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Learn cultivation and processing of sacred medicinal plants and building alternative construction

World, Central America, Panama, Rio hato

APPLY NOW

APPLY NOW

Travel dates

27°C, 16:16

About the workproject

We need 10 volunteers

A few miraculous incidences led our journey to Rodrigo´s land. We came here to volunteer ourselves and were amazed about the potential this project has. Since we are traveling, our journey goes on now, but we had a wonderful time here and would like to help Rodrigo to open this place for other volunteers to help, learn and enjoy!


Mission/vision:

All over the world ayahuasca has become more and more popular. And that for a good reason, as this sacred medicine that has been used traditionally by many tribes in South America, has great healing powers, helping people to get over old fears, traumata and patterns. It has been a very important part of indigenous culture in the Amazones, as it helps the people to connect with Mother Nature, talk with the plants, to learn with which remedies people can be cured and experience a glimpse of the divine.
As this reconnection of humankind with nature is more urgent than ever before, it is wonderful that this medicine is more widely used and brings us back to our roots. At the same time it is getting more and more commercialized and exploited. The plants get largely cut in the rainforest without any concerns about depleting it.

Here on this farm you can learn how to cultivate the medicine in a sustainable way, how to propagate it as well how to brew the remedy. It is a beautiful opportunity to give back to the plants and have a connection with it on different levels.

Introduction:

Rodrigo is a very colorful, open-minded character, a walking encyclopedia, full of humor, interesting stories and ideas. You will never get bored around him and there is lots to learn from him. Rodrigo has been 15 years on this land, which is an ancestral property from his family. Before he was in Brasil, where he founded several NGOs including projects for water protections and sustainable development in protected areas and created a Methodology for masterplans for rural areas. And also in Brasil he met the Santo Daime church and founded one next to a Hare Krishna community. One day he decided to go back to his homeland and create a nursery for these plants and to make the experience more accessible for a wider range of people.
His mascot and pet is a rooster called Pixel, who reminds you to walk mindful of your surroundings.
Lili is his ´interface´, helping him to organize and relax. She is a very pleasant woman full of love, especially to her two birds Haribol and Haribolla.
Jose-Maria is the handyman, electrician and plumber, a man full of skills from construction, welding, repairing, building furniture to making you laugh with his jokes and teaching you Spanish.
Luna is the gardener, a very lovely peaceful character and hard worker with more than 70 years of experience and strength, more than all of us got together.

About the host

Agro Riegos Cocle (67)

Host since

2017

Languages

English, Portuguese, Spanish

All language are welcome always you will learn something abput us language

Last seen online

more than 6 month ago

Welcome to an ornamental plant nursery and gathering place for Ayuasca and Santo Daime ceremonies. Here at the land there are many on-going projects for volunteers to participate in. We are looking for help from people who are open to living in a small community of panamanians and travelers.
Bienvenidos -, gran vivero de plantas y empresa de riegos tanto ornamentales como medicinales y centro de ceremonias de Ayahuasca y Santo Daime. Tenemos muchos proyectos en curso y es por eso que estamos buscando tu ayuda y tu presencia en esta pequeña comunidad de locales y viajeros.
Mission/vision:
All over the world ayahuasca has become more and more popular. And for good reason, this sacred medicine that has been used traditionally by many peoples in South America, has great healing powers to help people get over old fears, trauma and reverse destructive patterns. It has been a very important part of indigenous culture in the Amazons and beyond as it helps people to connect with Mother Nature, communicate with the plant world..
En todas partes del mundo la ayuhuasca se ha vuelto cada vez mas popular. Por muy buenas razones, esta medicina sagrada es usada tradicionalmente en muchas culturas de America del Sur. Tiene el poder de curar y ayudar a las personas a eliminar miedos, traumas y disolver malos hábitos. Es de suma importancia para muchas culturas indigenas en Amazonas, ayudando a conectar a las personas con la madre tierra, a traves del lenguaje de plantas sagradas.
This reconnection of humankind with nature is more urgent than ever before, it is wonderful that this medicine is more widely used and brings us back to our roots. At the same time it is getting more and more commercialized and exploited. As a result the plants are typically overharvested in the rainforest without any concerns for their depletion.
Esta reconección de seres humanos con la naturaleza es de suma importancia en la actualidad, y es maravilloso que la medicina sea de gran ayuda para volver a nuestras raices. Al mismo tiempo, Ayahuasca esta siendo comercializada desmedidamente y por ello explotada inconcientemente. Las plantas estan siendo cosechadas sin cuido en las selvas sin pensar en el futuro.
Here on this farm, you can learn how to cultivate the medicine in a sustainable way, learn how to propagate it as well as how to brew the remedy. It is a beautiful opportunity to give back to the plants and have a connection with it on different levels.
Aqui en la finca, puedes aprender como cultivar la medicina de una manera sostenible aprendiendo como propagar este remedio con respeto y gratitud. Es una oportunidad bella para devolverle a las plantas y conectarse en un nivel profundo con la naturaleza y las personas.
Introduction:
Rodrigo has lived on this land 15 years, which he inherited from his family. Before begining this project Rodrigo was in Brazil many year. There he founded several NGOs including projects for water management and sustainable development in protected areas. In Brazil he became involved in the Santo Daime church and later founded one Santo Daime community. After 20 years, he decided to go back to his homeland and create a nursery for these plants and to make the experience more accessible for a wider range of people.
Rodrigo ha vivido en este terreno por 15 anos. Antes de empezar con su trabajo aqui, estuvo varios años en Brasil, fundando varias ONGs, incluyendo proyectos de manejo de cuencas y aprovechamiento de agua y desarollo sostenible en areas protegidas. Alli tambien estuvo involucrado en la iglesia de Santo Daime hasta fundar una comunidad de Santo Daime. Luego de 20 años decidio retornar a su tierra natal, reactivar su finca familiar, comenzar un gran vivero ornamental y hacer la medicina accesible para todo tipo de gente.
Now, the land has a building for hosting volunteers and guests, an extensive nursery where there is a production of ornamental plants for sale to the public, a chemical-free pool, a chicken coop, comunal kitchen, and many projects to come.
Ahora, la finca cuenta con cuartos para voluntarios y huéspedes, un gran vivero donde hay producción de plantas ornamentales para venta al público, una piscina construida con arena volcánica llena de agua pura de pozo sin químicos ni cloro. Un gallinero, una cocina comunal, y espacio para que los voluntarios puedan desarrollar sus ideas.

Tipo de ayuda.
Tipo de ayuda.
Jardinería
Construcción
Cocinar / compras
Mantenimiento Bricolage
Ayuda en una granja
Ayuda con un proyecto ecologico
Ayuda con animales
Projecto artístico

Ayuda
Ayuda
The help is varied and changes depending on what is going on at the moment. It is important to be adaptable to the project going on at the moment but new ideas for projects are welcome!
La ayuda es variada y cambia dependiendo las semanas. Es importante adaptarce a los proyectos en curso, pero nuevas ideas simpre son muy bienvenidas!
Here is a list of on-going tasks:
- nursery: propagation of ornamental and medicinal plants
- help Luna (the gardener) with planting, weeding, and transplanting
- construction and maintanence in general (requiring some hard work under the sun)
- improving the camping area
- beginings of vegetable garden for volunteers
- preparing for ceremonies
- cleaning, organization, and improvement of communal spaces

Los proyectos en curso:
- Vivero, propogación de plantas ornamentales y medicinales
- siembra, transplante, limpieza de malezas, abonado ( tareas de jardineria en general)
- mejoramiento de area de camping
- Iniciando area de cultivo de hortalizas para los voluntarios
- preparación de ceremonias
- limpieza, organización y mejoramiento de espacios comunales

