Ruohonjuuri – Volunteer at the Animal Welfare Center!
Ruohonjuuri workers have the opportunity to use their paid working time to volunteer for a better world. Every single month, one Ruohonjuuri employee goes to work for one day in an organization of their choice or in another project that builds a better world. The salary is paid by Ruohonjuuri.
Maria, from Ruohonjuuri Jumbo, spent a volunteer day at the animal protection center Saparomäki in Porvoo.
Purpose
Maria went to Saparomäki because she wanted to get to know better different kinds of animals and their needs. At Saparomäki, she got to know pigs, sheep, and chickens.
– My dream is to have a small farm with my animal friends sometime in the future, but I want to choose my furry friends realistically. I want to learn as well as possible what are the differences between animals and what kind of care they require. The animals are lovely, but they also require a lot of work, Maria says.
Results
During fence building, Maria got to cuttle sheep – and the best part of the whole day was that she got to know better the animals, cuttle, and talk to them. Maria got good tips on working with animals – a pig for example is upset if you try to force him to go somewhere he does not want to. Instead of pushing, it’s way better to persuade him with peace of bread.
As a result of the day’s experience, Maria would take sheep and chickens to her future farm since they seem to be a bit easier friends than stubborn Paavo The Pig!
– I was surprised how doggy-like Paavo was. He came when I called him, played with toys, did funny twirls around, and playfully teased fellow animals. I was also surprised that almost 400 kg Onni pig ran quite fast up and down the hills. I found it amusing, Maria recalls.
Like other Ruohonjuuri volunteers, Maria was super happy too to have this opportunity.
– This was my first time volunteering work – but I certainly will do it again! Maria rejoices.
Implementation
Maria spent mainly her volunteer day fixing the animal fence.
Onni and Paavo pigs miss each other’s company, but the other one does not always appreciate ” the too friendly” approach, and sometimes they might get into an argument with each other. Maria says that the fence between them prevents the possible tangles, but they would still see each other.
Even the building projects are familiar for Maria; fixing the fence was serious work!
– Paavo The Pig was kind to” help” me with the task – it teased me all he could! Paavo pushed over the boards and tried to push me over too! It did not allow me to get more supplies, made my scarf dirty, and finally shouted to me that” go away, I want to get back to sleep.”
The People's Voice