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About The Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs

The Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs (CNFA) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization dedicated to stimulating economic growth around the world by nurturing entrepreneurship, private enterprise, and market linkage. CNFA specializes in engaging private companies of all sizes in win-win partnerships to expand economic activity and increase incomes. CNFA focuses on rural development, empowering farmers and enterprises to add value and access markets. CNFA nurtures development of sustainable rural credit and business management training services. CNFA mobilizes American farmers and other economic experts to provide training to disadvantaged counterparts in other countries.

Through its volunteer program in the former Soviet Union, CNFA is helping people build a free-market-based food and agricultural system. Since 1993 more than 600 volunteers have participated in this program. In order to achieve the greatest impact, CNFA sends multiple volunteers to long-term projects, with each volunteer assignment building upon previous ones. CNFA's long-term projects seek to develop private farmer associations, cooperatives, private agribusinesses, women's and young farmer groups, and other organizations that can help people increase their incomes and well-being. Volunteers provide help to a wide variety of groups, including dairy processors and producers, beef cattle farmers, mushroom producers, honey producers, fruit growers, and greenhouse producers.

International Voluntary Service Activities

The Agribusiness Volunteer Program (AVP), part of CNFA's Small Enterprise Development Program, provides opportunities for U.S. farmers, agribusiness professionals, and other agriculturists to help build democracy and market economies by sharing their expertise with aspiring entrepreneurs across the globe. In the past twelve months, CNFA has sent 80 volunteers to the former Soviet Union and plans to send 79 volunteers this coming twelve month period. It is extimated that CNFA houses approximately 1,000 prospective volunteers in their database.