History

The AFS Intercultural Programs, Inc. (formerly known as the American Field Service) is a worldwide, nonprofit, volunteer-based organization founded in 1947 by volunteer ambulance drivers who survived World War I and II. The drivers believed, as AFS believes today, that the way to build a more just and peaceful world is for people from different countries and cultures to meet, learn together, and understand one another better.

From a small exchange program in 1947, AFS has become a worldwide multicultural exchange network involving around 10 000 participants annually studying and living in more than 50 countries for a period of three weeks up to one year. It is supported by 100 000 volunteers in numerous communities around the world. Having in operation for over 50 years, it is the most experienced student exchange organization in the world. AFS is funded by participant fees and corporate, foundational, government, and individual contributions.

AFS in the Philippines

AFS started in the Philippines in 1956. Over a period of 24 years (1957-1979), 1 047 young Filipinos went to the United States for one year and 609 American teenagers came to the Philippines as AFS exchange students.

In 1980, AFS Philippines ceased its operations and remained closed for the next 20 years. To keep the AFS spirit alive, AFS returnees organized themselves initially into a student organization, then to an association, and in 2000, into the AFS Returnees Foundation Philippines , Inc. (ARFP).

In 2001, ARFP revived AFS exchange programs in the Philippines by implementing the ASEAN High School exchange program in cooperation with AFS Japan. Forty-one Japanese and 20 FIlipino exchange students have participated from 2001 to 2003.

Return to the Philippines

2003 marked the formal return of AFS in the Philippines in its present form, the AFS Intercultural Programs Philippines (AFS-IPP). In 2004, the first batch of Filipino exchange students under the AFS-Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program was sent to the United States. Currently in its fourth year, the YES program provides full scholarships for a year of living and studying in the US to a select group of teenagers from countries with significant Muslim populations.

On August 17, 2007, AFS will celebrate its 50th year in the Philippines with a Gala Night featuring AFS International president Tachi Cazal as Guest of Honor.