Placement Overview

Brazil, renowned for thousands of miles of palm fringed golden beaches, the Amazon, the mighty Iguazu Falls, the Pantanal wetlands, Rio and carnival. This placement allows volunteers to experience this country from a unique combination of two perspectives; as a tourist enjoying the best of what Brazil has to offer and as a member of the local community on your voluntary placement.

Your Experience

This placement is based close to the incredible Iguassu Falls in the south of Brazil in the town of Foz do Iguazu (ee-wa-su). Volunteers can choose to teach English to small groups of children or assist/play and teach at the special needs school in town. No experience is necessary, just a commitment to have a go. English teaching volunteers usually teach one class in the morning and another in the afternoon.

Volunteers working at the special needs school usually assist for either half days or full days during the week. A few Portuguese phrases such as hello, what's your name?, thank you etc may be useful. Free time is usually spent preparing for classes, relaxing by the pool, exploring the town and arranging activities/travel for the weekend.

Volunteers may want to attend Portuguese classes during their stay and help will be provided to find a suitable course on arrival.

At A Glance

Brazil, the fifth largest country in the world is a land of wonders and is still mostly undiscovered by British tourists. It can almost feel like a continent rather than a country, taking weeks to travel overland from one side to another. Despite its size, most Brazilians live on or near the coast and consider their country a frontier country.

Your placement is located in a popular destination with bus load after bus load of tourists arriving at the local bus terminal every day from around the world to marvel at the impressive Falls. Don’t think that one visit will be enough either! There are two sides of the Falls to visit, the Argentinean side and the Brazilian side both competing to offer visitors the best experience.

You will need to allow at least a day’s visit to each  and possibly another visit to include a boat trip, a helicopter ride over the Falls or a guided  trip into the jungle..

A trip to the Falls is the main purpose of a trip to the region and this is also a perfect base for a longer trips. During your weekends there is plenty of time to get away to the quirky riverside capital of Paraguay (5 hours by bus, £30) and the Jesuit Ruins in Argentina or Paraguay.

After your placement a trip further afield from Foz to Bonito is a must-see and one of South America’s best kept secrets. A trip can easily be arranged after your arrival in Foz with a local tour operator and trips can include snorkelling and exploring the azure waters of the underground caverns, horse riding and fishing.

Or you could take one of many over night luxury coaches (approx. £30 return) to the town of Florianopolis on the island of Santa Caterina -a surfer and beach lover's paradise.

For further inspiration before your trip to the region check out the 1980s film The Mission with Robert de Niro and Jeremy Irons which was filmed here. This film will give you a flavour of the area's turbulent history and of the Guarani Indians.

Climate and when to go: This programme operates April to the end of June and from the end of August to the end of November.  Hottest months: December-March

Coolest weather: between July and August although there can often be un seasonal temperatures of 30 degrees Celcius even during the ‘winter'.

"David is a fantastic manager, he has a brilliant grasp of English, is kind,
sociable and helpful with the placements. David [also] acts as a translator for us when we need him.
xxx"
Adam Leyland volunteered in Foz - Brazil

"Hiya
I am in Foz and enjoying my placement, took me a while to feel at home but now I am loving it!! I've seen the falls, they're so beautiful!.