Middle-school science students in one of the Central Asia Institute’s Schools in the Charposan Valley of Northern Pakistan.
The Central Asia Institute is a small NGO working in the remote areas of Northern Pakistan and the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan. The Institute’s goal is to promote education and literacy through the building of schools, especially for girls, and the training and support of local teachers. As of this year, the Institute has established 61 schools serving over 25,000 students including 15,000 girls.
For more information, check out the Institute’s website at www.ikat.org, or pick up a copy of the New York Time’s bestseller Three Cups of Tea, the story of the Institute’s director, Greg Mortenson, and the odyssey behind the schools.
Bob Irwin, EAP’s photo editor (ie me), has been connected for the last couple of years with the Central Asia Institute. His work has included participation in four teacher training sessions in Skardu, Baltistan in Pakistan’s Northern Areas.