Volunteering

Corfu Donkey Rescue
Registered Charity No. 1178

Volunteering
Working holidays and Gap years

Volunteers and students are an integral part of the day to day running of the shelter and are most welcome. Experience with donkeys is not necessary but a willingness to learn and ‘muck in’ is. Depending on each individual it takes about a week to learn the job generally, therefore first time volunteers are required to do a minimum of 2 weeks.

The work includes feeding, watering, cleaning stables and fields and any other daily chores involving the donkeys, dogs and cats. Once the morning’s routine work is done there is time for extra jobs and then grooming and walking the donkeys. Tourists and visitors are also welcomed and as such they need to be shown around and the donkeys stories told, for longer term volunteers and students, this is part of your work too.

Students will also be taught basic first aid, medical requirements and any veterinary work that is done on a daily basis. Interested volunteers are also welcome to learn.

The work is hard – what animals are easy? Tortoises maybe?. During the summer the weather is very hot, anything from 30-40 degrees C. In the Spring and Autumn there can be a lot of rain, but the temperatures are mild. In the Winter, Jan – Mar, it can be cold. In the daytime, that means lots of sunshine with temperatures dropping about 4pm, but rarely below freezing.

Flights

Corfu has only one small airport just outside the main town. From April/May to end of October there are direct flights to Corfu from all the major airports in northern Europe. Off season you will need to fly to Athens and get a connection to Corfu, an extra flight of 40 minutes duration. Taxi’s are at the airport and should not cost more than 40-45 euros to Doukades. Ask for price before you get in the taxi and do not pay more than agreed at the start of the journey. If they ask for more, mention Tourist Police at Paleocastritsa – telephone number 0030 26630 22222 and they won’t ask again?

Accommodation

You can arrange your own accommodation – the nearest resort is Paleocastritsa – or we can arrange it for you at a local pension, The Achilleas, Doukades. The pension is family run and the two brothers, Tassos and Kostas offer a warm welcome and assistance. Each basic room has a TV and private shower and WC. There is a communal kitchen for your cooking needs. There is a swimming pool on site open July, August and September. The Achilleas has a bar and pool room. Internet is available at a small weekly charge. Nearly all our volunteers and students use this accommodation and are very happy with it. Vol/Stu’s get a cheap rate at this pension because they are helping at CDR. The rate for 2011 is 75 euros for a single, 110 for a double per week and payable in cash only at the end of each week. To take advantage of these cheap rates you must commit to working a minimum of 5 full days a week at the shelter. The full price for those wishing to do less than 5 days a week is 280 euros a week for a double room!

Within walking distance of the pension are 2 supermarkets (not cheap), 3 tavernas, a petrol station and a pharmacy. 3km away is the famous resort of Paleocastritsa and 15km to the south is Corfu Town and the airport. In between are the cheaper supermarkets, Diellas and Lidls etc.

For more comfort, there is the Hotel Nefeli at Kommeno on the East coast, just north of Corfu Town. If you would like to stay here and take advantage of cheaper rates for this hotel contact Dagmar Lorenz direct at hotelnefeli@web.de stating that you are volunteering at the donkey shelter.

Although the shelter is within walking distance, (20 mins) of The Achilleas, most of our vols/stu’s rent scooters during their stay. Again we can arrange this for you and get you cheaper rates. The longer you stay, the cheaper it is. Be sure to bring your driving license. We do have available 2 pedal bikes for those with no driving license. We ask rental of 10 euros a week to maintain the bikes. The ever popular scooters allow you to explore the Island on your days off and get to the beaches and local resorts at the end of the day. There are buses going to Paleocastritsa and back to Corfu Town, but only 4 times a day.

If you are interested in being a volunteer or doing your internship at CDR, please download an application form, fill it in and send it to judyquin@otenet.gr

Application form – volunteer

Application form - student

Comments from Judy, The Founder of CDR

“I am always amazed and thankful that people from Europe come to Corfu to volunteer and most of them come back year after year, sometimes twice in one year. But that proves that the work is satisfying, the atmosphere is friendly and a good time is had by all. But I am sure that it is the donkeys themselves that bring our volunteers back, you can see when you visit that you are doing a very worth while job in very basic conditions. Some nights we all meet up and have a great night out together or a barbeque on site. Many people comment on the peace and tranquillity that can be found here with the donkeys. It is so good to slow down away from the rat race and move at a donkeys pace, cuddle the cats and walk the donkeys and dogs down to the lake. We meet the best people in the world here, visitors, students, volunteers, all like minded caring people".

Read some of the comments from previous CDR volunteers

Do you want to be a volunteer?
If so contact Judy at the donkey shelter