🏢 About the local organisation
Ango-Living Wellness
Background
This project is located in the countryside of Zhongli District, Taoyuan, Taiwan. This village is close to the international airport and Chingpu New Town. It is the only surviving community next to the urban area yet still retains a complete traditional Hakka rural life.
Community Features:
The rural population is aging, but fortunately, the traditional agriculture handicrafts and life skills have remained.
Due to urbanization and proximity to the international airport, the community has a lot of new residents and immigrants from other countries. These new residents from different countries are rich in food, living and various cultures in the communities, but they also bring a lot of collisions and disputes in the lives of the aboriginal Hakka people
The Hakka people are the second largest ethnic group in Taiwan. Their characteristics are respect for nature, love for the earth, diligence, and thrift.
This project will assist local organizations to promote habitat agriculture, let natural ecology and agriculture coexist, and implement the Satoyama Initiative. We will Inherit the craftsmanship of craftsmen, with learning and field exercises of using the natural construction methods of earth, bamboo and stone. We will also conduct cultural exchanges with new immigrants through foreign food exchanges to enhance mutual understanding, reduce conflicts, and have harmonious life together.
Aims:
With Agro-living Wellness, we aim to achieve 3 Growths & 2 Gives:
1. Growth in awareness of the importance of sustainable habitats (SATOYAMA)
2. Growth in local work force participation rate of the community
3. Growth in volunteers’ wellness of body, mind and spirit
4. Give a sense of pride to the people of the community
5. Give the emphasis to the people and culture more than the construction development
Achievements over the past year:
1. 2022, fixed and renovated an old deserted village house with 10 volunteers from Iran, Cambodia, Mexico, Indonesia and Vietnam.
2. 2022, harvested perilla crops from 900 square meter farm with 10 volunteers.
3. 2022, recycled wasted wood and made 2 tables and 5 chairs for the community with 10 volunteers.
Before 2022
- Advocated traditional natural architecture and hired local traditional craftsmen to lead volunteers to build natural architecture rest pavilions for the community, 2 bamboo huts with 20 volunteers
- Tree trimming in mountainous areas, tidying up trails and stacking stone ridges (to prevent earth and rock collapse), etc
- Accompaniment and meal sharing with seniors in the community, education and counseling for rural children
💼 What the programme involves
We will focus on sustainable living and natural building, inherit the craftsmanship of craftsmen, with learning and field exercises of using the natural construction methods of earth, bamboo and stone. We will also conduct cultural exchanges with new immigrants through farm to table and foreign food exchanges to enhance mutual understanding, reduce conflicts, and have harmonious life together.
📍 About the location
A small Hakka village in Zhongli District, locating on the north side of Taiwan, near the international airport.
Google Map：https://goo.gl/maps/Z7nh1NRQWXVfjYnx6
Leisure:
Play big drums with community residents, learn Hakka folk song, and mediation
ℹ️ Additional information
sweat, tears and love are given to you on purpose, be ready to receive with an open mind to achieve a mindful mind. We hope that young volunteers who wish to participate are those who have ideas and passion for ecology and sustainability. The camp will not teach them how much knowledge is enough, but we expect that the experience of living in the natural environment of the rural area during the camp can create a force in their hearts to become the seeds of actively caring for the life of the earth.
