Place

H4XR+PC9

Type
Volunteer House Shared Room / Environment and Conservation

About this listing

This volunteer oportunity is an educational project with an introspective focus, initiated by Mamos (elders) of the Arhuaco people. This is not an ecological farm project.

Volunteers are taught the arhuaco way of life to find balance, strength and tranquillity in their personal lives, as well as regular spiritual work to learn to “look within oneself”.
The Mamos, who represent the guardians of the ancestral wisdom of the Arhuaco people, offer a complete process that combines work on the body, emotions, mind and spirit.

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    The role/expectations What does the work schedule look like? Please give as much detail as possible

    Whoever you are, whatever you can do with your hands, come and meet us !

    As stated, the meaning of being a volunteer for the Arhuacos comes from a place of personal desire and openness. This is the reason why the Mamos from Mamorwa, who represent the guardians of the ancestral wisdom of the Arhuaco people, offer to immerse volunteers in a full experience that blends work on the body, on emotions, on the mind and spirit.

    This personal work starts at a really particular time of the day, at dawn. Between 3 and 6 a.m. there is a special conjunction that helps to meditate, focus and untangle the sufferings and difficulties that block our way in life. This opens the door to slowly move towards a clearer mind.

    This daily process teaches us to "look inside ourselves", so that our understanding of our history grows.

    It is also at the same moment of the day, the Mamos teach us, that the Spirit of water is far more present, and that the river’s water acquires deeper cleansing characteristics, which complete the morning mind work through a purifying immersion in the river.

    After this introspective moment comes breakfast with the arhuaca family.

    The work started in the morning is internalized and continues to develop within the activities throughout the day. Indeed, the Mamos will offer many different physical tasks linked with the current necessities of the reserve, each carrying a precise meaning for the ones achieving them.

    As an example, cutting wood and bringing it back to the village means, in the arhuaca tradition, that we are asking for a conversation around the fire and that we implicitly have the wish to listen and to learn.

    The physical work of the day is fundamental to the concept of volunteering. This is why there is no precise time limit set by the Mamos (the minimum being 4 daily hours of work, 6 days a week). Rather, it is a question of being involved with the daily life of an indigenous community and of learning as much as possible about all the richness the people and community have to offer.

    Here are some of the regular activities that the volunteers who visit us take part in:

    ● Traditional agriculture with the cultivation of maize, beans, squash, bananas, sugar cane, cassava, coffee, cocoa, malanga...
    ● Planting trees as part of a reforestation project (we have not started planting, it is planned !)
    ● Bringing in wood from the forest
    ● Collecting Coca leaves in the traditional arhuaca way
    ● Earthworks
    ● Construction of traditional arhuaca houses and sacred places "Kankurua" (traditional arhuaca construction dedicated to group reflection on community life and arhuaco spiritual work)
    ● Decoration of the places built, artistic work

    And many other things depending on the needs of the moment!

    If you have the ability to understand and translate Spanish into another language this is very useful to us. We are always looking for translators to facilitate the exchange with our visitors.

    At sunset, comes the moment to gather around a fire for the fire circle. This is a powerful moment of communion and exchange with the spirit of fire, for which the Mamos are translators, connected to the knowledge of their ancestors, dating back millenia.

    Each one of the volunteers will have the opportunity to talk about feelings that arose during the day and to go deeper and access the areas they wish to work on, while at the sacred Mamorwa site.

    Free-time activities

    Conviviality with the Arhuacos is an amazing life experience in itself because of the natural joy and happiness that radiate from these wonderful beings.

    Immersing yourself in the heart of the Arhuaca culture, you will have the opportunity to observe the process of designing the "mochila Tutu", the traditional arhuaco bag, or the clothing worn and woven by the men of the tribe.

    The children and other members of the family also enjoy teaching visitors the basics of the “Iku”, their mother tongue.

    Typically, Sundays are kept for contemplative mountain walks intended to welcome and nurture within ourselves the wisdom that the mountains embody, according to the arhuaco knowledge.

    Baths are taken directly in the river, a place full of magic with an incredibly intense wild flora and fauna.

    Finally, the entire elaboration process of coffee and chocolate will also be part of the discoveries that you will make at Mamorwa.

    The Arhuacos are waiting for you with the desire to talk and exchange about their culture and their views of the universe… and they do this naturally and spontaneously, emanating from their love of life and natural sense of humor that, no doubt, will charm you.

    What are the Benefits of Volunteering with you? What will you learn?

    It offers an opportunity to learn how to look within, but also to study the causes of our difficulties and sufferings without having to go through the pain they have caused us once again.

    Volunteering teaches us to find and develop qualities such as inner receptivity, concentration, motivation and self-surpassing, as well as finding how to be strong-willed for our own lives. It is a transformative process that is physical, emotional, mental as well as spiritual.

    The Mamos guide volunteers with advice based on their way of life and with words of wisdom. Volunteering offers, step by step, a better  and more profound understanding of the functioning of the universe and of our inner-self. A change of perspective on ourselves and on life occurs by being in contact with the daily life of the Mamos and their families whose customs are vibrant with life and knowledge for those who are ready to listen.

    If you Charge Volunteers, please give us the complete break down of any cost involved

    We charge 50,000 Colombian pesos to stay per night. This covers all the food and accommodations at the project.

    Below we include a description of the accommodations:

    Rooms with hammocks (we have blankets on site but it is advisable to bring your own for comfort).

    A kitchen available for volunteers for convenience (under construction yet, come and help us to improve the reception of volunteers).

    Dry toilets as well as conventional toilets under shelter.

    The site has no electricity or telephone coverage, offering complete tranquillity (if absolutely needed there is, however, the possibility of connecting to the 3g network within a 30-minute walk in the mountains).
    There is no way to charge any battery system on site, If necessary, you can bring your own solar battery or an external battery.
    !!! Please remember to bring a headlamp with enough battery power to light your way at night !!!

    No alcohol or drugs are allowed on the premises.

    Please bring something to leave with your waste.

    Daily meals are organised and prepared by the arhuaca family on site. The meals are rich in roots and tubers as well as cereals and pulses.

    We adapted our way of preparing meals as much as possible to the usual diet of a westerner by buying vegetables and other products that are not part of the traditional arhuaca diet, however the meals may require some time to be assimilated by the fragile intestines or those not used to this type of food.
    The provision of water extracted directly from the surrounding springs.
    !!! Please note that for people who are not used to drinking unfiltered water, we provide a tank of water boiled with plants, ready for consumption. If you wish, you can bring a purification or filtration system for drinking water. !!!

    Details

    • ID : 6599
    • Type: Volunteer House Shared Room / Environment and Conservation
    • How many hours of work per day/week: 4 hours per day, 6 days a wekk
    • Type of weather : varies
    • Languages spoken: spanish
    • Are you able to host volunteers / interns with physical impairments such as mobility limitations (e.g. in a wheelchair), blindness, or deafness?: Yes
    • Do You Charge Volunteers? : No

    Features

    What does the organization offer?

    • All Meals Provided
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Vegetarian Meals Provided

    What Should Volunteer bring and what are they responsible for ?

    • Airline tickets
    • Boots
    • Bug spray
    • Mosquito net
    • Pants/Jeans
    • Rain Coat
    • Sun tan lotion
    • Sweater
    • transportation
    • Visa

    Terms & rules

    • Smoking allowed: No
    • Pets allowed: No
    • Children allowed: Yes

    Availability

    December 2023

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    January 2024

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    • Available
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    • Booked

    Hosted by Mamorwa

    Profile Status
    Verified

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