Lifelong Learners Travel to Tanzania to Serve Students | New England College
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Lifelong Learners Travel to Tanzania to Serve Students

January 31, 2023
Maasai students in Tanzania

It’s never too late to learn something new, the saying goes. For the lifelong learners, working and retired adults, in the Learning Institute of New England College (LINEC), that saying holds true.

In February, a group of 16 adult learners will travel to Tanzania for an 11-day safari led by Dr. Eric Simon, Professor, Biology and Health Science. Part of the trip will include significant volunteer work for the students of Losirwa Primary School, which serves 850 children from local Maasai communities.

“I visited the school in December 2022, and the principal pleaded for help feeding the kids,” stated Simon. “The children are at the school for eight hours a day, five days a week, but do not bring any food and are never fed by the school.”

In response, Simon has raised over $9,000, which will feed these children at least once each week for an entire year. Donations will be accepted through Saturday, February 4, at https://gofund.me/2e6f39cc.

As part of the trip, the LINEC group will purchase bulk ingredients (maize, beans, rice, cooking oil, salt, and vegetables) at a farmers’ market in Arusha and hire a truck to deliver the ingredients to the school. There, the ingredients will be cooked into traditional Maasai meals to feed all 850 children.

Founded in 1989, LINEC educates, entertains, and enhances life for working and retired adults. LINEC offers non-credit, peer-led, peer-taught courses for adults who simply love learning and never want to stop. Classes, four to six weeks in length, are sponsored in conjunction with NEC and meet in the fall, spring, and summer.

Run almost entirely by volunteers, LINEC benefits from the many talented teachers who share their knowledge through a variety of courses and from the dedicated volunteers who work behind the scenes to ensure the organization runs smoothly. Yet, new volunteers and fresh ideas are always welcome.

To learn more about future travel opportunities for adult learners, join the email list at SimonBiologyTravel.@gmail.com.

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