This month we have been focusing on increasing awareness around turtle conservation and the projects we offer which support it. We thought it would be good to utilise the knowledge of one of our team as Nikita visited The Great Turtle Project over in Sri Lanka back in 2014! We asked her to come up with her top 5 tips for volunteers who are thinking of heading over to help the turtles, so here they are!
1. Bring gloves to help when clearing the nests
If the turtles have not hatched from their beach nests within 8 weeks, then the unfortunate reality is that they have not survived. They therefore need to be cleaned out. As you can probably imagine, 8 week old turtle eggs can become slightly messy, so Nikita thoroughly recommends bringing a pair of gloves with you to help with this!
2. Bring some scented hand soap along too
Should the worst happen and the turtle eggs you will be helping to clean up are messier than first thought, Nikita has said that some strongly scented hand soap is the only way you will be able to remove the smell of the eggs from your hands. You have been warned!
3. Pack your favourite book
Whilst you will be kept busy by the work you are doing at the project site, when you have some down time there is nothing better to do in this coastal paradise than to relax in front of the waves with a good book.
4. Bring some small, educational gifts for the children you’ll be teaching
Not only is this an incredibly easy way to become the favourite teacher, but the children you will be teaching on the project will be very grateful for any gift you can bring them. This is a great way to make a difference in the local community and leave a lasting legacy.
5. If travelling around the local area, be quick on the busses!
Unlike what you are probably used to with your bus service at home, those in Sri Lanka do not hang around when letting passengers on or off! As long as you are quick off the mark you should be ok, but make sure you keep an eye out for your stop!
These are Nikita’s top five tips that volunteers may not have considered, but if you have any other questions you would like to ask then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. She will be more than happy to answer anything you would like to know. For now though, you can learn a little more about the project and why volunteers are so badly needed by checking out the project page!
