Meet the Anir Experience Education Specialists (AES)
The Anir Foundation and Anir Experience programs are volunteer programs. All program fees go to the in-country support of the volunteer and a donation to project supplies. Anir focuses on teaching North Americans that there is a world beyond North American borders and that we are all a part of that world…
Adrienne Belafonte Biesemeyer is the Executive Director of the Anir Foundation. She has a Masters Degree in Community Counseling with a focus women’s and children’s health. She also has a Bachelors degree in Art and Art History from WV State University as well as 42 hours in Art and Archeology at the Universadad de las Americas.
An avid traveler, Adrienne has visited over 20 countries and has worked or volunteered in 10, focusing on global health and affordable housing.
Botswana
Eswatini (formerly, Swaziland)
Madagascar
Mexico
Morocco
South Africa
Tanzania
Zambia
Rachel Blue Biesemeyer is the co-founder of Anir Foundation and VP of Anir Environmental Education. She has a Bachelors degree in Art (Dance, Theater and American Sign Language) from Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH. Rachel has 20 years’ experience as an Animal Education Specialist in the area of exotic and endangered species and environmental issues. Since 2007 in addition to her animal and environmental work she has been a pre-school teacher in Denver, CO.
Also an avid traveler, Rachel Blue has visited over 10 countries and has volunteered in 5 of them, focusing on ecology and affordable housing.
Countries of AES Experience:
Costa Rica
Madagascar
Thailand
South Africa
Tanzania
Jackie Karbo has volunteered with Anir Experience since 2007. She has a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education. In her work, Jackie focuses on Early Childhood Development, Ecology, and Affordable Housing.
Countries of AES Experience:
Madagascar
South Africa
Tanzania
Tarryn Steyn is a South African actor, who was a young child during the fall of apartheid, whose father was part of the underground resistance with Archbishop Tutu.
Tarryn’s areas of specialty are South African and American History, and South African women’s issues
She is an AES in South Africa
Zain Abrahams is a South African who lived through the apartheid era classified as “coloured,” a legally defined racial classification in the country during that time. He now owns his own business, “Intravsa Tours.” He has been an ASE since 2005 with a deep knowledge of South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Emmanuel Kimaro (Emma), Tanzanian, has been an Anir Education Specialist since 2018. His area specialties are all East African wildlife, East African environmental issues, indigenous cultures and the spirit of the Serengeti.