Volunteering with Proyecto Caraya

Along with creating a unique home for the animals at Proyecto Caraya, we have built an environment that allows volunteers to live on-site and get a rare hands-on experience helping us care for the animals. Whether you are a post-doctoral student or simply someone with a passion for animals, we would love to meet you and get you involved in everyday life at the sanctuary.

Ways to help out

Our number one requirement for volunteers is patience, respect, and a genuine care for the animals. We also require that our volunteers stay at Proyecto Caraya for at least 15 days, but the amount of time you stay beyond that is up to you. While working alongside our permanent staff, you may be asked to:

• Observe and record the activities of the various groups of monkeys across the reserve
• Clean the quarantine and adaptation cages
• Attend to and care for the orphaned and infant monkeys
• Collaborate with the long-term veterinarians and biologists that work with us
• Assist with the monkey adaptation, acclimatization, rehabilitation, socialization and group formation processes
• Prepare food and feed the groups, and clean out the troughs afterwards
• Take care of domestic and farm animals that live on the property (we also have dogs, donkeys, pigs, chickens, and llamas!)
• Build and/or repair shelters, feeders, steps, etc.
• Lead guided tours across the sanctuary (more likely during tourism seasons)
• In return, we provide our volunteers with:
• A room. It is rustic, but has electricity via solar panels. Generally, the rooms are shared. Bathrooms are in a separate building, which has access to a wood-burning water heater.
• All meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Access to a kitchen for volunteers, which is stocked with gas and firewood.
• A common room for volunteers, which can be used as a dining room, meeting room, etc. It also has electricity via solar panels.
• A certificate to document your studies or time volunteering.
• An unforgettable experience!

To receive more information about the volunteering program, send an email to mono@caraya.org