The College Issue?

This edition of the Amizade Newsletter may seem like it is focusing on Amizade alternative break programs.  Well, it is!  We ran four different programs for college programs this winter and spring.

DePauw University Students Come Down to Brazilian Amazon

  In January, a group of 25 students and faculty from DePauw University ventured down to Santarém, Brazil.  They did not arrive in the usual fashion of volunteers. Upon their arrival in Manaus, the group boarded a boat and took a three day tour of the Amazon before arriving in Santarém.
  The group took part in a variety of projects including building a dormitory for the Association of Parents and Friends of Exceptional Children ñ a program that works with handicapped children.  The group also renovated the kitchen of the Pastoral do Menor ñ a program that works with street children.

Washington University Students Spend Their Spring Break in Bolivia

  In March, a group of 10 students from the St. Louis Hillel at Washington University chose not to spend their spring break in Ft Lauderdale, but instead they came down to Cochabamba, Bolivia to help renovate a nursing home. The Asillo de Acianos is a nursing home in Cochabamba for 90 men and women who have been abandoned by their families.  The program is run by the Catholic Sisters of Santa Ana, but is open to all faiths.   The majority of the residents have physical or mental deficiencies such as blindness, Alzheimerís, and Parkinsonís, among others.
  The Asillo de Acianos is funded partly by the Catholic Church and partly by the Bolivian government that gives US$1 a day for 70 residents.  Though they do get additional help from outside sources, it is not enough to provide adequate care for the residents.   Instead of constantly seeking outside assistance, the Asillo de Acianos has developed a program whereby they will remodel their facilities so that they can rent out space in order to ensure a steady income.  Through a collaboration with the Rotary Club of Cochabamba Tunari, Amizade volunteers and Bolivian volunteers will renovated and remodeled the Asillo de Acianos to provide improved living quarters for the residents as well as create commercial rental units/stores that will generate income so that the Asillo de Acianos can be self sufficient..

  In March, a group of 14 students and faculty from Millikin University drove 27 hours out to Yellowstone to spend their spring break helping the US Forest Service on a variety of projects including reglazing and painting windows for cabins at the historic OTO Ranch and building jack-leg fencing.  The favorite activity seemed to be tearing down buildings.  With a herd of bison looking on, the Amizade volunteers tore down several old buildings that were no longer needed by the Forest Service.

University of Pittsburgh Comes on Third Amizade Program

 A group of 15 students from the University of Pittsburgh drove 36 hours out to Silver Gate, Montana.  They were joined by Chris Donovan, a student from Notre Dame, who decided to fly.  The group helped work with Yellowstone Ecosystems Studies (YES). YES conducts research on significant environmental issues facing the Greater Yellowstone Region.  Some ongoing studies include the re-introduction of wolves into the area, the effect of acid rain on alpine lakes and steams, and the decline in the population of forest owls, woodpeckers, and other birds.

  In May, the group of Amizade volunteers worked with YES carpenters to help renovate the YES science center.  Volunteers helped build shelves and storage space, renovate several buildings, and clean up the area.

 The Deerfield (IL) Rotary Club has pledged to donate $2,500 every year for three years to Amizade.  The funds are earmarked to be used to help the Pastoral do Menor program for street kids in Brazil. The Winnetka Rotary club has decided to assist as well by matching $200.

Amizade, Ltd., 367 S. Graham St., Pittsburgh, PA  15232 USA
(888) 973-4443 FAX (412) 648-1492 Volunteer@amizade.org
 

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