Eco Tourism
Volunteering

VOLUNTEER IN BRAZIL AT A PERMACULTURE FARM

Category: Apprenticeship Programme

  • ECOLIBRIUM: Bioconstructing the Future

    ECOLIBRIUM: Bioconstructing the Future

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    The Ecolibrium Space

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    The Ecolibrium Association is a non-profit organization that aims to promote a resilient ecosystem, establishing conscious relationships between agriculture, community, and nature, using permaculture as a tool and values of respect, equality, and collaboration.

    With this, we bring to life this space also called Ecolibrium, which will expand the work already developed by Eco Caminhos, sharing our knowledge of agroforestry and natural building with even more people. Through a broader and more inclusive educational program, we will empower our audience with theoretical knowledge in this space and continue to put skills into practice on our farm. Additionally, we will also seek financial autonomy through ecotourism, organizing courses and events, and selling the products we cultivate.

     

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    The Architectural Project

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    The architectural project, developed by Mexican architect Pedro Pizarro Villalobos, was designed to host volunteers, students, and tourists, and to connect institutions, farmers, and local builders.

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    The building is a large circle and will include collective accommodations, among them dormitories and suites, kitchen, laundry, and bathrooms, as well as a workshop and a multifunctional area for activities, administrative office, and a restaurant with a view of the valley open to the general public, all connected by a large central courtyard.

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    Construction Phases and Strategies

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    The project is divided into three phases, and we are currently in the first. It is in this phase that most of the collective use accommodations are taking shape, such as the kitchen, laundry, two bathrooms, five rooms, and two of the eight suites.

    The main technique used here, as in all our constructions, is cob, also known as adobe, in this case, in solid walls over 40 cm thick, ensuring thermal and acoustic comfort and fulfilling its structural function to support the green roof. As the base of this wall, we use stones, one part below the ground for the foundation, along with a thick layer of gravel and piping for drainage in this area, and another part above, serving to protect the walls from ground moisture and rain since the eaves are not very extensive.

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    Taking advantage of the steep slope of the land, the second phase will be a floor below phases one and three, which we consider the ground floor. For this, a retaining wall will need to be built, along with a structure with pillars that will support the third phase. In this case, the walls will be only partitions, which can be thinner and consequently require less material, speeding up the process. Thus, we opted for the so-called wattle and daub technique, using a lattice of wood and bamboo, later covered with cob.

    In the second stage, the executive and educational sector predominates, where the administrative office, workshop, and multifunctional space will be located.

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    The third phase will be built on top of the second phase, completing the ground floor circle and creating a large internal courtyard. At the front of the building, a wooden deck extends towards the valley. This phase will include the entire structure of the restaurant, which is still under development, and the other suites.

    In this case, the chosen technique was also rammed earth, due to its lighter weight, which demands less from the underlying structure. For the coverage of the entire set, a green roof was planned, as it not only uses natural raw materials, prevents heat transfer to the surroundings, keeps the internal temperature pleasant, but also looks aesthetically amazing and maintains the characteristic of the buildings on the farm.

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    First Phase – Construction Stages

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    Executed Stages:

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    1.FOUNDATION: consisting of a high layer of gravel approximately 1 meter thick, with a drainage system and covered by large stones bonded with concrete;

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    2. WALLS – BASE: a stone wall approximately 40cm wide and 60cm high, elevating the earth wall from the ground and where wooden posts were fixed to support the walls; in this stage, we also left the hydraulic connections;

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    3. WALLS – COB: we obtained cob through a mixture of earth, sand, grass, and water, and it is essentially the core of the construction. We lay layers of 40cm width and structure the walls. For each layer of approximately 30cm height, we place bamboo slats across the posts to ensure more resistance to possible movements. At this stage, we also install conduits for electrical wiring;

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    4. LINTELS – for the door and window openings, we used planks from railway sleepers, which are repurposed and very durable. These will later be used to install the frames and also act as lintels. After installing them, we continue to raise the walls;

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    Stage in progress:

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    5. WOODEN “RING”: when we reach a wall height of 2.50 meters, we place wooden beams over them, fitting them in and creating a kind of belt around the structure. After this, we continue with cob in a diagonal to create the roof slope;

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    Next Stages:

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    6. BEAMS AND PURLINS: we will place wooden beams perpendicularly to the walls to support the roof, and over them, the purlins;

    7. CEILING COVERING: the purlins will receive wooden boards that make up the ceiling and will later receive the green roof;

    8. GREEN ROOF: consists of a waterproofing system, a drainage system, and a substrate where plant species will be planted. We decided to cover this part of the work before finishing the veranda side because we are entering the rainy season, and with the covering, we can continue working internally;

