as equal rights, racism, and discrimination.
Change is even harder in a country wracked
by nearly 40 years of war and violence.
The Afghan people are experiencing significant social and political trauma. The forces of intolerance and repression are dashing
the hopes and aspirations of Afghans seeking
peaceful and prosperous lives. Sustainable
education will make a lasting impact. The
process will be slow, but inexorable: the people want education.
When I visit a school or vocational training center, I am inspired by the dreams and
aspirations of Afghan boys, girls, women,
and men. The women in particular tend to
focus on careers that address the social ills
seen in their communities. They want to be
lawyers to address injustice, engineers to rebuild their country, social workers to help
people in need, doctors to care for the sick,
and teachers to educate the next generation.
The right organizations make a difference
to real people in places such as Afghanistan,
Pakistan, and Tajikistan. I have seen firsthand how they work with communities and
why their impact is sustainable and that is
why I am an enduring supporter of Central
Asia Institute. n
9
The views expressed in this article are exclusively those
of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of
Central Asia Institute.
Christopher D.
Kolenda is the
president and
CEO of Kolenda
Strategic Leadership.
Kolenda consults
with nonprofit
organizations,
including Central
Asia Institute, on leadership, strategy,
and human security. In that capacity, he
is supporting CAI efforts to improve its
domestic governance, fundraise, and manage
Afghanistan operations. He also is the senior
military fellow at King’s College London.
Kolenda recently worked as the senior adviser
on Afghanistan and Pakistan to the Department
of Defense senior leadership, and has served
four tours of duty in Afghanistan.
He has written numerous articles on
leadership and national security issues for
professional journals. His new book “The
Counterinsurgency Challenge” serves as an
experiential tutorial on adaptive leadership in
complex and dangerous combat environments.
Kolenda is a long-term friend of CAI. He first
contacted Greg Mortenson in 2007 while
deployed to Afghanistan. The story of their
interactions appears in Mortenson’s book
“Stones into Schools.”
ENCOURAGEMENT AND SUPPORT MAKE EDUCATION POSSIBLE
BY NAZIRA BEGUM
I
am from Shamsabad, Ishkomen and am
18, and I was married when I was 20. Out of
20 years old. My initial schooling was
13 girls in my cohort, five were married like
from my own village in Shamsabad. In
myself. They also are still studying like me
2010, I joined grade nine in the CAI high-
in Gahkoch and Chator Kand. I am in the
er secondary school in Immit. I stayed with
bachelor’s degree program in education in
my grandmother’s cousin in Immit, only a
Gilgit and CAI is funding the cost of my tu-
20-minute walk to school.
It was hard being away from home and
living with relatives, but somehow I managed it for four years. It is better to be in
school than home. The environment was
great and I really liked Teacher Zahid who
taught English in such an interesting way.
ition, stay, meals, and transportation.
My sister-in-law takes care of household
chores so I can have time for homework.
Marriage should not deter girls from going
to college. My husband is a teacher himself
and encourages me to get an education. I
wouldn’t be here talking to you otherwise.
I am lucky to have his and CAI’s support.
I became engaged in 2012, when I was
36 | JOURNEY OF HOPE
CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE