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5 Mar 2024
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Description
***If you are NOT a US CITIZEN and are planning to visit to work, volunteer or study, YOU WILL NEED THE CORRECT VISA. To find out more information you need to contact the embassy in your home country BEFORE travelling.***
We are Bahar and Jayson. We welcomed our first baby boy, Omid (which means 'hope' in Farsi) on July 16th 2022, and just welcomed our second baby boy, Azad (which means 'to be free') on September 10th, 2023!
We're looking for a little extra help taking care of our registered 501 (c) non-profit land and our amazing animals while we focus on being parents.
We recently relocated (spring 2021) from a 5 acre Hawaiian homestead where we spent 6 years caretaking, loving, and planting lots of now-fruiting trees, and growing thousands of pounds of food to share with our neighbors, and hosting various youth and other community groups, to another little place of our own where we're completely starting from scratch. We just finished building a small house and have been slowly transforming the landscape from a terribly eroded barren patch of earth covered with rocks and invasive kiawe trees, into a terraced farm in its infancy.
We are looking to host animal lovers and independent, enthusiastic, self-reliant individuals to help us on our land and with our pets! For the past 6 years we hosted friends, volunteers, and workawayers at a farm site/non-profit , on the island of Molokai, Hawaii. We had an incredible time getting to know people from all around the world and found workaway to be an amazing way to share space, culture, stories, and a little bit of work too. After COVID began, the elderly Hawaiian man whose farm we were caretaking, passed away. Since then, the non-profit which was started by Bahar's mom, (Hawaii) relocated to a friend's farm just east of town, and we have been busy fencing, (for the thousands of invasive deer) planting, and building our new home five miles east of the main town, Kaunakakai.
We currently have 4 big dogs: Izzy, Lulu, Pali, and Rocky, and two smaller dogs: Bumpy and Bagel, all of which we rescued as part of our non-profit. We are in the process of restarting a chicken flock and have a few hens at the moment who are very productive. There are also two feral cats we care for, Peanut & Jelly. They're friendly, but remain suspicious of everyone and everything.
Our land is only a 5 minute walk away from the edge of the water, and most of the land has incredible views of the Pacific ocean and the islands of Maui, Hawaii, Kaho'olawe, and Lanai.
Mostly, we're looking for a little extra help with all our daily chores and finishing some planting and landscaping projects. You'll be welcome to spend time at our friend's farm where the non-profit is located as well.
We really hope to find someone that is interested in longer term (1-3 months). Below we have listed some more details about accommodations, transportation, responsibilities, etc. Please feel free to correspond with any questions or concerns you may have as well.
**We have a mini fridge below the house you can use. There is poor phone signal available where the workaway cottage is located, but as you walk up the hill to the main house and street, you will find most providers will have a signal. We have Wifi at the main house which you're welcome to use**
We haven't yet hooked solar power up at the cottage, but there's a battery pack that can be charged at the main house which lasts about two weeks if you're charging a cellphone and laptop regularly. We also have a lot of LUCI inflatable solar lights you can use. At the cottage, which is a cozy 8x12 with a covered 8x8 outdoor kitchen with a two burner propane stove, there's a hot water shower, an outhouse, and a covered outdoor dining area. The whole cottage area is 1/4 acre fenced in, so the dogs can only come in if you want them to. It's getting shadier by the day as the banana and other trees continue to grow.
We'll provide basic food staples and will bring you to the grocery store whenever you need anything else. Our bananas and papayas are fruiting but we're a few years away from anything else fruiting but our friends and neighbors have lots and lots of fruit and veggie, and there are little farm stands close by. We have cassava and other longer term crops in the ground, and you can plant whatever you would like to for yourself in the garden. We'll share some meals with you, (and Bahar is an amazing cook) but for the most part, you'll be on your own.
We are looking for a person/people who are extremely self motivated and independent as we won't have a lot of time together day to day since our only focus these days is Omid and his soon-to-be baby brother. You won't be alone, you'll be surrounded by dogs!!! So, if you're not an animal lover, this probably isn't the right place for you.
