Volunteer in Namibia or Somaliland

Do you want to come to one of CCF’s frontline conservation Field Centres as a volunteer or intern? First of all, THANK YOU! Your interest in our program, and your willingness to contribute to our work is very much appreciated. Volunteering at CCF is a unique opportunity, it is an experience that will have a lasting impact on your life.

Internships, Working Guests, and Zookeepers

CCF accepts a limited number of interns at our International Research and Education Centre in Namibia. Each year a select group of participants will experience conservation work on the frontlines. There are many opportunities to participate in CCF’s science-based, conservation-focused, results-driven programming.

Students with fields of study related to or intersecting with wildlife conservation should apply for an internship at CCF. Interns that are enrolled in a Masters or PhD program are expected to provide background information on their research project. CCF’s Centre in Namibia has a veterinary clinic and a fully-equipped genetics lab.

Unfortunately, we cannot currently accept applications for internships at our Field Centre in Somaliland.

At both of our Centres, we need volunteers and working guests with professional experience such as zookeepers, animal behavior specialists, ecologists, biologists, veterinarians, and vet-technicians, as well as educators, trainers and conservationists.

At our Centre in Namibia, we accept volunteers with business, finance, law, marketing, public relations, event organizing, graphic design, report writing, proposal writing, fundraising and administrative skills. These functions are vital, “behind-the-scenes”, operations.

Internship Application Deadlines

Applicants should keep in mind that the months of June through August are particularly competitive for internships. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis except for the June – Aug internship period. The deadline for the June – August internship period is 1 Dec for veterinary students and 1 Jan for all other students.

Note: Applicants need to apply at least 2 months before their planned arrival.

Cost for Volunteering in Namibia

We require an initial deposit upon your confirmation into the program (paid in one lump-sum) and then the final balance payment is due 2 months prior to your arrival (also paid in a lump-sum).

Payments can be made by the volunteer or someone else. If you are collecting donations from friends, family or grants/funding YOU are responsible for ensuring that payment is made to CCF in ONE LUMP SUM. Please include a spreadsheet/database (in Microsoft Word/Excel) indicating the payment types, list of donors, etc. with your payment form to help us keep track of payments.

Working Guest

US$3,030* for 2 weeks
US$5,050* for 4 weeks
Deposit: US$1,140 due on approval of application (includes $130 visa fee**). An additional room security deposit of US$75 is required for 4-week volunteers, reimbursable upon departure.

Student internships and Zookeepers

US$2,020 per month
Deposit: US$710 due on approval of application (includes US$130 visa fee** and $75 room security deposit refundable upon departure)

Cost for Volunteering in Somaliland

All Volunteer Positions

US$400 per week, or $1600/month.***

Namibia, Somaliland and South Africa citizens

Please email CCF’s Volunteer Coordinator
Namibia and South Africa: ccfinfo@iway.na
Somaliland: jess@cheetah.org

Fees

*A 1% processing charge is added to the total cost of volunteering in Namibia

**An additional working visa application fee of US$130, due with the deposit, is required for all non-Namibian volunteers regardless of length of stay. Special paperwork and application forms need to be completed and submitted at least 6 weeks prior to your departure date.

***An additional visa fee of US$60 is required for all non-Somaliland volunteers regardless of length of stay. Special paperwork and application forms need to be completed prior to your departure date. Depending on your country of residence, we may need this form at least 3 weeks prior to your departure date. You will be notified by the Volunteer Coordinator if this is the case.

Payment

Applicants to Namibia: CCF prefers payment by bank transfer to our Namibian bank account. In order to cover the processing fee our bank charges us, we are building in a fee of 1%. Please be advised that your bank will also charge you a fee for a foreign bank transfer. Please enquire about these charges in advance and please note that CCF does not have any influence on these charges. We can also accept payments by credit card (VISA and Mastercard) but a processing fee of 5% applies and additional bank charges on which CCF has no influence could be drawn from your account. It might be worth comparing transfer and credit card payment charges.

Applicants to Somaliland: Information on how to pay the volunteer fee will be given with the volunteer’s acceptance into the program.