February 2019

Seeing myself for the first time
In 2010, Ruby Maddox, a student majoring in Public Policy…
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Bringing Solar Energy to Schools in Tanzania
In November of 2017, Amizade began a collaboration with the…
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Join an Amizade Open Group Program
Global Service-Learning isn’t just for students; over the last 20 years we’ve worked with volunteers ages 6 – 93! Open Group Volunteer Programs allow individuals, couples, or friends to join and serve with a group of other Amizade volunteers. Programs are scheduled throughout the year and across our sites and include winter escapes to Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, and Ghana as well as opportunities to explore Amazonian Brazil and the City of Eternal Spring in Bolivia.
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The Ota Initiative: Endings and Beginnings
The Ota Initiative, aiming to foster critical thinking skills that students can use to excel academically and in life general, wrapped up its inaugural program for elementary school students in Karagwe, Tanzania in December. The Ota Initiative aims to build skills that students can use to become confident, successful, engaged and inquisitive citizens.
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Africa: The Danger of a Single Story
A single story becomes that which we judge all other people from; it is a one-dimensional perspective of something that is actually quite complex. It is a misinterpretation of reality. It is a lens through which we look at everything from, it narrows our perspective, and once we know the single story, it becomes difficult for us to stray away from that. These stories often become the only stories.
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Leaving Tanzania: Katy Merckel
The problem with travelling is that in the end, you are always just a visitor and you must go home. The world may be small, but a lot of places are pretty far away. This is the reality I am currently confronting, and if I thought about it too hard, I would probably not be able to take another step towards the door.
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Stories from Karagwe: Sikuelewi
Once upon a time, there was a traveller named Mzungu who visited Karagwe, Tanzania. Mzungu did not speak any Kiswahili, but he was full of questions about the area and was curious to explore. Upon arrival, he decided to take a day and tour the town and the surrounding mountains and villages. The landscape was amazing, nothing like he’d ever seen. The hillside sloped down into a river that snaked through the valley. Past the river, the green mountains rolled on into the horizon.
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"Why Go Back to Ghana?"
Writing about something that has had such a profound effect on your life – personally, academically, and professionally, is a daunting task. You want your readers to feel, see, and hear the same sights, emotions, and experiences that you felt. You want them to understand the connection you feel to the library, the clinic, your homestay family, and the community as a whole. You want to accurately answer the question you are asked on a regular basis, “Why go back to Ghana?”
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