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Cape Verde is an archipelago lying in the Atlantic Ocean, 600 kilometres from the coast of Senegal. Despite being one of Africa’s smallest countries, Cape Verde offers a wide range of opportunities to visitors.
These islands were populated by Portuguese settlers in the 15th century. It is for this reason that Cape Verdean culture is very similar to Portuguese culture; not just in terms of the language, with Portuguese being the country’s official language, but also for its population, cuisine and traditions.
When you think of this country, the first images that come to mind are its beautiful beaches and tropical rainforest, which are Cape Verde’s biggest attractions. It is also the perfect country for water sports, fishing and outdoor sports. Praia, the capital city, is one of the most beautiful municipalities found anywhere in the country.
Cape Verde generally has a dry tropical climate. However, there are occasionally—although not very frequently—tropical rain storms during the months of August and October. The average temperature in the country is 22-28 degrees Celsius, meaning it enjoys a fairly mild climate.
In Tarrafal, where the Cooperating Volunteers programs will take place, the temperature ranges from 18 to 29 degrees Celsius. The summers are warm, and the winters are mild and pleasant.
Cape Verde operates on Cape Verde Time (CVT), which is usually at UTC-1.
The country’s official currency is the Cape Verdean escudo, with 1 euro equating to 110 Cape Verdean escudos.
The island of Boa Vista is the easternmost in the archipelago
The stay begins when the participant arrives at the destination and is picked up.
The meals included in the destination/project are served at the accommodations. During journeys to the destination, excursions organized by volunteers, and other activities, meals are not included.
The pickup times specified for each destination/project must be respected. Volunteers who arrive outside the designated pickup times/days will be required to pay an additional cost.
The island of Boa Vista is the easternmost in the archipelago, situated approximately 500 km from the African continent and around 2,000 km from the Canary Islands. With an area of 620 km2, it ranks as the third-largest in the Cape Verde archipelago.
Boa Vista hosts over 80% of the nesting activity throughout the entire archipelago on its beaches. This nesting is concentrated on the beaches of the east and southeast coasts of the island, located in the Tartaruga Natural Reserve (RNT) and the North Natural Park (PNN), although it can be observed on almost all beaches of the island. The population is estimated to consist of around 3,000 – 3,500 females. However, various factors such as nesting beach fidelity, re-migration period (2 or 3 years), and the impossibility of observing all individuals that come to the beaches to nest make it challenging to determine the exact size of the population.
Volunteers need to arrive at Aristides Pereira International Airport (BVC). Arrival days are Saturdays. Volunteers will be picked up at the airport by the coordinator and taken to their accommodation (a drive of approximately one to one and a half hours). Volunteers arriving outside of this schedule do not have access to this service, so they will need to cover the transportation costs themselves.
Cape Verdean gastronomy is a combination of typical Portuguese cuisine and traditional West African food. Fish and seafood are the staple of Cape Verdean cuisine.
Cape Verde boasts some magnificent beaches with crystal clear waters, such as those in Santa María and Tarrafal, which are perfect for water sports. However, Cape Verde offers a wide range of tourist activities that spans much wider that its beautiful beaches. It has multiple volcanoes (some of which are still active, such as the Pico de Fogo), welcoming cities (such as its capital, Mindelo), exceptional Portuguese-influenced music, ancient colonial buildings and its tropical plant life.
To travel between islands, you can use either a plane or a boat.
To travel within the island, the most common options are taxis.
Volunteers must arrive in Boa Vista on Saturdays to be transferred to the accommodation. Volunteer programs start every Monday, and the schedule varies depending on the program’s needs and coordinator instructions.
The minimum duration for the programs is two weeks.
The turtle program is available from June 22nd to September 28th.
| Duration and Departure Days | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shift | Arrival day (Saturday) | 2 Weeks | 3 Weeks | 1 Month |
| 1 | 22 June | 6 July | 13 July | 20 July |
| 2 | 6 July | 20 July | 27 July | 3 August |
| 3 | 20 July | 3 August | 10 August | 17 August |
| 4 | 3 August | 17 August | 24 August | 31 August |
| 5 | 17 August | 31 August | 7 September | 14 September |
| 6 | 31 August | 14 September | 21 September | 28 September |
| 7 | 14 September | 28 September | 5 October | 12 October |
| 8 | 28 September | 12 October | 19 October | |
The beaches of the island of Cabo Verde are one of the main nesting sites for loggerhead turtles during the months of July to December. These species play a critical role in the seagrass and coral reef ecosystems that provide a variety of marine life.
You will be divided into working groups, each consisting of a supervisor and 2-4 volunteers. Since the main activity of female breeders and hatchlings occurs at night, work shifts take place at night or at dawn.
At night, direct work is carried out with female breeders, nests and hatchlings. The duration of the shift is 5 to 7 hours.
At dawn, the daily census of tracks and nests, monitoring and excavation of natural nests and rescue of lost or disoriented females is carried out. The duration of the shift depends on both the distance of the assigned beach and the number of tracks, nests and/or turtles found.
The main activities you will carry out during your stay in Boa Vista are:
REQUIREMENTS: Good phisical condition and the ability to work during the night.
What should I bring?
AVAILABILITY: The turtle program is available from June 22 to September 28.
MINIMUM DURATION: 2 weeks
The camps are located in isolated areas, quite distant from the capital and/or local towns. Therefore, volunteers stay in the camps and their surroundings for almost the entire duration of their stay.
These camps are situated right by the beach, and you will have the opportunity to share the camp with many more volunteers, enhancing your experience. Volunteers’ accommodation will be in tents within our camp.
The camp includes three main meals every day, seven days a week.
