In this issue
Hunger Banquet - University of Pittsburgh
Join us on November 4, 2003 at 6 p.m. in the William
Pitt Union Ballroom as students and community
members gather at a Hunger Banquet to help raise
awareness of world hunger and discuss steps to
alleviate this global problem.
Maria Wrzosek, a junior at the University of Pittsburgh,
organized this banquet and hopes it will give people
ideas about what can be done locally to alleviate world
hunger. "30,000 children die every day from hunger
and there is so much that a student can do to help,"
said Maria. "Most people know that there is hunger in
the world, but it is not just in other countries, there
are
tons of hungry people in America and Pittsburgh too."
Maria first became concerned with helping alleviate
world hunger when she participated in a service-
learning course in Bolivia through the Amizade Global
Service-Learning Center. While in Bolivia, she helped
build an orphanage for Quechua children and was
immersed in the culture of the Andean Highlands. She
says, "I feel like I'm clued into what
is going on in the world. When I read about a 3rd world
country, I no longer imagine what it would be like to
live there. I've seen it. And the people I met in Bolivia I
will remember forever."
This banquet is free to the public and is sponsored by
Oxfam America in collaboration with the Amizade Global
Service-Learning Center and Bread for the World. Local
stores and restaurants such as Lulu's Noodles, Sushi
Boat, Prantl's bakery, and Giant Eagle have donated
food for this event. Speakers will also share their
experiences witnessing firsthand the impact of hunger
worldwide.
Quick Links...
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Greetings!
With the New Year right around the corner The
Amizade
Center is excited for the upcoming announcements of
our 2004 global service-learning course opportunities.
Over fifteen courses will be
offered in 2004 in locations spanning six continents.
This issue includes an advance course
preview!
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Summer 2004 Spotlights: Engineering in Brazil & Political Science in Bolivia
Amizade courses for 2004 will be available in a broad
range of disciplines that range from, but are not limited
to,
business, english writing, political science and
anthropology.
Participants can earn up to six University of Pittsburgh
credits with Amizade through cultural immersion and
meaningful service to a community. Programs last
from two to four weeks, though hopefully the
experience will last a lifetime!
In addition to past course offerings, Engineering in
Brazil has been added to the summer 2004 Amizade
service-learning course selection. Because culture is
influential in all fields, it is of ever growing importance
for
engineers and scientists involved in international
research/engineering/business to understand how
culture affects technological development and
application, and conversely, how culture is affected by
science and technology. This course will help students
develop skills for analyzing technology in an
international setting by studying through in-depth
analysis how science, business
and engineering education is organized and
implemented
in Brazil.
Another 2004 summer course, Political Science in
Bolivia, examines the problems of
political development by combining traditional course
work with a service learning field component. As this
particular class examines the Latin American context,
specifically the Andean peasant community, it is built
around student participation in the
construction/expansion of an orphanage in Vinto, a
Quechua community near Cochabamba, Bolivia. This
course focuses on the problems of development
and democracy within the context of Andean society
through analysis of economic and political development,
community involvement, and the use of Bolivia as a
case
study.
Specific dates and details, as well as our complete
course listings for 2004, will be announced shortly.
Check our website as details are posted.
More information »
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Beans, Bananas and Bills - A Student's Tanzanian Experience
I never imagined that spending three weeks at the end
of the earth, or the village of Kayanga in the Kagera
region of rural Tanzania, would be the best experience
I've ever had in my life. But it was. Dirt roads. Limited
electricity and water supply. No radio, television,
movies, email, instant messaging, or cell phones.
Beans, rice, potatoes and bananas twice a day every
day. I may have been there to help lay the foundation
for an AIDS orphanage, but in the process I was able
to
take part in a wide array of meaningful activities. I
played soccer with children at the Uganda-Tanzania
border, danced with a choir at a church, and met the
Bishop of the village. I was fortunate enough to eat
dinner and arm-wrestle Massai warriors. I also
witnessed a caesarian section (and paid the $13.50
hospital bill for the procedure). I sang songs with
secondary school students, played "duck-duck-goose"
and other games with village children, learned Swahili,
and so much more. A three-day safari in the Serengeti
concluded the African expedition.
Learning about and living in a new part of the world for
three weeks was a priceless experience. Cultural
stereotypes were broken down, friendships were built
up, and new understandings were had by all. The
average salary for a villager is less than $100 per year
(less than $1.00 per day) and they suffer from a high
AIDS epidemic and other diseases, like Malaria; yet
their happy souls and attitudes are far richer than any
I've ever witnessed. On this trip I've learned that
music, laughter, love, and caring feelings are universal.
We all laugh and we all cry, both of which I did during
the emotional eye-opening experience. I've never met
more hard-working, driven, uplifting, kind and
welcoming
people than I have in Kayanga. I have never seen stars
shine so bright or a more awe-inspiring sunrise
compared to what I observed in Tanzania.
In a tiny village that many people could not locate on a
map, a bond has been built between Americans and
Tanzanians, emphasizing that global service learning is
about far more than a grade received, or a project
completed. What we can do as humans is bond with,
and learn from, other humans on this great earth. I look
forward to the day that I will return to Kayanga to
continue serving and learning, but until that day, I
continue to keep the village on my mind and in my
heart. - Danille Kobet, Communications Major,
Amizade: Anthropology in Tanzania, June 9, 2003 - July
2, 2003
For more information »
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Socially Conscious Gift Giving!
Relax at home on Black Friday as thousands of people
race madly against one another in pursuit of the
perfect gift that they'll never find at the mall. Consider
donating to an Amizade community partner or to
Amizade in a loved one's name.
Amizade guarantees 100% pass through on donations
to community partners around the world. Volunteers
and students know all too well how crucial relatively
small bits of money can be in communities around the
world.
Donating directly to Amizade means ensuring that more
community partnerships can be developed and more
volunteers and students can have access to Amizade
experiences. Donations for Amizade or for community
partners may be sent directly to the Amizade office at
920 William Pitt Union, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
All donations are tax-deductible, but most importantly,
this is a truly meaningful gift giving opportunity!
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