Short-term (2 to 4 weeks) "social work" project in Brazil

“Projeto Maria de Barro” is a NGO which promote social and environmental local development projects since September 1999. The main project aims to recover extremely eroded soils, developing and applying new environmental technologies. They also create jobs in a poor community and promote environmental conscience. It is located in a very small and not developed town called Nazareno.

More information about the organisation can be found at (http://www.projetomariadebarro.org.br)

The volunteers will be involved in 4 kinds of work: 1) production of forest seedlings, 2) collecting forest seeds, 3) planting seedlings and 4) support on environment education lectures for kids and teenagers.

Short lectures on the activities held by the “Projeto Maria de Barro” and other related issues will be held.

All the volunteers will be acommodated in the Projeto Maria de Barro lodge, it is a big building where many of the organisation activities are done. There will be very basic facilities there: dormitory, bathroom, toilet and kitchen. Enough food will also be available for the volunteers in the lodge. The volunteer will prepare themselves their own meals.

It is necessary that the volunteers are able to communicate basicaly in Portuguese, in order to promote a higher interaction with the team and the kids; and also in order to join the dynamics on “Global Communities Formation”. There will be one local volunteer (campleader) prepared to communicate with the volunteers also in English and Spanish, only when its necessary. Tha basic language of the workcamp will be Portuguese.

We would like to host volunteers highly motivated to be useful, to learn and to bring her/his own ideas on how to improve the work done in the “Projeto Maria de Barro”.

Nazareno is a lovely small town with only 7,000 inhabitants, what is very small for a Brazilian standard. Nazareno is not well developed, although it is near by important towns such as Lavras or São João Del Rey. It is located in the centre-south of Minas Gerais State and can be reached by bus from Belo Horizonte. Arrival details will be informed in the infosheet. The people from Nazareno are very simple, rural and hospitable. They will be very curious about your international backgrounds!

There is no maximum age limit. We prefer volunteers not younger than 21 years old. Exceptions can be done if well justified. There is a hosting fee of EUR 150,00 to be paid by the incoming volunteer in the arrival day to cover SVI Brasil administrative expenses during the whole year. SVI Brasil is a not-for-profit NGO and its financial administration will be soon available to be checked on-line by everyone interested. Feel free also to ask any clarification you want about how the placement fees are used by SVI Brasil. We strive to be an example of transparency.