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Long Term Volunteering
The OFI Fellows Program offers individuals a rare opportunity to travel abroad and witness firsthand the impact and realities of wildlife and habitat protection, by working at OFI’s Orangutan Care Center in Pasir Panjang, Kalimantan. The OFI Fellow is an unpaid, volunteer based position designed to increase OFI’s impact and to offer participants a unique insider experience. Orangutan Foundation International protects 6,000 wild orangutans in Tanjung Puting National Park, in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Facilities include the Orangutan Care Center, which rehabilitates 330 young orangutans and prepares them for return to the wild, 16 guard posts throughout the park and numerous staffed feeding stations. Volunteering for OFI can have a big impact — on your life and the lives of the thousands of orangutans we fight to protect. Each year, OFI is grateful to receive many kind inquiries from volunteers willing to spend weeks, months, even years in Kalimantan, helping in the Orangutan Care Center or in Tanjung Puting National Park.
Except for the positions listed, OFI is not currently setup to accommodate volunteers in the field. We are proud to be a major employer in Pasir Panjang (home of the Care Centre.) Each job we create for Indonesians represents proof that environmental conservation and economic development can go together.For our successful long-term volunteers, OFI is pleased to be able to offer letters of reference that will serve as testimony of their dedication to our organization and the quality of the contribution they have made to our cause. Volunteers are expected to submit a final report on what they have learned, experienced, and accomplished during their tenure with OFI.
About the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCC&Q)
The OCC&Q is situated in the village of Pasir Panjang, a 15 minute drive from the small city of Pangkalan Bun. This city has an airport and is situated in the south of the province of Kalimantan Tengah, Borneo, Indonesia. Living conditions are basic, with limited running water, no landlines or Internet. Internet is available a 10 minute ride away in the town. Most of the locals speak rudimentary or no English. Languages are Indonesian and local Dayak dialect. The OCC&Q houses over 300 orphaned orangutans, most of who are being prepared for release. The majority of individuals are under 10 years old. The Centre consists of a central clinic and units housing the older individuals, while the outlying juvenile units and the medical quarantine facility are set in the surrounding 80 hectare forest. Most of the orangutans are very well-habituated to humans. They arrive in the OCC&Q by confiscation from homes, black markets, entertainment industry, and abusive zoos.
Life at the OCC&Q
Volunteers work on a daily basis in the Orangutan Care Centre and Quarantine in Pasir Panjang. The staff working hours are 8:00 to 16:00, with a lunch break at around noon. If desired, the volunteer may take one day off a week. Living arrangements are typically with a local family homestay. The quality of care in the homes varies, from simple room accommodation to cooking and laundry. OFI makes an effort to arrange homestays for all its interns and volunteers, but there is an element of unpredictability in any such arrangements. In case of emergency, hotel/motel accommodations are present in Pangkalan Bun and even closer to Pasir Panjang. Food is provided to local staff and all willing volunteers in the Care Centre twice a day (breakfast and lunch). The fare is simple but healthy (usually rice and vegetables or tofu). Dinner is the responsibility of the volunteer (homestay families may cook for their guests).
Critical Success Factors
Successful OFI Fellows tend to share certain skills and characteristics:
- Experience traveling, working or volunteering in developing, tropical nations
- High degree of flexibility, open-mindedness, creativity and optimism
- Strong interest in orangutans and other endangered wildlife
- Dedication to working in the field in primitive conditions
- Ability and commitment to fundraise for the trip
Program Costs and Requirements:
Volunteer positions are unpaid. The volunteer is responsible for flights, internal transportation, visas and health insurance. Successful applicants will receive an assignment of four to six months. OFI will organize a homestay with a host family. Room and board ranges from $200-$250 USD a month. The complete cost of a four-month volunteer experience originating from North America is approximately $3,400 USD. The following documents are required from all volunteers prior to departure:
- Proof of vaccinations of: hepatitis A and B, typhoid, tetanus (Vaccination book scans/photocopies, or a health certificate from a doctor)
- Negative tests results from the following diseases:
- Tuberculosis
- HIV
- Proof of medical insurance (including emergency evacuation)
- Proof of travel abroad insurance
- Signed work contract
- Signed confidentiality agreement
How to Apply For a Position in the Volunteer Fellows Program:
Admission to the volunteer program is competitive. To apply, please follow these steps:
- All applicants must be members in good standing of OFI. To join OFI, please visit: http://www.orangutan.org/how-to-help/donate-to-orangutans. The fee is $35 for a student or senior membership.
- Fill out the Long-term volunteer application form at: Volunteer Application Form
- Submit the following documents toofivolunteer@gmail.com
- Proof of OFI membership
- Cover letter
- Resume
- Two references
You will receive a return reply from one of our volunteer coordinators within one week. Please note that all of our volunteer coordinators are themselves volunteers, so please be patient if there is an occasional communications delay. The following are positions in our volunteer program. Please note that not all positions are available at all times.
