Feb14
Posted by Sara
In response to the recent flood of YouTube videos poking fun and commenting on “Stuff ___ Say,” two recently returned Amizade students took the trend to the typical study abroad experience. This video is intended to poke fun at the embarrassing and sometimes ethnocentric statements many of us make while studying abroad. The students who created this video recognized that their experience with Amizade was a bit different.
Jan27
Posted by Sara
This winter, three Amizade interns took part in Amizade’s Winter Break course in Bolivia. Here are their thoughts.
Chloe, West Virginia University:Mallcorancho Community Center…how can I describe this place to you? So many words come to mind (none of which I knew before arriving) so I will try to narrow it down to hermoso, feliz, bondadoso, generoso, amoroso, y brillante…beautiful, happy, kind, generous, loving and brilliant.
Jan23
Posted by Sara
Returning to Ghana for a second time with Amizade was one of the best decisions I made in 2011. I returned from the Community Development in Ghana Summer Service-Learning program like a woman on fire. I had found a like-minded group of individuals and an organization that I believed in. This program further solidified in my mind my passion for this region and my desire to work with community-driven development. Before I even stepped off of our returning flight, my mind was running a million miles an hour in an attempt to figure out how soon I could return to Jukwa, Ghana.
Jan12
Posted by Sara
Less than 24 hours ago I was ambling from one plane to another connecting flight, through another security line, through customs, and then to baggage claim. Now, 5 minutes ago I finished my first day of class—my final semester of my undergraduate career. But, I’m not tired. I’m not exhausted. Oddly enough I’m not even too stressed, considering the situation. I am energized. I am refreshed. I am reinvigorated. I came back fully reassured that I want to continue studying Spanish; that I want to continue to foster a relationship with and support Amizade; and that Bolivia is Latin America’s best kept secret.
Dec15
Posted by Sara
Amizade is proud to announce that, for the first time in 8 years, we are expanding to two new countries: India and Trinidad and Tobago! In Trinidad, Amizade will be partnering with the small fishing community of Matelot, working to tackle a range of environmental issues including preservation of the coastline, maintaining local hiking trails and working on conservation efforts for the leather back turtle population. In India, Amizade will be working on leadership development in the southern Tamil Nadu region.
Dec14
Posted by Sara
Out of all the programs he has participated in, Tom Murphy’s recent trip to Bolivia was his “best trip by far!” After traveling on three different Amizade programs, Tom Murphy is a well versed Amizade alumni and friend, he previously participated in programs to Poland and the Navajo Nation. In October, Tom traveled with Amizade on a Road Scholar program and had the privilege of spending two weeks in beautiful Bolivia.
Nov16
Posted by Sara
Just outside the town of Jukwa, Ghana- where Amizade has been working for over a decade- is the village of Anhwiam. Anhwiam is a small rural village of just 600 people, who sustain themselves with small farms. The village is also where Nicholas Osei Koduah, a dear friend of Amizade, grew up. As a leader of the Ghana Students Association and community activist, Nicholas continuously worked to better his community.
Oct17
Posted by Sara
Amizade Outreach Director, Sara Noel and Amizade alum, Anthony Scaletta, are in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan as part of an American delegation to Central Asia promoting community based volunteerism in the Central Asian region. The trip is the second part of an exchange program sponsored by the US State Department Bureau of Cultural and Educational Affairs.
Sep13
Posted by Sara
Bolivia is celebrating the beginning of spring. In Cochabamba, the snow is melting from the peaks of the surrounding Andes mountains. The jacaranda trees in plazas, gardens and streets throughout the city are sprouting vivid purple blossoms that frame the sky. Later, the blossoms will drift lazily down to the ground to form carpets of rich purple. Bolivian children are tingling with the anticipation of freedom – schools will let out for summer vacation by late November or early December. So it is the perfect time to celebrate the Dia de Peatones.
Sep06
Posted by Sara
Washington D.C., as we all know, is the capital city of the United States of America, a country that stands for freedom and possibilities, where anything imaginable is doable, a city that, for many, represents the American Dream. Here, Amizade volunteers serve and learn with the homeless and hungry, gaining a new perspective on the Nation’s Capitol.