Make room for one another.
Cooking can become something you share. Bring a recipe, arrange a meal together, or enjoy a quiet cup of tea in good company.
THE WINTER STEWARDSHIP · LIMITED PLACES
Build something
real this winter.
Six hectares of oak and dryland in Alentejo. A house to renew. Water to bring to the land. A greenhouse to raise. Real work, real seasons, and a small group who see it through.
Six weeks minimum. Three months preferred. We’re looking for humans who organise themselves, follow through, and work well with others.
Take a look at the life, the work and the practical realities below. Read the full page before applying, so we can explore the fit with clear expectations.
Arrival dates agreed after selection 3 places currently available
Longer stays prioritised. Applications close when the cohort is filled.
OUR HOME · A LIVING SYSTEMCare for the home.
Help life continue.
[PHOTO — someone working with hands on timber or water in low light / wide shot of the house among oaks at dawn / muddy boots and tools by the door]
A WEEK HERE
Real work.
Room for shared life.
Mornings are cold and start early. For those caring for the animals, they come first, followed by the work you agreed.
The middle of the day might be spent building, working the land, or making another agreed contribution, sharing your gifts and developing your skills.
Evenings can gather around the fire, in the hall with instruments, or in a community circle. There is room for quiet time too. What happens grows from whoever is here and what you choose to organise together.
Évora, European Capital of Culture 2027, is around 40 minutes away by car when you want a city.
[PHOTO — fire lit in the hall with people around it / misty field at sunrise with horses / a long table with food being served]
THE FILTER
What separates applicants
from stewards?
What we do is held by who we are.
We’re looking for three humans to help carry this winter chapter: renewing the shared home, supporting the land, and maintaining the systems life here depends on.
Proven practical skills are valuable. Substantial experience of responsibility in a shared house, farm, team, or demanding project can also qualify you. You need to know what you can carry independently, where you need instruction, and when to ask for help.
Responsibility first. Autonomy through trust.
A LOOK INTO LIVING AT PURPOSEFLOW
The work has meaning.
So does the life around it.
A meal that becomes a long conversation. Music in the hall. A walk among the oaks, with a dog for company.
Alongside your agreed contribution, there is room to rest, practise, make something with your hands and get to know the humans sharing this home. These photographs offer a glimpse of moments that have grown here.
Space to play and practise.
Yoga decks, instruments and creative corners offer places to explore. A skill you bring might become something you share with someone else.
Time to settle into the land.
Walk beneath the oaks, spend time with the animals, or find a quiet corner. In colder weather, the fireplace offers a place to gather.
More glimpses of life here
[PHOTO — painting or sanding in progress / a repaired room ready to use / hands finishing a repair]
[PHOTO — hands joining pipework / laying a water line together / checking a finished system]
[PHOTO — a greenhouse frame taking shape / seedling trays / a hardening-off station]
[PHOTO — an unposed group working / two people laughing over a task / a pause together beside the tools]
These are moments from different seasons. Shared meals and activities happen by agreement with whoever is here, rather than as a scheduled programme. Winter brings colder days and a different rhythm; the community, spaces and experiences evolve.
Explore the practical side of living here ↘READ BEFORE YOU APPLY
The conditions are clear.
Consider your capacity.
This chapter needs independent organisation, reliable follow-through, and the ability to communicate through difficulty. Asking for support is part of that. We need humans who communicate their limits and help arrange cover when a commitment is at risk.
THIS MIGHT SUIT YOU IF
You can contribute
with care and consistency.
- You have lived through demanding conditions and can explain what you learned.
- You assess, communicate, and act within your skills when plans change.
- You can follow, lead, and receive feedback without needing to prove you know best.
- You name overwhelm early, take steps to regroup, and ask for appropriate support.
- You honour commitments or help arrange a responsible handover when you cannot.
- You see this as an investment in your learning and capability, alongside the home, land, and relationships you help sustain.
DO NOT APPLY IF
What this asks of you.
- You need daily direction or close supervision for most responsibilities.
- You need consistently warm accommodation or a high level of everyday comfort.
- You leave commitments uncovered when stressed and are not ready to communicate or arrange support.
- You are not ready to receive feedback, address disagreement, and take responsibility for repair.
- Cold, insects, mud, shared living, and changing plans are conditions you do not want to live with.
- You want a ready-made programme or daily facilitation of your stay.
Selection is mutual. These criteria help us discuss the fit; they do not guarantee a place or require you to hide difficulty. Be specific about the support and conditions you need.