OFI Borneo Communications Fellow Program
Job Description
The OFI Communications Fellow is a position well-suited to energetic and innovative individuals. The Communications Fellow is an integral part of the OFI Team, acting as OFI’s eyes and ears in the field and helping to extend limited resources to maximum effect. The Communication Fellow’s dual background in both communication and conservation allows him or her to be at home amidst the confusion of the Orangutan Care Centre while translating the action to a public presentation for the global OFI community. This requires correct interpretation of events and engaging, appropriate presentation through various forms of communication media. Communication Fellows gain experience and insight, and contribute fresh thinking, into a critically important aspect of conservation – involvement of the international public. OFI has a long and established history as a research, conservation and education organization. It is vitally important that this work continues to be brought to the attention of the public, and the friends and donors involved with OFI. OFI Fellows fulfill tasks set out in a Work Plan defined by OFI. The Fellow is based in the Orangutan Care Centre and works closely with OFI’s North American staff and volunteer team.
Work Plan:
- Connect OFI donors who have adopted orangutans to their adoptees by getting to know the orangutans in the care centre, observing the behavior and personalities, communicating with the stuff for unique stories and quirks, photographing the infants; subsequently,compiling the information and presenting it in attractive format for the bi-annual updates.
- Co-supervise the on-the-spot orphan orangutan adoptions which visitors to the Care Centre can sign up for. This involves regularly sending new donor information to the OFI head office in Los Angeles.
- Participate in production of monthly eNewsletter and bi-annual printed PongoQuest newsletter. Specifically: write articles and collect other written and visual material, edit the newsletter, help with formatting, etc.
- Contribute material to OFI’s main website by writing diverse articles on events and news, as well as day-to-day points of interest, about work in the Care Centre. Articles are meant to be multi-faceted and diverse so as to appeal to the wide range or visitors to the website.
- Keep OFI’s other communication channels (Facebook page, MySpace, daily blog, Ning volunteer site) updated and current with material suitable to the channel’s audience (e.g. new arrivals to the centre, Photo of the Week).
- Photograph significant events, orangutans, OFI staff, jungle flora and fauna, and other subjects as needed by the OFI team. At the end of the fellowship, submit non-personal photography for OFI’s educational and marketing use and reference.
- Develop innovative ways to facilitate connections via creative journaling, YouTube video, and other means.
- Create blog entries, visuals, and other updates to help build the rich content that encourages OFI donors to adopt orangutans and to renew their adoptions
- Be the link between the OFI team in North America and the other OFI interns on the ground in Kalimantan. Duties would include airport pick-ups, introducing new volunteers to the rest of the team and staff, emailing on behalf of volunteers out in the field, if necessary, and other tasks as needed..
- Help OFI by gathering field data and partnering with remote OFI staff to create grant proposals and to fulfill the reporting requirements for existing funding.
- Communicate regularly with OFI, preferably daily or once every other day.
- Understand and promote OFI policies.
- Provide updates and feedback through weekly progress reports and a final end-of-fellowship report within one month of returning.
- Complete other tasks for OFI as needed.
The tasks outlined above are only the standard responsibility of the communications intern. Every tenure will also involve one or more special projects which will address the communication, outreach and fundraising needs of OFI on and off the field at the time.
Job-Specific Requirements:
- Excellent writing skills
- Strong interest in orangutans and other endangered wildlife
- Familiarity and comfort with various web applications
- Dedication to working in the field under primitive conditions
- Experience in working with teams of people of very diverse backgrounds and personalities
- Some experience with photography and video filming, and ability to bring own camera with video capabilities to the field.
- Sincere interest in the history and culture of Southeast Asia
- Fluency or some communication ability in Bahasa Indonesia
- Background in environmental sciences
OFI Environmental Enrichment Fellow
Introduction:
The OFI Fellows Program offers individuals a rare opportunity to travel abroad and witness firsthand the impact and realities of wildlife and habitat protection, by working at OFI’s Orangutan Care Center in Pasir Panjang, Kalimantan. The OFI Fellow is an unpaid, volunteer based position designed to increase OFI’s impact and to offer participants a unique insider experience. Job Description:
The goal of the Environmental Enrichment Fellow is to improve existing and create new ways of enriching the conditions under which the orangutans at the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCC&Q) are housed. While most individuals are taken into the jungle daily, it is important that the time they spend in their night cages is comfortable, stimulating and as stress-free as possible.
Work Plan:
Enrichment activities are coordinated by the local Enrichment specialist who works at the Care Center. The two Enrichment Fellows work closely with this person and share the duties, as well as bringing their own unique skills to the task. The Enrichment Fellow Fellows will start work at 8 AM as all staff and volunteers at the Care Center. Their routine daily duties will include:
- Preparing behavioral enrichment, including food treats such as rattan balls with peanuts and raisins inside, pipes with jam or peanut butter, coconuts, ice flavored with fruit syrup, jelly and popcorn, etc.
