Dharma Farms Hawaii Volunteer Work-Exchange Internship Program

Work Schedual:

The chore/work exchange requirement is a minimum of 3 hours per day, 6 days a week. Usually Sundays is the day of rest. You can come to Hilo and get a free surfing or boogie boarding lesson at Honolii on Sunday morning, or just hang out and swim.

It takes a lot of energy and time to run a farm as we are trying to make the transitional stage to becoming fully organic, two of our farms are certified organic so far. This is a fairly large operation so we generally work more than the minimum requirement.

Regular duties include pulling and cutting weeds around the noni, mulching/fertilizing, and picking noni fruit. We also do building / improvment projects around the farm, plant new noni and fruit trees, and other fun projects. 

There is no pay for any work done. Do not view this as a money making situation. The basic schedule is roughly 2 pm to 6 pm Monday - Saturday.

Accomadations:

We have 4 private cabins and 2 mini buses which serve as sleeping accomadations for our volunteers. A third bus with a roof over it serves as our community kitchen / common space. The cabins are very simple and rustic, no indoor plumbing and little in the way of furnishings. This is not a resort, we believe hard work and simple living can help promote spiritual growth. We can provide help and lumber (money/time allowing) if you want to improve / build your own cabin.

We have have catchment water for sanitary and kitchen use, but bottled water or county water (available free at county spigots) is recommended for drinking. Out-houses provide our toilets. You should think of our accomadations as one step above camping. On the other hand year round camping is fairly comfortable in our climate the only real annoyance are mosquitos. (I would recommend purchasing a mosquito net for over your bed.)

Basic food will be provided but any specialty foods must be purchased on your own. We usually all go to the evening kirtan gatherings and free vegetarian dinner at different friend’s homes 5 to 6 times per week, at 6:15 pm. Everyone is encouraged to go to the nice, informative community evening gatherings.

Basic Rules:
ALOHA… Dear friends please read all the items listed below. We are inviting visitors who can seriously and sincerely follow these guidelines and basic rules. Please talk with us for clarification if you not understand the guidelines, intentions or reasons behind these guidelines. Please understand that this program is for work exchange volunteers who are ready, willing, and able follow the guidelines below.

1. No meat, fish or eggs are allowed while you take part in this program...also, no intoxication of any kind is allowed. This means drugs, including tobacco, marijuana, caffeine, alcohol, etc. No growing pot on the land or anywhere else. If you want to grow, smoke , buy or sell pot, go live somewhere else. No illicit sex life. No gambling. No borrowing money (bring your own money or work honestly for it). The above regulations should be observed at all times, not just while people are on the land. This is a sort of detox and cleansing program also, and we want everyone to have good association with people in the mode of clarity and goodness. We are trying to live in the mode of goodness (sattva) so that we can make an attempt at spiritual life practicing Bhakti / karma Yoga.


2. Do not bring people back to the land or invite anyone on to the land without first getting our permission. We don’t want people coming to or staying on the farm until they read, understand, fill out and sign an agreement form.


3. Do not borrow or take anything from anyone's house or area without first getting permission from that person. Be respectful of others' property. No stealing. No cheating or lying. Do not loan anything belonging to someone else out to anyone, no matter what. This problem results in a lot of lost tools and wasted time. Return everything promptly and in good condition! We can’t afford mistakes and lost tools etc. Be responsible for anything you lose or break/damage.

4. For hygienic reasons, all trash must be removed by whoever brought it there right away. Do not wait for someone to do it for you. If you don't have a car then take it out little by little. Don't let it pile up!
Everyone should keep their living space clean and sanitary. We don't want to invite disease and rats around. Everyone should bathe regularly and should keep on top of any infections or contagious illnesses that they might have. Clothes worn to gatherings should be clean and people should wash their hands and feet before going to any kind of gathering. If you have ukus (headlice), get rid of them! If you come down with a contagious sickness you must go into quarantine to prevent others around you from getting sick.

5. Liability Issues: We will not be held responsible for any injury or loss, resulting on the land to you or your children. If you get injured you must have insurance, and pay for any medical and other costs involved. We do not cover you as an employee would be. You are not our employee. Everyone should be careful, act safely, and watch their children very closely. Every one should / must have their own gloves, high top rubber boots, long pants/shirt, hat, hooded rain jacket, first aid kit and protective gear, necessary to work safely in whatever kind of work we are doing. Everyone must have medical insurance, savings, and other insurance to be medically / financially responsible for themselves. If you get injured, it will be your financial responsibility for all costs.

6. It is essential to remember that we are trying to create a community based on the writings of previous great teachers of Bhakti Yoga. We are inviting people to come and learn, not to preach or teach. We are offering this place for cooperative and interested people to come to learn and understand this philosophy of life.