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Welcome to volunteerbrazil.com Newsletter - June 2005  

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In this issue:

1)  We got A Result!
2)  Wheres My Mom? (A must read)
3)  Alex In The Spotlight! 
4) A Humbling Experience!


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1. We got A Result! 
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Do you remember last month, the girls at one of our Youth Learner Projects were making Jewellery to sell at the local market ?

 

Well! Thanks to our volunteer Catherine from London, who helped and encouraged them, the girls realised just under 30 Brazilian Reais. This is around 12 USD, and was enough to encourage them to form a cooperative, whereby they will continue to make the jewlellery, and will hopefully be able to sell their wares at the weekly market.

 

This is going to be a valuable contribution to the girls and their families , who live in extremely poor conditions in a favela community.

 

Thank you Catherine! Job well done!  

 

For more details on our Youth Learner project check this out!

 

http://volunteerbrazil.com/youthlearnerproject.html

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2.  Wheres My Mom? 
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The following account is a true account, but for the sake of anonymity and to protect those people concerned , names and locations have been changed.

 

This is a true account of a young girls search for her natural Mother.

 

Linda, had the courage of a lion when she came to Brazil on one of our programs in April 2005.

 

It was a blinding shock when we received the information from Linda. It was only her second day in Recife. She hadnt disclosed any of this information during the application process – indeed, and why should she have!

 

¨I was born in Olinda¨ she declared, with a glimmer of hope and a great sadness in her eyes.

 

 ¨But I was adopted at 2 weeks old by a British couple and taken to England by my adoptive parents¨. (who incidentally are loving , supportive parents and have supported Linda in her quest to find her natural mother).

 

My wife predicatably, was in tears on being told this, and before long both Linda and my wife were comforting each other, in a uniquely Brazilian way, which was uncanny, because Linda had had no contact with anything remotely Brazilian (at least in the flesh), for the 22 years of her life – save the 15 and a half days in 1983 , spent in a Recife convent.

 

Her adoption papers at least showed us her mothers name and also indicated that she had a brother. But hell ! a lot can happen in 22 years, particularly in a developing country such as Brazil.

 

Questions surfaced; persistent, pertinent and paradoxically!

 

Was Lindas mother alive ? If she was, would she still be in Recife ? What about her brother ? All the negative statistics surfaced; the mortality rate for people living in favelas is much lower than the average, was Lindas brother one of the hundreds of thousands of Street Children in Brazil, and if he was, did he survive ?

 

Was Lindas mother one of the thousands of women who are forced into prostitution ? Is she among the ranks of the countless women who fall prey to the drug dealers ?

 

All of these things and more were telepathically circulating around us, and through us...

 

Part 2 of this true account will be in next months issue.(This account was written by our Marketing Director.) 

 


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3. Alex In The Spotlight!

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         Alex Our Security and Accomodation Manager

Our Security and Accomodation Manager Alex has certainly been a busy bee recently. He was assigned the task of helping Linda (see story above; Wheres my Mom!) search for her Mom.

 

Usually though, Alex is out and about sourcing new accomodation for volunteers, he will visit a prospective homestay, talk at length to the host(s), have a good look round the accomodation, and usually gets to sample some of the home cooked food on offer (maybe something to do with the fact that he always insists on visiting homestays at meal times, on account of him being to busy to do this during the morning – yeah! right Alex.)

 

He will usually write a report of his findings which then forms the basis of inclusion in our homestay program. Not everyone makes it, but those that do are ready and waiting to receive volunteerbrazil volunteers with a welcome and a special Brazilian smile.

 

But, lets all say aaahhhhhhhh! , coz, Alex is a little sad at the moment , he and his fiancee have just broken up, hopefully for both of them, its just a lovers tiff....lets all hope that they can get back together again. Lovers tiff eh!... sort it out guys.........


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4. A Humbling Experience! (A report from Danielle who volunteered with us in April of this year)
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                                         Daneille


My trip to Brazil was one of the most humbling experiences up until this 
point in my life. I left with the hope that I could make a difference in the 
life of at least one child.  After I returned, I realized that Brazil had 
given me more than I could have ever asked.
 
My stay in Brazil lasted only for five weeks, but I learned so much it 
seemed like longer. Upon my arrival at the airport I realized that I really 
had no other choice but to be open to an abundance of new knowledge 
(especially the Portuguese language).  My first week there was spent with 
the coordinators learning about the culture, the city, and most crucial, the 
language. After the first week of orientation, I felt confident enough to 
get around on my own.
 
I was set up with a host family to live with during my stay. The family I 
stayed with was very warm and welcoming. The minute I arrived I was offered 
fresh juice, suco de maracaja... delicioso! (The fruit was definitely a 
highlight of my experience.) Incidentally the niece of the woman I was 
staying with was around the same age. Her and I made a special connection. I 
feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to stay with this family. 
They were so very warm. Although I would have to say that I experienced this 
warmth with most of the people I encountered in Brazil. It seemed to be a 
way of life. My journey was filled smiles… unexpected, considering my 
project details.
 
My project was working with children that lived in poverty stricken 
communities. My objectives were to teach English to the children as well as 
assisting with other various activities. I was warned before my departure to 
Brazil of the possibility that I would encounter situations that may be 
difficult to deal with. This was due to the poor conditions many of the 
children were coming from… but I found the children allowed me no time to 
focus on the negative. My first introduction with the children was filled 
with hugs and kisses. On the faces of all of the children were the brightest 
and most sincere smiles I have ever witnessed. They were so excited to have 
someone from a different place there to see them. As I learned more about 
the conditions of some of the children I became more impressed with their 
strength and fortitude. Regardless of the hardships that they had to deal 
with once they left the school, they always managed to keep a smile. Granted 
they are children, and maybe one can say they do not know any better, but 
they taught me so much about humility and happiness. I grew a strong 
admiration for these children.
 
I made many new friends in Brazil. I was extremely fortunate to have met the 
people that I did.  They were very eager to share their culture with me. 
With the help of my host family and the information given to me by the 
project coordinator, I was able to really experience the essence of the 
culture.  On the weekends I traveled to the beaches, went to festivals, and 
ate lots of tapioca (I may have even acquired a small addiction to this 
indigenous delight). The Brazilian people reminded me about the importance 
of unconditional happiness with the sincerity of their smiles. This was true 
from the time the coordinator picked me up at the airport, till my new 
friends waved good-bye at my departure. It was truly a life changing 
experience.  Adoro Brasil! Beleza! 
Danielle Nicole.

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ABOUT OUR COMPANY
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Volunteerbrazil.com  provide unique and fulfilling volunteer work opportunities in Brazil. Our volunteering work placements are open to people of all ages and backgrounds, regardless of nationality or qualifications.

If you would like to comment on this Newsletter or contribute in any way, please drop us a line:  information@volunteerbrazil.com

You can visit our website at:

http://volunteerbrazil.com/index.html 

You may contact us by email at:

 

information@volunteerbrazil.com

 

or by telephone on:

 

0055 (81) 34315841

 

or by fax on:

0055 (81) 34312955

 

sincerely,

 

Newsletter Team @ volunteerbrazil.com

 

 

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