In this Issue
Executive Director Inspired by 10th Anniversary Program:
A Reflection by Michael Sandy
It is always renewing for me to visit our partnership
sites, to reconnect with friends and colleagues, to work
on a common project and to reflect on the Amizade
mission. Serving last month in Brazil with a group of
enthusiastic volunteers, I was once again inspired. I
arrived on Saturday afternoon to join the group on a
hike in St. Lucia Bosque, a rain forest reserve managed
by our friend Stephen Alexander. I learned there are an
estimated 5,000 species of plants and trees in the
Amazon, and Stephen has identified some 500 types at
the Bosque.
Sunday we spent the day on a riverboat traveling up
and down the Tapajos and
Amazon rivers, stopping at different locations and
swimming to cool ourselves in the tropical heat. But the
best part was having children from the Pastoral do
Menor with us during the trip. Pastoral is a
comprehensive program for at-risk kids in the city of
Santar=E9m. An important element on all of our
programs is interaction with those we serve, and this
trip was no different. The children and volunteers had a
blast on the
riverboat - laughing, dancing, singing, and playing
games.
Throughout the week, we worked to renovate a
community center in Livramento, a neighborhood in
Santar=E9m. Most of our work involved constructing brick
and concrete
walls for the main building. Everyone
worked well together and
progress is obvious. The foundations are poured,
the walls reach shoulder-high, the doors installed
and
plastering complete. At the work site, the Pastoral
kids
helped us with various tasks and attended English
and arts classes. Two of the volunteers, Brenna and
Yvonda, conducted the classes.
My time in Santar=E9m led up a celebratory dinner to
mark Amizade's 10th Anniversary. Our first volunteer
program was conducted in Brazil in 1995. Over 100
members from community partnership organizations
joined us for food, speeches and a slide show
presentation. To all the volunteers and partners - I
thank you for
participating in such a successful program. The
community service, new and renewed friendships, and
continued partnerships are at the center of everything
we do. I hope your experiences broadened your
understanding of Brazilian culture, reinforced the
importance of global cooperation, and strengthened
your resolve for a better and more just world.
Learn more about children at the Pastoral do Menor
Quick Links
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Greetings!
This month we are pleased to report on the success of
our 10th Anniversary program in Santarem, Brazil. For
Amizade staff, the experience provided an opportunity
to reconnect with friends, focus on accomplishments
and reflect on the immeasurable impact our partnership
has made. For volunteers, the
program offered new insight into what
even small groups of dedicated people can accomplish
over a period of time. As Amizade Board President Ellen
Pechman put it, the volunteers and the wonderful
people of Santarem are always in our hearts, and we
continue to be grateful for their gifts.
Sincerely,
Alyson Walls, Public Relations Coordinator
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Contributions of Volunteers Celebrated in Brazil
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Ten individuals, from college students to retirees,
joined Amizade staff in Brazil last month to celebrate
the accom-plishments of volunteers over the past 10
years. The group, which included
individuals from throughout the United States, spent
two weeks working with partner organizations in the
river port city of Santarem. In addition to taking a boat
trip along the Amazon and Tapajos rivers, volunteers
helped lay the actual bricks and mortar for the walls of
a community center and additional classrooms at the
Pastoral do Menor.
For 10 years, Amizade has partnered with Pastoral do
Menor, an educational program for at-risk children and
families. Volunteers tutored children in English, engaged
in arts and crafts projects and worked with other
partner organizations -- the Amazon Africa Aid
Organization and Fundacao Esperanca -- on a number
of construction and educational enrichment programs.
Participants said they
wanted to volunteer in Brazil for several reasons.
Among them: to be immersed in a different culture,
learn to speak another language, experience life in a
different economic situation and learn more about
Brazilian
people. In program evaluations,
volunteers said their expectations of the
trip were met or exceeded. "I learned that small groups
of hard-working volunteers can make a difference in
poor communities over a number of years," said Brenna
Hirsch of Maryland.
Ellen Pechman, Amizade Board President, said
volunteers received many "gifts" during the trip. "We
have learned about living and loving and about taking
care of one another. We hope the spirit of friendship
and cooperation that was born here ten years
ago carries on to those we touch at home and
wherever we travel."
Join us in Brazil in 2006! »
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Walk in Somone Else's Shoes -- Volunteer in Soup Kitchens
and Homeless Shelters in Washington, D.C.
There's an old saying that goes, "You never really know
someone until you walk a mile in his shoes." That's just
what participants on Amizade's Washington, D.C.
program learn first-hand by volunteering in soup
kitchens and homeless shelters. This past March,
students from Dartmouth spent their Spring Break
serving in D.C. Through volunteering, listening to
various speakers, reflection sessions and actual lodging
at a homeless shelter, the Ivy League students pushed
their comfort zones, challenged pre-existing notions
and gained insight into issues that are foreign to most -
hunger and homelessness.
Amizade Program Facilitator Brenda Dunkovich, who will
lead a volunteer group in D.C. this month, said the
program is ideal for students or others who want to
explore the complexities of hunger and homelessness
up-close. Volunteers typically help prepare and serve
food, sort clothes, play with children and do light
cleaning and maintenance work. "Volunteering in soup
kitchens and homeless shelters helps participants see
the needs that exist," Dunkovich said.
"Living in CCNV (Community for Creative Non-
Violence) meant that we were constantly reminded of
the mission of our
trip," said Lucinda Leung, trip leader for the Dartmouth
group. Students also volunteered at DC Central
Kitchen and Martha's Table, which serves more than
4,000 meals a day to the needy.
Throughout the program, volunteers develop their own
unique perceptions about
homelessness and break down stereotypes and
prejudices. "Although the service we provided may not
have moved mountains, this program certainly made a
difference in our volunteers," Leung said. Amizade is
planning a holiday
volunteer program in D.C. from Dec. 26, 2005 - Jan. 1,
2006; and programs in May and July 2006.
Give something back this holiday season --=
Volunteer with Amizade in D.C. »
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2006 Program Dates Announced
Amizade is offering an exciting lineup
of volunteer and service-learning programs in 2006, and
now is the time to start
planning your experience. We have
both long- and short-term programs in Bolivia,
Brazil, Jamaica and Mexico, and one to three-week
programs in Australia, Ghana, India, Northern Ireland,
Auschwitz, Tanzania and the U.S. You can
volunteer as a family, a church group, a school
organization, a company or an individual. We have
something for everyone.
Our programs combine rewarding community service,
such as tutoring children or building schools, with eye-
opening cultural exchange and enjoyable recreational
activities. As you plan summer vacations, Spring Break
trips or the
possibility of volunteering abroad for the first time, we
hope you will consider our programs.
We can customize programs for groups of six or more,
and willing individuals are rarely turned away. So plan
now to join the growing community of Amizade alumni --
friends who explore, serve and understand.
2006 Program Dates - Plan Your
Trip Now! »
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