Pedro Assumpcao
Sao Paulo, Brazil
2021

Pedro, pictured on the right, is studying engineering at Universidade Estadual de Campinas in Sao Paulo. He joined the VACorps program in February as an in-person intern at an NGO that supports refugees in Cape Town. 

“At my current life-stage, I already knew that the common exchange program that was offered to me in Brazil wouldn’t meet my objectives, so I started looking for a different type of experience that would provide me not only the opportunity to immerse myself in a completely different culture but also improve my CV as well as build on my life experiences. When I started researching the VACorps program and had my first chat with a VACorps staff member, I knew this was the program for me. Being able to come to a different country and experience a different lifestyle was a dream come true, especially to a country where I could develop my English skills.  The internship was also hugely beneficial. and gave me a different perspective for my future and my career. I am so grateful for my incredible experiences in Cape Town, which would not have happened without the VACorps program and the support of the VACorps staff.”

View Refugee Internships

Meet our most recent VACorps program alumni:

Chris Doe, Massachussets, USA (2023)

Chris joined the VACorps program in January 2023 as part of his Gap year and participated in a human rights internship.  I decided to come to Cape Town to do an internship because I […]

Nico Theunissen, New York, USA (2023)

Nico joined the VACorps Program in January 2023 as part of his Gap year and participated in an internship at a clean energy engineering company.  “Living in New York City, coming to Cape Town […]

Derya Tunçaral, Istanbul, Turkey (2023)

Derya is a recent graduate of Istanbul Bilgi University where he earned his bachelor’s in International Relations. He joined the VACorps program in November 2022 and participated in a political science internship.  “It was […]

Isabelle Ryan, Illinois, USA (2023)

Isabelle joined the VACorps Program in January 2023 as part of her Gap year and participated in a business internship.  “Originally, I was nervous about coming to Cape Town. I had never been so […]

Alize Serez, Istanbul, Turkey, (2023)

Aliza has recently earned a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Istanbul Bilgi University.  She joined the VACorps Program in September 2022 and participated in a Political Science Internship.  “The reason I chose Cape […]

Carley Adams, Ontario, Canada, (2023)

Carley is a recent MSc graduate of the University of Edinburgh, specializing in Medical Anthropology. She joined the VACorps Program in January 2023 and participated in a public health internship.  “Cape Town is such […]

You may also be interested in: