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HOPE IN ACTION THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD
By KARIN RONNOW
A fghanistan and Pakistan are among the top 10 countries in the world where being born female is still a distinct disadvantage .
These are countries “ where girls are especially struggling to get an education , sometimes literally risking their lives to do so ,” Rebecca Winthrop and Eileen McGivney wrote in a recent Brookings Institute report . “ These hotspots are characterized by far fewer girls than boys enrolled in secondary school , high rates of child marriage , and attacks on girls ’ education .”
They also happen to be two of the three countries where Central Asia Institute works to improve access to education , especially for girls , in isolated and neglected mountain communities . The organization has made tremendous progress over the past 18 years , working with communities to build schools and enroll girls , often in places where extreme poverty , traditional mind sets , and isolation are formidable opponents . War and extremism are also daily realities for too many of our partners .
“ I remain in awe of the courage of the girls who attend our schools , and am grateful to their incredible parents , who often make huge sacrifices or even risk their lives so that their daughters can go to school ,” CAI Co- Founder Greg Mortenson said .
“ In the Warduj district of Badakhshan province in Afghanistan , some of the girls go to extreme lengths to avoid being seen walking to school on the main paths or road . In Kapisa province some younger girls disguise themselves as boys so they will not be taunted or abused on their walk to school ,” he said . “ Our teachers also take great pride in their jobs , even though some are at risk for teaching girls .”
Promoting education , especially for girls , remains an uphill battle . Change is slow .
In Afghanistan , there are still only 55 girls for every 100 boys enrolled in secondary school , according to the Brookings report . Forty percent of Afghan girls are married before age 18 , which typically marks the end of their education . As the Brookings report points out — it ’ s hard to be a girl in Afghanistan .
But CAI ’ s partner communities , teachers , and students in its schools , and its supporters around the world know this is a battle worth fighting .
“ We know improving education is the only way out ,” teacher Umar Rafee said about his
“ Our core mission is doing what we do in places where no one else can or will do it , remote places at the end of the road .”
— Steve Barrett , CAI Board Chairman village in Pakistan ’ s Broghil Valley ( eight miles past the end of the road ), where the literacy rate is “ much lower compared to other parts of the district — less than 10 percent .”
TIME OF CHANGE But the good news is that in CAI ’ s partner communities , things ARE changing — for girls and for everyone else .
Since 1996 , CAI has worked with communities to build or support nearly 400 projects in Pakistan , Afghanistan and Tajikistan . Hundreds of thousands of children have received an education because of these combined efforts . The first generation of boys and girls who attend CAI-supported schools are growing up , getting jobs , and giving birth to the second-ever generation of literate children . Thousands of adult women have earned a primary school-level education in our literacy centers . Hundreds of girls have fulfilled their dreams of higher education with the help of our scholarships .
Like its students , CAI has also come of age , said Jim Thaden , CAI ’ s new executive director .
“ Because of the colossal success of Greg ’ s books , CAI grew far faster than anyone anticipated ,” Thaden said . “ Under the pressure of extremely high growth we broke at the seams .”
That was in 2011 . In the three years since , “ We ’ ve made major changes to the way we do business in the United States ,” Thaden said . “ We ’ ve shored up our processes , procedures
2 | Journey of Hope C E N T R A L A S I A I N S T I T U T E