Volunteering can be a very rewarding way to immerse yourself in the local culture and increase your understanding of the trials and tribulations that many Brazilians experience on a daily basis. From the country's population of 188 million, 20 million live below the poverty line, and Brazil has some of the widest divisions between rich and poor in the world. Many affluent areas of São Paulo, like Morumbi and other neighbourhoods in the south, are also home to some of the biggest favelas (shanty towns) in Brazil.
As Brazil moved from being an agricultural country to an industrialised one on the 1970s, there was a large migration of the rural population to the towns and cities, in the search of jobs and a better life. The lack of housing and low wages drove many to live in temporary, self-constructed shelters where they didn`t have to pay rent or bills. But a lack of governmental organisation and forethought, and a rapid expansion of urban areas, created the shanty towns you see today. São Paulo and Rio have the highest concentration of favelas in Brazil, and they continue to grow.
Favelas were originally areas that were illegally taken over by people who could not afford rents in traditional properties. The most basic had no electricity, running water or rudimentary sanitation. Many modern favelas have comparatively good infrastructures, with access to electricity, and with a series of constructed stairways and passegeways. However, as many favelas are built into hillsides, landslides are often common. And favela-dwellers tend, not suprisingly, to be trapped in the poverty cycle, with high levels of gang and drug-related crime, and lack of police protection common features.
For visitors interested in volunteering, there are many opportunities for teaching English, taking part on youth outreach programmes or helping out in orphanages and cultural centres. Some organisations allow you to study Portuguese and volunteer at the same time. Check out www.volunteerabroad.com for details.
If you`re staying in São Paulo for an extended period of time and are interested in volunteering, check out Children at Risk Foundation (Carf www.carfweb.net), which runs several programmes in Diadema, on the periphery of São Paulo. Some foreign oraganisations, such as the American Society of São Paulo (www.americansociety.com.br), also support various outreach programmes. Those who speak Portuguese should also visit www.voluntariado.org.br
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