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Live and Volunteer with Pemón Aboriginals.JPG)
The Gran Sabana is home to the Pemón Nation, an ethnic minority of
about 6,000 people. The community of Chirikayen is
one of many small, rural Pemón villages. It is
1.5 hours' drive (some parts over extremely bad roads) from
Santa Elena, in the beautiful Gran Sabana national park.
It has a population of less
_small.JPG) than 400 people and is located amidst breathtaking surroundings close to the
Chirikayen Tepuy (flat-top mountain - 1650m). 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.
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.
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.
 The value of the actual volunteer work you do will be surpassed by the value of the
cross-cultural experience, both for yourself and for the locals in
Chirikayen, who are increasingly interested in pursuing the option of
opening up their community to some small scale appropriate tourism.
Your presence in the community will not only teach you about the
Pemón and the situations that they face, but also will teach the
people of Chirikayen about outsiders and what opening their
community up for small scale tourism might mean.
You can
spend the duration of your volunteer placement
with Peace Villages in Chirikayen. You
can also spend some time there
and some time volunteering with one or more of our other projects,
which all involve living in Santa Elena.
The activities in
Chirikayen are not fixed. We encourage anyone with an idea for
a sustainable project to propose it to us in advance so we can
discuss it with the community leaders. Volunteers are also encouraged to be
very flexible and to simply help locals with as many daily tasks as they
can.
Many volunteers have written about their experiences in Chirikayen on the Testimonials pages. Check here for
one particularly informative report written by Marie Stark from New York, NY, USA.
Activities can include:_small.JPG)
- Gardening using indigenous techniques
- Conservation activities
(e.g. research and protection of wildlife, caring for
seedlings, working with the members of the indigenous
communities in the areas of the protection of river basins,
water sources, and relative wildlife)
- Sustainable community development projects such as
ecotourism and organic agriculture
- Reforestation of areas affected by burning or mining
activities
- Recreational and creative activities with small kids and
school children
- Teaching English to Pemón tour guides and
school children
- Building and maintenance work on communal infrastructure
- Initiating an environmental education program and exchanging
knowledge of the rainforest and savannah habitat
Requirements:
You do not need special skills nor do you have to speak fluent Spanish,
but you need to be flexible and willing to get
involved in a range of activities. Please just be aware that
communication can be a challenge if you do not speak Spanish.
Not everyone in these villages even speaks Spanish, and hardly any speak
English. We try to send those who have no Spanish skills with
another volunteer who can speak the language, but
this is not always possible. Special interest/skills in the areas of sports,
music, art, construction, or English teaching are most helpful.
 Availability:
Ongoing throughout the year.
Accommodation & Full Board:
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.
Transport:
Collective 4X4 Taxis are by far the cheapest way
to get to Chirikayen, but only go to and from Santa Elena once the
day.
One-way prices are:
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4x4 Individual Taxi at any time - about USD 50
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4x4 Collective Taxi once the day - USD 5
Tours from the village:
The Chirikayen Tepuy excursion:
A trek can be arranged with locals from
the village of Chirikayen to the nearby Tepuy. It will take
2-3 days and is great for beginners. You will cross savannah, rainforests and see small gold and diamond mines.
Make sure you have everything you need with you (see the Chirikayen section on our
What to Bring page).
Photos
Cost
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