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Description
Thank you for taking the time to read thoroughly before contacting us! We value your time and ours.
*Minimum expected commitment from volunteers is 2 months.
*Please send your messages in English. We are an international community and English is our primary language used daily. Some of us also speak Portuguese, Spanish, German, Italian, Greek, Romanian, Russian. But for a better integration you should be comfortable speaking English.
*The person processing all requests on behalf of the team, is Diana, and she will be the one answering your messages.
*Please be specific about your motivation, intentions, and how you think you can contribute to our project.
We are located in the countryside of Madeira island, Portugal, with an international team of 7 people, including a family with their kids, plus the volunteers who join us throughout the year.
Around 7 hectares of land are divided into a few zones:
The main zone of the community residents & volunteers; the farm area with all the animals & birds; 4 fruit orchards (citrus, bananas, avocados, annonas, plums, apples, chestnuts etc); the "work in progress" area, with 2 greenhouses being slowly (very slowly) assembled, where we also started experimenting with mushroom farming last winter, and some gardens that need more care & planting.
There is another area further down the valley, that is being developed for tourism, with occasional guests staying in our Superadobe domes- natural buildings, with 1 of them still in construction.
Please note, that this is another area of the project entirely, separated from the community area, where the volunteers live & work. We have paid workers managing that side of the project and we don't intend to involve any volunteers over there.
On the same note, none of the produce WWers help with is being sold - that is all for personal consumption for the community needs. Our production of veggies and fruits etc is still very humble and limited, but it's something we'd like to expand in the future.
We are located on the hills of Tabua village, municipality of Ribeira Brava, around 1h away from Funchal and the international airport, at an altitude ranging between 300-650m above sea level.
The nearest town is Ribeira Brava, a 12- 15min drive down the road, and there you will find the nearest beach, restaurants, shops, supermarkets and the farmers market open daily.
We recommend renting a car as the best way to explore Madeira and for easier access to our farm. However, there are also local buses, including a bus that passes by our farm a few times a day. There are also affordable taxis, and Bolt app (like Uber). We'll happily provide bus schedules, useful contacts and any guidance needed.
Thank you for your time, interest and support!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Ajuda em projetos ambientais
Ensino
Jardinagem
Construção/faça você mesmo
Cuidar de animais
Ajuda em fazenda
Manutenção geral
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Our story starts 6 years ago, when Markus, the founder of the project, came to Madeira island with the vision of recovering an old agricultural land, regenerating it with Permaculture, and creating a self-sufficient community of like-minded people, that can live in harmony with Nature, while opening space for healing, cooperation and continuous learning. A big dream uniting a lot of people and a growing network of friends.
So if you'd like to understand the process of designing your own project or joining a larger community, we're happy to share what we've learned so far about project design, community management, Permaculture farming, soil & water management, self-sufficiency, animal caring, bio-housing, alternative education etc.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Some of the ongoing actions you could join & help us with:
Permaculture design & implementation, and occasional Permaculture courses (next one is June 21-30th)
Reforestation & propagating endemic species;
Organic gardening & farming- we have several gardens in progress & fruit orchards that need constant attention;
Mushroom farming- we started last winter, experimenting on wood logs (eucalypt & acacia) and inoculated some garden beds also. Position for people who already have some experience and knowledge in the field;
Animal care giving (we got cows, goats, pigs, geese, ducks, chickens, angola chickens, cats & dogs), long-term position only;
Beekeeping, long-term position only, and needs to speak Romanian or Russian, to assist the main beekeeper (ideally someone who is also interested in working with farm animals);
Herbal medicines and natural cosmetics;
Natural building, cob, Superadobe;
Agile Learning for children & homeschooling- families with children welcome;
Hosting mindful events, farm retreats, Permaculture courses, various workshops & other fun things!
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
Depending on availability, volunteers can be accommodated in the yurt or in the converted container bedroom, they both come with beds & all bedding provided.
Camping is also possible, we have some spare tents and camping gear that can be used by volunteers, and bedding, towels are available.
Accommodation on the land, use of shared facilities (kitchen, bathrooms, laundry etc) and vegetarian meals during work days (Monday to Friday) is provided to all volunteers. At 13:00 lunch is served at the shared kitchen area, by our resident farm cook. The kitchen space can be used for preparing meals, storing food etc. Usually, it's our social space, and we get together to cook and share food and laughs.
What else ...
Madeira island (& island of Porto Santo) is part of the Macaronesian bio-region, with mild sub-tropical climate, dramatic landscape of volcanic origin, and endemic Laurisilva forest- an UNESCO world heritage site.
In your free time, there's abundant hiking trails all around the island, black sand beaches and swimming spots to explore, cultural events and a rich digital nomads & expats community to connect with.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Most of us in the team have remote jobs, we manage independently with MIFI/ pocket wifi device, it's a portable mini-router that gives you wifi on the go, it worked for us so far. The shared kitchen area can be used for computer work, it has a seating area indoors & outdoors, and most of the time there will wifi available there.
Space for parking camper vans
Campers, caravans, motorhomes, more than welcome- 7 hectares of land you waiting for you.
Can possibly accept pets
As long as the pet is social with other animals, welcome! Our cows, goats, geese, ducks, chickens mostly roam free around the land, so that's something to keep in mind. We also have 2 dogs and a few cats, and they're friendly.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
4h a day, 9:00-13:00, Mon to Fri
