SAVING FORESTS, CHANGING LIVES
Volunteers
BECOME PART OF OUR GLOBAL COMMUNITY
Volunteering with Iracambi is a fantastic way of making a real difference in the local community. Few organizations can offer you the opportunity to participate in such a broad variety of conservation programs, events and activities. All against the beautiful back drop of the Atlantic Rainforest.
We’ll match your skills and experience to one of our exciting programs. You’ll meet like-minded people from around the world, experience everything the rainforest has to offer and make a lasting impact. So, what are you waiting for? Join us today!
LIVING IN IRACAMBI
Volunteers enjoy a variety of activities, from engaging with local school children on visits, supporting researchers in the forest, to working with locals on tree planting, agroforestry, and coffee harvesting. Every day is an opportunity to learn and make a difference.
Immerse yourself in local culture with city visits and activities like capoeira classes in Viçosa. Relish delicious, garden-fresh meals and spend your evenings playing games, connecting with fellow volunteers, or relaxing in a hammock.
At Iracambi you’ll make a real impact in conservation and community development, all within the stunning Atlantic Rainforest. Your time here will transform your perspective on the world.
My stay here made me realize that if there’s one thing better than teaching it’s volunteering at Iracambi
Reyno Abasolo
Philippines
how can you get involved?
Reforestation
Forests 4 Water
Select farms to participate in the project, photograph areas for reforestation, collect and store data.
Take water samples to measure water quality and the impact of reforestation.
Separate seedlings in the nursery, using data from farm visits and GIS.
Verifying the data points on the GIS and working out logistics for the delivery of seedlings.
Pre-planting-preparation, including digging holes and adding organic potting mixture.
Delivering and planting the seedlings and taking photos to record the event.
Filling bags, organizing seedlings by category, assisting in seed collection etc.
Organize and manage the nursery data.
Keeping the trails clean, and maintaining the signage.
Checking on the health and growth of our baby trees.
And celebrating each new forest!
Environmental Education
Cultural exchange
Trading stories, experiences and games from your country with local schoolkids.
Attending local festivals, demonstrations, workshops and community events.
Working with school groups visiting the Iracambi forests as part of the educational program.
medicinal plants
Living pharmacy
Visiting local community members to learn about the uses of medicinal plants.
Assisting project coordinator in identifying medicinal plants with potential medicinal or cosmetic uses.
Learning how to make soaps, creams, infusions, essential oils, etc.
Maintenance and planting of the medicinal plant garden, which includes pest control, seed collection, planting, soil reparation.
Pre-planting-preparation, including digging holes and adding organic potting mixture.
Program support
Marketing & fundraising
Blogs, photos, social media posts and videos about your experiences at Iracambi to share with your networks.
Organizing mini donation campaigns for specific projects, inviting friends and family to join in.
Creating visuals for campaigns, and publicity documents. Video production and editing is a high priority for us!
Assisting with researching, writing and submitting funding proposals for Iracambi!
Helping maintain the Center infrastructure, grounds, forest trails, signage, and equipment
Reforestation - Forests 4 Water
- First visits: Select participating farms of the project, photograph areas for reforestation, data collection for GIS, photograph the property, and voice record any data if necessary
- Water sampling: Water sampling of water springs from participating farmers to measure water quality and impact of reforestation
- Seedling selection: Separate seedlings in the nursery, using data of farm visits and GIS
- Mapping the areas for planting: Verify the data points on the GIS and figure out best logistics for delivery of seedlings to be planted
- Assistance with Planting: Pre-Planting-Preparation – which includes digging holes and adding organic potting mixture, Photograph registration of the process
- Seedling delivery: Delivery and planting of the seedlings. Photographic /video registration.
- Nursery: Assist in making seedlings: filling bags, organizing seedlings by category, assisting in seed collection etc.
- Nursery (data storage): Create herbaria – physical and digital. Organize and manage the seed bank.
- Monitoring and maintaining trails and fences: Check on the condition of the trails in the reserve, (fallen trees or any other conditions that can make it difficult to use the trails). Check the fences around the trails (cows love to eat seedlings!), nursery and other areas to avoid any damage by cattle.
- Monitoring of previous plantings: Monitoring of previous plantings, height, DAP, mortality, ant attack etc.
- Planting: Tree planting!
Cultural Exchange
- School visits: Trade stories, experiences and games from your country with local schoolkids and youth
- Participating in community events: During school vacations participate in local community events connected with culture, art and environment
- Assisting in Environmental Education: Assist with school groups visiting the Iracambi forests as part of the educational program
Living Pharmacy
- Ethnobotanical studies: Visit and interview local community members to learn about the uses of medicinal plants
- Audiovisual registering: Videos and recordings of these interviews
- Plant identification: Assist project coordinator in identifying medicinal plants with potential medicinal or cosmetic uses. Photographing plant species.
- Making phytotherapeutic products and phytocosmetics: Learn how to make soaps, creams, infusions, essential oils, etc
- Creating and maintaining the medicinal plants garden: Maintenance and planting of the medicinal plant garden, which includes pest control, seed collection, planting, soil preparation
Marketing and Fundraising
- Creating content: Create content and videos about your experiences at Iracambi to post on your FB and blog, linking to the Iracambi pages
- Posting on social media: Posting directly on Iracambi social media
- Small donation campaigns: Organize and mobile mini donation campaigns for specific projects, inviting friends and family to join in
- Graphic design: Create visual content for campaigns, and publicity documents
- Non profit management: Learn about specific areas of admin, fundraising and non profit administration on the GlobalGiving site – gives you useful experience and raises the position of Iracambi on their site!
- Assistance with fund raising: Researching writing and submitting funding proposal for Iracambi! Please share them with us first!
- Audiovisual content for social media, site, etc: Take photos and shoot videos for Iracambi media
FAQs
Most frequent questions and answers
Applying is easy! We recommend that you download our Iracambi Information Pack first. Once you’ve read this you can complete our short application form. After receiving this, we’ll be in touch to set up an online meeting to get to know you better and answer any questions you might have!
You’ll stay at the Iracambi Research Center located in the buffer zone of the Serra do Brigadeiro State Park. We have cozy cabins complete with internet access, and a restaurant on site that serves up three delicious meals a day, all included.
Visas can be issued for up to 90 days, renewable for some (but not all) nationalities. In order to make the most of your experience with us, we do recommend that you stay with us at least 2 weeks.
No, you don’t. But with our community projects you will have a lot more fun if you can master the basics. We recommend Duolingo.
To make it as easy as possible our pricing structure is as follows:
- If you are staying one month or longer: $200 per week
- If you are staying less than one month: $210 per week
This fee covers your accommodation, three meals a day, 24 hour internet access and all the projects and activities you will be supporting.
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Download our information pack for everything you need to know about life at the Iracambi Research and Conservation Center, including tips on visas, what to pack, and how to spend your free time!