Reef rehabiltation volunteer
First, you will help rebuild a coral reef reduced to rubble by cyanide fishing. You take a bit of coral from an existing coral farm and transplant it to underwater gardens that allow it to grow while being monitored and taken care of by the fishermen. The fishermen also get an enhanced sense of responsibility over coral that they are painstakingly growing from scratch, reinforcing their determination not to allow the present and future generations to destroy the reef again.
Now that the coral reef has started to rejuvenate, fishermen are seeing how slowly fish life takes to regenerate. They now practice self-policing of their fishing catch, making sure they allow baby fingerlings to escape. They regularly monitor fish numbers and size at various fishing sites top avoid overfishing and allow sites to lie fallow for regeneration.
You will help the local fisherman and marine biologist transplant the coral, monitor coral growth rates, be a coral gardener and learn fish surveying to help the fishermen in their self-policing monitoring program.
Teaching volunteer
The Les villagers don't speak much English. They cannot access better job opportunities in tourism, for which Bali is reknowned, and industries in export and trade. They are practising subsistence farming and fishing because they don't have better opportunities. Money is scarce because jobs are scarce.
You will teach village children and adults wishing to learn English. For instance, you will teach salt farmers English, so they can better sell their salt to higher end restaurants and spas in Bali. Currently Sea Communities is helping in the marketing but we want to empower the villagers to do this themselves. Our fishermen need English to become dive guides.
Village building
By staying and diving at Les Village, you help the villagers undertake dive hospitality and upgrade their livelihoods. US$30 per person goes to Adopt a Coral, which pays for the coral rehabilitation program. US$22 per person goes to upgrading village infrastructure. On top of that, what you paid in the package price goes directly to the local village supplier for diveguiding, porterage, food and lodging. In addition, groups are building playground and other facilities in the village. The success of our volunteer program has actually grown the village physically, through a number of new homestays built by the villagers to acccomodate our volunteers.
Other skills welcome!
Our volunteers have helped Sea Communities grow organically. We always tell our volunteers - whatever skills you have, bring it on! You helped us build underwater maps of our coral sites. You helped us translate manuals. You helped us build a foreign language website. You filmed promo videos and took great pictures for a picture database of our fish and coral. You blogged about us, Facebooked us and uploaded stuff on Youtube. If you can train our villagers in something...hydroponics, massage, anything...bring it on! That is why we want YOU on our Community Buzz section. Join our little community and be a part of our family!