By hkbardo
Working with UMPMRS has been both meaningful and challenging. I wish that the project I initially intended on assisting with was further along in its fruition, but as with many non-profits, and especially the way things work in Brazil, one must be patient and adjust expectations to a more relaxed time frame. That said, my daily experience in and around the organization is always insightful, whether I am actually helping to feed and instruct children, or simply observing the inner workings of the NGO and the myriad obstacles its staff must constantly confront. Walking up and down the favela each time is an eye-opening experience in itself, and listening to the harrowing stories of various residents within the community has been thought-provoking.
My volunteer work with UMPMRS has enormously enhanced my study abroad experience in Rio de Janeiro because it has given me access to a part of the city I never would have otherwise stepped foot in. I have gained a more intimate understanding of a starkly different population and culture than the one that surrounds me in my host family’s wealthy neighborhood and the elite university I attend. My volunteer experience has showed me the real Brazil, the harsh reality that the majority of Brazilians live due to their extremely stratified society.
Unlike most study abroad programs which are culminating now in conjunction with the American university system, mine does not finish until July, thus I will continue my volunteer work for another two months. However, upon returning to GW I certainly foresee my volunteer work here continuing to play an important role in my life back in the US. I will be on GW’s Brazil Club EBoard next year and I hope to utilize my position to promote campus-wide activism for particular causes in Brazil, such as raising awareness and support for some of Rio’s poverty-stricken favelas. I hope you will join me in these endeavors!