My year as a volunteer in Sweden

At the end of August 2018, I started my journey to Delsbo, Northern Sweden to Camphill "Staffansgården", a place where people with disabilities live. I consciously call it a place for people with disabilities, because the life in the different houses resembles a family flat-sharing community. Staffansgården covers a large area with several typical Swedish red houses, some of which are very centrally located in Delsbo, on the farm belonging to it and in Friggesund, 10 km away. My house, where I lived together with five other people, was situated in the immediate vicinity of the forest, so I spend a lot of time in nature right from the beginning. When I arrived, the forest changed into an autumnal dress, the leaves turned into beautiful colours, the temperature dropped and above all, mushrooms, blueberries and cranberries grew everywhere. It was a beautiful and colourful natural paradise, which I fell in love with immediately.

In the beginning I felt a bit uncomfortable, because it was a new environment, I didn't have my family and friends close by and I couldn't express myself in my usual language. Over time, these feelings and barriers weakened because I met wonderful people at work and in my house. I enjoyed spending my free time with them. Some of them have become good friends who I will visit in the near future.

During the week and on weekends, I accompanied the residents in their daily routine and common leisure activities. The typical daily routine began with a morning round, in which everyone participated. Here the complete schedule and special daily activities were discussed and people had time to talk about their week(ends) experiences. After this morning round the group (including me) split up into the individual workshops for people with disabilities.

Among them were the following workshops: canteen kitchen, bakery, carpentry, weaving, gardening, farm work, paper workshop.

I preferred to work in the carpentry workshop, because I enjoyed working with the big machines and the wood. Two days a week I worked on the farm and my tasks were feeding the animals (cows, chickens, pigs), collecting eggs, working in the vegetable fields and the greenhouse.

In the afternoons there were activities such as dancing, swimming, yoga, gymnastics and floorball, which the residents enjoyed very much. We, the volunteers, were also involved in the activities, so that once a month we organised a volunteer café for everyone and prepared some delicious desserts as well as lovingly made the decorations for annual festivals.

In my free time I was also able to create some great memories that I still often remember to this day, such as ice fishing, attending and helping to organise local concerts and festivals, long walks, skiing, canoeing, swimming in lakes, cycling and much more.

Today I am happy and grateful to have had the courage to experience all these wonderful moments.

Updated on вторник, 17/02/2026