Volunteers' Stories - Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi (CIWY)

Volunteers' Stories

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Volunteers’ Stories

Over the years, thousands of volunteers from all walks of life and corners of the world have passed through our sanctuaries. Many of them fell in love with the animals as well as the jungle, the organization, and the strong sense of community.

Whether you volunteer with us for two weeks or two years, you will be part of the CIWY family for life.

❤ Love in the Jungle ❤

When you volunteer with CIWY, you bond not only with the animals, but also with fellow volunteers, often creating lifelong friendships. Sometimes volunteers even find their soulmates. Look out for stories with ❤s around them for tales of love.

A group of volunteers pose for a photo at the entrance to Parque Ambue Ari
A group of volunteers pose for a photo at the entrance to Parque Ambue Ari

Create a family

I love wildlife, and I am dedicating my life to the protection and rehabilitation of wildlife. After two years in different French centers, I discovered CIWY’s work, so, with my backpack, I made my way to Bolivia for a new adventure. Parque Machía is a magnificent place where the days are always full of excitement.

Educational and life-changing

I volunteered at Parque Ambue Ari for three months, and it is impossible to describe how amazing it was. I originally went to CIWY to conduct research for my thesis; however, the sanctuary quickly became much more to me than a study site. CIWY kindly offered me an internship in which I could carry out

❤ Monkey love ❤

Amy and Peter met at Parque Ambue Ari in 2010. Amy was working with two jaguars, Juancho and Katie, and Pete was assigned to a puma named Maggie. The two took on additional responsibilities at the sanctuary, but their relationship remained strictly professionally. One evening, a mischievous spider monkey named Morocha that lived at Parque

A great atmosphere

We were travelling through Bolivia together when we decided to volunteer for two weeks at Parque Machía. Gabin worked in ‘Heaven’, a section of the Primate Management Area with capuchin monkeys, and I worked in the Aviary. A fantastic team of staff and volunteers trained us on site. The sanctuary has a great atmosphere, and

❤ Unforgettable… and romantic ❤

I’ll never forget the moment I arrived at Parque Ambue Ari in 2007. I arrived after hours of travelling by bus, and I was greeted by an Australian named Dave, who walked me through to the courtyard where more people were hanging out. They all looked somehow glowing and extremely happy, despite being filthy from

An unbeatable experience

I volunteered with my husband at CIWY during our nine-month stint travelling through Central and South America in 2018. Our stay turned out to be one of the best months of our lives! We knew we wanted to volunteer with animals at some point on the trip, ideally in a Spanish-speaking country (after six months

Experience the unforgettable

Marie and I had been travelling South America for just over a year. Marie heard of CIWY through a friend so when we were in Rurrenabaque, Bolivia, in 2018 we went to check out Parque Jacj Cuisi. We were only meant to stay a month but ended up staying just over two! Jacj Cuisi is

A national treasure

Volunteering with CIWY was an unforgettable experience. Seeing how happy the animals are makes all the hard work worth it. Getting up at 6:00 am to work 6 days a week, working until you couldn’t possibly become dirtier, wading through swamps in the rainy season, living without electricity or warm showers, fighting off clouds of

Add CIWY to your list

While studying in New York, I looked for an opportunity to volunteer with wildlife in another country during the summer. I found CIWY on a list of the most ethical organizations, and I chose to volunteer at Parque Jacj Cuisi in 2018 for a month to have the chance to work with a puma and