Amizade Update
April 2009
News from the Director
Dear Friends:
Your dedication to Amizade – through telling others about our work, connecting our efforts with your schools and community organizations, and through your giving – has led to more than 150 intercultural service experiences already this year. More importantly, that means a library in Ghana is closer to being completed, people are more deeply aware of and involved in efforts to Never Forget the Holocaust, and children in Mexico have opportunities to fulfill their and their parents’ wishes to learn English.
Luis Rodríguez, Amizade’s Community Site Coordinator in Puerto Morelos, Mexico, recently wrote to say that an Amizade group from Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, contributed strongly to the community. According to Luis, “the kids at the kindergarten were so happy to have the English tutoring and the parents, teachers, and principal at the school were very helpful and supportive.”
As you know, Amizade’s model is unique for simultaneously meeting community partners’ wishes and transforming participants’ perspectives so that they will continue to work to build a better world after their program is complete. Please make sure your friends, family, and contacts know about our upcoming opportunities to serve with Amizade on open programs, as an individual, or through service-learning courses offered in cooperation with West Virginia University.
Sincerely,
Eric Hartman, Ph.D.
Executive Director