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Min stay requested: at least 3 weeks
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Description
Hey there!
Welcome, glad you stumbled upon our profile! My name is Zach, and we run an organic farm up in the mountains of Puerto Galera, Mindoro. We grow a whole lot of different crops up here, including coffee, cocoa, tropical fruits, veggies, tubers and leafy greens. We're also experimenting with the local stingless honey bees. A lot of the produce goes to our kitchen in to feed our kids, our staff and our guests.
There is always something to do up here and we could always use an extra hand or three! Whether you're an experienced farmer or a curious beginner, we will welcome you with open arms.
A bit about myself:
I'm 31 years old and was born and raised on the island. My parents moved here in the late 80's and founded the foundation. I've lived in the US and in Denmark, but have always kept the connection to the Philippines, returning as often as I can. These recent years I have concentrated my focus and my energy more on organic farming and natural building as I see it as part of a larger vision for a holistic future, learning as much as I can and teaching when I can. My background is in organic farming, carpentry, and multimedia design.
About the farm:
Our farmland is quite extensive, all of 16ha on a 40 degree slope on the mountainside, with elevations ranging from 350m to 605m above sea level with rich volcanic, though slightly acidic, soil, which allows us to cultivate many varieties of crops. The work on the farm is physical and at times challenging, but always rewarding. We always remember to take breaks, stay hydrated (usually with fresh coconuts we climb up and cut down ourselves), and always have time to make jokes and share stories while we work.
Regarding the daily help on the farm, it includes things like watering, weeding, planting, transplanting and composting, with the occasional building of structures as needed.
Help is 5 days a week, and we start early in the day to beat the heat, usually beginning between 6 or 7 AM depending on the season, if it's rainy or dry. Our paid farmhands work 8 hours a day with a longer siesta after lunch with their days ending at 4 or 5PM. Your workday ends around 11 AM or 12 noon and the afternoons are yours. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are prepared and served daily, so let us know if you have any allergies or restrictions and we will make it work. Our diet consists mostly of what we harvest ourselves along with fish, rice and eggs from the market. We rarely eat meat so our diet can be considered to be pescatarian.
We are always looking for people with expertise and different vocational backgrounds. Let us know what you're passionate about and we can probably find something that suits you. Besides the obvious farming, it could be cooking, baking, carpentry, landscaping, content creation and filmmaking, just to name a few examples. We appreciate the exchange of skills and ideas.
The farm, is a branch of the foundation ecosystem located a few kilometres from the farm. Foundation is a learning and resource centre for the protection of the rights of children and was founded by my parents, Lars and Monica, in 1990. It started as a summer camp for street children or institutionalised youth and has developed into an established program working with the likes of the Philippine Department of Education and the Philippine National Police along with international partners like UNICEF, Danida and Kindernothilfe.
It still takes in 10 to 15 children a year from government-run centres in Manila for a year-long development program called Family Home.
The kids come up to the farm every so often to learn practical skills, to help out and to get dirt under their fingernails. We also run a community scholarship program for the local indigenous Iraya children, helping them with homework and academic mentoring. Since the farm is a part of and we work with children, volunteers are required to fill out a form from before being approved.
Most visitors come to Mindoro to see Puerto Galera and go diving, because that is what it is known for, but the rest of the island is amazing, and missing out on that has always seemed like a shame to me. That's why we've started mapping a route around the whole island, called the Loop, and hope to guide people around it one day. So, we would like to invite you to hop on a motorbike and come exploring with us, weather permitting. Also, if you're not comfortable on a motorbike, you can hop on the back of one of ours, or we can figure out an alternative mode of transportation.
For one of the weeks you are with us there might be an opportunity to do a deep dive of Mindoro and all it has to offer. We will spend time with the eight indigenous Mangyan tribes who call this place home, learning about their cultures and communities , spot endemic species like the critically endangered Tamaraw dwarf buffalo (only a few hundred left and found nowhere else in the world), discover old Spanish forts and church ruins, bathe in hot springs and marvel at natural wonders like Mount Halcon, the Devil's Mountains and Lake Naujan. We will visit sleepy fishing villages, hidden waterfalls, idyllic coves and uninhabited beaches that stretch for miles.
The trip is completely optional, and you'd take it as a week off from the farm. While we're on the road, you cover your own costs like fuel, food and places to stay. I'll be filming along the way, so if you're happy to share your experience on camera, great, and if not, that's no problem at all.
If you're alright with getting muddy, roughing it, waking up with the sunrise, making food over a campfire, and open to novel experiences, the trip might just be something for you:)
Send us a message if you have any questions! -
Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity Work
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Teaching
Light gardening
Creative DIY projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Hospitality/Tourism
Light maintenance
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Interests
Charity work
Culture
Farming
Sustainability
Writing
Plant care
Photography
Music
Languages
History
Gardening
Drawing & painting
DIY & crafts
Cooking & food
Carpentry
Blogging
Animals
Yoga / Wellness
Water sports
Team sports
Sailing / Boating
Outdoor activities
Nature
Mountain
Hiking
Fitness
Camping
Beach
Adventure sports -
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
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Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
On the farm you'll be helping alongside our crew made up of our Iraya and Tagalog brothers, Lexter our farm manager, his wife Shinobu, who's our cook and everyone's big sister, our youth workers, and myself. You will also meet people from the local community who come by to help with projects or join in on workshops.