    9. VERANDA: we will execute the foundation for the columns, which will be pieces of railway sleepers measuring 16x24cm and will have the same roofing structure as the building;

    10. SUBFLOOR AND FLOOR: the ground will receive a layer of expanded clay for thermal insulation, a concrete layer, and a stone floor covering, which will be easy to maintain and resistant to the high traffic the location will receive;

    11. FINISHES: at this stage, the walls will be covered with plaster and stucco, using a mixture of clay, sand, ground straw, and lime for internal use, and a mixture of clay, sand, fresh manure, and linseed oil for external use. Electrical, hydraulic installations, and frames will also be completed.

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    The stages were defined in this sequence due to the rainy season, which usually begins at the end of September. Therefore, we are speeding up to cover what has been done so far, postponing the veranda construction and thus enabling the completion of the final finishes under the covering.

    We started the work in February 2024, thanks to donations from partners and to our collaborators, apprentices, and temporary volunteers, who literally got their hands dirty, guided and supervised by builder Jorge Dutra and director Bart Bijen. We are now focusing our efforts on completing this first phase and raising funds for the next phases.

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    Collaborators:

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    Construction Manager: Arthur Antony
    Construction Master: Jorge Dutra
    Construction Team: Rhana Parajara, Wallace Ferreira and Pedro Lindemann
    Project Detailing and Construction Team: Alieska Zancanaro[/vc_column_text][gap size=”30px” id=”” class=”” style=””][vc_column_text css=””]

    Investor Partners:

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  • Apprentice Program

    Apprentice Program

    Eco Caminhos permaculture farm since its foundation has received people from Brazil and across the globe to share experiences and teach people about agroforestry, bioconstruction and Eco Tourism.

     

     

    Since the beginning we also gave room to receive those we lack opportunities and resources to invest in learning opportunities. In fact our main mission is to make the world just a tiny bit more sustainable and just for everyone. We like to give you an inside of how our apprenticeship program works and give you an update about the development of our apprentices this year.

    How do we attract and select apprentices?

    We promote the apprenticeship program on our media channels and in our personal network. People can candidate themselves online. After a first screening where we check mindset, willingness to put their hands in the dirt,mental and physical health we invite them for 2 interviews. In the interview we verify first the expectations of the candidate. We want to check if the candidate understands the real conditions at the farm. A simple environment, hard work, healthy food and being outside most of the time. Also we emphasize the fact that we are in the mountains requires good physical preparation and mental preparation. We also explain the simple conditions of the farm to not set false expectation.  For us motivation and simplicity is more important than a beautiful CV.  With all the information thales (responsible for communication), Bart (managing director) and Dutra (general coordinator) decide which apprentice should come.

    Older apprentices and more woman in our apprenticeship program

    Until 2023 we called the program our young apprenticeship program and had a maximum age of 26. But we realized in 2022 that people above 26 were excluded from this opportunity. Sometimes a more mature person who has tried the job market and did not succeed to find happiness or financial stability is eagerly searching for opportunities like these. Another aspect we have worked on intensively this year is to bring more female candidates to the farm. In Brazil there is still a resistance for woman to work in the agriculture or construction sector. We believe this a shame as woman often fulfill crucial roles at our farm. And this year we succeeded to receive 3 female apprentices. 2 are currently active at the farm and 1 is on the way.

    Length of the apprenticeship program and test period

    The minimum commitment for an apprenticeship program is 3 months. We have a test period of a month. After 1 week we do a first evaluation. We check basic things such as working hours punctuality, work motivation, colleagues respect, cleaning and integration with the team. Also we have a zero drug and alcohol policy at the farm. Providing orientation at first week with several workshops, trainings and meetings we make sure the apprentice can integrate well in the program. After one month there is a crucial evaluation.  25% of candidates step out before the first month. For the 75% that stay there is a possibility to extend for another 9 months. For apprentices who conclude a 1 year program successfully we help them to get a job. And in case of Rodrigo and Wallace we contract them ourselves. Rodrigo already works with us for 3 years and has become a respected employee at the farm. We foresee the same path for Wallace who is contracted this week.

    What can apprentices learn?

    Our apprenticeship programs offer people the opportunity to learn about permaculture, agroforestry, bioconstruction and ecotourism. This is not just working in this areas but we offer theoretical training, we frequent give instruction session during the work periods. We do reflections on the things will build and grow to stimulate people to observe and react which is a crucial aspect of permaculture. Now possibly the biggest learning opportunity is that the people grow as human beings. In our individual world people can hide their flaws easily hidden in an apartment in big cities. We can run away from all our problems. At the farm not. We have no other choice than to face our flaws. Our community members, roommates or fellow residents will show us a mirror.

