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� Local leadership : The projects addressed issues with real local salience and solutions were locally negotiated and delivered because project managers allowed local actors to take the lead . There was a common willingness of the funder to take a back seat ; donors provided external stimulus and had their own vision of the kind of change they sought to support , but avoided dominating either the agenda ( in the sense of specifying what to do ) or the process ( specifying how to do it ). This was critical in freeing the front-line personnel to explore worthwhile changes .
� Flexible funding : None of the programs were under pressure to meet particular spending targets or timetables . That supported several approaches to design and implementation and allowed people to respond to opportunities as they arose .
� Long-term commitments : Funders were willing to make extended commitments and there was an unusual degree of staff continuity .
“ What is the ‘ so what ’ for donors ?” Green asked . How can funders and organizations work together to create an “ enabling environment ” where local people “ who happen to emerge at the right time and place ” can actually get things done ?
He quoted the ODI paper : “ Iterative , adaptive problem-solving requires an underlying relationship of trust between the funder and front line operators : the funding agency must show some willingness to let go . … The good news is that there is nothing inherently new or esoteric about politically smart , locally led approaches that support iterative problem solving : they have much in common with good policy-making anywhere .
“ Indeed it is a measure of how detached the aid business has become from everyday reality that we should consider any of the seven cases remarkable . They show that donors can facilitate developmental change in very challenging contexts , but only if they are prepared to align their own thinking and practices with the uncomfortable reality that processes of developmental change are complex , unpredictable , mainly endogenous , and pervaded by politics .” We agree wholeheartedly .
— By Karin Ronnow and education , especially for girls . CAI won ’ t be deterred by the violence of extremists . Our investment is too high and the payoff is too great to retreat . Literacy and education is the best long-term path to sustainable peace .”
And CAI has a host of non-building projects on tap , Mortenson said .
“ For the last few years , CAI has been pioneering small , innovative , and sustainable programs to empower mostly girls and women that can later be replicated in other places ,” he said . “ Our primary focus is to continue to support the literacy and education initiatives that we have been doing for almost two decades . But we are also using our experience and expertise to develop new ways to create hope and prosperity for those we serve .”
The “ developmental programs ” initiative incorporates some existing programs — teacher support and training , early childhood development , home-based literacy and vocational training , schools for nomads , and scholarships — but also some newer ideas .
Mortenson ’ s new role defining and expanding these developmental programs gives him the opportunity to do what he does best , Thaden said .
“ CAI was successful over the past 18 years because Greg personally worked with communities to craft appropriate local solutions to complex problems of illiteracy , poverty , and hopelessness ,” Thaden said . “ Greg is gifted in his ability to bring people together , to put aside their ethnic and sectarian differences for the common good of giving their children a better future . As CAI matures , our challenge is to find ways to bundle and transport these creative local solutions so they can easily and economically be replicated by others to multiply their effect .”
LOOKING AHEAD All of this work takes money . Just maintaining and sustaining existing projects and programs is a multi-million-dollar operation . Yet since 2011 , CAI ’ s donations have significantly declined .
“ We have a body of work , an infrastructure to maintain and support . We have a fiduciary duty to our beneficiaries and to our donors to maintain without using up those resources . We have 100,000-plus kids in our schools . That ’ s a great responsibility and unfortunately , it costs a great deal . We are going to need help from others if our efforts are going to be sustained . ”
Historically , more than 90 percent of
“ CAI has always been an organization of hard-working people committed to bringing real change to the children and communities they serve . I have faith our persistence will prevail .”
— Jim Thaden , CAI Executive Director
CAI ’ s funding has come from individuals , many of whom were inspired by reading Mortenson ’ s books . Other fundraising tools have included printed communications and direct mail , large speaking events , and a few gala events . CAI has never accepted government funding .
With donations dwindling , CAI ’ s board of directors and executive management team are working to expand the scope and scale of its donor appeals , Thaden said . CAI will also need to seek funds from charitable foundations and corporate sponsors and look to international markets to fuel new donor campaigns .
From his perspective , one of the organization ’ s biggest assets is its people — donors , staff , international partners , board members , and volunteers . “ CAI has always been an organization of hard-working people committed to bringing real change to the children and communities they serve . I have faith our persistence will prevail .”
Nevertheless , the fundraising challenge is daunting , he acknowledged .
Keeping CAI ’ s philosophy in mind helps , said Wakil Karimi , CAI-Afghanistan director .
“ CAI is the best and strongest small NGO working in the most difficult remote rural villages ,” he said . “ This is difficult and dangerous work and we don ’ t have guns , bulletproof cars , tanks or high walls — only big hearts and pencils .”
CAI ’ s pioneering model , its patience , determination , and lessons learned only become more valuable as time goes on , Barrett concluded . “ We believe CAI donations will begin to grow again , and when they do , CAI is poised to help the people we serve change their lives , and those of generations to come .” y
8 | Journey of Hope C E N T R A L A S I A I N S T I T U T E