International Volunteer HQ's partner organization in Brazil requires volunteers NOW! IVHQ Brazil has a wide range of volunteering opportunities available in working with children placements, Brazil sports programs, environmental placements, Carnaval program, teaching English placements, arts placements and community development projects.
LOCATION OF BRAZIL VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS IVHQ has volunteer placements in Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city of Brazil, located on the coast in the South East of the country.
START AND DURATION OF BRAZIL VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS Placements begin on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. Volunteers can choose to volunteer for periods of two weeks to six months. NB. The Arts, Teaching English and Community Development programs have a minimum requirement of 3 weeks duration.
BRAZIL VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS Volunteers must be over 18 years of age at the beginning of the program and have at least a high school education.
BRAZIL VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT DESCRIPTIONS
SPORTS PROGRAM
Sport has become vital for Rio's lowest income communities, as they provide children and adolescents with recreational outlets. At just about every corner of Rio de Janeiro, you will find the locals playing Brazil's national sport, futebol. Sports have become an essential part of favela life, especially for children and adolescents because there are so few entertainment options for youth in low income communities. With a lack of entertainment and job options, children more and more are getting caught up in illegal activities to pass the time. The sports volunteer program has become a vital outlet for children; it provides them with friendly competition in a safe and fun environment. By no means do you have to be a sports star to participate in the sports programs, but a little talent goes a long way! Our sports projects include popular programs such as capoeira, football, basketball, beach volley ball and surfing. Volunteers can expect to participate in a little of each of these sports or if you have a specific sport you would like to focus on, please notify us when you apply.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM
This program is for volunteer who enjoy the outdoors and want to help preserve the natural wonders of Brazil. Volunteers will have the opportunity to work in variety of conservation and urban renewal programs. Rio de Janeiro boasts one of the most magnificent contrasting landscapes in the world: cascading forests on massive mountains adjacent to a world class city. However, this contrast is not always mutually beneficial, as many of Rio's treasured green spaces are damaged by urban sprawl. Volunteers can work in various areas including reforestation, forest protection, environmental awareness and recycling programs and in community (favela) gardens. As a volunteer on the environmental program, you can help to support and develop some of the most precious natural spaces, while providing alternatives to low income communities for how to dispose waste and recycle.
WORKING WITH CHILDREN
Helping in child development is undoubtedly the most beneficial way to increase the quality of life in children living in Brazil; a country with one of the most pronounced wealth gaps in the world. Children in Rio attend school either in the morning or the afternoon – leaving them unsupervised for long periods of time if their parents work. The working with children program ensures that children have a safe, educational, supervised environment in which to spend this time constructively and allow parents to work. As a part of the program, your objective is to provide children with the care and attention needed to develop their social skills, to encourage them to develop an enthusiasm for higher education, and to teach vital skills to be competitive in a rapidly developing economy. Work in this program ranges from community creches with babies right through to community centers for children and teens. As a volunteer in this program, you will work with children from favelas, providing them with the essential attention, support and guidance needed for healthy child development. Volunteers, although not conducting strict written lessons, will also teach English though educational play such as copying, tracing, games, drawing and role play. Child development projects require volunteers who are dedicated and willing to give a lot of care and love. These projects generally have few resources, so you must have a lot of initiative and creativity with the facilities that are available to you.
CARNAVAL PROGRAM
Many parents in China cannot afford special education or focused care for their child if they have a physical or mental disability. However, there are some community centers that do exist to offer programs for these special needs children from poorer backgrounds that cannot attend mainstream schools. Workers are desperately required as the centers are incredibly understaffed. IVHQ volunteers work in these community centers alongside a small number of local staff assisting children with both physical and mental disabilities. Volunteers assist with the daily operations, which includes tasks such as preparing food, serving meals, cleaning and arranging games and activities for the children. However, the most valuable thing volunteers can offer is love and support for these children. This is one of our neediest programs and is always in need of more volunteers.
ARTS PROGRAM
There is a palpable obsession with the arts in Rio de Janeiro - as music, dance, and theatre are central to what it means to be Brazilian. However, the arts are far more than just entertainment; it can be a powerful force for community building, nurturing human creativity, and social empowerment. Volunteers in this program can work in a number of arts programs around Rio de Janeiro dedicated to providing access to the arts for diverse populations so that all Cariocas (locals from Rio) may be empowered by the positive impact of the arts. There is certainly plenty to offer on an arts project which uses an invigorating mix of music, dance, and theatre to support the city's most at-risk youth. Working with children from a number of favelas (urban slums) your efforts will play a valuable part in helping a project desperately short of resources, while allowing you to absorb the artistic vibes of Rio. As a volunteer on the Arts program, one of your main roles will be to help educate and support the children of Rio by offering a cultural and artistic education that reinforces positive interests, in an effort to provide an escape from the omnipresent drug trade and under-employment. The vast majority of our programs in the arts require no prerequisite skills, however, if you have a special artistic ability that you would like to share, please let us know. NB This program has a minimum requirement of 3 weeks.TEACHING ENGLISHAs an English teacher, you will also be exposing your students to one of the world's most commonly spoken languages, one that fuels the global economy. In the next few years Brazil will play host to both the World Cup and the Olympics - these events hold many opportunities for English-speaking Brazilians to find work in the tourism industry and give them a skill they can use for life! You will be working side-by-side with your students, sharing perspective and encouraging cultural understanding. Students range in age from primary school age to the elderly - but no matter who sits in your classroom, teaching English is bound to be an extraordinarily fulfilling experience. English instruction in Brazilian government schools is flaky at best, so volunteering to teach English will provide young students with a supplement to what they learn in school and will give people who never took English courses the opportunity to learn the language. It is also an excellent opportunity to give those living in the favelas a chance to have access to the language that fuels the global economy enhancing their work prospects. The English teaching placements are flexible - from tutoring a few students, to teaching an entire class. Volunteers also often help each other in planning lessons and activities - but the simple fact that there is an English speaker leading discussion makes a tremendous impact on language acquisition. NB Volunteers DO NOT need to be a qualified or experienced teacher. This program has a minimum requirement of 3 weeks.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
There's no doubt that local organizations in Brazil are making significant impacts in their communities but with your help and creativity, their programs could develop even further - making them markedly more sustainable and impacting. Volunteer opportunities in community development range from helping partner organizations to create new community development programs, develop existing ones, make performance indicators, and work in outreach and promotion. The local organizations volunteers work in provide essential resources and programming to their communities, but staff members are often swamped by day-to-day operations and have little time to focus on the "big picture." As a volunteer, you will have the opportunity to help them accomplish objectives that they may have not otherwise had the time or the manpower to do without you. The time commitment and reach of your work is largely up to you, but creative and industrious go-getter types are always needed for this kind of role. Projects include health education and awareness; technology, media and design as well as NGO development. NB This program has a minimum requirement of 3 weeks.
Who? Volunteers 18 years and over are eligible to book. Check out the Brazil volunteer program page for more information on this. BOOK NOW!
When? Placements begin on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. Volunteers can choose to volunteer for periods of two weeks to six months.
Where? Placements in the second largest city in Brazil, Rio De Janeiro.
How Much? Program fees range from US$590 (1 Week) to US$3360 (6 Months)
What do my fees pay for? Registration Fee (Refundable if you choose not to go) – 24/7 support from IVHQ staff, program marketing costs, information pack, administration costs, travel costs to inspect programs and communication costs with volunteers. Program Fee – Airport pick up, orientation, program supervision, accommodation and meals during volunteer placement period, In-country 24/7 volunteer support and In-country administration costs.
What additional costs will I have? Visa, flights, travel insurance (recommended), vaccinations, souvenirs, trips or tours you do while in the country, transfer back to the airport from program, spending money (volunteers in Brazil generally find US$50 to be sufficient for basic weekly expenses).
For more details visit http://www.volunteerhq.org
Any enquiries contact us at volunteer@volunteerhq.org
IVHQ also offers extremely affordable volunteering opportunities in Kenya, Kenya Maasai Village, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Peru - Lima, Guatemala, Colombia, Peru-Cusco, Costa Rica, India, Ghana, Peru, Ecuador, Cambodia, Vietnam, Nepal and Thailand.
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