Expert: Ken Rapoza Cruz - 6/29/2010

Question
Hi!
My name is Monika and I am from Poland. It is possible that I will be moving for a while to Salvador de Bahia, but before I will decide it for sure, I need to look for an opportunity to work there somehow. In September I will graduate from Political Science (University of Warsaw). I was also studying in Romania, Czech Republic and Chicago. I do have some experience with working with NGOs (Amnesty International, voluntary service in Serbia), with International work (Ministry of Social Work, department of international co-operation, United Nation Office in Poland, Polish Institute and Embassy in Romania). What is more, I co-operated with students organizations like: AIESEC or   ASSOCIATION FOR POLISH – AMERICAN COOPERATION . I speak english fluenty and bacid spanish and french. Oh! I don't know portugess at all unfortunetly. I am ready for challenges! What will you recomend to me? The problem is that generally during my research I contacted some voluntary services but most of them want people to pay a lot for that...and I cannot afford it now. Please, if you can help me somehow, I will appreciate

Answer
Hi Monika. First, I dont know much about the volunteer or paid internship opportunities that will exist there. Does your University have any contacts in Salvador? Why Salvador? Your not knowing Portuguese could be a problem for someone to place you in a real volunteer or paid (or unpaid) internship. There is not a very big Polish community in Brazil, but for starters, the guys at the consulate or Polish embassy in Brazil MIGHT be able to give you some leads. Here are the numbers and emails.

SAO PAULO Poland consulate:
internacional: +55.11.3672.3778
Email consulado@consuladopoloniasp.org.br

EMBASSY WEBSITE:
http://www.brazylia.polemb.net/index.php?document=19


I would recommend you see if these institutions of your government have any cultural programs going on with the Brazilian government wher eyou can work as a volunteer or get an internship. Then you can contact those organizations directly once the consulate and embassy give you the info. IF THEY HAVE IT. They might not. Liek I said, Poland is just not on the radar in Brazil. That means you will have to look for big international aid groups. Or Environmental NGOs, even, which are big in Brazil. Amnesty International is fairly big. Seeing how you are graduating in poli-sci, visit www.fpa.org and look for jobs and internships and volunteer opps around the world. You MIGHT find something in Brazil, or at the very least, you will find an organization that you can contact about Brazil. I would recommend Amnesty, World Wildlife Fund is also big. Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth are very small operations here and very locally run. You WILL need to know Portuguese, unless you are a very experienced environmental activist/organizer who can teach them something.

Good luck. Contact embassy first. Then investigate Amnesty adn WWF ops in Brazil, if any. Dont wed yourself to Salvador, unless you have free housing there. If you ahve free housing there, that must mean you know someone there and if you know someone there, hopefully it is a Brazil. Have them help you find NGOs and similar groups where you can work asa  volunteer. Internships will only go to locals. You can only get an international intersnip from Poland that sends you there, that is why I suggest AI and WWF. Also the FPA.org website. Check it out.