Rediscovering my country

I participated in the program because I wanted to work with challenging activities that improve people's lives, put myself outside my comfort zone and with the possibility of meeting people who have a common interest. I had as a project for my life to work on some projects in which I could combine my knowledge and skills acquired in this program, together with my desire to contribute to something that will make a positive difference in the lives of many people.
During the 9-month volunteer period, in the first period of 3 months I received training at One World Center (OWC) related to Brazil's social problems, political context, cultural roots that shaped the country's backbone. I am Brazilian and, studying more about my country helped to clarify some information that went unnoticed by my eyes in my daily routines. We also learned how to develop activities related to the projects that are being carried out in the countries to which we travel, so that we can contribute effectively to improving the lives of the beneficiaries.
In the second period, I was able to go with my team to Brazil, in the rural area of the city of Cachoeira, in Bahia state, working with a community of descendants of slaves where we develop agricultural activities with the women there to fight shoulder to shoulder against the effects of malnutrition and, in addition, increase family income. We identified other activities that could be developed and, in partnership with the local community and teachers, we did a literacy project for adults. We were there for the period of 4 months.
After the Brazil volunteer period, in the final period of the volunteer program (2 months), we made some trips around the United States to share the experiences lived in Brazil with this community.
It was an incredible experience to meet so many people in Brazil and at the OWC with diverse cultures and thoughts working collectively to improve the lives of many people around the world.