Many of our volunteers will deal with Globalteer's Candice as you go through the process of applying and preparing for your Globalteer placement. And if you take up a placeent at one of our Peruvian projects in Cusco, then you will also get to meet her.
Recently, however, Candice took a trip to lower altitudes and spent some time volunteering at our lovely Peru Amazon Wildlife Sanctuary in the Amazon Rainforest. Continuing our series of "Postcards from the projects", Candice tells us all about her time in the jungle!
"From the moment I met the project director at the airport I knew I was going to love my time at the project. She was so welcoming and lovely, and she made staying at the project more like you were just visiting family, as she treats all visitors and volunteers as if they were her family.
It was also inspiring to be around someone who is so clearly passionate about what she does, and doing it for the right reasons – she knows the name of every animal at her shelter (past and present) and talks about them as if they were her own children."
Chilling out at The Sanctuary
"The site of the project was lovely. I liked staying right in the middle of the shelter knowing the animals were so close by – I could even hear the parrots chatting from my room which was really amusing; especially as one of them would mimic a child’s laughter. I love being right in nature, so being surrounded by the rainforest was so relaxing (especially as there is no phone reception there so I was able to fully immerse myself and enjoy the project without the distractions that technology brings to our everyday life) – even though there was some hard work involved I came back feeling very relaxed and peaceful. The accommodation is basic but I liked that, it added to the feeling of really being in the rainforest."
You shouldn't have favourites, but...
"Without a doubt my favourite animal was the baby sloth. I have always loved sloths and always wanted to see one for myself, so when I found out on the way to the sanctuary that they were currently caring for a baby sloth I could barely contain my excitement.
"Getting to help look after the baby sloth and help with her feeding was an amazing experience that I never had expected to get. Its cute little noises and the faces it would pull are etched into my brain forever.
"There was also a baby howler monkey who was being treated after being attacked by an older male – I love him because he had such a big personality for such a little thing, he was so playful and funny, but I loved the way he would sulk like an actual toddler when he didn’t want to do something (like go to bed) – I’ll never forget how he ran up my arm, hugged my head and tried to hide when the staff tried to take him back to his enclosure for bed."
My volunteer duties
"While I was there I was mostly assisting with was preparing the food for all the animals – it was interesting to learn about the different diets of the different animals. Also taking the food to the enclosure was cool because that’s when you get to meet the animals up close; and seeing the different eating habits of the different species (and even the different individuals within the species) was fascinating.
"Some of the animals I met will unfortunately have to be there for their whole lives (for varying circumstances) but it makes me really happy to know that some of them will get to return to where they belong and that the ones that will have to stay are at least in a shelter where they are truly loved and cared for.
"I arrived at the sanctuary the same day as another Globalteer volunteer and after only just a day she said it was one of the best experiences she had had so far. I myself absolutely loved the project - I was quite tempted to stay there and not go back to Cusco!"
How you can help
You can find out more about this project and how to volunteer with the likes of the lovable baby sloth and toddling howler monkey by clicking here.