Blog

The months truly fly by at Esperanza Verde and July was no exception. It was a month to reflect on how fortunate we are to be somewhat secluded from the world’s goings on and how lucky we are to have such a dedicated team working both on the frontline and behind the scenes in different roles around the world. We are very grateful for the team of Esperanza Verde International in Europe. The Crowdfunding campaign they set up will help us get through these times financially.
Although our thoughts are with those hugely affected by the worldwide outbreak, our minds remain focused on the task at hand, while enjoying the happy life of the animals at Esperanza Verde.

Animals

It is always exciting being involved in the release of rescued animals, and this month saw the re-assessment of the white-winged parakeets in Aguatena enclosure ready for relocation and possible release. Assessment involves checking the bird’s health, flight capabilities and feather condition, as well as a treatment for any lingering parasites. Of the fifty plus parakeets, 17 had recovered sufficiently to be released, whereas the remaining birds were transferred to Tupak enclosure awaiting their flight feathers to grow back before their release.

The newly vacated, purpose built Aguatena enclosure welcomed five spectacled caimans from the pond in Momo enclosure. The caimans now have more space and a more natural environment to reside in. Douwe and Marlon did a fantastic job of cleaning up the enclosure from the previous parakeet inhabitants and making it perfect for the caimans.

After a big fall and taking a dive into the pond of Pichu aviary, the decision was made to move long-term resident Daenarys (mealy Amazon parrot) into Igor enclosure where the height is more limited and she is less likely to be bullied, as was the case with the more able bodied birds in Pichu. Daenarys is unable to fly but is a welcome addition to Igor and relishes the extra attention on offer from volunteers in a smaller space. She already started making her funny noises again, as some of the early volunteers of Esperanza Verde might remember.

Kassai (baby southern tamandua) is moving up in the world. He is still requiring one on one attention from Olivia, and family, but has now been moved to a newly erected enclosure outside the family residence. Kassai is gaining weight as expected and although slow to embrace the termites in her diet, perseverance is key and she couldn’t be in better hands.

SUST Animal Orphan Hospital

Lumisha (Humbolts woolly monkey), moved from the SUST OAH into the comforts of Lucia enclosure, where she can interact through the enclosure with the other monkeys outside prior to release. After just one day, interests were high and Lumisha joined the monkeys outside enjoying the freedom to come and go. After such a short time it was apparent Lumisha had no trouble locating where food was to be acquired, and is predominantly in the company of the more experienced woolly monkeys such as Lupa and Maruja.

Much loved Koru (Purple Gallinule) moved from Pichu enclosure to the SUSTOAH this month after being found with a severed toe and damaged leg. While spending time recuperating in the clinic, Koru is being assessed to ensure his on-going comfort of living is not detrimentally affected by his injury. The cause of the wound is unknown but could be a result of an over eager capuchin monkey grabbing Koru through the mesh.

Pisco (young male agouti) has finished his time of quarantine separated from the other animals. He has moved to the more spacious and open Momo enclosure beneath the long-term residency cabana. Pisco is currently too small to join the other Agouti within Pepito enclosure, but as his size is rapidly gaining, it won’t be long before he can join the rest of the Agoutis and deer.

Anishka (Neotropical river otter), gained over ten percent of her body weight within a week, and is improving her vital motor skills every day. Supervised time with Olivia, Douwe and Marlon had begun by the end of the month, and although apprehensive, Anishka appears a quick study with any new skills required of her. Within a week she was capable of swimming under water, in the luxury learning environment of the bathtub at the family house. Only a week after, she went for her first experience with ‘wild’ water, at the small stream near the house. It is amazing to see how she shows that every day there is a new challenge she is capable to face and conquer

Our resident alpha Loki (Humbolts woolly monkey), managed the difficult task of breaking out of La Sapa enclosure this month. A year of swinging relentlessly on the cage finally had the desired effect and broke the mesh. Fortunately, Olivia and Puck discovered Loki outside prior to any of the other inhabitants discovering how to escape. La Sapa was made secure and the next three hours was spent by Douwe and Craig ensuring animal and volunteer safety while apprehending Loki. 

This is a good reminder that anything can happen at Esperanza Verde, and we are forever grateful for the level heads of both Douwe and Olivia who controlled the situation and ensured Loki was secured by the end of the evening.

New arrivals

This month saw a young man from neighbouring Bello Horizonte deliver a baby two toed sloth that he had found on the ground injured. The baby’s mother was nearby but deceased, having suffered a possible fall from a tree. Unfortunately, the condition of the baby was not good, with a gaping wound on the side and already cavities infested by maggots. We tried hard and made the baby as comfortable as possible, but its condition was too far deteriorated. The baby died after only being at Esperanza Verde for eight hours. Even if we couldn’t help that baby sloth, the story shows how important it is to work with the local community.

Construction and other

The new and improved Lucia enclosure is now finished, and another great build-up of the inside by both Douwe and Geiler saw Kira (Ma’s night monkey) move in style. The new enclosure has moved Kira closer to centre (near the volunteer kitchen) giving her more attention from both monkeys and volunteers. Luna, the older female night monkey outside, has also been spending some nights enclosed with Kira, all of which will aid in her comfort when she is released in the coming months. They seem to love each other’s company, and sleep comfortably together.

The volunteer toilet has stalled somewhat while Douwe was occupied and Geiler is distracted with plantings of papaya and yuka in the newly generated plantations off site. New clear roof plates were installed above the existing laundry/toilet area making an incredible difference to the amount of light within the room, as well as a roof extension to encompass the new toilet.

Volunteers

The ‘corona team’ had drastically reduced numbers by the end of July. Three more volunteers embarked on their journeys to return home, no doubt welcoming a return to the semi normality that home can bring. Manon, Kim and Emma leave a big gap within the team, all having been at Esperanza Verde since the beginning of March or longer. We are so grateful for all their help during this trying time and we know that whatever project they next choose will be well served.

Current volunteer numbers are at three, with Douwe, Olivia, Kayla and Marlon picking up any shortcomings and filling numbers where required.

Our little Princess turned 16!

Kayla’s birthday is always a welcome chance to celebrate, and although self-imposed lockdown is still in force at Esperanza Verde everyone managed to have a great night. Corona may have its limitations, but a fantastic night was had by all, with great company, great food and great (sometimes) dancing.

Another fantastic month at Esperanza Verde and it is hard to believe half of the year is behind us already. Covid-19 cases continue to escalate within Peru and although country wide restrictions are being eased slightly EV maintains strict policies ensuring the health and wellbeing of all in their care, be it animals, volunteers and staff.

Animals

Rumani, the male crab eating raccoon, recovered well from a leg injury in the Pepe enclosure, and could be released again. He is able to climb and walk very well and we are happy to see him exploring in the outside world again. He has been seen since occasionally coming to feed on the food placed out for him at night by volunteers.

Kapa (female Paca) was also released this month, after she fully recovered from her little scrap with the outside world. Kapa really seems to embrace her freedom and is often not seen for days at a time. When she arrives, she can generally expect someone to run to the bodega to get her some food.

Freedom is not always appreciated. A point proven by Kiko (male kinkajou) who after being allowed out earlier this month, far prefers the comfort and service provided within his enclosure. And when he finally decided to go out to explore the outside world again, within days he had an encounter with a wild male. Luckily, he got away with only some scratches and we believe it will all settle soon outside again between them as it has before.

Kassai, the young male tamandua, was very young when he came to us several months ago. He is doing very well under the intensive care at the family house. He is getting a little more independent and is exploring the outside world bit by bit so Douwe has started to build a small outside cage for him. Not only will this be another step for Kassai in his process of rehabilitation, it will also be nice to get his strong odour out of the house. Again it proves a wild animal should never be held as a pet!!

A beautiful relationship had been growing between Lupa, one of our female woollies, and Alaya, our young and wildish red howler monkey. Lately Alaya chose to stay with Lupa during the night instead of sleeping inside with the howler boys. Unfortunately while following Lupa, she came too close to one of our peccaries. Even a warning bite of a peccary can prove to do enough damage and we had to put Alaya to sleep. We are working hard to find the perfect solution to avoid the monkeys from coming too close to the peccaries.

June was a busy month for the yellow footed tortoises. They were all being located, measured, photographed and treated for parasites. This is always a volunteer favourite as being able to interact with the animals on any level is always a highlight. The three recent arrivals which had been still quarantined were now ready to join the rest, but not before they were given swimming trials to ensure they all had the ability to exit the pond unassisted. All three completed successfully and now reside with the other 17 tortoises in the Reptile enclosure.

