SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Embracing the differences in Brazil

'Brazil is a country with a promise of development', say those who believe in its future and already declare it to be one of the "steadiest economies of the BRICs" – Brazil, Russia, India and China, the group of most promising emerging markets made by Goldman Sachs in 2003.  Despite being the slower of the BRICs, Brazil is credited with pursuing the most free and democratic course, making its growth more reliable and sturdy (The Economist, April 2007).

Being an economic powerhouse is not new for Brazil. We have already been ranked amongst the 10 biggest economies in the world, with the Brazilian intellectual, political and commercial elites following – and taking part in – the most innovative trends worldwide.  

The main challenge for the promise of development in Brazil is the deconstruction of social and economic divides which make the Brazil of today a very unequal society. These divides, as well as cultural and regional differences, make Brazil a composition of many different Brazils, and only the equilibrium of these factors would bring real and sustainable development to the nation.

Within the concept of Intercultural Consultancy, there is the idea of ameliorating the relations between different cultures by showing the foreigners the best of the host culture, and by showing the host culture the best of the foreign.

Brazil also has a chronic problem of education which results in us having a large population of abandoned children - the majority of whom will join the unskilled labour force, if they are lucky.  Most expats who come to Brazil bring their partners and family along with them and many end up having trouble adapting to these problems, especially when partners have left their careers behind.

As we are conscious of the time it takes for partners to get a work permit, here at DIFFERÄNCE, we provide volunteering opportunities with Brazilian NGOs as a way to help integrate partners into Brazilian society and give them some professional experience in the country. We strongly believe in this practice because it also contributes to the responsible development of our country.

Brazilians are not very used to volunteering as this has never been a big part of our culture, but we are very keen to learn, and this is something we can gain from such a cultural interchange.

We are also very keen to teach, and our jeitinho brasileiro, our musicality, our creativity and joie de vivre, are some of the best qualities we have to offer, and are our favourites to teach!

Volunteering in Brazil can be a very good way of integrating into society in all its dimensions, from the teaching of benevolence and development, to learning the emotional dimensions which drive our people.

COME JOIN US!

Recolocation for Spouses

DIFFERÄNCE, embrace it!