Brazil has a reputation as a rather dangerous place which is not entirely undeserved, but is often overblown, and many visitors arrive with a wildly exagerated idea of the perils lying in wait for them. While you would be foolish to ignore them, don't allow worried about safety to interfer with your enjoyment of the country.
Remember that while being a gringo can attract unwelcome attention, it can also provide an important measure of protection. The Brazilian police can be extremely violent, and law enforcement tends to take the form of periodic crackdowns. Therefore, criminals know that any injury to a foreign tourist is going to mean a heavy clampdown, which in turn means no pickings for a while. So unless you resist, nothing is likely to happen to you.
Most assaltos take place at night, in back streets of cities with few people around, so stick to busy, well-lit streets; in a city, it's always a lot safer to take a taxi than walk.
If you are robbed or held up, it's not necessarily a good idea to go to the police. Except with something like a theft from a hotel room, they're very unlikely to be able to do anything, and reporting something can take hours even without the language barrier. You may have to do it for insurance purposes, when you'll need a local police report; this could take an entire, and very frustrating, day to get, so think first about how badly you want to be reimbursed. If your passport is stolen, go to your consulate first and they'll smooth the path. If you decide to go to the police in a city where there is a consulate, get in touch with the consulate first and do as they tell you.
Help families break the poverty circle by teaching English, mentoring children, organising leisure activities and helping with the running of the day care centre. Your efforts will help them towards employment in the future.
Work with children from the local Pavão – Pavãozinho community in the South Zone of Rio. The education centre cares for 353 children from ages 3 months to 18 years. The centre aims to deliver education and medical care, to children and their families who are living in social risk situations.
Help brighten up the lives of underprivileged children in Rio. Whether you teach them English, play games with them or run arts and crafts sessions, you’ll improve their self-confidence and social skills.
Get involved with efforts to help blind people lead normal lives. Accompany residents on daily errands and leisure activities, type up materials and promote the project work. A challenging but very rewarding programme.
Teach English, take part in vocational and health workshops, organise leisure activities and help with fundraising. You’ll give people of all ages the chance of a better education and a better life.
Give vulnerable children a better quality of life by teaching English, football and other subjects. You’ll assist with homework, build up their confidence and help them to a brighter future.
Learn Portuguese and make visiting Brazil a more involved experience. Small, classes, innovative teaching methods, cultural activities and accommodation with a local family make learning quick and enjoyable.
Put your love of tennis to a worthwhile cause and coach underprivileged children. Help out with sessions, organise your own classes and competitions, umpire in the community – you’ll be amazed by what sport can do.
Explore the true heart of Rio whilst making a real difference to the city’s underprivileged communities. Get involved in a broad range of projects from educational support and health programmes to working with handicapped teenagers from low-income communities.
Study two martial art forms: jiu-jitsu and capoeira. Take lessons with locals, practise the techniques and learn about the history behind the art. You’ll find out why size doesn’t count when it comes to jiu-jitsu…!
Master the basics of rock climbing above a truly spectacular city. Learn the ropes(!), and in your free time, relax on the beach or explore Rio de Janeiro’s many other attractions.
Take part in a truly unique project. Give English lessons in the morning, help build the touring, floating school in the afternoon then learn capoeira from locals in the evening. No experience needed, just enthusiasm!
Incorporate education and conservation as you travel by boat around the islands of the Tinhare Archipelago raising environmental awareness amongst children. You will also be involved in tree planting, assist with local environmental research and even producing a theatrical performance to raise environmental awareness!
Become fully immersed in Brazilian culture and lifestyle through language lessons, cultural studies, Capoeira and drumming classes and homestay accommodation in the historic city of Salvador.
After redundancy, Sally decided to see the world. She enjoyed our South Africa Wildlife Course so much that within 48 hours of arriving back in the UK she booked onto the Malaysia Orangutan Experience and the Thai Adventure! Read more..
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Gap Year for Grown Ups provides Career Break Voluntary Projects and Culture & Language programmes throughout South America and Central America. They have the best available Community voluntary projects as well as a number of Conservation Volunteer Projects to choose from. Combine these voluntary work placements abroad with learning Spanish in South America.
For useful volunteer travel advice to South America from Gap Year For Grown Ups, use the following links:
