GoEco > Africa > Zimbabwe > Teaching and Lion Rehabilitation in Antelope Park

Zimbabwe – Teaching and Lion Rehabilitation in Antelope Park

Fast Facts

Please Note: This program is temporarily unavailable. Check out our alternative programs in Africa or schedule a one-on-one call with one of our expert volunteer advisors.

This project brings together two very popular projects that help the children of the local community and also help with lion rehabilitation and release.

Community project:
During the past few difficult years in Zimbabwe, the most vulnerable members of society have suffered from the breakdown of educational and medical infrastructures. The project’s aim is to make an impact on the lives of these children, from babies to teenagers, who have no support. Volunteers will assist with loving, caring for, and mentoring children, from the very young up to high school-aged kids. Despite their disabilities and the difficulties they have faced, these children are still so full of warmth and joy and are sure to be an inspiration to anyone who works alongside them.

Lion rehabilitation project:
Over 200,000 lions previously roamed the African continent, as recently as 1975. The latest estimates show an 80 – 90% population decline in the last 30 years. The end objective of the Victoria Falls lion project, along with our Antelope Park program, is the reintroduction of the offspring of captive-bred lions into the wild by means of a four-stage process, which volunteers will learn more about during their involvement with the project.

This rehabilitation project is supported by leading ecologists in this field. We invite volunteers to walk and work with African lions, and to be involved in our in-depth research and data collection activities.

Location of the Project: Antelope Park, 10km from Gweru, Zimbabwe Midlands

Project length: Min 2 week – Max 8 weeks

Arrival Airport: Bulawayo (BUQ) or Harare (HRE) airports

Volunteer Work: Community work and lion conservation

Age: 17-70

Number of Volunteers: Up to 20 international volunteers

Important Note: Volunteers staying longer than five weeks will require a “temporary residence permit.” This costs an additional $500-600 USD, to be paid upon arrival.

What’s Included

Accommodations: Twin or quad rooms at volunteer camp

Food: Three meals per day are provided

Airport Transfers: Airport transfers are included on both arrival and departure days

Orientation: Orientation upon arrival to Antelope Park includes introductions to the park, stables, lion rehabilitation portion and project overview.

Support: Comprehensive and professional pre-departure travel guidance, 24/7 GoEco emergency hotline, experienced local field team.

What’s not Included

Flights, business visa (between $30 – $75 USD depending on nationality), travel health insurance, personal expenses

Location

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, nestled between Mozambique, Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa. This project takes place at Antelope Park, a private game farm located 10km from the Gweru town center, in the heart of the Zimbabwe Midlands. Antelope Park is set in over 3000 acres of open savannah grassland.

Volunteer Work

Volunteer work on this project is greatly needed and much appreciated. During the week you will be involved in the community project.

Some of your tasks may include:

Enrich the lives of underprivileged youth in care homes by teaching life skills
Facilitate sports days, arts and crafts, storytelling, singing and other extracurricular activities at a local school
Serve as a role model for disadvantaged children by offering much needed attention and support
Immerse yourself in local Zimbabwean culture through direct engagement with the community
Teach about the importance of wildlife conservation
Assist in a preschool and/or Book Club

As a volunteer on this project you will serve as a mentor and a friend to youth. The need is so great which allows the opportunity for volunteers to get involved in a variety of ways depending on your experience and passion. Volunteer activities can range from working as a teaching assistant, cooking and serving food to street children, hosting workshops or study programs, sports development, gardening, facilitating youth camps focusing on life skills training, and efforts at uplifting the community through maintenance, refurbishment and painting as needed. This is a chance to make a difference in someone’s life as well as the chance to realize the reality of living in a third-world country with different cultural norms.

Over the weekend you will be taking part in the lion conservation activities.

Some of your tasks may include:

Joining a globally recognized lion conservation project
Making toys from natural materials for the lions as part of behavioral enrichment to stimulate their predatory and sensory behaviors
Getting to know the African bush – explore the savannah grasslands

Living Arrangements

Internet icon Internet: You will be able to send emails using our satellite broadband internet café at US$2.00 per 30 minutes. There is also activated WI – Fi should you wish to bring your laptop. The camps can experience power cuts, satellite malfunctions and server outages, so please be patient, and be aware that broadband in Africa is not nearly as fast as the connection you might be used to.

Laundry icon Laundry: A weekly laundry service is available at an additional fee of $5

Accommodations icon Accommodations: Volunteer accommodations are a mixture of comfortable twin or quad thatched rooms at the main reserve camp with clean shower and toilet facilities located adjacent to the sleeping area. Your room will be cleaned daily by the housekeeping staff.

Food icon Food: Volunteers are provided with three meals a day, breakfast and dinner is served at the main camp of the reserve, and you will be given a packed lunch for your working day.

Requirements

Please take note of this project’s minimum requirements:

Minimum age of 17
Police clearance form
Good level of English
Flexibility and open mindedness
Desire to and passion for working with children
Immunizations (please consult family doctor)

Travel Highlights

During your stay at Antelope Park you will have the opportunity to enjoy an excursion to some of the other spectacular spots that Zimbabwe has to offer. Day trips are offered to the Great Zimbabwe Ruins as well as Matopos and once a month a trip to the Victoria Falls is organized for those volunteers who are interested. These trips are also a great time for volunteers to interact and get to know each other better.

Project Orientation (Included):
On arrival at the Antelope Park project, you will receive a comprehensive orientation, including:

Volunteers will receive their volunteer’s manual which includes information that will help with their integration into the project, as well as give them further tips for their stay.
Introduction to all the project’s senior staff
Familiarization of your duties and the work areas
Briefing on how to complete data capture forms
Further information on the lion breeding program and our ultimate objective of releasing lions into the wild.

4-Day Victoria Falls Excursion Trip (Not Included):

During the low season, for an additional fee, volunteers may have the opportunity to participate in a 4-day/ 3-night trip to Victoria Falls. This trip to one of the Seven Wonders of the World offers the chance to bungee jump, go white water-rafting, ziplining, sunset cruising and more!