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Mission

Our mission is to cultivate the leaders of tomorrow in Turkmenistan by providing educational and networking opportunities, mentorship and access to a supportive international community. Our values are Leadership, Opportunity and Education, principles that fuel our work to support and co-create opportunities for and with Turkmen students.

How It Started

In 2006 six returned Peace Corps Volunteers who had been deeply moved by the young Turkmen they had come to know during their two years of service in Turkmenistan had an idea. They were inspired by the tenacity of their Turkmen students to achieve an education and a better future for themselves in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  Sitting around a kitchen table in Boston one evening, they resolved to establish what has become the Arzuw Foundation.  They wanted to ensure that young Turkmen would have a network of supportive and caring people and the resources they needed to realize their dream for a better tomorrow.

Originally known as the Turkmenistan Youth and Civic Values Foundation, our Board of Directors elected to change our name in 2012 to the Arzuw Foundation.  Arzuw is a Turkmen word which means "hope" or "dream" and represents the heart of our work and the young people that we serve.

Today we are a worldwide network of volunteers, supporters, students and people who believe that when we all give a little--we can make real, lasting and positive change in the world.  

Arzuw Foundation Donor Letter 2020