"Education
is a huge factor
in building
tolerance."
the peace they so desperately wanted for
their country.
But watching from the sidelines, Ida
also learned how education is gradually
changing the attitudes and behavior of both
men and women. Through their bravery
and perseverance, these women were slowly
helping to change cultural attitudes that have
long kept women down and society back.
The livelihood (job) training that women
receive as army recruits frees them from
a future defined only by childrearing and
endless household chores, allowing them to
reach their full potential and help others in
the process. Ida believes that while it may
take time, a cultural shift is occurring. More
and more, educated men and women are
relating to one another differently. Respect
has replaced ridicule; animosity is turning
into friendship.
Coming home from Afghanistan was
a hard adjustment. Her experience there
changed how she thinks and how she
lives. She has a new appreciation for the
enormous opportunities and abundance
that Americans enjoy, yet at the same time, is
happier owning just a few possessions.
Ida is now working in the private sector
as a support specialist in an intelligence
capacity, but she’d love to return to
Afghanistan.
“I keep putting it out there, but it’s not
so easy [to go back] as a civilian. Afghanistan
has been a huge part of my life for most
of a decade.”
FALL 2019
Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan.
Photo by Sa’adia Khan
S
hortly after Ida returned from abroad,
she picked up a book written by Greg
Mortenson, the co-founder of Central
Asia Institute. “I was like, yes! That’s what
we need! We need to build schools! Finally,
here’s an organization that’s doing outreach
and doing it properly. They’re building those
familial relationships that are the basis of
everything in that culture.”
Reading Mortenson’s book confirmed
what Ida had seen both in her own life and in
Afghanistan—that education changes lives.
That’s what made her a committed Central
Asia Institute supporter. As a young woman,
education allowed her to develop her lin-
guistic talents, ultimately serving as a com-
pass that pointed her towards purpose and
meaning in her life. And watching her peers
in the Afghan National Army, she became
more convinced than ever of the power of
education to change societies for the better.
“Education is a huge factor in building
tolerance,” she notes. “The Afghan men and
women with a high school or college degree
aren’t stuck in the old ways. They don’t mind
seeing their female family members get an
education. They understand that women
are capable of so much more than staying at
home and doing all the chores.”
Education and livelihood training
change the trajectory of a young wom-
an’s life, whether she lives in America or
Afghanistan. With your help, we’ll contin-
ue to lift up girls and women in the remote
regions of Central Asia—one person, one
community, one day at a time. l
JOURNEY OF HOPE | 13