Fancy some monkeying around?

Monkey business is certainly allowed on this project which is set in a stunning area of South Africa close to the wilderness of the world-famous Kruger National Park. The Vervet Foundation is a huge rehabilitation centre and currently looks after around 500 monkeys, so there will be plenty of opportunities to meet the cute little things. Your time may be spent caring for injured or orphaned monkeys, doing general maintenance work around the centre and contributing towards the building of new facilities. In your spare time you can even take advantage of the great location and enjoy the country’s animals in the wild.

What does the sanctuary do?

The Vervet Monkey Foundation operates the biggest rehabilitation centre for injured and orphaned monkeys in South Africa. Currently this very busy centre looks after over 500 monkeys. Monkeys taken into the centre sadly cannot be released into the wild due to various restrictions that class them as vermin in many states in South Africa, so the sanctuary offers the monkeys a vital salvation which is made to be as close as possible to their natural environment.

Why does the project need volunteers?

You're needed to help care for the monkeys, supporting all their daily needs; from cleaning their cages to feeding them. Without volunteer help these needy monkeys would not be able to live safely and happily in a habitat close to their real one.

Your role as a volunteer

Working directly with the world-renowned primatologist Arthur Hunt, volunteers primarily look after indigenous vervet monkeys. Monkeys taken into the centre sadly cannot be released into the wild due to various restrictions that class them as vermin in many states in South Africa. Arthur works hard to introduce the new monkeys into troops so that they can live as they would in the wild. Because of their long term residence, the enclosures at the centre are very large and require a lot of maintenance. Typical tasks include:

• Sterilizing and washing basins, buckets, baby bottles and cages
• Preparing food (this needs to be done for 500 monkeys daily!)
• Helping to feed the monkeys
• Helping to care for sick, injured, young and recently introduced monkeys
• Helping to build new facilities
• Maintenance of the land and current facilities

Currently there are three new camps; each camp has a capacity of 25,000 cubic metres – room for seventy to eighty monkeys to live in comfortably.

Accommodation included

You'll be staying in tented camps and facilities are basic, for the ultimate wilderness experience!

Project resources and advice

You'll be provided with all the necessary materials and equipment during your time at the project.

Food included

Three meals a day included in your placement fee. Simple but nutritious meals will be provided and volunteers may be asked to assist with cooking. All meals are vegetarian friendly.

Airport pick-up included

You will be met at the airport if arriving on the scheduled arrival date . Please book your flight to arrive into Johannesburg. Oliver Thambo international (airport code JNB), we advise you arrive before 16.00 to avoid missing your orientation in the afternoon.

Things that you'll need to organize yourself

• Flights
• Insurance
• Visa costs
• Optional cultural add-ons - please contact i-to-i for more details
• Return airport transfer

Where the project is based

The project is based near Tzaneen, about six hours from Johannesburg. Tzaneen is a large town which has most facilities including internet access. The project is in a rural location and you will need to rely on lifts to get into town.

You don’t need to be a specialist or rocket scientist to take part in this experience, but a little love, care, patience, commitment and enthusiasm will go a long way! Keeping an open mind will also help you enjoy the best experience possible. It will also help if you have the following:

• You should have a love of animals and the outdoors

What exactly do i-to-i provide?

It may seem like a strange concept to pay for your volunteer experience. You'd be right if you think you shouldn't and the truth is you actually don't! Your placement is free; it's the benefits around it that you pay for. It's important to note that i-to-i is a travel company and not a charity. We provide a professional travel service. We are responsible for finding and assessing worthwhile projects across the world, preparing you for the volunteering experience and supporting you whilst you're there.

Here’s some more information about what your placement fee covers….

Project sourcing and assessment

We work with hundreds of locally run partner projects around the world and are constantly sourcing new opportunities. We visit all projects to check that they are worthwhile and legitimate and we also conduct a thorough safety assessment before we'll send volunteers there. More

Expert help-desk

Almost everyone who works for i-to-i has traveled extensively or worked overseas. This means we're a goldmine of information; we're always available to offer support and guidance before, during and after your trip.

Thorough project briefing materials

Once you book on to a project you'll receive a Welcome Pack that contains loads of general information about volunteering, about your chosen country and project, and a DVD about how to have fun and stay safe. We'll also give you advice on visas and inoculations.

TEFL training

If you are volunteering on a Teaching or Community Development project then a 40-hour Online TEFL course is included in your placement fee. This is an internationally recognised and accredited certificate that will help you to make the most of your time overseas. More

Airport pickup

It can be pretty daunting arriving in a different country for the first time… especially after a long flight! If you arrive on your project start date, there'll be a welcoming face at the airport to pick you up and take you to your accommodation.

Arrival orientation

Soon after you arrive you will attend a thorough orientation with our in-country team. This is to cover important safety and security information. You'll also get some tips about sight-seeing options for your time off and maybe even learn some of the local lingo!

