After working in the region for three years, Greg Mortenson co-founded Central Asia Institute (CAI), a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization in 1996. CAI’s IRS registration number is 51-0376237.
Central Asia Institute’s mission is to promote and support community-based education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The philosophy is to empower the local people through their own initiative. As of 2009, Central Asia Institute has successfully established 130 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, which provide (or have provided) education to over 51,000 students, with a emphasis on girls’ education. Over the first decade of CAI’s evolution, our programs and projects expanded to several regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan with an emphasis on education, health issues, environment and cultural preservation.
Central Asia Institute community projects continue to focus primarily in remote, underserved regions where few organizations serve. Since 2005, CAI refined and focused its’ priority to focus mainly on rural education, literacy, teacher training, and scholarships, especially for females. CAI also continues to pioneer and promote education in regions where there are few or no education opportunities. We now put more resources into sustainable initiatives, to improve the quality of education, support teacher training, and help motivated students to achieve their education goals with higher education.
For more information, to make a tax deductible donation, or visit CAI website www.ikat.org
