Family volunteering with bears in Romania

Environment

Supporting local wildlife
It almost goes without explanation to state how strongly this project supports local wildlife. The staff at the sanctuary can very rarely say no to animals that need to be taken care of, and as such you may find that you are also helping rescued dogs, horses, wolves and donkeys - and maybe other creatures - whilst you are there. This is the largest bear sanctuary in Europe and has rescued well over 100 bears since it came into operation in 2006. Volunteers are not allowed to interact with the bears as this can hinder their rehabilitation.

Protecting the world
We are passionate about encouraging our travelers to be kind to the environment as they travel. Each participant receives advice about how to care for the environment whilst they are away. This includes water usage, how to avoid single use plastic, electricity usage and how to carbon offset flights.

For each traveler who goes away with us we plant a tree to offset the office carbon emissions, but also the traveler's emissions. We encourage all participants to offset their flight emissions too, via a carbon offset scheme run in conjunction with Tree Aid.

We insist that all participants bring their own water bottles when they travel with us, and clean free water is always available. We have even created a water bottle that can be purchased before departure and encourage people to use it at all stages of their journey including at the airport, on flights and whilst on their project. We are striving for all of our projects to be free of single use plastic.

Community

Meeting local needs
The whole project is geared towards helping the local community. Romania is not wealthy and institutions like the bear sanctuary rely on volunteers. We have been running programmes in this area since 2000 and have long-standing relationships with local people. This means we have a good idea of where help is needed, and can ensure volunteers make a real contribution. The educational emphasis on the sanctuary is important, as it helps children from this area of the world to understand the importance of caring for wildlife and in particular the bears - which will help to preserve wildlife going forward, and enable children to have a healthy relationship with their natural environment.

Impact on the local economy
The project also helps the local economy. Our participants spend money on food and leisure; we pay rent and employ a local Romanian as our representative. In addition, we donate money regularly to the various projects in response to their needs.

Cultural sensitivity
Our pre-departure briefing includes a special session entitled ‘Responsible Tourism’ where we discuss cultural differences and sensitivities as well as advising volunteers on appropriate conduct. People are briefed on what is considered polite in terms of eating, greeting and dressing. It is encouraged that all volunteers learn some Romanian prior to departure, and they get a helping hand whilst out there as well.