3
W
Recently Janagha Jaheed, manager of CAI
partner organization Marcopolo Social
Services and Reconstruction Organization
Trust and relationships
are key aspects in
doing business anywhere,
but they especially are
important in Central
Asian cultures.
(MSSRO), did just that. Placing himself in
harm’s way, Janagha delivered supplies and
ensured the safety of staff in Badakhshan,
Afghanistan as the Taliban moved in and
took control of the region.
Thirty hours, three flights, and a threeday drive on rough roads stood between
CAI-US staff and those projects. Even if
we hopped on a plane as news broke that
militants were heading that direction, we
never would have made it in time to help.
We were grateful for Janagha’s quick action.
MSSRO is just one of many organizations
that CAI partners with to provide services
overseas. Like MSSRO, Star of Knowledge,
Central Asia Institute-Afghanistan, Central
Asia Educational Trust, Central Asia
Institute-Gilgit, and Central Asia InstituteTajikistan, all deliver customized, proportionate programs and resources to the people who need them most.
Today, our small but growing international workforce of dedicated partners
are identifying and distributing improved
teaching tools and more flexible and adaptive early childhood development, literacy,
education, and vocational training programs. These tools and programs help CAI
deliver hand-tailored solutions to local
communities based on the residents telling
us what they need. And it is all about building relationships.
Staff in the U.S. can’t simply send an
email to village elders whenever we need to
coordinate on a project. Few elders in these
far-flung villages are literate, and even fewer have computers or Internet access. Thus
we have to build relationships in person.
In tribal societies, community meetings
I HAVE BEEN IN THEIR SHOES
I am a CAI beneficiary,
but in a different sense.
Working as women’s development director at CAIGilgit has been a source
of personal fulfillment for
me, and a means for me
to help my people and
community.
Like most girls from my village, I was married after high school at the age of 17. At
that time I moved to my husband’s village.
It was very remote, approachable only by a
rutted jeep track.
There was only one teacher at the village’s
only school. When he went away for training, the village elders insisted that I take his
place. I volunteered at the school from noon
until 4 p.m. most days, and taught whatever
little I knew. I never had taught before and
my capacity and capabilities were much the
24 | JOURNEY OF HOPE
typically are called for decision-making
purposes. In Pakistan these community-based committees are known as tanzeem;
in Afghanistan the meetings are referred to as
jirgas. If an important business matter needs
to be discussed — such as the building of a
school — everyone gathers together, and the
issue is decided.
Trust and relationships are key aspects
in doing business anywhere, but they especially are important in Central Asian
cultures. A friendly face goes a long way in
situations such as this.
Empowerin