A different kind of trip

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Life experience or a big gamble? DJ Cliffy gives tips on volunteering in Brasil without tripping yourself up

It’s six a.m. in the morning and I am sitting in Recife airport nursing a mug of coffee. I haven’t slept all night and by rights I should be exhausted. The reverse is true; I have never felt so good. I have come straight from deejaying at an after-party to a series of workshops for street kids. During four days, up to fifty kids have studied percussion, Afro-Brazilian dance and even deejay skills. At the end of it they walked away with a certificate, a funky t-shirt and lots of smiles.

The workshops have been the finale to two weeks of volunteering at Ruas & Praças a small but dedicated NGO. During my fortnight I have visited their organic farm, sat in on a mother’s meeting and accompanied social service visits in a favela. It’s one of the most rewarding things I have done in years.

My story is not unlike that of thousands of people who have been inspired by Brazil. During the last decade Brazil has become a major destination for international volunteers. Google ‘volunteer brazil’ and you will find a staggering number of sites charging extortionate sums of money to place you in a program. The sites are keen to take your money, often dressing the charge up as ‘Programme Fee’. When I asked one company how the money would be distributed they never replied.

One volunteer I spoke to, Angie M., paid £750 for two weeks at a music project in the neighbour city of Olinda only to find out that none of the money she had paid actually reached the school. She subsequently learned that the host families hadn’t been paid for months. She agrees that it is important to establish where any fees go. ‘Be very specific with your questions to any agency or company - ask them exactly how much money goes where. Get them to commit that in writing via email, not that it’s legally binding but ensures they know you’re not a schmuck. If they’ve nothing to hide you’ll get the answers.’

A different kind of trip

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