Volunteers! Please, read this!

Welcome, volunteers!

First, let me say on behalf of the Two Brothers Foundation that I am very grateful for your interest in our organization. I encourage you to follow through with this opportunity to join us in our exciting and unique mission. This information sheet is intended to answer some basic questions and to give you an overview of the volunteer experience.

Since the first activities of the Two Brothers Foundation (2bros), and its sister organization, the Instituto Dois Irmãos (I2I), in 1998, many volunteers from around the world have assisted us in our mission to promote education, community service, and international exchange in the favela of Rocinha, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Most of those volunteers have helped us in teaching languages - mostly English, but also French and Spanish - to children, adolescents, and adults. Others have worked with art classes, reading groups, photography and film projects, or computer skills classes. Most volunteers have been involved in short-term cultural activities as well, such as taking groups of children on field trips to the Centro Cultural do Banco do Brasil and the American School of Rio de Janeiro. Many have also helped plan and hold events in Rocinha, such as our annual Halloween party and other parties and celebrations.

Volunteers have also helped us with the actual construction and refurbishing of our new building, and with the implementation of our new community reading room. With our new building almost complete, there is a more intense level of activity than ever, making now one of the most exciting times ever to volunteer with the Two Brothers Foundation. Furthermore, our relatively small size and somewhat informal nature make it possible for volunteers to be directly involved in the growth of our organization and in the direction we choose to follow in the future.

The experience of volunteering at Two Brothers is a very unique and special one and I strongly encourage anyone interested in so doing to follow up on it!