Overview
Volunteer Work in Belize

Volunteers who join this programme have the opportunity to participate in a variety of conservation, research and education projects in a number of awesome locations in Belize. Belize is a country rich in culture, history and flora and fauna, and volunteers will be involved in practical conservation of its National Parks and Mayan ruins; assisting with activities such as trail maintenance and boundary clearance, and in research and education activities such as conducting crocodile surveys, assessing jaguar populations and running environmental field courses.

Placements of two months and upwards are available with the Belize Audubon Society and the Belize Institute of Archaeology. Placement allocations will be finalised during this course, matching placement requirements to the skills and interests of the volunteers.

View Film Footage, images, blogs, volunteer stories from the field, volunteer video diaries and more at the programs media centre

What I enjoyed the most was working with people who know about nature – biologists, students, people who want to make changes, who want to help.

Tim Connelly, 2007 Volunteer

What Difference Does This Project Make?

Our project partners are working towards the sustainable future of the natural resources for the people of Northeast Belize, through conservation, research, education and sustainable development. The volunteer programs are wide-ranging and focus heavily on engaging interest and participation in conservation activities – both at a local level, and by working with NGOs and government agencies.

Highlights

Having an in-depth orientation upon you arrival to learn about Belize and the volunteer projects GVI runs there; being involved in worthwhile conservation initiatives; contributing to research and education in stunning locations and National Parks in Belize; and you may be working with manatees or assisting research projects at the Blue Hole a world famouos scuba diving site.

Location

The project base (where the orientation course and some of the placements take place) is based just outside the village of Sarteneja – a lobster fishing village in the North Eastern corner of Belize, which is located about three hours drive from Belize City. Placements with the Belize Audubon Society and the Institute of Archaeology are in a number of other locations around Belize. Please see the map at the end of the briefing for exact locations.

Field Conditions

Most of the time, volunteers will live in basic, shared cabanas, so you should be prepared for some rustic conditions and basic living! All accommodation has cold running water (but no hot), and some have solar electricity. Laundry can be done in a bucket on-site. All meals are prepared by volunteers on a Rota basis.