The OFI Communications Volunteer is a position well-suited to
energetic and innovative individuals. OFI has a long and established
history as a research, conservation and education organization. It is
vitally important that this work continues to be brought to the
attention of the public, and the friends and donors involved with OFI.
Communication Volunteers gain experience and insight, and contribute
fresh thinking into a critically important aspect of conservation:
involvement of the international public.
Job Description:
The volunteer is based in the Orangutan Care Centre and works closely
with OFI’s North American staff and volunteer team. The Communications
Volunteer is an integral part of the OFI Team, acting as OFI’s eyes and
ears in the field and helping to extend limited resources to maximum
effect.
The Communication Volunteer’s dual background in both communication
and conservation allows him or her to be at home amidst the confusion of
the Orangutan Care Centre while translating the action to a public
presentation for the global OFI community. This requires correct
interpretation of events and engaging, appropriate presentation through
various forms of communication media.
Work Plan:
- Connect OFI donors who have adopted orangutans to their adoptees by getting to know the orangutans in the care centre, observing the behavior and personalities, communicating with the stuff for unique stories and quirks, photographing the orangutans; subsequently, compiling the information and presenting it in attractive format for the bi-annual updates.
- Co-supervise the on-the-spot orphan orangutan adoptions which
visitors to the Care Centre can sign up for. This involves regularly
sending new donor information to the OFI head office in Los Angeles.
Participate in production of monthly eNewsletter. Specifically: write articles and collect other written and visual material, edit the newsletter, help with formatting, etc. - Contribute material to OFI’s main website by writing diverse articles on events and news, as well as day-to-day points of interest, about work in the Care Centre. Articles are meant to be multi-faceted and diverse so as to appeal to the wide range or visitors to the website.
- Supply content to help keep OFI’s other communication channels (Facebook etc) updated and current with material suitable to the channel’s audience (e.g. new arrivals to the centre, Photo of the Week).
- Photograph significant events, orangutans, OFI staff, jungle flora
and fauna, and other subjects as needed by the OFI team. At the end of
the tenure, submit non-personal photography for OFI’s educational and
marketing use and reference.
Develop innovative ways to facilitate connections via creative journaling, YouTube video, and other means. - Create blog entries, visuals, and other updates to help build the rich content that encourages OFI donors to adopt orangutans and to renew their adoptions.
- Understand and promote OFI policies.
- Provide updates and feedback through weekly progress reports and a final end-of-tenure report within one month of returning.
- Complete other tasks for OFI as needed.
The tasks outlined above are only the standard responsibility of the
communications volunteer. Every tenure will also involve one or more
special projects which will address the communication, outreach and
fundraising needs of OFI on and off the field at the time.
Qualifications/Experience
Job-Specific Requirements:
- Strong interest in orangutans and other endangered wildlife
- Excellent writing skills
- Familiarity and comfort with various web applications
- Ability to keep timely and professional correspondence with remote work partners
- Dedication to working in field conditions
- Experience in working with teams of people of very diverse backgrounds and personalities
- Some experience with photography and video filming, and ability to bring own camera with video capabilities to the field.
- Sincere interest in the history and culture of Southeast Asia
- Ideally some communication ability in Bahasa Indonesia with the willingness to learn daily throughout the volunteer tenure
- Background in environmental sciences
General Skills and Characteristics:
- Experience traveling, working or volunteering in developing, tropical nations
- Cultural sensitivity, understanding, and adaptability
- High degree of flexibility, open-mindedness, creativity and optimism
- Strong interest in orangutans and other endangered wildlife
- Dedication to working in field conditions
- Ability and commitment to fundraise for the trip
Position Duration: Six months.
