What would you do if you had 3 months to do whatever you wanted?0:21
Mitch McGregor spent his 3 months in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he taught English to homeless street children.0:25
He told us all about his life-changing experience.0:33
Most of my friends were traveling the world during their summer holiday, but I wanted to do something worthwhile.0:37
I wanted to volunteer, but where and how?0:44
At the age of 20, I would say I'd had a privileged childhood.0:48
My parents had put me through school, fed and clothed me, and given me plenty of love and affection.0:52
So, after reading about the favelas, the slums of Brazil, where thousands of street children live in appalling poverty and often don't even reach the age of 18, I decided that I'd spend part of my summer helping these children0:58
in whatever way I could.1:13
I set off for Rio de Janeiro, where I would join a volunteer group that taught basic skills such as hygiene, literacy, English, and business skills in a makeshift school in the heart of the favelas.1:15
The residents of these slums, which stretch up the hillsides around and away from the wealthier city centre, make up about one-fifth of the population of Rio de Janeiro.1:28
The poverty leads to many broken homes, and if they experience violence at home or their families can't look after them anymore, children end up on the streets.1:39
Those who can't survive by begging, selling newspapers, or shining shoes often turn to crime to survive.1:49
I was going to work in a school which gave those kids a basic education.1:57
My first day at school was really nerve-racking.2:02
I'd never taught before, I only knew a few words of Portuguese, and I just didn't know what to expect.2:05
The 10 children who turned up to my first English lesson were really friendly and eager to learn.2:12
They only got one meal a day of just rice and beans, and at night they slept under bridges and in doorways.2:18
But these children saw learning English as a possible way out of their lives of danger and destitution.2:26
As days went by, I got used to the place.2:32
The roof of the little shack leaked when it rained, and there wasn't a schedule or textbooks.2:36
Still, the kids trusted me and some of them made a lot of progress.2:41
During break times, we headed out into the tiny yard to kick a ball around, and I found out why Brazilians have a reputation as the best football players.2:46
Then we cooked and ate together, but at the end of the day, when they left to go back— where?2:57
I often wondered whether I would ever see them again.3:04
The host family that I stayed with was marvellous.3:07
They adopted me as an unofficial 'carioca', which is the name for someone who was born and lives in Rio de Janeiro.3:10
It was the school, though, that made my time in Brazil truly special.3:18
Even though I was the teacher, the street children taught me a lot more.3:23
I learnt that no matter how bad conditions are, there is always hope for the future.3:28
My time in Brazil was eye-opening.3:34
If I hadn't gone, I would have missed out on the experience of a lifetime.3:37
If I could do it all again, I'd jump on a plane right now!3:41
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