Mission June 2017

Sara and Antoine, two Parisian students in biology and sustainable development, took part in the well installation project in the Habarana region: “The two schools we started working with don’t have any drinking water. The wells need to be filtered. To determine which filter is suitable, we first have to have the water tested in Colombo and wait for the results.”

Exploratory Mission Trincomalee

 “ The plan and the visit to the land we bought gave us a better idea of the project to come. This land is home to the farmers who suffered the tsunami and were forced to settle here. Their standard of living is very low. Developing biodiversity through soil amendment and permaculture could enable them to grow their own crops and thus improve their living conditions “.

Did the mission meet your expectations?  Yes, all the missions we’ve taken part in are already up and running and producing results. What you do has a real positive impact. It’s not just a mission reduced to giving elephants a bath.”

Mission Sri Lanka from november 17th to décember 4th 2016 , Maëlie et Océane 

“From start to finish, I felt supported. Whether in France or Sri Lanka, SAS and MEF did everything they could to answer my (many!) questions. The local people are so kind and smiling…it feels good. The elephants are pampered. What a joy to be able to work for this foundation! Meeting the children was very touching…Sri Lankans have a life so different from ours. It was a wonderful experience to be able to work for them, and to make sure they had access to drinking water as much as possible. It wasn’t a restful stay, but it made me want to do even more for others. Thank you for filling my head with such good memories.

Special thanks to Delphine, Sara, Podi, Jade and Chandana (Rani’s mahout).”

Maëlie et Océane

Mission in Amazonia from October 1st  to November 1st 2016 , Édith et Thierry :

Report : Very interesting mission, friendly welcome from everyone. Despite the language barrier, the Peruvians went out of their way to make us feel at ease and to provide us with simple explanations. The manager, Warren, was very attentive to our needs. The caretakers were very kind and happy to have us there and help us. The long-term volunteers gave us the benefit of their experience and knowledge of the animals. We discovered the woolly monkeys and the Atèles, who are wonderful, very endearing and very friendly, especially the baby woolly monkeys. During our stay, we were lucky enough to witness the births of water turtles on an artificial beach. Contact with the local population is very easy, people are simple and warm, they don’t hesitate to invite you in if you walk past their house and there’s a party going on.

Environement  The IKAMA center is located not far from the village of Lagunas. It takes about ½ h on foot to reach the beginning of the village. You can also take a motorcycle to reach the center, which is further away. Accommodation is in comfortable wooden bungalows on stilts, with terraces and bathrooms with showers and dry toilets. A very green environment on the banks of the river, about a 10-minute walk from the animal area. Housed in large, aviary-like enclosures with wooden masts and nets. Some of the animals, those that are neither runaways nor dangerous, are taken out during the day between meals and can roam freely in the nearby forest.

A day at Média Luna (which may vary according to weather and requirements….Sunday rest day). The day starts at 7:30 am: Preparation of meals for the animals: Fruit: pineapple, papaya, watermelon, bananas, mango, apple and various local fruits…Vegetables: avocado, squash, cucumber…Feeding (Platform or cage), Cleaning, cage maintenance, construction, repairs or observation in the forest…..At around 11:00 am: Again preparation and distribution of meals for the animals. Break and meal from 12:30 to around 2:30 pm: meals are prepared by Maria (chicken or fish with rice, manioc, plantain, etc.). The afternoon is devoted to distributing medication, caring for the animals and observing their behavior. Around 4:00 p.m. Preparation and distribution of meals for the animals. End of the day).

Wildlife present during our stay : Woolly monkeys, including 4 babies that needed more attention (2 of them were still bottle-feeding). Ateles, Parrots (Piwi, Ara), Turtles (land, river). Even if direct contact isn’t the goal, some animals are very impregnated by humans and we can’t refuse them.

Environnement class : About twice a week (depending on the weather, the children’s availability and their wishes), we run an environmental class for about 1.5 hours in the late afternoon. Located in the room where we have our meals. Maximum of 3 to 14 children supervised by Peruvian Maria. We wrote 36 letters for our French pen pals (some of them more than once). We mainly worked on their favorite animals and plants, and on the problem of animals in captivity. Given the language barrier, it was rather difficult to exchange ideas and have debates or discussions, but we showed them photos that were quite telling! 

Plantations : Participation in a morning of planting, which we hope will eventually provide fruit for the animals. Weeding of papaya plants already in place. Planting around 40 cashew, anona and sapote seedlings. Under a blazing sun with no shade, the work wasn’t easy for us who aren’t used to such heat, but the satisfaction of a job well done was there for all to see! As required, leaf collection for animals and aquatic plants for water turtles. Supervision of turtle eggs awaiting hatching (minimum incubation 63 days), followed by turtle births. On certain evenings, we show films to the local population.

Activities : as required, leaf collection for animals and aquatic plants for water turtles. Supervision of turtle eggs awaiting hatching (minimum incubation 63 days), followed by turtle births. On certain evenings, we show films to the local population.

 Wild animals encountered on the site : Numerous birds, monkeys ( Saïmiri , Tamarin ), snakes, tarantulas or tarantulas, lizards, iguanas…

2 days excursions: We set off with a caretaker and a local to observe the dolphins. Departure from the Média Luna pontoon by motorboat. Stops in a village on the way out and back for lunch, prepared by a local lady. Evening meal and breakfast were prepared by our guides. Night in tents. We were lucky enough to see a lot of dolphins, but they were very stealthy, so there was no time to take photos – you just had to feast your eyes. Grey dolphins are more numerous than pink ones. We saw a lot of birds, and what a pleasure it was to see 3 sloths…

Excursion de 3 jours dans la réserve Pacaya Samiria : The 3 days are spent in a non-motorized pirogue to avoid noise and observe as many animals as possible. We slept in a wooden camp with beds and sanitary facilities. Meals were prepared by our organizer. We saw many animals: Monkeys: Saïmiri, Capucin, Tamarin…….(wapo, pequichiros!!), Birds: Parrots, Great Green Woodpecker, Kingfisher, Birds of prey, Owls…, Snakes, Crocodiles, Piranhas, Turtles, Otters, Sloths.

