BIDDEFORD — The founder of a Rwandan nonprofit that provides personal development and education to homeless and vulnerable children in the country’s capital of Kigali will speak at the University of New England’s Biddeford Campus Center on March 24, from 5 to 7 p.m., in the Campus Center.

Patrick Kiruhura, co-founder of Rwanda’s Root Foundation, will discuss his community mobilization work to advocate for and provide services to children affected by extreme poverty, natural disaster, and civil war. The talk, titled “Initiating Change,” will take place amidst an exhibition of vibrant paintings by self-taught Rwandan artists, which the foundation uses to inspire youth to initiate change in their own communities.

The artwork will be on display from March 3 to 26 in the Campus Center. Both the talk by Kiruhura and the exhibition, which is on display from March 3 to 26, are free and open to the public.

The presentation is organized by the UNE Center for Excellence in Collaborative Education (CECE), a University-wide hub for cross-disciplinary education and collaborative practices across academic disciplines.

Campus Center is located at 11 Hills Beach Road, Biddeford, Maine. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, contact Michelle Cote by email at mcote8@une.edu or phone (207-221-4114).

The University of New England is Maine’s largest private university, featuring two distinctive campuses in Maine, a vibrant campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of innovative offerings online. Our hands-on, experiential approach empowers students to join the next generation of leaders in their chosen fields. We are home to Maine’s only medical and dental colleges, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care programs, and nationally recognized degree paths in the marine sciences, the natural and social sciences, business, the humanities and the arts.

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