VolunteeringSince 2006, Casa 579 has been working to support The Julio Otoni Project which is located in the Julio Otoni Community. Julio Otoni is a small low income community (favela) with approximately 2,000
inhabitants in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As in other poor areas of Rio de
Janeiro, the area has been heavily affected over the years by the
presence of criminal gangs, drugs and guns. Due to the extreme
conditions of poverty and lack of occupational alternatives in the
community, it is not at all unusual for children as young as twelve and
thirteen to become involved with the gang culture as well as dealing
with other social problems such as teenage pregnancy, lack of schooling
and illiteracy, lack of professional qualifications and the absence of
basic social values. All these factors perpetuate the cycle of poverty.
The project offers an
out-of-school activity programme for children between the ages of 7 and
17. The objective of the programme is to offer local young people
alternative activities after school and especially in the school
holidays (a time when they would otherwise spend all their free time on
the streets) such as Educational Support, English, Capoeira, Computing
and Environmental Education. Since its set up, the project has gone from
strength to strength. It now has 70 regular attendees, and a computer
room. The project has made a difference that is instantly visible in
many of the children that use the facilities. The project relies on
donations to exist: we have been involved with the project from the
outset, and were one of the founding members of the project. We continue to support the project by providing skilled resources and funding. We also co-ordinate a volunteering program of International volunteers wishing to volunteer at the project.
Current Volunteer Requirements
- English Language Teachers
- Photography Teachers
- Blogwriting
- Marketing, PR and Communications
- Social Media
- Fundraising
- Volunteer Co-ordination
- Project Co-ordination
The minimum volunteer placement is 1 month and due to the nature of the project and to ensure continuity we are ideally looking for volunteers who can volunteer at the project for longer periods e.g. 3 months. Depending on the type of activity you are able to offer and what the project needs at the time will determine if a volunteer placement is possible. If you are interested in volunteering please download and complete the
Volunteer Application Form and email it to us. Thank you!