We’ll be returning home with our heads full of memories. It was a mission rich in discoveries that we had to leave with regrets. Don’t forget that these are wild animals and that the aim is to release as many of them as are able. Those allergic to wee-wee please refrain !!!! Édith et Thierry

Mission in Sri Lanka july 2016 : Maréva and William volunteer for the Weragalla School Well Drilling Project

“Nous sommes très heureux d’avoir pu réaliser cette mission avec Sens Solidaires, c’est une aventure extraordinaire pleine de bonnes rencontres et de paysages magnifiques. Avec des objectifs respectueux de l’environnement et de la faune sauvages.
Nous avons donné le meilleur de nous même et espérons avoir rempli notre mission du mieux possible. Après l’Afrique et le Sri Lanka, on espère pourvoir apporter notre aide en Amazonie avec Sens Solidaires. Merci et à bientôt pour de nouvelles aventures .. !!”
Maréva & William

Rapport détaillé du projet

Mission exploratory  Peru  AMAZONIAN March 2016  Jean Yves, Loïc et Christian.

 Detailed exploratory mission report on request.

““Beautiful mission, good and beautiful moments of life and sharing, surprising and interesting encounters, memories and new friendships. We’re looking forward to seeing you at the Maison de l’Environnement, where we’ll be able to share our stories through photos and videos. Eyes and hearts full of unforgettable images. Thank you Sens Solidaires. “ Jean Yves, Loïc et Christian.

Mission in KENYA february 2016 with Karen at Maktau’s school, Parc Stavo

“Flavian, the teacher and coordinator of the schools project, is breathtakingly enthusiastic about the vital needs of Kenyan children, not all of which are covered: access to water, food and health care….Thank you so much for your warm welcome…….”  Karin

Mission Kenya  February 2015: Program with our 4 volunteers:

•  
• Repair/maintenance of Sanctuary vehicle, wildlife observation-daily patrol with rangers.
• donations of uniforms & school supplies to Maktau school, coordination of exchanges with schools in Nice.
• Diagnosis of new SAS base at Rukinga sanctuary. -devermifuge of livestock, support for the women’s committee through the development of microcredit.

Mission KENYA  February 2014 :  Project evaluation with Lumo Sanctuary

Patrols with rangers: wildlife diagnostics (inventory, observation and monitoring).

Adult training in the technique of making recycled paper from elephant raw material, for the Taita population, with a view to duplicating the concept at the Lumo Sanctuary. Skills transfer.

Coordination and development of exchanges between the Maktau and Nice schools on the theme of protecting biodiversity here and elsewhere (donations of school supplies).

Mission KENYA summer 2013 : Study and analysis of the project with our new partner “Le Sanctuaire de Lumo”.

• -Start-up of a new paper workshop
• -Proposal set up with the Lumo Sanctuary team and two volunteers from our organization.
• -Launch of partnership with Maktau school

Mission

Éducation sur la Biodiversité janvier-Février 2013 :

Lieu : les 24 écoles du district de Kwale.

Thème : protection de la faune et de la flore

Public ciblé : les écoliers de primaires et leurs instituteurs

Témoignage :Ce long voyage et le temps passé avec les équipes locales permettent une bonne transmission.Le Kenya est un pays magique, méconnu des français car peut-être anglophone mais c’est le berceau de l’humanité ! quel bonheur de voir tous ces zèbres, girafes, éléphants, buffles, lions si proche de nous….Difficile d’imaginer mes prochaines vacances dans un autre contexte.Cette mission s’est révélée une vrai expérience, d’où je ne suis pas revenu complètement la même.Cette mission a dépassé mes attentes car j’étais complètement intégrée à la vie kényane, parlant anglais tous les jours et swahili.Mes petits tracas de tous les jours sont devenus insignifiants, toucher du doigt les difficultés que les populations endurent là-bas sans se plaindre à été une vraie leçon d’humilité.

– Johanna

Formation Adultes janvier-février 2013

Thème : Développement de l’écotourisme et apprentissage du français.

Témoignage : Prise en charge et accompagnement très sécurisant, j’ai beaucoup appris sur la faune sauvage et souhaiterai continuer cette mission une prochaine fois…

– Jean-Yves

Formation Adultes  en partenariat avec Planète Urgence Août 2012

Thème : Diagnostic et Stratégie marketing touristique – Lieu : district de Kwale

Public Ciblé : membres des CBO, associations et comités œuvrant dans le développement écotouristique.

 Témoignage : Une formidable expérience humaine, beaucoup de choses apprises sur les conditions de vie des populations locales, leurs difficultés, leurs manques mais aussi leurs atouts et la merveilleuse nature dans laquelle ils vivent. La mission a été riche et utile pour les populations.

Qualité de l’encadrement : nous avons été complètement pris en charge par l’équipe sur place dans une bonne ambiance. L’organisatrice de la mission a toujours veillée à ce que le programme soit respecté et que nous vivions une maximum d’expérience.

Ce voyage est ancré en moi, je reviens avec des sourires pleins la tête. Je reviens avec la certitude que l’on peut changer les choses, notre rôle pour freiner le massacre des animaux sauvages.

– Amandi Wildlife present during our stay :c: