Two intrepid ARI staff members spent over three weeks traveling through Zambia and Malawi to meet ARI graduates in their local contexts. We went there to see, and better understand, the communities our graduates work with, in all their beauty
This past August, ARI staff traveled to Zambia and Malawi, Africa, to visit a total of 23 ARI graduates.
We would like to share with you a series of travel logs written by Steven.
Now, it is time to begin the main part of the series.
Let’s trace the long, long way to get to Zambia with them.
Let’s get started on our trip to Africa!
【The African journey to visit ARI graduates, Days 1 & 2】
Getting to Zambia
I’m setting two dates for the first entry because it all just seems like one long day. With the crossing of multiple time zones over the span of four flights, time and space felt crumpled like a thick blanket.
I met my hearty traveling partner, Kai, in Haneda Airport, weighed down with multiple last-minute gifts from ARI folks for friends in Africa.
The empty airport days of COVID are definitely over. Long lines at security and immigration, plus the fact that my first flight from Oita was late, had us arriving at the gate just as people were boarding.
Our route took us first through Hong Kong where we had enough transit time to enjoy an amazing beef noodle dish, recommended by Kai’s friend.
It’s #701 on the menu at the Masato restaurant, in case you want to give it a try.
Then we jumped on the next plane for a 12-hour flight to Johannesburg. The flight before was three and a half hours, in case you were wondering.
Our row mate was a young woman from China who teaches English and Intercultural Communication at Nan Fang College in Guang Zhou. Kai started talking to her about ARI and she got super interested and wants to volunteer!
Luckily the transfer to the regional airline, Airlink, in J-burg went smoothly enough that these two famished travelers had time for lunch – a huge lunch consisting of a local meat-laden dish called a Braai, and a fancy French toasty thing called Croque Madame!
After an hour and half jaunt across arid Botswana we finally arrived at our destination of Livingstone, Zambia where we were greeted by the smiling face of Geoffrey (2023 ARI Graduate).
This is a spacious and clean town, much prized by Zambians for its tourism appeal and the big bucks it pulls in.
The draw is thundering Victoria Falls, and its 1,500- meter curtain of torrential river, gushing over the cliffs of the mighty Zambezi River, or so I was expecting, but more about that later.
Livingstone and Victoria Falls
We first went to get settled in at our Ngoma Zanga Lodge, with its sloping thatched roofs and prolific display of African art.
Then we went out for some essentials, like malaria medicine and SIM cards. Typical for me, no SIM card worked, but I welcome the chance for some digital detox.
Geoffrey had arranged for a driver to take us around. His name is Mebin, and he speaks the two local languages of Tonga and Lozi. There are 72 recognized tribes in Zambia, each with their own language and traditions. You’ll be hard pressed to find a person who speaks less than three languages around here.
Mebin explained how much the town depends on tourism and how the tourists tend to be of more value than the locals. As an example, from a professional driver’s point of view, if he were to accidentally hit a white person, he could get up to 25 years in prison. If the person is black, the penalty is ten years, and that is negotiable!
A few more things about Zambia – trash is mostly burned or sometimes buried by folks around their own homes. The city will do pickups at the markets, but their capacity is not enough to cover the volume of the whole town. Kai was asking about this because responsible garbage management is a big challenge the world over.
This year Zambia has been experiencing a severe drought and so far, one whole crop has failed, which has led to hunger in some areas. Their main source of power is hydro-electric and the water levels in the rivers these days is just not enough to push those turbines, resulting in strategic power outages called “load shedding.”
It is this drought, which is generally attributed to El Nino, that has tamed the magnificent Victoria Falls. For the time being, there is no thundering to be heard for miles around, no mist so thick you need a raincoat just to stand and take a look. The famous “curtain” of water is divided into multiple strands of narrow falls, with lots of bare rock in between. But it is still a spectacle to behold, and I imagine the days when it will flow in its full glory once again.
Adventure tourism is hot around here, so if you want to try one of the highest bungee jumps in the world, or zip-lining, gorge swinging, kayaking, or swimming in Devil’s Pool right at the edge of the falls, this is the place for you.
Evening was introduced by a dark red sun slowly sinking into the African landscape. As jet lag was taking its toll, we decided to head back to the hotel early, but not before stopping for a Zambian meal eaten in the African style, fingers, that is.
Various meats and vegetables were served with “nshima,” a food made from maize flour and known by different names all across Africa, such as fufu or ugali. Around here, white corn is the main ingredient of choice, but it can also be made from casava, sorghum, or other types of flour. If this description doesn’t give you the slightest understanding of what this dish is, please take a look at the photo, but a more recommended option would be to come and try it!
Well, the only thing left for today is a quick local beer and a date with a soft pillow.
Goodnight.
Written by Steven Cutting (Graduate Outreach Coordinator)
Travelling with Kai Shinoda (Admissions and Recruitment Coordinator)
Click here to read the series of articles
Vol.0 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Prologue】
Vol.1 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 1-2】 <== Now, you’re here
Vol.2 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Day 3】To Be Continued …
On October 28 and 29, the Asian Rural Institute hosted a biogas workshop led by Mr. Kuwabara, an engineer and organic farmer from Ogawa Town, Saitama. This session was a follow-up to the participants’ visit to Mr. Kuwabara’s farm in June, where they first explored biogas technology.
