With 22 hectares, it is situated in the parish of Calde, it occupies a valley with a view to Serra da Arada, with Cabrum stream limiting the districts of Viseu and Castro d’Aire. It has 9 adult residents and 6 children. Here, the winter is cold, the spring is balmy, the summer is hot and dry and the autumn is cool. You can hear the sound of flowing water, feel the aroma of wild roses and the landscapes get lost on the horizon.
The last inhabitant of Cabrum surrendered to the weight of the isolation and on April 5, 2009 he decided to leave the village. Manuel Pontes was over 70 years old. Just after, Vasco, co-founder of the Ecovillage of Cabrum, was informed by a friend about this abandonment and both decided to visit the village. The second visit happened three years later, already in the presence of Manuela, his companion, since the two wanted to start a community preferably in an abandoned village.
When they get to Cabrum, there was a couple camped about three weeks ago. They were joined by two more couples. The purpose was to meet the landowners, to raise the village and live as they once lived. A little later, the Assignment Contracts were signed for five years. With a stronger core and a greater sense of community resulting from a meeting in September 2015, in order to decide the departure of people with ideals incompatible with the rest of the inhabitants, Cabrum is growing again!
The Ecovillage of Cabrum presents values in Organic Agriculture, Bioconstruction, Art, Non-formal Education, Health, Spirituality and Alternative Economy, and has as mission and main objectives:
- To develop a community based in unconditional love and in Permaculture principles;
- To achieve food autonomy and ecological subsistence;
- To create a space conducive to coexistence in harmony;
- To live in deep connection with nature and to cohabit peacefully with all creatures;
- Not use polluting energy sources, developing autonomous and ecological energy systems;
- To inspire people of all ages and present solutions that can be replicated in a simple, practical and sustainable manner at local level;
- To create conditions, infrastructure such as water supply, parking and accommodation, so that this sharing is possible.
Inhabitants of the Village
VASCO
Vasco was born and lived most of his life in Covilhã, where he took a technical course in Communication and Public Relations. In 2006, he graduated in Oporto in Technologies of Graphic Design. After the graduation, he embraced a specific formation for a change of life, like Permaculture, Bioconstruction, Phytotherapy and Massage Ayurveda. The involvement by sustainable communities began in a Permaculture project in Aveiro, followed by the construction of an eco-community in Tábua! Cabrum is an ecovillage project started in 2012.
“We saw the potential of water resources, the existing fauna and flora and decided to invest some time here”.
MANUELA
She was born in Oporto, where she studied Pharmacy. She graduated in Marketing and Communication, made a career in a multinational and, simultaneously, graduated in Yoga and Ayurvedic therapies. She opened a Yoga school in Oporto, where she was an instructor until 2012, when she made the transition from an urban life to the countryside. Then she started the ecovillage project in Cabrum, with the purpose of helping people in transition to a process of self-healing, to a more conscious life and in connection with Nature and the Universe. Her son, Adi, was born here.
“I wanted to have my vegetable garden and wanted to eat from it, knowing what I was eating, wanted to breathe good air, drink good water. At that moment, it made perfect sense for me to make the change.”
ACTIVITY SCHEDULE
| Area | Activity | Description | Time |
| Health and Welfare | Yoga in group | Practice ancestral techniques of yoga | 90 min. |
| Practice of Individual Yoga | Techniques adapted to each body type (docha) | 90 min. | |
| Ayurveda food counselling and practical workshop of vegetarian cuisine | Healthy and sustainable vegetarian dishes, adapted to each body (docha) | 1 day | |
| Healing through food, cleaning and purification of the body, with Kriyá techniques, as Shanka Prakshalaná (digestive system cleaning) | Treatment with alkaline foods, green juices, germinated, cleaned with salt water, etc. | 1 day | |
| Kusum Modak Massage:
Individual therapy and / or group technique training |
Therapeutic massage with adapted medicinal oils to each type of body (docha), with full pressure, course of technique and training for therapists | 60 min. | |
| Ayurveda Massage | Massage with hot oils with moderate pressure, very relaxing | 60 min. | |
| Sound massage | Tibetan Bowls | 45 min. | |
| Retreats in Mauna (silence) and Upasana (fasting) | To agree | ||
| Sustainability | Organic farming | Theoretical and practical introduction to organic farming | 1 day (or as agreed) |
| Soil analysis and composting techniques | Presentation of different composting techniques and conducting pedological analyses to determine the soil fertility. | 1 day (or as agreed) | |
| Harvesting wild plants and preparing natural medicines (Phytotherapy) | 1 day | ||
| Introduction to bio-construction | Introduction to different ways of designing and building houses, in an ecological way | 120 min. | |
| Practical workshop on bio-construction | Clay plasters and / or paints on the houses’ walls (Cabrum) | ½ day – 2 days | |
| Design of ecological architecture | Development of customized sustainable architecture projects | 1 day | |
| Guided hike for forest observation | 60 – 120 min. | ||
| Criatividade | Alternative hair stylist | In a forest atmosphere, wild unconventional haircuts. | 60 min. |
| Workshop for Salsa Beginners | 90 min. | ||
| Macrame workshop | Works with precious and healer stones. | 90 min. | |
| Arte e reciclagem | Sewing Workshop – reuse and recycle – sewing by hand and machine | Participants can bring clothes they no longer use to turn into something new | 1 day |
