to forget somebody.

All animals are treated very well, being looked after. This is a place of love. A place of change. These people mean really well. Support them!

There was just really one bad thing. Two weeks was way to short......

Lot's of love, keep fighting, we know you will!

We miss you (the first time we wright this I think!)
Bart & Taniya

(Excellent )

24/10/2018

Left by Workawayer (Dawn) for host

I spent three weeks in July helping Elisabeth and the animals and I wish I could have stayed longer! Being involved in the care of the rescued animals was a privilege and a pleasure and the support offered by Elisabeth and her amazing team of volunteers was wonderful. The accommodation was comfortable, clean and quiet and it was a very calm place… read more

(Excellent )

06/09/2018

Left by Workawayer (Drew & Alyssa) for host

We spent two weeks in August volunteering at this animal sanctuary. Elizabeth picked us up from the nearby train station and made sure we had everything we needed for our stay. We had our own room/living room at the farm with access to wifi & a kitchen. We had a great time taking care of the 14 pigs, many sheep, and two beautiful dogs. We felt… read more

(Excellent )

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Join our animal liberation and vegan sanctuary in Brandenburg, Germany

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