Volunteering with elephants

Namibia, a little known country North of South Africa, has a hidden jem in its desert adapted elephant population. I joined a project run by a company called Yomps in which volunteers spend two weeks camping in the desert, helping local farmers and the elephants to coexhist and spending time with these amazing animals. close up, in the extreme wild. Pure magic!

Namibia is in a unique position as one of the only countries in the world that actually has a growing elephant population. Of course, most people believe this to be a good thing, however it presents a problem for the people that live in the areas the elephants are returning to and conflicts between farmers and elephants are occuring.People living in areas now frequented by elephants are experiencing the destruction of their windmills and water dams, while elephants search for water.

Volunteers on the Yomps Elephant Conservation Project work with the local community to protect these vulnerable structures and also track and monitor the movements of elephant herds, allowing us to map their movements, providing some amazing visuals for the volunteers!

Taking time out to volunteer does not mean giving up on your career. Many companies now have career break/sabbatical policies in place, and may be willing to let you take unpaid leave to travel, especially if you a doing volunteer work.

Some volunteer companies can also provide you with a reference letter for your employer detailing what you will be doing and what new skills you will learn, which may help convince the boss!

This website provides a good overview of your options:

Yomps Career Break Advice