Community/caring placements

Product Details

Your placement

Teaching English to members of the congregation of different Baptist churches, mainly children and teenagers. You will also have opportunity to work in the community through the outreach programme of the Church in Pirambú, the largest favela (24K people) in Fortaleza which includes work with a fishing community in an isolated part of the favela. People in this place are in great need but they also have a great sense of community. They cannot pay for computer and English courses so your teaching helps address the lack of opportunity with the idea of enabling people to be more employable. There is no sanitation in the community.

The teaching involves working children and adolescents who attend the São Pivete project where they also learn computing skills as well as self-esteem and self-reliance through an intensive sports programme. The year-work culminates in their main sporting event of the year in December. There is a Parents Association and Parents’ Council.

The work with the community involves helping people to process personal documentation, support doctor and dentist surgeries, organise activities such as art, theatre, computing for the children, etc. Other work going on in the community is carpet making skills training for women and a research into health.

Your participation in the life of the church is not mandatory but greatly preferable.

Few Brasilians speak English, so there is a compulsory week’s introduction to Portuguese in Sao Paulo.