Who can volunteer
Zoé expeditions are multidisciplinary. They take doctors, nurses, dentists, physiotherapists, psychologists, pharmacists, nutritionists and social workers — and also students and volunteers from other fields, who help with logistics, running the clinic and communications.
In the field, care covers general medicine, pediatrics, dentistry, ophthalmology and gynecology, among other specialties. Beyond consultations, the team runs exams, performs minor surgeries, distributes medications and glasses, and does health education with the community.
Every volunteer goes through a selection and preparation process before travelling — including those who have joined us before.
What an expedition is like
- 7 to 14 daysis how long an expedition lasts
- 6 municipalitiesin western Pará have hosted expeditions
- 14 hours by boatto the riverside communities of the Arapiuns
Expeditions typically last 7 to 14 days. Volunteers travel to the region and are accompanied by the Zoé team from the first day to the last.
Zoé works in riverine and indigenous communities of the Brazilian Amazon, focusing on the state of Pará. We have taken expeditions to six municipalities in western Pará, from Belterra to the Zo'é Indigenous Territory, and we reach communities that are days of travel from the nearest cities: to reach the riverside communities of the Arapiuns, for instance, we sail for 14 hours.
On expedition days everything happens at once: one consultation after another, surgeries scheduled on the spot, glasses handed over the same afternoon. A local clinic or hospital becomes the team's base for the stay.
Costs and what is covered
Volunteering costs nothing.
Zoé provides
- Guidance
- Meals
- Accommodation
- Local transport
- Support from the team from the first day to the last
Sometimes we ask
Sometimes, as with doctors, we ask volunteers to donate the cost of their own travel — we talk about it in the interview.
All of this reaches our volunteers thanks to donations. If you can, donate here.
Step by step: how to apply
Through the form below — the same application for health professionals, students and volunteers from other fields.
- Application
You fill in the form on this page, with your profession and specialty.
- Selection and preparation
Our team reviews your details and replies by email with the next steps. Once approved, you complete your registration and sign the volunteer agreement.
- Choosing the expedition
Each expedition has its own destination, team and specialties. The confirmed dates are just below.
- Departure
An expedition lasts 7 to 14 days. You travel to the region and are accompanied by the Zoé team from the first day to the last.
Upcoming expeditions
The dates confirmed in our calendar. Open each expedition to see the destination, the team and the specialties — and use the form on this page to apply.
| Expedition | Dates | Location | Specialties | Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Next departure 55th Expedition: Surgical December 2026 | Belterra | Surgeon, Anesthesia, Sonographer, Dermatologist, Urologist, Pediatric neurologist, Dentistry, Gynecologist, Pediatrics | I want to join this expedition → | |
Applications open 56th Expedition: January White 2027 | Belterra | Psychologist, Psychiatrist | I want to join this expedition → | |
Applications open 57th Expedition: Amazonian Vision 3 | Belterra | Ophthalmology | I want to join this expedition → |
What volunteer work is
In Brazil, volunteer work has a legal definition: work an individual chooses to do without pay, for a public body or for a non-profit organisation. The rule that governs it is Law 9,608/1998, which covers purposes such as assistance to people, education, culture, science and civic activity — the frame that health care in the communities Zoé serves fits into.
Two consequences matter to anyone about to travel. First, volunteering creates no job: no salary, no employment contract, no labour or social-security charges between you and the organisation. Second, the arrangement has to be in writing, in an agreement stating what you will do and under what conditions. At Zoé, that is the volunteer agreement you sign once your application is approved.
In practice, health volunteering in the Amazon is exactly this: professionals and students who give days of work on an expedition, unpaid and with no employment relationship, to care for riverine and indigenous communities that are days of travel from the nearest city.
Read Law 9,608/1998 on the Brazilian government portal
For the full explanation, with the types of volunteer work and how to get started, read the article on the Zoé blog.
Hours actually worked × market value of the specialty (explanatory note 11 of the audited financial statements), added up by the start year of each expedition. *2026 includes planned expeditions. See the audit