- Providing items such as sacks, towels, boxes etc for play and forage opportunities
- Going with staff daily to collect branches for browse and nest-making material
- Shopping for materials when needed
- Making additional environmental enrichment items such as tire swings, hammocks, puzzle feeders, forage boxes etc.
- Cooperate with the Coordinator to file a guided weekly report
Lunch break is noon-1 pm, and the work day wraps up at 4 PM. The Enrichment Fellows are expected to exercise their past experience and creativity by coming up with novel, ingenuous ways to keep orangutans engaged and active in their environment. This will include creating new toys, games, or using cheap and readily available materials in the Care Center or the village to improve the quality of life for the orangutans.
Position Duration:
There are two Enrichment Fellows at the Care Center on an ongoing basis. The length of this position is 4 months or more to be determined by you before coming to Indonesia. Another volunteer will replace you immediately before or after your departure.
Job-Specific Requirements:
- Education requirements: some education in biology, animal behaviour, wildlife biology, animal husbandry or other relevant fields.
- Experience requirements: Some experience in animal care and husbandry, zoo experience, veterinary experience, and/or education in animal husbandry, care and psychology. Ideally, this candidate will have had experienced in primate care and in habitat enrichment specifically.
- Skill requirements: knowledge of animal behaviour, ability to work with challenging, heavy materials, calmness in work with potentially unpredictable animals. Ability to work with local Dayak culture.
- Language requirements: ideal candidate would have some proficiency in Bahasa Indonesia. Every candidate must have strong willingness and ability to learn before or during internship.
- Physical capabilities: physically fit, resilient and high-endurance individual.
- Health status: Able to live for long period of time away from western hospitals and possibly in isolated forest.
A Year with a Hero: Job Description for Assistant to Dr. Galdikas
Assistant Position to Dr G will open August 2012.
Background
Dr. Galdikas is a well-known primatologist specializing in orangutan research who has devoted the last thirty-eight years to the study and protection of wild orangutans. As the President of Orangutan Foundation International, she is responsible for 220 Indonesian employees, 350 orphan orangutans, 6,000 wild orangutans, and 1,800 square miles of protected forest. The administrative offices of OFI are in Los Angeles. In addition to her work with OFI, Dr. Galdikas teaches part time at Simon Fraser University. She divides her time between Indonesia, L.A. and Vancouver.
Opportunity
Dr. Galdikas is a famous person whose story and talents can be better leveraged to fulfill her mission, which is to preserve wild orangutans and their habitat in Borneo. The role of the assistant is to help manage her communications with all stakeholders. These stakeholders include, but are not limited to:
- Funders: Identifying new funding sources, collaborating with Dr. Galdikas and our Development Director on grant requests, letters to potential donors, fulfilling donor reporting requirements, analyzing data and writing research reports.
- Volunteers: Many people across the world are attracted to the OFI cause and Dr. Galdikas’ work. Planning to leverage the talents of this far-flung free workforce, disseminating information to them so that they can be of assistance, and providing them with Dr. Galdikas’ feedback and guidance is a challenge.
- Public Relations: Dr. Galdikas has many opportunities to educate the public about her cause and to augment her community of supporters by appearing in the media, including web 2.0 communication such as her blog, Facebook, newsletters, online articles, newspapers, and books as well as videos and film. (Dr. Galdikas and the orangutans are currently featured in an IMAX 3D documentary, Born to Be Wild.)
- Activism and Influencing Public Policy: The plight of the wild orangutans and their rain forest home in Indonesia is extremely grave. The UN says that by 2020, the rain forest in Indonesia will be 98% destroyed and orangutans will be extinct in the wild. Dr. Galdikas uses her network of contacts and her stature as an conservation expert to reach out to government officials, corporations, and other NGOs to promote rain forest preservation.
- Passion for orangutans and rain forest conservation
- Strong loyalty to Dr. Galdikas based on respect for her achievements and perseverance
- Dedication to the mission of saving orangutans coupled with a will to seek out opportunities and to pursue them.
- Ability to pursue many projects in parallel, to keep all tasks organized, and to help all participants stay on a timeline.
- Excellent writing skills, and the desire to write all of the emails, correspondence, research papers, reports, and articles required to advance Dr. Galdikas’ cause
- Enjoy working with people, ability to be diplomatic.
Critical Success Factors
The successful candidate for this position will have the following attributes:
Description of Working Conditions
In order to help Dr. Galdikas manage the many demands on her time, the Assistant maintains close contact with Dr. Galdikas on a daily basis to share her workload. As the primary liaison with Dr. Galdikas, the Assistant communicates with other stakeholders and helps them to get the information that they need so that they can continue to do their work on behalf of OFI.
Remuneration
The Assistant to Dr. Galdikas will receive a stipend of $5,000 per annum. Apart from food expenses while in North America, all other expenses — including frequent air travel — will be covered. No health insurance or other benefits are available.
