MEMO

To: Dr. Lynn Gilden

From: Victoria Allcock

Date: February 14, 2011

RE:  Central Asia Institute

Families in Afghanistan and Pakistan are living in poverty as well as without health-care. The number of educated people in this region is even smaller. Not only do the people in the region live with unfortunate conditions such as these, but also there are not many organizations that are working in these areas of the world.  The number of educated people in a nation helps to bring new ideas that would aid in the stimulation of that country’s economy and also to improve the citizen’s health.  Females in these particular countries feel like they cannot make a difference in their society because they are illiterate.  The reason is because their families can only afford to send maybe one person to school, and that person would be one of the male family members.  Not only is this a problem for female citizens, but for every child in these areas as well. For all people living in this region, even clean water to drink was hard to find until Mr. Greg Mortenson arrived in Pakistan in 1993. 

The Central Asia Institute is a non-profit organization that was established by a Swiss physicist, Dr. Jean Hoerni in 1996. Mr. Greg Mortenson, an American, is the co-founder and Executive Director of the organization.  This organization has been helping thousands of people in Afghanistan and Pakistan by raising the number of educated individuals throughout the region.  Their mission is “to promote and support community-based education, especially for girls and women, in the remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.” Their main focus is aimed at females. As quoted by Mr. Mortenson in a 1995 article, “educate the women and you educate the whole community… because they teach the children.” From the foundation of the Central Asia Institute in 1996, through the year 2010, the organization has built 145 schools ranging from Pre-schools to colleges for all the people who want to further their education.  In addition, the organization offers different programs including scholarships, teacher training to gain teaching experience through training workshops, the construction of schools, and the Pennies for Peace Program.   The Pennies for Peace Program is a great way for students in the United States to raise money to help people in Pakistan and Afghanistan with getting an education.  While in the program, they learn that when they share and work together, they have a good influence on the world.       

Like any organization, the Central Asia Institute has several ways of communicating with the public as well as within the organization itself.  One way that the public can communicate with the organization is by visiting their website.  Subscribers will receive e-mails and the monthly e-newsletter, which is called Alima so that they could keep up with the latest news, as well the current community projects that the Central Asia Institute is doing, and finally upcoming events.  There are also books available for purchase about Greg Mortenson and his beneficial influence within the Pakistan and Afghanistan regions.   The public can volunteer for any event or fundraiser by registering online.