Housing for the Poor

“Start with housing, the sturdiest of footholds for economic mobility.”
Matthew Desmond, Professor of Sociology, Princeton University

“Social responsibility has no boundaries.”
Director and ELI Abroad partner, housing renovation initiative

For the past eight years, volunteers in Porto have welcomed international helpers in their successful renovation program that’s transforming homes - and lives.

“Everyone benefits when visitors from other countries join our work,” says the director. “From the local staff to the beneficiaries of these renovated homes. And the international volunteers enjoy a unique, fulfilling experience. They’re not just tourists, they become part of a community.”

As an ELI Abroad volunteer you’ll join a Porto-based group that’s rebuilt more than 50 neglected properties into safe housing for the poor, disabled or homeless.

You’ll learn new skills, share your own insights (and language!) and have the satisfaction that you’re making a real difference. 

“When international volunteers join us, there’s a team-building exchange of experience that can really increase productivity and motivation on the job.” says a staffer. “And everyone has more fun.”

Over the years, more than a thousand volunteers from Porto and abroad have worked with this group. 

Don’t worry if you don’t have construction skills. You’ll be put to work if you can use a paint brush or even a broom. Above all, what’s required is determination “and a large heart.”

An affinity for adventure and Portugal won’t hurt either.