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Live & Volunteer with Pemón Aboriginals.JPG)
The Gran Sabana is home to the Pemón Nation
_small.JPG) There are about are about 6,000 ethnic Pemon 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 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 community building for meetings, a basic
shop, and a
church.
NEW!
Hannah Matthews Chirikayen Experience - August 2009
Gain close insight into the Pemón culture
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. This program is a
great opportunity for family volunteering!
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.
 Please check our
Special Chirikayen reports
2004 - 2008
and our
Testimonials pages.
Practicalities
You
can spend the duration of your volunteer placement with Aldeas de
Paz 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.
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.
Transport: Collective Taxis go once the
day between Santa Elena and Chirikayen. (One-way USD 5)
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. Neighbors speak also English and the host
family speaks Spanish and their indigenous mother language Taurepan.
All meals are eaten with the family. Volunteers can choose to sleep
in either hammocks or beds.
Extremely rewarding: The "Chirikayen Tepuy Excursion"A trek can be arranged with locals from
the village of Chirikayen to the nearby Tepuy (flat-top
mountain). It will take
1 day 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).
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Activities can include:
_small.JPG) 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.
- Gardening side by side with villagers using indigenous techniques
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Daily house, kitchen and garden activities side by side with
family members and neighbors
- 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 projects such as
organic agriculture
- Reforestation of areas affected by burning or mining
activities
- Recreational and creative activities with kids,
adolescents 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 (Spanish
required)
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 wide range of activities. Many in these villages speak Spanish and
some speak English as well. Special interest/skills in the areas of
sports, music, art, construction, or English teaching are most
helpful.
 This program is a great opportunity for family volunteering! Availability:
Ongoing throughout the whole year. The placement always
starts on Friday every week. (You should arrive in Santa
Elena on its latest on a Thursday so there is time left to
receive your placement introduction at Peace Villages and
spend the first night at Foundations grounds cooperative
living facilities before leaving on Friday to Chirikayen
indigenous village)
Photos
Cost
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