LIHU‘E — Although the distance between Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, and Hawai‘i is great, the people are close, said Helcio de Padua Lanzoni, Monday. “Everything is wonderful (here), but the people are marvelous,” Lanzoni, the exchange director of the Friendship Force
LIHU‘E — Although the distance between Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, and Hawai‘i is great, the people are close, said Helcio de Padua Lanzoni, Monday.
“Everything is wonderful (here), but the people are marvelous,” Lanzoni, the exchange director of the Friendship Force International group from Brazil said, holding up a pair of rubber slippahs which have a Brazilian moniker and are popular footwear in Brazil. “Faces, not places is what Friendship Force International is all about.”
The Brazilian Friendship Force International paid a visit to Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., accompanied by some of their Kaua‘i hosts and the Lihu‘e Seniors Ukulele Band. The band provided music, and some members broke ranks to teach hula to the visiting Brazilians who lilted to the rhythm of the kupuna group.
The delegation of a dozen Brazilians arrived Friday and will spend the remainder of this week in the company of Kaua‘i host families before leaving Friday afternoon.
“When we travel, we stay in homes of our hosts,” said Brian Kasperek, a host family from Kalaheo. “There are more than 350 chapters on six continents with the goal of making friends.”
Kasperek said the Kaua‘i chapter of Friendship Force has traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, where the organization is based, and Ottawa, Canada.
“They have a lot of people there,” Kasperek said. “In Ottawa, there are about 190 members and in Atlanta, they have so many people (who want to travel), they need to do a lottery.”
Friendship Force is a volunteer-led group which promote global understanding and goodwill among people, states a proclamation Carvalho presented to Lanzoni. The proclamation announced Monday as Friendship Force International Day on Kaua‘i in honor of the group’s visit.
The Kaua‘i chapter of Friendship Force was chartered in 1984, and since then has hosted one or two groups annually.
The unique travel program affords Friendship Force travelers, or ambassadors, and hosts an opportunity to extend the hand of friendship and connect with people from different countries on a personal level — sharing their home, a meal and everyday experiences which provide an opportunity for mutual respect and appreciation of the world’s diverse cultures.
Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, is a city with a population of 605,114 and has experienced rapid development in its agricultural industry as one of the most development areas in Brazil, raising products such as coffee, soybeans, peanuts and oranges.
It also has one of the most advanced Latin American Research Centers, boasts the third-largest opera house in Brazil and is known for having warm, multiracial and exotic cultures.
The Kaua‘i trip was coordinated by Lanzoni and Gisela Shelton, the Kaua‘i Friendship Force exchange director.
“This is a really nice concept,” Kasperek said. “If I had known about this, we should’ve joined 20 years ago.”
He said that Kaua‘i’s Friendship Force currently has about 30 members who meet once a month, the first Sunday of the month, at Sun Village starting at 1:30 p.m.
“Anyone who likes to travel is welcome to come,” he said.
