At Eco Caminho, our Eco Farm in Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, we welcome people from all over the world. Volunteers bring creativity to our organization, live a sustainable way of life and, after leaving, disseminate the knowledge gained from other parts of the planet. At Eco Caminhos you will learn about bioconstruction, organic gardens, have the opportunity to practice different languages, like portuguese, and surely make lifelong friendships. All this enjoying a beautiful landscape.
We believe that beautiful nature, rural life and manual work are excellent for aiding in reflection, relaxing and releasing the mind from the stresses of city life, facilitating the flow of thoughts and fostering a greater connection with yourself. That’s why so many people come here for self-awareness.
And to make this work as well as possible and to make these experiences accessible to everyone, we have developed four types of programs and you can choose the one that best fits you:
Eco Experience
Duration: 1 day – 8 weeks Workload: 18 – 24 hours per week
Our Eco Experience programme balances volunteering and ecotourism. The programme is designed for people who want to enjoy an authentic, active experience at our eco farm in a beautiful green mountainous area in Brazil. You will be staying with a local Brazilian family, so you can immerse yourself in Brazilian rural culture. You will have the opportunity to practise your Portuguese, learn about local customs and food, and experiment typical Brazilian cuisine. Believe us, Brazilians are very welcoming and the food is delicious! The programme is very flexible. You can work 3 – 5 days per week at the eco-farm in bioconstruction or organic farming. Eco Caminhos also organises a number of activities, including: Portuguese classes, hikes, campfires, and sightseeing.
Short-Term volunteer in Brazil
Duration: 1 – 12 weeks Workload: 24 – 30 hours per week
The short-term volunteer programme is designed for younger or inexperienced candidates, or for people who simply lack the time to join us for an extended period of time. Volunteers are expected to work 24 hours per week and the programme is adjusted to their personal interests and preferences. After completing the short-term programme there is the possibility to continue in our free long-term volunteer programme. However, this depends on the motivation and growth of the volunteer in the first three months and available room in the volunteer houses. Over the past 4 years 90% of short-term volunteers with interest in the long-term programme received an invitation to join us long-term (free).
Long-Term volunteer in Brazil | full-time programme (100% free + room + board)
Duration: +1 year Workload: 40 hours per week
This is a demanding programme for which we need very mature, motivated and responsible people. The objective of this programme is to become part of Eco Caminhos and to eventually generate your own income, so you can stay with us for as long as you want. You are offered accommodation, food, and internet until you generate your own income and can live independently. Volunteers are expected to work 40 hours per week, show motivation, and be an example to others.
Group Experience
Duration: 1 day 2 weeks Workload: flexible
For groups of a least 6 people we can design special volunteer group experiences for up to 2 weeks. We can complete custom design the programme to your interests. Besides Bioconstruction, agroforestry, permaculture workshops it is possible to design a social impact activity for the community. Example projects are the reform of the house of a 90 old local farmer, the reform of a school building and the building of an organic garden in a school for underprivileged kids. We can offer basic and highly comfortable accommodation.