This is an amazing opportunity to take full advantage of your gap year experience by spending half the year volunteering in Peru and half the year volunteering in Brazil, while supporting 2 fantastic NGO’s and the local children, families and communities they serve. Alternatively, volunteers have the flexibility to volunteer between 3 to 6 months in each location and they also have the option of travelling home or someplace else in between their volunteer time in Peru and Brazil.
Otra Cosa Network (OCN) is an NGO located on the northern Pacific coast of majestic Peru and ETIV do Brasil is located on the Atlantic coast of beautiful Bahia, Brazil. Both NGO’s are situated in lovely coastal towns with great surf and a strong fishing industry, and both offer meaningful volunteer opportunities that will allow you to gain valuable career skills and an experience of a lifetime!
More specifically, OCN is in Huanchaco, Peru (near Trujillo), and their mission is to promote social development and education in their local communities. Meanwhile, ETIV do Brasil is located in Itacaré (near Ilheus), and their mission is to connect international travelers with meaningful volunteer opportunities to support environmental conservation and development in Brazil. Both NGO’s offer an array of volunteer opportunities to choose from, both can help arrange your housing preferences and set up language classes for you, and both NGO’s are highly affordable and offer some of the lowest prices you are going to find for a volunteer experience like this one.
ETIV and OCN are currently looking for volunteers to support projects in environmental conservation, youth development, teaching English, and women’s empowerment. We also have office positions available, learning about NGO administration while supporting everything from volunteer recruitment to marketing & communications, website development, fundraising and/or volunteer coordination.
Please go to our websites to find out more about our organizations and to read the full descriptions regarding the volunteer positions that interest you most. When you apply, please write in your application that you are interested in doing the split opportunity in Peru and Brazil. If you are interested in going to Peru first, please apply through OCN’s website at www.otracosa.org. Meanwhile, if you are interested in going to Brazil first, please apply through ETIV’s website at www.etivdobrasil.org.
OCN and ETIV require that volunteers work at least 4 hours a day or 20 hours a week (usually Monday through Friday), and after applications have been received and accepted, we both require a non –refundable 20% down payment that will go towards the cost of your volunteer experience. Since most volunteers only work part time, this allows ample time to enjoy the beach, sand and surf as well as all the nearby events and attractions.
For example, in Peru volunteers will have plenty of time to visit and enjoy the many archeological sites, including ancient Incan and pre-Incan temples, ruins and museums as well as many cultural events and some of the most stunning sunsets over the Pacific Ocean. In Brazil, volunteers often spend their extra time hiking through the rainforest, kayaking through lush mangroves, seeking out hidden beaches or waterfalls and witnessing the vast biodiversity of this exotic tropical region. After the first month of service is complete in each location, volunteers are allowed ample vacation time in Peru and Brazil to explore both countries more thoroughly and to ensure that volunteers do not miss out on the places they most want to visit during their time in South America.
Make the most out of your gap year experience. Why just travel, when you can volunteer for a meaningful cause and enjoy an experience of a lifetime!