Group of women sharing a meal outdoors, embracing and smiling, surrounded by colorful painted brush strokes.

When our women and children are better cared for,

our whole community can be more well.

A cozy room with a bookshelf filled with various books, a black wall with small plants as labels, a furry rug, and a small pile of books on a marble table.
A wooden bed with a loft structure, decorated with string lights. The lower bed has a plaid quilt, a leopard print pillow, and stuffed toys, while the upper bed has a plaid cushion and appears to have a pillow or blanket. The room is warmly lit with wall-mounted and table lamps.

Casula is a place to rest, heal and transform.

We are deeply inspired by the collective and interconnecting wisdoms of women, nature and community and work to apply these wisdom in the continued creation of our larger farm and community project in Aljezur and throughout our programming.

We are the only private, non-profit shelter in southern Portugal and one of the very few farm and community based shelters who operate in a secured, public location which invites our whole community into taking responsibility for the collective issue of violence and abuse amongst us. 

Whether you are simply visiting our library or herbal apothecary or coming to class, workshop or our farmers market, you are contributing to supporting local women and children to live lives more free from abuse and violence.

And that helps all of us have a better chance at living with more of the dignity, safety and belonging we deserve.

Living room with a beige sofa, yellow and orange pillows, a wooden wall with a black shelf holding books, a wall-mounted light fixture, and a potted plant in a glass container.
Wooden shelves on a green wall holding glass jars with dried herbs and spices, some with labels, in a kitchen or herbal shop.
A woman with curly hair and a nose piercing smiling at the camera in a room with green walls, shelves with books, and an orange curtain.

Our Team

LORIE SOLIS

Co-Founder, President Comadre & Casula Director 

“All I’ve ever wanted is to do meaningful things in this life… To have a positive influence in the world around me.” Lorie is an aspiring elder, future ancestor, mother, wife, daughter and friend. She is awed and humbled by the mysteries of living and has intimately known Death, Love and everything in between. She is the humble lead at Comadres and Casula and also serves her community as a Somatic Trauma Therapist, Somatic Scar Tissue Worker, Inter-faith Chaplain, Community Advocate, and Clinical & Traditional Herbalist. Lorie is also the co-owner of Fazenda Compadres along with her husband Skeets. 

A woman smiling at the camera with the ocean and rocky shoreline in the background.

ANA CRISTINA SÁ

Co-Founder, Vice-President Comadre & Casula Lead Social Worker

“We deserve!” Ana’s joy and gratitude for life is contagious and she is joyfully proud to do work she believes in with her whole heart. She is a Master Teacher in Alternative Education, a long time creator and manager for various social projects around the globe and a student of indigenous peoples and ancestral technologies. Ana is also an enthusiast of travel both within the body and around the world and passionate about human relationships and their creative potential! She is also a mother, daughter, sister, friend, Comadre!

Smiling woman wearing a green hoodie and beige pants kneeling inside a greenhouse surrounded by plants and gardening supplies.

LUCY DAVIES

Comadres Herb Farm Lead, Master Gardener & Soil Biologist 

“I get to work doing the thing I love the most! It’s the coolest!” Lucy is gorgeously capable woman of many talents. She is well studied in the arts and science of homeopathy and horticulture and has designed, implemented and managed many incredible garden projects. She is a true DIY aficionada and badass mother of two amazing young men. You’ll most likely find her outside somewhere, hands in the Earth, making the place more and more beautiful.

A woman with blonde hair and hoop earrings, smiling while resting her chin on her hand, sitting near a vase of yellow and white flowers, in a cozy indoor setting.

KAYLEE VAN DAM

Comadres Online Marketing & Creator, Admin Team 

Kaylee is the quiet power behind all the online stuff. She’s a partner, dog mom, photographer, friend and much more… Her favourite hobby is to be home, on the couch, with a book and her dog. She loves being invited into learning and to spend time with other weird people, having meaningful conversations.