Brazil 'a volunteering favourite for professionals'

Brazil has become the most popular volunteering destination among British professional people, according to one Year Out Group member.

Projects Abroad - which has organised voluntary work programs around the world since 1992 - says there has been a surge of interest in trips to South America's largest country.

Despite having one of the world's largest and fastest growing economies, millions of people continue to live in poverty in Brazil, in rural areas and particularly in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro.

Around one in twenty Brazilians live in these squalid, unsanitary shanty towns - in contrast to the 'millionaires row' lifestyle enjoyed by more and more people in other parts of the city.

Just last month, the Centre for Economics and Business Research reported that the Brazilian economy had overtaken the UK's to become the sixth-largest in the world.

But there are a number of areas in which the country remains reliant upon foreign support and investment - such as healthcare and education.

Speaking to the Press Association, Peter Slowe, managing director of Projects Abroad, explained that a number of factors work in Brazil's favour when attracting volunteers from abroad.

Unlike China - another rapidly expanding country characterised by the haves and have-nots - Brazil is a democracy, and this appeals to people coming from abroad, he said.

And the country's stunning physical geography - most notably the vast but endangered Amazon rainforest - is another major advantage, he said.

"Many of our professional volunteers specifically devote their attention to managing Brazil's development ecologically," Mr Slowe stated.

Projects Abroad is just one of a number of organisations which operate gap programs in Brazil.

Depending on their particular interests and aspirations, gap year participants can select programs run by Quest, GVI, Frontier Conservation, i to i Volunteering, Oyster Worldwide, Project Trust, Real Gap Experience and Travellers Worldwide.

Check out all the different gap year programs on offer.