Accommodation - Four Options
Cooperative Living on the Peace Villages Foundation Grounds
_small.JPG) Located near the top of a hill
approximately 3km outside the center of
Santa Elena de Uairén, the PVF Grounds offer
spectacular views of the valley below. Tepuys can be seen from the terrace, and hikes into the rain
forest (50 meters behind the house) can be made anytime.
Regardless of accommodation choice, all volunteers are
welcome to visit the grounds, swim in the small pool, share a meal,
and relax!
PVF counts with various facilities with the aim of making the Foundation grounds not just a really nice space for volunteers but also a large
multi-faceted Therapy Center serving local children with various therapies, skills training, and fun activities.
Cooperative Living arrangement
This popular accommodation arrangement
opens the possibility to live and work in a cooperative and supportive
environment together with Peace Village's long term volunteer staff.
It is also a great opportunity to share with fellow volunteers
from different countries and cultural/ethnic backgrounds.
The Peace Villages approach is focused_small.JPG) along practical, harmonic
and joyful lines, and evolves day by day through group
decisions.
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With Peace Villages the managerial level is
more horizontal than in most NGOs or businesses, and many decisions are taken by
consensus. If you choose this living option you can be sure that you will be
included in some important decisions which will shape the future of the Peace Villages
Foundation as a charity and a significant social experiment of co-living. Inspiring exchanges and discussion circles are the settings
for future development decisions and often take place spontaneously.
It's our committed volunteers who assist in determining the next direction Peace
Villages will go in.
Facilities and Benefits
We offer development service programs located in the nearby village of
Santa Elena and within the Peace Villages Foundation's Grounds. Facilities
include: various
gardens with spacey ambience, gym, wading pool, hammock-terrace,
craft wood workshop, football/frisbee field, creative kitchen facilities, camping
grounds and fire-pits for meetings or recreational activities.
These various environments around the grounds are the settings
for social events, cultural exchanges and fellowship. It
should be noted that the facilities are not in the town center. Anyone volunteering as a teacher will have to commute into town
center
by foot. This walk takes approximately 40 minutes one-way.
The upside is that the path is beautiful, with very few passing
cars. It also presents a great time to share with your
fellow volunteers!
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Practicalities
Cooperative Living
participants share a particularly enjoyable time-table whereby
community volunteer work, cooperative living tasks, and organizational
meetings combined do not extend to more than the amount of hours per week
wish each volunteer individually decides to dedicate. We cannot
emphasize enough that the work you do within the house and the
grounds will be just as important as the work you do within the
community. The hours spent on the tasks which maintain the
successful functioning of the house and kitchen are therefore taken into
account during the week. This then allows everyone plenty of
free time to enjoy themselves. A personalized weekly working
plan distributes tasks based on necessity and personal preferences. Past
volunteers confirm the special nature of this living
convergence and have enjoyed it tremendously.
Considerations
On arrival to Peace Villages as a member of Cooperative
Living, you are given a copy of the
Cooperative Living Guidelines
and the
Volunteer Guidelines. These elaborate on our focus on motivation and commitment, and the
standards which we aim to meet. If you feel that
Cooperative Living may be for you, we would request that you
read these guidelines before making your decision. Hopefully,
having a more sound understanding of the "reality" of
Cooperative Living will equip you to make the right
accommodation choice.
We feel that it is important to highlight that Peace Villages
is an environment of respect and consideration. The
Cooperative Living staff and volunteers are constantly making
changes to improve the environment which we are creating for
ourselves. From experience, past and current volunteers have
decided that the consumption of alcohol to the point of
drunkenness compromises the objective of Peace Villages. In
addition, smoking is not permitted within the undercover areas of
the house. If you feel that either of these factors may
be overly restrictive to your sense of personal freedom, we understand this
and would invite you to check out our Independent
Accommodation option.