Momo (yellow footed tortoise), who escaped a few months ago after rain had created an outlet within Rincay enclosure, was found again just outside his old enclosure. After weighing and treating he was returned to Rincay enclosure. The fear of leaving him outside is that a nearly ten kilogram tortoise which is not afraid of humans is a welcome addition to many tables within rural Peru.

SUST Animal Orphan Hospital

Casha (female porcupine) has been moved to the outside enclosure Araña. She will remain for a few more weeks to ensure all is well with her health. Finally after a long period of intensive care she has gained weight, which is always a good sign in wild animals following treatment.

New arrivals

One day Douwe returned from the village with Lumisha (Humbolts female woolly monkey). She was a pet for two months with a family, which originally were planning to eat her. When she was caught she broke her wrist and had damage from a bullet in one of her legs. These injuries healed, and don’t seem to bother her that much. Lumisha is approximately 12 months old and has not had a lot of contact with humans. After her quarantine period in the SUSTOAH and a short stay in an outside enclosure, Lumisha will be a welcome addition to the outside monkeys roaming freely around EV. She already gets a lot of attention from the outside females Chiquita and Samara.

Another animal we got from the village was a young agouti male thought to be less than one month old. Pisco had lived with one of the local families for nearly two of those weeks and was not in great shape on his arrival, only being able to use one side of his body. After a few weeks of special care within the family house, Pisco moved to the SUSTOAH where he now has full motor function and is gaining weight and confidence as expected.

The honour of being the first animal delivered from the ministry since lockdown went to Anishka (Neotropical river otter).With an age of approximately 6 weeks she is the latest animal that joined the ever expanding family of animals at EV, and another animal enjoying the one on one attention of living within the family house. With such a young otter still finding its feet and learning the nuances of survival, having the close supervision of Olivia, Douwe and family is just another important step on the road to independence.

Construction and other

Quarantine is close to be completed, requiring a few minor touches before being signed off as another successful EV construction project. Painting will be completed once travel becomes available for shopping, after Covid lockdown.

The additional toilet being added to the volunteer house has come ahead in leaps and bounds with new drainage, a new cement access way and a new floor laid. The next step will be to enclose the area, but this will wait until timber is available post lockdown.

After many days of erecting poles and tying wire in the beautiful hot sun by workers and volunteers alike, Lucia enclosure nears completion with the only requirements being a cement floor in the front cage and a cement footing to ensure enclosure security.

Volunteers

June saw two more volunteers leave Esperanza Verde. Thanks to the help of several embassies and Lauren in the UK, we could help secure travel arrangements and ensure safety on their trips. Due to the current travel restrictions all volunteers currently onsite are long term volunteers and any ‘loss’ is felt in so many ways by the team that remains. We wish both Zack and Emile well on the closure of this adventure and the beginning of their latest undertakings. Volunteer numbers now reside at six, and with assistance from both Douwe and Olivia, all processes and feeding continue as normal.

San Juan, a local celebration of a saint took place this month, all of the volunteers were treated to an event down at the EV waterfall, where lunch was supplied and is representative of the head of the saint. A great time was had by all, and the perfect weather and company made for a very pleasant atmosphere.

COVID-19 measures continue worldwide and with numbers in Peru still on the rise, life at EV is far from returning to normal. We are keeping our spirit up even if food may have been sporadic or unavailable at times. With a great team and good food management, as well as taking advantage of the natural environment around us, animals, volunteers and workers are well feed.
At the end of the month volunteer were allowed to visit the village with limitations again, with many taking advantage of the internet connection and talking with relatives and friends at home. Communications had been limited to the occasional text for the last two months, with volunteers not allowed in the village and the opportunity to communicate was appreciated by all.
It is amusing to know that although we have nearly 180 hectares to “play” in, with very few limitations in place, sometimes we still crave contact with the outside world and that touch (smidgeon, hint, dash) of modern living in Bello Horizonte across the river.
A special thanks needs to go out to Douwe, Olivia and family as during this difficult time they are doing their utmost to ensure all volunteers and staff get everything they need. They made it possible to be it contact with home, get information from the outside world, or bring back an unexpected treat with the shopping. We are all so very fortunate they are so dedicated to their dream and the people participating in it.

