Class of 2024
Rural Leaders Training Program
Founded in 1973 and located in Tochigi, Japan, Asian
Rural Institute (ARI) trains grassroots rural leaders wholive and work in their native communities, regardless ofnationality, ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, or age. Our
9-month training program aims to build a more just andpeaceful society by facilitating the self-development ofrural people.
This year, we welcome 20 participants to the Rural Leaders
Training Program and 1 graduate to the Advanced Training
Course, representing 13 countries.

Namibia
Jonas Pombili
NdeuludilaNamib Desert Environmental
Education Trust (NaDEET)
Operations Manager

JonahI value the natural environment and the preservation of the natural resources in my community. AtNaDEET, I monitor and support the implementation of the program’s gardening, water usage,
electricity, and recycling systems. Climate change
is a big challenge and risk for my community. InARI I want to learn about sustainability and sustainable farming methods, like crop management,
and to enhance my leadership skills.

Pakistan

Philippines

Vietnam

Noyan Sohail

Ricky Otana Attaban

La Thi Nguyen

Samuel Memorial Foundation

Wigan Settlers Multi-Purpose
Cooperative (WSMPC)

Mekong Organics

Assistant Director

Credit Investigator

Agriculture Volunteer

Nomi

Ricky

La

I am responsible for maintenance and farm management at the Sanbhal Girls High School inSouthern Punjab. I want to make projects for poverty alleviation a part of girls’ education. Learning
effective farming techniques and goat raising will
enable me to add these skills to girls’ education at
our school.

As a credit investigator, I visit farmers at theirhome. I observe the progress of their farm work,
listen to their problems, and if I have ideas, I share
my ideas with the members. While at ARI, I hopeto gain people skills and more advanced technicalknowledge to help the farmers I serve.

I am living a minimalist lifestyle that is self-sufficient and centered around natural farming. With 29
other households, my community cultivates 50
hectares of land. I am currently advising others
who would like to begin agroforestry. With theskills learned in ARI I want to more effectively leadmy community in growing our food sustainably.

IndiaMalawiMyanmar

Khatsulou Thopih

Muzinulu

Sushme Agitchak
Marak

Simon Mtambo

Lwa Le Mu

Saw Eh Doh Soe

Chizami Baptist Church

Chozuba Area Baptist Church
Council

Harding Universal Trust

Chingale Neno Recovery &Development Program

Lay Shee Baptist Churches
Commitee

Shwe Gyin Karen Baptist
Association

Missionary

Associate Women Pastor

Project Officer

AdvisorAssistant Professor in Economics

Program Coordinator

Khat’s

Azi

Sush

Simon

Le Mu

Riecoad

I am a missionary in my church. I travel to many
communities, where I work to build a relationshipwith the local people. I am also teaching different
life-saving skills which my people can quickly andeasily use. When I go back I want to empower thepeople with new skills I learned at ARI.

I am a pastor in a rural community, working withwomen and children to enhance their spiritualand economic growth through community workand leadership seminars. At ARI I want to develop
my skills in leadership, self-reliance, and farming
so I can create a demonstration farm upon my return.

I am a teacher of economics at several schools
while volunteering in bible study in my church. Ivalue honesty and integrity in my work and I hopeat ARI I will learn better sustainable agriculture
techniques. When I return I hope to teach more effective courses on environmental sustainability
that can provide practical, long-term positive outcomes.

I live in a very diverse community in Chingale.
Most of my community are farmers, but they havebecome dependent on expensive fertilizers which
put them into debt. In ARI I want to learn how toproduce and make use of organic fertilizer, andhow to teach other farmers to help them.

I am a lecturer in theological education. I workwith my sending body to help marginalized members of my community to provide them with spiritual and social welfare. My most important values
are honesty and hard work. In ARI I want to learn
about advanced and serving leadership and systematic organic agriculture.

I am a program coordinator and serve my community
for sustainable development. In my work, I serve andhelp my community members to improve their farming
land and livestock systems. My community values trust,
traditional ways, and helping each other. After ARI, I wantto bring back knowledge and skills in leadership, organic
farming and improve livestock for my community.

India

Indonesia

Liberia

Tekhewe Khutsoh

Deo Runtunuwu

Kadek Agus Mahadipa

Alfred Damaco LamieJohnson Korvah
HarrisWilliam Fallah Farmah

Zapami Baptist Church

Wanua Cintalink Semesta(WCS)

Consortium for Agrarian
Reform (KPA)

Voinjama Evangelical Churchof Liberia

Liberia Integrated Crop andPest Management Agricultural
Program (LICPMAP)

Pentecostal Mission Unlimited(PMU)

PastorSecretaryCommunity Organizer

PastorFarm Manager

Agriculturist

Tekhewe

DeoDipa

FredeeJohnsonFallah

I am a pastor in a Baptist church. A big value in mylife is the relationship to my community and atwork. I like to communicate with every person individually. When I return, I want to manage a bigger farm, cultivate vegetables, and teach my community self-reliance.

In my community, farming has been industrialized. I am training farmers in my community andthe surrounding villages so the next generation
can grow sustainable food. In ARI I want to learn
how to build just, peaceful rural communities. I
want to build a community learning center toteach future generations.

