Class of 2012
Rural Leaders Training Program❶ ARI Nickname❷ Activities

Ms. Joelma Gomez deQueiroz
Cooperativa Central daReforma Agraria do Paraná

Mr. Juliao Nunes JoseMr. Armando Ximenes

Rafaela East Timor Fund

Claretian Missionaries

Farmers’ Group Leader

FarmerAgroecology Technician❶ Joelma❶ Juliao❷ My grandfather taught me persistence, humility❷ East Timor is an agricultural nation and unlessand fixed contact with the Earth; protecting theEarth is to protect all living beings. I give classes
in agroecology to farmer groups and in localschools. In the future, I plan to work withwomen’s and men’s groups, teaching them
organic food production.

we can become self-sufficient in agriculture wecannot survive. Currently I organize projects
with local farmers. The main things I want tolearn at ARI are sustainable techniques forenriching the soil, proper cultivation of crops,
and how to naturally raise livestock.

❶ Arman❷ I teach solar panel and electricity installation topeople in my community. In East Timor, theprimary occupation is farming. Our coastal landis very fertile, however, most people only earnenough for survival. I will acquire stronger
farming skills at ARI so I can transform the livesof my people.

The Asian Rural Institute (ARI) has been dedicated since 1973 to training grassroots rural leaders who
are living and working in their communities in countries primarily in Asia, Africa and the Pacific.

Located in Tochigi, Japan, ARI trains rural community leaders regardless of nationality, race, religious beliefs,gender or age. The aim of the training is to facilitate the self-development of rural people, in order to build amore just and peaceful society.
The training is practically-oriented. Participants learn through classroom lectures, discussions, and study
tours and then put this learning into practice by managing their own fields and rice paddies, raising
livestock, heading committees and organizing events. The ARI community is almost completely
self-sufficient with more than 90 percent of the food we consume coming from our own campus.
ARI does not have an independent source of funds. We rely on the support of individuals, churches and fundingorganizations to operate the training program. Furthermore, since ARI actively seeks out people from the mostmarginalized areas of the world, who have few resources to support themselves for this training, we help themin connecting with potential supporters for scholarship assistance. ARI's training program is made possible byits supporters' generous contributions.

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Ms. Veni Ester Daniel

Mr. Chonglise Sangtam

Protestant Churchof Sabah

Better Life Foundation

Mr. Adarsh Aralugowdana
Chandraju
Coorg Organization for
Rural Development(CORD)

Youth Volunteer Coordinator

SecretaryCommunity Organizer❶ Ester❷ Most of the people in my community depend onsubsistence farming and handicraft production.
These activities serve to strengthen the socialand cultural identity of the indigenous people. I
am very interested in learning about sustainable
management of resources at ARI because thisknowledge will benefit farmers in my area.

❶ Chongli❷ My work is to promote youth volunteerism andthe Small Tea Growers project. About 90% of
our villagers are farmers. My community
practices shifting cultivation, an age old system
which is labour intensive, low-yielding andecologically unsustainable. I am very interestedin learning more about organic farming at ARI.

❶ Adarsh❷ Preserving resources and maintaining anecological balance are the only ways to save theearth. In my community I focus on giving
awareness about the climate change crisis andthe importance of organic farming. Crops andvegetables give us income throughout the year,
hence I prefer to do sustainable farming.

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Rev. Fr. Tito Herbert Lezile

Ms. Catherine Mtambo

Pr. Joseph Kora

Anglican Diocese ofUpper Shire

Livingstonia Synod AIDS
Programme

Church of the Nazarene

PriestField Officer❶ Tito❷ As a youth chaplain and deputy farm manager, Ibelieve in empowering young people by teachingthem the importance of safeguarding natural
resources so that they are not destroyed faster thanthey are replaced. By using sustainable agriculture,
we can produce food for large populations andbuild a brighter future for our community.

Pastor❶ Joseph❶ Catherine❷ I live in a rural community where people earn

❷ I organize workshops on health, education andtheir living by selling produce. Often they areunable to afford enough fertilizer for theirland. To help them save money I encouragethem to buy shares and invest in small-scalebusinesses. I want to improve farming
practices in my community.

agriculture. My village, Klika, has neither
electricity nor vehicle-accommodating roads.
Vendors must carry their produce to market byhand, a trip which can take up to 4 hours. To help
local farmers, I want to learn locally-appropriate
methods of gardening and crop cultivation.

