We recieve a lot of great feedback from volunteers and project partners, here is what some of them had to say...
"Our time in Cairu was amazing, inspiring and memorable. The team are still mourning having left and spend all day long recalling the wonderful days spent with Amainan and the Cairu community"
Camilla Itura, Cairu 2005
Brazil Coastal Rainforest Project
"Basically, anything I write will not do justice to the experience that can
be had in Cairu. No description could aptly describe how special it feels to
be part of an evolving project that holds such resonance for both the
environment and Cairu's unbelievably charismatic community.
Within days you'll have met some outstanding characters that you will never
forget (Fabio, Sedro, 'Oh-Wow-Man', Belliniha, Mordai to mention but a few),
and as can be realised by their constant talk of past Quest groups; they
will certainly never forget you. In today's society, that's an opportunity
and a feeling of attachment that is so rare on leaving Cairu I felt an
extreme loss!
Being in the rainforest is an amazing experience, and when you see the
patches of deforestation it hits home how crucial the work is that us Quest
volunteers and the Cairu guys are doing.
Daily Capoeira has opened up a whole new sport to me, though nothing at home
could ever match the atmosphere in the square every evening, with the
instruments, the clapping and singing - not to mention the array of perfect
bodies and stunning Capoeira that the Cairu guys play.
If Cairu wasn't enough, at the weekends you will visit islands that boast
deserted beaches that can only be described as paradise. No holiday to any
perfect destination could let you experience such a diversity of places,
from Garapua with such isolated beauty, to Morro De Sao Paulo - giving a
brief reintegration with more touristy civilization, i.e. shops, clubs and ice
cream! (and a few pasty beached whales that are so distant from the other
parts of the archipelago).
The laid-back-Bahian nature of the people will inevitably have an effect on
you and I feel I have returned a much more relaxed, rejuvenated person with
a refreshing new look on life in general; even if it means I have also lost
all concept of time keeping due to the Bahian influence...
All I can say is that anyone with a sense of adventure, a desire to protect
a beautiful environment and immerse themselves into an outstanding, unique
and friendly community where you will be remembered forever should grasp
onto the opportunity to go to Cairu with Quest and you will be sure to never
let go!"
Kaleigh Jones, Cairu 2007
"You don't know the meaning of ´community´ until you have spent some time in Cairu, where the warmth of the local people never seems to end. Expect to be invited round for coffee, left holding a baby, to have a mud fight and be recruited for the day´s football match within a couple of hours. You will quickly find yourself accepted into the traditional community with the local kids learning your name so fast you´re left feeling like a celebrity. The islanders laid back way of life will quickly become your own as you really get involved with the projects, working side by side with some fantastic people that are guaranteed to become great friends, dance instructors and arm wrestle opponents!
When you´re not working you can soak up the sun on beaches that look like they´re straight from a travel brochure, try your hand at crabbing with the local fisherman, swim with florescent plankton or explre the sci-fi-esque landscape of the mangroves. Cairu cannot fail to get under your skin and you will find yourself truly missing it when you leave."
Sarah Benson, Cairu 2006
Brazil Immersion and Language Phase
We had a fantastic first 3 weeks in Brazil, spending our language phase of the trip in candeal. This small community in Salvador had such a lovely atmosphere with people constantly out on the streets playing music or games. We were looked after by a lovely lady called Siete, who played a key role in getting Candeal the status of an official community after the government had the shanty town demolished 3 times. Despite relative poverty, Candeal has many initiatives to allow the locals to be self-sufficient. It has many hugely talented individuals including the now famous singer Carlinhos Brown, who we were lucky enough to meet – he was a great guy, with ideals of peace and everybody working together in order to maximize their opportunities in life. This echoes the general spirit of Candeal, which was captured in the film “the miracle of Candeal”, which we all enjoyed watching and spotting people we had become friends with.
Our mornings were spent having Portuguese lessons, many of which ended up being pretty lively due to the educational games they had planned for us. I don’t think any of us had ever got so serious over hangman before! Afternoons were spent doing 2 of 3 activities. Percussion lessons were taken by Jair, the main man for Candeal’s percussion group. We learnt how to play basic rhythm, such as reggae and samba, each playing on different drums. Our last lesson was spent playing our own with an interesting rendition of Oasis´s wonderwall by Emma and Paul! As well as learning to play these traditional Brazilian beats, we also learnt how to dance along. Despite lots of fun and hip wiggling, I don’t think any of us, will ever be able to samba quite as well as the locals but we did have fun giving it a shot! Finally there were capoeira lessons with cabaça. A very high level of fitness is required for capoeira, which is evident from their toned bodies and which we found out after being completely exhausted after our warm up stretches!
Candeal was a great introduction to Brazil, and we all felt very much part of a community by the time we left. We had fun weekend breaks too, spent lying on beautiful beaches, as well as two sneaky mid-week breaks at Rudy´s house with an amazing BBQ lunch by the pool. We are all going to miss Candeal, but hope to have made a difference to some of the children’s lives by donating school equipment to individuals during a party we held for them.
Emma James, Brazil, 2007