Water harvesting on permaculture farm

INFO PACK for volunteers:


Two weeks work-camp project "Waterharvesting on permaculture farm" for 10 european participants

including Introduction to Permaculture course and creative activities



Where: Merboltice 95, Czech Republic

When: 1st September- 14th September 2022

Who: open-minded youth in age 18-30 years from EU determined for practical action to react to climatic change.

Participants has to became members of European Solidarity Corps - initiative of EU.

Costs and guaranty: European Solidarity Corps - Erasmus + program guarantee educative quality of accredited hosting organisation and cover volunteers all costs as traveling, accommodation, food and pocket money. You have to come to Czechia before 1st July at 10a.m. and leave after 14th July 5 p.m. according to project period.

Transport: We give preference to overland transportation. You may be supported up to 3 traveling days.

Hosting Organization: Spolek Hvozd NGO - culture-educational space in countryside

Applications deadline: 15th August 2022

The aim is to offer to European youths opportunity to prove their solidarity with local rural community by helping them improve water management of permaculture farm and support environmental self-sufficiency while creating system for rain water into natural pools and horizontal drainage in gardens. Therefore is this project directly referring to issues of climate change. Its consequences already stroke in our region by unprecedented droughts.

Participants will face another cultural environment and in international team. That provides them a great opportunity for inclusion when working together with youngsters from other European countries. During they residence at Hvozd volunteers will be led by life-experienced members of NGO in their topics, applying their new knowledge and suggestions in direct action. By that the volunteers will deepen social and communication skills, their awareness of their own and other cultures. The participants will be meeting with local unbelievable individuals, thus experiencing a wide set of approaches and mentalities - experiencing inter-cultural learning.

All we realize in our NGO and in this project with participants comes from principles of permaculture . Permaculture is a design system in which natural ecosystems are the model for our human habitats. Natural ecosystems are, almost by definition, sustainable, and if we can understand the way they work we can use that understanding to make our own lives more sustainable. Part of Activity will be "Introdution to permaculture" course for participants to educate them about this. Long-term aims are to secure the water supplies of water for hour eco-farm that is needed for household use and mainly watering extensive gardens and new planted trees in orchards.

Our household is typical sizes of local farm buildings and therefore our water management designs might be followed by locals, ensuring them sufficient amount of water in their wells. Capturing rain water in big scale during heavy summer storms might ease to other draining channels and prevent floods in urban areas and countryside.

Volunteers tasks and type of works needed

Each morning will have morning activities helping to connect team and mapping mind set of group, on short meeting we will plane day schedule and divide us into teams working on different place and different craft like:

  • final adjustment of terrain for drains

  • basic carpentery works - to create wood structure supporting fances and gates

  • stone works - building up little walls and support for wood beams and pools

  • planting of several bushes and propagation of bushes

Other activities

- Introduction to permaculture - course of 8 hours lead by one of the most experienced teachers in country Katka Horackova will take place in the first week of the course. You will get the basics of permaculture principles, understand soil and water, and get hands-on experience to test them, and also have a chance to better understand elements and techniques that you will see here.

  • non-formal education and activities - leaded by main team-leader Pawel Kubiak, experienced volunteer and member of Spolek Hvozd.

  • Trips into region - either leaded by our friend-guides that take you into closest National park with accommodation there or you can set out on your own to Prague or wherever during your day off.

  • Inclusion with locals where we will visit their farms in village or on one of evenings where participants will introduce the place they come from and prepare their traditional food.


Manual tasks:


Cook food and clean dishes together: from local sources of vegetables or organic supplies for everybody with strong ethic attitude.

Building renovation as stone-walls excavation and theirs stabiliing by tiny top layer of concrete and wooden planks . Except of wooden floor nailing itself will craft benches from massive wood etc.

Grass cutting: we will need to help with the scything of the grass and afterwards it's composting, we will do it by hand instrument scythe. The advantage of this tool is that group of people can talk together meanwhile.

Fire wood: chopping of the wood for winter by axe is evergreen activity in the farms which are warmed up from local sources of wood.

Making preserves: bounty of the summer is good to keep for winter as well. We can do jams or preserves or dry fruit.


Accommodation: Sleeping is inside in Common room with wooden floor on matters, in tent or in indian Teepee tent. Shared Kitchen, where is

How to apply

To participate in this project you have to fill up our short on-line form and then send motivation letter on spolekhvozd@gmail.com until 15th August 2022.