Region: Suð-Vesturland

We are a family of three. Myself, Kristbjörg (23years old), my boyfriend Björn (25) and our daughter Efemía (9months old). We reasently moved to a beautiful farm in Hvalfjörður and we have about 30 milking cows and 15-20 horses. In the fall we intend on getting 10-15 sheeps.

Region: Asturias

Janet and John live in Asturias. We are now at the end of our fifth year of so called retirement here and love it. This is definitely not the Costas! We live in Valdes in Asturias….. a county of rugged coasts with super ( but often stony) beaches. The interior (where we live at 270 meters high in the hills and 30 minutes from the nearest beach) is largely mixed forest of sweet chestnut, oak, ash and beech with plantations of northern pine and eucalyptus. The valley bottoms and tops are mainly green pasture for cattle grazing or silage with flatter fields with maize for cattle. It is beautiful – a lake district without the lakes and without the crowds. Weather – This is green Spain so we have clouds and rain. The temperature is higher than the south of England – a greater noticeable difference in the back part of the year. When we bought our house we wanted a house with some land to grow veggies on. We ended up with two houses (one “the barn” had no floor and was only home to spiders and cobwebs – we called it the barn because it was the oldest and still had the cattle feeding stalls), a traditional Horeo, 5 fincas (fields - one with a small maize mill – not functioning) and two Montes (bits of hillside with lots of trees on.) Thank goodness three of our neighbours keep most of the fields clean by grazing cattle, sheep and growing grass, so I am left with only the finca (6500 m2 )below the house to look after. We have six chickens and two dogs (and a cat that adopted us). During the year we grow most of our own vegetables. John does most of the work on the land while Janet writes and directs two musical shows a year for her group of performers back in England

Region: Indian Himalayas

We run a small, luxurious retreat for tourists in the Indian Himalayas. The Retreat is 80 Kms north of Shimla, the earstwhile summer capital of British India. Thanedhar is famous for apples, which were introduced by an American gentleman Mr. Samuel Evans Stokes way back in 1916. His family, like the rest of us, is still into apple cultivation. Thanedhar a charming little mountain village, with a small bazaar, which is 1 Km from the retreat . Thanedhar can be easily accessed from Shimla and Chandigarh by regular daily buses. The Retreat is situated in an apple orchard. We also grow cherries and other temperate fruits, but apple is our main crop. The property consists of six bedrooms, two suites, and two independent log cabins . Volunteers will essentially be on hand to interact with guests, who being mostly Indian families, love the opportunity to meet travellers from other countries. Activities include accompanying guests on orchard and forest walks, sitting around the nightly bonfire and sharing meal times. We are looking for volunteers who love the mountains and the outdoors. The volunteers will be entrusted with the duty of a co- host. We are specifically looking for helpers who feel comfortable engaging with guests, sitting for meals with them and showing them the beauty of the area while escorting them on walks. The volunteers will be provided independent accommodation in the family guest room and served meals in the dining room,along with other guests. IMPORTANT INFORMATION - # Please be advised that we are now booked for volunteers April, May, June, July 2012. # Two further openings exist in 2012: ( Aug 1st until Sept 15th) ;( Sept 16th until Oct 31st) . We would consider one volunteer for the entire Aug-Oct three month period. For Apr-Oct 2013: apply October 1st 2012 (and not before)..

Region: south - coastal "litoral Norte" Mata Atlantic Rainforest

Summary: Our project is a "new" ecovillage on Ilha das Couves and we are seeking environmentally minded volunteers to help with all services involved with creating and operating a sustainable community - from bottom up. The coastal area of Sao Paulo is beautiful and part of the original mata atlantic rainforest - a highly visable and valuable earth resource. We will be planting a permaculture organic farm, clearing an eco trail system and setting up bamboo geo domes to accommodate overnight guests. Our plan is to offer educational and spiritual empowerment training programs to small groups and corporate envirnomental retreats. This opportunity has started and will continue year round. Short term and long term assignments available. Our organization is a registered Brasilian non profit. We are ready, willing and able to help you learn and grow. Brasil requires most countries to issue a tourism visa before traveling. Please check to verify what your requirements are before traveling. Note: We do not supply insurance. You can get insurance policy as necessary from private providers. Your assistance is greatly needed and appreciated. This opportunity is a great cultural exchange and unique living experience. We are spiritually minded people and value each persons contribution. We will be charging a small daily fee of 10$US per person. Funds will go towards a capital campaign to make infrastructure improvements and green utility system investments. Food and other living expenses will be shared equally. We try to keep food expenses around 15 reais per day..this includes three healthy meals each day will fresh fish, fruits, veggies, nuts etc..We have plenty of coconuts and bananas already growing and will start producing much more produce in the coming months. The boat trip to the island costs 40$ reais round trip. Please bring your own sleeping bag or linen. Also remember a towel and all personal items to make your stay comfortable.

Region: Connacht

We are a large family running a few different enterprises during the busy summer months in a highly scenic and cultural part of Ireland. There is a blue flag 3 mile beach on our door step offering all kinds of outdoor pursuits. We have plenty of accommodation & are looking for a few workawayers who might be interested in coming to us & helping us on the farm: