Guidance Notes for WorkAway Volunteers:
Meals & Food

• Meals are provided three times a day. We cook one meal each time for the family and all volunteers and we eat together. Therefore, we do our best to avoid food anyone dislikes and of course foods to which people have allergies. Within reason of what we have available and our budget, we also try to accommodate preferences for certain types of foods or recipes. If you prefer to eat separately or differently from the family we can arrange to take you to a store where you can shop for your own provisions.

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•  Outside of meals we know some people get hungry so we try to provide snacks. We ask that you do not help yourself to things in the larder, cantina or fridges without asking first as some things are planned for other occasions or uses.
  

 

• We provide wine with most meals and in the evenings. If you would like some and we have not offered it please ask and we will let you know where to find it and which to take. Please do not open new wine without agreement. On occasion we may run out and need to restock or have to save a limited supply for an event. We ask that you understand that this can be the case although it happens very rarely.

 

• Cooking meals and washing up are a collective responsibility outside of working hours. We all need to eat and we ask that everyone chips in to help with these basic life needs as well as keeping the communal spaces tidy. During busy times if you are asked to wash up or cook instead of doing some farm work this would be considered a work time task.

 

• If you take cups or glasses to your room please bring them back daily

 

• Meals are at scheduled (pre-communicated times) if you sleep in or choose not to attend you will miss them… please come on time!

 

• If cooking please use the things that are open before opening new items. We try to use the leftovers from the last meal as soon as possible to avoid waste – imaginative cooking is always welcomed!

 
 
Electricity and Water

• Water is charged for but more immediately important, we have a sceptic tank with a limited capacity. We need to use water for showering, dishes, washing clothes and the toilet. We ask that you therefore are economical with how you do these things. We do not wash dishes under a running tap, we turn off the shower if not using the water and don’t run it before we get in (heat is instant) we also ask that while you enjoy a shower and take time to get clean you don’t exaggerate the length of time you shower please (for clarity no one will be timing you!). Overall, we ask you to think about the environment and the use of natural resources (in this case water) in everything you do.

 

• For environmental and ethical reasons, we have chosen to live off grid. This means we generate all of our own electricity through solar energy. Solar energy is obviously dependent on sun light so at night we have to live off the small amount of energy we have accumulated in a bank of 8 large car batteries. For this reason, we ask that you limit night time electricity consumption. Remember to turn off lights, don’t leave the fridge open, don’t use high consuming electrical items at night where it can be avoided. The challenge is greater in the winter than the summer but we need to be mindful all year around.

 

• If you have brought a hair dryer or other electric item with a heating element or with a high consumption please speak to us before using it.

 

• Laundry is a necessary evil when working on the farm, your clothes will get dirty or sweaty and you will no doubt need to wash things while with us. Due to the off-grid electricity situation we can only wash clothes during the day when it is sunny and we are producing enough electricity to supply the washing machine (consumes nearly 2Kw/hr). For this reason, we ask that you don’t wait until the last minute to tell us you need to do washing…. If you run out and the next three days are overcast its not going to be fun doing the farm in your underwear or worse!! Worst case we have a generator but for environmental choices we do try to avoid using it.

 
 
General Cleaning and care of property, belongings and tools.

• Please look after things, put things away when finished and don’t leave things where they will get broken or damaged. This is request as much for your own belongings as for ours. We are not rich so we ask you look after the things we lend you

 

• Please put your own belongs away in your room when finished with them. We don’t live in a huge space and it easily gets cluttered and messy. Leaving shoes or sweaters near the sofa quickly becomes unmanageable with 7 of us and up to 6 of you!

 

• After cooking or washing up please put things away in the right place. All shelves in the pantry are labelled. If not sure please ask. Again, with a small space organization is key to keeping all of our lives smooth running and stress free!