    Conditions for apprentices

    All apprentices are offered accommodation, food (mainly organic from own production),  and a stipend. This all with the help of a number of generous sponsors. We want to make sure that everyone is able to have all the basic needs. Health care in Brazil is free. Still often the healthcare system offers very limited services. Eco Caminhos makes sure that we use all means, network to offer the best health care services for all our workers. In the future we hope to be able to offer health care insurance. But that is still a bit too expensive for us. Apprentices also get 2 months per year holidays to recover from the hard work and to be able to  visit family and friends.

     

    Lets present our apprentices to you.

     

    Sarah, 37 years, Fortaleza, Ceara

    Sarah has been an incredible input to our farm. With an incredible mindset and work ethic. Always giving it her best. Sarah wanted to come to the farm as she learned a lot about agroforestry but wanted more practical experience. At the farm she works in agroforestry, taking care of the caddle and milking the cows, composting and general maintance. Sarah committed for 3 months as she has to go back to Ceara for commitments that has made. We already offered her a job opportunity for 2024.

    Natalia, 38 years, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Argentina is a big economic crisis, many Argentinians are coming to Brazil to seach for opportunities. Natalia has been travelling for 4 years and thinks it was time to settle somewhere. Natalia has little experience with farming or bioconstruction. She has adapted really well. Natalia main jobs on the farm are cooking the lunch 3 days per week for the entire crew, she takes care of the caddle and milks the cows and she also likes to work in bioconstruction. As Sarah Natalia also has committed for 3 months.

    Wallace, 33 years, Xerem, Rio de Janeiro Brazil

    As mentioned before Wallace is being contracted this week thanks to his great contribution to the farm. We know Wallace from the time that Bart (founding director) was running an orphanage in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. Wallace announced his interest in the apprenticeship opportunity. He’s at Eco Caminho since December of 2022. Working in bioconstruction, maintance, Taking care of the cadle and milking the cows, gardening, driving and irrigation. We are very happy with Wallace at the farm. He is always ready to help wherever we need him and for this reason has become an important member of the crew. Wallace will be after Rodrigo the 2nd apprentice that we will contracting. He is very happy with his promotion and motivated to stay.

    Amadeus, 18 years, Germany/Brazil

    Amadeus is a Brazilian German who worked with us as a volunteer for 1 year. We have been very impressed by the progress he has made during one year. Amadeus worked mainly in agroforestry and his skills and motivation have developed impressively. He matured a lot, created work ethics and also socially developed incredibly. Became friends with the entire crew.  Asked us before his year was over if he could come back in the apprenticeship program and stay for a few years at the farm. We were very happy. Although he does not have the  profile of being in need we believe his presence is very important also for other apprentices. For this reason the Eco Farm will pay for his stipend. We expect him to become an agroforestry specialist in time. He is coming back in the beginning of 2024.

    Leandro 19 & João 17 years, Xerem, Rio de Janeiro

    João & Leandro stayed with us for a month. Both also lived as small children in the orphanage Casa do Caminho where Bart was the manager. Both are special and have a learning disorder. They contacted us and asked for help as both where homeless. We were very motivated to help them and the entire crew gave it their best to make them feel at home and to train them. It required a lot of patience of the team. After 6 weeks we had to end the apprenticeships of the boys. This because basic rules as the boys did not respect the basic rules of the farm and lacked motivation to learn all the techniques on the farm. It fell us very hard to let them go but we simply lack the human infrastructure to help these boys further. We like to share not only the success stories but also the difficulties we face.

    Julio, 45 years, Esperanza, Argentina

    Julio arrived yestersay from Argentina. He has experience in gardening and used to have his own vegetable garden. He also came to Brazil to find a better future and to learn more about permaculture, agroforestry and bioconstruction. We wish him an incredible apprenticeship experience with us.

    Apprentices to come…

    We have Jessika coming form Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro in the next month. She will be working in the kitchen, bioconstruction, agroforestry, maintenance and animal care.

    Want to support our apprenticeship program?

    We are already generating sufficient income to cover its operational costs. However the expenses for our apprenticeship program are not covered by our income. Over the passed years several individual donors have helped us to finance this program and transform the life of individuals who just need an opportunity in life. Would you like to support someone?

    Would you like to support an Apprentice?

    Please contact us if you want more information what it cost to sponsor an apprentice and where you can make your donation.

