Every Share Helps!

Interested in volunteering in agriculture, farming, or gardening abroad?  Here is a look at just 3 great sites available to you!

Rancho Esperanza—“Jiquilillo’s original backpacker hostel with a conscience”

Rancho Esperanza offers a unique opportunity for volunteers to work on small scale projects in the community in which they stay under environmentally sound principles, or help the community by simply staying in their hostel.  The ranch itself is an environmentally sound hostel for international travelers, of which the earnings go towards community development.  The hostel also offers several opportunities for volunteers to do community work on their trip.  Their mission is “to create a positive sustainable living environment for travelers while integrating the community through the creation and support of education and eco and cultural tourism.” The organization combines the use of community development and tourism, making it a perfect site for volunteering internationally.

Volunteers work on a number of tasks, including:

• Organic vegetable gardening
• Landscaping
• Irrigation
• Agriculture
• Kids Club and schools

Future projects Rancho Esperanza would like to establish include:

• Cultural tours
• Building a community library
• Securing home stays for volunteers
• A variety of green jobs

Location: Jiquilillo, Nicaragua

Duration: 2 weeks+

Spanish speaking is not required and classes are available through the hostel

For more information, check out: rancho-esperanza.com

Sunseed Desert Technology

Sunseed recently celebrated its 25^th anniversary of working for education, research, and sustainable living in semi-arid environments in Spain.  Sunseed understands the importance of human relationships with the local and global environment and uses permaculture principles to develop, demonstrate, and communicate sustainable ways of living to its community.  The organization is a nonprofit educational and environmental charity whose goal is to “live a low-impact lifestyle in an environmentally sensitive manner and to raise awareness of ecological issues including desertificiation and sustainable living through experiential learning.”

There are two options for length of volunteer commitment:

• Part time volunteers work for 2-5 weeks, for about 4 hours a day
• Full time volunteers stay 5 weeks or more, for about 7 hours a day

Projects volunteers work on include:

• Preservation
• Gardening
• Experimenting with solar cookers
• Beautification projects
• Maintenance of water supply
• Sowing and transplanting seedlings
• Composting
• Home projects, such as roofing
• Tree nursery assistance and maintenance
• Dry land terrace renovations
• Lab work
• Soil care
• Research

A variety of courses are also available each year, such as:

• Compost toilet building (Summer 2011)
• Wind turbines (Fall 2011)

All ages are welcome!

Spanish speaking skills not required

Location: Almeria, Spain

For more information, check out: www.sunseed.org.uk

Ecuador Eco Volunteer

Ecuador Eco Volunteer is an organization which runs programs at low cost, making community development possible in the rural areas in which they work.

Volunteers have several options for project work; including indigenous community development, work with alpacas, organic farming, birds and conservation, eco-tourism, mangrove regeneration, national park maintenance, animal rescue, and preservation of the Galapagos Islands.

Here is a look at some of Ecuador Eco Volunteer’s specific projects:

Andes Alpaca Ranch

Volunteers live in indigenous communities where they take care of alpacas and partake in community work, such as teaching English to children.  Projects are focused on removing communities from poverty and becoming self sufficient through improving farming conditions and demonstrating environmentally sustainable ways of living and conservation to eliminate the exploitation of resources.

Amazon Rescue Center

Volunteers work inside of an Animal Rescue Center which helps rehabilitate endangered animals rescued from the ever diminishing Amazon forest, specifically those animals which are sold on the black market.  Volunteers are able to feed and care for the animals, clean their habitats, and partake in the rehabilitation and repopulation of the animals.  Also available: translating for international volunteers. 

Coastline Conservation

Volunteers are able to travel to a variety of communities by boat to small islands off the coast.  Their work includes dismantling illegal and abandoned marine farms, as well as working with other NGO’s in order to conserve the Mangrove Ecosystem on the Ecuadorian coast.  Projects include reforestation, patrolling for illegal fisheries, and maintenance.

Duration: Generally a month or more

Spanish speaking not required, but encouraged

Location: Ecuador

For more information, check out: www.ecuadorecovolunteer.org