Help our little family in the jungle: nature immersion, Eco-friendly communal living, Ecuador

Details

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  Description

  Hello! We are Charlotte (USA) and Christian (Ecuador), and we have an Ecoculturual Finca outside of Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Ecuador
  
  In 2011 Christian created this volunteer project as a response to the lack of eco-friendly, conscious communal spaces in Ecuador. He wanted to create a community of people who aim to live consciously and in harmony with the natural world. He received volunteers through word of mouth, then HelpX and Workaway, that would help him maintain the little rustic retreat he built in the hills outside of the bustling city. Surrounded by cacao, banana, papaya, orange, and avocado trees, amidst the pineapples and tropical flowers, volunteers from around the world helped with gardening, processing cacao, decorating every surface with unique art, caring for the paths and rivers on the property, and of course cooking delicious vegetarian feasts. With volunteers' help, Christian has built many structures out of bamboo and wood, which we now use every day. Hard work and easy work, the last 13 years have been full of beautiful cultural exchange and creation.
  
  Since the pandemic in 2020, tourism in Ecuador has diminished drastically. Since our community has always been comprised of Christian and myself (and now our toddler) plus international travelers, our numbers have also decreased. To increase the odds of a nice group size, we will accept volunteers on the 1st and 15th of each month (alternate dates when holidays coincide).
  
  We believe sustainability has an environmental component (we eat vegetarian, use composting toilets, minimize waste, use resources we have on the finca, etc), but that it also has a cultural component; infusing art, cultural exchange, genuine connection, music, intergenerational sharing, and creative problem solving into daily life is important to living sustainably! The hope is that by starting small, by living well on the finca, we can spread an environmental consciousness to our surrounding community, and hopefully beyond.
  
  We welcome volunteers to come participate in this community exchange, and to help us on our various projects.
  
  Our goal is to be 100% self sustaining, but we are not there yet.
  
  IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the inaccessibility to markets, shops, and restaurants, as well as limited kitchen resources, we have come to find it easiest for the flow of activity and harmony at the finca if volunteers voluntarily contribute $7 per day for communal food that will be prepared and shared together. Volunteers are welcome to source their own food elsewhere if they do not want to contribute towards your meals.
  
  NOTE about the STATE OF ECUADOR: The country is going through a rough patch. There are electricity shut offs on a schedule, and your country's government might have travel advisories for Ecuador. We cannot answer for the state of safety etc of the country, as it varies drastically from city to city.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet

  House sitting
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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

  We host volunteers from all over the world, every moment and every day is a cultural exchange! The Finca tends to attract people who are interested in living a more intentional lifestyle; people seeking environmental, social, and spiritual consciousness often find their way to us here, which keeps the conversations interesting!
  
  The agricultural practices we use have been passed down for generations here, as well as knowledge of the medicinal and edible plants.
  
  Note: If you are looking for a traditional Ecuadorian family homestay, we are not a good fit for that. We are a multicultural community combining to create a new culture.

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  Help

  Volunteers typically work 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, although there is some flexibility there. Each day we do some work that is just what adult humans have to do (cooking and cleaning), and some that is giving back to the finca. We are especially excited to accept volunteers who love hanging out with toddlers, folks with building experience, skill in art or music, folks who are adept in social media/web experience, photographers/videographers, and great cooks--but if those things aren't your forte, we are happy with a positive attitude and good work ethic.
  
  There is lots of work to be done around the finca! The type of projects we are able to accomplish will depend on the skills and interests of the current group of volunteers, as well as the most immediate needs for the finca, and what resources are available to us. Typical daily chores involve keeping communal spaces clean, preparing food, washing dishes, sweeping paths. Additional projects for the finca can include garden work, harvesting and processing (and consuming) cacao and various crops from around the finca, processing and building with bamboo, painting projects,
  
  While we have no minimum or maximum stay, less than 1 week is not long enough to create a helpful exchange. One to two weeks is typical, and we love to have "longer term" volunteers who stay more than a month, so we can accomplish more in depth projects and exchange.
  
  We are also interested in receiving a longer term volunteer to serve as groundskeeper for the finca!

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  Volunteers stay in tents on a large bamboo structure. We have a few tents with foam mattresses and blankets that are available for volunteers, but if you have your own gear that's even better!
  
  Food is cooked and shared communally; we are a vegetarian community, and enjoy three delicious meals (and often snacks in between) throughout the day. Not all who visit or live here are vegetarians, but all food that is cooked here is meat and egg free. Preparing and food together is a big part of our daily focus, and we love when volunteers share dishes from their home countries!
  
  There is no electricity or internet on the Finca!! We love how being unplugged encourages everyone to interact more. There is access to Wifi in a recreation/chill space that we built, about a 10 min walk from the Finca. And don't worry, we have a campfire, solar lights, and candles, so the darkness is not a problem.

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  What else ...

  It's important that volunteers are on board with the norms/conditions of the space:
  --All food prepared and consumed at the finca is meat and egg free
  --No alcohol, smoking, or drugs at the finca, for safety and vibes
  --There is no electricity at the finca
  
  10 min walking from the finca is a space where alcohol and smoking can happen, and you can of course eat anything when out and about
  
  We are located on the outskirts of Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Ecuador. Our neighborhood is becoming more popular on weekends thanks to a bike path that leads to a river with beautiful swim spots (we go during the week to avoid crowds), but at the Finca we are protected from the hustle and bustle of the city. Santo Domingo is a ten minute bus ride from where we are, it's 3 hours from Quito, and 2.5 hours to the coast.
  
  We thoroughly enjoy the fruits of our labor (literally, there is so much fruit here) when we aren't working. Harvesting, processing, and eating/drinking cacao and coffee, utilizing various medicinal plants and sediments we have here for therapies, holding Temazcal (sweat lodge) ceremonies, using plants as paints and dyes or to make baskets, and taking dips in the natural spring on our property are some of the ways we enjoy the land in our free time.

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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?

  More than two

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