What It Takes to Power Courage: The Real Cost of Direct Impact in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Have you ever wondered whether your donation truly makes a difference? At Ascend, we’re keenly aware that what we do is only possible because of your generosity. In this blog, our founder and executive director Marina LeGree explains what it takes to keep Ascend going year after year and the incredible impact made by donations of any size.
By Marina LeGree, Founder and Executive Director, Ascend
When people ask me what it takes to run Ascend, I start with the extraordinary young women we serve. In places facing profound gender inequality, girls are stepping up with unfailing bravery to forge their own paths, and our impact is possible because of their courage and determination.
Still, delivering programs that build lifelong resilience and bold leadership—and doing it year after year, in the face of significant budgetary and geopolitical challenges—requires more than passion. It demands persistence, ruthless financial stewardship, and complete transparency.
But, most of all, it demands the generosity of donors. If you’re one of those individuals, maybe at times you’ve found yourself wondering exactly where your investment goes and what kind of impact it truly has. It’s the right question to ask, so here we are:
Our total annual budget to run Ascend is $429,929. That investment reaches 8,822 girls and women across Afghanistan and Pakistan, which translates to an overall average cost of $49 per participant. Powered by a dedicated team of just 28 staff—80 percent of whom are women—we deploy our resources where there is greatest leverage for change.
A frugal headquarters built on conviction
From day one, our team has operated under a firm conviction: donor funds are most powerful and transformative when placed directly into the hands of our program leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Because of this principle, we keep our U.S. headquarters operations intentionally lean.
We view our U.S. operations not as a center of gravity, but as a launchpad designed to serve local teams on the front lines in the places where people need us most. At HQ, we work from home to resource and support our programs, with one full-time executive director and two part-time marketing and administrative staff. As a result, we’re able to support our operations (including staff compensation and business costs, not to mention thousands of girls around the world) with a total 2026 headquarters budget of just $157,719.
A priceless oasis in Afghanistan
Our annual budget for Afghanistan is $206,700, serving 5,532 women and girls. This includes:
450 direct program enrollments
3,000 community project beneficiaries
832 alumni and virtual learners
1,250 climate resilience participants
We spend more money in Afghanistan because we operate a physical facility, and, in today's Afghanistan, that facility is vital. In a country practicing gender apartheid, where learning for girls over 12 is largely restricted to screen-based online education, our facility stands as an oasis of positivity, growth, and community. Every day, young women step through our doors into a safe haven where female instructors guide them through training that honors the whole self, investing directly in their mental health, physical well-being, and personal agency.
Against that backdrop, the return on investment for a girl's future is extraordinary:
$360 covers a participant's entire four-month enrollment in our SHE Program ($18,000 per cohort of 50 girls)—a modest investment for a life-changing experience.
$300 funds a student in our Entrepreneurship Program ($12,000 per cohort of 40 participants). This training course gives young women the guidance and peer support needed to launch their own businesses and achieve financial independence.
$8 supports an alumna or student in our Advanced Leaders and Learners Program.
$10 funds a participant in our Climate Resiliency program.
Pioneering role models in Pakistan
Across the border in Pakistan, our annual budget is $56,000, serving 3,290 women and girls. This reaches 290 direct enrollments and 3,000 Youth Summits beneficiaries.
In the mountains of northern Pakistan, we are building the foundation for long-term change. Our after-school programs and summer camps ($82 per participant) are designed to connect girls with opportunity through leadership training and outdoor adventure and to learn from role models rooted in the community.
Through our elite instructor training initiative ($1,800 per participant), we train cohorts of 10 local young women to become certified, world-class climbing instructors. By investing deeply in these leaders, we guide them down a path to become visible, courageous role models for local girls—younger community members who would otherwise never dared to dream of outdoor adventure, physical freedom, or athletic mastery.
Meanwhile, $82 funds a young woman's full participation in our Climb and Lead cohorts ($23,000 annual budget serving 280 girls). And, just $1.33 per participant allows girls to participate in our community-wide Youth Summits.
Translating Dollars Directly into Impact Tools
Whether funding a physical haven in Kabul, Afghanistan, or rock climbing expeditions in Skardu, Pakistan, every dollar donated to Ascend translates directly into tangible, high-leverage tools with a direct impact on countless lives:
Safe and secure facilities: Funding center rent, heating, fuel, and secure transport so girls can gather, study, and train safely ($21,000/year in AFG; $11,000/year in PAK).
World-class technical training and athletics: Providing comprehensive instruction in physical fitness, technical rock climbing, mountaineering, mental health support, environmental stewardship, and entrepreneurship.
Systems to track growth in self-esteem: Investing in evaluation tools that allow us to track quantitative and qualitative changes in self-esteem, self-confidence, and civic engagement over time.
Our Shared Climb
Every line item in our budget represents a choice to invest in human potential where the leverage for change is greatest. By keeping our central operations frugal, we ensure that your generosity directly equips young women in Afghanistan and Pakistan with the tools, safety, and world-class training they need to ascend.
Thank you for trusting us with your support and for walking—and climbing—this path alongside our extraordinary participants.
Make a gift or learn more about how you can support Ascend.
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