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This position requires a 3-month volunteer commitment. Applicants with experience in animal care is required.
We are a vegan animal sanctuary seeking a candidate (one person or a couple) who is hardworking, passionate about helping with animals, and enjoys off-the-grid, simple living.
The Sanctuary is a completely volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located on 2 acres of land, providing sanctuary to 43 rescued animals. Our mission is to provide refuge for farmed animals in need and foster a culture of compassion towards all animals through public engagement and education.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity Work
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
Animal Care
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
The volunteer will learn about animal care in a sanctuary environment. Specifically, feedings, administering medications, cleaning enclosures, hoof care, bathes for special-needs birds, and more. We strive to give our rescued residents their fullest lives and have a team of approximately 90 weekly volunteers who make our Sanctuary a reality.
The volunteer will gain experience in gardening and landscaping. We have a variety of tropical/native plants at the Sanctuary and are continuing to remove invasive plants as we restore the land. Landscaping tasks can include weed-whacking, weeding, digging, moving mulch, preparing animal enclosures, and more.
Help
This position supports the day-to-day operations of running a farm animal sanctuary. We ask for a 3-month commitment as this position requires training. Due to the nature of our rescue work, animal-based products are not permitted on site.
Weekly tasks include assisting in animal caregiving shifts, helping special-needs animals, administering medications, gardening, landscaping, hosting volunteer days, online help, special projects, maintaining a clean facility, and more. See below for additional information about the various tasks!
Time Commitment:
- 25 hours per week of help
- 3-month minimum stay
Task Description:
- Animal Care: feedings, habitat care, medical care, hoof care, assisting in transport, assisting in emergencies, etc.
- Landscaping: weed-whacking, harvesting bananas, maintaining compost, moving mulch, leveling land, etc.
Qualifications:
- 18 years of age or older
- Valid drivers license
- Excellent communication and organizational skills
- Must be a team player
- Animal care experience (1-2 years required)
- Experience in veterinary medicine (1-2 years preferred)
Expectations:
- No animal-derived ingredients on-site
- Maintain a quiet and cleanly environment
- Reliable, responsible, and communicative
- Commitment to compassion-centered care
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
The volunteer is provided with an 8x14 raised structure, tucked away behind our mango tree. The walls of the shelter are made of an aluminum mesh screen material. The volunteer unit has a shared outdoor kitchen, private outdoor hot shower, and a solar system for charging basic devices such as a fan, laptop, or phone.
Bathroom:
The bathroom is a shared porta-potty that is used by visitors and volunteers, located at a central spot at the Sanctuary.
Internet:
Volunteers are provided with a mobile hotspot device. The Sanctuary is not responsible for slow internet connection.
Transportation:
The volunteer's primary method of transportation is the bus system.
Laundry:
The volunteer may use the on-site washer/dryer once per week, weather permitting, as all facilities are run off of solar power. A nearby laundromat is also available.
Kitchen:
The volunteer has an outdoor kitchen. The kitchen includes a gas stove with an oven, a fridge, a sink, wooden counters, airtight bins for non-perishable food storage, and basic kitchen supplies. The volunteer is responsible for maintaining their own groceries. All food must be vegan.
What else ...
The Sanctuary is adjacent to hikes, farmers markets, beaches, a botanical garden, Kaneohe Bay, and more!
Bus System
- 3-minute walk from nearest bus stop
Beaches
- 15-minute drive to the closest beach
- 30-minute drive to Kailua town
My time at the sanctuary was a beautiful and amazing experience. I enjoyed all that I learned, and aiding the rescued animals in anyway I could. Spending time with and helping animals in need made me feel so fulfilled and happy. I’ve had experience with domestic animals as a veterinary technician but I was able to expand some of my knowledge and… read more skill set on farm animals. I also helped with small projects and met/made friends with many volunteers. I was invited to events and even given an certificate award at the volunteer party :) I enjoyed the shelter and camp style life, was a beautiful nature view to wake up to everyday. If there was any workload issues or scheduling problems they were easily handled. I appreciated the efficient communication and how they did their best to make me comfortable and happy. As it is 100% volunteer ran, everyone has such love and compassion for the animals and the sanctuary. I’m blessed to have been part of the team and will always remember my time spent there and the beautiful souls I met. Hannah and the rest of the team are beyond amazing. Much love and would recommend to anyone!
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent
)
4 Nov 2022
Left by Workawayer (Corinna) for host
I stayed for 2 months at the Animal Sanctuary and I definitely learned a lot about animals/animal care. I also met a lot of dedicated and caring people. The sanctuary is run only by volonteers, so impressive! Hannah, the director of animal care, was my neighbor in the beginning, and i could always ask her if i had questions about anything. The… read more working schedule is from 8-2 mondays- fridays and it’s flexible in the way that you can start earlier to get off earlier. You stay on the property of the sanctuary, in a very private place. You have an outdoor shower & kitchen and a bed in the middle of the “jungle” :D If you like farmlife and camping you will definitely love it there! If you‘re also a big fan of chickens you will enjoy sharing your living place with two goofy roosters: pepe & moe. Pepe is really much like a dog, he will follow you wherever you will go and he is very friendly. Whereas moe is more the curious one and pepe‘s boss :D Concering work you will have different tasks like animal health care, taking care of the pigs, taking care of a lovely disabled duck (Fern) and give her lasertherapy or do landscaping and facility work. You will interact with pigs, goats, sheeps, chickens, ducks and cats. The place where you‘re gonna be staying is Kahalu‘u. There is a bus station only 3min from the sanctuary and you can go mostly everywhere by bus, it just takes a lot of time. That is why it’s not a bad idea to get a car when you’re there. For sanctuary proposes you’re allowed to use the sanctuary truck. You get every week a food stipend to buy yourself vegan food (100$) and there is also a lot of food growing at the sanctuary like bananas, mangos, breadfruit, papayas, etc. Very cool and the bananas are very delicious! Overall i had a great time and i met many great people, lovely animals, and i gained a lot of experiences!
