Live and feel the animals whilst you help us improve the space where they live

El Cortijillo de la Lola Sanctuary is a natural space where we respect and nurture respect for the animals. It's a special place where we live and enjoy nature.

I want to volunteer
A volunteer feeding a white horse and a donkey

Volunteers leave delighted and tell us they'll come back

Coming as a volunteer to the sanctuary means experiencing first-hand the daily work we do, living amongst the animals and feeling how they love and respect us whilst you help improve the space where they live.

Everyone who's worked with us so far has left delighted, telling us they'll come back, because it's wonderful to be surrounded by these animals who've suffered in their past, but who now enjoy a quality life in a space that's constantly adapting to them, and them to us.

If you don't have time or it's not your thing, but you love animals and would like to get to know us, you can come and visit us.

Types of volunteering

Day volunteer

If you live in the Seville area and want to experience first-hand what it's like to care for the sanctuary's animals, you can help us with daily tasks (caring, feeding, treatments, cuddles…) one day a week, from 9:00 to 13:00.

The only requirement is that the volunteering lasts at least 5 or 6 months. Before you can start working with the animals, we need to teach you how tasks work and what the animals are like, and there's quite a bit to learn before you begin. It's important for the sanctuary to run well, for the animals to trust their new human, and to keep their daily routine undisturbed.

Long-stay volunteer

If what you want is to work with us in a stable, ongoing way, this is the programme that will suit you best. It's a bigger commitment: after the learning period, you'll be an active member of the team and in many cases you'll take direct care of the animals.

We only have one small cottage, for 1 person (2 at most), and the collaboration needs to be for at least twelve months.

  • Your accommodation, food and utilities are included, as well as training.
  • You need to really love nature and the animals.
  • The tasks will be varied, but rewarding. It's important that you enjoy taking on responsibility.
  • Your mission is to look after the animals' wellbeing.
  • You need to be over 18 and it's best if you're in good physical shape.

Our volunteers

  • A female volunteer smiling next to a tube where a rabbit rests
  • A female volunteer sitting on the ground surrounded by cats
  • A female volunteer raking straw in the yard
  • A male volunteer pushing a hay cart
  • A female volunteer holding a cat in her arms
  • A male volunteer cleaning by the animals' cottage
  • A male volunteer caring for a sheep
  • Female volunteers attending to a pony
  • A male volunteer with a black goat
  • A female volunteer with the sanctuary's cats
  • A female volunteer feeding a turkey hen
  • A female volunteer hugging the cat Maguy
  • A pony and a white horse under the olive trees
  • Volunteers with horses and ponies
  • A male volunteer bottle-feeding a pony
  • A female volunteer with two dogs
  • Mar with the female dogs Lisa and Carmen
  • A female volunteer wearing the sanctuary's shirt next to a horse

Tell us about yourself

Fill in this form to start your volunteering and we'll be in touch. With this information, we plan for all our volunteers so we can give you a nice stay and coordinate the programme well.

I can't volunteer, but I'd like to help

At El Cortijillo we have many needs and limited resources. If you think you can share your knowledge, your contacts or help us in another way, write to us with this form too. And you can always make a donation or sponsor an animal.

If you have skills or knowledge that could be useful to us, tell us about them too!