Agroecology/Permaculture Farm and Homeschooling in the cloud forests of the El Trifinio Biosphere, El Salvador

Details

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  Description

  Our small farm here in the mountains of El Salvador is simply a humble attempt to discover ways to live closer to the land and local community. We have had the privilege to learn from indigenous communities and other rooted, agrarian peoples from around Central America, and the development of our farm is motivated by the ethics of indigenous rootedness to territory.
  
  We also run a small eco-tourism business where we rent out cabins to mostly local tourists from the urban areas of El Salvador.
  
  Currently we have finished most of our building projects (though there are always things needing to be fixed up and worked on). For the coming year of 2024, the focus of our volunteer program will be the following:
  
  1) Ongoing work on our farm(s)
  
  We manage three pieces of land, and there is always ongoing work where we grow peaches, chachafruto, macadamia nuts, coffee, malanga, a variety of vegetables and beans, and also raise sheep, goats, geese, rabbits, and chickens. We process the majority of our production into ferments, conserves, and other products both for our own consumption and for local sale, so there is also work for people interested in those issues. There are always daily farm chores to do, and we enjoy hosting people interested in permaculture, agro-forestry, sustainable land management, etc. Specifically for 2024, we will be working on diversifying our coffee farm by clearing and re-planting for a diversified food forest of breadfruit, jackfruit, pacaya palm, and other tropical fruit species. We also plan to plant out high-altitude coffee in a forested piece of land where we have a few cabins for rent and a recently planted avocado farm.
  
  2) Homeschooling for our children
  
  2024 will also be the first year we homeschool our children (3rd grade and kindergarten). We would also be open to hosting volunteers with educational experience who can accompany our children´s educational journey, and perhaps teach certain classes or subjects such as:
  
  -Art/Painting/Drawing Classes
  -Music classes (we have a small piano, violin, and some Andean instruments, but could potentially get more)
  -Foreign Language classes
  -Martial arts
  -Dance
  -Pottery/Sculpting
  -etc.
  
  We are located at about 2,100 meters (about 7,000 feet) on the slopes of Cerro El Pital, El Salvador´s highest mountain. The climate is pleasantly cool in the evenings and warm during the days with an average temperature of 10-20 degrees C.
  
  Volunteers we ARE NOT looking for:
  
  -people who simply are looking for free lodging or free meal. If you´re not sincerely interested in the type of work described above, please don´t contact us as we are NOT a volunteer option for people only looking to offer minimal work in exchange for free lodging.
  
  For all our volunteers, we offer private lodging in one of the cob cabins, though you may have to change cabins during your stay depending on rentals. We are not a "professional" hotel or hostel, and ask all our volunteers to participate in the shared activity of preparing meals with our family.
  
  We also do not have Wi-fi on our farm. Volunteers can purchase a TIGO OR CLARO SIM card in town ($1) and have access to decent internet on the farm through their own phones or computers.
  
  Lastly, we are always open to hosting the right volunteer for longer periods of time through a type of apprenticeship program on the farm. Ideally, we are looking for people interested in permaculture/agroecology/natural farming who would be willing to come and work with us for 3-6 months. We´ll be posting more about our apprentice program in the near future, but feel free to reach out to us if you´re interested.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Teaching

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You would live in a very small, rural community near the El Pital mountain, El Salvador´s highest mountain. If you want to learn about permaculture, sustainable livelihoods, and organic farming, this is what we do.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  Teachers for alternative learning center
  Artwork/murals for finished cabins
  Constant work on the farm (animals, vegetables, fruit trees, etc.)

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  We homeschool our two children and could potentially be interested in having a volunteer teach them their language.
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  Accommodation

  We have four small cob cabins already constructed that we offer to volunteers.

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  What else ...

  There are several places to hike in the region.

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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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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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