How long do I need to volunteer
Download the entire FAQ - it contains essential information for volunteering
Sikkim FAQ
Although this varies widely, most volunteers will work with us for between 3 and 8 weeks. We encourage volunteers to stay for a minimum of three to four weeks. It takes time to acclimatise to Sikkim & to get over the culture shock of India. Staying for a longer length of time gives you a chance to get to know & socialise with the lovely SARAH staff. VBB tries to ensure that the roster provides for an overlap in the arrival and departure of volunteer staff, to enable the transfer of information and advice with respect to the day-to-day operation of the programme.
Location of Work
As most of the street dogs in the areas surrounding Gangtok have now been sterilised, volunteers will spend much less time working in Gangtok itself. Some time is spent at the SARAH hospital in Gangtok learning the flank spay technique, training local vets in new surgical techniques or dealing with more complex cases. The majority of the work is out with the mobile clinics in regional Sikkim. It is not possible to advise volunteers where they will be working, prior to their arrival as the mobile clinics frequently change location as the work in each area is completed.
The facilities at the mobile clinics are very basic. Volunteers may be staying in simple hotels or in local houses. This is free of charge. Please bring a sleeping bag. Running hot water may not be available and water may need to be heated with an immersion heater in a bucket. Western style toilets may not be available. Transport to the mobile clinics is via share jeep taxis and is at your own cost (unlikely to cost more than $5 each way). It may take up to 4 hours to travel out to the mobile clinics as we are working in remote areas. Generally this type of work suits the more adventurous and fit volunteer.
Volunteers may also be doing surgery in very basic clinical conditions. Please bring a head torch. It is impossible to say how many dogs and cats will be sterilised per day, but generally in the range of 10 to 30 at the mobile clinics. In Gangtok the number will be less and sterilisations may only be done one or two days a week.
The facilities at the mobile clinics are very basic. Volunteers may be staying in simple hotels or in local houses. This is free of charge. Please bring a sleeping bag. Running hot water may not be available and water may need to be heated with an immersion heater in a bucket. Western style toilets may not be available. Transport to the mobile clinics is via share jeep taxis and is at your own cost (unlikely to cost more than $5 each way). It may take up to 4 hours to travel out to the mobile clinics as we are working in remote areas. Generally this type of work suits the more adventurous and fit volunteer.
Volunteers may also be doing surgery in very basic clinical conditions. Please bring a head torch. It is impossible to say how many dogs and cats will be sterilised per day, but generally in the range of 10 to 30 at the mobile clinics. In Gangtok the number will be less and sterilisations may only be done one or two days a week.
Veterinary Seminars
All volunteers are asked to present a seminar (usually a power point presentation) to the SARAH vets & government vets. Vets in Sikkim have no access to further education so we can really make a difference by sharing our knowledge & skills. This is a fun event with a prize going to a local vet for the best veterinary question of the afternoon. The seminars are followed by tea & cream cakes!!
