Childcare Assistance in Favelas

This amazing project’s aim is to help those who are actively seeking to help themselves escape their life of poverty. It serves a real need by offering free care for children in a nurturing and safe environment while their parents work or study to create a better life for their families. Rocinha and Pavãozinho favelas have an exceptionally high rate of young mothers, and this program offers these young women the chance to finish their education and ultimately offer their children a more stable upbringing. In other families it allows both parents to join the workforce and receive the benefits of two incomes providing for their family.  

The program places caring international volunteers in the unique position of working directly with children and their families to tangibly help them achieve their goals. By earning more money and achieving higher education, residents of the Rocinha and Pavãozinho favelas can give their children a safer life.

Volunteers in Rio generally work just 3 days per week (circa 25 hours/wk, depending on the project), which allows them plenty of time to explore this amazing city! While we ask all volunteers to be flexible in this regard, on working days a typical daily schedule is likely to go something like this:

• Provide free child care for children under five years old to the families of Rocinha and Pavãozinho favela – some of Rio’s largest shanty towns
• Improve the future prospects of families by allowing parents to work or study to provide a better future for their families and break the poverty cycle
• Supply a quality, caring programme to the city’s poorest children, creating a solid foundation for their future education and wellbeing
• Supply basic needs to the most disadvantaged children in society to help them lead safer, healthier lives