Kashi Initiative for Global Citizenship and Education is formed
We are proud to announce the creation of the Kashi Initiative for Global Citizenship and Education.
The mission of the Kashi Initiative for Global Citizenship and Education is to fulfill each child’s promise of being mindful, responsible, and justice-oriented global citizens. We will deliver high-quality educational services to children in need throughout the world. With an emphasis on social inclusion and innovation, the Kashi Initiative will provide underrepresented populations, especially girls, access to high-quality education.
Our first project will be the construction of a primary school for girls in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India—the city from which the Kashi Initiative derives its name.
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Varanasi is one of the oldest, living cities in the world and is the spiritual capital of India. It is the city of the Ganges River and burning ghāts—the riverfront steps where traditional Hindus cremate their dead. Varanasi is made up of sacred temples and pilgrimages and is the birthplace of Indian history. It is a city of many names—Varanasi, Banāras, Kashi.
Varanasi is a city of contradictions. It’s both urban and rural. Sitting on one side of the Ganges, the city center bustles with urban life. On the other side of the river, it’s rural where farmland is dotted with small villages. Varanasi is sacred and secular. It’s the birthplace of the Hindu religion but a stone on India’s cosmopolitan path. The city represents traditional Indian society alongside the country’s modernity.
In short, Varanasi is the Ganges. Visitors walk away from its banks with images of how the city—representative of Indian history—literally steps into the water that carries life forward to the sea.
Varanasi and Uttar Pradesh are located in northern India just east of New Delhi—the country’s capital—and south of the Himalayan mountain range and south of Nepal.
This map outlines the location of Uttar Pradesh within India. The red dot is Varanasi.