Central Asia Institute’s story begins in 1993 in the small farming village of Korphe, located in northeastern Pakistan at the foot of the Karakoram mountain range along the banks of the Braldu River. While climbing in the region, American mountaineer Greg Mortenson was deeply moved by the kindness and hospitality of the villagers he met. To return their kindness, he pledged to build a school in Korphe. Fellow mountaineer Dr. Jean Hoerni agreed to finance the project.
Mortenson and Hoerni were convinced that education, especially of girls and women, was the most effective tool to address poverty, fight oppression, and transform lives for the better, in Korphe and beyond. In 1996, Mortenson returned to Bozeman, Montana, another mountain community, where he and Hoerni established Central Asia Institute.
The school in Korphe was the start of a journey that neither Mortenson nor Hoerni could have imagined nearly 30 years ago. Once the children of Korphe graduated from the school that Mortenson and Hoerni built, they had few options to continue their education. Only a handful of secondary schools existed, and those were miles away. CAI stepped up and, with the help of local partners and community leaders, built more schools.
Over time, our programs grew to include early childhood education, scholarships for higher education, and vocational training for women. We also expanded beyond Pakistan and took our programs and mission into neighboring Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
Over the years, we’ve witnessed the astonishing impact of educating girls and women. While CAI supports education for all children, our primary focus is on girls and women, whose education creates powerful ripple effects that strengthen families, communities, and entire nations.
A simple promise to build a school thus grew into a lasting movement that now brings education to thousands of children and adults in remote, mountainous regions of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan.
But our journey has not been without challenges. In 2011, we weathered a storm that led to a change in leadership and improved oversight and accountability. Yet through it all, our work never stopped. We emerged more focused than ever, firm in our belief that education is the world’s most powerful force for change.
Thanks to the dedicated support of our generous donors, CAI has grown from educating the children of one isolated village in Pakistan to serving tens of thousands of learners across three countries each year. We support community schools, supply classrooms, train and mentor teachers, award scholarships, and champion women’s entrepreneurship.
You are the link between need and action. Without you, we wouldn’t have a story. Your generosity has transformed thousands of lives in ways both simple and profound. Thank you for believing in the power of education and for helping us turn the dream of learning into reality.
Together, we’re changing the world, one girl at a time.
