We are pleased that the Montana Attorney General's Office (OAG), Central Asia Institute (CAI), and Greg Mortenson have signed an agreement resolving the OAG's inquiries. While we respectfully disagree with some of the analysis and conclusions in the OAG's report, we look forward to moving ahead as an even stronger organization, focusing on CAI's vital mission. Most importantly, we are pleased the OAG's report reinforced that CAI's mission is noble and valuable and its achievements are important.           

            CAI has always been a small group of dynamic, mission-centric individuals doing extraordinary work. Mistakes were made during a rapid period of growth, and we have corrected or are in the process of correcting them. CAI continues to strengthen its governance, management, and accounting, including enforcing our policies and acting on any findings of the annual audits of our financial records.

             During the OAG's 11-month inquiry, we continued our overseas work and educational outreach, including our Pennies For Peace (P4P) program, designed to empower children to create global awareness about peace through education, www.penniesforpeace.org. Highlights of all our programs are published on our website, www.ikat.org, the CAI Communiqué blog,  www.ikat.org/cai-communique, and in our e-newsletter, Alima, www.ikat.org/alima.

            Specifically, in 2011 we worked with villages in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan to initiate 57 new school and community projects while providing ongoing support to our existing projects in the remote, mountainous, and often war-wracked areas we serve. All of our projects are listed on our project master list, which is frequently updated: www.ikat.org/projects/project-list/ 

            We are extremely grateful to our loyal supporters who provide the support to fulfill our mission, and to the communities, which typically match CAI funds with free land or subsidized or volunteer manual labor. Many of these schools are the first or only schools in their communities. Instruction of the children is based on Pakistan and Afghanistan's standard education requirements and subject to their peer review and certification.

           In recent weeks some CAI overseas personnel have also been working hard to deliver winter disaster aid to isolated villages in Badakhshan Province in NE Afghanistan. Please see detailed reports at www.ikat.org/cai-communique/. In addition, CAI cofounder Greg Mortenson and Communications Director Karin Ronnow and I recently returned from Pakistan, where we spent several weeks working with program managers to confirm plans for schools and community projects in the upcoming year. As always, we have dedicated, resourceful men and women working in the field to make this happen.

           CAI has worked with communities in remote regions for more than 15 years to build, supply, staff, and maintain over 180 schools and 30 vocational centers, and support an additional 56 schools, 20 literacy centers, eight scholarship programs, and 22 public health (potable water, midwifery, and disaster-relief) projects. 

           No other NGO does what we do in these locales with such a small team of dedicated individuals. 

           News fatigue about Pakistan and Afghanistan is evident everywhere we look these days. But the children and their parents, village elders, and teachers with whom we work cannot look away; this is about their futures. Greg and our overseas managers have dedicated their lives to helping fulfill countless dreams and aspirations and we are honored to continue our life-changing work together.

           CAI is an educational organization; we learn and grow stronger from any adversity we face. This past year brought unprecedented challenges for all of us at CAI, our extended families and communities. Yet challenges yield opportunities, and we are extremely grateful for the ongoing opportunities provided by our steadfast supporters, as well as their constant compassion and care.

            As Greg often says, "Onward"!
            Shukria, Tashakur, Thank you.

Very truly yours,

Anne Beyersdorfer
Executive Director

MASTER LIST: Verification of overseas projects (www.ikat.org/projects/) by way of survey teams composed of US-based and overseas staff. Based on those assessments and evaluations, we prepare and post our Master Project List on our website, www.ikat.org/wp-includes/documents/masterprojectlist.pdf. The list is a "living document," in that it is constantly amended with the most current information available about each CAI project. We are currently developing an accompanying interactive mapping feature that will be an educational resource about our projects. www.ikat.org/projects/project-list/

BLOG: The CAI Communiqué includes stories about projects, communities and our overseas project managers, as well as news from the areas we serve. www.ikat.org/cai-communique/