Application Deadline: Rolling
Volunteering with Orangutan Foundation International (OFI)
Orangutan Foundation International protects 6,000 wild
orangutans in Tanjung Puting National Park, in Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Facilities include 16 guard posts throughout the park and numerous
staffed feeding stations in addition to the Orangutan Care Center, which
rehabilitates 330 young orangutans and prepares them for return to the
wild. The majority of individuals are under 10 years old. The Centre
consists of a central clinic and units housing the older individuals,
while the outlying juvenile units and the medical quarantine facility
are set in the surrounding 80 hectare forest. Most of the orangutans are
very well-habituated to humans. They arrive in the OCCQ by confiscation
from homes, black markets, entertainment industry, and abusive zoos.
Volunteering for OFI can have a big impact on your life and on the lives of the thousands of orangutans we fight to protect. Each year, OFI is grateful to receive many kind inquiries from volunteers willing to spend weeks, months, even years in Kalimantan, helping in the Orangutan Care Centre or in Tanjung Puting National Park.For our successful long-term volunteers, OFI is pleased to be able to offer letters of reference that will serve as testimony of their dedication to our organization and the quality of the contribution they have made to our cause. Volunteers are expected to submit a final report on what they have learned, experienced, and accomplished during their tenure with OFI.
Volunteering for OFI can have a big impact on your life and on the lives of the thousands of orangutans we fight to protect. Each year, OFI is grateful to receive many kind inquiries from volunteers willing to spend weeks, months, even years in Kalimantan, helping in the Orangutan Care Centre or in Tanjung Puting National Park.For our successful long-term volunteers, OFI is pleased to be able to offer letters of reference that will serve as testimony of their dedication to our organization and the quality of the contribution they have made to our cause. Volunteers are expected to submit a final report on what they have learned, experienced, and accomplished during their tenure with OFI.
Life at the OCC&Q: The OCCQ is situated
in the village of Pasir Panjang, a 15 minute drive from the small city
of Pangkalan Bun. This city has an airport and is situated in the south
of the province of Kalimantan Tengah, Borneo, Indonesia. Volunteers work
on a daily basis in the Orangutan Care Centre and Quarantine in Pasir
Panjang. Most of the locals speak rudimentary or no English. Languages
are Indonesian and local Dayak dialect. The staff working hours are 8:00
to 16:00, with a lunch break at around noon. If desired, the volunteer
may take one day off a week.
Living arrangements are typically with a local family homestay.
Living conditions are basic, with limited running water, no landlines or
Internet (although internet is available a 10 minute ride away in the
town). The quality of care in the homes varies, from simple room
accommodation to cooking and laundry. OFI makes an effort to arrange
homestays for all its interns and volunteers, but there is an element of
unpredictability in any such arrangements. In case of emergency,
hotel/motel accommodations are present in Pangkalan Bun and even closer
to Pasir Panjang
Program Costs and Requirements: Volunteers
will be expected to cover International flights to Jakarta Indonesia as
well as domestic flights to Pangkalan Bun, Kalimantan Tengah. 2 500 000
IDR per month in rent in Pasir Panjang: includes three basic meals a
day, electricity, and accommodation. Additional funds should be budgeted
for miscellaneous personal expenses. (There are small local shops
nearby.) Volunteers will also be responsible for the cost of initial
visa which OFI will help you acquire, as well as renewals 3 times during
the 6 months. (approx. 1 000 000 IDR average each trip). Volunteers are
responsible for basic field equipment.
The following documents are required from all volunteers prior to departure:
- Proof of vaccinations
- Negative tests results from the following diseases:
- Hepatitis
- Tuberculosis
- Proof of travel & medical insurance
- Signed work contract
- Signed confidentiality agreement
How to Apply: Admission to the volunteer program is competitive. To apply, please follow these steps:
- All applicants must be members in good standing of OFI. To join OFI, please visit: http://orangutan.org/products-page/membership/membership/. The fee is $35 for a student or senior membership.
- Download and fill out the long-term volunteer application form here: HERE
- Submit the following documents to ofivolunteer@gmail.com
- Proof of OFI membership
- Cover letter
- Resume
- Two references
Applicants will receive a return reply from one of our volunteer
coordinators within two weeks. Please note that all of our volunteer
coordinators are themselves volunteers, so please be patient if there is
an occasional communications delay.
Deadline: 05/02/2016
