Meet CAI’s New Board Members
By Tonya Andrews Central Asia Institute is proud to welcome two new distinguished individuals to its Board of Directors: Ambassador Richard A. Boucher and Raja Akram. Richard’s career has been marked by significant roles in diplomacy, including serving as U.S. State Department spokesperson and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia. His extensive […]
How Will You Be Remembered?
By Marianne Monoc A legacy in many ways symbolizes our life, values, and dreams. Whether we hope to be remembered as a caring parent, a trusted friend, a loving spouse, a concerned citizen, or even a philanthropist, we all wish to make a positive, and hopefully lasting impact on the world. Many of our dedicated […]
New Ways to Give
By Marianne Monoc Marsha Williams first heard about CAI from her son, an avid mountaineer who had read a magazine article about CAI founder Greg Mortenson’s climbing adventures and the harsh, often unforgiving living conditions experienced by the communities he visited in his travels. As a high school counselor for many years who was passionate […]
The Women Reviving the Folk Crafts of Tajikistan
By Lynzy Billing High up in the Pamir mountains of eastern Tajikistan, 65-year-old Alimabonu Dovutova’s nimble fingers carefully thread her needle. Dovutova lives with her husband, son, his wife and her two grandchildren in the village of Khidorjev in the Roshtqala district of Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan region. She leads me into a small room in her […]
The Fight of All Fights
Closing the gender gap is critical to global development. By Alice Thomas The countries of Central and South Asia face enormous challenges. While there are notable differences between Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, the countries where Central Asia Institute works, all suffer from high rates of poverty, unemployment (especially among youth), illness, disease, insecurity, and conflict. […]
Harvesting Hope for Women in Gilgit-Baltistan
By Rida Pakistan ranks 143rd out of 146 countries in achieving economic participation and opportunities for women in the 2024 Women’s Economic Gap Index.i This places Pakistan among the most challenging environments globally for women seeking economic empowerment. Despite comprising nearly half of Pakistan’s population at 48.76%, women are significantly underrepresented in the labor force, […]
Afghanistan: Amid the Challenges, CAI Continues to Provide Education and Hope
By Alice Thomas One of the most common questions we get from our supporters is, “Is Central Asia Institute still working in Afghanistan?” The question is not surprising given that it seems the only news coming out of Afghanistan these days is grim. Since taking control three years ago, the Taliban has imposed increasingly harsh […]