Permaculture and natural building in San Agustín, Colombia

Infos

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  Description

  Hi! My name's Steve, I'm English and I live in my own little slice of paradise with my kids (at weekends), on a 7-hectare farm, with spectacular canyon views to one side, and our own accessible patch of river on the other.
  
  I split up from the Colombian mother of my kids though we still work together as business partners. A lot of the work needed will be in eco-construction, but also agriculture and general cleaning, maintenance, etc. All volunteers cook together and are responsible for keeping the house clean and tidy.
  
  We have our own waterfalls, and are within 10 minutes walk of a series of public waterfalls. We have a wood-fired forest sauna made of earth bags, which we are trying to promote to tourists.
  
  I am looking to create some integration activities on specific days on the farm such as 'digital detox / day without power', playing music together, movie night etc. We are offering a space and time for volunteers to offer their own workshops or to share knowledge. We plan on a space for swapping / selling products made by volunteers, ourselves or other members of the community.
  
  We live about an hour's walk from town, taking in breathtaking valleys and small-scale coffee farms. Our aim to is to be entirely self-sufficient economically and in terms of food ... some day ... but it's a challenge especially when you have young children and limited resources...
  
  In other words, we need some help....
  
  We have lots of projects that need enthusiastic hands. We want to build a temascal sweat lodge, build some simple structures to rent, work on growing organic food, build a house for me and then houses for other members of the community.
  
  I'm looking to offer the sauna weekly to tourists, so I need help to keep it burning, attending tourists etc.
  
  Musicians are more than welcome but .... everyone is a musician when you have maracas! I can teach the basics... We also encourage workshops and are beginning to offer the sauna every week to tourists.
  
  In exchange for help I can share my knowledge of permaculture and natural building, and you can experience a truly stunning setting with a great atmosphere, with views over a canyon and nature reserve, our own waterfalls, river etc. It's great for birding / birdwatching. Come along we could use your help!
  
  We have been mostly dedicated to building so our garden has been neglected a little. The intention is to become self sufficient in food, however.
  
  I have lived for 20 years in Colombia, first working as a teacher in Cali, then looking to find a more natural, less hectic life in San Agustin around 10 years ago. I enjoy playing the guitar and djembe, permaculture projects and hanging out with my kids who are mostly here at the weekend. I have a stand up comedy routine in English and Spanish!
  
  We are an equal opportunities placement and welcome all races and LGBT+.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Projets artistiques

  Pratique d’une langue

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  Aide dans une ferme

  Baby-sitting et jeux créatifs

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Accueil / tourisme

  Entretien général

  Aide informatique/internet
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  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

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  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  I have lived in Colombia for 20 years and have lots of stories.
  
  We have made some lifelong volunteers friends in the past, and we are happy to share our experiences of living in Colombia / the Colombian countryside. We also have experience of building using bamboo / earth techniques. Though we are still in the learning stages in terms of organic agriculture, we've made some good progress, and have been studying with local experts. We are eager to share our knowledge and listen to suggestions.

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  Projets impliquant des enfants

  Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.

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  Aide

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  (October2024) We are building a dome using earth bags, it will be a bedroom to rent next to the sauna
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  We will always try to explain and demonstrate what needs to be done and we understand that most people aren't used to natural building / permaculture or agriculture (:

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  Langues parlées

  Anglais: Courant
  Espagnol: Courant

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  Hébergement

  We have compost toilets and a hot shower. Our buildings are mostly Bamboo construction

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  Autres infos...

  We use compost toilets, which are without water. Please Google this if you don't know what it is....
  
  We are located behind the San Agustín archaeological park, in the Huila region of Colombia. We are 15 minutes from the town by motorbike, or just over an hour's walk through beautiful valleys. Motorbike taxi to town costs COP 15,000 or COP35-40,000 by car taxi.
  
  San Agustin has a temperate climate, neither hot nor cold. It has the highest concentration of national parks in Colombia, and has a variety of activities for tourists including: visiting archaeological sites (we are within walking distance of the UNESCO World Heritage SIte Archaeological Park and other statues); Horse riding (we can organise cheap tours from the farm); cycling tours; Jeep tours; coffee growing tours. We can rent our motorbike.
  
  The town is steadily receiving more interest from foreign tourists, but is still relatively 'undiscovered' when compared to comparable sites in Colombia and South America. Our neighbours still live in a simple, traditional way. You can find locally-produced milk, cheese, eggs, and honey within a short walk from the farm.
  
  Particularly welcome are badminton players, musicians and lovers of 90s rock, biologists, animal lovers, Vipassana meditators and yoga practicioners, and wanderers looking for an answer to life's contradictions... Also, if you have children you are more than welcome as we have a 8 year-old and a 4 year old!

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  We have good broadband internet but it is about 80% reliable. If you are depending on video calls at a certain time of day this could be a problem.

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  We are 5km from town but it is unpaved and quite steep in places.

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  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  We have 3 female dogs and 2 cats .... So male dogs integrate more easily... I'd prefer not to accept more cats because of effects on biodiversity.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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