Experience permaculture living in the highlands of Mafinga, Tanzania

Informationen

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  Beschreibung

  Karibu! Welcome :)
  
  My name is Ottoman, and I am passionate about permaculture and living a sustainable lifestyle. My mission is to raise community awareness by promoting permaculture. The practices on the farm are guided by permaculture ethics, principles, and design systems.
  
  The farm is located atop a hill in the highlands of Tanzania, and covers 33 acres of land. It includes five zones based on permaculture principles.
  
  As a Workawayer you will spend most of your time on the farm, enjoying the natural environment and sharing daily tasks with the family, farm workers and possibly other volunteers or villagers. The farm features forests, and we are gradually expanding our farming area. We grow a food forest and a fruit forest — these are permaculture terms that you will get to know quite well. We also have an animal zone where we keep cows, sheep, chickens, pigs and in our woodlot we maintain beehives for honey. All the animals are very friendly and cute.
  
  We have three bungalows for sleeping, a kitchen, an open dining room, a toolshed, and sleeping tents (on wooden platforms) in the forest.
  
  We warmly invite you to come support this project, experience Tanzanian farm life, and exchange ideas, culture, and knowledge. We are passionate about collaborating with people from around the world, who can share new insights, help with projects, and further our mission to spread permaculture wisdom, demonstrate its benefits, and educate others on sustainable living.
  
  In Tanzania, and globally, many do not realize that conventional farming practices are damaging our lands and ecosystems. We are tackling this problem by encouraging local schools and our local community to adopt permaculture gardens to improve our community’s nutrition and foster a respectful, sustainable relationship with nature. Through education we can ensure future generations can continue these practices and benefit from the rich natural resources around us. We aim to demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits of permaculture so our local community can see the small, impactful changes they can make in their lives without compromising essential aspects.
  
  After many years of effort, we are very pleased with our success. We have implemented a garden in two schools and several families from the nearby village regularly visit us to learn about permaculture for their farms.
  
  COME AND STAY FOR FREE:
  Stay for free, work 3 hours and cook yourself
  We expect you to work for 3 hours per day on 5 days. You cook your meals in our kitchen. Food can be bought at the farmin and in the village.
  
  OPTIONAL: CONTRIBUTE 5 US$ and enjoy 3 meals/day( breakfast, lunch and dinner). Tea is available all day. Also we will provide you free accommodation.
  You will be working 3 hours /day, 5 days a week.
  All the food we prepare has been grown on the farm. Depending on the season we have avocados, bananas, beans, greens, ugali (traditional Tanzanian maize dish), potatoes, carotes, peas, oranges, exotic fruits, honey, homemade bread from our clay soil oven, and much more. My wife Angelica is an amazing cook, and makes all of our food flavourful and delicious. She also loves to cook with volunteers! Volunteers say that a highlight from living with us is the outstanding food 😋

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  Arten von Hilfe und Lernmöglichkeiten

  Sprachpraxis

  Hilfe bei Ökoprojekten

  Gartenarbeiten

  Heimwerker- und Bauarbeiten

  Betreuung von Tieren

  Mithilfe auf einem Bauernhof

  Zubereiten / Kochen von Mahlzeiten für die Familie

  Hausarbeiten

  Handwerkliche Arbeiten

  Hilfe mit Computer /Internet
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  Interessengebiete

  

  Nachhaltigkeit

  

  Gärtnern

  

  Farmarbeit

  

  Natur

  

  Tiere
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  UNO-Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung, die dieser Gastgeber verfolgt

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  Was ist das?
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  Kultureller Austausch und Lernmöglichkeiten

  You will love your time with us, and will experience our real Tanzanian life. We will teach you Kiswahili and help you explore the area :) Our village, Mdabulo Ikanga, is small and friendl and everyone knows each other. It’s a 20 minute scenic walk from the farm. The locals are welcoming and eager to converse, regardless of your Kiswahili fluency. There are small shops and bars, but no nightlife. If you walk 15-20 minutes more, you will find more small shops and even some food stalls.
  
  Visitors often come to the farm to see our permaculture site, providing opportunities to meet locals and practice Kiswahili. We are close to Ruaha National Park, Tanzania’s largest, famous for its lions and other big cats. It is possible for you to organize a safari before or after your stay at the farm. In the past, volunteers have described their excursions to the park as mind-blowing. We highly recommend it!

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  Arbeit

  During your stay, you are welcome to help around the farm with daily tasks such as preparing garden beds, planting, fertilizing, weeding, turning compost, watering, building structures, feeding animals, harvesting, and meal preparation.
  