Considering a different way to join? Explore co-living below ↘
THE WINTER MISSION
Renew the foundations.
Carry the work through.
A house brought back into use. Water reaching the ground where it is needed. A greenhouse and polytunnel to shelter the next generation of plants. Existing trees and water-retention work cared for through another season.
These four connected priorities shape the winter. Funding for propagation is secured; what moves ahead, and at what pace, depends on the skills, conditions and resources available.
A CORE PRIORITY
Rejuvenate the home.
Cleaning, organising, repairs, painting, and thoughtful redesign. Leave shared spaces usable for those who come after.
WHAT THIS MAKES POSSIBLE
Useful spaces, maintained through consistent care.
And a space you can point to and say you brought back.
[PHOTO — painting or sanding mid-renewal / a cleared, usable room / hands on a repair]
A CORE PRIORITY
Upgrade infrastructure.
Water systems, pipework, and practical planning. Reliability in the invisible details helps bring water to where later restoration work needs it.
WHAT THIS MAKES POSSIBLE
Reliable systems that support the land’s capacity to regenerate.
And the confidence of having built something that holds.
[PHOTO — hands on pipework / a trench for a water line / a finished system]
FUNDED · REQUIRES COMPETENT EXECUTION
Establish propagation.
Greenhouse, polytunnel, and a hardening area for young plants. Funding is secured; the work needs the right skills to plan and execute it competently.
WHAT THIS MAKES POSSIBLE
Locally grown seedlings and trees for the garden and restoration work.
And a polytunnel you can point to and say you built.
[PHOTO — greenhouse frame going up / seedling trays / a hardening-off area]
SEASONAL · SHAPED BY CAPACITY
Tend existing regeneration.
Pruning, repairs, and adaptations to existing land and water-retention work. Keep earlier efforts functioning and build on them where resources allow.
WHAT THIS MAKES POSSIBLE
Continuity for what is already growing.
And the skill of reading land that is already recovering.
[PHOTO — pruning / water-retention earthworks / a recovering patch of land]
One living project. Connected foundations.A conceptual drawing, not a map of the property.
WHAT YOU’LL LEAVE WITH
Skills you can point to.
A home you helped bring back into use. Water reaching ground that was dry. A greenhouse standing where there was none. These are the outcomes we are working towards, with your part shaped by the responsibilities you carry and what the season allows us to complete.
A small group who saw you carry it. Connections to a wider network of 15 communities and 5 networks, alongside 850+ people welcomed from 110+ countries.
Relationships formed through shared work can open doors to other projects, in Portugal and beyond. Those connections grow through care, trust and reciprocity, with each project making its own decisions about who it welcomes.
Read what previous participants have shared ↗CREATE TRUST · BUILD TRUST · EARN AUTONOMY · LEAD
Responsibility grows.
Trust grows with it.
You bring experience. We offer direction as you settle in. Together, we find a level of responsibility you can carry reliably.
Arrive with guidance.
Learn the systems. Ask questions. Know your limits. Agree what you can carry and where instruction is needed.
Demonstrate reliability.
Complete what you agree to. Communicate when things change. Follow through even when inconvenient, or arrange help to honour the commitment.
Grow into leadership.
Autonomy expands through consistent care. Freedom is earned through reliability, sound judgement, and trust in how you work with others.
CONTRIBUTION LEAVES SOMETHING BEHIND
Made together.
Cared for together.
Moments from earlier building work here. The next projects depend on the experience, cooperation, and steady care we bring to them.
FINDING OUR RHYTHM, TOGETHERTHE HOUSE
A home with room
for shared life.
A big old Portuguese house with a fireplace, a hall for music, many chill areas and a long table. People who cook together, play together, and get on with it.
Less programmed than it sounds. You bring the evening.
Musical instruments, workout equipment, yoga decks, tools, and creative materials offer room to practise, work, and connect. Access to tools and materials is by arrangement and within your competence. Learning goes both ways, and relationships can continue long after a stay.
Read what previous volunteers have shared ↗Photographs and feedback reflect different seasons of the project.[PHOTO — several people cooking / instruments in the hall / a reading nook with a cat]
THE ANIMALS
Mornings start
with them.
Horses, dogs, cats and chickens are part of daily life here. For those with an agreed animal-care role, feeding starts at seven, rain or shine.
It’s the most reliable part of the day, and often the best.
Care continues when plans change. We honour the commitment, or communicate early and arrange help or a responsible handover.
