Making memories on a coffee farm in Nicaragua

Details

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  Description

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  *** A long-term position - 6 months minimum - to run an agro-tourism project is open, some field experience is required, contact us for more information ***
  
  *** A long-term holistic furniture maker/carpenter is required - paid job***
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  First and foremost, we want to talk a little bit about your involvement as a volunteer here. Our main focus is a cultural exchange between volunteers and the community at the farm and although we have no set working hours on the farm, the only way to interact with the people who live on the farm will be to participate in some of the activities that are carried out. it’s an experience and we want to you interact with our community by immersing yourself completely in the Nicaraguan farm life. Every day can and will be different, you can spend days working with the coffee plants, in the harvest of coffee (from November to February), with the animals, in the construction or maintenance of one of the buildings, exploring the fields with some of the pickers, or helping out in the kitchen or go ahead if you want to develop a new project like painting a mural, drying flowers, making a piece of furniture, etc.
  
  Your skills, passions, or expertise are also extremely welcome, and we would love for you to find a way to contribute to the culture at the farm. This is a culture exchange after all! You can contribute through teaching (English, yoga, computer skills, etc.), gardening, painting, helping with construction or even cooking some of your cultural food or desserts for the workers – this isn’t the limit, there are many projects (biological, social, digital, marketing, community) running alongside the agricultural side of the farm, so please let us know if you have any expertise or interest in these fields.
  
  Every volunteer at the farm has a different experience. We want you to connect and contribute to our community in your way. We wish that this place may spread the experience of how tourism and local cultural values should collaborate to protect and preserve the country's historical and cultural values.
  
  Regarding your accommodation, for many years we have worked to make the farm a comfortable and safe space for those who visit and live there. For the volunteers, we don’t consider the farm to be a hostel, it is a place that you will call home for 3 weeks (the minimum of stay), sometimes more. This is why we ask as basic rules that you actively participate in cleaning your living space - this includes the shower and bathroom - your room and taking care of the things around the house that are shared with love. You can also participate in communal activities for the farm, like collecting and moving firewood for the kitchen or cooking for everybody (including making tortillas).
  
  We ask travelers to
  - Stay at least 3 weeks / be in contact only if you have this time to be with us
  - Have a basic knowledge of the Spanish language - otherwise, the exchange for both sides will be difficult. If you don't speak Spanish but really want to learn, you are welcome ONLY if you commit to taking classes at least twice a week.
  - not consuming drugs or alcohol on the farm and smoking only in open spaces.
  
  
  If you feel like a deep dive into the Finca life could be what makes your journey, we are happy to hear from you and are also available to respond to whatever remaining questions you might have.

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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

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Hospitality/Tourism

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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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

  Our main focus is this: we want you to interact with the people we work with on the farm and learn from their way of doing, help out where possible with what you like to do. Discover nearby towns and see how you can connect to people and your fields of interest there.
  Important to read **We won’t push you into anything you don’t like to do, but we want to give you the opportunity to discover yourself in a different light and under a different sun**
  We place a huge emphasis on cultural understanding and mutual respect.
  This will be a complete cultural immersion in a Nicaraguan farm and rural life. Volunteers must be open-minded, humble, and willing to learn about a culture that may be new to them and share their own. This is key for a successful and happy experience that both parties can benefit from. This means respecting and adhering to the lifestyle and hours kept by the family and workers as well as cooperation and real efforts to collaborate and comprehend colleagues and their working styles within the project itself.

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  Help

  This is entirely up to you, we have a running coffee farm as a location. How do you see your life there?
  
  There are a lot of opportunities: coffee harvest and processing, diversifying crops, building animal enclosures and raising other animals (bees, fish farming in a lagune), help running the kitchen for the coffee workers and volunteers, be responsible for being point of contact for the volunteers (long term), photograph or film on location, teach yoga classes or help workers in establishing a more ergonomic way of working, help build our website,...
  
  What is your strength and what do you want to share? We’re open to your suggestions and ideas.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  Dutch: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  You’ll be living in the same conditions as the farm workers: you’ll have a roof above your head, a mattress, running water, electricity if doesn't rain :). Food will be supplied three times per day.

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  What else ...

  Unlike many Workaway placements, we are asking a small fee per week to cover volunteers' food. We have a fully working coffee farm where we pay the workers on the farm, we want to give you the opportunity to spend time on this farm in the way that you want to, in the way that you see fit. That means no working hours are required from you, working is a great way to integrate but if you want to do it in another way that's fine too, this is about your experience and how you want to live there.
  
  Because of our focus on integration in the culture we also ask volunteers to spend at least a minimum of three weeks.
  
  Please, under NO circumstances whatsoever, give money to the people you work with, other than the specified amounts for food etc. We want to give them a hand up, not a hand out. We feel that giving money generates the wrong spirit and does not contribute to the sustainability of the project. If you would like to get them a small gift, please feel free but don't give out cash.
  
  Thanks!

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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

  We have a diverse range of animals at the farm (dogs, cats, hens, ducks, etc) so to avoid stress to your travel companion it is preferable that he/she tolerates company.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Up to 4 hours per day 5 days a week

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  This host charges a fee

  read more

  Why does workaway.info allow listings of hosts who charge money?

  In developing countries (Where most hosts are involved in charity work or community development) some of our hosts may ask for a small donation to help the host family or charity (often less then 5 dollars per day) Workaway will allow this listing when the donation goes directly to the family or charity and is just to cover the cost of the volunteer‘s stay.  (This will be clearly marked on the host listing).
  We will strictly not allow listings posted by agents, “middle men” or projects who we feel are looking to profit from a volunteers stay.
   

   

   

  30 dollars per week

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