Amizade Ltd.

Amizade (pronounced ah-mee-za-jee) empowers individuals and communities through worldwide service and learning.

Amizade offers responsible, reflective global service-learning programs for individual volunteers and also customizes programs for groups (colleges, church groups, high schools, community groups, families, etc). Program sites include Brazil, Bolivia, Ghana, Trinidad & Tobago, Tanzania, Northern Ireland, Germany, Poland and several regions of the United States (Washington, DC; Navajo Nation, Appalachia). Program lengths vary from one week to three months. The service component is determined by the local community, and may include manual work (such as construction), tutoring, or cultural exchange. Past projects have included the construction of a health clinic in the Brazilian Amazon, tutoring children in the Navajo Nation, and supporting a women's nonprofit organization in Tanzania.

Testimonials

Anthony Scaletta
Tanzania, summer 2009
Rainwater harvesting systems change lives. As an Amizade Global Service-Learning student-volunteer in the Karagwe District of Tanzania in the summer of 2009 I saw firsthand the powerful and utterly life-changing effects that these systems have on those that use them. These tanks are more than pieces of plastic; they raise people's quality of life by ensuring safety and relieving a grueling workload. No longer required to spend hours each day fetching water just to survive, a child may finally be able to attend school, or a woman may be able to pursue professional training.
I believe in this project because I have seen the results for myself and I also believe in Amizade Global Service-Learning Programs because I have never met a group of more dedicated and passionate people than those that make up the Amizade family. I can assure you that they are working day in and day out to make our world a better place and I am honored to be able to call myself an Amizade alumnus.

Becky Davis
Jamaica, spring break 2009
My trip to Jamaica was my first time out of the United States. It was such a humbling experience to see first hand the struggles of a developing country. Staying inland with a Jamaican family allowed me to actually be a part of the exciting and culturally rich lifestyle of the island, something tourists can never fully experience while staying at one of the island's beach resorts. After the trip I gained a new appreciation for my education, daily life activities and for the support system I have here in the US. The interactive study of the class helped me directly define the term of global citizenship that I would have never learned in a regular university classroom. The trip was one of the most deeply influential experiences I had during my college years and helped me define the career path I would like to follow in my future. Becky is currently a senior at West Virginia University and studying Public Relations and Spanish.