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Description
***Currently looking for people who want to support us with the olive harvest, on the field or at the home base (cooking and animal care), preferably living in your own van because guest rooms are occupied***
Hi,
I'm Sarah and I founded this project and have been managing it since 2020. Although I'm the only person living here full time I always have a hand full of people staying with me helping with the every day tasks. Based in Kakovatos/Zacharo we built a comunity space/meeting point for tourists, travellers, expats and locals. We also established a network of neighbors taking care of stray dogs and other animals in this area. Speaking of "we" means that this project is shaped by the ideas of more people than only me. Guests who want to join the project are happily invited to contribute their skills and thoughts and help this place to grow and flourish. I appreciate independent people who have some experience in community life, flatsharing, political activism and similar solidaric structures. It is important here to already bring a good set of ideas and skills with you and be able to jump quickly into a new group of people, see the work, know what you can contribute, make your own plans, keep up your motivation and take care of yourself and others around you. Short, I appreciate adults who know what they want and what is their role in a self-governed place without strong hierarchies. If you always need someone to tell you what to do and how and you lack initiative this might not be the right project for you as I don't like to feel like anybody's mum here. Of course you will be guided through the daily tasks and get a good introduction by me and other volunteers but afterwards it's up to you what you make of your stay here. People who like to live in a productive yet anarchist surrounding usually stay here quite long... I don't want to put an age limit because I've met some really cool young people but usually I don't invite people under 25. If you are travelling with young kids I might also not invite you as I am not a child person at all and I have a lot of dogs running around, there is no kid's space on the property, I don't think this is a nice place for families, sorry!
So what are we doing here?
For travellers who pass by we cook vegan food, offer a space for wood and metal works, we have a garden with orange and olive trees and some more olive fields (no veggies yet, sorry) and as I run a little shelter on site there is also a lot of dog care. Additionally to my two dogs there are always a few foster dogs here and I am trying to find homes for them. I also help stray dogs in the area with medical treatment, castration and food for which I collect donations.
With a big heart for DIY culture we offer most services on a donation basis. To sponsor the project there is a laundrette located here. Travellers can stop by and have their clothes cleaned, take a shower, swap clothes or books in our freeshop and get to know new people. Since this is a non-profit-project all the revenues go into the monthly expenses and the stray dog project. If you come to work here you are not doing this for me - I am just managing this space. My role here is coordinating and planning, keeping everything together (which is a loooot of work).
People who come here are expected to have their values and motivation straight and know that they work for the animals, the community (everyone who is using this place now and in the future), for themselves (learning new skills and reflecting yourself), for a good cause - not for a boss who profits from their labor and therefore has to tell them all the time what they should do and kick their asses. If you are just looking for a cosy holiday with minimum effort, please apply somewhere else. I appreciate cfeative people with an open mind and a lot of energy. I am a workaholic myself and getting shit done with people of action is just the best in my opinion.
Currently i need help with:
- plumber work
- mason work
- animal care: feeding and walking mainly (13 dogs and 4 cats rn)
- daily cleaning of the yard and house
- watering the plants, cutting gras, trimming trees
- cooking for the team (vegan)
- repairs and small renovations/building projects
- advertizing the project, mainly the shelter, on social media, making signs, distributing flyers etc.
The workshop is free to use but I rarely have enough time to guide you all along. Theres always something to be repaired or built and people who already have a good set of skills to work on projects independently are welcome to get creative here.
I am doing my best to make this project a safe space for people who experience discrimination. FLINTA* are very welcome to come to this project and share skills. If you are used to working and living in a group, know how to handle your emotions and talk about your needs this can be a place for you, if not so, please think twice.
I am a leftie & feminist and even though I am quite keen to meet different people from different backgrounds and I don't think that everybody has to share my lifestye or opinions and my house is a very open place without many restrictions there are some things that I don't want here: racist/ableist/sexist/macho behaviour for example. I don't care what you eat but I don't want meat in my house. If you are into esoteric and spirituality I can imagine that we will not have so much in common but we can try. Conspiracy theories are not welcome.
If you've read all the text and you want to apply, i recommend you to put your favorite animal as a subject.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity Work
Art Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
I'm from Germany and my customers are mainly campers from different european countries. I speak German, English and French. People who stay with me will have the opportunity to either hang out in the house/shop and meet people who pass by or grab a bike and explore the area.
I live in a small village by the sea. The beachfront is huge and very beautiful, there are nice walks and hikes to do in the hills and valleys nearby. When I have time we can go places together, with the car or motorbike. But I am usually quite busy and you will have to go explore the area yourself. You can use a bicycle to go to the beach or shopping. There is no local public transport here but hitchhiking works quite well.
To get here from bigger cities and back you have to take a public bus to Zacharo (the bus company is called KTEL and you can call the hotline to get the timetable or try to find it online - good luck).
