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Join us in El Valle, a beautiful jungle village by the beach, and become part of our small team. This volunteer experience combines helping in our wood-fired pizzeria, teaching English to the local community, and supporting social projects through Sacred Valley Foundation. You’ll stay at Leisy’s Garden Hostel, enjoy two meals a day, and live a simple, beautiful Caribbean experience.
25 hours of help per week
Kitchen Hand: Help prepare, finish and serve meals.
Child Care: Caring for, playing with, and spending time with children.
Social Work: Help with volunteer work in local projects and communities.
Teaching Languages: Teaching a language to the host, guests, or local communities.
2 days off per week
Shared Dorm: You will have a bed in a shared room, which means you will share the same room with other travelers.
Team Dorm: You will have a bed in a shared room, which means you will share the same room with other people.
Breakfast: You are entitled to a free breakfast, every day of your stay.
Dinner: You are entitled to a free dinner, every day of your stay.
Discounts on Parties: Get discounts at nearby parties and clubs.
Discounts on Restaurants: Get discounts at nearby restaurants.
Discounts on Drinks: Get discounts for drinks and beverages from our bar.
Discounts on Accommodation: Get discounts for your stay in other hostels.
Free Laundry: You can use our laundry room freely.
Free Tours: We’ll take you on tours and rides around town. For free!
Free Parties: Get free entrance for the best parties in town.
Free Events: Get free entrance for the best events in town.
Yoga classes: Take free yoga classes at our place.
Dance classes: Take free dance classes at our place.
Holistic Therapies: You can take part in any of our therapeutic activities for free.
Use our equipped kitchen: Feel free to use our kitchen and make your own delicious food.
Fast Internet Access: High-speed internet for you to work remotely
Dedicated Workspace: Specific space for you to work remotely
Intermediate Spanish and Beginner English
Between 18 and 40 years old
Welcomes solo volunteers, couples, and partners of volunteers
Travel insurance
Flights, Travel Insurance, Internal Transportation and Visa
Join us in El Valle, a beautiful village between the jungle and the beach in Samaná, Dominican Republic.
This volunteer program combines hospitality work at our local wood-fired pizzeria with community impact projects through Sacred Valley Foundation, as part of our Impact Team.
Volunteers will stay at Lazy’s Garden, our jungle retreat and community space, in a shared hostel. During your stay, you will also have free access to the gym and, whenever available, the possibility to join activities and workshops we organize, such as yoga, pilates, meditation, wellness activities or creative sessions.
The program is around 25 hours per week. It is divided into:
15 hours per week supporting our pizzeria
5 hours per week helping with our English teaching program for children and adults
5 hours per week supporting other community projects created by Sacred Valley Foundation
Our foundation is working to support the development of El Valle through education, social initiatives, future community spaces, public areas, roads, paths and other local improvement projects.
This is a good fit for someone who wants to experience local life, help in a small hospitality business, and also be part of a growing community-based project.
In exchange, we offer accommodation in the hostel, two meals per day, access to the gym, and the chance to live a simple and beautiful Caribbean experience close to nature.
Volunteers help around 25 hours per week, usually divided between pizzeria shifts and community project support.
Pizzeria support - around 15 hours per week
You will usually help 3 days per week, with shifts of around 5 hours at our wood-fired pizzeria.
Tasks may include:
- Welcoming guests
- Helping with orders
- Supporting the team during service
- Helping keep the space clean and organized
- Assisting with simple preparation or service tasks
- Creating a friendly and relaxed atmosphere
- Supporting the daily flow of the pizzeria when needed
English teaching program - around 5 hours per week
The main community project where we currently need support is our English program for the local community.
You may help with:
- Teaching basic English to children
- Teaching basic English to adults
- Preparing simple class activities
- Helping students practice conversation
- Supporting a positive and encouraging learning space
Sacred Valley Foundation projects - around 5 hours per week
The remaining hours may be dedicated to other initiatives from Sacred Valley Foundation, depending on what we are working on at the time.
This may include:
- Helping organize community activities
- Supporting educational or social projects (example: beach clean up)
- Helping with workshops or events
- Supporting communication, planning or organization
- Helping with ideas connected to public spaces, paths, roads or the future community center
The schedule may vary depending on the pizzeria, the English class calendar and the needs of the foundation. We always try to organize things clearly, but flexibility is important.
We are looking for volunteers who are responsible, respectful, flexible and open to living in a very natural environment.
El Valle is a small village of around 300 people, located between the jungle and the beach, about 20 minutes from Samaná. In Samaná you can find supermarkets, banks and ATMs, pharmacies, etc,.
We live in the jungle, so it is normal to see insects, small animals and lots of nature around. Nothing here is poisonous or dangerous, but volunteers should feel comfortable living in a tropical and rural environment.
There isno mobile data signal in El Valle, so we connect through WiFi. At Leisy’s Garden & Pizzhorno we do have internet, but sometimes the electricity in the village can go out. We have an inverter system, so we normally still have basic electricity and WIfi, but volunteers should understand that rural life can sometimes be less predictable than city life.
El Valle has a beautiful mix of local people and expats, and there is a warm community atmosphere. We ask volunteers to be respectful of the local culture, the people, the space and the rhythm of the village.
Important expectations
. Expectations: be punctual, communicate clearly, keep shared spaces clean, be kind with children, adults, guests and the team, stay flexible, and bring a positive, proactive attitude.
. The pizzeria is 15–20 minutes walking from Leisy's Garden. For night shifts, we will always try to help with the way back. Sometimes volunteers may need to walk there, so they should be comfortable with this distance.
