Date: February 12, 2011
To: English 1311 students
From: Justin Herrera
RE: Central Asia Institute
Literacy in many parts of the world is at an unacceptable level. Many countries are either simply too poor to provide adequate education or their cultural and/or religious beliefs do not allow for all to be educated. One such region that is affected by an undereducated population is the area of Central Asia. Consisting of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and quite a few other countries, this region is in need of help in educating its people.
The Central Asia Institute is a non-profit organization that is attempted to provide such help for these people. Started by Greg Mortenson in 1996, it aims to provide education for these poor communities in the region. Mr. Mortenson, along with help from colleagues and locals, build schools for the children of central Asia. Mr. Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute provide this assistance without trying to force their own rules or religion on the people of the villages. The villages’ elders serve on a counsel that decides the course of action for the schools. Aside from the elementary schools, the Central Asia Institute also provides assistance for older students who would like to attend college by providing scholarships to these students. While it does provide education to both sexes, it focuses more on the education of females. There are many different reasons why the Institute believes that education of females is very important and beneficial to the welfare of the community. First off, the infant mortality rate of the village is reduced when females are educated to at least a fifth grade level. Studies show that a female with seven years of education marries four years later and has 2.2 fewer children. Also, the overall quality of life is improved. In addition to the schoolhouses, women also have the opportunity to attend vocational training. Here, they can learn special skills that will ultimately allow them to earn income to help support her family. As of August 2010, over 64,000 students have been able to attend the 145 schools built throughout the region by the Central Asia Institute.
There are quite a few ways that one can find out more about the Central Asia Institute. The website at http://www.ikat.org is full of information for people wanting to learn more. An archive of all sorts of articles on CAI is available on the site. Also, they have an electronic newsletter called “Alima” that keeps subscribers up to date on happenings with CAI. If you are more of a visual person, you can watch a few of the videos that they have uploaded to the site. The site also provides links to other videos, audio interviews and news articles. If you would like to print out any CAI publications or even a biography of Greg Mortenson, you may also do so from the site. If you would like to have Mr. Mortenson speak at an event, speaking requests are also being accepted. For more information, you can email the Central Asia Institute at info@ikat.org.
