Volunteering At SURUDEV
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Our international Volunteering program is aimed at highlighting the programs of SURUDEV and also raising funds to keep up these initiatives. We recruits volunteers from different backgrounds from anywhere in the world aged between 18 and 55years old. Volunteers can volunteer remotely from their various countries or in-situ in Cameroon. We have received volunteers from United States of America and India. Our main goal is to enhance the sustainable conservation of Africa’s last great apes, birds and other mammals and through the provision of human, financial and material resources to support local livelihoods, development and education. Volunteers shall be expected to raise funds/have people contribute toward the long term conservation of wildlife; Elephants, Ellioti Chimpanze, The Bannerman’s Turaco and other Birds etc.
To liaise with our present and future volunteers and partners to a yearly recruitment of volunteers for SURUDEV. Wildlife conservation, Bird watching, distribution of foods and other items to internally Displaced Persons, motane tourism, home stay and cultural conservation, living in local communities/working with the locals to conserve their endowed rich cultural diversity manifested by a rich and diverse folklore, music, arts, habitats and ways of life is the focus of this programme. It involves visiting palaces and museums like the Bafut, Mankom, Bali, Nso, Kom, Babungo Palaces, participating in cultural/traditional manifestations and having a feel of the African traditional dishes. Volunteers would also be involved in the conservation of landscapes and reforestation programs which would do with the promotion of tree planting in the Western Highlands of Cameroon. It involves active participation with the locals in planting agroforestry tree species in either farmers’ fields or water catchments. Tree nurseries and seed bank are also established. This part of the project adds in improving soil fertility, increasing farm yield for the local people and saving.
When to volunteer?
Groups and individuals are recruited all year round but the expedition is more convenience and terrain more physically doable in the dry season (October to April) than in the rainy season (May to September).What volunteers do?
Volunteers focus on any programs of their choice chosen from our web site.Eligibility
No specific qualification is required to be part of any of our projects! but volunteers (18 to 55 years) must be highly motivated and physically fit as the environment is very demanding involving lots of trekking and climbing. No volunteer receives less favorable treatment on grounds of race, colour, national or ethnic origin, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, class, age, political or religious beliefVolunteering Positions
Social Media Marketer
Fund raiser
Crowd funding manager
Contributor to “The Ecologist”
Project developer (Preparing project proposals)
Bio monitoring of birds and large mammals
Humanitarian project development officer
Volunteering Process
In Home Country
While still in your home country please Contact the Cameroonian embassy in your home country to obtain a visa. Either 3 month or 6-month visas are available, and usually you must provide proof of flights, travel insurance and an invitation letter (which SURUDEV Cameroon will email to you). Check if your country has a Cameroonian Embassy. For the US and UK, please check here: US Citizen | UK Citizens
No Cameroon Embassy?
If you do not have a Cameroonian Embassy in your country, we will need your contacts at SURUDEV in Cameroon to prepare an application to the Director General for National Security in Yaoundé which will take about a month. They may decide to give you a visa or not. You will need to send in your scanned passport. Volunteers / interns should know that they will be responsible for the associated costs. The other alternative is that: volunteers from countries without a Cameroon Embassy could cross over their borders or mail your documents to a neighbor country that has Cameroon Embassy to apply for a visa.
Health Insurance
We recommend our volunteers to arrange Insurance themselves. A regional hospital and other effective hospitals exist around town, which will help if there is an emergency with a volunteer. We encourage volunteers to obtain their own travel insurance before they book a flight. Here are some websites where you can get more information: WHO and CDC. If you have any disability or illness, please contact us so that we can advise you on what to do before you come.
Accommodation
Staying in a Rest House will cost of about $100 per month. The Rest House has 2 heated bedrooms, with a shared bathroom (toilet and shower). It also has one general parlor with a seating area and a kitchen for food preparation. You can prefer to live with the Coordination team of SURUDEV and the money will be used for your needs.
Meals
Most of our food is organic though inorganic is found in stores, If you cater for yourself, you can expect to spend between $75 to $100 a month which includes cooking for yourself as well as eating out a few times a week. Volunteers can also buy their food and cook together for those who need a cook or with somebody assigned by the organization. The drinking water in Bamenda is very good, and safe to drink. However, most volunteers prefer to filter or boil it before drinking. Bottled distilled water can be purchased at a cost of $1 for 1.5 liters.
Security
We work with the divisional officers and mayors who are the representatives of the government; volunteers will be introduced to the divisional officer and the gendarmeries (police officers) in the project area so as to ensure their safety for the duration of their stay. You can choose to stay with us if you wish.
Pick up at the Airport
SURUDEV can pick you up from Douala airport and take you to the project area. Traveling by bus from Douala to the project area will take about 8 hours. As you will appreciate, we have very limited funds, so we have to request that you pay for the pick up before you arrive in Cameroon. The total fee is $133, which includes the costs of transport by bus, taxi hire from the airport, hotel for one night, and food and water needed during the journey to Bamenda.
Communication Facilities
In the project area there is access to the Internet, and phones are also available to enable you to communicate with your friends and family. We encourage volunteers to bring an unlocked cellular phone from their country in which you can buy a sim card and use in Cameroon. There are many cyber cafes and international calling centers where you can skype or call home for under $.06 per minute.
Security
We work with the divisional officers and mayors who are the representatives of the government; volunteers will be introduced to the divisional officer and the gendarmeries (police officers) in the project area so as to ensure their safety for the duration of their stay. You can choose to stay with us if you wish.
Meet Our Volunteers