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Very good
)
18 Jan 2022
Left by Workawayer (Emma) for host
It’s hard to put into words how much my time at AAS means to me. I had the opportunity to connect and care for previously farmed animals which is something I wanted for a long time. My passion for animal welfare only grew as a result of my time here. I met the most incredible people that I still keep in contact with to this day. I found a… read more community that accepted and welcomed me without any hesitations. I also had plenty of time for self-growth and exploring which was important to me. I always had a general idea of what my schedule would look like each week which is incredibly impressive given the unpredictable nature of animal sanctuaries. I learned so much about sustainability, gardening, landscaping, and even construction. Animal medical care was arguably my favorite task I completed pretty much daily. Hannah was not only an incredible supervisor, but a friend too. Working with and seeing all of the other volunteers weekly was also something I always looked forward to! I am so honored to have been a part of this community. I miss it all the time and would come visit again in a heartbeat!
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.7)
Cultural exchange:
(4.3)
Communication:
(5.0)
21 Nov 2022
Left by Workawayer (Rocio) for host
My time at the sanctuary was a beautiful and amazing experience. I enjoyed all that I learned, and aiding the rescued animals in anyway I could. Spending time with and helping animals in need made me feel so fulfilled and happy. I’ve had experience with domestic animals as a veterinary technician but I was able to expand some of my knowledge and… read more skill set on farm animals. I also helped with small projects and met/made friends with many volunteers. I was invited to events and even given an certificate award at the volunteer party :) I enjoyed the shelter and camp style life, was a beautiful nature view to wake up to everyday. If there was any workload issues or scheduling problems they were easily handled. I appreciated the efficient communication and how they did their best to make me comfortable and happy. As it is 100% volunteer ran, everyone has such love and compassion for the animals and the sanctuary. I’m blessed to have been part of the team and will always remember my time spent there and the beautiful souls I met. Hannah and the rest of the team are beyond amazing. Much love and would recommend to anyone!
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
4 Nov 2022
Left by Workawayer (Corinna) for host
I stayed for 2 months at the Animal Sanctuary and I definitely learned a lot about animals/animal care. I also met a lot of dedicated and caring people. The sanctuary is run only by volonteers, so impressive! Hannah, the director of animal care, was my neighbor in the beginning, and i could always ask her if i had questions about anything. The… read more working schedule is from 8-2 mondays- fridays and it’s flexible in the way that you can start earlier to get off earlier. You stay on the property of the sanctuary, in a very private place. You have an outdoor shower & kitchen and a bed in the middle of the “jungle” :D If you like farmlife and camping you will definitely love it there! If you‘re also a big fan of chickens you will enjoy sharing your living place with two goofy roosters: pepe & moe. Pepe is really much like a dog, he will follow you wherever you will go and he is very friendly. Whereas moe is more the curious one and pepe‘s boss :D Concering work you will have different tasks like animal health care, taking care of the pigs, taking care of a lovely disabled duck (Fern) and give her lasertherapy or do landscaping and facility work. You will interact with pigs, goats, sheeps, chickens, ducks and cats. The place where you‘re gonna be staying is Kahalu‘u. There is a bus station only 3min from the sanctuary and you can go mostly everywhere by bus, it just takes a lot of time. That is why it’s not a bad idea to get a car when you’re there. For sanctuary proposes you’re allowed to use the sanctuary truck. You get every week a food stipend to buy yourself vegan food (100$) and there is also a lot of food growing at the sanctuary like bananas, mangos, breadfruit, papayas, etc. Very cool and the bananas are very delicious! Overall i had a great time and i met many great people, lovely animals, and i gained a lot of experiences!
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Very good)
18 Jan 2022
Left by Workawayer (Emma) for host
It’s hard to put into words how much my time at AAS means to me. I had the opportunity to connect and care for previously farmed animals which is something I wanted for a long time. My passion for animal welfare only grew as a result of my time here. I met the most incredible people that I still keep in contact with to this day. I found a… read more community that accepted and welcomed me without any hesitations. I also had plenty of time for self-growth and exploring which was important to me. I always had a general idea of what my schedule would look like each week which is incredibly impressive given the unpredictable nature of animal sanctuaries. I learned so much about sustainability, gardening, landscaping, and even construction. Animal medical care was arguably my favorite task I completed pretty much daily. Hannah was not only an incredible supervisor, but a friend too. Working with and seeing all of the other volunteers weekly was also something I always looked forward to! I am so honored to have been a part of this community. I miss it all the time and would come visit again in a heartbeat!
You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
(Excellent)
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If you are NOT a US CITIZEN and are planning to visit to work, volunteer or study, YOU WILL NEED THE CORRECT VISA. To find out more information you need to contact the embassy in your home country BEFORE travelling. Do NOT attempt to enter the USA without the correct visa!
Charity Work
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
Animal Care
General Maintenance
