Since the beginning of 2004, 3 Rivers has been welcoming volunteer workers from around the globe. Our volunteers have normally stayed for a month or two, and the arrangement has proved to be mutually beneficial.
We provide breakfast, lunch, dinner and lodgings, normally a bed in the dormitory (or if you want privacy you may bring your own tent with you), and the volunteers help with all aspects of the project, from restaurant work to repairs on the renewable energy equipment, to going shopping!
We promise to train you in whatever aspects of our work that you wish to learn, and in return you help out generally around the property whenever and wherever required.
We are looking for people who are capable and content to be part of an efficient and happy team. You would be expected to take turns helping in the restaurant for breakfast and dinner when we are busy, and during the days you would help out around the garden, in reception, with building work, site maintenance and anything else that crop up.
In general you will be expected to work about 30 hours a week. Don't worry, you will not be overworked and will get plenty of free time to explore and enjoy our beautiful island.
You will need to be keen to learn and understand our environmental work, as most of our guests enjoy discussing our systems and learning how they work, particularly during our communal evening meal, which really is a feature of 3 Rivers. They look to all of our staff to be able to explain things to them, and it is also a part of our Green Globe 21 certification requirements, that all staff & volunteers are trained in our Environmental Management Systems
Many of our volunteers so far have also taken on their own little project to leave their mark on 3 Rivers. If you have any ideas or suggestions for little projects or improvements that suit your particular skills; and hopefully you enjoy, then let us know and it can most probably happen!
If you are interested, now it is time to read our Volunteer's handbook!
If, however, we are not exacly what you are looking for, then you can find other volunteer opportunities at:
Ecoteer - Cheap volunteering Abroad www.Ecoteer.com
We also offer internships for students wishing to further their studies whilst volunteering here at the lodge. Click here for more information on the 3 Rivers internship.
So far, we have welcomed the following volunteers :
Bertrand and Céline arrived here as guests at the end of 2003, and settled in another village for a few months after that. In March this year, they returned to us and stayed for a few months as volunteer workers. They soon became an integral part of the team, and are now good friends of us all. They are French and so Céline's pet project was to help us translate all of the literature around the property, explaining our work and our systems into French. Bertrand installed our fantastic lazy bench, and made the volunteer encampment a special place to be, which has since been enjoyed by almost every guest.
July saw the arrival of
Brett Wilkow and Michael Bartelloni, 
from the USA.
Having already visited us as a student for one our workshops, Michael asked if they could spend some time here as volunteer workers, to which I agreed.
They became friends with everyone from day one, and were instrumental in the building of a new extension for our restaurant and bar area, and helped train some of our local staff in the use of computers.
"Hi, I'm Brett Wilkow and proud to say that I was one of the volunteers, here at 3 Rivers.
I consider myself extremely lucky to have been able to contribute in the growth of this magnificent place.
Although I only stayed for a month, it almost instantly felt like home.
Come check out this beautiful place and these beautiful people.
Three of my favorite things to do at 3 Rivers are hiking up to Grand Fond (the small village nearby) to meet local Dominicans, chatting with Jem (owner) over a great Dominican style dinner, and getting some sun along the amazing rivers.
But believe me, there is plenty more to do......see for yourself :) "
In August and September, we welcomed Andy Bass and his fiance Ehran on board.
Andy played a major role in the construction of our new tree house, and Ehran spent a considerable amount of time researching and then preparing labels for each and every plant on the property, explaining their local and family names, as well as detailing their medicinal purposes and local beliefs.
February saw the arrival of Jennifer Fellman, the daughter of a previous customer, who came to help our for a few weeks. Although she was only with us for a short space of time, her help in the restaurant was invaluable.
"Hey, I'm Jen, known around these parts as
The Good Green Earred Witch (Ask Jerry and Jem about that one !).
I arrived at 3 Rivers in March as a guest, but when it came time to leave, I just couldn't bring myself to go.
I stayed on as a volunteer for a few more weeks, helping train other members of staff on the computer and doing accounting work.
I had to leave to continue my architectural studies in Barcelona, but hope to be back at 3 Rivers again soon.
Jem and all the staff are great, and I miss them like crazy.
My favorite part? The afternoon swim in one of the rivers."
"Hello everyone, I’m Paul Laurin, and proud to have been a volunteer here at 3 Rivers in April and May 2005.
Many thanks to Jem and 3 Rivers staff for their friendship.
