Area: Queensland

My property is situated on the outskirts of Collinsville, (a small mining town in north Qld). It is an hours drive to the beautiful beaches in Bowen and less than 2 hours to the Whitsundays. I have a paint horse stud where we breed and train western horses. Help is needed with the daily chores of looking after the quarter horse and paint horses, ragdoll cats & kittens and chooks. Prefer someone experienced with horses as there will be some riding/training and also rides out in the bush where you may see emus , wallabies, dingos and lots of birds. I will take volunteeers who are experienced horse riders and want to learn the western style of riding and join in on our extensive horsemanship training program where you learn more about the ground work and the riding of horses. Prefer stays of 3 months or more which is needed to learn this safe western riding/training style, although at the moment I do have a vacancy for 2 mths (mid July 2013 to mid Sept 2013). In your spare time there are places in the bush and down the creek where you can go bush walking and look at the wallabies, emus, dingoes,deers, birdlife and other animals. Also it is only a 10 min walk to the shops or swimming pool or you can ride the pushbike. For competant riders I have quiet horses that you can go for pleasure rides on in the country side and see the wildlife.

Area: Lower Normandy

We are a family of four running a chambre d'hotes in Normandy. The children are 12 and 9 years old and we live in the middle of a lovely French hamlet. The area is magnificent and we are constantly still surprised by how much Normandy has to offer. Easy travel to Paris close-by 2 hours by train and 3 hours by car. The accommodation provided is usually an ensuite room.

Area: North Western US

"Resident volunteers" have been a Godsend to our non-profit working ranch serving children and animals on our 15 acre ranch. When we lost our site development funding the day after 9-11, we thought the ranch would go under. But the children who had been coming to the ranch during after school programs and summer camps refused to let that happen. They gave up their fun time on the ranch riding horses and driving go-carts to work every minute they could to keep the ranch going. They hand dug fence posts, built shelters for the animals and did whatever was needed. In as much as they loved the ranch, they missed their fun times on the ranch until we got our first "resident volunteer" The ranch has continually progressed forward thanks to some wonderful help from around the world. When a new resident volunteer arrives here on the ranch, I warn them to get their feet well planted on the ground because they will be knocked over with kids running to hug and greet them. The kids are so very grateful for all who have come and who have left them with wonderful memories as well as fences, buildings, repairs, etc. The kids are fascinated by the different stories resident volunteers bring from around the world and they love listening to the different accents. Resident volunteers who come here work hard but go away knowing they made a difference in the lives of children, animals we care for and in our environment. Your help is considered to be a great gift to all of us and has given more free time to the children so they can go back to riding horses, go-carts, and doing the other wonderful things this ranch was built to provide. However, you will also find the kids to be a great help on the ranch as well because they believe in the ranch and in themselves. They know they have, can and always will make a difference. If you are looking for a worthwhile experience and enjoy children and animals, this is the place to come.

Area: Lower Silesia

Our names are Konstancja and Frank and we moved to Jizera Mountains from different places. Konstancja is engaged in handicraft. She is working with natural fabrics, from silk, linen to the felt, is making silk-screen prints, weaves, dyes and paints. Frank is primarily working with the use of recycled materials. We make also handmade candles with natural beeswax. There is organic garden with vegetables and fruits. At the moment we are working on the project of rebuilding an old warehouse into a new earthshipe from recicling materials. We are also involved in the local association Unia Izerska, and our project is now is to build bike path through the woods to Czech Repablic wchich is 3km away.