GUIDELINES FOR VOLUNTEERS AND INTERNS INTRODUCTION: Dear volunteers, we appreciate very much the support you are giving us en Zanja Arajuno, remember that there is always something to do and that your own INITIATIVE is crucial to make your stay as interesting and rewarding as possible. In this guide we would like to introduce you to some of the activities where your help is very much needed; please note that there are activities that have to be fulfilled every day and that there are other activities for you to choose from that can be done after having finished the first ones. If there are various volunteers you can agree to form groups and/ or to divide the work. Any doubts or comments, please ask one of the persons in charge of Zanja Arajuno that you have met upon your arrival; remember that you can always count on their support, although they might not be able to spend the whole time with you. 4 hours of daily work is sufficient, the rest of the time you may use to explore the river, the jungle or just relax. EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES Taking care of the animals It is very important to do so with love and responsibility.

• The animals should be fed two times a day. The normal time schedule for feeding and cleaning is: in the morning after 8:00 am and in the afternoon around 3:00 pm; this schedule might be changed due to rainfall.

• Please be very careful when using the gates and doors. When opening them for feeding or cleaning, you have to immediately close them again so the animals cannot escape. Make sure the gates are well locked before continuing with other activities. Remember that the animals in the cages are not yet ready to be liberated and their escape can lead to the death of the animal.

• Feeding and taking care of the animals: During your first days you will receive an introduction and explanation of how to feed the animals and how to perform the cleaning. There is a specific place where the food for the animals is prepared in order to be distributed later. In this place you can find a poster on the wall explaining the type and quantity of food for each animal;

the person in charge will explain possible changes and will train you so that you will be able to feed the animals without help.

BE CAREFUL WHILE BEING INSIDE THE ENCLOSURES: YOUR MOVEMENTS SHOULD BE SLOW AND YOUR VOICE SOFT IN ORDER

TO AVOID STRESS IN THE ANIMALS. • Disinfection of boots and change of disinfectant: located in different

areas, you will find tubs with liquids designed for disinfecting your shoes, which shall be changed each week (one cap for each liter of water).

• Fresh water in the water supplies of the animals: Fresh water has to be provided to the animals every day.

• The space where the food is put down has to be washed with water before placing fresh food.

• Cleaning of cages and enclosures of the animals: the excrements and food leftovers shall be cleaned with a small shovel and be deposited into special buckets. Do not use other buckets to avoid contamination. The waste from the cages shall be deposited in the organic waste and the buckets and shovels must be cleaned afterwards.

• The water pools of the animals shall be cleaned once a week depending on the availability of water.

REMEMBER THAT THE WATER IS A SCARCE RESOURCE – WE HAVE TO SAVE IT.

• Monitoring the free animals: The majority of the animals are free, in particular the monkeys who usually pay visits, returning from the forest. When feeding them, please try to count them and take notes including the date, the hour and the number of observed animals) for example: 2 January/2014, 9:00 am, 23 squirrel monkeys and 2 free guatusas).

• When you are done feeding and cleaning, please wash the buckets you have used and clean the table and the floor. The space where the food is prepared (as well as the kitchen) always has to be clean and tidy and the containers with food have to be well closed.

• Environmental enrichment of the enclosures: It is important to put plants and organic material inside of the cages and enclosures and to change the appearance of some of the trunks to arouse curiosity and stimulate the activities of the animals. This is vital to guarantee their well-being and to diminish stress. Whenever you want to perform this activity, please consult first the person in charge to avoid accidents.

Maintenance of the volunteers’ house

This is your home during your stay at Zanja Arajuno, please take good care of it:

• When entering the house please take off your dirty boots or shoes and leave them next to the door or below the bank – never outside because the animals can destroy them. When you finish your stay, please wash the boots and take them back to where they were stored before leaving.

• The house shall be swept out/cleaned every day: if there are other volunteers you can take turns or establish rules to keep it clean.

• Keeping clean the veranda: It is necessary to clean up the leftovers of the parrots and other animals. Sweep and clean this area every day.

• Maintain the kitchen clean and in good conditions so that everybody or any volunteer can use it any moment.

• IF THE HOUSE IS CLEAN, FEWER INSECTS (LIKE COCKROACHES)

MAKE THEIR WAY INSIDE.

• Organic and inorganic waste: there is a bin for each type in the kitchen. The organic waste has to be deposited with the other organic waste (behind the greenhouse) and the bin has to be cleaned before returning it to the kitchen. The inorganic waste (plastic, can, paper and glass) is deposited in bags and well-sealed so that the animals cannot open them. The bags can be left near the animals’ kitchen; the waste is picked up only every two weeks.

• Paper is treated as inorganic waste. • Cans and glass containers have to be washed before throwing them into

the waste bin to avoid bad smells in the house and the appearance of cockroaches and other undesired insects.

