American Friends of Asian Rural Institute (AFARI) mission is to promote sustainable community development practices that inspire people around the world to live in environmentally healthy, just, and peaceful ways. We accomplish this by:

  • Providing direct support for the Asian Rural Institute (ARI) , ARI provides grassroots leadership training for rural leaders from across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Pacific during a nine-month long program on its environmentally sustainable farm campus in Tochigi, Japan.

  • Building the capacity of ARI graduates

To carry out our mission, we provide programming to build the capacity of rural leaders and raise general funds and direct scholarship support for ARI and assist ARI in its North American education and outreach efforts. In donating to AFARI, you make it possible for AFARI and ARI to live out its three core values of servant leadership, food life, and community of learning for rural people around the world.

AFARI is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization registered in Connecticut. We are governed by a six-person Board of Directors who gather in person for an Annual Board Meeting and meet virtually for other business. We accept donations for AFARI programming and from U.S.-based supporters of ARI, directing your funds in support of ARI’s activities in Japan, the U.S. and globally, and allow for your gift to be tax-deductible under U.S. law.

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