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BIDDEFORD, Maine

Environmental Studies students hold Nor'Easter Swag Sale to benefit Football for the Environment program in Kenya

During the annual Kenya trip, made by Rick Peterson and students in his Environment, Health, and Community Development in East A
During the annual Kenya trip, made by Rick Peterson and students in his Environment, Health, and Community Development in East Africa course, it is a tradition for the UNE students to play a soccer match against Kenyan students half their age. So far, there have been no victories for UNE.

On Friday, April 29, UNE is holding its first ever Nor’Easter Swag Sale, a flea-market style event at which gently used UNE apparel will be resold in an effort to raise money for the Football for the Environment program in Kenya.

Organizers of the event are students in ENV-348 (Environment, Health, and Community Development in East Africa), a course taught by Rick Peterson, Ph.D., associate professor and chair in the Department of Environmental Studies. As part of the course, the student will travel to Kenya on May 22 for a three-week stay during which they will work with four different partner organizations, including the Nyando District Centre for Environmental Conservation (NYADEC), which runs the Football for the Environment program.

The program uses soccer (known as football in Kenya) as a medium through which to reach Kenyan primary school children to educate and inspire them about land stewardship. According to Peterson, the children in the program come from an area near Lake Victoria that is being ravaged by severe soil erosion. Many of their parents are farmers who depend on the land directly for their livelihoods. Football for the Environment has already reached nearly a dozen schools combining soccer tournaments and competitions with tree planting, he said.

For the second year, the UNE Men’s soccer team is donating a full set of soccer uniforms for the program, and the traveling students will bring soccer balls and equipment with them to Kenya.

The Swag Sale will be held in the Alfond Forum from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. All proceeds go directly to the Football for the Environment program. Sports teams, clubs and other students are encouraged to donate UNE apparel prior to the event by dropping off items with Cynthia Furber at the Forum, and all are invited to shop at the sale.

A Kenyan boy who was the recipient of a UNE soccer uniform in 2014 participates in the Football for the Environment program.
A Kenyan boy who was the recipient of a UNE soccer uniform in 2014 participates in the Football for the Environment program.