Ideas/goals for the future:
- improvement of the camping area for volunteers with its own kitchen and eco-toilet and shower.
-construction of new ceremonial hall
- reduction of waste, construction of a better recylcing system

Ideas/metas para el futuro:
- hacer cocina y baño seco en el area de camping
-construcción de nuevo salón de ceremonias
- reducciónn y transformación de basura, mejoramiento de sistema de reciclaje

Idiomas hablados
Idiomas hablados
English, Spanish, Portuguese

Alojamiento
Alojamiento
There are a few rooms available and lots of mattresses, yoga mats, pillows and mosquito nets and hammocks to use. There is space with a big roof where people can camp. There are a few tents available for people to use as well as blankets and matresses. There is space for washing clothes by hand and to hang them up. There is already an inside kitchen with stove and fridge and all the materials for cooking meals.

Hay cuartos disponibles, muchos colchones, mats de yoga, almohadas , mosquiteros y hamacas para uso de voluntarios. Hay un area con techo grande para acampar y tambien podemos brindar las tiendas de campaña. Hay espacio para lavar tu ropa y donde colgarla. Existe una cocina adentro de la casa comunal con refrigedora, cocina de gas, y todos los ingredientes para cocinar.
Volunteers take turns cooking for the group. All the ingredients are provided (vegetables,fruits, bread, cheese, rice, beans, spices, etc.) the only excpetion is that the community is vegetarian. All volunteers are asked to work five hours a day in one of the on-going projects, in return they will be well fed regular meals. No one goes hungry in this project and at any time a volunteer can enter the kitchen and prepare themselves a snack, tea, or coffee. For us, eating properly is most important for bien es de suma importancia para la comunidad.

Algo más...
Algo más...
The place is next to the Pan American Highway, so it´s very easy accessible (and some traffic noise). From the project you just have to cross the road and can catch any bus that drives by or hitchhike.

El lugar es al lado de la Panamericana, es muy acesible (incluso se escucha un poco de ruido de trafico desde la finca). Es facil llegar de autobus o ride.

¿Cuántos voluntarios puede usted acudir?
¿Cuántos voluntarios puede usted acudir?
más de dos

Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Rodrigo is very connected to this land as he grew up here, so through him you can learn a lot about Panamanian as well as Brazilian culture. He offers interesting insights to the traditions of shamans of the Amazon, Santo Daime, even the Hare Krishnas. You can learn a lot about plants, pruning, propagation methods, eco-development, water filtering systems - and about lifesmile If you want to learn how to cultivate Ayahuasca in a sustainable way and protect this plant for the future generations you are in the right place. Also the helpers have lots to teach and you can practice your Spanish with them as they are practicing their English with you

Project dates

Open for offers, contact us


Work to be done

  • gardening
  • construction
  • farming
  • language practice
  • maintenance tasks
  • eco projects
  • computer help
  • internet support

Expected workhours

  • 5 hours a day
  • 5 days a week

Work exchange deal

  • shared room, camper, tent

There are three rooms available (outside of the ceremony weekends) and lots of mattresses, yoga mats, pillows and mosquito nets to use.
There is a space being build right now in the garden with a big roof, where people can camp. There are a few tents available for people to use. Laundry facilities and an outdoor kitchen are being installed there if you prefer to be in nature.
There is already an inside kitchen with stove and fridge and all the materials for cooking meals.
You cook your own food, but get the staples provided.
For vegetables and fruits there are shops and markets around, where we recycled mountains of good food that they were not able to sell. Rodrigo wants to make a deal with them to get a constant supply from them for volunteers. As well there is the plan to start a garden that will provide veggies and fruits on the land - so far you can find yucca, cashews and incredible amounts of delicious mangos (if you come in the right season wink ).
Minimum stay for volunteering in exchange for accommodation is 1 week.

  • shared meals

US offer basic food, rice, beans, oat,

  • no money is involved