Free Volunteer Program Orphanage Brazil

  Brazil

• Rio de Janeiro: 
Rio de Janeiro

Durations of Program: 7-12 months, 1-2 years and over 2 years
Typical Duration of Program: 7-12 months
Dates: ongoing

Description: Your work activities will depend on your skills, interests and our needs. Casa do Caminho doesn't ask any fees from its volunteers because it sees them as staff members who have the same responsibilities. In agreement with the volunteer we will specify the job or project prior to their visit to Casa do Caminho. Whether you stay in the orphanage or the teenage houses in Xerem depends on your interests and our needs. Holidays have to be planned prior to your visit.

Accommodation & Food:

The accommodation here is rather simple and you must be prepared for cold showers and to boil drinking water. All volunteers have to share a room.

Visa Requirements:

In Brazil, for most nationalities, a tourist visa is issued for three months and can be extended for free for an extra three months by going to the Federal Police closest to you when it is near to expiration. It depends on your nationality whether you need to get the visa issued before you leave or whether you can get it at the airport. According to the rules of a tourist visa, you must leave Brazil after 6 months and cannot re-enter until 6 months have passed.

Highlights: Living in a rural community which is a big family where everybody works hard.
You will live in the middle of nature with great people. The hard work creates a team.
If you don't like backpacker atmospheres and tourist camps Casa do Caminho is your place. It is an organization where brazilians and foreigners work together toward common goals. You receive food and accommodation in exchange for your hard work.

Volunteering with us is 100% free!      
We offer food and accommodation in exchange for your services.

Qualifications: Who do we need?

We look for enthusiastic volunteers that like to work with and around children. The minimum age for volunteering is 21. We prefer it if volunteers can come for a minimum of 6 months. Exceptions will be made if the volunteer can already communicate comfortably in Portuguese or has expertise in a certain area.

There is also a new community on Orkut you can join to talk directly with volunteers, Casa kids and teens and other friends of Casa do Caminho. Orkut is a Google-associated online community, so if you have a google account (e.g. googlemail) you can log in with your usual username and password. Otherwise you can sign up for free to join the Orkut network. Enjoy!

People with wrong intensions are not welcome in our orphanage. Sexual abuse and violence are not tolerated. We will call the police and take legal action!

We don't exclusively need people with skills, you just need to really enjoy working with children. We do give preference to volunteers with the following special skills:

doctor
electrician
teacher
maintenance
psychologist
organic farming specialists
gardener
driver
construction worker
fundraiser / grantwriter

Cost in US$: 0

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Enthusiastic, motivated, flexible, hard worker that loves to hang out with children and helps out where necessary. Patience is an important attribute when working in Brazil.

Age Range: 21+

This Program is open to American, Asian, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Brazil Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 20

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Phone Interview

Comunidade Rural Casa do Caminho's Mission Statement: Casa do Caminho is an orphanage situated in the middle of the Tingua rainforest, outside of Rio de Janeiro. Casa do Caminho aims to take the children away from aggression, drugs & criminality in Rio de Janeiro and surrounding suburbs. In the orphanage Casa do Caminho provides children with shelter, health care, education and a lot of freedom to play!

Year Founded: 1982