A very deserving placement working with pre-school children that has a high feel-good factor. Do you fancy teaching little ones who could really use your time, energy and affection? Throughout Brazil, in a beautiful beach town of Florianópolis and within inner city areas of Rio de Janeiro, there are many 3-6 year old girls and boys with magnificent spirit and from very poor families, waiting for volunteers to share their joy with!

One particular crèche that we work with desperately needs voluntary assistance because they are in danger of being shut down by the Government due to a lack of funds to pay for essential building repair work. On this project you'll be working in one of our many crèches in either Florianópolis or Rio de Janeiro, depending on whic

h area you'd like to visit. If you can't decide, why not try both....?

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

For several years Travellers volunteers have been assisting at a number of crèches which provide day care to children between the ages of 3 - 6. These crèches are run by the government to enable parents from poor families to seek employment without the burden of childcare. Many of the children at government-run crèches live in nearby shanty towns, so the stable environment provided is incredibly important and worthwhile - it provides a sense of solidarity, education and fun for young children who are often from broken homes where survival is a full time job.

We have a variety of crèche placements in both Rio and Florianópolis, and you'll be allocated to one or more placements. Generally due to the age and number of children per class you may asked to assist the class’s regular teacher, with conversational English and general classroom activities, however for other schools you may be in charge and expected to lead the class. Below is a brief description of two of the projects that we are currently working with – if you would like any more information please don’t hesitate to contact us.

CIEP:

This is a school that also has a Crèche for the younger children. CIEP is home to just over 500 children who are split down into more manageable groups of around 35 kids. The Centre caters for all ages and extends its care to include children suffering from mental disabilities. Centres caring for children with disabilities are sadly a rarity – making this centre very important.
As with many of the centres we work with, CIEP provides a wide range of activities and lessons to children of a wide range of ages. The centre accommodates children as young as three years old upwards. Just like any other centre caring for children of such a young age, the key is to keep things interesting and varied. A typical day may include activities and lessons that may sometimes require you to use your initiative and creativity - one minute you may be teaching the children to paint and the next lesson may need you to find your rhythm as you help with a music lesson.
The centre is great fun to volunteer with – be prepared to get involved with a broad range of activities including music, art, fun & games, and other recreational activities. Educational and developmental lessons are combined in with recreational activities to provide a combination incorporating as much physical and mental stimulation for the children as possible.

APMI Crèche:

APMI crèche takes approximately 230 children with around 45 per class. The children range from 3-6 years old. With the current waitlist standing at over 250 children, the centre is in great need of help and assistance. The crèche is partially supported by government funding and they receive 17 Reais per child per month ... that is just £3.10 per child. This centre is run by three nuns, but each class is supervised by the ‘tias’ or auntie, the affectionate nickname given to the staff. Your role will be primarily to assist the 'tias' with the class. As your placement develops so will your role in the classroom. The centre is open Monday to Friday with the children arriving around at 7:30 am, receiving breakfast at 8:00 am. Classes begin by 9:00 am with an hour off for lunch at midday. The children then also enjoy an hour off for a siesta mid-afternoon, common among children of such a young age. The children are then picked up from the centre leaving at around 5.30 pm.
The kids of APMI love having the volunteers there, and they learn remarkably fast with them. APMI is in urgent need of donations now. Having recently been informed by the School Government Department that the crèche is responsible for rebuilding the school before the end of this year, otherwise they will have to close it down. The building is 70 years old and such structural building work is highly expensive. The government won't help with these costs.

You will walk to the crèche from your accommodation each day. The crèche has a playground, a video recorder and a cassette player which you can utilize. They do not have access to anything more sophisticated such as internet or a library etc. Football and games of any sorts are appreciated within the lessons and will make you even more popular amongst the kids! You will work approximately 4 hours a day Mondays – Fridays, 9:00 - 11:00am & 2:30 - 4:30pm.
Your role within the centre may vary through the academic year, and may be dependent upon your overall project length; the longer you are with the crèche the more freely they will increase your responsibilities.

These are two of the Crèches we support - they all need your help! Each crèche is in desperate need of both voluntary and financial assistance - your involvement on this programme will help to fulfil these needs. You really can make a difference in a truly magical part of the world! At Travellers we are particularly passionate about these placements and, in particular, helping one of the crèches which has been forced with closure, to stay open. If the crèche was forced to close, it would be such a pity as it is extremely important to young children whose lives are a lot tougher than many of us could understand. At the moment our volunteer project is helping the crèche stave off closure.


SCHOOL HOLIDAYS AND ... CARNAVAL!

The main school holidays are from approximately
► 15th July until the 10th August and
► 10th December until the end of the last week in February.

If you are unsure about how seasonal breaks may affect your placement, please ask us!

Carnaval is celebrated all over Brazil. The most famous is, of course, held in Rio, but the authentic versions of Carnaval are found outside that city. Carnaval begins at midnight on the Friday before Ash Wednesday and lasts for five days, but the whole country stops for about two weeks.
"Carnaval - The planet's most spectacular annual cultural pageant, where the ancient world's spirit of chaotic collective delirium and abandonment of self to the impulses of the body and a greater collective spirit is unrivaled."

ACCOMMODATION IN FLORIANOPOLIS

Accommodation is at a 'family guest house' means that Travellers volunteers get to eat, sleep, work, socialise and generally live like a Brazilian. All members of the family will usually speak English, so it's not a problem if you don't speak Portuguese. Most of the families take more than one volunteer or student at once (some up to 10!), so the atmosphere is somewhere between a regular family and a hostel... Often very social, but with the benefit of gaining insights into the Brazilian way of life from the inside - the best of both worlds!!