Organization: Amizade

Focus Areas:	Arts, Children, Technology, Disaster Relief, Economic Development, Education, Environment, Health, Human Rights, Poverty, Conflict Resolution, Gender & Equality
Countries Served:	All 11 countries: Bolivia Brazil Ghana Ireland India Jamaica Mexico Poland Trinidad and Tobago Tanzania, United Republic of United States   Summary by region: Latin America & Caribbean Africa Europe Asia Northern America

Description of Services:
Sharing Culture Through Service At the heart of the cross-cultural service experience is the belief that bringing cultures together creates understanding, compassion, and sense of purpose in people. As our world becomes increasingly globalized, we are more aware than ever of the connection and commonalities among human beings the world over, yet cannot often connect to each other in ways that go beyond the snapshot, the news article, or the clip on TV. With Amizade, service is the means for connecting people to the world. Communities share their knowledge and culture with Amizade participants (and vice versa) while working on sustainable projects with the power to impact their communities for years to come.
History:
Amizade Means Friendship Friendship is a simple yet incredibly powerful thing. We are inspired by the vision that communities around the world can connect with each other to meet needs and create change. Through these partnerships, friendships are cultivated that break down stereotypes and build all of us as members of the global community. Since its inception in 1994, Amizade has helped more than 4,000 volunteers aged 13 to 89. Amizade continuously addresses pressing global issues by connecting volunteers with communities. Volunteers explore, serve, and better understand themselves and others. Host communities gain an improved infrastructure as well as a chance to share traditions and ideas with volunteers from another culture.
Accomplishments & Progress:
In recent years, Amizade?s volunteers (ages teens to 90s) working with community groups have accomplished the following: - put the finishing touches on walls for a Bolivian school - completed a series of water tanks in Tanzania - built an organic tree nursery in rural Tanzania - finished three rooms of a library in Ghana - tutored children in the Navajo Nation and in Mexico - worked in health centers in Ghana - assisted orphans in Bolivia - started a clean-water project in the Amazon - ran an at-risk youth summer camp in Jamaica - mentored Irish at-risk youth - painted a mural in Pittsburgh - ran a college-prep course in the Navajo Nation - helped maintain and restore artifacts in Auschwitz - and much, much more