Accommodation and meals

Accommodation is included with all projects and meals are even included with some. We only use locally-owned and operated accommodation so that part of your placement fee is filtering back into the local economy. Most projects offer homestay, guesthouse or shared volunteer houses as standard accommodation, but some offer the chance to upgrade to a more comfortable living standard. More

Local in-country coordinators

Your in-country coordinator (ICC) will pick you up from the airport and conduct your orientation upon arrival. All ICC's are English speaking and are locals of your destination country. They won't be at your project every day, but will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need them. More

24/7 emergency support

Aside from the local support from your in-country coordinators you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by i-to-i staff in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals Docleaf to be on hand in case of a situation that requires additional expert support. More

Ongoing training

The safety and security of our volunteers is paramount. For this reason we provide ongoing crisis management and emergency response training to our local teams around the world. At the end of 2006 we flew all our in-country coordinators to the UK for thorough training to help them offer the best safety to the thousands of volunteers they support each year. More

Supporting our projects

We don't fund our projects directly, but once a year they are all invited to apply for funding for special projects or resources from our registered charity arm, the i-to-i Foundation. i-to-i funds the operation of the i-to-i Foundation and is the largest single donor. Along with the generous support of our volunteers, we have distributed over US$200,000 in funding in the last two years alone! More  

Recruiting people like you

We make no secrets of the fact that part of your placement fee is reinvested in to recruiting volunteers just like you! The volunteers recruited in one week will typically deliver over 2000 man-days of service. The difference this makes to projects overseas is immeasurable. Many of our overseas projects rely on assistance from international volunteers, so it's necessary for us to put together brochures and websites to find the people who can support them. This recruitment process is vital to ensure programs have a constant stream of reliable volunteers.

The intangible benefits

Volunteering through a company like i-to-i has a lot of intangible benefits to developing overseas communities and the individual projects that we work with. To find out more about our placements. click here

What we will do after you've booked:

• Once booked on you will instantly receive a welcome email confirming your booking with access to your online account
• We will send a Welcome Pack in the post containing further information and a t-shirt, the information in this pack should answer most things you need to know
• Community Development and Teaching customers will receive an email introducing them to their Online TEFL course
• Community Development and Teaching customers will be requested to complete a police check (where relevant) or send through a reference
• We will contact you if we require anything else e.g. CV/resume for some projects, doctors note for medical conditions etc.
• We will hound you to complete your forms and pay your final balance when they are due
• We are available for any questions you may have on 800 352 1794 or operations@i-to-i.com
• We will prepare for your trip and send you an email with final project and accommodation confirmation 21 days before you go

What you need to do after booking your place with us:

• Book your flights
• Arrange suitable travel insurance
• Fill out some extra details through our online interface:
  • application from
  • travel details
  • insurance details
  • medical information
  • emergency contacts
• Complete your police check or request your reference (where relevant)
• Do your Online TEFL Course (where relevant)
• Make final payment at least 60 days before you go
• Make sure you have a visa for your trip if its needed
• Visit a nurse or travel clinic for advice on inoculations and malaria prevention
• Read all details and prepare as much as you can for your trip
• Take contact details of the in country team and where you're going in your hand luggage - just in case!
• Get on the plane!

Orientation Information

The following information details what will happen during the first few days of your arrival. We aim to provide you with a safe and soft landing into your destination by picking you up from the airport, giving you an orientation that helps to settle you into the country as quickly as possible. This is also the best time to ask any questions you have about your time in South Africa.

You will arrive on the Arrival Date - Monday and will be met at the airport (we recommend you arrive before 16.00 in order to attend your orientation at 17.00).

You will be taken to the Pretoria Backpackers (see contact details below) where you will have the first day/night to recover from your flight.
The hostel has a bar that also serves food and an internet terminal so that you can write home if you need to. It is located within walking distance of the main shops if you wish to have a wander – just ask at reception for directions.

Note: If you are arriving early and making your own arrangement please be at the address
below on the arrival date before 17.00 for your orientation:

Pretoria Backpackers
425 Farenden Street
Clydesdale
South Africa
+27 (0)12 343 9754
http://www.pretoriabackpackers.net/home/

Your orientation will take place at 17:00 on the arrival date at Pretoria Backpackers and will introduce you to life in South Africa as well as important information about staying healthy and safe. The orientation will be held as an informal session with some fun things too!

You will stay at Pretoria Backpackers on Monday night before transferring to your permanent accommodation on the Tuesday. The transfer will be arranged for you by the team; transfers vary according to distance but will be from 1-2 hours up to 8 hours for the Monkey Sanctuary. Tuesday will also be the first day that you meet your project and start working as a volunteer.

From here on in you will spend your time with the project but the in-country team are there if you need them.

Insurance

It's important that you get adequate travel insurance for your i-to-i experience and as many of you will be working this often means standard policies won’t work. The good news is that no matter where your coming from we have already found a policy to suit you.

The best time to get your insurance is when you book your project as this means you can get a fully tailored policy exclusive to i-to-i, just ask your consultant for further details at the time of booking.

If you have already booked but still need insurance then you may still be able to take our tailored policy. If, however it was more than a few days ago then try the links below:

Australian customers - find out more here >>

All other customers - find out more here >>

Flights

As with insurance we advise you get these booked as early as possible to avoid high prices and to make sure you arrive on the right day. The i-to-i team is right up to date with the best deals no matter where you’re flying from; their insider knowledge could save you some time and money.