 Ms. Act Ka Hti

Mr. Htun Lwin

Rev. Sang Bik Cem

Pathein Myaung MyaAssociation

Buddhist YouthEmpowerment Program

The Methodist Church
Upper Myanmar

Community Health Worker

FarmerPastor❶ Act Ka Hti❷ In my community, people earn a living throughagriculture, fishing, and livestock breeding.
Some of their biggest obstacles to sustainability
include limited knowledge and insufficient time
to focus on future plans. I want to receive
agricultural training so can I be a resource forfarmers in my community.

❶ Lwin Lwin

❷ My goal is to help rural people to escape frompoverty. I take part in environmental exhibitions,participate in planting trees, and facilitate
environmental awareness training. My hope isthat by teaching better rice cultivation practices
I can address the water shortage problem in mycommunity.

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simple, kind, and hard-working. I teachmicroorganism cultivation, seeding, grafting,earthworm composting and kitchen gardening.
In the future, I plan to to set up a model farm foran agriculture training center to continue mywork with sustainable living practices.

Rev. Comfort McCarthy
Concerned ChristianCommunity

Church Aid
IncorporatedTrainer❷ The people I work with are poor farmers who aremake a living. I want to do something for myvillage, to develop and promote my community.
At ARI I plan to sharpen my knowledge andimprove my work, specifically in areas likesustainable agricultural development
technology and project management.

Rev. Alexander Saturday
KerkulaLisu Baptist
ConventionThaung❷ In my community, farmers struggle daily to Mr. Thaung Si❶❶ A Bik

Pastor & Supervisor

Pastor & Coordinator❶Alex❷ I grew up on a rubber plantation in Herbal. I am

now a pastor and a coordinator of school garden
projects throughout my service area. It is mygreat joy to see students learn about farming bygenerating their own food. I believe organic
farming will improve my people's lives.

❶Hanifa❷ I engage in rural community development byteaching basic life skills training to 150 womenin my community. I am interested in sustainable
farming because my community depends oncrops that are sold in our local market for theirfamily. I want to learn more about foodproduction and preservation.

 Mr. Mannadhipathi
Pathirennehelage Niroshan
Hemantha Mannadhipati

Ms. Nerlande Baptichon

Rev. Welideniyagedara
Nishantha Gunaratne

Methodist Church Haiti

Methodist Church Sri Lanka

VolunteerService Civil International
Sri Lanka❶ Niro❷ I have an ambition to begin a model organic farmto train and teach people about sustainable
farming, both as a practice and as a lifestyle. Iwant to demonstrate that farming can be a
profitable occupation. In my community, I advocate
resource conservation through reforestation andorganic home-gardening projects.

Microcredit Liaison

Superintendent Minister❶ Nishanta❷ I am a minister living on an organic farm thatcares for its parishioners and the earth. I want touse organic farming to heal wounds caused byyears of ethnic violence. Agricultural programs
can bring peace and stability to Sri Lanka byconnecting farmers in the north and south.

 ❶ Nerlande❷ I work in rural communities through banks,

consequently, I understand the importance ofeffective farming practices. Haiti was once anagricultural country, but today almost all products
come from outside. I want to learn and practiceagricultural techniques to sustain the living soiland move towards production within Haiti.

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Rev. Wilson Dicag Ignacio

Mr. Dolphe Tindaan Litawan

Action for NaturalMedicine, Bui

Central Luzon DistrictCouncil of theAssemblies of God

Nueva Vizcaya
Environmental &Rural Development, Inc.

Field Coordinator

PastorFarmer & Trainer

Mr. Joseph Banla
Bongajum❶ Joe❶❷ I work with local farmers, instructing them on

the subjects of natural medicine and nutrition.
Food and health are inseparable. This is themessage I seek to convey to people in mycommunity. Organic farming and livestock
production are areas that I am particularlyinterested in learning about.

❶Wilson❷ My community's farming lifestyle has been

greatly affected by the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.
Farms were ruined and covered by volcanic
sand. I have 20 years of experience with organic
farming. I want to develop my knowledge to its
fullest extent to help my people gain respect
through success in agriculture.

