PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS
by Jed Williamson and Jim Thaden
Over the next 20 years, Central Asia Institute and its in-country partners will make literacy and education possible for a new generation of leaders, especially female leaders, in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan.
We will be there when girls, boys, women, and men, learn to write their names for the first time, when they pass their first test, and when they apply to college. We aren’ t content to stop there.
CAI plans to be there when those same students lead their communities toward peace and prosperity, as the next wave of teachers, humanitarians, doctors, scientists, parents, and civil servants. How do we get there from here? In honor of our 20th anniversary, we wanted to take a moment and show you how we are planning for the future. Here is a glimpse of some of the amazing things to come.
For the last two decades, CAI’ s committed donors have gifted brick and mortar schools, vocational training buildings, and community centers. The education that occurs within these buildings produces thousands of grateful beneficiaries— from students, to teachers, to women learning trades. The positive social impact of this effort has helped shape the progress of the regions where we work and is instrumental in promoting peace. The return on investment is huge.
In the future, the best return on investment, at least in terms of social impact, will come not only from these structures, but also from carefully designed education programs that provide young people with the tools they need to lead.
By developing more programs that give students the information, knowledge, and methods they need to succeed, we can enable these young women and men to realize their own vision of the future.
How can we be so sure? We’ re sure because we’ re seeing amazing results from our trial programs.
In 2015 alone, 3,014 young women received free afterschool lessons in core subjects by participating in our Students Education
Support Program; 762 young women and men who previously had no access to education were prepared for a formal education in our expedited Quick Learning Center Program; and all 109 early childhood development teachers in Tajikistan’ s Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast attended a training on the latest methods for working with children ages 2-5.
Education programs— like early childhood development, afterschool tutoring, and expedited learning courses for students whose education was delayed— enable young leaders, and especially young women, to believe in the power of their own potential. These programs provide them with the needed tools to peacefully and successfully lead communities. Education provides them with the confidence and skills to think and act creatively in the midst of continuing hostilities. Most importantly, it helps them build the strength of character required to step up courageously in times of crisis or uncertainty. We believe in them, and thanks to your continued help, CAI will be there to help them realize their full potential as individuals and community leaders for years to come.
6 | JOURNEY OF HOPE CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE