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Daniel Weiss has dedicated his life to the betterment of the world. In 1992, he volunteered for 8 months with the Fundação Esperança, a Brazilian non-profit providing health care to the people of Santarém and the Amazon region. In 1993, Daniel began a doctoral program but felt the pull of the Amazon. He wanted to help the people of Santarém and give others the opportunity to enjoy the rich culture and warmth of the Brazilian people as he had.

In 1994, while working full time and studying for his doctorate, Daniel started Amizade, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting volunteerism and providing community service. Daniel noted that many people want to help, but do not know where to start and many nonprofits need volunteers but do not have the time or resources to develop projects which fully utilize the skills and desires of its volunteers.

Amizade, Portuguese for friendship, provides opportunities for people to take part in service projects around the world. Volunteers do not need to have any special skills, only a willingness to help. Amizade collaborates with existing community organizations to develop projects which are needed in the community and meaningful for volunteers.

Amizade´s first project was to build an orthopedic workshop in Santarém. In 1995, Daniel was able to get 8 volunteers from the U.S. and 20 local volunteers to build the workshop. The program was a huge success, and the workshop is still producing orthotics today. Daniel continued to run Amizade programs in Brazil building vocational training centers and a children’s health clinic.

After finishing his PhD in 1996, Daniel began to “work” for Amizade full time. (For Amizade’s first six years, he worked without pay taking odd jobs to make ends meet). Amizade was invited to start programs in Bolivia where volunteers built an orphanage, adult education center, and a nursing home. In the late 1990s, Amizade exploded with a series of successful university partnerships, expanding to offer programs in Montana to renovate a historic ranch, work with the Korrawinga Aboriginal Community in Australia, and tutor Navajo children in Arizona. Amizade moved from not just providing volunteer vacations but also leading the country in service learning programs for college students.

In 1999, Daniel co-founded Amazon African Aid (3AO), to provide financial and technical assistance to health and education organizations in Brazil and Mozambique. In 2001, when Amizade finally grew large enough to pay him a salary, Daniel left to work for 3AO because "there was a greater need." At 3AO, he raised millions for health programs in the Amazon and AIDS orphans in Mozambique. In 2008, Daniel left 3AO to work for the PCLB Foundation to implement a health clinic for at risk populations in the south of Brazil.

With Daniel´s continued volunteer support, Amizade had over 4,500 volunteers working in over 20 communities in 13 countries. Because of Daniel, everyday Amizade empowers a new global citizen; everyday Amizade helps a community; and everyday Amizade helps to create a leader for tomorrow.