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Help us to develop an ecovillage in São Miguel de acha, Portugal

  • Favourited 303 times
  • Last activity: 26 Apr 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least 1 month

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    We are members of an ongoing project started in 2020, aiming to build a small friends village and hosting people & events in a fair, simple, ecological manner.

    The land we are located on is around 10 hectare, its beautiful and has many fruit trees which we enjoy and nourish. At the moment, 7 of us (one 8.5 years old child and 6 adults) are living on premise, in caravans.

    On land we share one main farmhouse which is the heart of the community, where we meet, cook, exchange ideas, host friends, etc. The project is connected to the electricity greed and has drinkable well-water.

    As for January 2024, we start with the implementation of our vision: a long term accommodation space that will allow people to rest in immediate proximity to nature, and a hub for events, workshops and small festivals that will connect people.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Language practice
    Help with Eco Projects
    DIY and building projects
    Farmstay help
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Great question..
    First - being here in and around the farm - is a lot of fun and a huge opportunity for exploration. From the nature, the vast spaces to wonder... We believe that also taking part in the project is going to be exciting, to say the list. We also love to share our skills with natural building, woodwork, gardening, and farm work.

    Otherwise - we have some collective knowledge and experience we are happy to share: our community adventures, challenges, up and downs, our work around being ecological, and what does it even mean. Also the gathered experience of pioneering and living off the grid for some of us who live on the land for already over 4 years.

    On a personal level, each of us have other things to contribute - we are all experienced travelers, some of us make music and art, others are educators, some worked as tour guides and have big love (almost an addiction) to history. One of our community members is a clown and an intuitive movement guide, another is a portraiture.. Different expressions of art take place and being expressed on land.

    We love hosting, sharing, exchanging ideas, dancing, cooking, exploring...

  • Help

    Help

    As we establish the accommodation space/ nature lodge from (almost) scratch, most of our needs are for people with specific skills and experience. Workawayers are invited to help us in some of the following projects, helping alongside local professionals and us.

    Here are the kind of experience/ skills we are looking for. For joining us you'd have to have some of them so we will have confidence that your stay here will take the project one step further:
    - Building and maintaining structures (flooring, compost toilets, showers, roofs...)
    - Working with natural materials
    - Carpentry, wood work (simple tables, decks, drawers' cabins...)
    - land development (digging, measuring spaces, singing roads and trails)
    - Pool maintenance
    - Water & light electricity help (lightning installation)
    - In-and outdoor maintenance help
    - Erecting camping/ glamping units, huts/ yurts...
    - Sculpturing, painting or drawing, other types of visual art(s)

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    English: Fluent
    Spanish: Fluent
    Hebrew: Fluent
    Russian: Fluent
    German: Intermediate
    Portuguese: Intermediate

    This 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

    Accommodation

    In winter, workawayers will stay in the gallery floor of the main farmhouse, in a room, or in a caravan, availability-based.

    In summertime, workawayers will stay in tents or in one of the above accommodation unites.

    Cellular reception is reachable all over the land.
    WIFI is accessible in the central house and the room.

    All toilets on land are compost based.
    There is one, shared, hot shower in the central building.

    We provide a light breakfast, such as porridge and heavier lunch and dinner. We offer vegan meals, but you can use the kitchen for both vegan or vegetarian cooking.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    In the free time, we invite you to wonder around the land, enjoy the old corks or chill in the peaceful nature.. if you are a swimmer - you would love our pond :). There are some nature trails around, and lakes in a reach of a car.

    Monsanto, an ancient beautiful village made in stone is ~25 minutes drive and BEAUTIFUL. Penamacor and Idanha-a-nova are the closet and sweetest towns some 20 minutes drive. Castelo Branco is already a bigger city, located ~ 30 minutes away.

    Every Sunday there is a small market somewhere around, they are all very sweet and actually seem to be more a social gathering than actual buy and sell event. Some are made more by international(s) living around, some are more locals.

    The two stay options we offer are a 15m2 room which will be shared by 1 couple or two volunteers, and a caravan, 6m2 with a living-room-tent attached that suits one person or a couple. Both have water & electricity.

    All over the land there is decent cellular reception and in the central (community) house there is also WiFi, as well as shared kitchen and common living room. Though we love to share meals and prodcuts from time to time, everyone are free to do as they feel.

    Hot shower is available at the moment only in the central house.

    Proudly we have only compost toilets spread across the land, covered with sawdust (and a lead :))

    Movement
    To our place - one arrival with a car. We are also happy to pickup volunteers from the closest village (São Miguel de Acha) or city (Castelo Branco).

    There is no constant public transport getting to/ from here, so we are happy to for volunteers to join us when we drive to a closet market/ village or a city, usually 15-30 minutes away.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    We have good Wi-Fi on land reachable in the farmhouse and one of the rooms. We are happy to host digital nomads and would love to speak in advance to explain & explore how to make it work with the volunteer work we ask for.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    We have space for campers/ caravans and vehicles and we can connect those to water & electricity.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Host ref number: 239633634396

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