Help us grow our sustainable homestead through sharing skills and creative reuse near Coimbra, Portugal

Details

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  Description

  We’re an expat family with a rich cultural background—I’m German, my wife is German, and we spent 20 years living in Guatemala before moving to Portugal. Our three children are true third-culture kids, growing up between languages, landscapes, and values. We live with one foot in the modern world and the other in something older, slower, and more rooted.
  
  As a volunteer, you’ll have the opportunity to live in a Portuguese village that still holds a lot of old-world charm—stone walls, fruit trees, traditional farming, and a strong sense of rhythm and season. It’s a place where people still greet each other in the street, and time moves a little differently.
  
  We’re developing a sustainable family homestead near Ançã, combining permaculture gardening, eco-friendly construction, and the creative use of recycled materials. Our aim is to grow most of our own food, live in closer harmony with nature, and build a beautiful, functional space for our family, friends, and volunteers. The project is always evolving, and every helping hand contributes to something meaningful and lasting.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Sustainability

  

  Pets

  

  Farming

  

  Plant care

  

  Gardening

  

  Carpentry

  

  Art & design

  

  Architecture

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Nature

  

  Hiking

  

  Cycling
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  As a Workaway volunteer, you’ll mostly be helping alongside Gavi, our incredibly skilled local handyman from the nearby village of Ançã. With over 30 years of experience, Gavi knows every corner of the town and is a true jack-of-all-trades—whether it’s gardening, carpentry, plumbing, or electrical work. He’s full of practical knowledge and always happy to share what he knows. (Just a heads-up: he has a passion for pruning and sometimes gets a bit carried away in the garden!)
  
  I try to be on-site as often as possible, though with three kids and a lot to coordinate, I can’t always be there full-time. When I am, I love sharing what I’ve learned through years of working on eco and permaculture projects in different parts of the world.
  
  My main focus here is creating a permaculture-based garden that will eventually feed our family, our team, and our volunteers. Every year, we expand—planting more trees, adding garden beds, and improving the soil and systems step by step.
  
  Another big part of our project is working with recycled and reclaimed materials. We’re always exploring creative, low-impact ways to build and improve while reducing our carbon footprint. We believe that sustainability can also be beautiful and imaginative.
  
  As a volunteer, you’ll either help with Gavi or with me, depending on the task. You’ll have the chance to learn new skills, develop hands-on experience, and help create a place that’s unique, practical, and more in tune with human and environmental needs than a typical construction site

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  Help

  You’ll have the chance to learn about organic gardening, sustainable living, and local life in rural Portugal. We’re not a commercial farm or a big project — just a family creating a more connected and intentional way of living, step by step.
  
  You might join us in:
  • Helping out in the garden — weeding, mulching, planting, or harvesting (always together or with guidance)
  • Assisting with small permaculture-inspired tasks, like composting or watering systems
  • Feeding chickens or helping care for other small animals if present
  • Sharing skills and ideas if you’re passionate about nature, community, or self-sufficiency
  
  This is not a job — it’s a collaborative, flexible environment where we all contribute according to our energy, abilities, and interests.
  
  We do not ask volunteers to do professional or technical tasks. We are fully responsible for anything that requires expertise (like construction, heavy repairs, or specialised landscaping). You’re here to share in a simple way of life — not to replace local workers
  
  If you’re artistic or crafty, there are opportunities to help with signs, decorations, or small design/build projects using natural or up-cycled materials.

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  Languages spoken

  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Portuguese: Beginner

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  Accommodation

  Private room with shared bathroom

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  What else ...

  Ança is a charming and typical Portugese town, with a few cafes and restaurants, a grocery store, a few smaller shops and everything what you need for everyday life. In the center of town is a natural spring which feeds a pool, where lots of people enjoy the sunny days.
  Coimbra, with one of the oldest university’s in Europe, is just 20 minutes away by car. There is a good public transportation system to Coimbra and the nearby beaches.
  The beaches around Figueira da Foz are only half an hour away. There is great surfing and we like to go there over the weekend .
  Around Ançá there are plenty of hiking and biking trails. We offer bikes to explore the area.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Small and medium size dogs, who are well behaved

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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