Do you have skills in making handicrafts? Volunteer in Brazil in the handicraft project and teach the women of Rio invaluable skills! Many women in the favelas have never been to school, and therefore lack essential life skills and confidence. This project will teach them techniques that can help them financially and open new doors for women living in the slums of the favelas. They will also be introduced to other women in the community who are facing the same plight, and from there form a close-knit support group that help one another. This program also promotes entrepreneurship and gives them the confidence to market the skills they developed during their program. Many of the former participants of the program have blossomed to become teachers, while others have opened their own successful businesses. Join this project to positively alter the lives of the women, while enjoying the vivid culture and all the stunning attractions Brazil has to offer!

By volunteering in Brazil in the Handicraft project, you will be working with the women of Rio. Depending on your individual interests and skills, your daily activities involve, but are not limited to:

• Teach the local women handicraft skills such as sewing, sandal designing, painting, candle-making, etc.
• Learn local handicraft techniques
• Teach the women on how to further their handicraft skills and turn it into a business
• Be part of the support system for the women
• Develop a lesson plan to teach the students
• Share your culture with the women to broaden their minds
• Boost the confidence of the women and inspire them to live empowered lives

Volunteers are responsible for their own materials for the project.

By participating in this project, you will be providing a new lease of life to women from the slums of Rio. Having new handicraft skills would mean that they have a source of additional income. With your guidance, the women involved in the handicraft project will develop self-esteem because of the creative process. At the same time, you will also be able to learn local handicraft skills and techniques, so you can have an enriching experience as well.

Volunteers must be at least 18 years old. Volunteers need to have a skill in making handicrafts, in order to be able to teach the students well. Volunteers without any knowledge of the Portugese language can still contribute effectively to the project. You should have a passion to teach and aspire to help your students. Volunteers should be good role models, flexible, patient, caring, creative, responsible and open-minded. Volunteers must also respect the locals and the host organizations, along with their rules and projects.

Rio de Janerio is blessed with panoramic landscapes including the spectacular mountains and pristine beaches, but it's the energetic people and the pulsating culture that best epitomizes the city. Rio is also hosting the Soccer World Cup 2014 and the Summer Olympic games of 2016. In preparation of this, the city has seen vast improvement in communications facilities, transportation infrastructure, and even the crime rate has gone down substantially. Another phenomenon that Rio is very famous for is the Carnival, which draws over 2 million visitors to the city. During the festival, the streets come alive with incredible song, dance and merry-making! Our project takes place in Rocinha, the largest and one of the most developed favelas (shantytowns) in Brazil. Today, most of the houses in Rocinha have developed into an urbanized slum, with basic sanitation, plumbing and electricity in place. Facilities such as banks, pharmacies, bus lines and cable television in place.