News

Originally published in 2020, we are republishing this piece to coincide with the upcoming issue of Take My Hand, containing updates from graduates in Sierra Leone. Get to know these four Participants during their time in Ghana. by Yukiko Oyanagi, Associate Director At the end of March 2020, when participants began to arrive in Japan, we heard the news, “Ghana closed the border. Four Sierra Leone students were left behind!”  Participants from overseas come to Japan after receiving a visa from the Japanese embassy in their country. Sierra Leone does … Read more

a farm without ducklings?

Shimpei Murakami

by Joyce Ray, ARI Volunteer Originally written in 2023, we are republishing this text to accompany the upcoming issue of Take My Hand, containing updates from graduates in Sierra Leone. Get to know Ami from her time at ARI in this article. Aminata “Ami” Conteh’s passion for women’s empowerment shines whenever she talks about her vision for the ten villages where she works. As a Field Officer with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone, Ami helps develop a feeling of community among the villages of many tribes and cultures, … Read more

Rice Transplanting

This year, we are welcoming a diverse group of 27 Participants and 2 Training Assistants from 17 different countries to our training program. We hope you will support and encourage them by learning about their work in their countries, their expectations for their studies at ARI, and their dreams after returning home.Here’s the link for the website page →This Year’s Participants – Asian Rural Institute

Sports Festival

In April 2025, directorship of the Asian Rural Institute changed from Tomoko Arakawa to Osamu Arakawa. Osamu, formerly the Farm Manager and Education Director, assumed the role while Tomoko shifted into a Director of Development & Outreach role. As part of the transition, the two staff members spoke with Jack Lichten, Ecumenical Relations Coordinator, about the challenges and successes of leading ARI. Jack: Tomoko, thank you for your ten years of service. What stands out the most from this past decade? Tomoko: When I became director in 2015, the campus … Read more

soccer game

Claremont McKenna College