Dear Applicants,

It has been over forty-three years since the Duskin Ainowa Foundation was established in 1981. The “Duskin Study Abroad Leaders Program for the Disabled” was initiated during the United Nation's International Year of Disabled Persons, with the goal of helping persons with disabilities to achieve full participation, without discrimination, in society.

The Foundation also launched its second program,“ The Duskin Leadership Training in Japan” in 1999. During the past twenty-five years, a total of 149 trainees from 29 different countries and regions in Asia and the Pacific area successfully completed the program. We are pleased that the program has been well received, as is evident in the enthusiastic responses from communities in these nations, year after year. At the same time, we are increasingly aware of the importance of our commitment and our responsibility to ensure that this program continues to have its long-term social impact on these nations.

We believe that our mission for this program is to provide our selected trainees with the training they need so that on their return to their home countries, they can become leaders among persons with disabilities in their own communities, by dedicating themselves to these individuals and communities. We are proud that many trainees who completed the program are now playing pioneering roles in their home countries.

We hope that many young persons with disabilities and who also possess courage and a belief in their ability to face and overcome tough difficulties and challenges, will apply to participate in our 25th program. There were approximately 310 applicants for the 24th program, and we expect that the number of applicants this year will exceed even that total. While the selection process is rigorous, and the training program even more so, we encourage all young people who are determined to accept new challenges to apply for this extraordinary program.

We look forward to receiving your application and wish you success in your endeavors.

With our prayers,

The Executive Committee for the Duskin Leadership Training in Japan
Duskin AINOWA Foundation