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  • Social Impact 2022

    Social Impact 2022

    The Partners & their history

     

    Over the passed 20 years a group of organization have colaborated in social activities mainly focussed on underprivileged youth in Brazil. It all started with the Comunidade Rural Casa do Caminho orphanage in Brazil where Bart Bijen became the managing director. In 2006 the Stichting Avante Educação Brasil was founded in the Netherlands with the objective to support the children of the orphanage and other underpriviledged youth in Brazil.

    Then in 2009 the Caminhos Language Centre in Rio de Janeiro was founded. A Portuguese Language School for foreigners with 2 goals. Generate funding for underprivileged children and teens from the orphanage and also the favelas in Rio de Janeiro. The school is owned by Bart and Jascha. Jascha is the managing director.

    In the language school surged “Mais Caminhos” which was the social arm of the school which grew together with the school and is now an established organization.

    And in 2015 Eco Caminhos in Nova Friburgo, Brasil was founded with the purposes to impact both the environment and underprivileged youth.

    As the social programs have grown in 2023 we have now founded a Brazilian Foundation called “Ecolibrium” with the purpose to raise funds in Brazil and abroad to increase the social and environmental impact in the region.

     

    The realized work in 2022

    The support of educational and social projects in Brazil by the Avante Educação Brasil Foundation runs through the programs: 1. Mais Caminhos 2. Eco Caminhos Apprenticeship (school) 3. Support for Davi and family

    Mais Caminhos

    In the program Mais Caminhos is aimed at providing education and support for children from the favelas Cantagalo and Pavuna in Rio de Janeiro.  The program functions at the Caminhos Language Center in Rio de Janeiro. The manager Marie Dupuy runs a team of volunteers.  For a reports of the activities and achievement you can check the mais caminhos website.

    Eco Caminhos Apprenticeship

    The Avante Educação foundation  also supports the apprenticeship program of Eco Caminhos. An Eco farm near Nova Friburgo in the state of Rio de Janeiro.  The Eco Farm also receives underprivileged young adults with little perspective. youngsters live at the farm for one or two years receiving accommodation, food and a stipend. The young adults can specialize in bio-construction or agroforestry.

    They also learn how to behave on the labour market and how to take care of themselves: cleaning, cooking and learning how to handle money. In 2022, there were 4 apprentices. Of these, three have successfully completed the programme. One of them is now contracted by Eco Caminhos as an employee, two have left after going abroad after meeting a friend within Eco Caminhos. In 2023, two new apprentices have  started and two more are starting in May,

    Davi and Family

    Support to Davi and family The Avante Educação Brasil Foundation has been supporting Davi Porfirio and his siblings for many years. The family spent an important part of their childhood in the Casa do Caminhos orphanage near Rio de Janeiro. Davi then spent an exchange year in Genhout Beek with the Pirson family . He then went to study and works at the Caminhos Language Centre where he is responsible for touristic activities for the students. Two brothers and a sister are now adults and stand on their own two feet. There is another brother Tiago who is forteen years old and is currently in school. In the video below Davi explains why the support needs to continue for a few more years.

    Davi will now move to France in 2023 where his girlfriend lives. Luciana, Davi’s sister, will continue to care for Tiago. Luciana doesn’t make enough money to support Tiago. Davi will have to set up his life in Europe first and get a job in France . Until then, we will continue to provide financial support. We kindly ask the donors to continue to support for at least another four years until Tiago is an adult. Davi is supported by about 40 sponsors who pay a monthly amount.

     

    AEB Foundation

    The AEB Foundation does fundraising for all the projects described above and does annual fundraisers for specific projects. The board consists of Jan Bijen (chairman), Jascha Lewkowitz (secretary treasurer) and Maarten Vonhögen (secretary).

  • Young Apprentice Program

    Young Apprentice Program

    We believe we are all connected to one another, including plants and animals. Therefore, the main purpose of EcoCaminhos is being a self-sustainable reality where people can develop themselves in a safe, respectful and inspiring environment while growing in harmony and mutual respect with nature.

    From this idea, the Young Apprentice Program emerged.

    We co-live and co-work in an international community and we offer local underprivileged but motivated teenagers the chance of living and learning in a safe and multicultural environment as we believe education is one of the most important keys to fight discrimination and inequalities.

    Here they have the opportunity to develop themselves meaningfully, learning about sustainability, social interactions, foreign languages and organization, while deepening their skills through theoretical workshops and practical work, and building their own goals in life.

     

    At the moment, our Young Apprentice Program includes four people: Rodrigo, Vinicius, Sebastian and Cleiton.

