Ongoing work

• Maintenance of the Iracambi computer network and troubleshooting.
• Communication of IT overview to all new arrivals.
• Ensuring that all computers are used according to the user guide.
• Keeping the user guide as relevant and easy to understand as possible.
• Ensuring all files are clean and tidy with all relevant information in the right folder.
• Cleaning up folders and deleting relevant personal folders.
• Troubleshoot computer problems as necessary.
• Suggest and implement improvements to the system.

Current priorities

• Ensuring that the network is operating as well as possible
• Creating a system which will allow us to store information on all the resources that we have available - books, journals, research papers, maps, tools etc and then search through this.
• Bringing together the two separate networks so that all the computers are joined together on one network.

Skills and expertise needed

• Networking experience.
• Able to train people in computer programs and or systems
• Good organisational skills
• Creativity and imagination, to devise improvements and solutions to problems
• Flexible and patient enough to be able to work with limited resources and outdated equipment

Time frames

The Northern Summer - from June to September, tends to be one of our busiest times. As a result our computers are needed more during this time, so we don't have the space during this time for people to work on our upgrading our network, unless they can bring their own laptop.

Project update

Templates have been made for researchers and volunteers to use to record information. This should help to standardise the information that is collected and how it is recorded, which will make it easier for subsequent researchers and volunteers to pick up on the work that has been done before.

Day in the life

A typical day begins exceedingly early in the morning, when I am roused by my roommates' unforgiving alarm sounding at what feels like the dawn of time. My day officially begins much later, around 7:30am, where I will gauge that it is sufficiently bright enough outside to be classed as morning. After climbing down from my top bunk, I begin the important search for breakfast, greeting fellow housemates with a sleepy bom dia. After a hearty breakfast of fried bread and exotic jam, porridge, fruit or - *wow* - pancakes made with wild berries, I head off down the 3km track to the office. On the way I may come across a mare and foal resting, some farm workers harvesting sugarcane, or a local family riding high on their horse-drawn cart. At times it is easy to forget that I am far, far from Oz when passing the eucalyptus forest and sugarcane fields.

Around 9am I arrive at the office. The first task at hand is to deal with any computer issues that may have arisen, such as the Internet connection mysteriously not working on a clear and sunny day. Once any morning glitches have been resolved, I can begin work on other things. Here at Iracambi there are always volunteers coming and going. All have their own style and preference for saving and sharing information. Some save files with informative names, others don't. Some leave their name and project information stamped all over files, while others prefer the ESP method. One of the biggest problems here is the task of knowledge management - trying to organise and make sense of the labyrinth of information on the network. I have been working on several things to try and alleviate these problems; creating standard document templates, installing tools to assist in searching for documents, developing a central database to store common information, and working on the beginnings of an Intranet to access that information. This is particularly challenging given the somewhat quirky collection of computers, and trying to interpret in IT terms the conflicting needs of those working here. Another challenge is coming to terms with working in an office when the beautiful Mata Atlantica surrounds you. Perhaps next time a laptop would be a wise investment…

Come noon and my stomach reminds me that lunch is more important than computers, so I head off down to Casa Angola. No surprises here - the fare on offer includes rice, beans, pasta, vegetables and cake or bread. It's very delicious, and after a plate (or three) I trek back up the hill to Casa de Barro and the office. The day at the office winds to a close anytime around 5. Some days I will make a short phone call to loved ones back home in Oz, before beginning the long walk back in the fading light, fireflies glinting in the fields and all the forest creatures in full chorus. Once back at Centro, the rest of the night is spent catching up with housemates, improving my limited Portuguese skills, reading, cooking or simply swinging in the hammock watching the stars wheel overhead. While life as an IT volunteer at Iracambi has its challenges, my time spent here has been full of wonderful experiences and amusing moments, all shared with an ever-changing group of people from all walks of life.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying to volunteer on this project, you need to e-mail us on iracambi@iracambi.com with an up to date copy of your CV/Resume and give us the following details:

• How do you feel you can benefit the project?
• What interests you about our project?
• What relevant experience and interests do you have?
• What other interests do you have?
• What expectations do you have from your time here?
• What language skills do you have?
• What date are you planning to come to Iracambi and how long are you going to stay?
• How did you find out about Iracambi?

We look forward to hearing from you soon.