Help in our non-profit permaculture project in Brakel, Belgium

Infos

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  Description

  We are a small non-profit organisation with a permaculture farm. We host volunteers or people on time-out under the form of an educational farm. In doing so, we offer alternative seasonal daytime activities. We try to create a welcoming environment where people can come and get a taste of what the land and country life has to offer. Linked to this, we want to pass on and teach knowledge and skills that are forgotten or in danger of being lost. Our volunteers learn how it can be beneficial to take care of animals, work in the fields, experience the seasons with both their pleasant and hard sides, recognise plants and herbs, grow, process and preserve vegetables.
  Organising immersion classes for children, working days in cooperation with youth movements, giving workshops and lectures are also among our short-term projects. Since 2020, we have cooperated with another non-profit farm, 8km cycling distance away, with similar ideals, which also opens itself up to volunteers. One day, usually on Tuesdays, our volunteers go to work with them, the other day, usually on Fridays, their volunteers come to us. In this way, knowledge is also exchanged between the different projects.
  The project is run by the owners of the place (Sylvie, Ben, Kena (17) and Gonde (13)), sometimes assisted by some long-term volunteers.
  The 2ha estate has an orchard (meadow) and farmland. There are donkeys, sheep, dogs, cats and chickens.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Bénévolat

  Projets artistiques

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  S’occuper des animaux

  Aide dans une ferme

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général
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  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

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  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  Depending on the number of volunteers, different building projects can be worked on. These include: building with chalk hemp, building with bricks, working with clay (cob) and applying other crafts.

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  Projets impliquant des enfants

  Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.

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  Aide

  ~ HELP NEEDED ~
  It's always great to have people who stay a bit longer (one month and longer) and can take up some responsibility such as making bread, take care of some of the animals, help the garden (with supervision), organise the kitchen, the laundry, the bikes, the tools, help with communication or accountancy, ... If you stay longer, you can learn more and really 'land' in the rhythm of the land-life.

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Hollandais: Courant
  Anglais: Intermédiaire
  Français: Intermédiaire

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  Cet hôte a indiqué qu’il souhaitait faire partager sa propre langue ou en apprendre une nouvelle.
  Contactez-le pour en savoir plus.
  
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  Hébergement

  ~ ACCOMMODATION ~
  We have reconstructed a former barn. There's a spacey kitchen with a cooking stove, where life mostly goes on. If the 'polyvalent room' is not used for activities, it's available for volunteers. In summer, it's a cool, shady place that we also used for drying herbs.
  
  The accommodation is simple. Take into account that this kind of life takes a bit more time than in a house in the city. Compost toilets need to be emptied and sawdust supplies need to be filled. It takes more time to light a wood stove than it takes to turn on the gas. Vegetables need to be harvested and cleaned before you can start preparing dinner. Laundry needs to be hung, water kettles and hot water bottles need to be filled (winter) or hot water needs to be hauled in from the solar boiler, daily cleaning of the kitchen in order to avoid insects, etc.
  
  If you want to try/share this kind of life for a while, this is your project. If not, it might be frustrating.
  
  Food
  Our food is:
  - seasonal (so no cucumbers in April, eggs in December, or pumpkins in August),
  - local,
  - organic,
  - mostly vegetarian
  
  We mostly have unprocessed products. We buy some basics such as oil, grains and legumes and we grow fruit, veggies, and herbs. It’s up to volunteers to turn these into meals, bread spreads (jam, hummus, pesto, veggie pâté, etc.), and other tasty things like pickles or sauerkraut. We bake sourdough bread.
  
  Typically, there are oats and sourdough bread with home-made jam for breakfast at eight, soup or salad and bread with home-made spreads for lunch at twelve, fruit or smoothy in the afternoon, and a cooked meal for diner around six. In the season, there are, of course, always fruits and berries to be picked from the land.
  
  Washing
  There’s an outdoor shower with hot (solar heated, so depending on availability) and cold water. In winter, water is heated on the stove, and you have to wash from a bucket.
  
  Heating
  All heating is done with wood stoves. Usually, only the kitchen is heated, the sleeping area is not. We have plenty of blankets.
  When it’s warm outside and the sun is shining the solar cooker and electricity can also be used to heat water.
  
  Sleeping
  We have a wagon and a caravan. Beds, sheets, pillows and blankets are available. Volunteers can bring a tent.
  
  Transport
  The place is easily reached with public transport. Every hour, a 3km walk will take you to a bus stop, which will take you to a train station, which can take you directly to Brussels and Gent. Please don't come by car. There are some bikes, but they are only borrowed to longer term volunteers that are able to take care of them or want to learn that.
  
  Other things
  - We only invite non-smokers.
  - There is wifi.
  - Compost toilets only.

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  Autres infos...

  The Flemish Ardennes is one of the most beautiful regions in Flanders, with a hilly and often surprising landscape.
  At 7 kilometers, there is a small town with public transport, shops, a swimming pool, and a library.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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  Nombre d'heures attendues

  +/-5 hours a day, max 25 hrs a week

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