Building on the success of our first MASS program in summer 2008, we have now set our sights on an ecological project... On 21st September 2007 a natural disaster befell Playa Colorada, where we have our Caribbean Lodge. A massive land-slide - land from the hills that overlook the village - finally gave way after an extended rainy season sending huge, thundering quantities of earth, mud and rocks down into the village and through to the beach. It was the poor people who were hardest hit, as family homes were wiped out. A real life disaster.

Land slide - where rancho houses used to lie

Fortunately and remarkably nobody was killed - the event occurred in the afternoon when most were away from home working at the beach. However, there was wide spread destruction, over 60 ranchos (houses from the poor area) were lost - many families losing everything, the village high school, local shops and beach restaurants were also all destroyed - the village infrastructure has had to be rebuilt and a community start over.

In 2008 we set ourselves an ambitious task of building a Community Centre to create a new focus or hub for the village. For 2009 we wish to make a strategic contribution to reduce the likelihood of another devastating landslide.

Jakera Club is a social club that all ready exists in the community - it is a social club for the kids of the village, designed to keep them off the streets and out of trouble - but the Club is held in an old derelict building; with better facilities this small volunteer organisation could achieve much more.

We are going to restock/restore/recreate areas of woodlands and forest that once existed in the hills immediately above the village but which have been deforested or otherwise removed and lost over a period of time. This project will also have secondary benefits to the ecosystem - but it should be emphasised that the main reason for this project is to protect the topography above the village, and in so doing reduce the risk of a recurrence of the natural disaster that happened in 2007.

In 2008 we tentatively started some work - negotiating with locals, identifying and clearing certain areas which we considered most suitable for reforestation. We have also been identifying sources of native tree stock.

This is a unique and ambitious project and includes the following features:

~ Primary objective is to solve erosion and slope stability problems in the hills immediately overlooking and converging on the beachside village of Playa Colorada

~ Secondary objective is ecological as the resulting forest can provide both ecosystem and resource benefits and has the potential to become a 'carbon sink'

~ Four weeks starting Monday 6th July until Sunday 2nd August (however, students/travellers welcome to arrive earlier and/or stay later by arrangement)

~ Student volunteers will be based at the Jakera Caribbean Lodge where accommodation will be in hammocks and breakfast and dinner provided every day

~ Student volunteers will also receive 10hrs of Spanish classes a week and take part in adventure activities (to include introduction to sea kayaking, three day Mochima kayak expedition, climbing wall training and 30m waterfall abseil)

Prices include: 4 weeks of Spanish lessons (40 hours total), volunteer work placement and activities listed above, accommodation for length of program, breakfast and dinner*, and Barcelona airport pickup and transfer to Playa Colorada.

* Students have use of kitchen facilities to prepare own lunches and snacks...

Prices: USD $1,525 / EURO 995

We propose to make this an annual 'event' and are developing a pipeline of projects which we look forward to discussing with our partners. Please contact tim@jakera.com if you would like further information.