The project Casa Madre Giovanna was born in 1995 with the objective of receiving and supporting children who used to stay on the streets of Campo da Tuca District, a poor area with many social problems such as child work, adolescent pregnancy and drug abuse. The project has grown considerably since then and counts with a new and better structure since 2000. Nowadays it receives more than 70 children from 5 to 15 years old, divided into 3 age groups and coming from families under risk (drug addiction, lack of male figures at home, strong poverty, etc). The mission of the social project is to help the children from the local community to develop skills, knowledge and values and to give them the chance for a better future.

The idea is to avoid children staying on the streets, to stimulate their awareness, responsibility and will to get over the limits of their family situation; they can be reckless but are very sweet and needy for love.

The educators try to encourage the skills and interests of the kids through different activities, such as educational and pedagogical activities, music and art workshops, sports, lectures and debates (about social themes, drugs, sexuality, health…), Capoeira and dance, English lessons and the promotion of activities for their inclusion in the community. The volunteers will help the educators during these activities; will participate in the games and sports with the entire group; they will have to stay sometimes just with a small group of kids, helping them in some specific activities (reading, start to write, homework…) or proposing some new workshops (story telling, simple music, arts, English lessons, sports…). They will also help in the kitchen or with administrative work, if necessary, or visit the families of the children at home.

Volunteers will be having breakfast and dinner with their host familiy during the week. Lunch will be given at the project during the week. There is also the oppurtunity to have some snacks during the day at the project. At weekends, the volunteers will have all meals with the host families. Please note that the meals at the host families will be as a "member" of the families so the volunteer will have to adapt to local cuisine and not expect meals prepared especially for the volunteer. Also depending on the host family it can happen that the volunteer will have to prepare his or her own food.

The projects provide the volunteer with lunch at midday and snacks during the morning and the afternoon, depending on how long the volunteer will be staying at the project.

In Porto Alegre, volunteers will have plenty of opportunities for exploration and discovery. They can visit historical sites such as Farroupilha Park and the Rio Grande do Sul Art Museum, as well as enjoy nature by strolling along the lakeside promenade of Lake Guaíba. The city also offers a vibrant cultural scene with theaters, art galleries, and musical events throughout the year. Volunteers can also indulge in local cuisine at the city's numerous restaurants and cafes.

The role of the volunteers in the social project is important. The educators are expecting a volunteer who will be enthusiastic and willing to get involved. Most projects don't have a specific role to offer for the volunteer. The volunteer should strive, be creative and self-confident to develop their own activities/workshops while keeping in mind the responsibility of asking the people involved (project coordinators, staff) about the possibilities of doing such things.

In social projects in Brazil, most people do not know a second language - such as English - and may not be able to help you so much at your arrival in the project… For this reason, a basic Portuguese knowledge (or Spanish) is required in order to get an ongoing communication: the more Portuguese you know, the easier work activities get and the more opportunities appear for you.

Euros 340 for the first 4 weeks and after that, euros 70 every extra week. These costs include accomodation, threes meals a day and transport from and to the project as well as the airport pickup, on-arrival meeting, During the whole stay the volunteer(s) will have a tutor for questions, problems, leisure time planning. Please note that there is the chance to receive a senior female volunteer at the project.

Generally, the project can receive male and female volunteers. In the case of a senior volunteer they can only accept a women since she will be living with the religous sisters that run Casa Madre Giovanna Project.

Small and simple project placed in a favela, one of the poorest areas of the city. Good for volunteers who prefer a more “familiar” situation, as the staff is small and very receptive.

Long Term Volunteers normally will be working about 35 hours weekly, every day from Monday to Friday, with a free morning or afternoon. 
ICYE Brasil is responsible for the costs of volunteer’s transportation from the living placement to the project (buses, local train, or sometimes you can go walking or by bike). You have to be prepared to catch buses alone, but do not worry because the bus system is a quite efficient means of transport.