Amizade is a global service-learning organization based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Since its inception in 1994, over 10,000 volunteers have participated in numerous community-development projects throughout the world. In Karagwe, Tanzania, water is scarce, and the cheapest, most simple, and most effective solution to the Karagwe water shortage is the construction of rooftop water-harvesting systems; i.e., capturing the run-off during the wet season for use during the dry season. Amizade initiated in 2008 a 3-year program to install water harvesting systems, with labor and materials provided by local and global volunteers. The three $10,000 grants from the AllPeopleBeHappy foundation led to the installation of 16 plastic-based family tanks, and 5 very large 70,000 liter locally constructed community tanks. In addition, the community and Amizade built a massive 300,000 liter water-harvesting system, including gutters, underground piping, and a solar-powered pump for a school in the small village of Chonyoyo, thus bringing clean water to over 300 women and children.
In 2018, as a mean to keep volunteers and community members engaged, and to capture the enthusiasm and ideas post volunteering, Amizade initiated “The Global Social Action Accelerator,” to enable the design and implementation of community-driven micro-projects. Though workshops, mentoring, and start-up funding, this program seeks to create new social entrepreneurs and catalyze innovative development projects in many parts of the world. The AllPeopleBeHappy foundation awarded another $10,000 Project Grant for this new initiative. (www.amizade.org)