Volunteer on the Brazilian Amazon
Location: Santarém, Brazil
The Tapajós region is located in the western part of the state of Pará, Brazil. The region comprises 25 municipalities, over one million people, and covers 722,358 square kilometers. The majority of the region is tropical forest and includes the Tapajós National Forest and other biological preserves. The main city in the region is Santarém which located on the confluence of the Tapajós and Amazon Rivers.
The region is much poorer than the rest of Brazil; almost half of the population lives on less than one US Dollar a day. The region is primarily forest. In recent years, however, several large multinational agribusiness companies have begun to clear-cut the region and grow soy and rice. The extension of non-tropical economic activities is altering a significant portion of the existing ecosystems. This growth is causing major environmental impact.
Poverty and the problems associated with poverty such as inadequate housing, poor health and nutrition, a failing educational system, etc. are prevalent throughout Santarém and its surrounding regions. The city has a population of over 300,000 people. Consequently, with its already limited resources, the city has not been able to provide services for the ever-growing population nor has it been able to address the expanding rate of poverty, especially to those who live in the periphery of the city.
The Partnerships
Amazon-Africa
Aid is
an American nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people today and
preventing suffering tomorrow. Amazon-Africa Aid provides support to health,
education, and welfare organizations along the Brazilian Amazon and in
Mozambique. Amazon-Africa Aid places volunteer physicians and dentists
to work in their clinics. Amazon-Africa Aid only has volunteer opportunities
for physicians and dentists at this moment and does not accept medical/dental
students, medical/dental residents, nurses or dental hygienists.
www.amazonafrica.org
The Fundação Esperança is a Brazilian nonprofit
organization that has been providing health and education to the inhabitants
of the Amazon for over 30 years. 
The health clinic depends on volunteer
dentists and physicians to provide care for the needy people of the Amazon.
The Pastoral do Menor was founded in 1988 to combat the ever growing number of street children in the region. The Pastoral provides vocational courses, counseling, and recreational activities for over 1,000 children.
APAE - The Association of Parents and Friends (Amigos) of Exceptionals (APAE) was founded in 1977 to provide assistance in health, education, and welfare to people with disabilities. It is the only private, non-profit organization in the area (a region that is approximately the size of Belgium) that is actively promoting the prevention, rehabilitation, and education of physically and mentally disabled children.
The Commitment
Projects that are available vary with each program. Volunteers do not need any special skills to participate, just a willingness to serve. Service projects are coordinated according to a schedule set by the community; therefore, they may change at the last minute to better fit the current needs of the community. Where possible, volunteer’s individual interests may be accommodated through specific service projects or additional recreational and cultural activities.
The Impact
Amizade has been working in Brazil for over 10 years and the impact has been tremendous. Amizade and local volunteers have achieved the following:
- Built a vocational training center for street children - The center teaches carpentry, sewing, silk screening, and electronics to over 900 teenagers.
- Built a children’s health clinic - Now, a community of 25,000 people has access to prenatal and early childhood healthcare.
- Renovated a kitchen for a program working with street children which allowed them to go from feeding 200 children to over 900 children per day
- Built a well drilling center which brings fresh water to communities and schools - Volunteers have also drilled a half a dozen wells bringing fresh water to hundreds of people in isolated communities.
- Built an orthopedic workshop - Now, a city of 250,000 people has access to affordable orthopedic shoes. Additionally, the workshop employs 10 developmentally disabled teenagers.
- Built a small hotel for a program that works with handicapped teenagers and adults - The hotel serves as a vocational training program as well as generates income for the program.
- Built additional classrooms for schools and community organizations serving over 1,000 kids.
Volunteers do not need any special skills to participate, just a willingness to serve. Local masons supervise and teach both the Amizade volunteers and local volunteers on every part of the project.
One of the most rewarding aspects of participating on the Amizade program is making friends with the local people. Brazilians are a warm, welcoming people who love to laugh, sing, and dance. Volunteers get the opportunity to work and play with the local people and get the opportunity to experience first hand the rich culture of Brazil.
Brazil Program References
Kym Jamison - kjamison@ferrum.edu
Roxanna Belcher - mrsmarot2be@yahoo.com
Douglas Gillispie - dgillispie@ferrum.edu
Shantoya Long - shantoya@msn.com
Heather Logee - hlogee@ferrum.edu
Rachel Davis - rmdavis@ferrum.edu
Walter
Weiss - conveyorsupply@worldnet.att.net
Emily
Lovallo - eml8@pitt.edu
Leah
Harley - leah_harley@hotmail.com
Rob
and Lucia Bragan - rjbragan@verizon.net
Brenna
Hirsch - brenna94@hotmail.com