NEED:
$24,500
Nine
Pakistan
Schools in
Disrepair
M
ore than 20 years ago CAI began by
building schools to educate children
in some of the poorest and most remote
places in Central Asia. Through partner-
ships with villagers we learned there was
a huge desire to educate both girls and
boys, and we worked together to create
opportunities for multiple generations to
read, write, and even advance to higher
education.
Twenty years is a long time for buildings
to withstand long harsh winters, hot sun,
and all of nature’s fury in these rugged
environments. As schools are damaged or
fall into disrepair, communities may not
have the funds to fix them. Students may
end up in classrooms with cracked walls,
leaking roofs, or the buildings might fall
into such disrepair that children can’t use
them at all.
This year CAI will work with our in-
country partner in Pakistan, Central Asia
Educational Trust (CAET), to repair and
improve nine schools in the Azad Jammu
Kashmir region of Pakistan that desperately
need updates. We will provide structural
repairs to make classrooms safe, update
buildings, and ensure overall integrity so
students have a safe place to learn.
These schools will serve children in
Muzafarrabad and Chatter Domel. The girls
are eager to go to school. Updated facilities
will help them learn without distraction
and give them the best chance to succeed.
The total project cost is $24,500 but
the investment in education, especially for
girls, will be paid back ten-fold with the
generations of students who will have the
opportunity to learn and help their families
earn a living. n
Kishmanjo Footbridge will Connect
Remote Villages to Education
T
he children of Koye, a small village in
northern Pakistan, are separated from the
nearest school in the neighboring village of
Kishmanjo by an impassible river. The village
of ten households is too small to support its
own school, so nearly 20 students are left on
the banks of the river, cut off from education.
The only means to cross the river is a
long suspension bridge, but high water and
6
|
NEED:
$1,500
relentless wind loosened the steel rods and
damaged the bridge. It’s no longer safe to
cross and needs to be repaired with ropes and
wood to stand up to the elements. The cost
of the repairs is $1,500. Once the Kishmanjo
footbridge is safe to cross, students from
Koye can reach the school within an hour and
learn alongside their peers. n
CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE