Volunteer
Type: 6-month international volunteer position with housing/homestay,
see below
Organization: Orangutan Foundation
International
Location: Indonesia
OFI Communications Volunteer is a position well suited to enthusiastic,
creative and independent individuals. OFI has a long
and established history as
a research, conservation, and education organization, with president Dr Birute
Mary Galdikas a global authority on orangutan ecology and conservation. It is
vitally important that this work continues to be brought to the attention of
the public, as well as the friends and donors involved with OFI. Communications
volunteers gain experience and insight by contributing real-time,
from-ground-zero material to a critically important aspect of conservation:
awareness and involvement of the international public.
Description:
volunteers are based at the Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ) in
Kalimantan Tengah (Central Borneo, Indonesia). As the point people on the
ground, Communications volunteers are an integral part of OFI’s international
team. Communications volunteers are given the opportunity to witness and
participate in OFI’s field activities first-hand and to generate creative,
exciting content to translate the action to a public presentation for the
global community. This requires genuine curiosity and engagement with field
operations, correct interpretation of events, and proficiency with various
forms of communication media.
Plan:
- Connect
OFI donors who have fostered orangutans to their foster orphans by getting
to know the orangutans in the Care Center, observing their behavior and
personalities up close in the OCCQ release forest, communicating with Care
Center staff for unique stories and quirks, and photographing the
orangutans; subsequently, compiling the information and presenting it in
attractive format for the bi-annual updates. - Participate
in production of monthly OFI eNewsletter: Track all developments in the
field and identify potential articles and visual materials that can be
used as items of interest for the general public. Identify an “Orangutan
of the Month” to write about – highlighting unique personality traits,
anecdotes, and developments in the rehabilitation process for this
individual – and provide photos of focal orangutan. Contribute other
written and visual materials as necessary and communicate, remotely,
across time zones and with often mediocre internet, with all contributors
to the eNewsletter to make sure all tasks are completed by the deadline.
Volunteers may be asked to help with formatting and editing of the eNewsletter
as well. - Contribute
material to OFI’s main website by writing diverse articles on events and
news, as well as day-to-day points of interest, about work in the Care
Center. Articles are meant to be multi-faceted and diverse so as to appeal
to the wide range of visitors to the website. - Help
Dr Galdikas, OFI President, produce her present her public communications
content, including articles and social media - Help
Dr Galdikas maintain important contacts and relationships by providing the
content and facilitating the communications (phone, email) with key
individuals and organizations - Supply
content such as photos of the week, new arrivals to the Care Center,
orangutan rescues and releases, etc. to help keep OFI’s social media sites
updated and current with material suitable to the channel’s audience. - Photograph
significant events, orangutans, OFI staff, jungle flora and fauna, and
other subjects as needed by the OFI staff and volunteer team. At the end
of the tenure, submit non-personal photography for OFI’s educational and
marketing use and reference. - Maintain,
categorize, label and update OFI’s photo database - Provide
on-demand content for the OFI LA office, promptly. Examples might be
missing information for annual reports, photos or facts for a specific
event or donor, a video for an emergency appeal, etc. - Develop
innovative ways to facilitate connections via creative journaling, YouTube
video, and other means. - Participate
in OFI’s environmental enrichment program, producing food and habitat
enrichment for orangutans and other animals, keeping an attentive eye on
photo and written content opportunities - Understand
and promote OFI policies. - Complete
other tasks for OFI as needed. - Provide
updates and feedback through weekly progress reports and a final end-of-tenure
report within one month of leaving the Care Center.
tasks outlined above are only the standard responsibility of communications
volunteers. Every tenure will also involve one or more special projects that
will address the communication, outreach, and fundraising needs of OFI on and
off the field at the time. The communications volunteers will be expected to
work as a team in the field, sharing responsibilities, and allocating work
between two or more individuals accordingly. Volunteers can expect to work with
other volunteers from various cultural and educational backgrounds and are
expected to work professionally and diligently with limited oversight on the
ground. Regular remote communication with the OFI office in LA and the OFI
Volunteer Committee is expected and required.
Requirements:
- Excellent
English language writing skills - Photography
and/or film experience (must own equipment and be able to bring to the
field) - Willingness
to work and live in remote field conditions - Ability
to keep timely and professional correspondence with remote work partners - Experience
working with teams of people of very diverse backgrounds and personalities - Indonesian-language
ability at basic or conversational level, preferred but not required;
demonstrated willingness to learn Indonesian daily throughout the
volunteer tenure - Background
in environmental sciences preferred - Proficiency
in Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator, preferred but not required
Skills and Characteristics:
- Strong
interest in orangutans and other endangered wildlife - Experience
working, traveling or volunteering in developing, tropical nations - Cultural
sensitivity, understanding, and adaptability - High
degree of flexibility, open-mindedness, creativity, and optimism - Ability
and commitment to fundraise for the trip
Duration:
Six months
Deadline:
Rolling
with Orangutan Foundation International (OFI)
Foundation International protects 6,000 wild orangutans in Tanjung Puting
National Park, in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Facilities include 16 guard posts
throughout the park and numerous staffed feeding stations in addition to the
Orangutan Care Center and Quarantine (OCCQ), which is currently rehabilitating
over 300 young orangutans and preparing them for return to the wild. The
majority of individuals are under 10 years old. The Care Center consists of a
central clinic and units housing the older individuals, while the outlying
juvenile and infant units and the medical quarantine facility are set in the
surrounding 80 hectare forest. Most of the orangutans are very well-habituated
to humans. They arrive in the OCCQ by confiscation from homes, black markets,
bush camps, entertainment industry, and abusive zoos.
Volunteering for OFI can have a big impact on your life and on the lives of the
thousands of orangutans we fight to protect. Each year, OFI is grateful to
receive many kind inquiries from volunteers willing to spend weeks, months,
even years in Kalimantan, helping at the Orangutan Care Center or in Tanjung
Puting National Park. For our successful long-term volunteers, OFI is pleased
to be able to offer letters of reference that will serve as testimony of their
dedication to our organization and the quality of the contribution they have
made to our cause. Volunteers are expected to submit a final report on what
they have learned, experienced, and accomplished during their tenure with OFI.
at the OCCQ:
The OCCQ is situated in the village of Pasir Panjang, a fifteen-minute drive
from the small city of Pangkalan Bun. This city has an airport and is situated
in the south of the province of Kalimantan Tengah, Borneo, Indonesia.
Volunteers work on a daily basis at the OCCQ in Pasir Panjang. Most of the
locals speak rudimentary or no English. Languages are Indonesian and local
Dayak dialect. The staff working hours are 8:00 to 16:00, with a lunch break
around noon. If desired, the volunteer may take one day off a week.
arrangements are typically with a local family homestay. Living conditions are
basic, with limited running water, no landlines or internet (although wireless
USB modems can be bought in Pangkalan Bun and internet cafes are available in
the city as well). The quality of care in the homes varies, from simple room
accommodation to cooking and laundry provided. OFI makes an effort to arrange
homestays for all its interns and volunteers, but there is an element of
unpredictability in any such arrangements. In case of emergency, hotel/motel
accommodations are present in Pangkalan Bun and even closer to Pasir Panjang.
Costs and Requirements:
Volunteers will be expected to cover their international flights to Jakarta,
Indonesia, as well as domestic flights to Pangkalan Bun, Kalimantan Tengah.
Homestay rental fees are approximately 3,000,000 IDR (less than $300 USD) per
month in Pasir Panjang, which includes three basic meals a day, electricity,
and accommodation. Additional funds should be budgeted for miscellaneous personal
expenses (there are small local shops for snacks, etc.). Volunteers will also
be responsible for the cost of their initial visa, which OFI will help you
acquire, as well as renewals three times during the six months (approx.
1,000,000 IDR average each visa renewal trip). Volunteers are responsible for
basic field equipment. For the communications position, a well-functioning
laptop computer is essential.
following documents are required from all volunteers prior to departure:
- Proof
of vaccinations - Negative
tests results from the following diseases: - Hepatitis
- Tuberculosis
- Proof
of travel & medical insurance - Signed
work contract - Signed
confidentiality agreement
to Apply:
to the volunteer program is competitive. To apply, please follow these steps:
- All
applicants must be members in good standing with OFI. To join OFI, please
visit: https://orangutan.org/products-page/membership-program/. - Download
and fill out the long-term volunteer application form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1yQznomOYsgOedXpVajL4BJW2QCPgU7C5EFp3qZ3heUk/viewform?embedded=true&formkey=dHY3eWNsNnI4UGZZQ2tJTGszb3lURmc6MQ - Submit
the following to ofivolunteer
gmail.com* : - Proof
of OFI membership - Cover
Letter - Resume/CV
- OPTIONAL:
As a Communications Volunteer applicant, if you have links to any online
writing or photography samples, please send those along with your other
application materials to the ofi.volunteer @gmail.com*
account. Applicants who progress through the interview process will
eventually be asked to do a writing and photography assignment, but
sending samples right off the bat will help the Volunteer Committee get an
idea of your skills and suitability for the position.
will receive a return reply from one of our volunteer coordinators within two
weeks. Please note that all of our volunteer coordinators are themselves
volunteers, so please be patient if there is an occasional communications
delay.