Share our knowledge and learn new skills in Brufut, Gambia

Details

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  Description

  I am Nikki, known as Aunty to everyone, I'm from East Anglia in the UK, I am a qualified teacher of adults and have a lot of patience.
  The main tourist season is November- end of April.
  We have 8 en suite guest rooms , help is needed to renovate, set around the pool, in tropical gardens, with an honesty bar, BBQ, bird watching area, fire pit, located in a Gambian village called Brufut Manjago, 10 -15 minutes walk to the coastal road and the fishing village,and beach bars.
  I am passionate about recycling, upcycling, and making our own compost. Going green.
  Our bar, BBQ, and other areas are built out of bottles ( I teach to anyone who wants to learn)
  Our place is mostly solar, using as little electricity and gas as possible.
  We grow fruit, herbs, and vegetables,experimenting all the time....
  Trees include Mango, Papaya, Banana, Orange, Lemon, Lime, Avocado, Moringa,and cashew.
  Grow what we eat, eat what we grow or buy locally.
  Bird watchers and photographers paradise, our adults-only, peace, and relaxation experience is ideal for couples or friends, Nature lovers and adventurers. Privacy is most important for our guests, peace and relaxation ,no hassle.
  
  In a private walled courtyard secret garden, workaway area, comprising two rooms with two single beds (preferably a couple or two people / friends for company, If you enjoy being alone then please enquire.
  The outside shower is fitted and a seperate toilet in the courtyard.
  
  Maintenance is ongoing, DIY, always something to do, anything from gardening, watering in the dry season, cleaning the pool, getting in is the easiest way to clean the inside walls 😆 painting, building with bottles, sweeping, mopping, cleaning every day. Africa is dusty.
  Helping to pick fruits in season and maybe help with making preserves.
  
  I am very sad to say that my husband
  Neil has passed away 💔 I am determined to get all our dreams completed, all his projects finished in his memory.
  I've been doing everything myself, but I have employed some help now, to get some jobs done. Any serious volunteers eager to work in return for free rooms and food would be very welcome.
  we've employed so many locals over the years, Sadly for various reasons it's not always worked out. So here I am on Workaway, after reading and lots of advice, to hope for serious volunteers to experience my life, with much needed help in my little slice of Africa.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Animal Care

  Help around the house

  Hospitality/Tourism

  Light maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Sustainability

  

  Pets

  

  Culture

  

  Plant care

  

  Music

  

  Gardening

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Animals

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Nature
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Cultural travellers will learn how to survive in a third world country, see how the locals (and I) live and work, and learn about our hospitality, the way we are passionate and unique in the ways we look after our guests, giving them their private space, peace and tranquility.
  DIY, growing and preserving, recycling, in a safe environment. Saving water, how we pump water and avoid waste. Saving electricity and gas! Cooking on wood.
  Learn new skills, share our knowledge, and get stuck in!
  We are unique in our area, and I'm passionate about teaching with my years of experience.
  Due to unforseen circumstances and learning so much along the way, I can not and will not be available 24/7 my day off is on a Sunday, I will not be available.
  I live on site, in my own private house. I value my privacy and yours too! My alarm is set for 07:00 every day.My phone is set to silent at 20:00hrs.
  
  When we have guests, after early evening dinner service, I retire to my house, leaving our guests to enjoy the peace and tranquility with honesty bar to purchase cold drinks. Lit with solar lights.
  I'm back on duty for guests breakfast service at 08:30 am
  We have 2 well-behaved dogs and 2 cats.
  The main tourist season is November to the end of April when direct flights from the UK cease. Still plenty of indirect flights ✈ Gambia Experience. Brussels Airlines. Turkish Airlines. TAP. Royal Air Maroc. Tui. Veuling.
  The green season, summer time, rains and stunning storms, mostly at night, even rain during the day, is like a warm outside shower, is punctuated with glorious sunshine 🌞 ( no need to water the gardens until October/November) and plenty of fruits to pick during the summer and preserves to make.
  IDEALLY...I would like volunteers during March, April, May,June, and July, then again during October and November.

