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 The Location
Located about 330 miles southeast of Mexico City, the city of Oaxaca is known for its colonial architecture, unique cuisine and arts-and-crafts villages. At 5,000 feet above sea level, the semi-tropical city is surrounded by lush countryside that is nestled amidst the foothills of the Mexican Sierra. The town itself is one of Mexico’s foremost indigenous communities with archeology and rich cultural traditions that date back nearly 3,000 years. Oaxaca is a city of continual parades and festivals, with ancient culture and heritage around every corner.
What’s Being Done
In an experiment to convert infertile land into productive soil, two biologists began implementing bio-intensive techniques on a 1-acre plot of land the government allowed them to use. After years of bio-remediation, lush crops now flourish on the once-barren soil. Bio-intensive farming fosters healthy soil through composting and using deeper planting beds that give the soil better drainage and allow the roots to grow farther and collect more nutrients. This small-scale farming method generates higher yields and uses bio-insecticides that do not deplete the soil. Because of the smaller growing space, the plant nutrients are applied in a more concentrated way, creating self-sustaining, fertile soil.
 What
You Can Do
As a volunteer on our Organic Farming Project,
you will help biologists nourish the soil through bioremediation.
You will plant and harvest various crops including lettuce,
onions, beets, radishes, tomatoes, corn, cilantro and
parsley. You will help prepare and apply organic fertilizer
and bio-insecticides when needed. On Thursdays and Fridays,
you will help sell the vegetables at a local organic
market to generate funds for the project. The ultimate
goal is to spread bio-intensive farming to other communities
around Mexico.
Airport Pickup and Orientation:
You will be picked up at the Oaxaca Airport and taken
to your hostel or host family. The following morning,
you will begin your Volunteer Adventure with an extensive
orientation. During this time, you will learn about
living and working in Oaxaca, using public transportation,
and volunteering at your program site. You will meet
your program coordinator to discuss the details of your
work and your responsibilities as a volunteer.
Transportation:
In the morning, you will walk from your host family
or hostel to the language classes at a school in Oaxaca.
This walk should take about 15 to 30 minutes. In the
afternoons, you will take a bus to reach the volunteer
project site — a 15-to-30 minute bus ride depending
on the location. You will be responsible for your own
bus fare.
 Language
Classes:
All volunteers will be required to take at least two
weeks of Spanish language classes at a school in Oaxaca
City. You may take more hours depending on your volunteer
package. For more efficient placement upon your arrival,
we ask that you take our to determine your language
proficiency. If this is not possible, we will test you
upon arrival at the school. You will be placed according
to your language level in a group of other students
and learn conversational Spanish for about three hours
a day, Monday through Friday.
Accommodations:
Basic: You will be staying at a hostel
with breakfast included.
Standard and Complete: You will
be staying with a Mexican host family. Our host families
are carefully screened and must meet stringent requirements
before being accepted as a host family. You will be
given a key to your host family's home to come and go
as you please. The family will provide a private room
and two meals per day (breakfast and a late lunch).
Meals:
Basic: Hostel serves breakfast only.
Standard and Complete: Host family provides two meals a day.
In-Country Support:
We work directly with our in-country volunteer coordinator
to provide support during your time in Oaxaca. You can
expect help from project coordinators, field guides,
fellow volunteers and other staff. We provide a 24-hour
cell phone number for emergencies.
 Additional Activities
and Excursions:
Your volunteer experience will include a number of complimentary
activities such as cooking and salsa classes, Spanish
movies, social cafés and student conversation
exchanges. For an extra fee, volunteers can take daylong
excursions to the Monte Alban ruins, Mezcal distilleries,
churches and convents, the waterfall “Hierve el
Agua” and the 2,000-year-old tree, "el Tule,"
which is believed to be the world’s widest tree.
There are also opportunities for rock climbing, horseback
riding, paragliding and hiking.
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