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Last replied
13 nov. 2015
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Infos
Description
Our situation has changed slightly so please read carefully to see if you still want to volunteer at the Commons:
As a family, during the school terms, we are residing in yurts Monday to Friday in the town of Howick so that our kids can go to school and activities without a lot of daily commuting. We return to the Commons to live and work over the weekends and occasionally during the week as needed. When we have volunteers, we make the time to be at the Commons more often in order to coordinate the work with volunteers and share our permaculture skills and knowledge. We have a main house (our home) which serves as a Common space for shared meals and there is a self-catering yurt for guests and volunteers to sleep. When we are not there, we will make the main house available.
Information on the Commons
The Rainbow Sustainability Commons is a homestead and demonstration site practicing permaculture and experimenting in ecological and cooperative living. We are registered as a ‘Not for Profit Organisation’ and stewarding 3 acres of land. We’re located within a property of 300 hectares of land that includes a mountain, streams, waterfalls, and forests.
Our commitment to sustainability: We...
built our own home using locally harvested and reclaimed wood. We insulated our home with our plastic waste and we heat it with alien wood.
use a small solar energy system for power,
developed permaculture gardens and food forest,
use a compost toilet the compost of which we use when we plant our trees,
have an irrigated, covered tree nursery that we created from a ditch in the ground where we grow indigenous trees from seed,
have a solar cooker, a solar oven, a solar dehydrator, and a solar hot water system,
build yurts for our extra spaces (such as guest accommodation) using the available alien plants around us,
have a worm farm and feed them with dung we collect on the land
have a horse for cutting the grass in the summer,
have 9 beehives.
Where we are
We are 45km from Howick—the closest town. We are 65km from Pietermaritzburg, the closest city. We are also near Impendle, a rural Zulu traditional community, about 15km away. Our area is called “the Dargle”.
About the Work Exchange:
Volunteers are requested to volunteer 3 hours a day, 5 days out of 7 in exchange for accommodation in a self-catering yurt. We request a minimum stay of 1 week and a maximum stay of 3-4 weeks.
Garden work includes: Making compost piles, cutting grass (summer), collecting manure, fire breaks (winter), weeding, seed collecting, planting seedlings, maintenance of trees, planting edibles and pioneer plants, repairing fences, cutting and chopping firewood, harvesting crops, bagging, sorting & transplanting in the nursery.
Yurts: This involves cutting poles, stripping, sanding, and drilling them and tying them together to make the yurt frame.
Food
Volunteers provide their own food. Meal preparation is a shared activity when the family is home.
Power & Reception
There will be specified times when the sun is shining to charge phones and use your own computer. We do have network reception for cell or internet (you provide your own data).
Library
We have an extensive library of permaculture, nature, natural health, yoga, vegetarian recipes, spirituality, natural building. We have a check-out/in system for borrowing books and magazines.
Weather:
Spring can be chilly and misty. Summer is rainy many afternoons and hot during the day. Autumn is warm during the day, cool at night and dry. Winter is warm during the day and cold at night (going down to 3 degrees Celsius) and it very rarely rains.
Getting here:
We might be able to pick you up in Howick if it corresponds with our normal trip into town. Otherwise taxis and a bus are available from Howick. SMS closer to the time for details. If you need to go by yourself into town, you can catch a taxi or hitch. In an emergency, if we have to drive you somewhere, we ask for R3/km (excluding our time.)
About the Family:
Samantha and Shine share the management of the Commons. They co-parent 2 children—Oriah age 12 and Kei age 10. We have a cat, Shiva, and a dog, Ashanti.
We have a vision to live more sustainably on the earth and to make the world a better place through sharing and learning about this path with others. We enjoy spending time in nature, attending Rainbow gatherings, playing musical instruments and singing, crafting, hunting for mushrooms, going on walks, storytelling, fire dancing, finding joy in the simple things.
We think of ourselves as spirituals beings. We affiliate ourselves with the Unitarian Universalist faith (check out if you’re intrigued!). We share earth-centred rituals and celebrations together such as Solstices and those that mark the change of seasons. Spiritual growth and openness to others’ spiritual paths are important values.
Make sure to bring (as we’re very far from town):
Torch and extra batteries
Warm clothes
Hat
Work gloves
Any medicines you might need
Any foods you really like, snack food, etc.
Airtime and internet data
Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre
Pratique d’une langue
Aide avec des éco-projets
Enseignement
Jardinage
Bricolage et construction
Aide dans une ferme
Baby-sitting et jeux créatifs
Cuisine/repas pour la famille
Aide à la maison
Entretien général
Aide informatique/internet
Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre
Projets impliquant des enfants
Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.
Aide
Work could include making compost piles, cutting grass (summer), collecting manure, fire breaks (winter), weeding, seed collecting, planting seedlings, maintenance of trees, planting. repairing fences, cutting and chopping firewood, harvesting crops. Non-gardening work: Enclosing the underside of the house, creation of a solar hot water system, building of an evaporative fridge, putting insulation inside the house, sharing time, skills, and energy with the children, possibly some natural building and dam making.
Langues parlées
Anglais: Courant
Français: Courant
Hébergement
Facilities : Accommodation is in a yurt. Kitchen and ablutions are shared. Please bring a sleeping bag and pillow if you have one.
Bathing is done in a fire-bath or in a donkey system for a hot shower when there is no sun. Either way, you’ll have to collect the wood and make the fire when you want to bathe on non sunny days or when hot water is limited.
Autres infos...
Impendle is the rural Zulu community about 20 minutes away. The volunteer experience could include a Zulu homestay and community immersion experience - something that is rare to find in South Africa. You will be treated like a member of the family, experiencing Zulu culture, hospitality, and daily work routines.
Informations complémentaires
Accès Internet
Accès Internet limité
Nous avons des animaux
Nous sommes fumeurs
Familles bienvenues
Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?
Deux
Nombre d'heures attendues
3