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  Help

  Any enthusiastic help would be greatly appreciated.must be able to work with own initiative. Sweeping and cleaning,
  DIY, gardening, watering, composting, maintenance, painting, building with bottles and anything else we can recycle.
  Carpentry or Plumbing would be a real bonus! I am trying myself 😆
  I am willing to teach anyone with any area they are not familiar with. (Except IT) I am a technophobes 🤭 any help also appreciated.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  I've been learning Mandinka (tribal language) for many years,still not fluent but I can understand.
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  Accommodation

  All set in a courtyard garden, totally separate from our guests rooms, and my private house. There are 2 rooms to use conected with an archway, with 2 single beds. Or put together for couples!
  An outside shower and an outside toilet.
  
  A solar panel has been fitted to the roof of the volunteers rooms, so now there is solar lighting and a fan.
  
  Volunteers breakfast.....
  
  In the outside kitchen BBQ area you will see a box containing your plates, bowls, mugs and cutlery.
  Tea bags, coffee, dried milk (and sugar if needed)
  A washing up bowl, washing up liquid, sponge and Tea towels are provided to wash up after yourself.
  
  Local bread Tapalapa or Senfu, is collected from the shop. You may toast on the griddle pan it if you wish.
  Homemade preserves/ local peanut butter / chocolate spread.
  Homemade jams, Marmalades, made with homegrown Mango 🥭 avocado 🥑 papaya and bananas when producing.
  Help yourself to a cup of tea or coffee at breakfast time.
  
  You may purchase any cold drinks from the honesty bar, just write it on the pad and pay at the end of each week.
  
  Several volunteers have brought along their own water sterilising flasks so have been able to drink the well water.
  
  7 mornings a week Breakfast. (If you're here at the weekends just let me know)
  It's cooler to work in the mornings,but you choose if you want to spread your 5 hours work over the working day.
  
  Monday-Friday
  Dinner on workdays prepared by me
  For example. I prepare Chilli, Bolognaise, Italian vegetables, Chicken and vegetable stew, Indian curry, Gambian dishes, Yassa, Domoda, to name but a few.
  Vegetarian meals :- vegetable Yassa / Domoda / chilli / curry, Italian vegetables.

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  What else ...

  Time off can be spent exploring the area, local transport (not for the faint hearted) is a shared minibus with locals along with baskets of fish, goats and chickens are common passengers!
  Or a motorbike taxi from the end of our road ( I wouldn't recommend) or a shared car. Or a private taxi.
  Local shop for bread and cheaper drinks water etc. A local takeaway serving lunch are just a few minutes walk away.
  Please do not bring outside food or drinks into the businesses, the bar or guests areas, but enjoy in your own private area.
  There is also a Today's mini market at the end of our road.
  The nearest beach is just 10 - 15 minutes walk away.
  Crocodiles and monkeys, Snake farm, Tanji bird reserve, Brufut woods,Brufut market and so much more....
  Or relax in your courtyard secret garden.

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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 host digital nomads

  We do our best to have a decent WI FI, for the business, this is not always perfect! Outside of our control. WI FI IS VERY LIMITED. CAN NOT BE USED FOR DOWNLOADING not up to European standards. OUR OWN WI FI is powered by Solar. Digital nomads, We suggest you borrow our pebble, you add your own data for your own use. Or get your own local sim card for data/ Our first volunteer Aida used a local sim card 07/10/24. Safe Solar Charging station provided. Recommended to bring along a power bank. There is no electricity in the rooms.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

  Wobbles

  Wobbles (5 years)

  Wobbles is the son of Yuna. He is the youngest of our animal family.
  Because Yuna was so tiny, we didn't think she was old enough to be spade 🙈 she had 4 kittens on our bed and I was the midwife!
  Wobbles is much bigger than his mum. They have both been spade now. Wobbles loves the dogs and they love him. Wobbles scratches the top of the bucket that has the cat biscuits in to get my attention ( even when biscuits are in their bowls)

  

  Yuna

  Yuna arrived with Eve, she was found on the side of the road in the village of Yuna. She was so tiny she fitted into a wine glass! She's still a small cat. Yuna thinks she's a dog! She comes when she's called, sits on command, follows me everywhere, even greeting me at the gate when I drive back in.

  

  Eve

  

  Clyde

  Clyde is tall and skinny,but fit and healthy an intelligent african dog. He does not accept other dogs or cats on our property, He is protecting our other dog Eve and our 2 cats. He is a good guard dog too!
  Crazy photo of Clyde and Eve 😆

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