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Participant Introduction – Richard(Uganda)

“My Motivation is to live and work together for self-development as refugees.” Richard Tumwesigye is a project manager of the St. Patrick’s Refugee Center in the Kyanwali Resettlement Kikuube District, a major project by SPACID. This center hosts refugees from neighboring war-torn countries such as South Sudan, DR Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi, with many faiths, nationalities, and languages. The center lacks external support and insufficient physical resources, but Richard keeps a positive environment full of service and love for center residents. Richard manages multiple projects and activities, such as dairy … Read more

Participant Introduction – Otim (Uganda)

“A typical day in my community is full of meeting basic needs such as health, gathering firewood or charcoal, cooking, and agricultural activities like gardening, rearing animals, and caring for the poultry.” Otim Nebin Aron is a farming and health assistant in the orphanage St. Jude Children’s Home, where he has volunteered and assisted children with disabilities in the last five years. Otim grew up in a post-war conflict rural community facing poverty, poor health conditions, unreliable income, and lack of education. While a big part of his job as … Read more

Participant Introduction – Ray(Nigeria)

“Living in an environment where hunger, insecurity, and illiteracy is common has touched my heart to try to respond to our needs. It all started when I visited a family who didn’t have something to eat for lunch. I then began to think of the way forward.” Ray lives and works in a community based on religion and tribal line. The strength of her community is that the people are hard-working and highly religious, with a considerable level of people with Western education. Some of the challenges are religious intolerance, … Read more

Participant Introduction – Kally (Nigeria)

“True patience is not merely the capacity to endure a waiting period, but the strength to maintain a positive and optimistic mindset throughout the process.” Kaliyat belongs to a closely-knit community in which farming and animal husbandry are the primary sources of income. Despite their focus on self-improvement and learning, the community faces challenges such as limited equipment access, inadequate development funding, and low literacy rates. It is a diverse community with members from various religious backgrounds, including Christianity, Islam, and local tribes. As a married mother of three, Kaliyat … Read more

Participant Introduction – Sangita (Nepal)

“Have faith in your abilities and trust in the unique strengths that reside within you.”   Sangita is a secretary and assistant to the director of Sister Home. She is deeply invested in grassroots leadership. After being inspired by her sending body, she has taken up the issue of patriarchy in her community and joined an empowerment movement that focuses on educating women about leadership and organic farming. Classes must be carefully publicized and scheduled to make them effective since many women have domestic responsibilities, and some are prohibited from attending. … Read more

Participant Introduction – Pa Maung (Myamar)

“My village is in northeast Chin State, in Myanmar… my community’s livelihood is from shifting [slash-and-burn] cultivation in upland. Our strengths are that we are hardworking and help each other. Challenges are poverty, poor health, unemployment, and illiteracy.” Pa Maung’s description of his community is like many stories of village life in Myanmar or many countries – one struggling to make a living from the soil. As a pastor and farmer, Pa Maung understands the problems of his area. Since 2016 he has worked full- time for the CARD as … Read more

Participant Introduction – Hser (Myanmar)

“I would like to improve the health systems and agricultural techniques of low-lying rural areas. My definition of “Rural” is an important role and takes place for human beings to survive healthily in the world.” Saw Hser Moo grew up working on his family farm and is now a teacher and farm manager in the Rev. Dr. R.L. Pokey Theological Bible School. “Serving in His ministry, not only to God’s but also in our human society as a holistic mission, is motivating me to work and to serve my community.” … Read more

The 51st Commencement Service was held

On Saturday, December 9, we held the 51st commencement service in unseasonably warm weather. 26 participants are now “graduates”!Thank you to all those who attended the ceremony and those who remembered us from afar. On December 12, we sent off 4 graduates with a lot of tears, hugs, songs and prayers. All the remaining graduates will leave on Friday.Director Tomoko Arakawa described seedlings uprooted from their respective places to be transplanted and grown in the ARI community. These seedlings, our newest graduates, will be uprooted again from here to grow … Read more

Closing Wounds, Making Peace

We have had the honor of inviting Ms. Keiko Holmes from Agape World to our campus at Tochigi to present her message on peace and reconciliation to the ARI community. As the Japanese coordinator for Agape World which is an organization dedicated to promote reconciliation between Japan and her former World War II prisoners of war (POWs), Ms. Keiko is no doubt a well-fitted speaker for this topic. Her presentation to the ARI community was full of personal stories which touched the hearts of all who listened. We marveled at … Read more

Western Japan Study Tour 2023 (Part 2)

Participants of ARI successfully completed their study tour around Western Japan, where they break out of their usual classroom setting and come face-to-face with real persons and communities. 5: Minamata After a short midway break in Osaka, Participants took a ferry to Minamata and visited multiple sites to learn about the history of the Minamata Disease and its painful impact on the people in the community. They visited Minamata Disease Museum, the former Chisso company, the Hyakken Drainage site, and the eco-park made on the landfill (reclaimed land) area where … Read more