The Environmentalist Association Copaíba constantly receives, through the Volunteer Program, people interested in collaborating with the work of the institution and in exchange, they take with them the learning and satisfaction of helping a third sector cause.

Volunteer work is an excellent opportunity to practice good deeds in society. Being a volunteer is donating time, work and talent to causes of social, environmental and community interest and thereby improving the quality of life in the community.

Copaíba's Volunteer Program permeates this objective. And since last month it has received the collaboration of the volunteer work of Anouk Severin, a 22-year-old Dutch woman, who currently lives in Serra Negra. Anouk, like many foreigners, sought out entities in the region to practice citizenship. In many countries, this is a very common action. And it was with this vocation that she found Copaíba. In addition to collaborating with the environmental NGO, Anouk participated as a volunteer at the Asilo São Francisco de Assis, in Serra Negra, and gives free private lessons to children at Lar das Meninas, in Socorro.

Anouk has been in Brazil since January this year. She came with her boyfriend Pim van Hooff, who works in Socorro, at the branch of a Dutch company. The Dutch woman comes from the city of Nijmegen, a municipality known in Brazil as Nimega, close to the border with Germany.

It is his first time in Brazil and he has already had the opportunity to visit several places such as Pantanal, Rio de Janeiro and also the city of Holambra/SP. But during the week his dedication is really volunteering, which has contributed to perfecting his Portuguese.

Working with nature has always caught Anouk's attention and at Copaíba she is having the opportunity to put these skills into practice, as her family has some habits linked to nature. “In addition to contributing to nature conservation, I wanted to know how an NGO works in Brazil. I met other institutions of the third sector, such as Greenpop, from South Africa and I was curious. It's been very good”, says the Dutchwoman.

For Anouk, the forest restoration and seedling production work carried out by Copaíba is very important and rewarding. “It's nice to follow the seedlings growing in the nursery, to follow the different stages, until they go to the field”, says the volunteer. The environmental awareness work carried out by Copaíba caught the volunteer's attention and inspired her to take new actions. “The environmental sensitization carried out with the owners is like a “snowball”, a snowball, which increases and so people share the results. This is really cool! It's a small group of people with big ideas… This shows that we can change our own world, little by little”, says Anouk, quite optimistic.