During the workshop, participants learned how livestock manure could be processed to generate renewable energy, offering a sustainable alternative for energy production. Mr. Kuwabara demonstrated the use of a plastic biogas chamber, explaining how the process also produces an organic liquid fertilizer, enhancing soil health while providing clean energy. Participants were enthusiastic about the workshop, appreciating the practical insights and hands-on experience with biogas technology.
From August 1-26, ARI staff members, Steven and Kai traveled to Zambia and Malawi, Africa, to visit a total of 23 ARI graduates.
We would like to share with you a series of travel logs written by Steven Cutting.
We hope that through his writings, you will be able to feel the atmosphere, smells, tastes, and people of Africa, and know more about ARI graduates who live and work in their community!
In this first article, I’d like to explain about their purpose of the trip and its overview.
【The African journey to visit ARI graduates Prologue】
August 1-18 – Travel through Zambia and Malawi to meet ARI graduates
August 19-24 – Regional Convening of ARI graduates (sponsored by the American Friends of ARI); this took place in Mponela, Malawi in tandem with an agricultural conference organized by ECHO East Africa
This is a travel log of two intrepid ARI staff members who spent over three weeks traveling through Zambia and Malawi to meet ARI graduates in their local contexts.
We went there to see, and better understand, the communities our graduates work with, in all their beauty as well as their struggles. We wanted to see how our graduates engage with their people, and learn how they are bringing their ARI training back home.
This is crucial in keeping our curriculum relevant to the needs of grassroots rural leaders and ensuring we are fulfilling our mission of preparing these leaders to serve their communities.
I think you will agree that the best way to learn the intricate details of a people and a culture, is by being there, spending time in conversation over a meal of stewed goat or on a long car journey across the African landscape. These personal interactions build strong relationships between ARI and its alumni, and also strengthen networks among graduates throughout the region. Also, they are super motivating! Seeing what comes “after ARI” energizes us in our work and hopefully you, whoever you are reading this travel log, will get that same sense of excitement, that what ARI is doing in this world is truly something good.
Written by Steven Cutting (Graduate Outreach Coordinator)
Travelling with Kai Shinoda (Admissions and Recruitment Coordinator)
Click here to read the series of articles
Vol.0 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates, Prologue】 <== Now, you’re here
Vol.1 【The African journey to visit ARI graduates, Days 1 & 2】
Director’s Report:
I contribute an essay titled “Where God, Soil, and People Cross” in the quarterly review of “Worship and Music” No. 203 (published in October 2024 by United Church of Christ in Japan Publishing Section). This issue is a special issue on “Creation and Environment,” and I was asked to write an essay from the “site”. I introduced ARI as the one and only “environment” where God, soil, and people cross, and concluded by saying that in this unique environment, “we should spare no effort to “live together with other human beings” and hope that transformation and creation will be carried out greatly and freely. In a world where so many conflicts, confusions, and confrontations are occurring simultaneously, this is truly what I earnestly hope for.
Cheese and Whey Festival (@cheese.and.whey_festival) – Instagram photos and videos
Cheese studios and popular restaurants from all over Japan will gather in Nasu. We are going to present you 2 days of tasty cheese and whey festival!
Cheese and Whey Festival vol.2
Dates: November 3 (Sun.) and 4 (Mon.)
Time: 9:00 – 16:00 (Food will be served from 10:00)
Admission: Free
Location: @goodnews_nasu
Please come out to the event at the end of three consecutive holidays, if you would like to join us.
Last Friday, the Asian Rural Institute held its annual sweet potato harvest. It was a sunny day, and the good weather lifted everyone’s spirits as participants, staff, and volunteers worked together in the fields. The harvest event brought the ARI community together, and everyone enjoyed digging up the bright purple potatoes, which had grown well this season.
Throughout the day, laughter and teamwork filled the fields, making the harvest both a productive and joyful occasion. This yearly tradition reminds everyone at ARI of the importance of community and teamwork in growing food. At the end of the day, the ARI community celebrated their hard work and shared the harvest’s success.
Director’s Report:
In October, in addition to ARI’s biggest event, Harvest Thanksgiving Celebration (HTC), many special lecturers came to our campus to give classes.
During the hectic schedule, I was fortunate to travel to give lectures in many places; I went to Keiwa Gakuen University in Niigata Pref., Aoyama Gakuin University (Sagamihara Campus), and Yamanashi Eiwa University in Yamanashi Prefecture. I also gave an online class to the 2nd year students of Keisen Women’s College in Tokyo. The themes were “Servant Leadership” and “Peace from the Soil”. Tomorrow, I will talk about “Building a society that we all can live together” at the Kaminokawa Town Lifelong Learning Center in the central Tochigi prefecture. Next month, I will be going to Kinjo Gakuin University in Nagoya City (Photo: with President Dr. Aiko Kanayama (right) and Dr. Rev. Jiro Shimotao (left)).
ARI recently hosted Tony Rinaudo from World Vision Australia, who held a transformative workshop on Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR). Known for his innovative work in restoring degraded landscapes, Rinaudo shared practical steps on how communities can regenerate land by managing existing tree stumps and root systems, rather than planting new trees.
ARI participants, representing rural leaders from across Asia and Africa, learned hands-on techniques to apply in their home countries. Rinaudo’s approach emphasized simplicity, low-cost implementation, and its potential to empower communities facing environmental degradation. By managing natural resources effectively, participants can enhance biodiversity, improve soil health, and increase crop yields.
Rinaudo’s message connected faith and responsibility, inspiring participants to see land restoration as both a practical and spiritual responsibility. Equipped with FMNR skills, they left with renewed hope and the tools to make a tangible difference in their communities.
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