Volunteers
Together
Practically it means, that as a volunteer, you commit to help five days a week, 5 hours a day in Vale da Alegria.
In the morning after breakfast we start together to connect and then you choose where you want to put your skills or perhaps something you want to learn. The variety of work is great.
For this you get accommodation in one of the large divided tipi tents, your own sleeping quarters with bed including bedding and three vegetarian meals a day.
You are automatically part of the community life and may participate in all the free activities that take place there such as yoga, meditations, aerial silk class, music nights with campfire, our weekly pizza party, fan clubs, etc. You are cordially invited to also bring in your own things you would like to share.
The shared car "Bassie" can be used for trips on days off.
As of May 2023 we can give place to ten volunteers.


We are registered by Workaway,info.
But you can also send an email directly to punam@valleyofjoy.nl.
Write in the mail a short explanation about yourself, your motivation to come to Vale da Alegria, what period and how long you want to stay (minimum two weeks). Surprise us with what talents you want to contribute.
Link to our profile: Workaway.info.
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Current projects
- Loam the walls of the group kitchen
- Making a terrace near the kitchen
- Building an organic toilet block and outdoor shower
- Restoring the pizza oven
- Creating and starting the vegetable garden
- Planting of our own orchard
- Playfully build walls along our beach and vegetable garden
- Cutting eucalyptus trees and peeling the bark
- Carpentry of decks for the tipi tents
- Construction of beach volleyball court
- Cleaning up the barrage (swimming pond)
It is with much gratitude that we give each volunteer a place in our volunteer gallery.
Josefina
Argentina
Juliette
United Kingdom
Marc
The Netherlands
Julian
Germany
Evi
Germany
Bart
The Netherlands
Sandra
The Netherlands
Erik
The Netherlands
Joa
Germany
Patrick
The Netherlands
Rosie
Nieuw Zealand
Max
Germany
Camiel
The Netherlands
Ilana
The Netherlands
Sander
The Netherlands
Dina
The Netherlands
Brieuc and Thea
Belgium
Annie
England
Jan
The Netherlands
Haley
England
Chay
Canada
Tom, Jokelien en Avelien
The Netherlands
Floris
The Netherlands
Tony
The Netherlands
Lottie
UK
Noor
The Netherlands
Tristan
Canada
Christie
USA
Sofie
USA
Clara
USA
Tracey
UK
Suzanne
Belgie
Graham
UK
Fried
The Netherlands
Sinah
Germany
Juliette
Canada
Estelle
The Netherlands
Emma
The Netherlands
Anne
The Netherlands
Fried
The Netherlands
Sinah
Germany
Juliette
Canada
Reviews
Tristan and Juliette from Canada:
We loved working on this project surrounded by lovely humans, sharing meals together, playing music and dancing together, making the balance of work super playful and enjoyable. Vale da Algeria has been a nourishing place to learn about community living and about oneself, thanks for the deep conversations around the bonefire.
Wim and Punam are both extraordinary humans, filled with love and wisdom, ready to share their gift with anybody ready to receive it. Couldn't recommend more, for experienced Workawayers as well as first timers. much love and prosperity's for this project, we are so excited to come back to see how far the magic went 🤍
Anne from the Netherlands:
The first thing that I noticed when I saw the profile of Punam and Wim was that it looks very happy, bright and open. And that is exactly how I am experiencing my stay. We enjoy working, eating, talking and laughing together. And I feel so much at home on this beautiful piece of land, that I decided that my three weeks Workaway-stay isn't enough: I decided to live in the community for an undefined amount of time. Why? Because I have the feeling that I can learn and grow in this place. Besides all the practical skills Wim teaches (it's amazing to build with him), this is a place for self-development, deep conversations and open communication. If you feel like going back to basic, living close to nature and discovering community-life: this is your place. Thank you for welcoming me in the valley!
