The Great Projects volunteers do great work to help the orangutans

Volunteer vet Jesus Mayoral from Spain meets some of the volunteers working hard to help us build our much needed permanent rescue and rehabilitation centre...

Priority 1: Building a new enclosure for our babies

This last month we have been so lucky to have a group of volunteers from The Great Projects team at the centre. They have been sweating and working hard almost every day, either building fences or cementing at the new centre or helping the staff make enrichment for the orangutans. They also constructed a wonderful new play platform at the baby school.

Not only were they fully committed and totally devoted to orangutans, they were really charming people with plenty of experience and knowledge to share with all of us. These are statements from some of them, I hope YOU will be inspired by what they say and want to help us build the new centre too!

Construction of the security tower is under way

Lisa and Noel from the UK:
“Being involved in the early stages of the construction of IAR’s new rehabilitation centre, we felt we were making a truly valuable and very visible contribution to the ongoing rehabilitation work that IAR carries out. The staff is realistic, open and very candid in their approach to rehabilitation, and this, alongside their transparency in where your financial contribution goes, and their obvious embracement and gratitude for the volunteer programme they have, means that we would recommend this programme to you unreservedly over other options in volunteer work with orangutans.

This could be YOU!

“Even though some of the work we have done has been physically demanding and the environment challenging, it’s been a highly rewarding, hugely enjoyable and very memorable experience.”

Fiona from Switzerland:
“I guess, in the end it was this combination that made me loving this project so much: on the one hand, you felt really helpful (even if you didn't bring in some special building skills) and being involved in an important process. And on the other hand, the project also consisted of this element of education - we had the possibility to visit Semengoh and Matang on our first day and - even more important - I learned so much on the days we spent at the IAR Transit Centre and it was just great to get in touch with people who have such a big knowledge and such a big experience in what concerns the orangutan conservation. Also, the whole team never got tired of answering all our questions!”

To find out how you too could volunteer and help orangutans, visit The Great Projects.