LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
A
s Central Asia Institute’s new executive director, it is my true honor and pleasure to introduce you to the
13th edition of Journey of Hope magazine. Inside these pages, you’ll find a fantastic array of stories, articles,
and photographs that will take you on a journey—one that will bring to life the transformative power of
education. You’ll read and see how education and livelihoods (jobs) training are creating opportunities
where none existed before and helping to solve complex problems long considered impossible to tackle. Most
importantly, you’ll learn how your support is making a difference. You are changing lives for the better in some
of the poorest, most remote, and most conflict-ridden parts of the globe.
Nineteen years ago this summer, I embarked upon my own transformational journey when I left my job
as a lawyer in New York City to work in Uzbekistan. There I helped support and promote the country’s fledging
civil society sector. It was the first step on a journey that would change my life. Since then, I’ve traveled around
the world, working for various nonprofit organizations on a range of development and humanitarian issues.
Among the many invaluable things I’ve learned along the way is the power of education.
Whether it’s poverty, political repression, poor health, pollution, or armed conflict, education is key
to addressing many of society’s biggest problems. Yet despite this, millions of girls and women around the
globe still don’t have access to high-quality education or the freedom to make their own choices regarding
family and career. I’ve met countless women who desperately wanted to help bring their families out of poverty,
to provide their children with a better future, and to contribute to their country’s peace and prosperity. But
without education or ways to earn an income, their wings had been clipped.
I’m thrilled that my journey has led me to Central Asia Institute. Over the past two decades, Central Asia
Institute’s core premise—the transformative power of education to change the world—has proven true time and
again. The organization’s approach has also proven effective: to focus on reaching girls and women, who often
are sidelined despite their unique and formidable potential to transform their societies for the better.
In this year’s issue of Journey of Hope, the team and I are especially excited to highlight our work in Tajikistan.
While it is one of the lesser known “stans” and one of the poorest countries in Central Asia, Tajikistan is also one
of the most spectacular in terms of its stunning natural beauty, including some of the tallest peaks in the world.
Our local partner, Central Asia Institute Tajikistan (CAIT), has been doing some very exciting work to address
the country’s unique challenges as it struggles to break away from poverty and insecurity.
Also spotlighted in this issue is Central Asia Institute’s increased emphasis on improving women’s access
to livelihoods and paid work, which is part of our effort to adapt to the situation on the ground. Over the past 23
years, Central Asia Institute has helped hundreds of thousands of girls and boys access education, but in order
to pay out its full dividend, education must come with access to sustainable livelihoods.
Women are eager and able to contribute to their families’ income. And when a woman works, her role in the
household and in the community improves with her, and she is more likely to pass her skills and learning down
to her children. We’re hoping to expand upon the great work that Central Asia Institute and its partners are doing
in this area and to be more impactful going forward.
On behalf of our terrific team here in Bozeman and our partners in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan,
thank you for your generous support and for making this journey possible. We’re so excited about the real-life
impacts your contributions are having, the dreams you’re making come true along the way, and the wondrous
possibilities that lie ahead.
Sincerely,
Alice R. Thomas
Executive Director, Central Asia Institute
2 | JOURNEY OF HOPE
CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE