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Students take notes in the CAI-sponsored Sykomal Girls’ Middle School in Ishkashim, Afghanistan.
ASK, DON’T TELL:
THE RECIPE FOR CHANGE
BY JIM THADEN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE
N
early 20 years ago, Greg
Mortenson and a handful of
like-minded partners were
working to promote peace
and education in the isolated and underserved mountain regions of Pakistan.
Though Greg already had worked in the
area for several years prior, 1996 marked
the first time he was doing so on behalf of
the nonprofit organization Central Asia
Institute.
As is the hallmark of our work to this day,
Greg and his partners carefully listened to
the people whom they sought to serve, and
worked alongside them to bring literacy
and education to individual villages. This
approach of listening to the people’s needs
and responding in ways that invited collaboration, rather than telling them what
CAI thought they needed, was the “secret
sauce” of our success.
FALL 2015
There often was little or no central or provincial government presence in those early
days. Nearly all governance emanated from
the village elders or district officials. Among
the contrast of the beautiful, snow-capped
mountains and abject poverty at their bases,
these were the days of our passionate CAI
leaders forming valuable relationships and
listening rather than telling: usually over a
cup of tea.
But over the last two decades since
CAI’s inception, the voices of the central
and provincial governments in Pakistan,
Afghanistan, and Tajikistan steadily have
grown in the rural regions. And while difficulty in effecting change in the regions
we serve by no means has disappeared, our
work continues to be carried out through
thoughtful listening, intentional collaboration, and supporting our local CAI partners
on the ground.
PEACE LEADERS: FRONT-LINE PARTNERS MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS
Working — as CAI often does — in restricted, prohibited, or semi-autonomous
border areas presents certain challenges.
We have the honor to serve these areas,
and the governments of all three countries
— Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan —
graciously have allowed CAI to function in
these often-remote areas. However, recent
geo-political events have made ongoing
operations more sensitive. Consequently,
locally sourced, on-the-ground resources
have become that much more essential to
the success of our mission.
Having grown up and lived most of their
lives not far from the villages they now
serve, our project managers have their fingers on the pulse of regional life, and respond quickly and efficiently in the case of
an emergency.
JOURNEY OF HOPE | 23