The small village of Tipu is located in the Soomaa National Park in Estonia. On the site of the former village school, the “Tipu Nature School” association offers a varied environmental and nature education program for children and youngsters. The old school building is being renovated and should become a showcase for ecological construction, energy production, energy saving and water use. In 2010, a small village hall was built next to the old school building that serves as a seminary house.
Volunteer work
The volunteer work will consist of carpentry and painting, earthwork, clay work and landscape maintenance. For this year's project period, the first demolition and construction work in the old school building is planned, and maintenance work on the site and landscape maintenance work on the wooded Oksa meadow are also on the agenda.
Accommodation
The project provides very basic accommodation in communal tents with a compost toilet, heated outdoor shower, a river for swimming and communal areas in the village hall. Separate accommodation for men and women cannot be provided. Lunch is provided, breakfast and dinner are prepared by the volunteers themselves. There is a washing machine and internet. Volunteers are requested to bring their own work clothes, gloves and work shoes as well as a sleeping bag and sleeping mat/air mattress.
Leisure
In their spare time, volunteers can take canoe trips, take a moorland walk, swim, build a campfire and visit the surrounding towns and villages, including: Viljandi and Pärnu.
Travel
Volunteers are picked up at the Viljandi bus station or Kõpu bus stop. From Tallin: take the bus to Viljandi or Kõpu (www.tpilet.ee). From Riga: take the bus to the main bus station. Then take the bus to Pärnu. In Pärnu take the bus to Kõpu (www.tpilet.ee).
You arrange the travel to your project yourself. IBO asks all volunteers to travel in the most sustainable way possible, so preferably by train or bus. What you at least can do, is compensate your CO2 emissions. You can find more information about this on the website of Milieu Centraal. You can also compensate your emissions via IBO, by donating to our partner’s tree planting project in Uganda. You can read more about that here.
Preparation
IBO offers a good preparation for your volunteering work abroad.You will receive a digital information package and an invitation to a preparation meeting. Read more about the proces from departure until return.
Costs
For this project you pay €35 registration fee and €179 participation fee. If you become an IBO-supporter, you don't have to pay the registration fee.
This includes accommodation and meals, local transport, an information pack and (online) preparation meeting. Excluding travel, insurance and any outings.
Register
Go to register to enroll in this project.