  We have several exciting large projects underway, such as building another fish pond, a park to play in and building another garden. We also want to create a daycare for local children, to come play and be taken care of during the day whilst their parents work.
  
  Beyond daily tasks we aim to keep the project growing with various design, buildin and repair ideas. If you have computing skills, we would appreciate help with documents, websites, funding, and social media.
  
  There are always tasks where your help is needed, and all assistance is appreciated. We are also open to hearing and implementing your ideas for how to improve the farm.

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  Gesprochene Sprachen

  Englisch: Fließend
  Swahili (Kiswahili): Fließend

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  Unterkunft

  You will stay in either a cozy wooden bungalow on the farm, or in a tent on a raised platform in the forest. Both options are great, and they are safe, peaceful, and offer beautiful sunrises. We provide warm bedding, but feel free to bring your own if preferred.
  
  We have private wooden cabins for bucket showers with hot water prepared every evening. We pump the water from a nearby stream, and it is very clean. Our toilet is a compost toilet, and it even has a view of the pine forest! All the water that we use goes directly back to our plants, so please bring biodegradable and eco-friendly shampoo, conditioner, and soap.
  
  Our electricity comes from solar panels, which can easily charge your devices. In the middle of the farm, there are four big benches, perfect for relaxing and enjoying the view and good network reception.

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  Was noch ...

  There is no Wi-Fi at the farm or in the village. If you need internet we recommend buying a local sim card. Vodacom will provide you with the best connection.
  
  We produce electricity trugh our solar panels - so there is no electricity during the night. We also don't have a washing machine and wash cloths by hand.
  
  The weather in Mufindi is pleasant: it is warm and sunny during the day, never gets too hot, but it gets cool at night. It starts to rain on some days n december and we experience much rain from march to april.
  
  For your arrival, I will assist you with travel arrangements to Mdabulo, and you will be guided here by my friends in many places. Local transport can be confusing if you don’t speak the language. So, share your travel plans with me, and I will be happy to help.
  
  Things to Bring as a Volunteer:
  
  1. Essential Clothing & Gear
  
  - Warm layers for cool evenings and long pants for work
  - Rain jacket and sturdy shoes for muddy days or rubber boots
  - Gardening or work gloves
  -If, by any chance, you have a bee suit, please bring it ;)
  
  
  2. Personal Items
  
  - Local SIM card or eSIM (Vodacom recommended) for internet access, as Wi-Fi isn’t available
  - Reusable water bottle
  - Quick-dry towel
  - Headlamp or flashlight for early mornings or evenings
  - Eco-Friendly Toiletries: Organic shampoo and soap are preferred to keep farm water sources clean
  - First aid supplies like band-aids and antiseptic
  - Solar charger or battery pack for electronics (nice to have, not necessary)
  - Snacks for in-between meals
  - Cash for shopping in the village and your stay at the farm (VodacomMpesa is also widely accepted for payments)
  
  
  3. Optional Gifts for the Farm
  
  - If you’d like to bring something extra to contribute, here are some ideas to make a lasting impact!
  - Cold-Climate Seeds – Vegetable, herb, or flower seeds suited to cooler weather to expand our planting options
  - Dried Spices – Turmeric, cumin, paprika, oregano, and more to spice up our communal meals
  - Pantry Goodies – Soy sauce, vinegar, Nutella, chocolate – treats that are always welcome!
  - Educational Books – Books (in english) on permaculture, sustainable farming, or general educational materials
  - Books for All Ages – Any books you no longer need, whether educational or fiction, to help build a community library
  - Kids' Books & Toys – English activity books, coloring books, wood toys, puzzles, or games to bring smiles to young faces
  - Outdoor Games – Frisbees, jump ropes, or simple sports equipment for casual fun with the community
  
  We’re excited to welcome you! Any contributions you bring add so much value to the community, and we look forward to exchanging ideas and advancing our vision together. Thank you for helping make this place even more special!

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  Etwas mehr Information

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    Internet Zugang

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    Eingeschränkter Internet Zugang

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    Wir besitzen Tiere

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    Wir sind Raucher

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    Familien möglich

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  Platz zum Abstellen von Camper Vans

  You may park your campervan on the farm and use our facilities, but we are not able to connect you to electricity!

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  Kapazität - wie viele Workawayer maximal

  mehr als zwei

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  Meine Tiere/Haustiere

  20-30 chicken and a few turkeys

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