Monkeys

Howler monkeys and their condition are being monitored very closely while young. This includes regular weight checks and stool sampling, beside the clear focus on the right food. These close checks paid off in May as both Kaira (female Jurua red howler monkey) and Armando (male Jurua red howler monkey) got lose stool and lost weight. We directly reacted with extra care and daily monitoring. They were taken on leaf walks to the plantation and extra time was spent encouraging them to eat leaves, an action we successfully used for other howler monkeys before, when they arrived at a young age. Both monkeys successfully gained weight after just a few weeks of this extra care.

The monkeys which roam freely through the centre enjoy their freedom by playing and exploring. The wild comes with its own risks, which Kaira did not know when entering the peccary enclosure. She was badly injured by the peccaries. After a thorough examination the tough decision was made to euthanize Kaira, as the extensive wounds were just too much for her body to bear. Losing any animal is a tough emotional journey, especially as the whole team got to know her personality over the previous weeks. The remaining four Howler monkeys are in good health with extra awareness still given to Armando and now as well Alaya (female jurua red howler monkey) who in a short time had befriended Kaira and was often in her company.

Ezra (young female Spixs white fronted capuchin) is one of the monkeys that has had a lot of contact with humans. Even if she is adapting very well to the outside, she still spends a lot of time around the volunteer kitchen and other buildings. This said, it is great to see her confidence and interaction with other monkeys increasing on a daily basis.

Daytona (young female large headed capuchin monkey) and Tonka (male Andean saddleback Tamarin) are enjoying their newfound freedom. At the end of the day all three monkeys are still eager to return to the security within Lulu enclosure.

Other Animals

Soft-releasing animals is a very important part of EV. Chosko (male kinkajou) who moved into Tupak enclosure in the latter parts of last month was given the all clear, and a specially installed hatch was left open giving Chosko the option to come and go as he pleased, while still having the benefit of a meal provided each night. Chosko was seen often for the first week, returning for sleep in the mornings. He has since vacated the premises and it appeared opportunistic opossums were helping themselves to his evening meal. There has been a lot of noise recently from Kiko and Kila (male and female kinkajou) close to the family house. It is unknown if Chosko was visiting or if it is merely coincidence. Kiko remains in Tiliku enclosure for the month, awaiting his wounded tail to heal completely before letting him run rampart in the outside world again.

Mojita and Margarita (female agoutis) spent the last month coming and going from Rincay enclosure. As Mojita showed very little fear nor awareness of other animals and humans the decision was made to let her join the other agouti in Pepito enclosure. It is never an easy decision to enclose an animal again, but the possibility of her getting injured or worse was too high. Mojita has settled in well with the other agoutis (males Doquino and Jope and female Daikiri) and is sighted every day coming down at feeding time. Margarita still enjoys the freedom of EV and can be seen a few times each week meandering between the bodega and the family house.

EV’s aim is to give animals a second chance in the wild if possible. This is the ultimate success story when dealing with any animal. Kapa (female Paka) was released this month and even if we thought she may befriend her neighbour Sakura (female Paka) she embraced freedom vigorously and was not seen after her initial release. A few weeks later Kapa was seen again near the volunteer kitchen with a minor injury. A volunteer was able to transfer her back into Momo enclosure for treatment. She will be set free in the next few weeks as soon as she fully recovered.

Machico, who is with us since the start of EV, was out working around the boundaries of EV, taking care of the replanted trees, returned with Katara, the razor billed curassow which left last month. Katara had lost a little weight but was in good overall health. She was again released within the yard at the family house. As she is not scared of humans and so easily caught that she would be a welcome addition to a lot of local dinner tables.

SUST Animal Orphan Hospital

Released in March, Casha (female porcupine) was found with an injured tail and a swollen face one evening. She was weighed prior to treatment and although she was very eager when food was offered, she had in fact put on weight while fending for herself which is a very positive sign. Casha remains in the SUSTAOH where her injuries are healing as expected.

Rumani (crab eating raccoon) was moved to Pepe enclosure as soon as the space became available as raccoons do not react well when living in cement enclosures. As the month has progressed, Rumani is using his damaged foot more and is gaining confidence in climbing and balancing again. It won’t be long and he will be free to come and go as he pleases.

Some individuals of the current group of parakeets at the SUSTAOH came with both their wings cut to an extend which makes it impossible for them to fly. They were moved to smaller cages ensuring they were unable to injure themselves while we oversee their recovery.

New arrivals

Another month with no new arrivals, which has allowed volunteers and staff more time to focus on the existing animal health and wellbeing.

Construction and other

Small jobs still need to be done at the Quarantine in between the general day to day necessities.

