New Hope Volunteers

Since 1998, More than 18000 happy volunteers


Teaching English Project (Rio de Janeiro)

volunteer in teaching english favella, Brazil
  • Share your passion in teaching English to people from impoverished backgrounds
  • Work with a local NGO to help educate disadvantaged communities
  • Live with a local family and immerse yourself in the Brazilian culture
  • Explore culturally-rich Rio De Janeiro and Brazil during your downtime

Teach English in Brazil and inspire people of all ages! New Hope works with a local NGO to organize intensive teaching courses that benefit the local students, job seekers, or those looking to improve their spoken and written English. The students come from one of the largest favelas in Brazil, and consist mainly of college students, gap year student or adults without jobs hoping to move into the tourism sector. They come from low-income families, and without this project, they would have no means to learn the English language since schools are often much too expensive for them. No matter their background, their goal is the same: to learn English to have a better quality of life. Volunteer in Brazil today, and make a difference in someone’s life while taking in the best that South America has to offer!

Volunteers’ Responsibilities

As a volunteer teaching English in Brazil, you will be providing lessons or tutoring on a one-on-one environment. You will have the opportunity to teach people of all ages, both children and adults. Depending on your individual interests and skills, and on the needs of the local staff, your daily activities involve, but are not limited to:

  • Teaching basic English
  • Teaching other subjects such as Math or Science
  • Share stories and experiences to broaden the minds of the students
  • Teaching life skills such as painting, sewing, cooking, etc
  • Helping to raise funds for schools
  • Work alongside the local teachers on curriculum development
  • Assisting school administrations with daily tasks
  • Helping with basic maintenance of schools
  • Aiding local school staff in any way possible
How You Can Make a Difference

Our volunteers will mostly teach deprived communities in the favelas. Being able to speak and write in English has become a critical skill for locals However, schools which teach English are very costly, and most from the favelas are unable to attend the schools. The local NGO strives to let these communities have a fair chance as well, through their intensive English language courses. Such courses are highly sought after, and the local NGO needs as much assistance by volunteers in order to be able to teach English to more locals. Help the communities improve their way of life by paving the way to better education, and ultimately, increased opportunities at work.

Skills and Qualifications

Volunteers must be at least 18 years old. Fluency in English is required, although you do not necessarily need to be a native English speaker. Volunteers without any knowledge of the Portuguese 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.

Project Location

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.

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