GREETINGS FROM SALVADOR, BRAZIL!
Our hosts in Brazil and I are so happy to have had one more year of receiving Global Volunteers to help our poor and needy people!  All of the children at the preschool, hospitals and support houses enjoy the opportunity to share their time with the volunteers.  We are also grateful for the assistance that the sponsors provide.  You all hold a special place in our hearts.  Below are some of the highlights from the past several months. 

Santa Casa de Misericórdia da Bahia
Volunteers helped the Santa Casa staff with daily activities at the daycare by serving food to the children, playing games, and doing arts and crafts with the children, all the while, sharing nice smiles and big hugs.  After lunch, the volunteers led conversational English classes to the Santa Casa employees.  Volunteers were able to celebrate with the children and staff of Santa Casa on several occasions.  In June, for St. John’s Day, which is the second largest celebration in Bahia, the volunteers participated in the festivities as the children, teachers and assistants wore typical clothes and danced to typical music. 

The Exposition of Arts provides wonderful insight into the minds of the children.  The teachers show to the kids a picture from a famous painter such as Picasso, or Rembrandt and ask them to paint in a piece of paper what they see on there.  It's a beautiful exposition.  The children also learned about other parts of the world with the African culture celebration.  In each classroom the teachers and children fill the walls with lots of figures or pictures showing what clothes the African people use, the kind of hair they have, and the food they eat.
 
Martagão Gesteira Hospital
Our volunteers help out in this hospital that receives 400 poor children per day.  The volunteers do a good job at the toy library and chemotherapy room by playing with the kids, and keeping their minds off of their troubles.  In the kitchen, volunteers help by cutting vegetables and serving food, giving them good insights into Brazilian cuisine.  The physiotherapists and children also received assistance from the volunteers in the physiotherapy room.  Volunteers with medical backgrounds truly enjoyed the experience of sharing ideas with Brazilian health professionals and watching some orthopedic surgeries. 

Hospital Santa Isabel
Many of the children Global Volunteers works with here have heart problems.  They value the time they spend with the volunteers as they play games and do arts and crafts. A special treat for the children occurred when two volunteers, Margaret Sents and  Christopher Wadsworth,  played music with a violin and a mandolin for the children and their mothers. 

NACCI and Erik Loeff support houses
Kids, teenagers, and their mothers or fathers come to these support houses as they await exams or surgery.  The volunteers are a welcome distraction for them to forget about the difficulties in their lives.  With the volunteers, they enjoy drawing, painting, arts & crafts, English classes and also the opportunity to exchange cultural experiences. 

Celebrations abound!
I invite you to return to Brazil to participate on another service program during one of our upcoming celebrations.  In June, between the 20th and the 26th, St. John’s party will occur again with lots of people wearing traditional clothes and dancing to traditional music.  Year-round you can have a taste of Candomble, the traditional Afro-Brazilian religion and Capoeira the traditional Afro-Brazilian flight dance.  The folkloric ballet also has performances close to our hotel, where you may learn about many more of the typical Afro-Brazilian dances. 

Help without traveling!
If travel is not in your upcoming plans, I encourage you to continue to help the children in Salvador, by becoming a sponsor and helping to support a classroom of students at Santa Casa.  Sponsorship helps to ensure that the children have uniforms, classroom materials, toothbrushes and soap for both their mental and physical health.  Or, join an Encore Team and promote the Brazil program, so that more volunteers come to serve.

Um beijo!
Ivone DaSilva
Brazil Country Manager