[PHOTO — morning feeding / a horse nuzzling someone / a dog asleep by boots]
A FEW THINGS TO BE CLEAR ABOUT
A real home.
Real conditions.
These details matter when deciding whether you can settle here and contribute well. Read them alongside the practical information on Workaway.
Winter is part of the commitment.
The house is uninsulated. Paths can turn to mud. Animal and land care continue when the weather changes. The indoor fireplace warms the gathering space only. Expect cold sleeping rooms.
Shared accommodation is limited. Humans bringing their own van or setup are prioritised, with space and arrangements agreed before arrival. Choose this with a realistic view of your needs and experience.
We provide the base. You organise meals.
Plant-based staple ingredients are included. Cook for yourself or organise meals with others. The ingredient list is shared before arrival.
Individual dietary needs and extras are yours to source. Shared meals happen by agreement with whoever is here. We provide ingredients, not a catered meal service.
25 hours each week.
An agreed contribution to this winter chapter, with accommodation and plant-based staple ingredients included.
- Agreed contribution
- 25 hours / week
- Accommodation + staples
- Included
- Financial contribution
- €0
Six weeks minimum. Three months or longer preferred. Longer stays are prioritised; accommodation and setup spaces are agreed before arrival.
YOUR CONTRIBUTION SITS WITHIN A WHOLE SHARED HOME
Space to work, connect, and create.
- Co-working spaces
- Indoor and outdoor kitchens
- Chill areas and spaces by the fire
- Yoga decks
- Shared tools and creative materials, by arrangement
- Co-living, shared meals, and space for sharing circles
Alongside your agreed work, there is room to exchange skills, learn through the life of the project, and grow alongside humans with their own experience and ideas. Shared activities take shape with whoever is here; this chapter has less organised programming.
A home within a wider web.
Becoming part of shared life can also connect you with our alumni network and other regenerative projects and communities, in Portugal and beyond. Those openings grow through care, trust, and reciprocity. Introductions depend on mutual fit and each place’s possibilities.
Six weeks minimum. Three months preferred. A longer stay gives you time to settle, build trust, and carry responsibilities through.
Arrival dates are agreed after selection. Three places are currently available. Applications close when filled. Further places or calls may become possible, but no additional opening or date is promised.
GET TO KNOW THIS CHAPTER
Meet us.
Explore the fit together.
We highly recommend joining the open call. It is a chance to hear the realities, ask questions, and clarify expectations before committing time and energy to an application. You can apply without attending, provided you have read this page in full and considered the fit. Three places are currently available; attending does not guarantee selection.
Interested in a future opening? Join the waitlist ↗Cannot make the call? You can still apply below. The waitlist is for humans who would prefer to hear about a future opening; it does not reserve a place.
Follow opening updates ↗WHO YOU’LL BE HERE WITH
A small group.
A shared purpose.
Two other stewards, Zenna and Yura, help coordinate the work and shared life.
They support the practical tasks, conversations and day-to-day processes that come with living in nature and growing toward regenerative living.
You won’t be dropped in alone. There are humans to learn the systems with, ask questions of, and work alongside as you find your place in the agreed responsibilities.
A small group, self-selected, here for the same reason.
[PHOTO — unposed group working / two people laughing over a task / a circle in the hall]
HOW TO APPLY
Read carefully.
Apply when ready.
Read the full page and consider the practical realities. We highly recommend the call to clarify expectations and save everyone time and energy. You can send your application before or after the call, or without attending.
- Explore the fit.Read the page in full. Join the call on Monday 23 November, 17:00–18:00 Lisbon if you can; it is highly recommended, not required.
- Share your intake.Send specific answers when you have considered whether this chapter fits your capacity and expectations.
- We review.Hosts and community reviewers consider your experience, capacity, and the needs of the group.
- We decide. You commit or decline.If selected, receive directions, what to bring, living agreements, and pre-arrival conditions. Confirm the agreements and your place before arranging arrival.
ANOTHER WAY TO SHARE THIS HOME
Prefer a different rhythm?
Explore co-living.
Co-living offers more space for your own projects, rest, and time management through a financial contribution and care for shared life. Explore that arrangement if it better suits what you are looking for.
Same land. Same winter conditions. A different commitment. The co-living page has its own application and assessment of the fit; stewardship selection does not decide your suitability for co-living.
Explore Co-LivingCo-living does not mean an insulated house or guaranteed warmth. Please review the winter conditions and your practical needs with us.