There are a range of environmental and social care projects. Many of the projects involve working with children who, without help, would be drawn into the darker world of drugs and prostitution.

Education

Not uncommonly, needy children do not return to their homes after school for a number of reasons; instead, they play in the streets and become easy targets for drug dealers and people who exploit them. For these and other reasons there are many projects in Brazil with their focus on poor children. Volunteers in these projects are always welcome - there is much to be done.

Sociedade Alfa Gente

Sociedade Alfa Gente, based in Florianopolis , is a non-profit organisation that works to keep children off the streets. They help about 400 children in two projects, supervised by a specialist with an educational orientation. One project works with children form 1 to 6 years old, and the other takes care of children from 7 to 12. The main tasks for the volunteer will be to help teachers with the cleaning and feeding of the younger children, and supporting the older children with educational and recreational activities. Experimento will select a host family near the chosen project as the accommodation choice.

Projeto Guarapes

Projeto Guarapes is run by a private school in Natal , serving a neighbourhood of needy people with approximately 20,000 inhabitants. They offer educational activities to young children from 2 to 6 years of age. The volunteer will help teachers and the school staff with the children's hygiene, feeding and activities. A homestay will be the accommodation for this project.

Social Services

Brazil is a country with one of the world's largest social and economic gaps. Many people don't have enough money for food and other basic needs. The situation often worsens due to special needs of a disabled family member.

Project of the underage worker

The Casa do Menor Trabalhador is a project in Natal, which gives support and help to needy children and teenagers, between 7 and 18 years of age.

There are 550 students in the house, 14 rooms, 2 sports courts, 8 washrooms, 1 kitchen, 1 cafeteria, 1 video room, library, 22 employees, and 40 teachers. The students spend all day in the project, and there are different activities such as: dance instruction, freemasonry, baking, English classes, sports, farm services, choral and flute classes.

The school is open from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm, Monday through Friday. The project needs help from volunteers - and having foreigners as volunteers is a once in a lifetime chance to experience another culture and share new experiences for many of the youths who have no experience with people outside of their culture.

The volunteers can contribute by helping the teachers in classes such as: bakery, woodcrafts, English, music and dance etc or organise games such as soccer, basketball and volleyball matches.

Environment

The environment is in real danger at present in Brazil and much of the population doesn't have adequate environmental awareness or education. For these reasons some organisations, like the one mentioned below, are extremely important to raise the level of awareness about the environment in Brazil.

GAP - Grupo Ambientalista de Palmeiras

GAP - Grupo Ambientalista de Palmeiras is a non-profit organisation that struggles against the degradation of the environment and for the preservation and conservation of the local natural resources. Based in Palmeiras, a small town in Bahia state, GAP works to guarantee the necessary protection of the natural areas around Chapada Diamantina National Park by providing education to the local population, by working on the reforestation of destroyed areas, by collecting waste, by monitoring the local tourist attractions and by cleaning polluted rivers. Volunteers are needed to work in all of these areas. The volunteer will be accommodated with a host family selected by Experimento at a location near the project.