Volunteering in Namibia

YOUR IMPACT AS A VOLUNTEER

• Fight the eradication of the free-roaming desert elephant population in Namibia.
• Find practical solutions to combat elephant-human conflict that exists due to a battle for resources.
• Experience hands-on conservation by building walls and structures designed to allow elephants to access waterpoints without damaging them.
• Partake in elephant tracking, monitoring and documenting important updates to their behavioural and movement patterns.
• Create a difference in the lives of local communities and Namibia’s free-roaming desert elephants.

Where is the project?

The project takes you to the north-western regions of the Namib Desert, traditionally known as ‘Damaraland’. This tribal wilderness area runs parallel to the Skeleton Coast national park and is home to a small population of desert-dwelling elephants. The first week of the project will see you working with the local subsistence farmers, building protective walls around their water points, or constructing new water points for elephants away from homesteads and farms. The following week is spent assisting the project staff in following and monitoring the movements of the elephants on patrol, camping wild and living close to the earth, elephants and people.

Aims and Objectives:

This project is part of a long-term initiative to find solutions to the ever-growing problem of facilitating the peaceful co-habitation between the subsistence farmers and the desert adapted elephants through:

• Community Support
• Track, ID, Monitor
• Education, training

The project’s emphasis is on the building of protective structures around communal water points, creation of additional water points for elephants, assisting with, and teaching the farmers skills to financially benefit through tourism in the area, researching elephant movements, distribution and compiling identikits on herds and individuals.

We believe that through assisting these communities by constructing protective structures around water points, educating community members about elephant behaviour, creating alternative drinking points for the elephants and promoting tourism in the affected areas, we can assist in alleviating the current pressure facing communal farmers. Thereby helping to promote the future of the desert-dwelling elephants in harmony with the continuous positive development of the conservancies and their ideals.

Transport:

Everyone makes their way to the pickup point of Swakopmund, we will book your airport transfer and shuttle service through to this interesting coastal town, once we have your flight details. There are scheduled, safe and professional shuttles from Windhoek International Airport and Walvis Bay airport and the drivers will meet you in arrivals with a sign with your name on. On the Monday of the start of the project, the whole team will be transferred to the base camp in the project minibus!

EHRA Base Camp:

You will arrive at the Base Camp on Monday afternoon. The camp is situated on the northern bank of the Ugab River, which is home to two herds of desert elephants. You will return to the camp after each project section: after Build Week and after Patrol Week. In Base Camp, you will sleep on a big tree platform underneath the stars and listen to the elephants walk past. Although not fenced, the camp is safe and cosy. At Base Camp you will have showers and toilets (long drops)! It is built to be environmentally friendly, which means we only used local materials and blend into the surrounding environment. You will love it!

Back to Basics:

EHRA is one of the only organisations focusing on human-wildlife conflict mitigation, and we believe it is possible for both to coexist amicably. The majority of the work that we do is concentrated in the North West region of Namibia, known as the Southern Kunene region, which is considered one of the most stunning areas in the world. Its free-roaming desert elephants are among the most special wildlife you will ever see, and their ability to survive in the harsh conditions of the Namib Desert showcase nature at its best.

Expect to get sweaty, learn about conservation, make new friends, sleep under the stars and enjoy the natural surroundings. All cooking is done over the fire and we work in groups taking turns to be on kitchen duty, which includes providing ‘coffee-in-bed’ in the mornings, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Build Week:

The team set up a mobile camp at each project site you will work at. They have an enclosed and private long drop toilet, tents for getting changed in, and then everyone normally sleeps under the stars under shade and on a tarpaulin. We provide ‘bed rolls’ which are foam mattresses which roll up. Washing facilities are limited on site and they use wet wipes for cleaning! Meals are prepared on a rotational basis, over the fire and eaten around the campfire together. EHRA pride themselves on providing the most amazing camp meals with adequate vegetarian options. Examples of meals include Spaghetti Bolognese, Thai Curry and Roast Chicken. There is even an Apple Crumble cooked on the fire!

Patrol Week:

Whilst on patrol we sleep wild and under the stars! Toilets and showers are not available during this week.