Lottie from the UK:
My time with Wim and Punam will always be special to me. Their place is beautiful, and the joy and enthusiasm they live their lives with is infectious. They have such knowledge and skills to share, and are kind, open-hearted and generous souls. Wim's building skills, and Punam's skilled artistry are both second-to-none. They took time to get to know me, and were patient in showing me how to do things.
I felt so seen by them 💙 I feel privileged to have played a small part in their vision for the future and I'm excited to see how it evolves.
Thank you for sharing your slice of paradise with me!
Noor from the Netherlands:
What a magical experience at Vale de Alegria. A place to connect with different aspects of life: community, nature, yourself, learning and playing. It has offered me so much. Wim & Punam created in such a short time already such a warm, beautiful and playful place. You see the love they have for each other and life really back in what they create. And they welcome you to join them, to create, to learn, to play, to go deep in your experience of life.
Every morning, after having breakfast, we gathered for a cup of tea, to talk about how we feel and what kind of work needs to be done that day. Wim mostly coordinates the different tasks and he is really open for your aspirations and the things you would like to do and learn. This made that everyone could work in the field you like. I feel really grateful for the trust and patience he gave me, so I could learn and grow in building with natural materials!
Everyday we had lunch and dinner together, with a schedule we decided who was cooking or cleaning when. I felt this was a good way to distribute the task and have an overview. Everyone took so much care in what they prepared and every meal was a fest. And next to that a lot of laughing, playing games, beautiful conversations around the campfire and pizza parties.
I couldn’t recommend this place more if you like to be in nature, learn about natural building, arts, like to play and share your experiences in life.
Suzanne from Belgium:
My stay was a beautiful, enriching experience. It was a privilege to contribute to this emerging community. Wim and Punam hold a special place in my heart. I resonated with their values, and it was a place where I could truly be myself; even more, I could discover new parts of myself. All of this is possible in a peaceful and serene environment where creativity seems to spring from the ground.
Wim and Punam are very good educators, without explicitly trying to be. In the short time I was there, I learned a lot about eco-building, communal living, and creating in harmony with nature. I really enjoyed the felting & dancing together, the bonfire singing, our little chats about sometimes big things, tea time, washing in the river, the jokes and the laughing, the inspiring stories about how this place came to be,…
I'm grateful and I hope to return soon to build further with them.
Thank you, dear Wim and Punam, and all the other wonderful people who surrounded me during this experience. I carry you all in my heart!
Josefina from Argentina:
My experience with Wim, Punam and other volunteers was life-changing. Dificult to describe in just a few words. But I will try my best!
There is no doubt why the valley carries that name: JOY. Every day was a perfect combination of responsability, co creation, caring for each other, helping, learning, having beautiful and sometimes dificult conversations, laughing and enjoying absolutely every moment. Wim and Punam are beautiful souls who really cared for our well-being and growth. Every moment with them felt like a life celebration. They both are transparent and kind and super generous with their knowledges.
Everyone had the oportunity to express their needs/thoughts/emotions, and this where always taken into account, there was always a feeling of being really heard.
They where also very opened to learn from what we had to offer. I personally could teach some Acroyoga and share some aereal silk knolwdge and that made me feel amazing, bc I love sharing this and seeing how much joy it brings!
We also had some beautiful rest days where we were able to explore the land as we wished to and also go to the beach all together.
I just loved it and I definitely recommend the experience if you resonate.
Love u, Wim and Punam <3
Tracey and Graham from the UK:
Well what can we say ! We had a truly amazing 2 weeks with with Wim, Punam and the 'Workawayers' in May. We got back to the UK last week and we have reflected on our time working in the community:
Both Wim and Punam are exceptional and inspiring people. They have depth and breadth of community living experiences and are now creating their own vision. It is beautiful - it's sunny, the river (and beach) is amazing, the water is delicious (if water can be described as that !), the skill and craftwork in the communal kitchen is inspiring.
