Volunteer: Yolanda Sabio
Program Site: Salvador, Brazil
Year: 2008
Yolanda Sabio always wanted to see Brazil. She had an interest in the country, specifically Salvador, because of the region’s high population of people of African descent. Her alumni group from Vassar College planned to go on a volunteer trip to Brazil, and although the group’s plans did not come to fruition, Yolanda decided to go by herself.
Her experience in Salvador with Cross-Cultural Solutions gave her the perfect blend of giving back, and seeing a new part of the world. In the one-week Insight Abroad program, Yolanda worked with children in a daycare facility and orphanage. She spoke a good amount of Spanish, which helped her to understand Portuguese and immerse herself more into the community. Thanks to CCS’ extra activities and excursions, she was able to see a great deal of the region with an insider’s eye. Her experience also gave her a new perspective on what it means to volunteer. Yolanda hopes to bring her adult daughter along on the next trip.
