AECTEA Association - Free Volunteer Opportunities in Brazil

by Danaë Huijser

Danaë Huijser, a psychologist from Holland, visited AEC-TEA for 10 days in 2005 and wrote this article about her experience.

by Phillip Wagner

Phillip Wagner visited AEC-TEA in 2004 and wrote this article for Brazzil Online Magazine.

An early commitment to community

Fabio Ramos is a remarkably soft-spoken twenty-something Bahia-born activist with undeniably Brazilian features, but a temperament that belies his age. He projects none of the angst evident in many young Brazilians and, in fact, exhibits about as much emotion as Mr. Spock of Star Trek fame. Fabio’s expresses emotion almost exclusively through the compassion of his actions, which have included co-founding the Associação Educativo-Cultural Tarcília Evangelista de Andrade, or AECTEA, in Capim Grosso, Bahia, Brazil.

by Rachel Samuelson

During her volunteer stay in 2005, Rachel Samuelson contributed a weekly article to her hometown newspaper, the Anchorage Daily News.

I'm starting to feel nostalgic about Brazil, and I haven't even left yet.

It's Monday morning, and the sun is already high and hot in the sky as Dele, the volunteer from London, and I close the gate behind us and head to the market.

by Rachel Samuelson

During her volunteer stay in 2005, Rachel Samuelson contributed a weekly article to her hometown newspaper, the Anchorage Daily News.

Its 6:05 PM and I’m hurrying out the door to my capoeira group. Capoeira is the traditional fight-dancing art of Brazil, and my exercise of the day. I’m a bit late but, luckily for me, I’m in Brazil where ten minutes late is right on time. I’m conspicuously dressed in white stretchy pants and a white singlet with the name of the capoeira teacher printed in black.

by Rachel Samuelson

During her volunteer stay in 2005, Rachel Samuelson contributed a weekly article to her hometown newspaper, the Anchorage Daily News.

I’m in the daycare volunteering for a couple of hours and we start to sing songs. One of them goes, "The toad doesn’t wash his feet, doesn’t wash them because he doesn’t want to. He lives in a lake, and doesn’t wash his feet, but what a stink!"

by Rachel Samuelson

During her volunteer stay in 2005, Rachel Samuelson contributed a weekly article to her hometown newspaper, the Anchorage Daily News.

Teaching in Brazil is frustrating. I start my English class on Saturday a reasonable fifteen minutes late, waiting till a majority of the students arrive. Half the students completed the homework, which really isn't that bad of a percentage. We correct the homework, and then I begin to teach simple adjectives.