Volunteer with us! | Hwangecommunityrhino

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COMMUNITY CONSERVATION

VOLUNTEERING ADVENTURE!

Learn, help and enjoy

A once in a lifetime opportunity for you to learn first-hand what community-based conservation means and help implement some programmes on the ground! You will learn about the complexities involved in balancing conservation and community needs and contribute to local efforts that support both people and wildlife.

Tourism

More about Imvelo Safari Lodges

Wildlife

More about Hwange National Park

Communities

More about the local people

Notre mission

Wildlife conservation

Support the Cobras Community Rhino Conservation Initiative’s canine unit with walks, patrols and tracking exercises
Support the Cobras scouts in patrols and snare recovery
Carry out rhino monitoring and research
Support our pumping water for wildlife efforts by joining “pump runs” to fix and repair solar hybrid units in and around Hwange National Park
Go on game drives in and around the Park to help spot and report on animals and share stories

Community development work

Acquire cultural insights into the lives of local people
Do a session on local craft making, prepare traditional meals, join the local sewing cooperative or support local young men herding cattle
Play games and sport with local children
Education: Carry out workshops and activities with local school children, provide teaching materials and resources for children and teachers, sort out and deliver stationary and supplies, support with mainteance work at schools …
Healthcare: sort and deliver supplies, support with building and maintenance work …
Water provision: support with repairing boreholes for communities …
Food provision: deliver food supplies, help in food gardens and field preparation, …

Notre mission

General management

Repairs and maintenance to vehicles, infrastructure, boreholes, fencing
Litter sweeps
Painting
Scrub clearing and habitat management
Fire fighting where necessary
Maintenance work around boreholes – troughs, trenches and piping
Distributions to schools , clinics etc

Familes welcome!

Families with children 12 years and above are invited to join the Imvelo Volunteer program to share in a once-in-a-lifetime trip, rich in experiences that will be sure to touch hearts and minds of both adults and children.

The program is filled with opportunities to learn and provide important perspective on the realities of this part of the world.

Throughout the course of your stay and through the exchange of stories on wildlife and people around the campfire.

Anti-poaching and security as well as bushcraft and survival skills
Animal tracking and spoor identification
Nature walks to explore Hwange birdlife and insect life
Importance and meaning of community-based conservation in the Hwange context
What safari companies like Imvelo Safari Lodges are doing and why it is so important
How the Community Rhino Conservaiton Initative is supporting both conservation and community development needs and the programme’s ambitions
How to empower local people, especially girls, to improve their livelihoods
How research may help inform decisions on the ground
How fundraising can and needs to be done to support both people and animals
What eco-tourism in these areas looks like and what it means to run a lodg

Conservation topics that are relevant and that you may also observe:

Elephant overpopulation in Hwange
The water situation in Hwange National Park
Human wildlife conflicts
Inspiring community-based conservation

“Overall the whole experience is just insane, mainly because of the whole culture shock and just the contrast to what we are used to in general. It’s going far out of my comfort zone being out in the bush. It’s made me want to come back.”

“I’m lucky to have experienced this. The people, the locals are just amazing. The culture and people themselves are so different, so open and friendly and real and genuine.”

“When I go home, I’ll figure it out, I know that it has changed me. I’ve done so much these last two weeks that I never thought I’d do in a lifetime.”

“Running with the Cobras, that was awesome. The first day when we were going to run with them, we were jogging and they started singing and the sunrise..that was like the most magical thing I have experienced in a long time.”

“It has been eye-opening. I feel like I’ve always been somewhat open minded, but…you need to come here to really see and understand what is happening – that’s been very humbling.”

During your time with us, you’ll have the opportunity to have some leisure time to enjoy the peace and quite of the bush, go on game drives to see wildlife and nature and to learn more about the area and its people.

We encourage volunteers to bring games (card games, balls etc) as our staff also like to get involved in games!

Check off your bucket list...Visit Victoria Falls!

To get to us in southern Hwange, we recommend you fly in and out of the world-famous Victoria Falls. It is a very special place and is worth-while to visit.

Please get in touch if you would like some help booking accommodation and activities, include a tour of the Falls, Zambezi river cruises, bungee jumps, rafting etc.

From Victoria Falls we will transfer you to Mlevu camp in southern Hwange, your volunteering destination!

Please note, expenses incurred in Victoria Falls are not covered in the pricing of the volunteering experience.

Our camp at Mlevu is located in between Ziga village (1-2km away) and Hwange National Park (a few meters), and it is within our second community rhino conservation sanctuary.

The camp is nice and rustic –firewood stoves for cooking, a campfire area for evening meals, and firewood geysers for hot showers. It has shared communal areas and shared chalets and tents with bathrooms for accommodation.

The camp is in a wooded area at the heart of Mlevu community rhino sanctuary, so there are opportunities to see birds, rhinos, elephants nearby.

There is unlimited WIFI. Three basic meals are provided as well as juice, teas and coffees. Soft drinks and alcoholic drinks can be purchased upon request.

It is about 14km from a local airstrip near Ngamo village and Ngamo clinic and a 3-hour drive from Tsholotsho Hospital.

1-3 weeks

$1,490 for one person for one week

$2,570 for one person for two weeks

$3,670 for one person for three weeks

*get in touch to discuss costs associated with longer stays and/or group bookings

ENQUIRE HERE!