Journey Of Hope - Fall 2018 Journey of Hope 2018 | Page 6

withdrawn from the more violent and remote regions of Afghanistan, but CAI’s unique methodology of working through local, Afghan partners allows us to oper- ate in regions where others cannot, or will not, go. Regardless of the level of resistance to education from militants, CAI and our brave in-country partners are committed to persevering. The shape and form of how we carry out our mission will continue to morph, but we won’t be stopping anytime soon. In fact, our resolve is only fortified by the atrocities of violent extremists. In the coming years, look for CAI to be even more involved in bringing educational opportuni- ties to the victims of the senseless violence in Afghanistan. Q: Sean Taylor — As for the inclusion of livelihood skills into your mission, you broaden your scope in such a way that job training is now a part of your objectives. This begs the question of what you define as livelihood skills and clouds the mission statement of providing education. Is literacy no longer your focus? A: Literacy and education for girls in remote areas remain the cornerstone of our goals. However, it is critical that we continue to support these members of society beyond a basic level of education as that is expected to generate true economic benefits for them and their families. Scholarships and vocational training for a small number of deserving and bright students is part of that effort to help bring true change in the lives of those families. Livelihood training has been a crucial part of CAI’s mission since 1999 when the first vocational training center was established in Baltistan, Pakistan. That was the first, but since then there have been dozens of live- lihood training programs offered by CAI’s in-country partners. When it comes to livelihood training, CAI’s focus is on helping young women. Women in remote regions have far fewer training opportunities than young men. But for local communities to flourish, the creativity, skills and expertise of both women and men are needed. By focusing on fueling the economic power of women, we are liberating a very underutilized economic asset which will improve the quality of life for the entire community. Additional benefits: • A woman’s earnings will be 10-20 per- cent higher for every year of school she completes. • The child of a literate mother has a 50 per- cent greater chance of surviving past age 5. • Children with educated mothers are 50 percent more likely to go to school. Q: Ellen Chatterjee — Are you giving up on conveying the importance of these activities globally? A: We are still very committed to shar- ing the importance of literacy and educa- tion, especially for girls, with the world. Yet, Ambassador (retired) Asif Chaudhry is the chair of the board at Central Asia Institute. Amb. Chaudhry was a Senior Foreign Service Officer in the class of Career Minister in the U.S. Foreign Service and was the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova from 2008-2011. He also held numerous leadership positions in the Departments of State, Defense, and Agriculture. Amb. Chaudhry became the Vice President for International Programs at Washington State University in June 2015. He has been a member of CAI's Board of Directors since 2015. 4 | JOURNEY OF HOPE we must be realistic. At our current size and scale, CAI does not have the global micro- phone we once enjoyed. However, we will continue to place articles in newspapers and share our mission with online audiences. Currently, CAI has more than 80,000 email subscribers and 400,000 people who see our website, social media posts, blogs, and newsletters each year. These online followers — which include individuals from all 50 U.S. states and 200 countries around the world — can share our content with their networks easily and quickly, greatly expanding CAI’s reach with just the click of a button. And of course, we remain committed to Pennies for Peace (P4P), CAI’s service-learn- ing program. Last year, the P4P program was implemented in 431 U.S. classrooms and taught in 38 international schools. Finally, and very importantly, we are actively participating in collaborations with other like-minded organizations, including Let Girls Learn and The Collaborative for Harnessing Ambition and Resources for Girls Education (CHARGE). In the coming years, you’ll see CAI’s outreach efforts grow as we collaborate with other INGOs, charitable foundations, and community associations that have goals and objectives that closely align with our own. All of these initiatives allow us to share our mission on a global scale. l Please contact us with questions of your own. You can reach us at [email protected] or 877.585.7841. James Thaden is the executive director of Central Asia Institute. He was born and raised in Washington, but spent much of his adult life in Philadelphia, New York, and Tennessee. Prior to joining Central Asia Institute, he worked as development director for the Discovery Place, where he played a key role in that organization’s turnaround into a sustainable social enterprise. Prior to his social enterprise work, which he calls his “second career,” Thaden was a successful entrepreneur. CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE