the heart & soul of Ninovan ...our volunteers!
Our association is run exclusively by volunteers. We are an international group of like minded people with a variety of skill sets.
Everyone is welcome to join us and
no previous horse experience is required!
Our volunteers are a fundamental part of our association. Our rescues need constant and permanent care, which means volunteering shifts are a daily necessity.
What is a morning volunteering shift like?
Being a volunteer at Ninovan means to getting to know our rescues while enjoying the breath-taking view of our
Castelo Branco’s location.
Our daily shift begins at Ninovan at 9am and includes:
• The daily care of the stables;
• Preparing the daily food which includes refilling the hay stations;
• Interacting with our residents!
Our rescues love to be around people and interact with them. While carrying out your shift as a volunteer, you will get to spend time with our horses and learn what they need
and how to communicate with them as sensitive creatures.
Everyone is welcome at Ninovan, your skills and capabilities are precious to us! Thanks to the international dimension of Faial Island, the group of our volunteers is a very international one. For this reason, being a volunteer at Ninovan also gives you the opportunity to get to meet people from all over the world and experience multiculturality in the magical landscapes of Ninovan.
Here is what Monika has to say about being a volunteer
Monika
Why did you decide to start volunteering at Ninovan?
“I was introduced to Ninovan by a friend of mine during a Ninovan’s fundraising event. It was just right after my arrival in Faial. I heard about Kim’s story, I thought what she was doing was beautiful and so I decided that volunteering my time for Ninovan’s cause was very worthy.
Being a volunteer at Ninovan is good for EVERYTHING - both for my body and my brain! My volunteering at Ninovan was a great way to combine something very useful for me, such as being in the outdoor, with something very useful for Ninovan too!
From being a volunteer, after 1 year, I became the accountant of Ninovan, which led to my next step the following year: becoming part of Ninovan’s board! It has already been four years since I joined the Ninovan family!”
What did being a volunteer at Ninovan bring you?
“I just love the good feeling that comes with knowing that you are doing something useful! I like what I do here a lot and I enjoy being surrounded by the horses and the cats and dogs that live at Ninovan too - spending time at Ninovan is such a good feeling!
It is rewarding to know that I am doing something for these horses that finally found a happy place to stay and people who are taking good care of them!
Ninovan is an organization run by good hearted people who love animals and believe in change through providing a positive example. I really like how local people are involved and how this collaboration is oriented to raise awareness about horses and the way they are treated on the island!”