Pennies for Peace

Pennies for Peace Curriculum & Toolkit

Welcome!

Thank you for your interest in Pennies for Peace®, a service-learning program of Central Asia Institute. We are delighted that you and your students are joining in your own Pennies for Peace campaign to bring cultural and philanthropic education to your school. People around the world share your vision and dedication to empower communities in remote regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan through education. Together we can cultivate peace, nurture hope, and change the world—one child at a time.

Since the beginning of the program, we have seen the positive impact of education on children on both sides of the Pennies for Peace bridge. In the villages of Central Asia, an education provides the opportunity to break the cycle of extreme poverty, violence, and war. At the same time, as students in our country participate in Pennies for Peace, they broaden their cultural horizons and come to understand their own capacity as philanthropists. They learn valuable 21st century skills such as critical thinking and collaboration—working together to become members of a global community dedicated to peace.

We believe that education coupled with compassion can move mountains. We want our students to understand the issues facing the world and to know that they have the capacity to effect change—because the greatest legacy we can give our children is a legacy of lasting peace.

To get started, please take a moment to review the resources in our Pennies for Peace Toolkit. The Toolkit includes a sample timeline, fact sheets about the countries in which we work, templates, tools, and resources to guide and support you through your Pennies for Peace campaign.

To help make Pennies for Peace more meaningful for your students, we’ve created a free curriculum for grades K-12. The lessons cover themes such as the power of education, the effects of extreme poverty, cultural understanding, geography, politics, humanitarian efforts, and our responsibilities as global citizens, and each lesson is aligned to the U.S. Common Core State Standards. We encourage you to explore the lesson plans to determine whether they might help your students broaden their understanding of these issues and, ultimately, better understand why they are participating in Pennies for Peace.

Thank you!

The Pennies for Peace Team

Pennies for Peace Toolkit

Tools and resources to guide and support you through your campaign

Pennies for Peace Curriculum

Lesson plans and activities to make your Pennies for Peace campaign more meaningful for your students by helping them understand the issues surrounding education in Central Asia