Description

The Amakhala Volunteer Programme is the veins behind the heartbeat of reserve conservation. For those volunteers seeking an experience to explore a corner of Africa and all its inhabitants, Amakhala will not disappoint. All aspects of conservation are addressed in your experience, no matter how short your time with us. Amakhala Game Reserve is continuously monitoring and managing game throughout the year.

As an Amakhala Volunteer, you will assist behind the scenes of the reserve on various ongoing conservation and community projects but your primary responsibility will be managing the lions. This doesn't mean petting the animals but monitoring them and checking the fence lines. Community support is also an important aspect with regular visits to community projects. The rest of the day is filled with tasks and duties based around Amakhala. You may also have the chance to assist with many ongoing short and long term projects on the reserve.

Amakhala is actively managed as a protected area. The reserve combines the expertise of the owners as well as external consultants to achieve this. Reserve duties at any one time may change, which means no week at Amakhala is the same. Below is a summary of possible activities that you are likely to be involved in during your time on the reserve.

Possible Reserve Activities:

* Animal Tracking using telemetry
* Assisting vulnerable children and aids orphans
* Birds in Reserves Project
* Game Counts
* Giraffe movement and breeding monitoring
* Lion health and breeding monitoring
* Local community sustainability
* Territorial ranges and feeding range monitoring
* Erosion control
* Fence patrol and maintenance
* Herbarium development
* Alien plant control
* Bush clean and clear up
* Road maintenance
* Boma maintenance
* Game capture, counts and monitoring
* Medicinal use of plants and vegetation biomes
* Guided walks, tracking and trails through the reserve
* Nocturnal predator monitoring
* Wetland restoration
* Possible Off-Reserve Activities
* Providing basic pre-school education at the Isipho Centre
* Get involved in active sport games at Isipho to aid children's health and fitness
* Relocation and renovation of the Isipho vegetable plot
* Bi-annual neutering of stray dogs and cats in and around the Amakhala townships
* Setup of the Indigenous nursery.

Other Possible Activities:
* Bush camping
* Navigation and Compass Orientation
* Xhosa Bush Tour
* Target shooting
* Canoeing
* Boating
* Fishing
* 5-Star Lodge Experience
* Dissections
* Darting and relocations
* Game drives

Highlights

Volunteers are accommodated in a one-storey 7-bedroom house, which overlooks a large garden and within walking distance of the local bar and basic shops. Most of the rooms are doubles, with shared bathrooms.

A communal dining and sitting room with digital satellite TV is central to the house, with well equipped kitchen and office space adjoining. A sun room provides additional seating room where the internet and telephone is available. The house also has an outside seating area with braai (BBQ) and fire pit for chilly nights and social gatherings.

Your home whilst working on Amakhala Game Reserve will be in the town of Paterson in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. This town was once an important railway link until steam trains were derailed in the 1980's. By 1996, the rail functions had been transferred to the city of Port Elizabeth and Paterson became semi-dormant.

The farming community of Paterson saw a clash of domestic and wild animal hunting interests, which caused the eradication of 'problem animals'. Substantial parts of the area since have become sanctuaries for wildlife and nature-based conservation. The last 200 years have seen dramatic changes in the farming and conservation around Paterson, with several farms diversifying into game reserves.

The local community is actively involved in the running of these game reserves, retraining from farmers and labourers into maintenance and service workers. Paterson has since become a busy town offering a Cafe, coffee and cheese shop, fuel stations, - take-away restaurant, 2 mini-supermarkets, a post office and the popular Sandflats Public House.

Type of Programs

• Community Service / Volunteerism

Languages

• English
• French
• Irish
• Italian
• Swahili

Cost in US$:

Cost Includes:

• Emergency evacuation services
• Food
• Housing
• Living stipend
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• Registration fees
• Written materials abroad

Program Fees Include:

* Accommodation for duration of stay
* All meals
* Reserve activities

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

• Animal Welfare
• Community Development
• Conservation
• Recreation

Age Range

16+

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Apartment/Flat
• Group living
• Guest House

Application Process Involves

• Other

Typically The Application Process Time is

1 - 7 Days

Gap Africa Projects's Mission Statement

Our aim is to offer the best in Gap Year Volunteer experiences and career breaks to continent of Africa and to continue with the sustainability and development of the volunteer projects that we support through our international volunteer recruitment.

Year Founded

2010