Simabo Onlus

The help we need varies depending on your skills. We expect someone who is a self-starter and can work independently with a very high degree of motivation. Work is per shifts: morning from 7:30 to 12:30 or afternoon from 13 to 18. Transport to/from the shelter is provided for free when needed by the paid staff.

Animal care: most basic tasks (cleaning, feeding, walking) are performed by local paid staff - we have 14 local employees. But, we always need help with delicate tasks such as playing with the dogs, brushing the cats, changing the beds, and taking care of ill animals. Notably, volunteers will (1) work in the place of paid staff when they are missing and (2) supervise the work of local employees to ensure the highest possible welfare of the animals in our shelters. Clear instructions will be provided for accomplishing tasks and volunteers are required to perform them accurately. Volunteers are instructed to not rely on the support/advice of the paid staff.

Administration: our work with animals is partially financed by a hostel for responsible tourists. The hostel is managed by our charity and 100% of its profits go to helping animals. So, it's important to keep running and staffing costs as low as possible. Accordingly, we need help with tourists at all levels: helping with check in/out at night, managing reservations, checking rooms and toilets for cleanness, etc.

Childcare: we have an educational program involving school meetings and other activities with children. Work will involve helping people and requires a better knowledge of the Portuguese language than work with animals.

Fundraising: the running costs that are not covered by the hostel revenues or by membership fees (we have about 5,000 members on the island but not all of them can afford the membership fee of 12 Euros/year/2 animals) are covered by donations from abroad, so we have a lot of fundraising and communication work

IT/Computer: many of our activities are managed with a high level of computer work, so we need help in this specific area (IT/Internet/social networks, etc.). Volunteers with programming or computer abilities would be advantageous in cases where IT projects need attention.