#UMassGives 2019

The Cape Verdean Student Alliance (CVSA) was one of the first cultural organizations at UMass Amherst and has remained continuously active for the last 36 years on our campus. Not only was it one of the first cultural organization on campus, but it has been pivotal in promoting recruitment of Cape Verdean students to UMass Amherst and spreading awareness of the Cape Verdean culture and history throughout the campus and the Five College community. One of the cornerstones of CVSA is to give back to the community, both within and around UMass, as well as in our motherland, and we do this annually through our Alternative Spring Break (ASB) trip to Cape Verde.

Each year, CVSA partakes in a week-long service trip to one of the ten islands that make up the country of Cabo Verde. During this trip, about 8-10 dedicated members of our organization, along with chaperones, advisors and alumni, visit local schools and community centers to interact and engage with children and college age young adults on the island. We go baring school supplies, toys, clothing, and many other valuable items that serve an invaluable advantage for the children, who are often living in poor conditions and attending underserved and underfunded schools. We also meet local officials, learn about the education system, and engage in partnerships with members of the schools and communities in order to continue our service efforts upon returning from the trip.

Our work on this trip extends beyond just visiting and interacting with students and school officials, but also involves creating partnerships and continuing our service efforts and relations with these islands upon returning. CVSA makes it a goal every year to fundraise school supplies and other items to send back in oil barrels called "bidons" for the schools and centers which we previously visited. While attending the trip, it is important to assess the needs of the students on the island in order to provide for them what we couldn't bring along in suitcases. This year will be the 10th consecutive year for our trip. We have been recognized by the University for the success of this initiative, and for all the hard work and dedication that goes into organizing such a large service effort, winning a Sammie’s Award (school’s version of the Oscars) in spring of 2015 for the “Best Community Service Project”.

This past May, we traveled to the island of Sao Vicente, where we built connections with local schools and community centers, and through doing this we were able to assess the lack of resources that existed for the students and teachers at the schools. This coming May we will be going back to Sao Vicente in order to follow-up with the schools and communities, and to bring back essential supplies that they had asked for. In past years, we have also sent over items such as Portuguese to English dictionaries (400 to be exact) to a school who did not have adequate books to teach their students English. The alternative spring break trip has also given us the opportunity to collaborate with two other cultural RSOs (ASA and Latinos Unidos) and with students from Northeastern University in Boston. Over the past 10 years, we have visited the islands of Sao Nicolau, Sao Vicente, Fogo, Santiago, Sal, and Santo Antao and hope to venture to new islands in the years to come. This ASB trip co-aligns with our mission by providing the opportunity to host  “cultural, political, and historical programs to maintain a sense of cultural identity throughout the 5-college area”. 

Throughout these past 10 years, our organization has been able to make an impact on the lives of children and families in Cape Verde by providing goods, supplies, and service to those in need on 1 of the 10 designated islands that are chosen each year. Our general body members do contribute around $6000 to the ASB trip through our own fundraising efforts, which cover about 40% of the cost of the trip.  With your support, we can continue to make a difference in the lives of children and families overseas. To get a recap of last year’s ASB experience, please follow the YouTube link on our page. For more updates on our organization and the work we do, follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @umasscvsa.

Thank you in advance for your support!