Dear Friends ,
At Central Asia Institute , the fall season is both a time of new beginnings and for reflecting on past achievements . We work with our overseas partners to develop new programs for the coming fiscal year , and we take stock of the impacts we ’ ve had on individuals and communities in ways big and small .
The 2023-2024 Journey of Hope magazine is our effort to bring you , our donors and supporters , into this cycle — a cycle of hope . Inside these pages , you ’ ll not only find stories about the lives we ’ re changing , but you ' ll also learn about how CAI works with our partners , the communities we serve , and supporters like you to make these changes possible .
You ’ ll read about children as young as 3 years old who are starting preschool , getting a critical head start on both their learning and brain development . You ’ ll discover innovative projects created by our overseas partners that are bringing climate change awareness to students and communities for the first time , empowering them to prepare and adapt to these global challenges .
You ’ ll hear testimonies of how CAI ’ s long-term commitment to the remote and mountainous communities we serve has dramatically changed lives for the better . You ’ ll meet Ayub , who attended a CAI-supported school in Pakistan ’ s Baltistan region as a child and now teaches at the very same school , providing lifechanging education to the next generation in his community . And you ’ ll meet Afsona , a scholarship recipient in Tajikistan who used the gift of education made possible by CAI to give back by becoming a teacher . “ To me , an education is a light that guides you towards a better life ,” Afsona explained .
You ’ ll learn why long-term CAI donors like Claire and John Young , who feel blessed in their own lives , want to share those blessings with others by supporting CAI now and creating a lasting legacy after they ’ re gone by including CAI in their estate plans .
As we head into the 2023 holiday season , I hope you ’ ll join us in celebrating these victories and looking forward to the endless possibilities ahead . After all , none of this would be possible without you .
With gratitude ,
Alice R . Thomas , Executive Director Central Asia Institute
2 | 2023-2024 JOURNEY OF HOPE CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE