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Salvador, Brazil (on hold)

Located in the state of Bahía, Salvador is Brazil's oldest city, and the centre of Afro-Brazilian culture. Salvador's history as the main Atlantic port for the spice route and the slave trade is credited with creating a mix of ethnic groups, cultures and faiths, distinguishing it from any other place on earth. Candomblé, a religion carried down from African slaves and mixed with the Catholicism of colonial settlers, is still practiced regularly along with capoeira, an African martial art that combines skill with rhythm and dancing.

There is a wide economic divide in Salvador, from huge mansions to sprawling shantytowns. One of these shantytowns is Alagados, meaning "flooded," where the shacks in which residents live are built over water on stilts. Most residents are under 20 years old, and in need of basic education, employment and health care. CCS volunteers working in Alagados will contribute to community-based projects initiated by its residents.