We hope it can be a quiet getaway for someone who needs time for themselves and is ok to explore on their own (of course with lots of tips, suggestions, guidance from us.... as Molokai is not a place to just go anywhere, many places need the permission of local people). We'll drive you around and show you different parts of the island once a week or so, if we're able to. The bus passes very close by, and it's super easy to figure out... and there's a bike for you to use. There's a local fish & dive company that takes you out snorkeling for a few hours and it's not too expensive...so, you can swim with sea turtles and tropical fish while exploring the reef. If you have snorkel gear, or you buy some while you're here, you can walk to the water and go every day if you'd like. Molokai's south shore is surrounded by a barrier reef, so it's waist deep water for almost a mile out to the reef. Great for snorkeling and swimming, but not much else. If you're hoping to surf, check out Maui or Oahu. The few surf breaks here are dangerous and only for very experienced surfers, and even then, for locals. We won't support anyone coming here trying to colonize the waves. If you meet a local person who invites you, that's another story.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity Work
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Neither of us are Kanaka Maoli (native Hawaiian), but over the years we've been doing our best to educate ourselves about the history of this occupied nation, and are happy to share what we've learned. Some of our dearest friends are Kanaka Maoli and you might have the opportunity to meet some of them while you're here, and learn more about the local culture. Bahar is from Iran and can share her some of her culture with you. Her parents live here as well. So does her 93 year old Zoroastrian grandmother who still practices the world's oldest monotheistic religion, the basic tenants of which are "Good thoughts. Good words. Good deeds" Jayson is from New England but has traveled all over the world and is happy to share his experiences.
Help
3-4 hours a day, 5 days a week. Basic maintenance of gardens and fruit trees, feeding and spending time with various animals. We really just need someone to make sure all the animals are fed, morning and evening, and the nursery plants are watered daily. Aside from a couple extra projects weekly, most of the day will be available to you to relax enjoy incredible view, the cuddly dogs, and the rest of the surroundings.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Persian (Farsi): FluentThis host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
Accommodation
An 8ft by 12 ft plywood house with a covered outdoor kitchen and a hot shower. A compost toilet/outhouse. Propane coleman stove for cooking. A cooler with ice can be used if needed, but there is a minifridge for you to use beneath the main house at the top of the hill.
You can access wi-fi at the main house, Also, there are a couple places in town, such as the library and drugstore that offer free wi-fi.
Transportation options: There is a bicycle on premises which can be ridden into town or there is a small bus that is free (donations accepted) that comes by about 4 times per day that can take you to town for internet use or grocery shopping.
What else ...
We have three main rules: Aloha Always. Respect everyone and everything. No Drugs or Alcohol allowed on the farm. If anyone has any questions about the farm, non-profit, the people, or Molokai, please let us know!
Very important to note, Molokai is unlike any other Hawaiian island. We encourage you to do some research before coming. It is very rural, very little tourism, local people are the kindest but are weary of outsiders, so respect has to be given and earned. Hikes are not available, unless with tour or someone local from the island. Beaches are not always swimmable, mostly in our area they are used for kayaking, fishing, etc. Some parts of the island they are swimmable and we can give you tips on how to get to them. We encourage questions up front to make sure this is the right place for you. We appreciate your time and willingness to come and help us and we will make sure you feel comfortable.
We recommend you watch Anthony Bourdain's Hawaii episode from 2015, during which he visits Molokai. Also, W. Kamau Bell's Hawaii episode of "United Shades" from 2022 is a must-watch before you visit.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 3-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (12)
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We had a workawayer back out last minute due to visa restrictions and luckily we found Jackie immediately and so glad things worked out the way they did. Jackie quickly became comfortable on our land and within our family. In addition to the daily chores and work on our property, she helped on several different… read more
Gesi did… read more
During my stay I meet their family and a lot of friends of them which were such as kind and inspiring like Bahar and Jayson to me.… read more
She is an incredibly hard worker and self-starter. Every morning before we were even awake, the barn (our indoor/outdoor communal space) was already swept, and all the evenings dishes were washed, dried & put away. She took great care of our chickens… read more
She was super… read more
On the farm I was feeding animals,… read more
