Welcome to AFS Manawatu, part of the worldwide AFS family                         

AFS is the world's largest and most experienced intercultural exchange programme, with 60 years in the business, the largest volunteer base, and a wider range of countries to choose from than any other exchange organisation. Our mission is to foster peace through intercultural understanding.

AFS touches lives around the globe, with programmes for high school students, young adults and educators, and opportunities for volunteers and host families.

The experience or participating in an AFS Exchange has positive and lasting effects on our young adults as they grow so much during the course of their exchange. They develop great qualities such as: cultural awareness, consideration for others, communication skills, public speaking confidence, decision making skills and an appreciation of the things they often take for granted at home.

The Hosting experience is also a wonderful thing in that you get to share your hosted student's culture and country's ways of doing things as well as help your new host child gain an understanding of the New Zealand way of life and maybe also see a bit of New Zealand. But most importantly you also help them in developing the qualities that have been mentioned above. Hosting is an awesome experience and is something I can personally attest to having done it five times myself. It is an experience that will be memorable and cherished for years to come. Often many families travel overseas in later years to visit their students and their families.

For more information on opportunities for hosting and/or travelling with AFS Intercultural Programmes to other parts of the world please visit the AFS New Zealand website