• Life On Land

Hedgehogs Conservation

location
1 - 12 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+
rating  Good 4.2  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Very high response rate

Highlights

  • Contribute to animal welfare
  • Meet people from all over the world who are also involved in animal protection
  • Spend time with adorable hedgehogs
  • Learn Portuguese and develop your language skills
  • Discover Porto and its surroundings

Especially good for

Age 18+
Singles
Couples
Families
Groups
50+

About the program

In this program, you will join a non-profit rescue centre that focuses on treating injured and sick hedgehogs.

Hedgehogs face threats from pollution, habitat loss, road casualties, and lack of food, leading to a decline in their population. Many are also captured and kept illegally as pets, often without proper care. You will volunteer at a volunteer-based rescue center dedicated to rehabilitating injured ...

About the program

Hedgehogs face threats from pollution, habitat loss, road casualties, and lack of food, leading to a decline in their population. Many are also captured and kept illegally as pets, often without proper care. You will volunteer at a volunteer-based rescue center dedicated to rehabilitating injured and sick hedgehogs and releasing them back into their natural habitat.

What to Expect:

  • Rehabilitation Work: Assist in cleaning cages and enclosures, feeding hedgehogs, and supporting clinical procedures.

  • Awareness Initiatives: Participate in initiatives to raise awareness about hedgehog conservation.

  • Release Events: Help with the release of rehabilitated hedgehogs back into the wild.

Daily Tasks:

  • Cleaning: Clean hedgehog cages and enclosures.

  • Feeding

  • Awareness: Contribute to awareness initiatives.

  • Release Events: Participate in animal release events.

  • Clinical Support: Support clinical procedures like wound cleaning and medication administration.

Why Join?

  • Make an Impact: Help rehabilitate and conserve hedgehogs.

  • Gain Experience: Develop skills in animal care and conservation.

  • Cultural Immersion: Experience life in Portugal while making a positive difference.

Ready to Help Save Hedgehogs?

Typical day

After the initial orientation day, you will have a morning, afternoon or evening shift at the Hedgehog placement and will work for approximately 3 to 5 hours per day. 

Your tasks are to support the centre staff by helping to clean the hedgehog’s cages and enclosures, feeding the hedgehogs, ...

Typical day

After the initial orientation day, you will have a morning, afternoon or evening shift at the Hedgehog placement and will work for approximately 3 to 5 hours per day. 

Your tasks are to support the centre staff by helping to clean the hedgehog’s cages and enclosures, feeding the hedgehogs, contributing to awareness initiatives, participating in the animals’ release events in the wild and supporting clinical procedures such as wound cleaning, medications, coprologies, among others.

Free-time activities

In your free time, you can explore the city, have Portuguese language classes, surf, or anything you wish!

Porto is the second biggest city in Portugal and one of the most authentic cities to visit in the country. Stroll through its sinuous and picturesque streets and feel the pulse of the city, or ...

Free-time activities

In your free time, you can explore the city, have Portuguese language classes, surf, or anything you wish!

Porto is the second biggest city in Portugal and one of the most authentic cities to visit in the country. Stroll through its sinuous and picturesque streets and feel the pulse of the city, or take the tram to the mouth of the river Douro and get to know the excellent beaches and the outdoor cafés. The historic center of Porto was declared UNESCO World Heritage but is the hospitality and forceful character of the locals that will delight you. Porto is a vibrant and young city with countless cafés, bars, and clubs to have a really good time at night, or relaxed rooftops to have a drink and enjoy the warm Portuguese climate.

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)

Criminal Background Check

required

Nationality Restrictions

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

Time Commitment

Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

What's Included

What's Included

Services by ImpacTrip

What’s included?

- Pick up at the international airport in Porto & transfer to the accommodation - Sunday 

On Sunday, the ImpacTrip team will be at the airport waiting for you with a big sign and a smile on their face! :)

If you arrive prior to Sunday, you will still be able to receive an airport pickup and our team can transport you to the accommodation, but you will need to pay an extra fee for this service.

We will reach out to you by WhatsApp a few days before your start date to connect

- Accommodation at a dormitory at a centre-located hostel, female dormitory or mixed dormitory

- Three meals a day everyday: Breakfast, lunch and dinner (Local style. Vegetarian, gluten-free and meals for lactose-intolerant are also available upon request)

- Shared use of common spaces and free WIFI

- Orientation event on arrival (including introduction to Portugal and culture, volunteer experience, overview of programmes, practical information, safety guidelines)

- Guided city tour and the best tips to discover the city!

- Allocation and coordination of a work placement in a sustainable project and contact person in the project

- Introduction on the first day of volunteering

- Ongoing support throughout the stay

- 24h/7 emergency support by phone or personally

- Limited coverage civil liability insurance.

Airport Pickup at Porto Airport

On Sunday, the ImpacTrip team will be at the airport waiting for you with a big sign and a smile on their face! :)

If you arrive prior to Sunday, you will still be able to receive an airport pickup and our team can transport you to the accommodation, but you will need to pay an extra fee for this service.

