The spirit of giving is grounded in gratitude. Throughout the holiday season, we take stock of our lives and our world—the good, the difficult, the beautiful and the hard. And inspired by the good, in spite of the difficult, we give. It truly takes a grateful heart to give generously. When we appreciate what we have, we understand the importance of sharing it.
This Giving Tuesday, in the spirit of generosity, Central Asia Institute invites you to change the world through the education of girls and women. Communities near and far are suffering division, violence, loss, and fear, but there is hope. We must remember the future is changed one life at a time. The act of generous giving to those in need—donations large and small—stands as a beacon of light, an antidote to dark times.
Started in 2012 by a New York cultural center’s partnership with the United Nations Foundation, the Giving Tuesday movement now enters its seventh year of bringing charity to the forefront of the holiday season. In a consumer’s world, this day of collective giving recenters the focus on sharing our energy and finances with those in need. The post-purchasing haze left by Cyber Monday and Black Friday could use an antidote. Giving Tuesday inspires us to reground and reconnect, with one another and with what truly matters.
The gift of your generosity to the hopeful learners and educators of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan has deep meaning. Generosity towards those we do not know in person, altruism to cultures not our own, has immense significance.
This year, your donations helped Shabnam, a fatherless teenager from a remote village in the mountains of Pakistan, to fulfill her dreams of secondary education after years of putting her younger sisters through school. We helped Gul Ghutai Masjidi, a 49-year-old mother of six, graduate from college and step confidently into the role of sole breadwinner after her husband could no longer work due to illness. And we supported the dreams of a Raaz Mohammad longtime teacher from Kabul, Afghanistan, nearing his sixties, to finally obtain the college degree which would give him much-needed job security.
CAI is a conduit for individuals helping individuals, a community helping communities. Every donation makes a huge impact. Their need is year-round, and their futures are at stake. On Giving Tuesday, we dream of the powerful impact one day of collective giving can accomplish: when we join together, how great an impact can we have? How many lives can we change?
By giving just a little, or giving a lot, your tax-deductible gift will make a difference for Shabnam, Gul Ghutai, Raaz, and thousands of others. Empowering them with opportunities to further their education has vast ripple effects; as their own circumstances improve, they then help others in need. They are determined to make their lives, communities, and nation a better place through education. And your #GivingTuesday gift makes it possible.
If the answer is educating the girls and women of Central Asia so they can learn, live, grow, and spark global change for generations, then we hope you consider supporting our mission on Giving Tuesday.
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