Dear Friends ,
Welcome to Central Asia Institute ’ s 2024-2025 Journey of Hope magazine . Each year , CAI publishes this magazine to showcase our work and bring to life the people of Central Asia whose lives are being transformed thanks to your generous support .
While CAI ’ s education programs benefit all ages and genders , this year ’ s magazine shines a light on some of the inspiring women participating in our women ’ s livelihood and business training programs . Like in most parts of the world , females born into poor , rural communities in Central Asia work as hard as their male counterparts whether it be raising children , cooking , or tending to household chores , animals , and crops . But rarely do they earn an income and when they do , it ’ s far below that of men .
CAI ’ s goal is to give these women the knowledge and tools to transform their hard work ethic and skills into income and to start businesses of their own . We are finding again and again that when empowered , these women invest in their families ’ wellbeing and lift other women up by hiring them as employees and teaching them what they learned so that they , too , can earn an income of their own .
We ’ re also seeing evidence of how educating women and girls is changing perceptions in societies that often undervalue them . In the words of Faiza , a mother of six and participant in our women ’ s fruit processing cooperative program in Pakistan , “ What makes me incredibly happy is knowing that I am now recognized as a skilled individual . This independence gives me confidence and has empowered me to believe that I , too , can make a significant contribution .” Rashida , another participant in the program and a single mother of three , feels that the program , “ has not only changed our lives but also inspired a new narrative of possibility for future generations .”
At a time when the world is faced with so many challenges , the need to advance women ’ s access to education and economic opportunity is more important than ever . Without greater gender equality , the communities we serve will never achieve economic growth and development .
With your generous support , CAI is working to close that gap . Thank you for sharing our vision of a future where all people have equal access to education and economic opportunity . In the words of Rashida , “ Thank you for believing in us .”
With gratitude ,
Alice R . Thomas , Executive Director Central Asia Institute
2 | 2024-2025 JOURNEY OF HOPE CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE