How to Volunteer

Volunteering is not only about travelling, doing good and meeting people, it has a great deal to do with the attitude you have towards the work you will be doing. Volunteers are expected to be dedicated to what they do, feel a passion for what they believe in and be active and inspired workers. Giving your time for a worthy cause requires a lot of dedication to begin with, which is why we urge you to find the best possible program for you.

Even though you come to Brazil to help others, we believe that you can give the best help, when you feel good and safe in the environment you are in. This is why it is very important for you to consider which program suits you best, and why we do our best to ensure you a safe volunteering experience. Brazilian Experience offers different volunteering programs in three different cities; Curitiba, Florianópolis and Rio de Janeiro. You can work with children and education, rescuing wildlife or environmental conserving. All of the programs are fully dedicated to their cause, and causes that need help.

You get the best possible volunteering experience when you can link something you are interested in with something you believe in. We believe in doing good and connecting people from different cultures, and those are values that follow through all our actions. Your actions should represent your beliefs.

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

-Mahatma Gandhi

Going abroad, working with something meaningful – it is an amazing experience. An experience that you will remember a lifetime. To be able to make the most out of this experience we urge you to consider what you hope to achieve, how can you achieve these goals and what do you think is the most important thing for you in the volunteering experience. Is it to travel, work, meet new people or see new places? or a combination of all of these?

You should also think about if you want to go alone, as a pair, with a few friends or a big group. All of the mentioned can be organized, the choice is up to you. We are here to help you have the best possible volunteering experience in Brazil. So in case you have any questions, feel free to contact us at any time. We will support you throughout the planning and the actual volunteering experience.

Application process

When you have chosen the program that best suits for you, chosen the dates you would like to volunteer and decided if you are going alone or with friends, the practicalities start. You will begin with completing the program application, this is a very simple form which contains information about you, your travel and work experiences and goals of the program. We also wish for you to include three pictures to the application form, to give us an idea of your lifestyle. The pictures can be anything from hobbies, to friends and family members.

Through the application form we aim to find the very best place for you in Brazil, in order for you to have the time of your life during your volunteering experience. Bare in mind that the application should reach us at least two months before your chosen travel dates. This gives us time to organize everything for your arrival. In case you decide to travel on a spur of the moment, feel free to contact us, we will try our best to accommodate you even with a short notice.

Once we have all the paperwork needed for your application, we will send you the invoice with the program fee. When the fee is paid, we will start working on your placement. Paying to be able to volunteer might feel a bit outrageous at first, but the money you pay us covers your placement, a donation for the charity you will volunteer at, accommodation, meals and a lot of administrative tasks that are not directly visible to volunteers. You could compare it to eating in a restaurant instead of cooking; you pay for a service, which includes a lot more than just the food on your plate.

Practicalities

Brazilian Experience organizes accommodation for you throughout your volunteering program. Volunteers live either with host families or in hostels. Host families are hand picked, trustworthy people who have applied to host volunteers. You will be offered breakfast and dinner in homestay and breakfast in hostels. During your volunteering period you will have a lot of free time to travel, see around and visit places in Brazil.

Volunteers come to Brazil with a tourist visa. Depending on your country of origin there are different visa regulations, which you should check in time and apply for the appropriate visa. We know you are excited and want to book the flights as soon as possible. We encourage you to wait at least until the placement confirmation. Flight prices can get really high the closer the departure day gets, which is why applying for the volunteering program as early as possible is always a benefit.

You can read volunteering testimonials from previous volunteers on our website. Through the testimonials you can get a hang of what life as a volunteer is, and inspiration to the things you will do as a volunteer. We also have video clips from volunteers, pictures from sites and an active Facebook page. Get a feeling of what life as a volunteer is, so that you are ready for the full experience when you get to Brazil.

Our volunteer programs do not require Portuguese skills, but we recommend you learn at least a few words. Knowing a little bit of Portuguese will help you throughout your experience and enables you to interact more with the community you will work with. Speaking the local language enables deeper understanding of the culture and is a great way to bond with the locals.

Packing tips, what to and not to bring with you can be found on the program introductions as well as on several volunteering forums, travel sites and social media platforms. Remember to take care of your health prior to your arrival; check vaccinations, ensure you have your needed medication and ask about any possible question marks you might have. Most importantly, come with an open mind. The Brazilians are very welcoming, and will conquer you with their warmness, as they have many others before you.

Brazilian Experience is here to support you throughout your volunteering experience. Contact us right away for any questions. We will do our best to ensure you a memorable volunteering experience in Brazil!