What is included:
Shared bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen and recreational facilities. 3 meals per
day incl. snacks & refreshments prepared and served by
volunteers themselves (Single room: add 20% on the
price)
Photo Gallery
Cost
Application
Host Family in Santa Elena
_small.JPG) Our Host Family home is a very nice and open-hearted place to be.
The middle-class family home is located within comfortable walking distance (20 min.)
from the town center, very close to a small
mountain range and virgin rain forest, and not far from our
Peace Villages
Foundation Grounds. The host family has a small garden
and a nice terrace to sit on outside. Meals will be made
by the family. You will share meals with them and there will be plenty of opportunity for cross-cultural
involvement and participation. Enjoy Venezuelan family life and
meet new people. There will frequently be friends of the family
visiting and you will have plenty of opportunities to practice Spanish
and learn about the Latin culture!
Considerations
If you choose host family, understand that you are a guest.
An extra bit of courtesy and friendliness will go a long way!
Practicalities
Although your room will be arranged every day, it is a sign of respect
to keep it clean. Turn off your
lights every time you leave your room, etc. If in
your opinion something is wrong at your host family, you have the
right to question it, but please do so respectfully! If you want, you can bring small gifts or souvenirs for your host
family or children. Although these are not expected, they are
appreciated. Some possibilities are t-shirts, pens, key rings etc from your
country. It is also nice to share photos of your family and your
home town or country.
What is included:
You will be staying with an Venzuelan Host
Family. The family will provide two meals a day, and a private
room with a shared bathroom. They will speak Spanish most of the
time, to help you learn the language. There will be at least one
member of the family that speaks English if need be.
Cost
Application
Host Family in an indigenous community
 This is the perfect placement for the volunteer interested in
indigenous cultural immersion. Chirikayen enjoys a healthy
climate and environment and has a primary school, a health care
station, a basic shop, and a Seventh Day Advantist church. Amenities are basic. There is electricity for only 3(ish) hours
a day when a generator is run. Clothes are washed in the river.
A radio in Chirikayen can call in to the City Hall in Santa Elena any time if it is necessary.
This special assignment gives volunteers close insight into Pemón life,
something which they find very rewarding.
Chirikayen is a good site for those interested in contemporary indigenous issues and who want to watch
and participate as locals decide on the future directions of their
communities.
Volunteers with a genuine interest in anthropology,
indigenous rights, and cultural immersion will enjoy this placement. Integrate
yourself into this strong community next to the flat-top mountains, enjoy the
different pace of life and the fantastic views. Please click here
for more details.
What is included:
Volunteers will be staying with a Pemón indigenous Host Family.
The family will provide three meals a day, and a private room.
They speak English, Spanish and their indigenous mother language
Taurepan. All
meals are eaten with the family. Volunteers can choose to sleep in
either hammocks or beds.
Photo Gallery
Cost
Application
Independent Accommodation
 If
you wish to live independently we accommodate you in a local posada or hotel
in a central location. Hotel Michelle the Original in particular seems to be a
popular social venue to meet other volunteers. Staying in a hotel or posada is a
good way to find out about town life and everyday happenings.
This option attracts individuals who value
spontaneity and
their own space. It caters to volunteers who have less of an
interest in Cooperative Living, but still feel passionate about
volunteering. Independent Accommodation is also a good choice
for people who prefer the convenience of being located in the
town center.
If there are some of the rules or requirements for
Cooperative Living as described above that you don't feel would
suit you, then Independent Accommodation may be the way to go. An advantage of not living within the volunteer
cooperative is that you will perhaps meet more
locals and other travelers in Santa Elena. Of course, individuals who choose this
option are always warmly welcomed at the Foundation grounds and
are invited to use the recreational facilities.
Independent Accommodation allows volunteers to
self-cater, encouraging you to try the delicious street food and
local restaurants. Santa Elena has a good supply of quality fresh produce and a range
of restaurants. (Cost: Eating three meals a day in restaurants: USD $ 12 - 25)
What is included:
Private Bedroom with private bathroom in a
local hotel or posada.
Photo Gallery Cost
Application
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