• Quality Education
Reopening soon

Conservation and Education Volunteer

location
1 - 50 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+
rating  Outstanding 5  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Good response rate

Highlights

  • Getting to know the local children and them getting to know you!
  • Become part of the community in a beautiful and remote part of North Sumatra.
  • Explore the pristine wild rainforests, mountains and rivers.
  • Create an environmentally friendly example site for sustainable farming.
  • Trek to see some of the fantastic wildlife of the area such as orangutans, gibbons, thomas leaf monkeys and more.

Especially good for

Age 18+
Singles
Couples
Families
Groups
50+

About the program

Assist with reforestation, sustainable farming, eco-tourism activities and education of local children.

Background:

Hutan Subur is an Eco Tourism guest house on the Border of the Gunung Leseur National Park in Sumatra. The site borders an undisturbed wildlife corridor which allows free movement of Orangutan and other animals from the National Park. Until recently, this site has been a rubber ...

About the program

Background:

Hutan Subur is an Eco Tourism guest house on the Border of the Gunung Leseur National Park in Sumatra. The site borders an undisturbed wildlife corridor which allows free movement of Orangutan and other animals from the National Park. Until recently, this site has been a rubber plantation. Our goals are to repair the tree canopy to become a sustainable forestry site where we can also grow all the fruits and vegetables needed for the guest house.

Alongside our activities on-site at Hutan Subur we also fund two after-school programs where we teach local children English and we teach them about the environment and how to care for it.  The classrooms have local teachers and attract about 20-40 students per lesson.

Activities include:

Maintaining our tree nursery and planting out trees when they are ready

Caring for newly planted trees around the property

Managing weeds

Maintaining and growing the fruit and vegetable garden

Managing waste created at the site

Assisting our neighbouring farmers

Helping with English and environmental lessons at our after school classrooms. 

Typical day

Typical day

A typical days volunteering activities (times are indicative): 

8.00 am Breakfast

9.00 – 10.00 am working in the garden, maintaining vegetables, fruits or other tree planting.

11.00 – 1.00 – Sort waste from activities, work with coordinator to create social media posts, or use ...

Typical day

Typical day

A typical days volunteering activities (times are indicative): 

8.00 am Breakfast

9.00 – 10.00 am working in the garden, maintaining vegetables, fruits or other tree planting.

11.00 – 1.00 – Sort waste from activities, work with coordinator to create social media posts, or use harvested fruits and vegetables to cook lunch.

1.00 pm Lunch

2.00 - 4.30 pm help teach English to our school children 

6.30 Dinner

In the evening , volunteers share their experiences of  their volunteer work during the day, play some cards or games or relax and read a book

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6 etc

Free-time activities

Batu Kapal is a beautiful rural village in mountains adjacent to Gunung Leasur National Park - prime Sumatran orangutan country.

In your spare time on the weekends you will have the opportunity to visiting some nice places around Bukit Lawang and Batu Kapal with our team. Or stay on afterwards to ...

Free-time activities

Batu Kapal is a beautiful rural village in mountains adjacent to Gunung Leasur National Park - prime Sumatran orangutan country.

In your spare time on the weekends you will have the opportunity to visiting some nice places around Bukit Lawang and Batu Kapal with our team. Or stay on afterwards to explore Sumatra and Indonesia.


We can arrange to take you on day activities around Bukit Lawang, Batu Kapal, Batu Katak and Tangkahan on weekends or after your volunteering placement has finished and you can also arrange you to travel to  Lake Toba and Berestagi (volcano lands) after your volunteer placement has finished (please ask for a copy of additional activities if you would like one).

Adventure activities include orangutan and jungle trekking from 1/2 day to 6 days, where you get to camp in the jungle and may see macaques, thomas leaf monkey, gibbons, monitor lizards, sumatran peacock and much more; elephant washing, hot springs and waterfall day trips,  or tubing. Cultural activities include visits to the local rubber fruit and vegetable market and rural village tours, informal Indonesian cooking classes where you cook learn from the locals and  many other activities (tours and activities are arranged by local guides, at our reasonable volunteer prices).

Requirements

Requirements

Minimum Age: 18 years

In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

Language Skills

You need to speak English (basic level)

Nationality Restrictions

No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

Other Skills

Moderate physical fitness and an interest in conservation/education is all that is needed to take part in this program.

Time Commitment

Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 09:00 - 17:00

What's Included

What's Included

Services by Care Sumatra

Meals included are Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Water, Tea and Coffee and Fruit. Vegetarian, vegan  and gluten free options are available on request.

Please note the program fees do not include transport on arrival or departure but this can be arranged for you on request at additional cost.

Airport Pickup at Medan KNO Airport can be arranged if required ( $70US per car one way)

Motor bike transfers into the site $6 US one way per motor bike (Note the conservation project site is located in the jungle, we are not situated on a road, its a 20 minute motor bike ride from the village of Bukit Lawang and not that easy to find as it is not sign posted)

TRAVEL INSURANCE

Please ensure you have travel insurance to cover injury, accident, sickness, hospital and medical expenses, missed flights, cancellation and loss or damage to your personal belongings.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Please note if you plans change your volunteer fees are non refundable, however we are more than happy to change your start date. Please ensure you have travel insurance to cover cancellation.

SAFETY

Safety of our volunteers, guests and staff is our highest priority. Please respect each other and others property. Any person causing serious harm or putting others at risk will be asked to leave the site with forfeiture of your volunteer fees. This includes drunk and disorderly behaviour.

ZERO DRUGS POLICY.

Drug use in Indonesia is illegal and a jailable offence. For everyone’s safety, we are a drug free program. Please note the use of drugs will result in the immediate termination of your volunteering placement and removal from the program with forfeiture of your volunteer fees.

RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL PEOPLE

We are responsible for the safety of volunteers and staff in our care. Please respect local culture and staff. Relationships with staff and local people will not be tolerated during your volunteer placement,  resulting in immediate termination of your volunteering placement and removal from your site with forfeiture of your volunteer fees.

VALUABLES

Volunteers are responsible for the safety of their valuables and personal items at all times.  Management will not be held responsible for the safety of volunteers valuables. If you are concerned, please bring a money belt for your money, passport and important documents.

WIFI AND INTERNET ACCESS

Please note we do not have WiFi on site as we are in a remote area. There is limited patchy mobile phone coverage available on parts of the base with the local mobile phone service. Data for Indonesian sim cards can be purchased for your phone and very affordable rates.  We recommend volunteers buy a local SIM card with data on it when they arrive. Telkomsel is one of the better choices. 

Otherwise there is WiFi available in the village at some guest house cafes also. It is a 45 minute walk into the village, or a 20 minute motor bike ride

Accommodation

Accommodation – Shared dorm accommodation in a beautiful traditional building.

The accommodation is at our Hutan Subur Conservation  project site near Bukit Lawang in North Sumatra. A bed and blankets are provided, volunteers just need to bring a mosquito net, sleeping bag or sleeping sheet and pillow if needed. The accommodation is shared dormitory style, with a shared western bathroom (flushing toilet and cold water shower). 

You can also hire a mosquito net, pillow and sleeping sheet for $10 US if you do not have these items with you.

Please note there is no mains electricity in the jungle at Batu Kapal, we have a generator which operates for 2 to 3 hours in the evenings.

Food & Beverages

You will have three meals per day provided for you whilst on this project. Breakfast is usually pancake, omelette, eggs and rice/noodle dishes or fresh fruit. Lunches and dinners are delicious and typically consist of noodles or rice with either chicken, fish, egg and vegetables. Tofu and Soy bean dishes are also provided for vegetarians and vegans. Each meal is buffet style. Free tea and water. 

Soft drink and alcohol is available at an extra cost.

Please note there is no refrigeration on site or at any guest houses in the local area. All food is bought fresh daily to be cooked every day.  This is normal practice in rural areas in Sumatra.

Water is also boiled on site for your safety every day.

Internet Access

Limited access at the project site

What's NOT included?

What's NOT included?

Airport Pickup at Kuala Namu International Airport

An airport pickup isn't included within the program fees either.

Flight Tickets

The nearest airport is Kuala Namu International Airport (KNO) in Kuala Namu. We assist you to find cheap flights to Indonesia. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

Travel Insurance

Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Indonesia provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

Vaccines

If you are intending to volunteer in Indonesia you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Indonesia. VACCINE CHECKER

Details on arrival

This project can be started at any time of the year. November to April is often a more rainy time of the year, with the rest of the year having slightly less rain, however as the project site is in the Rainforest, rain often cannot be avoided. During Ramadan, some of our programs also have reduced participation and are sometimes closed. 


Transport can be organised from KualaNamu airport in Medan with an additional cost. 

Availability
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Program fees

1 week (min. stay) 517€
2 weeks 944€
4 weeks 1,988€
50 weeks (max. stay) 12,178€
Average fees 380€/week

Program fees

380€ per week 1 - 50 weeks Age 18 - 50+

Payment methods

Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

NO CREDIT CARD FEES

Duration

1 - 50 weeks

Deposit

The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.

Final Payment

Your final payment will be agreed with Care Sumatra during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.

Meet your organization

Care Sumatra

Outstanding 5 rating (2 reviews)

Non-profit - founded in 9

Verified by Volunteer World

  Good response rate

Coordinated by

Jaka

Spoken languages: English

About the project

We aim to provide the local children and families in the remote villages in North Sumatra with a free informal english school to provide a better future for the children

Meet your organization

Our mission is to support development in North Sumatra by connecting dedicated volunteers with local community projects.

Our vision is for equal opportunities in North Sumatra for everyone to succeed and thrive.

Our goal at CareSumatra is to connect suitable community led projects with willing, capable volunteers in a way that benefits both parties. Together, we aim to offer life changing support to the children and adults at the community-led projects we partner, and also a life changing development opportunity for our selected volunteers.

Our ultimate objective, however, is to support our wide range of projects with suitable volunteers to help them improve the quality of people's lives in their local area.

2 reviews · rating5

Claire Yume rating5

2023 at Educational Coordinator

I discovered Hutan Subur, next to Bukit Lawang, to help as volunteer during one week. I can really say that this team is working with their heart to make things better for the environment : They help the local farmers, they clean the area all around by taking the trash in the nature and then ...
Andy Pieris rating5

2022 at Eco Tourism Coordinator

Volunteering here for 2 months, was a once in a lifetime experience. Every staff member makes you feel like family from day one in this unique and beautiful place. Even the wild orangutans make you feel welcome- waking up to them swinging through the trees around ‘home’ most days. The ...

Location

Asia > South East Asia > Indonesia > Bukit Lawang

You might also be interested in

Volunteer Abroad  >  Environment  >  Conservation Work in Indonesia
Contact Jaka
  Good response rate
English

Most volunteers ask about

Do you have any more questions? Send a message to Jaka
Please don't share personal contact details for your privacy

Book with Flex Option!

Choose new departure dates or change to a different volunteer program at no extra costs within 12 months.

Enjoy our services for dedicated volunteers!

Enjoy a Refund Guarantee, Free Flex Option, and Emergency Assistance. Our Price-Guarantee ensures unbeatable value, and our Support Team is ready to assist.