Central Asia Institute

"The great aim of education is not knowledge but action."
-- Herbert Spencer

 

Asalaam Alaikum (Peace be with you). With this summer edition of Alima, we are pleased that the work of CAI continues with dozens of new projects overseas, new relationships at home and never-ending gratitude for the support from all of you, our steadfast champions. As has been true for Greg and CAI for more than 15 years, each unprecedented experience provides learning and teaching opportunities.

CAI's Mohumudan School, Badakshan, Afghanistan

The assurance of CAI's loyal supporters remains a priority. Staff and program managers are working diligently to allay concerns, verify policies and procedures and confirm CAI's solid foundation in the U.S. and overseas. An annual independent and thorough audit is under way, followed by filing of FY 2009's tax forms. The Journey of Hope in

 November will present all findings.

Greg Mortenson's recovery following his June open-hear

JURM SCHOOL

CAI's Jurm School, Kharun Dab, Afghanistan

t surgery is slow, but steady, and he remains under doctors' care during his cardiac rehab. He intends to respond to the media allegations when his health allows.

 

In the meantime, CAI's board of directors met this month to review good governance, expand the number of directors and set goals for the year ahead. With renewed commitment to our mission, we invite you to read on!  

CAI school at the roof of the world

Central Asia Institute's project manager, Sarfraz Khan, recently made the long trek to CAI's Bozoi Gumbad School in Afghanistan's Pamir Mountains, 'the roof of the World.' He confirmed that, contrary to recent media reports, about three-dozen boys and girls and three teachers were a month into their second year at the primary school. The school serves the nomadic Kyrgyz people during the summer and fall months.

CAI's Bozoi Gumbad School, Afghanistan 2011

 

 Khan's report underscored that CAI's Bozoi Gumbad School is not a "ghost school." Teachers are teaching. Students are learning. And the Kyrgyz people have a brighter future because of it.

To read more and see a school slideshow go here:

 

We're blogging!

Karin Ronnow with Taha Ali (Haji Ali's son) Korphe, Pakistan May 2011

We are excited to introduce our new blog, CAI Communiqu�, edited by Karin Ronnow, CAI Communications Director. She has visited CAI projects overseas numerous times and strives to keep supporters updated on developing CAI stories, statements and reports.

Here is a sneak preview from her first post: "I learned a lot on this trip. Although this was my ninth trip to the region, it was my first time as a CAI employee and not a contracted journalist. My goal was, therefore, different. I saw things through a different lens. The staff entrusted me with additional information, observations and suggestions. It has always been the human aspect of the stories behind all of CAI's work that inspires me. That is the thread that weaves us all together as we strive to promote education in mountain regions that are so much like home-despite being half a world away." Read more here.

 Teachers, literacy and diplomacy

CAI staff members, led by Karin Ronnow, were visited by thousands of teachers at the Pennies for Peace (P4P) booth at the National Education Association conference in Chicago in early July. Teachers everywhere are a critical part of our mission and we have boundless respect for their work. Read more about this story at CAI Communique.


CAI's Outreach Coordinator, Sadia Ashraf, spoke to schoolteachers and professors at a workshop arranged by the Center for South Asia at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Ashraf's lecture, 'Challenges and Statistics: Female Literacy in Pakistan and Afghanistan,'gave listeners a statistical overview of the socioeconomic causes for gender disparity in education in the regions where Central Asia Institute works.

Ashraf was also recently part of a Pakistani-American delegation to Washington, D.C., aimed at improving bilateral relations between the two countries. Read more about these stories here. 

 

 

Show your Support

CAI's new bumper sticker, which is removable and easy to reattach, is available free by contacting [email protected] with your name and a postal address.


CAI's U.S. Operations Director Jennifer Sipes and Design Coordinator Lynsie Gettel have updated CAI's website with new photos, features and content. All of CAI's blog posts, press statements and the most current information is here: www.ikat.org
 

 

We remain inspired by the communities we serve, by our mission to bring peace through education and by our supporters who remain committed to CAI's work in the last best places.

Shukria, Tashakor, Thank you,
Central Asia Institute staff
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