We worked together in the garden and the restaurant and shared complicity.
I appreciated Jem’s conversation on sustainable living initiative.
This project which involve communities is the essence of 3 Rivers commitment in sustainable eco-development.
I am happy to participate in a way to this initiative by making the first solar cooking oven."
July 2005 saw the arrival of our first ever Dominican volunteer worker.
Ozayee Robin, from the village of Marigot, spent a month with us on work experience placement from his school, The CALLS school in Portsmouth.
He became part of the crew in a very short space of time, and performed so well, he has now become a full time member of staff.
August & September 2005 saw the arrival of Mr. Paul Osborne, our first New Zealand volunteer. Apart from getting everyone excited about his rented motorbike, Paul proved invaluable around the place, and gave assistance to each member of staff in various topics. He has left us now to continue his South-American travels.
Then came British born Jill, who helped run
3 Rivers while Jem was away in October and November 2005.
She helped with most jobs around the place, and took a particular interest in the organising of the workshops.
In December, Chris Lightbody from Canada, gave us a hand for a few weeks, and proved invaluable in helping around the bar and office. His enormous smile will never be forgotten!
In January we had the company of Steve Lyons, from my hometown in the UK. We met in the pub, and a few weeks later there he was, on 3 Rivers soil. He is a mechanic, and helped us massively with the conversion of a diesel generator to run on used veggie oil, at a local chicken farm. He also had an assistant volunteer with him called Joey, who lived in Steve's jumper for the duration of his stay.
Then came Paula and Bethaney, from Canada. They really made themselves parof the crew, and during their month long stay in March 2006, re-painted allof our cottages so they are now shining! They also had their own private mssion to photograph themselves with a Novak's bag. None of us ever want to see a Novaks bag again!
At the same time as Paula and Bethaney were here, we also saw the return of an old friend, Mike Bartelloni from Vermont. He returned to do his university thesis on Carib building technology, and in particular using those skills to build our new SLIC education centre . With many constraints, he managed to achieve a great deal, and the building would never be there had it not been for his hard work.
"Hi, I'm Jenny Gibbs from the U.K. I was a
volunteer at 3 Rivers from May to July 2006, getting 'stuck in' with just about everything !
I spent the most wonderful time getting to know Jem and his crew, who were crazy enough to let me loose prettying up the Forest Retreat and becoming infamous for my coconut art obsession! In between working on loads of fun and varied projects, we even found time to celebrate my 21st birthday.
Being a volunteer at 3 rivers is the most enriching experience - I've never been so sad to leave a place!
"Hello everyone, I’m James Pulver, and proud to have been a volunteer here at 3 Rivers in July and August, 2006.
I got involved in a little of everything, and in particular helped Laura Zac and Jenny fix up the dormitory to new international standards - no leaks and no holes for the dogs to get through!
July also saw the return of Zac Andereck
Having already stayed at 3 Rivers earlier in the year as part of a study group from Miami University in Ohio,he returned to Dominica to work on his university thesis: A study of landslides in Dominica. He was a great help in all aspect of 3 Rivers life.
"Hello everyone, I’m Laura Russel , and proud to have been a volunteer here at 3 Rivers in July and August, 2006.
I got involved in a little of everything, and in particular helped James Zac and Jenny fix up the dormitory to new international standards - no leaks and no holes for the dogs to get through!
My name is Julia Sommerfeld from Hannover, Germany.I was here from the 16th of October to the 10th of November.I helped maintaining the garden, washing the donkeys and dogs and playing a little bit the bar tender.
I really enjoyed my time here at 3 Rivers! It was really interesting to learn about the different energy systems and of course
the new reservation system;-).
I will really miss the refreshing bath in the pool, the pow pows and
of course the lovely people!!!
Hope to return one day, all the best, keep on doing.
Hi, I am Jerome Born from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. I stayed here from October to Christmas 2006. I first started out helping in the garden, kitchen en restaurant. And then Jem discovered that I could help with a new Reservation system. So, I designed an Accounts- en Reservation system and helped training the staff to use it.
At the same time I presented Jem my idea of the HolyCabin® . Together with Keith we started building in November, but unfortunately I could not stay long enough to see the finalizing of my project. The ‘HolyCabin® (www.holycabin.org) is a cabin to meditate, say your prayers, chant or do any other ceremony. By the way, you can do some excellent Yoga on one of the remaining platforms… but the HolyCabin® you can find in the forest, near the new double level treehouse.
