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During your placement, you are granted special access to these Zimbabwe Parks, working in areas of vital conservation, off road and at night, which is prohibited for all other tourists. Each day will vary considerably as you take part in a wide range of activities, such as snare sweeping, elephant population counts, carnivore research and community education. Located just 3 hours from the mighty Victoria Falls, you will also have the opportunity to explore this amazing natural wonder.
This programme offers you a unique opportunity to work in the magnificent Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s premier wildlife destination, directly assisting the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management in the conservation of the Park, whilst also taking part in an exciting bush awareness and survival course.
During your placement, you are granted special access to the Park, working in areas of vital conservation, off road and at night, which is prohibited for all other tourists. Each day will vary considerably as you take part in a wide range of activities, such as snare sweeping, elephant population counts, carnivore research and community education.
The Volunteer Project
As a volunteer, you and your team will have access to the most remote areas of one of Africa's premier game reserves and its surrounding areas, where there are huge herds of elephant, buffalo, plains-game, lion and leopard. You will be helping to protect and conserve one of Africa's few remaining wildlife sanctuaries. You will work directly with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife in their conservation efforts, working inside the Hwange National Park and maintaining conservation areas bordering the park. You will be working alongside experienced ecologists and zoologists to gather essential data on various wildlife species and their habitats that will be used by the National Park rangers to add to the effectiveness of their conservation work in and around this National Park area.
Our aim is for this programme to be a type of ‘science camp’ for aspiring wildlife conservationists, researchers, zoologists, etc. You will have the chance to learn more about research methodologies and data capture under the supervision of our experienced project managers, whilst also filtering your knowledge through to the local communities and school children in a vital community and conservation scheme.
During this project, you will also experience a full bush survival awareness course, where you will go back to basics and learn all about the local environment of the bush and this delicate ecosystem, thus better preparing you for your time in Africa.
Volunteer Role
Your duties will be fairly varied on this programme and you will be expected to turn your hands to whatever is required at the time you're there. During your placement, you will have the opportunity to take part in some of the following conservation activities at Hwange National Park:
- Monitoring elephant damage to vegetation and working with the local community on the Elephant Pepper Project
- Maintenance of park’s infrastructure
- Mitigating the impact of the bush-meat trade on wildlife populations in HNP
- Estimation of Game Populations within HNP: Game counts and GPS tracking
- Induction programs and field guide training
- Snare Collection
- Removal of Snares from Animals
- Road Maintenance
The Bush Awareness Course
Your project will also include a one-week bush survival course. This course is an excellent foundation for the rest of your time spent on this expedition. We believe that anyone traveling to Africa as a volunteer for any length of time should be orientated properly and this course will enable you to make the most of your African experience through a deeper understanding of the environment and cultures in which you will be living and working. The course will introduce you to the flavours and tastes of Africa’s food, create awareness and understanding of the sites and sounds of the bush and instruct you on how to survive, to adapt, and appreciate the temperament of this tremendous continent.
Your course will involve various aspects of the following:
- Cultural Familiarisation
- Logistical Planning, Basic Tracking and Navigation
- Edible Plants and Animals
- Animal Identification and Tracks
- Basic Safety and Dangerous Animals
- Finding Water, Gathering Food and Building a Fire without Matches
- Basic First Aid
The Community and Conservation Project
We believe that our work in the Hwange area would be incomplete without contributions to the community. No Conservation Programme is complete without a community element. Community Outreach and Conservation Education is vital and needs to be conducted hand in hand with any field research implemented. It is important to explain to the local villagers the project aims, and why the project needs to be undertaken. Thus, you will have the chance to be involved in important work at the Red Cross Centre and their local Orphanage, whilst also talking to local villagers and explaining the project’s aims and how they can benefit and help in the wildlife conservation.
Africa is home to many orphaned children and at the Red Cross Centre in Dete alone there are 300 children currently being looked after. All time spent with the children is immeasurably important as many if not most have very few contact experiences and all they desire is attention and love which can be given by you. In addition to general time spent interacting with the children, volunteers assist with a variety of activities from collecting firewood to serving food and clearing up.
Project Age Limit
Minimum 17 years, maximum decided on potential participants’ health. An average or above average level of physical fitness is required for this programme.
Project Support
Throughout your stay in Africa you will have the support and guidance of experienced volunteer coordinators. They will be able to help you with any questions or advice you may need during your time on the project. In addition, you are also able to contact our UK staff 24 hours a day should you need to, via our emergency contact number.
Project Orientation
Upon arrival in Hwange all volunteers are involved in comprehensive 1-day orientation programme. This orientation is facilitated by your project volunteer coordinator and entails:
- You will receive your volunteer's manual, which includes information to help with your integration onto the project and provides further tips for your involvement at Hwange
- Introduction to all senior camp staff and heads of department
- Familiarisation with the area, including rivers, internal roads and tracks and some of the wildlife species in the areas that you will be working in
- Familiarisation with all duties you will be involved in
- The basic tools you require to carry out your duties
- You will have the chance to interact with many local villagers and staff during your placement; we therefore give a basic cultural briefing to all volunteers.
Accommodation and Meals
You will be based at our Safari Camp, which is situated on the border of Hwange National Park and a 10km drive from the entrance gate to Main Camp. Your rooms are simple and comfortable and you will be sharing with no more than three of your fellow volunteers. These rooms are single sex: The male rooms have separate toilet and shower facilities, whilst the girls have ensuite bathrooms for their use. You will have access to your own dining room and recreation room where Satellite TV, a library and various interactive games are available. The camp itself has tree and ground lodges, which are occupied by photographic tourists and all are set beneath a towering canopy of magnificent indigenous African trees. Use of the lodge swimming pool is extended to volunteers when the guests are away.
This is quite a busy safari camp and is a popular stopover for tourists. Meals are of a high standard and there is always plenty of food. Your home-from-home mother/cook, Gladys, will ensure that you never go hungry. Breakfast may consist of cereals, porridge, or fresh fruit, yoghurt and scones. Lunch may be cold meats and salads, burgers or lasagne – usually something not too heavy as the daytime temperatures can be quite high and this diminishes your appetite. At night delicious meals are served in a buffet style, after which volunteers are welcome to sit around the campfire and chill out.
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