Experience report on volunteering at Finca Noah (Michelle)

Experience report Volunteering at Finca Noah by Michelle 06.07.2025-20.07.2025

I had been looking forward to these two weeks for so long; and finally the time had come 😊
I arrived at Finca Noah on Sunday afternoon. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was correspondingly hot.
I was warmly welcomed by Farah and all the cute dogs with a beaming face. As they were on their morning rounds and had their hands full, Farah showed me around Casa Jeannine and then I had time to arrive. As soon as I arrived, I noticed how clean and tidy everything was.
In the afternoon, Farah showed me around the farm and explained the process. I was then allowed to meet all the animals. I was amazed at how trusting and affectionate the dogs and many of the cats are. What I found great and didn't expect: ALL the animals have a name!
The evening round started at around 6.00 pm. I was allowed to help Nadine with the dogs and cats. They all got their food, the enclosures were cleaned and there was still some time left for cuddles with the cuddly cats. Then we looked after Coco the deer, Rambo the pony and the sheep.
On Monday morning, the day started at 7.00am. We had to hurry for the morning round because 70 tonnes of dog and cat food were delivered from Switzerland in the morning!
I was given a brief introduction to how everything has to be cleaned and I immediately realised how much importance Farah attaches to precision and care. Everything has its place here.
Once all the animals were well fed, the lorry was already at the gate. Hand in hand and with great teamwork, we unpacked all the food, sorted it in the container and distributed it. It was really exhausting in this heat and we were all happy to take a short break before continuing with the evening round.
In the days that followed, I was also able to get to know Anna, Marion and Gina, the volunteers on site. The whole team is super nice, friendly and open, so I felt very welcome from day one.
It was so nice to see how relaxed and content the animals are at Finca Noah. They were happy about the extra attention and cuddles from me. I grew very fond of the animals during my time at Finca Noah.
During these 14 days, I also realised how much hard work is behind it all. I really admire Farah, Nadine and Juan for the work they do every day for the sake of the animals.
Many thanks for these fantastic and impressive two weeks!