This month was also used to construct a new space for recycling. This allows any recycling to be stored out of the way and away from the monkeys prior to being sent to Curimana for disposal.

Work has started on an additional toilet for the volunteer house and anybody who has been lucky enough to experience life at Esperanza Verde will appreciate the work that goes into what at first glance seems like a simple task. But we learned to put a great deal of planning and labour into each task to ensure smooth building period. Whether it is gathering sand and stones for cement, or two days earthworks completed by Geiler on the end of a pick and shovel.

Dear friends of Esperanza Verde,
We sincerely hope that our letter reaches you and your family safe and in good health during this difficult time. The current situation affects life on the whole planet and changed the way we live and COVID-19 measures continue all over the globe. While travel restrictions and social distancing was implemented by various countries, our local village of Bello Horizonte initially continued, although cautiously, living their normal lives. Within a week everything changed, and measures evolved until a complete public shutdown was announced in Peru. Even alternating gender days for essential business where established (one day only women and the next day only men were allowed e.g. to go shopping) and national as well as international travel came to a stillstand.
With a time-consuming cooperation of foreign consulates, volunteers and EV representatives, we arranged passage for 8 volunteers to return home to Europe. Not an easy task when communication is limited, and the next major city is three hours away.

The world may be in crisis, yet life at EV continues and our onsite team and those in support roles around the world (often unmentioned but always appreciated!) remain strong and focussed on working for the Peruvian wildlife.
The dependence of the animals on the volunteers and staff is on-going and still at the forefront of everyone’s mind.
To an extent life is simplified at EV. Contact with the outside world is limited and the luxuries brought from across the river have stopped. Transport is very limited and at times non-existent. Yet basic groceries arrive intermittently up to now. The team moral remains strong, with many believing we are fortunate to be “stranded” in paradise.

Monkeys

April was a busy month in monkey movements, and it appears all enclosures had “action” in one form or another.

We could release the monkeys from Lulu enclosure last month. Ezra (young female Spixs white fronted capuchin) remained hesitant to vacate the premises while Daytona (young female large headed capuchin monkey) and Tonka (male Andean saddleback Tamarin) readily accepted freedom.

Taking advantage of Ezra’s hesitance, the decision was made to bring Alu (male Andean Saddleback Tamarin) and Shimi (Squirrel Monkey), who had both completed their quarantine period, into the Lulu enclosure to bond with the existing monkeys. All of them were successfully released after a week. Ezra is now adapting very well together with Daytona and Tonka, whereas Alu stayed around for another day before disappearing into the wild. And Shimi…well he seems to prefer confinement over freedom (read on to find out about his plans).

Freedom was also experienced again by Rimaq, Lucio (male spider monkeys) and Kres (female large headed capuchin monkey). Kres continues to take advantage of any moment of inattention and proved this after a door was not correctly locked. Douwe was quick to react and managed to get both spider monkeys back to the enclosure, showing how calmness and experience is required in these situations. Kres meanwhile had let herself into Elmo enclosure (with the macaws) and could be seen having a lot of fun eating their food and playing within their water bowl. Olivia used her experience to calmly catch Kres and return her to the correct locality.
Rimaq enclosure security was again put to the test later in the month when Shimi appeared within the enclosure, often attached to the back of Kres or one of the boys. A quick inspection showed that tree had grown through the mesh and enlarged the holes around it. A quick repair and removal of the squirrel monkey: Problem solved. If it just would have been that easy… Shimi somehow found his way back to accompany Rimaq, Lucio and Kres and appears more than comfortable in his new situation. So, for now we decided to leave him with his choice.

Having regained over ten percent of his body weight Moyo (male Humboldts Woolly monkey) was released from Tupak this month and can be seen returning to his normal behaviour. We continue to monitor his behaviour for any indications of a relapse.

Hope is one thing you should never loose, and this month proved it yet again. Otis, the male Ma’s night monkey) which nearly always in the company of Luna (female Ma’s night monkey), had not been seen for nearly a week. Many started to believe the worst but Otis returned without any harm after his extended rainforest trip.

Our youngest night monkey, Kira now finally is in an outside enclosure (Lucia). Although very different to her previous experience at EV, Kira is adapting well and both Luna and Otis have been seen being interested in her from outside the enclosure.

