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Eco-Project Homestay: Couple for Gardening, Housework, DIY

4.5
(14 reviews)14

The experience

Get in touch with nature in an authentic Bulgarian village.

Permaculture: your tasks are gardening/farming related and vary with the season
(This is a training opportunity for volunteer couples who want to learn practical permaculture skills.)

Housework: cleaning, tidying

Optional: help with building/renovations, social community work, social media, care for animals, perform/entertain at local festival)








What you offer

25 hours of help per week

Cleaning: Help clean the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms and common areas.

Farming: Plant crops, sow seeds and help in outside tasks.

Gardening: Help grow plants and cultivate gardens

What you get

2 days off per week

Private Room: You will have a bed in a private room. In other words, a room just for you.

Breakfast: You are entitled to a free breakfast, every day of your stay.

Lunch: You are entitled to a free lunch, every day of your stay.

Dinner: You are entitled to a free dinner, every day of your stay.

Free Laundry: You can use our laundry room freely.

Get free drinks or beverages.: Drink up! Get free and tasty drinks for yourself.

Permaculture Course: Take part in our Permaculture course for free.

Certificate: Get a certificate of completion after you finish your experience.

Basic Internet Access: Basic speed internet for you to work remotely

Requirements

Intermediate English or Intermediate German

Only welcomes couples and partners (does not accept solo volunteers)

Academy Course Eco Certificate for Volunteers: Basic Concepts

Academy Course How to become an outstanding Worldpacker

What's not included

Flights, Travel Insurance, Internal Transportation and Visa

Program Details

The focus of your work will be on gardening/permaculture. Tasks vary depending on season and weather, e.g. planting trees for a food forest or a biodiversity hedge, landscaping, water management, layingdrip irrigation, composting, creating a dead-hedge, building swales, soil improvement, organic pest control, composting, mulching, mowing, weeding, pruning, tree-felling, reclamation, harvesting, preserving food for the winter, stacking firewood, making biochar.

You'll also do housework, especially tidying and cleaning, and if you like, cooking. If you're interested, there may be the opportunity to do DIY/handymanwork, or to assist with small building and renovation projects.

Food is simple, vegetarian, some of it home-grown.

If you stay for at least three weeks, the programme will be structured as a practical permaculture training course (theory & practice), and you'll get a certificate at the end, stating what you have learnt and done.

Private room, large bed shared with your partner.
Shared bathroom.

Optional: You can earn pocket money by working additional hours. (If interested, please ask.)





Activities & Shift

You'll need to be able to work unsupervised. You can largely plan your own schedule, as long as you let us know and give us at least 25 hours a week. Depending on the season, some tasks need to be done in the early morning hours or during the afternoon.
You and your partner can work together as a team, or you can carry out different tasks.

The location is an authentic Bulgarian village near Elhovo in the Yambol Province. It's rural but not isolated. The main sounds you'll hear are (depending on the season) birds twitter, bees hum, crickets chirp, storks rattling their bills, goats jingling their bells as a herd wanders past. Birdwatchers and butterfly lovers will have a lot to see. The town of Elhovo is 7 km away, the city of Yambol 35 km, each served four times daily by minibus. The bus stop is 2 km away from our home.

Rules

Be kind to people, to animals, to nature.
No smoking in the house.
No drugs during your stay.
Absolute honesty. Lies will not be tolerated.
Agree schedule with us, keep commitments.
Use water and electricity responsibly.
Optional but welcome: please take turns with cooking.
Don't apply if you dislike or are allergic to to cats or dogs.