FYE 2009 & 2010 AUDITS & ANNUAL REPORT: We take very seriously our obligation to ensure that donor funds are spent wisely. Tracking the money is part of our job. Last year for the first time, in conjunction with our FYE 2009 & FYE 2010 independent audit, CAI issued an annual report, focused primarily on financial information (stories about the projects have been published in the "Journey of Hope" each fall since 2007; and current news is now posted on our blog as it happens).

www.ikat.org/wp-includes/documents/Financials/annualreport2010-09.pdf

FYE 2011 AUDIT: CAI is undergoing an audit of fiscal year 2010, which ended Sept. 31, 2011. Once the audit is complete, a new annual report will be posted at www.ikat.org. 

ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION: CAI's annual IRS 990s since inception are available on the financial page of our website, www.ikat.org/about-cai/financials/, and are available upon request at info@ikat.org. 

GREG MORTENSON'S ROLE: As announced in December 2011, Greg remains on staff as co-founder. His role will be focused on delivering educational opportunities, especially for girls, in the communities we serve, and continuing to educate the public about peace through education. 

www.ikat.org/wp-includes/documents/JOH2011DonorLetter.pdf

Central Asia Institute has been added to the list of charities eligible for donations through the U.S. government's Combined Federal Campaign.

Students in CAI's Wark High School, Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan.

The Combined Federal Campaign, or CFC, is the largest annual workplace charity campaign in the world, according to the campaign website, www.opm.gov/cfc/. It allows federal employees - civilian, postal and military workers - to pledge support for eligible nonprofit organizations through a payroll deduction. On average, 57 percent of the federal workforce donates to the campaign.

"This is something that many of our military supporters have requested for a long time, so this is very positive news," said CAI's US Operations Director Jennifer Sipes.

One of those people is a U.S. Air Force captain, who wrote to CAI urging our participation in the campaign.

"I read 'Three Cups of Tea' several months ago and have long supported education initiatives. I believe, dollar for dollar, education solves more problems than other humanitarian efforts," he wrote. "I have many peers within the Air Force who have read 'Three Cups of Tea,' have spent significant time in Afghanistan and support your efforts. I'm certain the Central Asia Institute would receive significant donations from federal employees if you register with the CFC."

The CFC was set up by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 "to promote and support philanthropy" by "providing all federal employees the opportunity to improve the quality of life for all," according to the website. Its 200-plus campaigns helped raise more than $280 million dollars in each of the past two years.

"The civilian workforce in my hometown of Seattle (King County) alone contributed over 3 million dollars toward charities in 2009 and I've been part of military installations that have contributed over $10 million each year," wrote another supporter, a retired U.S. Navy sailor who now works for the U.S. Labor Department in western Washington. "It's one large way that we public servants give to charity and definitely the armed forces' favorite way to contribute."

Like the Air Force captain, the Washington supporter said he was "turned on" to CAI after reading "Three Cups of Tea," one of two books written by CAI cofounder Greg Mortenson.

Yet another CAI supporter in Southern California was also inspired by Mortenson's book.

"I just got done reading 'Three Cups of Tea,' and went to check the Combined Federal Campaign to see if CAI was listed as a charity," he wrote. "I did not see CAI listed. I assume CAI knows about this area of donation opportunity."

He, too, urged CAI to look into CFC eligibility, as it would give us access to a potential donation pool of "millions of federal, postal and military employees" who "donate to charities right from their paychecks," he said. "I am a federal employee (who) participates in the CFC each year. ... In the Greater Los Angeles Area, it collected over $3 million this last campaign."

Federal employees can, in most cases, donate online and choose which eligible organization receives that donation. Payroll deductions let workers spread contributions over an entire year. The automated system keeps overhead low, meaning more money goes to the nonprofit organizations. Federal employees can find the campaign nearest them at www.opm.gov/cfc/search/locator.asp.

QUOTE: "Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal." - John F. Kennedy.