Other Animals

Kassai (our baby southern tamandua) is still living with the family at the managers house but has been moved into a bigger cage with feeding times now being stretched. Termites are occasionally added to her diet, but she hasn’t yet realised the benefits of catching her own food. Overall Kassai is doing well and we are looking forward to her growing up.

Another animal moving enclosures this month was Chosko (kinkajou) who moved from Tiliku to the newly vacated Tupak enclosure. By moving him there we will have enough physical distance to the territory of Kiko and Kila (our resident male and female kinkajous). The hatch on Tupak will be opened in the next few weeks allowing Chusko to come and go at his own will.

Sadly, this month we said goodbye to another of our favourite characters. Zasu (dusky headed parakeet) was found dead in Igor enclosure. Because he was hand-raised he had no fear of humans and anybody who has done any work in Igor will have had interaction with Zasu who often landed on your shoulder and picked at jewellery or hair.

Freedom was always the plan for Katara (razor billed curassow). She was initially released within the fenced area around the family house with the possibility to come and go as she pleased. After nearly 3 weeks Katara became more adventurous, was seen at the quarantine and then disappeared into the wild.

SUST Animal Orphan Hospital

Kiko (male kinkajou) was found with injuries after fighting with other kinkajous. After a surgical operation Kiko was returned to his former home in Tiliku enclosure for regeneration, medication and observation. After some time Kiko had been recovered nicely and was released back into the wild.

Rumani (crab eating raccoon) is occasionally sighted at either his own feeding table or near Tiliku enclosure at the kinkajou feeding table. On one occasion Rumani was seen limping. He was caught in the front-cage of Tiliku and caught by Douwe (have you ever tried to catch an eight and a half kilo raccoon?) in his usual style and finesse. Rumani is now recovering within the SUSAOH from a broken foot.

Ashanti (Scarlet Macaw), Upendi and Inuka (yellow crowned amazon parrots) have moved to the front cage of Elmo enclosure, where all three birds now have the room to spread their wings. Ashanti is still getting syringe fed twice a day but is also gaining confidence in eating herself.

Mojita and Margarita (female agoutis) were introduced to each other in one cage within the clinic for a week, before being moved together into Rincay enclosure joining the large yellow footed tortoises. Both agoutis can release themselves from the enclosure which is perceived as a soft release, giving them the security of an enclosure and on-going food-supply along with the freedom to come and go as they please.

Kapa (female Paka) moved from the clinic to the Momo enclosure and is doing very well. We plan to release Kapa in early May. Both Kapa and Sakura (the older female paka) sleep beside each other, although on different sides of the mesh, so we don’t expect any compatibility issues.

Kaira (female Red howler monkey) joined the rest of our howlers into Arana enclosure. After a few weeks she was able to join them in daily freedom outside the cage. Kaira is a monkey who has had a lot of contact with humans so adjustment can take a lot longer. Volunteers and staff are keeping a close eye on Kaira to ensure she continues to progress as expected.

Zola (young female red uakari) was another monkey that moved into Lulu enclosure. Zola appeared to be adapting well to life outside and joined the other monkey species in Lulu. Unfortunately she developed serious symptoms and was taken to the SUSTAOH for treatment and monitoring. Beside the intensive care she passed away the same day. A sad loss, and an important reminder of what can happen when animals are taken from their natural environment.

New arrivals

With travel inside of Peru being basically impossible, it is safe to say the SUSTAOH is looking slightly empty.
There were no new arrivals this month, but we are preparing ourselves for new arrivals when restrictions are eased.

Construction and other

Volunteer assistance has been limited leaving the burden of construction solely on Douwe and Geiler’s, fitting this in between routine repairs and other daily requirements.

Pedro enclosure (for the margays) was finished this month along with a tunnel connecting it to Zambo enclosure. Both Grety and Diego now have twice the space to explore and play in, often being seen running between both enclosures.

Quarantine continues to progress. Now we are working on finer details that take the extra time, with all doors and cage partitions being installed this month, along with the lion’s share of kitchen tiling completed.

Volunteers

What do volunteers do when on lockdown in paradise?
A lot! April was a month that saw birthdays, movie nights on the big screen (15” 🙂 ), a quiz night, a Kayla created buffet at the family house and Easter even snuck up on us.

Easter was a real treat with an egg hunt at the waterfall and a culinary delight special lunch created by both Olivia and Kayla, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
The effort being made by everyone to make the most of lockdown is not only admirable, but an incredible experience.