Our crew are hardworking, knowledgeable about the local flora and fauna and always have a joke or a smile to share. They will probably have plenty of questions for you as well, who you are and where you're from.
While you're here you'll probably learn a few Tagalog phrases, some delicious local dishes and what it means to farm in the tropics. We would love to learn some thing about where you're from as well. It could be a dish, it could be some songs, a way of farming or perhaps a game you love to play.
We hope you leave your stay feeling a bit more connected to us, the Philippines, nature and perhaps yourself as well? -
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
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Help
We just finished raising our new greenhouses and are currently busy filling them up with organic goodies. There is always plenty to do, nurseries to seed, veggies to harvest, trees to prune and weeds to weed.
If you're nifty with a hammer you could lend your expertise to helping build our octagonal guest house.
If you're a whiz in the kitchen perhaps you could wow us with your culinary skills and pamper our palates.
Maybe you've worked with bees before and want to enhance our production of honey?
Do you have an eye for angles and composition and a voice and mind that are good at storytelling? Maybe you could help document daily life on the farm for posterity.
We've requested that a stay with us be a minimum of 3 weeks because it might take a few days to get into the flow of things, and anything less feels a bit touch and go. -
Languages spoken
Danish: Fluent
English: Fluent
Tagalog: Fluent -
Accommodation
We have two rooms with private bathrooms, and each room has space for three people. The rooms are simple and clean with lockers and padlocks for your personal belongings. We provide mattresses, pillows, beddings and electric fans. We have a large common and dining area and a kitchen and fridge you can use at your disposal. We are currently building an extra guest house to expand our hosting capacity. You are of course welcome to set up your own tent, hammock or yurt anywhere on the property. We have wifi, our own water sources and solar electricity.
Regarding laundry, there are two options. The first is the traditional filipino way, washing by hand and hanging garments on the line to dry in the sun. The second are the laundromats in town where they wash, dry and fold your clothes for a more than reasonable price.
Send us a message if you have any questions or requests and we'll gladly get back to you. We will do what we can to ensure that you feel at home with us. -
What else ...
On your days off there is no shortage of activities to seek out. In our free time we love playing basketball (the national sport), but if that isn't your thing we have plenty of other things we can offer.
We run a dive shop, headed by my sister Izana, a certified PADI dive instructor, who will take good care of you.
If you want to explore the ocean and get certified or just have a few fun dives all you have to do is ask. Dives aren't part of the exchange, but it's not expensive and the profits go and ocean clean-up and conservation efforts.
Mindoro lies right on the Verde Island Passage, the absolute epicentre of marine biodiversity on the planet with some of the most stunning dive sites in the world. We also have Apo Reef, the second largest contiguous coral reef in the world, right after the Great Barrier Reef, a few hours away by motorbike and boat. If diving with a tank seems like too much of a hassle we also have fins and snorkels you can borrow and instructors willing to teach you the principles of freediving.
We have connections to the local yoga centre, for some holistic stretching, mindfulness and relaxation, the Yacht Club where you can learn how to sail a dinghy or windsurf and kitesurf, tennis and padel courts at your disposal, and if you just feel like exploring you can always rent a motorbike or a scooter and zip around the island.
We often head out on picnics and excursions to the best waterfalls and the most pristine, lesser known beaches to spend the weekends, and we would love if you joined! But if you want some alone time to spend the day sunbathing and swimming on the beach while enjoying a cold beer, a cocktail or a fresh fruit shake by yourself, that's quite alright as well:)
Karaoke sing-alongs, acoustic jam sessions, bonfire nights, board game nights, movie nights, cookouts, weddings, local fiestas and birthday parties aren't unheard of either.
On a practical note, getting to the farm from Manila isn't too challenging. Before you fly to the country, Philippine immigration requires you to fill out a declaration form on their eGov app called "eTravel" in order to enter the country. Save a screenshot of the QR code. Besides that, I suggest you sign up for an eSIM before arrival so you have data when you get here. A physical SIM card bought at the airport is an option, but it's more expensive and registration can take a while. There is wifi in the airport but it's quite slow and a bit unreliable. Thirdly, download the Grab app. Grab is like Uber here and it's much better than taking the airport taxis which are known for overcharging new arrivals.
If you want to explore Manila for a few days first, go for it. I'll gladly give you my recommendations. When you're ready to head down to us, take a Grab to the Buendia bus terminal and hop on a bus headed towards "Batangas Pier." Ride the bus until the very last stop. The ride is roughly 2-3 hours depending on traffic.
From there you enter the pier to purchase a ferry ticket towards Puerto Galera (Balatero). The lines I prefer are Galerian and Open Water, though there are some larger and slower ferries that sail the same route. The fastcraft ferries take about an hour and 15 minutes to get to Mindoro. Be aware the ferries are weather contingent, but early boats are less likely to be cancelled. Open Water and Galerian usually sail twice or three times daily.
Once you land in Puerto Galera (Balatero), we can pick you up from the port and bring you up to the farm where you can eat, sleep, unwind from your journey and get a feel for the lay of the land.
Naturally I'm just a call or a WhatsApp message away if you need help with anything.
Hope to see you here soon!
All the best,
Zachery and the Family -
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 have fibernet wifi which is surprisingly fast and stable. In the township of Puerto Galera there are plenty of cafés with affordable food and reliable internet connection where you can get work done.
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How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
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My animals / pets
Bitzen
Bulldog
Nala
Siopao
Siomai
Photos
