Sometimes life hands you opportunities where it's up to you to take them and assume the responsibilities, or not. One of these opportunities was the NAF. Who would have imagined that I would be part of something new? Maybe no one. Maybe at first we feel intimidated by the selection process, which left many of us behind. Were we lucky? Hmm, I don't think so, well in my case I think I wasJ, but it was also a question of perseverance, a lot of studying and, above all, this need to be part of something.

They say that it's not easy to start something, and of course it's not, more so when you're not accustomed to socialising with other people; I don't mean that I'm a person who doesn't socialise with others, but that it's very different talking to your friends, because naturally they know you and if you make a mistake, in between jokes, they'll point out your error to you. But trying to socialise with a taxpayer at first was horrible! My legs were shaking, I was thinking: And if I make a mistake? What will I do? And if I turn around and leave? I know it's a little immature for someone my age, and much more for someone in the last year of university, but I was afraid. And then the first taxpayer was a very nice dark-haired woman, a lovely person, and right there I understood that my fear was a little overblown, because I saw that not all taxpayers are ogres (no offence intended).

Then we had to put on a “taxpayer fair” for the inauguration of the NAF; we had to set up the tents for the fair the night before. What a job! But it was ours, so time to roll up our sleeves, as they say. There I understood two things: one, that it wasn't easy to put up a tent, and two, that working a fair requires teamwork. The next day, all of us members of the NAF were really nervous and, naturally, super-exhausted, but the sacrifice was worth it because the fair turned out perfectly. Dozens of people went out of their way to see the fair, and others were looking for information, asking about our hours at the NAF; that was just a great source of satisfaction for all of us.  Finally the first NAF office was opened in Bolivia, in the city of El Alto. We were so happy that our work was starting to bear its first fruits.

Finally our own office! Well, the office the university lent us, but it felt like it was ours. Now we would have to put into practice everything we had learned. At first there were days where we helped something like four taxpayers, other days there wasn't a single one. Is this frustrating? Yes, very. Although by the end of our first month, we had already helped approximately 100 different taxpayers, we thought that wasn't very much and that we weren't being efficient. Personally I felt disappointed in myself.

But now we know that 100 is a good number to start with, and that we shouldn't have felt frustrated or disappointed because we were doing our best day after day. We're new, people still don't know about us, but in time everyone will be talking about the NAF.

I don't want to change and help the world, or my country, or even this city, all by myself; I want to change and help the person who walks into the NAF, because I know that if I help that person, he or she will help someone else, and that person will help someone else, and we'll end up making this a better place to live. Someone once said that every change starts with a small step.

My time in the NAF is over now, as much as I would have liked to stay longer, time flew by, but you have to make room for new people.

We're not geniuses on the subject and we make mistakes like anyone else, but as long as we're helping people who need accounting and tax assistance, we'll always be part of the NAF.

Everything we do is for a better tomorrow...

About the NAF: Tax support centres (NAFS) are a university social responsibility initiative promoted by the Brazilian Tax Agency (Receita Federal de Brasil). Thanks to NAFs, university students preparing their degrees in business and accounting, previously trained by the tax agency, provide free accounting and tax support to low-income individuals and legal persons. The NAFs are currently working in 50 Brazilian universities. Thanks to the EUROsocoAL's support, NAFs are operating in universities 66 universities in Mexico, Honduras, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Guatemala and Costa Rica.

Kelly Ramos