Community Support in Rio Brazil

As a city, Rio has a very pronounced divide between its rich residents and the residents that are, in some cases, living in extreme states of poverty. The aim of this project is to help children with their education but also to make sure that they are productive in other areas, by providing leisure and sports activities to keep them off the streets and to help them develop self confidence, social skills and ensure they stay healthy. The project is involved in all kinds of ommunity care initiatives that you can get stuck into.

Project Age Limit
Minimum 18 years, maximum decided on potential participants’ health

Programme Information
Founded in 1996, the project runs a base that serves as a Communal, Cultural and Educational Centre for Rio’s disadvantaged communities. The focus of the project is to provide services to the community in which it operates, aiming to help certain groups.

One of the major parts of the project is education. Currently the centre is helping 442 students and provides nursery facilities, primary education and secondary education – each child being put into the appropriate group depending on their age. Activities are also provided for the children, mostly educational, like arts and crafts but also sports, dance and theatre to keep the children active, sociable and healthy. It is also a great way to keep the children from wandering the streets.

The centre also supports 2,300 families who are unable to scrape together enough money to buy basic necessities. They are provided with food baskets and clothes and run a community soup kitchen. As well as giving to the community, the centre also puts on educational lectures, meetings and vocational training courses to raise awareness about important issues, as well as giving people the opportunity to learn skills that would be beneficial to them vocationally.

Your Role as a Volunteer
What you are asked to do on a day-to-day basis will depend on the needs of the project at the time, however you can expect to be involved in activities such as:

Project Requirements
You need plenty of enthusiasm, compassion and a general interest in helping people. You also need a high beginner level of Portuguese language.

Portuguese will be the main language used whilst on the project in order to respect staff that cannot speak English. For those who are new to the language or if you just need to brush up on the skills you already have, we recommend that you take part in our language school before your project starts.

Language School
The Rio Language School has over 33 years experience in teaching the Portuguese language and is one of the biggest in Brazil.

You will be taking part in a course that has been specifically designed for foreign students who need to learn Portuguese for both professional and personal use. But the focus isn’t only on these areas; you can also look into any area that you are interested in.

While at the language school your accommodation will be with a host family. Also included with the language school is:

Project Orientation
When you arrive into Rio, you will be met at the airport (unless you are already in the city) and will have an orientation with the onsite staff covering all you need to know about the project itself, such as what you will be doing, health and safety and so on. You can also expect a country and area orientation, which will cover things such as:

If you feel that you haven’t been given enough information in your orientation, you are more than welcome to ask the onsite project staff any questions that you want answered.

Accommodation and Meals
During your stay in Rio de Janeiro, you will be accommodated in a host family, allowing you to experience the Brazilian way of life. All host families are carefully vetted and inspected before any placement is considered and all families receive an orientation on their obligations to their guests. Accommodation may be in single or shared rooms and the accommodation is on a halfboard basis (breakfast and dinner). For lunch you can sample the local restaurants and get a taste for the delicious Brazilian cuisine.

Host family accommodation includes the usual facilities: shower/bath, laundry once a week as part of the family laundry, use of the telephone (as agreed with the host family), access to common living areas, etc. Guests are expected to be respectful of families and their homes at all times.

Project Support
Throughout your time in Rio you will have the support and guidance of a team of project coordinators based in the city. They will provide you with competent assistance and help you with any questions or advice you may need during your stay.

The language school staff will be on hand throughout the day to ensure your comfort and safety. In addition, we will provide you with a 24 hour emergency contact number before you depart, so that you can contact one of our UK staff at any time should you need to.

If you have any further enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact the Latin America team at the Real Gap office on 01892 516 164 or e-mail latinamerica@realgap.co.uk