 
 
What’s Included and what you need to bring

• We try to make your stay as easy as possible. We provide bed clothes, towels, accommodation, meals, gloves, wellington boots (if we have your size), tools and other things within reason. We do not include candy, feminine hygiene products, toiletries and personal snacks. We can help you get to the store to get these if you need them however.

 

• While meals are included if we arrange to go out to an event or a restaurant the cost of your food or attendance is not covered by us. You will not be expected or forced to attend unless you want to, but unless we specifically say we are inviting you at our cost, then going out to eat etc. is something you will need to pay for. We will inform you when there is a cost and how much it is well in advance.

 
 
Waste Disposal

• Both for the rules of the area we live in and for environmental reasons we do our best to separate waste. Separation is not the same in every village and certainly not every country. For example, we are asked to put metal and plastic together and cartons with a foil lining go into metal/plastic! Separating waste can be time consuming and frustrating but if not done correctly leads to a lot of dirty work later and also can lead to the items not being recycled. Please ask us on arrival and we will walk you through what goes where!

 

• One of the best ways to help the environment and the need to recycle is to minimize the use of plastic and other non-recyclables. We invite you also to join us on this journey and try to avoid plastic bags, containers and products overly packaged in excess plastic. Also, we ask you to actively seek out ways of reusing the packaging we can’t avoid. We have a long way to go but maybe your contribution ideas and commitment to try to do the same will help us on our journey too!

 

• Feminine Hygiene Products – simply put with a biological sceptic tank these cannot go down the toilet! Please use the grey bin outside or speak to Ninke about zero waste alternatives! Save money and help the environment….

 
 
Kids

• We have 4 wonderful and very clever kids actively trying to manage everyone else on the farm including us and including you! Give them an inch they’ll take a ten thousand miles…. They know the rules better than you so they’ll ask you when they think they can get away with things that we would say no to!

• if the kids ask here are some guidelines:
  • If we are nearby redirect them to us
  • If unsure say no
  • If you can say go ask “one of us”

 

• If the kids misbehave:
  • When we are there, leave it to us
  • When we aren’t there but it will wait – inform us
  • If it is serious speak to them and correct them
  • If it is dangerous, take control and stop them

 

• We discourage smoking on the farm, but if you do smoke we ask that you do this away from the communal areas, never in sight of the kids and always dispose of your ends. Please do not discuss it or legitimize it in front of the kids we do not want them to think it’s a good thing.

 

• Also:
  • Don’t let the kids climb on you or invade your personal space
  • Feel free to kindly say you don’t what to have them involved with what you are doing
  • Feel free to invite them to join in also if you would like
  • Don’t be treated like a personal slave by the kids!
  • Insist they learn and use your name… you are you, you are not “WorkAwayer” – use of this as a name is not accepted so please don’t answer to it or accept it being used by anyone!
  • Please be conscious of the topics of discussion you choose while they are present. Discussing drugs, sex or other adult topics is not what we want our children to hear about, so please leave those subjects off the discussion list while they are within earshot (which is a good 30 meters!)

 
 
Communication & Organization:

• We generally take Monday and Tuesday as days off, however when the farm is closed for visits we can be more flexible and weekends can also be arranged. The most important thing when planning your days off is that you share with us your plans well in advance and are organized especially if you need us to take you somewhere like a bus stop etc. There are no nearby travel options with the closest being a 40-minute round trip and the furthest a nearly 3hr round trip so we ask that you work with us so we can ensure you get what you need while minimizing the cost and time impact for us. If you leave it to the last minute we may need to say no. We never like this but if you don’t plan buses in advance it can lead to clashes in timetables we cannot avoid.

 

• Changes to plans happen and we understand that. Please tell us as soon as possible and work with us so that it works for you and for us.

 

• Breakages happen, while we ask you to be mindful and careful with our belongings we accept that sometimes things just go wrong. Please tell us if they do so we can fix things. There is nothing worse than onboarding a new volunteer and finding out that a door handle is missing or a lightbulb has broken and we didn’t know in time to fix for the new person but also for you while you were still here!