Together with our development partners, we build on the unique assets and strengths of the rural people. We focus on learning what works for them through research, action, sharing, and enriching their knowledge. We then implement field programs that empower rural communities.
Today, IIRR continues to influence local and national agendas to mobilize political commitments, funding, and innovation necessary to alleviate poverty in rural areas.
Our Mission
To empower rural people to build resilient communities and attain socioeconomic equity through creative and community-led action.
Our Vision
IIRR envisions an equitable world in which rural people achieve their full potential, living a life of dignity and self-reliance in harmony with the environment.
Our Founder：Dr. Y.C. James Yen （October 26, 1893 – January 17, 1990）
The work of IIRR is anchored in the principles and teachings of Dr. Y.C. James Yen, the founder of the Chinese Mass Education Movement, which supported campaigns to teach sixty million people to read and write. Dr. Yen espoused the importance of equal education and opportunity to correct injustice. Dr. Yen said, “Where there is equity and justice, there will be peace.”
We honor his legacy through IIRR by sharing knowledge with people in rural communities so they may share it with others to achieve equality throughout the world.