The bus station in Athens where you can also buy the tickets is located here:
Help
People who are good at renovation tasks and know something about water, electricity, gas, walls and so on are very welcome, there is always something to fix and to improve here... Equally if you are good at wood or metal work, there are always some smaller and bigger projects.
Also I could use some assistance concerning my old campervan (Mercedes 608 from 1985) and my even older company car (Datsun Pickup from 1970). If you are into car repairs or body work I'm happy to host you.
I also always need help with some general tasks such as:
- dog care (feeding, playing, training, cleaning dog areas)
- daily cooking and baking (vegan)
- simple housework
- advertizing
- garden work
- general maintenance, repairs
The help of my guests will only be used outside of the laundrette which is the only commercial part of the project.
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Accommodation
For backpackers: I have two private guestrooms with double beds plus two comfortable sofas in the living room.
For vantravellers: parking option in the garden.
Everybody can use the kitchen, bathroom, livingroom, washing machines, wifi etc.
If you come here you should be ok with having dogs around. The guest room is dog-free of course. But when you get up you will be greeted by a good number of wet noses and wagging tails.
What else ...
I am looking for people who stay and help for about 2 weeks to one month, longer stays will be discussed individually and in person when you are here. I don't like to make promisses before I ever met somebody. In my experience it is much better to see how it goes and then decide together how long you will stay here.
We will also discuss individually what you would like to contribute and what I can offer you in exchange, depending on your needs and interests and the tasks that I have during the time you are here. So feel free to ask me about that.
I provide food (at least one cooked meal per day and access to the kitchen to make your own snacks) and drinks (coffee,tea and water is free, sodas and beers have to be paid). You get a place to sleep (guestroom or parking spot for vans), a warm shower and laundry option. You are also welcome use my workshop for your own projects but we would have to talk about this beforehand.
In order to get around places in your free time I would recommend you to either get a rental car or be ok with hitchhiking or using a bicycle as there are almost no public busses here and I usually don’t have time to drive you around.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
I have unlimited wifi in the house, yard and in a part of the garden. Download speed is good, upload quite slow.
Space for parking camper vans
I live in a campervans myself. I have space for 1-2 vehicles and there are beautiful parking spots by the sea nearby for campers who like to stay in nature.
Can possibly accept pets
I have dogs. People who come with pets have to take responsibility for their animals and we will have to find solutions for a peaceful coexistence :)
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (15)
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
Luca & Lydia stayed with us for 2 weeks. They were very chill & easy to talk to. Outgoing with customers and they enjoyed promoting my small business!
They got along with other volunteers, kept the shared spaces clean & were overall respectful and polite.
An independant couple, they enjoyed taking the… read more
Sarah has always been super kind and helpful with us, the… read more
It was a great opportunity to discover her awesome vegan food, cute animals and the surrounding in Peloponnese even dough we stayed just for 2 weeks.
You can't get bored of this place with the volunteers and… read more
Both of them are handy when it comes to building and repairing things and they work totally independently, neat and well organized. They saw by themselves what had to be… read more
She independently improved a lot of little things that made everybody's work easier. Helli is very smart and well organized. Her motivation is always on top, even on rainy days or after a long night out. She does her job no matter what and takes responsibility. She… read more
Despite the nice surrounding area with the sea and the mountains close by, all the people, most importantly Sarah, made this place an oasis for eveybody to come. From day zero i felt some kind of warm welcome i hardly ever had. There are so many things to do to spend time there and become a part of this place. The… read more
It's a beautiful project.
There are some daily tasks to do like feeding the dogs, keeping the area clean and watering the plants. Also either helping in the food truck or with project customers are options.
Salome baked lots of cakes for the foodtruck :)
There are always different projects to make this place even… read more
The activities are very varied: if you can, you cook for the team, you help with washing clothes or take care of the olive trees and the garden. It is in a stylishly furnished… read more
We have learned a lot from everyone in the Filía and enjoyed being among all those wonderful and interesting people, dogs and cat Emma.
We have been helping with puppies and cat care, olive harvesting, gardening tasks, and… read more
They were very helpful and always motivated to do something useful. They mastered every task easily, no matter if it was cleaning, cooking and dogcare or… read more
installations,… read more
Moritz is a very good plumper, with a talent of improvise, and also a multitalent with all the building stuff in and around the house and the garden. Building walls, pipelines, fences, woodwork. He worked also very well with our dogs and puppies.
Miriam is lovely with all… read more
und genau so bin ich zu Patrik und Sarah gekommen.
Eigentlich dachte es bleibt auch dabei.
Aber rückblickend war es viel mehr.
Ein Ort an dem sich Reisende aller Herren Länder austauschen können und eine gute Zeit haben können.
Ich bin wirklich froh euch besucht… read more
Expectations: Sarah sent us some videos in advance to explain us the living set up and the project. super helpful!
The project: we worked on a food… read more
Diego is a very sociable funny guy who likes talks and discussions. Alejandra is the kind of person you would call if your life is in danger and your phone is running out of battery. She will figure… read more
