Dan Weiss
Amizade Founder
I started Amizade with the goal of bridging cultures and bringing people together to simply make the world a better place; whether that be tutoring a child, building an orphanage, preserving a historic site, or renovating a health clinic. I know that I alone cannot change the world, but with the help of friends, we can make an impact.
The tiny seed of the thriving organization that is Amizade today was planted more than 10 years ago with a simple idea.
In 1992, Dan Weiss participated in a volunteer program in Brazil. There, local residents mentoring at-risk youth and providing medical care did not have permanent quarters. They were working in fragile straw huts which usually did not survive the rainy season.
"I was trying to figure out a way to continue helping the people I met," said Weiss. "I noticed what they needed most were buildings and classrooms."
Weiss originally pitched the idea of a permanent volunteer organization to several large nonprofits, but none were interested. So Weiss struck out on his own.
“I lived very poorly because being the director of a nonprofit doesn't pay well, but I had fun and that is all that really matters,” he said.
Weiss founded Amizade (Portuguese for friendship) in August
1994 based on values of cultural exchange, volunteerism and sustainability.
He ran the organization's first program in Santarem, Brazil in
1995. "We built an orthopedic shoe and prosthetics workshop,
and it still ranks as one of the best programs we've ever had," Weiss
said. "After that, everything fell into place."
Today, much of Amizade's focus remains centered on construction
projects that benefit community partners around the globe. From
constructing an orphanage in Bolivia, to tutoring Navajo school
children, Amizade is committed to identifying projects that lead
to sustainable development and economic growth for disadvantaged
communities.
Weiss’ initial dream lives on in Amizade’s
expanding partnerships in 10 countries and an associate organization
he also founded, the Amazon-Africa Aid Organization, or 3AO. The
main focus of 3AO is to support to the Fundação
Esperança, a Brazilian nonprofit organization that has
been providing health and education to the inhabitants of the
lower Amazon basin for over thirty years.
“When I travel to visit past project sites, I am most moved
by the spirit of the volunteers which is pervasive throughout the
area,” he said. “The friendships made are the part I
value most.”
Weiss offers one piece of advice for anyone considering
volunteering abroad:
“Go with an openness…”