I loved caring for our food in the vegetable garden and cooking for everyone. Mealtimes were delightful, fun and strengthened our 'togetherness'. Songs and discussions around the campfire were joyful and affirming.
Graham loved working with the others re-tiling the roof, wood-working, surfing, wiring the pump in the frog-pond - and making curry !
We also loved quiet afternoons by our campervan and bathing in the stream.
Huge thanks to everyone that made this special - we will see you 'in five' !
Brieuc and Thea from France:
It has been lovely staying in Vale da Alegeria! During the three weeks that we were there the main focus was on creating a terrace garden which involved a variety of jobs from leveling soil and planting to building steps. Wim and Punam made a lot of effort to find a job for everyone that everybody felt happy and comfortable with. This is really a place for motivated people, who are excited to work on a bigger project and contribute with own ideas and input, there is lots of opportunity and space for creativity.
We had lots nice, fun or deep chats over shared meals and campfires, thank you Punam and Wim for this precious time!
Rosemary from Australia:
Wim and Punam's property is in the starting phases of building a community. It’s rugged and beautiful nestled amongst trees (I think I only heard two cars go by in my entire stay!). If you are someone who needs all of the luxuries of modern life this might not be the place for you—you will be showering and drinking water from a well, have to walk up a steep hill to get mobile reception and be looking more muddy than model for most of it. However, if you’re hoping to get back to nature with really skilled and friendly hosts you’ll love it. Punam and Wim went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable- including setting up the most luxurious glamping tent for us to sleep in, allowing our interests to guide some of the tasks we undertook (mosaicing and cooking took my heart) and providing a communal car for use! It is very much a lifestyle rather than job that they provided us. We all ate our meals together and worked throughout the day (a chunk in the morning and a chunk in the evening) at a comfortable pace. They provided a huge insight and vast amount of knowledge about building, art and communal living enabling us to connect with them and the landscape throughout. Because this is their home rather than a business there are some basic rules they have established- vegetarian communal meals, no drinking or smoking and a general ethos of respect and communication. Other than this the experience is shaped through communication and guided by the weather and the tasks most needed doing.
If you want to get back to simple living with considerate and generous people I highly recommend! I cannot wait to come back to see how this beautiful space has flourished in the next few years!
Julian from Germany:
Punam and Wim are great people! They welcomed us with a great hospitality.
Both are conscious, grounded, kind people with a good sense of humour. You can learn a lot from both of them. Punam is a great artist and expert in felting, Wim has so much knowledge in eco-building. Both are passionate in what they do and so it was fun to learn from them. We loved the attitude of keeping the balance. Being productive on the land as well as our trip to the beach and the pizza- campfire party. :) It was a pleasure to meet you, to share moments of depth and to co-create.
Marc from the Netherlands:
'What an adventure and how lucky I was to be among the first group of pioneers. There was almost nothing yet, a nice well, a toilet in the wide world, a small old farmhouse, some roads and plateaus. So there was plenty to build and fix up.
I slept in a tent with two other men. In no time, we were able to share personal stories and sometimes support each other.
Punam and Wim are very warm, hospitable people, with whom I soon felt very connected and familiar. The group was very close, we shared daily and worked together on small projects. Dividing into the little projects was actually automatic and I thoroughly enjoyed doing them.
I really felt alive, enjoyment was that. So I got to work with the motor-strimmer, chainsaw and grinder and was towing the broken-down ambulance bus with Wim behind the wheel with the land rover. I enjoyed the space, trust and appreciation I got, which is a lot less in my work in the Netherlands. In short, I had a very nice time with super nice weather so I will definitely go back again..... '

Guests
You can stay here with your own camper or pitch your tent and pay 15 euros per night (100 euros per week) or use a 'De Waard' tent set up by us with beds made up for 200 euros per week.
Later in the year these will become real nice 'glaming' places with verandas etc., there will also be apartments but for now these are the possibilities.
You can join for dinner, you sign up at the group kitchen.