• Cleaning the windows of the house would be another welcome task. • Clean up the monkeys’ excrements on the veranda and take them to the

organic waste: the monkeys sleep on the roof therefore there are excrements around the house, please clean them with a shovel whenever you feel the need to do.

PERMANENT ACTIVITIES:

Maintenance of paths and tracks In Zanja Arajuno, several paths exist that facilitate the access and the movement between different areas. Your support in the maintenance and cleaning of these paths is very important, just observe and decide which of these activities require priority:

• The small plants growing on the paths have to removed, we advise to root

them out by hand to keep the path clean for a longer time. • Further, the canals along the paths have to be cleaned by rooting out plants

and taking away dry leaves, restoring the canal with the shovel or other tools. • The organic material produced by the cleaning should be thrown away as far

as possible from the paths or stored in bags and then brought to the organic waste.

• The small plants growing on the paths next to the house also have to be removed and the canals should be restored once in a while to secure that the rain water can drain quickly.

• When taking away the herbs growing next to the animals’ cages, make sure no to scare the animals. If you get the feeling that they are stressed out, stop the activity.

• IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO RE-ARRANGE THE ROCKS that mark the paths in case they are out of place, in order to guarantee a longer durability.

PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CLEAN AND BRING BACK TO THE STORING ROOM EACH TOOL AND OBJECT WHICH YOU HAVE USED (MACHETE,

SHOVEL, HAMMER, SAW, CART, BUCKET, BOOTS, etc)

OCCASIONAL ACTIVITIES

Maintenance and Repairs

• Repair the doors of the cages if required. • Repair cages. • Carry stones for paths and tracks • Look for solid waste (paper, plastic, glass, etc.) in the surroundings and

throw them in the garbage bin. • Root out the small plants that grow on the organic waste. • Sow new plants in the greenhouse. • Take away the small plants that grow around the greenhouse and water the

plants every day at 5:00 pm with sufficient water. • Clean the canal of the greenhouse to guarantee that the tanks can fill up

with water when it rains • Root out the plants that grow next to the plants that have been reforested.

Intellectual and recreational activities that help Zanja Arajuno It is not all about physical work; there are other activities too that are relaxing but can also contribute. You can dedicate yourself to these after having accomplished the everyday activities or if you are tired from hard work. The center has some beautiful landscapes, paths that lead into the jungle, a clean and refreshing river as well as a diversity of wild plants and animals that you will discover with luck and observation. If you have a good camera, your photos can help to enrich the data base and the inventory of Zanja Arajuno:

• Take photos of birds as close as possible for subsequent identification and inventory.

• Take photos of insects as close as possible for subsequent identification. • Take photos of mammals. • Take photos of reptiles and amphibians. • Take photos of fungus. • Take photos of plants preferable with flower and fruit for later identification.

In addition, if you are a volunteer/intern or student of a related discipline, you can support us with the classification and identification of animal and plant species.

You also have the possibility to apply or practice other techniques for inventory, or propose small projects in the area of you interest.

• Any idea that you have, please consult first with the person in charge, in particular if the animals are concerned.

• Con respect to living in the rural area, there are some limitations and inequalities regarding the provision of energy, therefore sometimes there might be no electricity available.

Activities involving the community MARISCAL SUCRE

• Environmental education and English language classes: It is very important to get involved with the communities that surround us and by doing so integrate them into conservation activities and the work of Zanja Arajuno while we ourselves integrate us into their reality, establishing bonds of solidarity and mutual support. That is why we engage in the field of environmental education with the school kids of our community and also support English lessons. The support of the volunteers is vital, so if you enjoy working with children, you can offer games and other instruments that help to further the awareness and knowledge of the children and the community regarding environmental protection and conservation of nature. Please note that if you have special interests and capacities (theater, painting, dancing, etc) you can share them with the kids and the young people of the community.

• • Agro-Tourism in Mariscal

If you wish, you can realize part of your work as a volunteer in the community (maximum one week) where you will be involved in the production of sugar cane and where you will live with a family, getting to know first-hand the hard work of production and the inequality which the working class has to face. You will not only collaborate with the agricultural production but you will also be involved in daily household activities. Remember that your INITIATIVE AND GOOD WILL IS FUNDAMENTAL. If you wish to live this experience, you need to pay an additional amount for lodging, food and voluntary service in the community.

IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS: • Save the water: please note that the water comes from a water

reservoir and can run out. NEVER use it to wash clothes, you can do that in the river or go to the city where there are laundries. Make sure that the water taps are closed and that no water is dripping out.

• Don’t waste energy: Use the electric light only when needed and switch it off before going to bed.

• Keep the doors and windows closed to avoid the entry of animals.

• Take good care of the cooking facilities in the kitchen and the furniture of the house.