Change by Doing Explore the world of volunteering and service

It’s been a decade since Borneo Orangutan Survival started rescuing nearly extinct orangutans. Their habitat is being decimated by a global demand for wood and palm oil, and recent wildfires have turned a crisis into an emergency. The orangs are rescued and rehabilitated with a goal of being re-released into wild preserve zones, and locals in Indonesia are learning how to care for them while they stay at the project facilities, taking a stake in the future of the neighbor species. Care is remarkable similar to childcare…as they are remarkably similar to us.This is the largest primate rescue project in the world with about 1,000 orangutans being cared for and prepared for return to the rainforest.

In addition to hoping for your financial support (you can make a donation here), there are inspiring 2-week volunteer programs at one of the facilities, Samboja Lestari. It will be hard work as you improve habitat areas and enclosures, feed, and care for adults and orphan young animals…but accommodations are comfortable, and holding the hand of a young orang, or bottle feeding a baby, will be something you won’t soon forget. You can also adopt an orangutan from home, to hold you over until you can book your tickets to Borneo.