LearnToLive is a humanitarian organization that provides healthcare and education to communities world wide through the promotion of self-sustaining practices. We envision people around the world living long, healthy, productive lives with the support of reliable healthcare and a sustainable lifestyle.
LearnToLive began with our first scout and excursion trip to North Sulawesi, Indonesia in August 2011. Since then we have run four successful clinics in Sapa, Beringin, Likupang, and Bunaken. We have recently returned from a new scouting trip in Laos with some new and exciting partnership opportunities.
Yanti Turang Dinkelacker
Founder / Executive Director
Yanti Turang grew up Australia and now resides in New Orleans, USA. In 2002 Yanti completed her Bachelor of Arts majoring in Anthropology and Sociology at Latrobe University in Melbourne. In 2008 Yanti completed her Bachelor of Nursing at Latrobe University. After working at St Vincents hospital in Melbourne, Yanti moved to New Orleans to continue her nursing career. and currently works at Childrens Hospital as a pediatric RN. In 2011 Yanti founded LearnToLive. LearnToLive is now servicing over 1500 people in the North Sulawesi region of Indonesia and is currently developing programs in Laos. Cambodia and Ghana. Yanti also continues her passion for music and plays in a local New Orleans band called Mahayla.
Carie A. Fischer
Legal Counsel
A sixth-generation New Orleanian, Carie brings her passion for social justice and civic engagement to the LearnToLive team. In 2005 she received her Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University and later earned her Juris Doctor from Loyola College of Law. With a solid foundation in legal knowledge and practice and an eye towards public interest, Carie joined LearnToLive as Legal Counsel in 2011. As LearnToLive began to grow she soon found herself deeply invested in the inner workings of the organization and began taking on a larger development role. Carie is currently pursuing her Masters of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of New Orleans and serves as LearnToLive’s Legal Counsel and Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Sergio H. Padilla
Creative Director / Communications
Sergio Padilla grew up along the US / Mexico border with a unique perspective of global problems at a local level. He moved to New Orleans in 1998 to attend Tulane University from which he earned a Bachelor and Masters of Architecture. The challenges and opportunities of Post-Katrina New Orleans have allowed him to apply his passion for cultural and community development along with the local rebuilding efforts. Having worked as a project manager for architectural firms for several years, he is looking forward to applying his life and professional experiences towards the LearnToLive experience.
Emily Roberston
Administrative Director
Emily Robertson was born and raised in Southeast Louisiana and has been involved with non-profit organizations and community outreach programs from a young age. Her work with Amnesty International and The National Organization for Women earned her a leadership scholarship from Louisiana State University. There she continued her efforts in a leadership role training and recruiting members and running a local chapter of both organizations. This year she will be with LearnTolive on the ground in Indonesia for the first clinic to help facilitate the program and make it the best it can be. She enthusiastically looks forward to helping LTL bring healthcare to those in Indonesia and beyond.
Iben McCormick-Ricket
Director of Research
Iben grew up moving and traveling the world. She continued this tradition throughout college and earned a bachelors degree in Anthropology and Economics from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She moved to New Orleans to pursue a degree in Epidemiology at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She currently works as a State Epidemiologist for the Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Epidemiology Unit specializing in tobacco control. She uses her epidemiology background and passion for global health to direct the research and evaluation team for LearnToLive.
Amanda Clifford
Media Director
Amanda Clifford loves to tell stories. She emerged from Columbia College Chicago in 2006 armed with a BA in cinematography and a dream to change the world. After working in the commercial and narrative realms of film she had a strong sense that something was missing. Documentary filmmaking gave her the chance to tell real stories about real people, stories that could provoke change, stories that needed to be told for the benefit of their subjects. Creating media for non-profit organizations with the next logical step. Amanda signed on to shoot the first clinics in Indonesia in 2012 and has since risen to lead the Media Department at LearnToLive. Amanda strives to show the world the kind of impact a group like LTL can have in Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, and Ghana through short documentaries produced with her partner, Alex Willson.
Rachel Witwer
Program Director
Rachel Witwer hails from the East Coast and spent her formative years in Washington, DC. She attended Temple University in Philadelphia, earning degrees in Linguistics and Spanish. She then worked as a Development Associate for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, and Health Education Manager for CHOICE, Inc. In 2001, Rachel fell irrationally in love with New Orleans and made it her home, as many people do. She ran a supportive services program for homeless adolescents and a harm reduction program for injection drug users and earned her Master of Public Health in Global Health Systems and Management from Tulane University. Rachel joined LearnToLive to develop community health assessments for the 2012 Indonesia Health Initiative. Her varied experience in non-profit administration, program development and implementation, fundraising and direct client support is a great asset to LTL and she is thrilled to put all of those skills to work as LTL’s Programs Director.
Yanti Turang Dinkelacker, RN
Eugene Ferniz, CPA
Carie A. Fischer, JD
Patrick Lafley, MBA
Sarat Chandra Raman, MD
Cherie F. Thompson, CPA
Evans Valerie, MD
One World Family
We thank our first partner One World Family for being our fiscal sponsor during our first year of operation. Mark LaMaire is the founder of One World Family. One World Family is a fantastic organization that reaches out to the people in northern Thailand providing education and basic healthcare. Mark is an outstanding person we are so fortunate to be working alongside him with LearnToLive. Thanks Mark!
Want to help? Want to know how? Send us a message with any inquiries about donations, volunteer opportunities, or programatic details! We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.