Volunteering at Sachawasi
ECO-LIBERTARIAN TRIBE iN A QESHWA VILLAGE IN BOLIVIA
We are a small tribe open to heretical and playful dissidents of different origins and languages, at the inconditional service of Pachamama. We live in the bosom of a village with 300 qeshwas indians. One of us, Bruno lives with the Qeshwas the last 18 years and he teaches precolombian permaculture; the Andean cosmovision and some herbal medecine. Since 2006 he is member of this Indian village placed at the edge of the Amazonian Bolivian plateau. The village asked him to represent them (as labor union delegate) in the outside world.
The community has a primary school and a highschool.The Indians speak Qeshwa and Spanish. We are establishing with them a community center of Andean, Amazonian permaculture in order to protect the vast agricultural biodiversity of the region and search alternative solutions to the burn-off cultivation due to the degradation of the amazonian forest.
We take care manually our 10 hectares of land and this year we are building a circular house with palmwood and earth.. We raise two mules, five mares and 1 male donkey to get mules for the packsaddle. We also have a project for a 3 hectares wild life refuge saved from the fires with a plan to replant the burned areas with indigenous species.
You will work with us from Monday to Saturday from 7.00 a.m. till 13.00 approximately. .In the afternoon, rest, bath, walk, games, free work and prepare dinner. You will sleep in a earthhouse in two common rooms on beds made of bamboo y dry grass. Bring your sheet and sleeping bag (the climate is rather hot), workclothes (long sleeves) and very strong boots.
Camping is possible. There is pure springwater at the fountain and little river to swim and wash yourselves. We are proposing to the interested volunteers an initiation with the cactus Huachuma according to the shamanic tradition.
We eat from our crops: manioc,sweet potatoes and other roots, corn, amarantus, beans, coca, rough canesugar,honey,fruits of the season (much more in rainseason): oranges, mandarines, lemons, grapefruit, mangos, bananas, pineapples, avocados, sweet olives and other wild fruits from the forest; grown and wild vegetables. In the town we buy quinoa,l entils, grated coconut, rough cocoa,oil,spices, and dried foods: seaweed, figs, tubercules, cheese, fish, lama and alpaca meat.
In the village shops, you can find white bread, biscuits, margarine, white sugar, powdermilk, eggs, canned fish or meat. Nevertheless Bruno does not recommend you to buy these.
We can cook vegetarian or vegan, or eat raw (the best !).
We cultivate tobacco and we produce chicha (traditional alchoolic drink) and wine from oranges.
The climate is rather hot the whole year. Dry season-with some rain-from April to November. Hard rain season from December to March, with some hours of sunlight nearly every day.
We don't advise any vaccines:here there is no yellow fever or malaria.Not too many mosquitos,but you can buy repellent in your country and one mosquito net in La Paz, calle Santa Cruz. Get a pocketlight in La Paz,without batteries (pilas) rechargable in my house (220 volts) or by hand.
We strongly advise a minimum of 1 month stay.
The children are welcome,they'll camp with their parent(s)
Enrollment by email only.
Requirements:
It is compulsory to understand well Spanish and stay in Sachawasi one month minimum, more time is much better.
There is a bank in Apollo to change North American dollars, but automatic not cashier, so they must bring sufficient Bolivian money from La Paz.
There are no agricultural community works with the community qeshwa.
In La Paz,you can have in Ministerio de Migracion,avenida Camacho, a tourist visa (free) for 3 months maximum per year.
Non-postal address:
Bruno de Roissart, comunidad de Santa Cruz del Valle Ameno, provincia Franz Tamayo, departamento de La Paz,Bolivia.North-East of Titicaca lake, in high Amazony (1650 m. of altitude), at the entry of the Madidi National Park (20000 km2 from 150 to 6000 m.a.s.l. of altitude).
Access:
Only from the capital town La Paz, where we advise to be very careful because of the pickpockets in the streets, buses and hotels.
Departure of buses to Apolo every morning at 7 a.m. and 17p.m.buy the ticket the day before if it’s posible (50Bolivianos=5euros), from the Zona Gran Poder,calle Vicente Ochoa, esquina Antonio Gallardo, agencias de buses para Apolo.
400 km of roads in bad state in minimum 12 hours crossing fantastic landscapes.
The following day, from Apolo, 1 hour by jeep (10Bs)or by taxi (20Bs) to my village.
In Apolo (3000 inhabitants) you will have tel., internet,hostels (go to hotel Tuichi) and a hospital you can change your money there, but only US dollars, no Euros. better change your money in La Paz.
In our village the guardians of the Madidi National Park will ask you a fee entry of 125 Bs.
We are looking forward to your arrival and bring your musical instruments (we already have guitar, djembe and bombo) and your enthusiasm to have fun!
Here you will expand all your civilized limits...!
