Amizade

Amizade [http://www.amizade.org] is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that empowers individuals and communities around the world through intercultural service and learning. It has eleven community partnerships in nine different countries and has connected over 4,500 individuals with communities where they've performed services.

Through a partnership with West Virginia University, Amizade offers global service-learning courses [http://www.globalservicelearning.org] for academic credit. The courses include five key components: (1) traditional academic knowledge specific to the course, (2) intercultural immersion and exchange, (3) community-driven service, (4) consideration of global citizenship, and (5) reflective inquiry.

Due to Amizade's commitment to community-driven service, projects have been diverse. Outcomes include the construction of classrooms and an orphanage in Bolivia, tutoring for children in Navajo Nation schools, computer training for kids in rural Jamaica, and nonprofit evaluation efforts in rural Western Tanzania.