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9 Jan 2025
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Description
This is a center for learning sustainable lifestyle. It is located on a remote hilltop and has been developed as a live textbook for environmental regeneration, soil regeneration, watershed management and natural farming.
Our family is a growing alternative school. We are seven of us,Gopalakrishnan and Vijayalekshmi, the founders of the school are living on campus along with Kannaki,Unniyarcha and their partners Abhilash and Vishnu and Indulekha,Vishnu's sister.
We work on our constructions all the time. (The idea is to rebuild an alternative learning center. So there are many small buildings) The farm is active most of the year.We are also in the process of documenting the flora of the regenerated forest and surrounding areas. This happens every 5-6 months. We hope to start the fauna documentation in a year or two when we have funds for buying necessary equipments. Planting Agave against forest fire, planting bamboo against soil erosion and strengthening our fence with medicinal plants are ongoing activities according to the seasons.
We dream of a life learning center.Naturally, we get involved in all kinds of activities and experiment in construction, agriculture, art forms, publishing and so on so forth.You shouldn't be surprised if we are always in the middle of some crazy experiments,lol
Check the 'Help Required section for the latest project where you can help us.
We would love hands to share the work of building a truly sustainable center for learning.
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
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Volunteers who choose to visit us will have the opportunity to learn a broad range of skills from cooking in a traditional mud built kitchen to construction of shelters and homes made from materials sourced on the farm. You will find yourself in a knowledge sharing environment and learn to find creative solution using materials at hand therefore, the skills you may learn are endless.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Current tasks:
Help us in rebuilding and regeneration works like ;
-Build sustainable natural houses with bamboo,mud,clay bricks and other materials
-Make wire net shelters to protect the farming area from the attack of monkeys,peacocks,wild boars, bandicoot rats mostly.
-water shed regeneration area maintenance activities like clear the logged area,remove the bushes,check dam strengthening,well rebuilding,access way etc
-Plant fencing/hard barricade around the forest and farm area
-Translate the book
*Translate the founder couples educational book from Malayalam to English
*Translate a french language book to English,which is written based on architecture and lifetsyle
-Flora and fauna census
*A complete periodical census,which is relevent will be done and preparing name identification boards for plants and trees
-Tradition exchange activities
*Connect with peoples from the different parts of the world to make a steady and bulk environment to furnish our ecosystem with great ideas
-Build a well equipped craft workshop (Wood,bamboo, coconut shell and other possible natural materials)
* Design and make essential utility crafts for our home rather than showcase items
-Plant Nursery
(Kitchen/Herbal/tree/other)
-Seed collection shelter
*To practice better methods to keep the seeds viability more longer
-Practice more reliable ecological conservation techniques for our projects
-The school,Banquet hall and dormitory
*Educational content collection
*Art/Music/Literature studies
*Produce better dramas,movies etc
*library/meetings/projector facility/Stage facility
-Ponds and Percolation pit renovation
-Lay irrigation pipe lines to farm area and other main critical areas from water shed area and local water pipe connection line
-Connect with communities and encourage rural tourism
*Connect with local resources
*Build a community to enhance on hand to hand works for sustainable development and living style
Also It will be good to get an idea about the seasons and tasks in general. This is just for reference. Seasons and tasks can change all the time. Read on.
Summer (January - May):
The cool time before the sun really gets up will be used for some hard work. The mornings can start with working on the construction or de-silting percolation pits or check dam. Housework never ends, so you can also choose to help around the house, with chores, cleaning up, cooking etc. The hotter times in the middle of the day, you can use for reading, writing or any other activity that you can do in the shade. After lunch, you can catch a nap. In the tropics, you need the rest. Afternoons, you can again join the heavy work.
Kind of help needed:
Removing bio-mass from the fireline (against forest fire) and putting it in the farm
Removing silt from rainwater percolation pits and check dams
Harvesting from the farm
Preparing farm
(We will update this towards the summer)
Keep yourself hydrated, do not overwork your body, keep your body cool with at least one bath everyday, sing, dance and be merry!
Rainy season (June - August, October):
It will be muddy and slippery everywhere. Be careful when you are walking. Carry a raincoat since we will have work to do when it is raining. Cloths take time to dry, so be prepared.
Kind of help needed:
Diverting rainwater to the percolation pits and farm
Planting the fence and garden
Planting Agave through the fireline
Getting firewood from the forest
Working on sorting documents, photos, etc. while sitting inside.
We can sit around the fire after a nice bath in the rain! Music and merry always welcome!
Other times (September, November, and December)
It will be all greenery around and temperatures will be comfortable. We have work in the farm, maintenance of the bud houses and some work we can also schedule together for the projects
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Hindi: Fluent
Malayalam: Fluent
Tamil: 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
It's a bamboo house,where you can share with other travellers, volunteers or students(if anyone is there).
There are a few beds available. We can also provide mats and simple bedsheets. Bringing a sleeping bag or blanket will be ideal since the nights get cold.
No attached bathroom and toilet are available.You can use the common family toilets
Food is rice based, vegetarian and home-cooked.You can have fish,if you are very needy.There will sometimes be fruit available on the farm but if you need to snack in between, keep yourself stocked from the small town nearby named as Goolikadavu. Boiled and cooled water will be available for drinking.
The centre is run on our income from various workshops we conduct in the campus and in the cities,book sales and vedio production works such as,not on external funds. This is why we charge a fee of INR 500/day from volunteers, which will cover the cost of food and accommodation. Hope we will be able to offer food and accommodation in exchange of working in the campus some time in future.
if needed, will have to be availed from the nearest town Goolikkadavu about 7 Kilometers away.
What else ...
If you can volunteer for three months, six months or longer, we have a few critical projects that you can help us with. Let us know if you are interested.
We look for a genuine interest in other cultures and earth's future in volunteers. We are basically trying to share simple solutions with everybody around us. You should have the capacity to learn and willingness to share your knowledge. Should be able to live simply. Knowledge of basic communicative English or any one of these Indian languages, Hindi, Malayalam or Tamil is a necessary criteria.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
Can possibly accept pets
This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
This host charges a fee
read more400 INR (approx USD 5.5) per person per day for accommodation and food
Feedback (21)
For them was so amazing cause they got to play and spend time and learn new skills and share with Hiranya , Parthan and Chinmay ( the 3 super kids of the family)
They made a great team from the beginning and it was so nice to watch them playing. Sometimes… read more
This workaway is most… read more
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For them was so amazing cause they got to play and spend time and learn new skills and share with Hiranya , Parthan and Chinmay ( the 3 super kids of the family)
They made a great team from the beginning and it was so nice to watch them playing. Sometimes… read more
This workaway is most… read more
As an interior architect, my main task was to plaster of the buildings with mud and cow… read more
On the other side, I was able to hang around with their brilliant daughter Hyrania, telling her stories on the way to buy milk.
It's the best place if you want to be surrounded by… read more
See you again and keep in touch!
He works hard and independent. We had to just show him once what to do and he could do that and more. Both Hiranya and Parthan loved him a lot. He had a way with the kids. Hope to see you again!
Thanks to Anika, we… read more
Lots of projects indoors and out to get involved in. All kinds of courses offered - I really enjoyed my yoga lessons and hope to always continue to practice them.
Highlight was the visit to the farm.… read more