Dolph❷ I contribute to my community's development byoverseeing rituals, settling disputes, and attending
community affairs meetings. Our Kalanguya
people mostly practice traditional farming, so in
the future I would like to establish a model organic
farm. I want to teach people about the danger ofchemicals and promote use of natural resources.

  Mr. Soniman Waruwu

 Ms. Kavira Kaniki Salome

Rev. Margareth Marta
SianiparYayasan Holi’ana’aOneness Development
Institute

Huria Kristen Batak
Protestant Church(HKBP)Program Officer

Counselor

Pastor❶ Soni❷ I organize projects involving pig husbandry andorganic farming in my community. One of thegreatest challenges faced by the people in Nias
is the failure to utilize farmland effectively. To
address this problem, I want to obtain a demo
plot to teach environmentally friendly farming.

❶ Marta❷ I teach and supervise women farmers in raisingpigs and growing vegetables. I am involved inrural work because 75% of Indonesian people
live in rural areas and most of them arefarmers. I want to see my congregation help
themselves out of poverty by living together
and working hand in hand.

❶ Kaniki❷ I work as an HIV and AIDS counselor among

women, youth and children. The DRC has
experienced decades of strife, civil war andethnic conflict. 90% of the Congolese population
are farmers but many do not know how toimprove their agricultural work. ARI's farming
techniques will benefit my community.

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Mr. Kengo Ishida

Mr. Yuta Takeno

Mr. Emmanuel Ssempiira
St. Patrick's Center for
Integral Development
Project Coordinator❶Kengo❷ Studying sociology and international developmentat university awoke my interest in poverty issues.
Experiencing tomato cultivation further motivatedme to learn agriculture at ARI. I will practice andlearn sustainable organic farming with my own
hands, mind and heart, and then contribute to thedevelopment of rural communities.

❶Yuta❷ I got to know ARI through the annual ARI WesternJapan Study Tour where I was involved in theplanning of a discussion. There I learned about
the importance of food and thought that I shouldbe able to produce my own food by myself. In thefuture, I hope to do international cooperation
through agriculture in Asia and Africa.

❶Emma❷ I coordinate a community of 200 Congolese

refugees who lack food, water, and medicine. Myresponsibilities include managing supplies andconducting agriculture workshops. Knowledge
in animal husbandry, integrated farming andfood processing will help me serve the refugees
better to improve their food security.

Training Assistant
ARI Graduates who have worked in their countries forfive or more years may apply to be a TA (TrainingAssistant). Those applicants who have achieved goodresults in their communitites are invited to come toARI to assist in the training of the participants.

Ms. Lourdes Augusto Sison

Biv. Veny JulitaCordillera GreenNetwork

Huria Kristen Batak
Protestant (HKBP)

Scholarship Coordinator

Migrant Worker Organizer
in Selangor, Malaysia❶ Des❶ Veny❷ My main job is to disseminate information about our❷ My major job responsibility is to organize ascholarships, interview applicants, and determine if thesecandidates are qualified. In the Cordillera, I have worked withprojects involving education, reforestation, and sustainableagriculture. To protect and enhance the natural environment
I will continue to advocate sustainable agriculture for local
people for nutritious and safe food.

church in Malaysia for Indonesian migrantworkers. Around 3.5 million Indonesian people
come to Malaysia for work. Workers sometimes
face injustice and I have to advocate for them todefend their rights. I want to organize Indonesian people, particularly the poor farmers.

Mr. Yasutomo Kido

Graduate Intern
A Japanese graduate of ARI is eligible to apply to bea Graduate Intern (GI). The internship is twelve
months long and must begin the following schoolyear. The intern focuses on one section of the farmfor which he/she wishes to gain deeper
understanding and more extensive experience. The
GI also takes part in all other aspects of ARI life asan actively contributing community member.

❶ Yasu❷ Last year, I was able to gain meaningfullearnings as a participant, especially about whatis necessary for "living together" with people ofdifferent cultures and values. This year my goal
as a graduate intern is the realization of aself-sufficient society. I also want to encourage
myself by learning through agriculture on thefarm and by socializing with people.

PhotosDr. Nobuhito Arakawa

ARI Graduates Map
1215 Graduates from 55 countries

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