     

           

     

     

    Rodrigo, 27, Xerém – Brazil

     

     

     

    Rodrigo and Vinicius, both from Brazil, have successfully almost completed their program.

    Rodrigo has been part of the farm for one year and a half now and will become an employee starting from next year. He had the opportunity to learn about both bioconstruction and agroforestry until he decided to focus on and master agroforestry.

    Among working and taking care of all the farm SAFs (AgroForestry Systems), he is now leading the plantation team, introducing volunteers and tourists to the agroforestry concepts and work, and organizing the vegetable garden from the plantation to the sale of the vegetable boxes.

    Besides that, the experience with a multicultural community and the opportunity to continuously interact with new people helped him a lot with his shyness and communication skills. When he first arrived at EcoCaminhos it was really difficult for him to express himself and take part in social events. He has been working harder and harder to step out of his comfort zone and now Rodrigo is way more talkative even when he doesn’t know the language.

     

    Find out Rodrigo’s experience on our YouTube channel.

     

    Vinicius, 34, Xerém – Brazil

     

     

    Vinicius has also been on the farm for over one year.

    After growing up with Rodrigo and Claiton in an orphanage of Rio de Janeiro, he has been working for a while in the civil construction field.  His focus here at the farm has been learning about bioconstruction to master his skills and learn pros and cons of different construction methods. He quickly became an important leading figure for the bioconstruction team and for those who come visiting the farm and experience bioconstruction for the first time.

    During his stay he also took the advantage to learn English and practice other foreign languages with the international community of volunteers who come here from all over the world.

    Now that the last big project of bioconstruction (EcoLodge) is finished, he is balancing his work schedule between the maintenance of the other bioconstructed houses and agroforestry, in order to acquire knowledge in this sector as well to better combine the two.

     

    Find out Vinicius’s experience on our YouTube channel.

     

    Sebastian, 27, Venezuela

       

     

    Sebastian left Venezuela several years ago because of the current hard reality of his country.

    He left with the idea of looking for a safe place to live, to grow and find opportunities to then reconnect with his family. He firstly spent one year in Colombia to then moved another year in the Amazon where he witnessed hard moments and difficult situations after which he ended up living in the streets of Rio de Janeiro. There he was when he found out the opportunity to live and work at EcoCaminhos.

    Sebastian is a professional chef and used to work in restaurants where  food was frequent. Here at the farm he found the opportunity to have a better understanding of what he cooks by learning how to produce food and how to compost it. Indeed, his work schedule is divided between taking care of the agroforestry, vegetable garden and compost and cooking lunches for the team.

    He became part of the farm six months ago as a volunteer and quickly gained a position after 3 months on the Apprenticeship program, thanks to his positive and hard-working attitude.

    So far, he considers himself to be in the same pathway of EcoCaminhos because both work in order to preserve and take care of the planet by learning how to produce and use just what is necessary. Excitingly, one of the next projects of the farm (Ecolibrium) will see, among other goals, the realization of a restaurant that will give him the possibility to establish and professionally develop.

     

    Cleiton, 24, Xerém – Brazil

     

     

     

    Finally, Cleiton.

    This is Cleiton’s third time to take part in the farm programs.

    He comes from the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro and experienced a tough life throughout drug environments. During his first stay here he took part in the Rehabilitation program but, despite some improvements, he couldn’t succeed.

    As we always say, our aim is to give underprivileged people the opportunity to redeem themselves in life, but we are aware that changes are only possible for those who have a strong motivation and mindset to really overcome their habits and troubles and improve their life conditions.

    Cleiton is an example of this.

    After leaving EcoCaminhos for the second time, he got involved again in bad habits and drug environments. However, he also had the chance to think about his life and realized how much he could improve it. Those considerations made him request to come back to the farm and seriously take advantage of his opportunity this time. Changes take time for everyone, especially for the long term, but he’s trying his best and people who know him for many years can recognize his efforts and how much he is improving.

    When he came back to the farm he started attending the Rehabilitation program again for the first three  months, to then move to the Apprentice program thanks to his behavior and results.

    Now he is currently on his fifth month.

    Find out about Cleiton’s first experience in our article.

     

    If you would like to know more about this program, here you can find all the details.

    There is no need to build a big ecofarm or cross the world to make a social and environment  impact. Starting from our personal reality and habits is already more than enough.

    We believe the best way to make a change in the world is to firstly change and improve ourselves, and we are sure that if we keep striving to learn and do our best, even our small actions will have a big positive impact in the world.

     

    If you feel you would like to contribute with our Young Apprentice Program, feel free to contact us.