My community was forcibly repatriated from East
Timor to Bali, which led to challenges like spacemanagement. I want to maintain the principles
and values of agrarian reform and side with theoppressed. I am a community organizer and try tohelp my community by visiting peasants and participatory mapping.

My objectives are to empower the livelihood of
my community through agricultural initiatives
and resolve long-standing land disputes and tribal
conflicts. I look forward to learning agriculturaltechniques, education and peace building methods at ARI so I can share my knowledge with mycommunity when I return.

I have been farming since childhood, and it is mypassion. I work to assist my community by training and motivating them in sustainable agriculture to improve productivity and their livelihoods.
At ARI, I hope to learn leadership and improve myskills, so I can improve the skills of others.

I believe that fostering strong relationships withinorganizations and communities is crucial for institutional growth. My work as an agriculture technician includes enhancing farmers’ skills and improving rural living conditions through various agricultural projects aimed at boosting food security
and supporting vulnerable groups.

UgandaGhana

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Japan

Advanced Training
CourseMyanmar

Nelson Ishengoma

Prince Yeboah

Don Bachibonge

Momoko Iwamoto

Thi Thi Win

Training Assistant (TA):Familia Moja Support Initiative(FMSI), Kenya

Peace and Love Vegetable
Growers Association

Peace and Conflict Resolution(PCR) Foundation

Farm Manager

Assistant Administrative
Secretary

Rural Mobilizer in EcobomicPrograms

ARI invites graduates who have demonstrated atleast five years of outstanding leadership andaccomplishment in their communities to return
to ARI for a year of advanced studies.

Community Development Coordinator/ Technical Support

NelkPrince

DonMomoko

Thi Thi

In Kiambu County in Kenya, the people sufferfrom limited manpower and an inadequate foodsupply, so I moved there from my home in Uganda to help FMSI support the farmers in the community. Even if my organization still lacks thespace and budget to do this work, I am growing
food for the children in my community.

I work for a vibrant vegetable growers association,collecting data from farmers and conducting
workshops. At ARI I want to increase my knowledge of organic farming and livestock keeping,and improve my leadership communication skills
so I can educate the youth in my community, encouraging them to consider a farming career.

I strive to empower communities to survive regional struggles, including homelessness, lack ofsafe drinking water, loss of harvest, and displacement caused by volcanic activity and civil violence. I hope to help break the cycle of poverty
and conflict at the grassroots level.

I began to question my consumer lifestyle and to
think about how I could better support the next
generation. I would like to enhance my knowledge
through gaining practical skills in organic farming andanimal husbandry, and also explore ways to “livetogether” by being exposed to different values. After
graduation from ARI, I would like to create a program
teaching concepts of taking life for making food.

Since I graduated from ARI in 2014, I have takencare of a self-help group. Starting in 2022, I
worked as a community development coordinator. I focus on youth, teaching community development courses, planning, organizing, and monitoring training. At ARI I want to learn about the
many aspects of quality food production, likefood safety.

2024 Rural Leaders Training Program

2024 Rural Leaders Training ProgramRural Leaders Training Program
ARI provides powerful leadership training
for grassroots community leaders: theannual Rural Leaders Training Program.

Our Rural Leaders Training Center
empowers some of the most marginalized
communities on earth, so that they canenjoy and share the wealth of food, land,and community.

ServantLeadership

Communityof Learning

Every year, we invite rural communityleaders from grassroots organizations inAsia, Africa, Latin America, and the Pacificto our campus in Japan. The 9-monthtraining is guided by our motto, ‘That We
May Live Together.’Foodlife

Graduates around the world

Bangladesh (85)

Bhutan (3)Nepal (39)

Myanmar (95)

China (1)South Korea (59)Japan (100)India (232)

Cuba (1)Haiti (4)Guatemala (2)Central African Republic (1)The Gambia (1)Philippines (126)

Ethiopia (8)Kenya (35)

Palau (1)Rwanda (2)Liberia (33)

Burundi (1)Ghana (32)

Tanzania (23)Malawi (12)Togo (1)Brazil (3)Cambodia (7)Uganda (22*)

Sierra Leone (17)Ecuador (2)Laos (5)Vietnam (5)Eritrea (2)Nigeria (13)Guinea (1)Trinidad & Tobago (1)Taiwan (19)

Sudan (1)Guinea Bissau (1)El Salvador (4)Hong Kong (1)Pakistan (12)Benin (2)Cameroon (32)

D.R. Congo (4)Mozambique (1)Zambia (19)South Africa (3)Lesotho (2)Kiribati (3)Thailand (90)

Sri Lanka (91)

Madagascar (2)Samoa (2)

Malaysia (24)Zimbabwe (4)F.S. Micronesia (4)Fiji (4)East Timor (6)Swaziland (3)Indonesia (99)
Papua New Guinea (11)1,425 graduates from 62 countries

Solomon Islands (5)It’s Time to Invest in Rural Community Leadership!
The costs needed for Rural Leaders to participate in our training are mainly
financed by donations. Tuition and board amount to US$ 17,850, and the average airfare isaround US$ 2,500. We provide financial assistance for these leaders to take part. It is aninvestment in people who will bring about lasting community change.
For detailed information, please visit our website or call our office.

Visit https://ari.ac.jp/en/donate/ to find out how to contribute!

Tonga (2)info@ari.ac.jp
https://ari.ac.jp