FAQ

Almost anyone has the opportunity to volunteer in an Amizade service-learning semester, group program, or individual placement. Our volunteers come from all backgrounds and occupations and range in age from 12 – 93. Our preferred minimum group size is 6 participants, and our preferred minimum age for individual placements is 18. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.

Great question. There are so many reasons why you should choose to study & serve abroad that we made a page dedicated to this question. Check it out here!

There are a lot of ways to figure out what program to choose. A good way to start is to choose a type of program based on factors like your own goals, time frame, and budget.

If you’re a college student looking for academic credit, look at our semester and summer programs. If you’re a group leader who wants to plan a program, look at our short term and customized programs: we work with high schools, community groups, and companies. If you’re an individual volunteer, we offer individual placements in Bolivia, Brazil, and other sites on a case-by-case basis.

Once you know what type of program you want, you can explore by location or by theme to figure out which program will be the best fit!

If you don’t feel like you fit into any of the categories listed above, or if you have more questions about a specific program, please contact us.

Click on the Apply button at the top of the page at any time to visit our apply now page and choose your program type. You’ll then be redirected to our application portal.

Please keep in mind the deadlines and requirements for your program of interest, and don’t forget about any additional requirements from your school or institution, like meeting with an academic advisor.

We’re leaders in ethical, transformative global service-learning. We created the Fair Trade Learning movement that is quickly becoming the pinnacle of our sector. We pride ourselves on deep partnerships build over many years, we value the people we work with, and we have an excellent safety record.

On top of that, we’re a small team of real people who want to make your experience the best it can be! If you want to get to know us, you should read our story, meet our team, or check out the blog.

If we’ve convinced you, start your journey today! Choose the program that’s right for you: explore our sites by location, theme, or program type.

Visit our short term and customized programs page to understand the process and get started. Once you have a location in mind, you should reach out to the site liaison for that site. You’ll work closely with the site liaison throughout the planning process.

You can find the contact information for each site liaison on the site’s page!

We do have some digital and print promotional materials that aren’t available on the website. If you’d like to request any promotional materials, please contact us!

Yes! We often plan site visits for professors or potential group leaders. Please contact us to start planning your site visit. If you already know what site you want to visit, you can reach out directly to the site liaison for that site.

Yes, we carry both international and domestic liability insurance, as well as all other necessary insurances. It’s important to note that Amizade works very closely with our on-site coordinators and monitors global events regarding the regions of our involvement. Amizade is proud to have a strong safety record.

Yes, Amizade provides health, evacuation, and trip protection insurance for all individual and group volunteer programs. Please note that this is for all international programs only, and not available for US programs.

Yes, our refund policy is outlined in each individual contract. If you have not yet received a contract, please contact your Amizade site liaison or program advisor for more information.

At this time, Amizade is not expanding to other host communities. That said, we are always interested in making new friends, so feel free to stay engaged in our work!