I very much enjoyed my stay here with the very kind staff and the fine people of Grand Fond! The pool was my favourite shower of all times!
My name is Dom, and I've been a guest several times
here at 3 Rivers before becoming a volunteer. As well as re-developing this website, I helped in all aspects of the daily chores of the resort, from cooking to doing the paperwork. I also helped with staff training.
Back home, I still help Jem running the 3 Rivers server and writing other websites related to the resort, Jem Winston and SLIC Dominica, while updating this one when needed. Throughout my stays here, I saw a lot of projects developing, the hydroelectric system, the lighting of the Forest Retreat. Today, I am amazed to see how 3 Rivers has grown up while keeping true to Jem's vision of sustainability and ecotourism. I'm proud to be a part of this team. I've come across most staff members and a lot of volunteers; I took great pleasure in working and spending time with them (with the odd exception out of course).
Dominica is a true paradise; 3 Rivers is the perfect place for relaxing, enjoying and respecting the nature, even when working hard. Whether you're a guest or a volunteer, you'll enjoy every moment of your stay here.
In May 2007 we met Christina Sasser from the University of Oregon, Environmental Studies department. One of the reasons she was accepted as an intern was because of her passion for organic farming, permeaculture and sustainable living. She has proved an important asset, and gave an enormous ammount of assistance in the gardens, teaching us a few new tricks, and learning our own ones. She made herself part of the team instantly, and put her best into everything she got involved in, including helping to organise a new job shift system, our new restaurant menu, and our 2007 Eco Club community award application for a school garden in the local village of Grand Fond.
"I've had such a great life experience here at 3 Rivers. My internship gave me the opportunity to practice the bio-intensive method, do hands-on work getting projects going, and to meet really wonderful people from Dominica, and all over the world."
Click here to see her excellent slide show of the time she spent in Dominica.
Chris Thompson is a student at Miami University
As much as I enjoyed learning about, and participating in, the routines that keep 3 Rivers in operation and simultaneously eco-friendly, I would have to say that I will miss the friends I made there the most. Not only the other workers, who I view as a sort of second family, but also other Dominicans, particularly in Grand Fond, that I interacted with, came to know and who trusted me enough to include me in their daily lives. Like others before me I have been moved by my experience here and will never forget it. Special thanks to Jem for allowing me such an opportunity and for creating such a special place : June-July 2007
" Hi, I’m Sim (Simeon Lagier) and I came to 3 Rivers as an intern to complete my studies in the tourism industry. I ended there because I’m interested in ecotourism, and small structure business, but also because I am very lucky!!!
My purpose was to learn about sustainable hotel management, and to put in application the teaching from university. But more than that, I have learned to build bamboo houses, to maintain a renewable energy system, to take care of an organic garden, to cook for the guest and attempt at the restaurant and the bar, and so many unexpected skills. In one word, I have learned to run a small eco-friendly hotel.
I have also lived a great human experience. The staff welcomed me so warmly and took care of me as a family, I will never forget. Dominica is a small island, but if you are curious and ready to open yourself, you will discover a world far from everything you know. No word can describe, only experience can tell… So once again, thanks to 3 Rivers, and all Dominicans that made my stay one of a kind."
Nicolas Olivier, has become a true friend and part of the 3 Rivers team. He first came over the bridge to see us in 2006 as a regular guest. Since then he has returned numerous times, and he has worked hard to set up his own organic farm here in Dominica. Each time he returned he helped more and more on the project, and has helped every single member of staff in all kinds of ways, from reading lessons, to driving lessons, to buying chocolate on his little overseas trips. He has also integrated himself into our local comunity and now runs successful adult eduaction classes in Grand Fond, assisitng anyone who wants the help. 3 Rivers owes gratitude to Nico, for all his assistance in implementing our management training programme and organisational structure. WELCOME ALWAYS, NICO.
We are George and Megan, and we came from Arizona USA. George is a wildland firefighter and Megan is a photographer/conservationist.
While volunteering at Rosalie Forest Eco Lodge we helped repair some structures that were damaged by Hurrican Dean,and just helped out with the daily activities of the Eco Lodge. We loved bathing in the mermaid pool everyday, and that is actaully where Megan learned how to swim! We made many great friends and had many wonderful experiences! We both look forward to many returns and many great memories to come!
