Head deep in to the Namibian desert, where elephants and humans have forged a life for themselves living alongside each other. Life can be tough for both humans and elephants in this orange wilderness, as both compete for water, the key to survival. This family volunteer project is designed to open you up to life in a desert community, getting to know the locals and helping to improve the facilities in their local school. Through the work you do in the community, you will learn about the elephants that roam the desert, and how their lives are intertwined.
What will we be doing?
The first part of your project will be spent as part of the local school, helping to paint the classrooms and the children’s dormitories. Sadly the school doesn’t have the facilities to be able to do this otherwise, and it is a great way to become part of this small community. You will join the assembly in the morning, get involved with some of the lessons and interact with the pupils in their sports and crafts clubs after school. Education here is essential, as these children will go on to be guardians of the elephants and so understanding their environment is the key to the survival of these gentle giants.
The second component of this volunteer project is to track and monitor elephants in the wild, enabling the authorities to better understand and protect these gentle giants in Namibia. Seeing elephants living in the wild is certainly an incredible privilege and one of the many great highlights of this project. Children love learning to spot and track the elephants – not always an easy task with their camouflage!
Follow the link to see the full family volunteering itinerary.
Where will we be based?
This trip starts and ends in the seaside town of Swakopmund. Sandwiched between towering sand dunes and the crashing Atlantic Ocean, its location is second to none. We would recommend staying on in the area after you finish your time in the desert to enjoy sandboarding, quad biking, desert tours and dolphin cruises- to name but a few activites!
The actual project is located 4 hours into the Namib desert. Its location is rural, and you should expect to be away from phone signal and wifi for the duration of the time that you are away. Perfect for those escaping from office life!
Accommodation and food
One of the most exciting parts of this project is to really experience desert life, unchanged for many hundreds of years. You will be camping in the desert with your family, cooking around camp fires and going to sleep under a thick blanket of stars. This lifestyle is really rather rustic, which is all part of its charm.
Life revolves around the large fire where you will cook and make tea and coffee- a staple in the desert! Each day one family will be in charge of food preparation, and as such you can learn all about bush craft and cooking on fires. The food is delicious and not once in the trip will you have the same dish twice.
During the first part of your trip you will have an outdoor western style composting toilet, whilst during the tracking week you will be armed with a spade and a lighter to burn the toilet paper! Shower facilities are only available until you head off for your elephant patrol.
When should I book?
Whilst late-availability is possible, we would advise booking as soon as you can to guarantee your ideal dates. Our projects are very popular and spaces can fill up several months in advance, especially for the months of June to September.
