Learn about traditional building in South Sulawesi, Indonesia and speak English with kids. You’ll be fully immersed in village life surrounded by a lush rainforest. Come to make a difference and volunteer in Indonesia!
Help out with Indigenous Tribe Village Project as a volunteer in Indonesia – requirements & tasks
Hi! My name is Aldi and I live with my family in Kampung Dongi, South Sulawesi, Indonesia which is just 5 minutes by car from Sorowako town.
I and my family are currently running a project that focuses on building traditional houses in the village. These traditional houses are very important to the local community as a way of preserving our culture and traditions. The houses are built in the mountains close to our village in a beautiful area overlooking Lake Matano. The surrounding area is a lush rainforest with plenty of small streams and local wildlife. We are also preparing and cultivating a small farm\garden area where we will grow banana trees, cassava and many other local crops.
The construction side of things will entail collecting materials from the forest, helping build the houses, maintaining the garden and planting more crops. Don’t worry if you have no construction experience, we can show you what to do, you just need to be willing to make an effort and try new things.
The English classes usually last for one hour on weekdays. There is a mixed level and age group so if there are more volunteers with us it works to split the class into groups, however, if not the class runs smoothly all together. We are really focusing on conversational English and getting the young people used to speaking in English. Games and activities through English work well, especially for younger children. If you are artistic please share any ideas on how to decorate the classroom.
Apart from that volunteers can help out with dance classes, go to the market or make traditional costumes, for example.
My mother alongside other members of the community makes the traditional costumes for the dance, something that volunteers will also have the opportunity to learn while staying with us.
You will work for about 4 hours per week with weekends off.
Help out with Indigenous Tribe Village Project as a volunteer in Indonesia – what we offer
Living and eating arrangements will be discussed prior to the stay.
On your weekends off there are plenty of activities to keep you busy. The village is only 15 min walk to the lake where you can swim, kayak, snorkel, rent boats, water ski or come spearfishing and free diving with my spearfishing organisation. The lake is massive and has hidden caves you can access by boat. There is also a lovely green area surrounding the lake where you can hang out for the day, have picnics, do yoga etc.
There is an amazing waterfall close by where you can also swim and climb to the top and jump in. We are surrounded by mountains so if you are interested in trekking and camping this is the place for you! There are also opportunities for mountain biking and motocross if that interests you.
We are 2 hours from the coast if you would like to try spearfishing and free diving there for a change from the lake. Toraja, a well-known tourist destination is only 4-5 hours away and easily accessible by bus. There you can visit the UNESCO World Heritage site and also see unique burial sites on the cliffs and view beautiful traditional houses.
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