Upon arrival and settling in at the destination, there will be a welcome meeting with local workers and coordinators to provide information about the area, rules, regular schedules, and an explanation of the program they will carry out.
Volunteers will enjoy typical Cape Verdean and other West African cuisine, with a focus on fish, legumes, and seeds.
The organization has accommodation for individuals who may fall ill, providing them with a place to stay for a few days and be closer to the hospital if necessary.
Volunteers booking for more than one month will have access to accommodation in the city for two days each month to take a break from the project, with transportation included. In this case, meals are not included.
The total cost of volunteering is broken down into 2 parts: The registration fee, which is paid to reserve your spot (€210), and the program cost, which is paid later.
2 weeks: €365
3 weeks: €410
4 weeks: €470
5 weeks: €530
6 weeks: €580
If your currency is not specified in the list, you can convert the costs here.
Visa, flights, travel insurance (obligatory), vaccines, return to the airport and other personal expenses.
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Our volunteers will be able to validate university credits with the aim of traveling in a more responsible and economical way.
What does volunteering focused on university practices involve?
At Cooperating Volunteers, we make agreements with different universities to validate university credits with the aim of traveling in a more responsible and economical way.
The specialties we work with are extensive: medical volunteering, nursing, education, social work, psychology, physiotherapy, engineering, architecture…
The practices can be carried out in our designated destinations for this purpose, as well as in Spain.
If you choose an international destination, it’s a unique way to live an unforgettable and enriching experience, as you will have the opportunity to continue your education in another country, with a completely different culture.
Stepping out of our comfort zone and being part of the various projects at the destination will allow us to grow both personally and professionally, creating a more extensive curriculum.
And we are fully convinced that this experience will accompany you throughout your life.
You will be able to visit hospitals, schools, centers, orphanages, and participate directly and actively in the daily lives of all those people at the destination, always accompanied by other professionals willing to collaborate hand in hand with you and guide you in daily tasks.
If your university is not part of the agreement with Cooperating Volunteers, you can contact cristina@cooperatingvolunteers.com so that we can get in touch and make this experience a reality.
Corporate volunteering consists of tailored programs for your company, designed to develop teamwork skills.
It is proven that teamwork directly impacts productivity.
Collective effort surpasses individual capabilities, promotes diversity of skills, stimulates creativity, and facilitates problem-solving in the face of various challenges.
Therefore, it not only maximizes efficiency but also enriches the work environment.
We conduct corporate volunteering programs that consist of customized programs for your company, designed to develop teamwork skills, improve performance, and foster unity among employees.
We tailor projects to the corporate identity and size of the company, and we can adjust them to any destination and time of the year.
The advantages of corporate volunteering include:
The future is aligned with a more responsible society, and participating in social projects positions our company among the list of revolutionary businesses that want to be part of the change.
If you resonate with this message, corporate volunteering is a unique experience both individually and collectively, and at Cooperating Volunteers, we accompany you throughout the process to make it a unique journey.
Quality time spent with family strengthens emotional bonds, promotes communication, and contributes to the emotional well-being of its members.
Spending quality time with family and being able to disconnect from our hectic routines is not only enriching but also necessary.
Sometimes we forget to communicate, connect, and dedicate time to each other. Each one of us lives focused on our jobs, schools… And it’s necessary to find the opportunity to pause and take care of ourselves.
Quality time spent with family strengthens emotional bonds, promotes communication, and contributes to the emotional well-being of its members. And of course, it creates lifelong positive memories.
At Cooperating Volunteers, we suggest moving away from those ‘more superficial’ trips (which can also be fantastic), but we invite you to live this experience to bring out our most empathetic and humanitarian side.
Family volunteering gives us the opportunity to be part of a positive impact, promoting values of solidarity and social responsibility.
There are many families who choose to experience these trips focused on cooperation and direct involvement with different communities around the world, where living conditions are very different and sometimes entirely precarious.
Projects are tailored to different ages, allowing us to work together.
An incredible way to fill our suitcase with memories, learning, and knowledge.
And although stepping out of our comfort zone often feels daunting, we assure you firsthand that it’s worth it.
At Cooperating Volunteers, we accompany you throughout the entire experience, from start to finish, to make it unforgettable.
At Cooperating Volunteers, we believe it’s never too late for anything, especially for volunteering and living a unique and unforgettable experience.
There are many people, increasingly so, who opt for responsible travel that involves social work.
Accustomed to organized and mostly touristic trips, at Cooperating Volunteers, we want to advocate for a more enriching experience, one that transforms us from within and allows us to be part of the change the world needs to see.
We can adapt both the destination and the duration of our projects to fit your needs.
It’s an opportunity full of emotions that allows us to significantly contribute to different communities and their evolution. And you can participate in different areas such as education, social support, or assistance in different centers.
Some of the benefits include:
Living this experience will undoubtedly be a before and after.
A volunteering initiative with leadership and impact through the educational action program.
When we talk about social volunteering, we refer to all those actions and activities carried out altruistically, selflessly, and with the aim of addressing multiple problems and needs of different communities, always focused on education and self-sufficiency.
Education is essential because it provides the tools and knowledge necessary for personal, social, and economic development.
Our goal is to create self-sufficient communities and provide opportunities for the future personal development of each member. The message is not to ‘give’, but to accompany in the process of training for self-managed provision.
At Cooperating Volunteers, many of our destinations and projects embrace this type of volunteering. Some of our projects include: community programs, education, women’s empowerment…
And although they are completely different from each other, they share a single objective: progress towards a society that can embrace us all in the same way.
If you are someone who is restless, who needs to see a change in the future, volunteering is an experience tailor-made for you.