Centers of modernity, creativity and liberty, NGOs seek to develop innovative solutions for social and environmental problems, denouncing injustices and defending human rights. They’re funded by donations, international funds, private companies and events open to the public, like bazaars and campaigns, in order to collect money from the sale of products. Actually, as the third sector high growth, they contribute with transformations of public interest. In the midst of the migratory crises, that increased in 2014, due to wars and conflicts, understand the population reality and try to attend their needs is fundamental. In this year, the new United States’ president Donald Trump, has a government heavily marked by exclusionary and racial politics. But there’re still those who persist in practicing altruism.
Created in October 2010 by the sociology professor, Marcelo Haydu, Adus – Institute of Refugee Reintegration, has as intention the social, economic and cultural restitution of refugees, as their situation is so complicated: according to Adus’s president, nowadays, the number of refugees in Brazil is 8.500, and requesters are 12.000.
With about 300 volunteers, in addition to prioritize the human side, this NGO count with Portuguese and computer classes for the refugees, and Arabic, English and French lessons administered by the own refugees. The head office of Adus exists since 2015, and their goals is to promote a foreigners insertion into Brazilian society, help them find new opportunities and follow with the new life, and remove the social insertion and facing the obstacles to reintegrate them.
Volunteers ans refugees integrated in a language lesson at the NOG Adus
While Adus is helping and contribute to refugee’s life in Brazil, the ONG Sonhar Acordado is helping our children. With meetings happening one Saturday a month, and the cycle lasting a semester, they have 3 main projects: the Amigos Para Sempre, in which you can do cultural and sports activities with needy children, committing to take care of one of them. Also, there are the Sonhando Juntos, project with children and teenager with cancer or degenerative diseases, helping them to find hope and realize their material dreams; and for last, the Preparando Para o Futuro, which aims at training the institutional adolescents to their future.
Her Campus talked to Érica Azzellini, senior year Journalism student from Cásper Líbero University, who works in the project Preparando Para o Futuro, and besides help us to know more about Sonhar Acordado. She explains why has chosen this project. She told us that is a necessary social inclusion work, with important debates about the application of values in the daily life of young people, leading to citizens reflections. “The most striking thing for me was the final meeting of the semester”, she said, “It was very beautiful to see how the evolution of our job reflected on the young and in the volunteers themselves”. Asked about what she realizes after became a volunteer, she said that the sensation of change the world is really on our hands, and even little things can have a huge impact in other’s life.
The volunteer work can happen in too many ways, like OCAS, the magazine created in 2002 organized by the Organização Civil de Ação Social. The goal is to improve the life of people in street situations. The edition is sold by people in situations of social vulnerability, who with the sale of the magazines, have access to an income. Sometimes, the sellers, who are people with difficulty to get a job, like ex-prisoners and street dwellers, also write the texts.
In a country like Brazil, which is full of social problems, as well as many others in Latin America, volunteer work tries to give assistance and to reduce the problems. Besides the huge help that people receive, with opportunities and donations, the volunteer is also helping himself. As Érica said: “we only understand the impact that our little actions have when we come across those who need them”.