One of the biggest problems in our comunity is the lack of youth. The locals are mainly elder people who day by day have less energy for farming. Their sons and daughters have left to live abroad or live in the city, creating low expectations for the future of the village. Many of them, seduced by the urban way of life are packed up in the cities surviving against the unfare conditions this system has created. Back at home while they´re parents struggle to sell and make some profit out of their lands, food and animal production slowly decreases making the comunity poorer everyday.
The life in the countryside is tough, demanding and hard working specially if you do it alone. But can also be made easier if we work together and more simple if we work with the nature on our side, learning and following its way of acting.
While developing the eco-hostel we aspire to bring this comunity alive. Trying to save the knowledge and the culture inherited from the hundreds of years of adaptation to these harsh lands. With the income generated we wish to invest in the local and traditional businesses. We will also promote workshops to recuperate cultural inheritance, such as: handcraft tecniques, local farm working skills, traditional building skills, traditional music and arts. While the comunity shares their heritage and life experiences with us, we will payback with the positive aspects our generation can offer:
- Our studies, work experiences and skills.
- Help with the use of modern tecnologies and comunications.
- Our youth and vitality to labour.
- Our love and hability to work together for a better world, finding solutions to overcome their troubles and reasons to make them proud of their heritage.
Our mission:
- Reconecting ourselves with mothernature, living closer to the earth and growing healthy in unity.
- Build a sustainable eco-farm that will work with and develop the local comunity: Boavista, Campeã, Trás dos Montes.
- Learn and preserve the traditions and skills, recovering the human values and social relationships of mutual help aiming to achieve sustainability.
- Promote ecologic awareness in locals and guests.
- Support projects that aim for a healthy balance of man with its surrounding.
Our goal is to become an eco-sustainable farm, that can be an example of how to live in harmony with nature. To do this we need a workteam willing to commit to the cause and make this idea work. We need creative, skilfull people with ecologic minds, permaculture thinking, dinamic, dedicated, active, fun and most important with a good heart. Brothers and sisters that can make this dream grow. If you feel this is what you are...
Welcome home family...