We will reach out to you by WhatsApp a few days before your start date to connect

Accommodation

The accommodation is an hostel located right at the city center of Porto city, with a wide range of rooms, from dormitories to private rooms, a spacious and friendly lounge area where volunteers can hang out, chill, listen to music, enjoy the atmosphere, play some games, and get to know  other fellow travelers. The bathrooms are shared. There is free wi-fi in all the hostel area.

Food & Beverages

We will provide breakfast at the accommodation everyday. We will cook with fresh local ingredients everyday for all volunteers and they are prepared to accommodate most diet restrictions such as vegan and vegetarians, gluten-free and lactose intolerant. Also take some time out to explore the city and its incredible cuisine!

Lunch and dinner are provided by an amazing local restaurant! It is only a 10 min walk from your accommodation.

Internet Access

Good access at the project site

What's NOT included?

What's NOT included?

Flight Tickets

The nearest airport is Porto Airport (OPO) in Porto. We assist you to find cheap flights to Portugal. 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 Portugal provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

Vaccines

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

Details on arrival

This program starts on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month!

You should arrive on Sunday (or before) to attend the orientation session on Monday morning.

*From May to September arrivals every Sunday.*

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

Program fees

1 week (min. stay) 1,040€
2 weeks 1,550€
3 weeks 2,060€
4 weeks 2,570€
5 weeks 3,080€
6 weeks 3,590€
7 weeks 4,100€
8 weeks 4,610€
9 weeks 5,120€
10 weeks 5,630€
11 weeks 6,140€
12 weeks (max. stay) 6,650€
Average fees 797€/week

Program fees

797€ per week 1 - 12 weeks Age 18 - 50+

Payment methods

Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

NO CREDIT CARD FEES

Duration

1 - 12 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 ImpacTrip during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.

Meet your organization

ImpacTrip

Good 4.2 rating (70 reviews)

Agency - founded in 2015

Verified by Volunteer World

  Very high response rate

Coordinated by

Cristiana

Spoken languages: Portuguese, Spanish, English

About the project

ImpacTrip is a social enterprise that promotes Responsible Travel Experiences in Portugal, Spain and Croatia.

Meet your organization

ImpacTrip is a social business internationally certified as B-Corp that promotes Responsible Travel Experiences in Portugal, Spain and Croatia.

Founded in 2015 by two dedicated social entrepreneurs that want to change the way people travel, ImpacTrip aims at combining the best of travel with a positive social and environmental impact.

We really want travelers to have the most unique and meaningful travel experiences.

We offer short-term Travel Experiences across our country that allow you and other Responsible Travelers to connect with the locals, experience the culture and contribute in a positive way to the local communities.

We also offer long-term volunteer programs in which you can dedicate 1 to 12 weeks volunteering for local non-profits for a specific cause while meeting people from all over the world.

Since 2015 we've received people from over 50+ different nationalities that contributed with over 30.000 hours of volunteer work to support over 300 non-profits.

70 reviews · rating4.2

Alba Gala Torrero rating5

2024 at Youth Supporter

I recommend this experience to absolutely anyone, it was the best of my life. The first week my placement was in a Skatepark in Cascais, so I had to catch a train and then a bus. Although it was good and the commute was fine, I didn't feel comfortable at the beggining so I asked to switch to a ...
Martin Hag rating3.6

2024 at Environmental Scuba Diving

The people working there were really supportive and genuinely wish for you to have a good experience. My first day was an introduction to the area, possibility to get help with the tickets for the public transports and a guided tour of Lisbon. They also have communication chats for you to contact ...
Thomas Payne rating3.2

2024 at Animal Care and Protection

Honestly, I was surprised, when on the website it shows photos of so many dogs, animals, it turned out I was working at a cat sanctuary. It's not that I was disappointed by the cats, it was just a shock, and also, at points of the sanctuary I feel like I wasn't apart of it massively, there wasn't ...
Isabel Hager rating2.6

2024 at Environmental Scuba Diving

Here’s a more formal and assertive version of your feedback: After months of requesting a detailed schedule for our diving experience, we only received the information after all payments had already been made. To pay €1,500 for a week, only to end up with just four dives, is completely ...
Louise Rivet rating1.8

2024 at English Teaching to the community

Unfortunately, my experience was not the best one. The lodging was too far from the project; we had to travel almost two hours to get there. The classes were not organized. After one week, and following my request, I was assigned to a school which was fine but still one hour bus and metro to get ...
Lian Van Haaster rating1.4

2024 at Impact Surf Camp

I would not recommend the Impact Surf Camp program. I thought it was way too expensive for what you get in return. When I was there, early November 2024, I was the only one who had booked the Surf Camp program. At first it was cancelled the day before it started because of the weather, even though ...

Location

Europe > Southern Europe > Portugal > Porto

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Contact Cristiana
  Very high response rate
Portuguese, Spanish, English

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