The Latest

Participants went to study tour to rural communities in Tohoku area

On 26 – 31 August, participants went on a study tour around Yamagata, where they split into two groups and visited JA, city halls, farmers and schools in two areas, Okitama and Shonai.

These regions have a long history of local leadership and government involvement in promoting producer- and consumer-friendly organic farming. Participants learned various things, from predecessors’ philosophy to systems of JA to protect farmers, as well as gender issues for women in agriculture.

In between observations and sharing sessions, participants helped each other  to cook and clean, and also enjoyed interacting with the local people through singing, dancing and eating together.

On the first day, the bus broke down and they were stuck on a highway for five hours, but everyone was protected and they were able to complete their six-day trip safely.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to all the people who warmly welcome our participants every year. Thank you very much!

ARI staffs visited graduates in Zambia and Malawi!

From 1-26 August, two ARI staff members travelled to Zambia and Malawi to visit a total of 23 graduates.

At the end of the trip, they attended an ECHO conference in Malawi.

ECHO is an organization that works in South-East Asia and East and West Africa to tackle hunger by helping small-scale farmers become self-sufficient by providing training opportunities in sustainable farming methods that are adapted to local conditions.

In connection with ECHO, AFARI (American Friends of ARI) organized and sponsored a gathering of ARI graduates at the conference, where they had the opportunity to reflect on and deepen their learning at ARI by interacting with other graduates and peers from the same region and learning new skills.
Many thanks to AFARI for also helping sponsor ARI’s travel costs.

Specific activities of graduates from Zambia and Malawi will be reported in the next post.

Please look forward to it!

Former ARI volunteers’ activities in Uganda were featured in the local newspaper, Shimotsuke Shinbun

On 16, 17 and 20 of August, Shimotsuke newspaper published a series of articles entitled ”JICA, From the Land of Africa – Report on a Visit to Uganda”.
The article was in three parts, covering support for infrastructure development, agriculture and education.
Miki Kanai (currently a JICA staff in Uganda), an ARI volunteer from 2020-21, was interviewed as one of those who had learned agriculture in Tochigi. She says, “I want to spread the cultivation of rice using organic fertilisers in Uganda where there are many farmers”.
Although not featured in the article, a graduate of the ARI in Uganda also got interview from the reporter.

Acknowledging Former Director Rev. Ueda’s Recent Passing

Bishop Rev. Jintaro Ueda, who served as ARI’s director from 1994 to 2000 and board member from 1994 to 2008, passed away on Monday, April 8, 2024. He was 83 years old.

Current director Tomoko Arakawa reflects on her memories of Rev. Ueda:

“He was my first director when I joined ARI as a staff member. He had a great deal of international experience, spoke fluent English, and was very knowledgeable about the church situation in Asia and Africa.

He also loved music and played the piano very well. He often took it upon himself to accompany the hymns at the Morning Gathering. I was surprised at how quickly he could play even difficult pieces.

He also loved to drive, and sometimes drove alone in his car to Narita Airport to pick up participants.

He was a small man, but he had dignity and his speech was easy to understand, always clear and unclouded. As a director, I feel as if Ueda Sensei taught me the importance of speaking clearly and plainly to everyone.”

We pray for Jintaro Ueda’s eternal rest in heaven and for the Lord’s comfort for his bereaved family.

The following is from the Tokyo Diocese of the Anglican Church of Japan:

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

Announcement of the Kinren Service for the Passed Away Bishop Rev. Jintaro Peter Ueda

Bishop of the Diocese of Tokyo, Anglican Church of Japan

Bishop Francis Xavier Hiroyuki Takahashi

The Diocese of Tokyo of the Anglican Church of Japan is pleased to offer a memorial service for the passing away of Bishop Jintaro Peter Ueda, former Bishop of the Diocese of Tokyo of the Anglican Church of Japan, who passed away on April 8 (Mon.), 2024, to express our gratitude for his dedication as Bishop of the Diocese, his many works in various institutions and organizations, and his guidance and support.

– Memorial Service Information –

Date: Saturday, July 20, 2024

Place: St. Andrew’s Cathedral (3-6-18 Shiba Koen, Minato-ku, Tokyo)

We would like to invite you to attend the service and offer your prayers.

Please note that the bereaved family has requested that we decline the donation of flowers. Thank you in advance for your kind attention.

52nd Annual Opening Ceremony (Part 2)

This past Tuesday, June 11, we hosted our 52nd annual opening ceremony (part 2) in honor of our late-arrival participants, who hail from India, Japan, Malawi, Myanmar, and the Philippines. People work, learn, and volunteer at ARI for various amounts of time, and so many people are always coming or leaving. But no matter what, we want to make sure everyone feels welcome and included when they arrive.

We were happy to welcome our new participants and hear their individual stories and resolutions for their time at ARI. They will be joining our 16 existing participants and training assistant from 11 different countries in the ARI Rural Leader Training Program.

Participants at ARI have made long journeys before even setting foot on campus, and we look forward to seeing those journeys continue and develop at ARI! Their voices and presence are valued here, and we hope to fully support them in fulfilling their goals at ARI.

Our director wrote an article as an ICU alumnus

This book, planned to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the dedication of International Christian University(ICU), compiles the activities of alumni who have devoted themselves to Christian-related work in fields such as ministry, school, welfare, and research. Not only the personal interactions during their time at ICU and the struggles of their youth, but the 70 years are also a lifetime record for those who were at the school when it first opened, and we can learn of the footsteps they have made, despite the twists and turns, supported by the learning and encounters they have had at ICU.

The fact that the school was built on the repentance and the reconciliation of the World War Ⅱ is common to the founding spirit of ARI, and we hope to continue to be comrades who sincerely face this issue and continue to bear witness to it.

Our director was featured in a booklet “Nasu Machi Jinbutsu Zukan 3”

This booklet, created by students from Nasu high school who interviewed various local people working in the area, will be held in the National Diet Library!

 ARI is unique and might be difficult to understand in a short time, but we could feel that the students tried their best to understand it. The students’ candid feedback after the interview was also impressive.

Thank you very much, Nasu high school, for choosing ARI!

　

Opening Ceremony 2024 took place

On April 13th (Saturday), our Opening Ceremony took place. Amidst the full bloom of sakura, it was a serene event filled with smiles from everyone gathered. The participants successfully delivered their Japanese self-introductions, which they had been practicing until yesterday. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all who attended, to the graduates who sent their messages, and to everyone who supported us from afar.