Yang Chia Sha
Yang Chia Shan, also known as "Captain Yang" or "Elder Yang" by many who love him, was born December 2, 1924, in Beijing, China. After attending elementary and high schools, he graduated from the National Merchant Marine Academy in Guangzhou, China, and received the official rank of merchant marine officer. After graduation, he worked for the Taiwan Shipping Company for 14 years and quickly rose through the ranks as a ship's officer and became the youngest captain in the history of the shipping company.
IUCA FOUNDER
In 1962, the Taiwan Shipping Company sent him to the United States to work as a broker for international transportation services. In the mid-1970s, he founded his own shipping brokerage company, Great China Shipping Co. which he managed for more than 30 years, expanding the business to 7 different destinations. In 1995, Mr. and Mrs. Yang felt God had called them to serve the Dungan people in Kazakhstan. As a result, Mr. Young left the transportation company and turned the company over to his employees. He used his savings to start a charitable foundation in the United States called C.A.S.A. (Central Asian Aid) to fund his mission. This mission was Mr. and Mrs. Young's greatest joy in life because together they believed that God had called them and guided them every step of the way. Mr. Young enlisted local people, resources, international partners, and local government support.
In 2000, Mr. and Mrs. Young moved to Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan to help nurture and educate the children of Kyrgyzstan, opening schools and orphanages based on Christian principles and ethics, and providing a strong academic program. Growing up in China, Mr. Yang benefited from attending a Christian school founded by foreign missionaries in China. He wanted to provide the same for the children of Kyrgyzstan. The Ak-Bat Blessing School in Tokmok was the first school he opened in 2000, and the first to pass state registration. Mr. Young also established the Yrayym Christian Charity Foundation in 2000, which opened 5 schools (Tokmok, Ivanovka, Kara-Balta, Belovodsk, and Jarbashi), 3 orphanages (Karakol, Kara-Balta, and Tokmok), and a boarding school for children with disabilities in the town of Kemin. When the students graduated from high school, Mr. Young saw the need to provide these students with higher education. With the support of Kamilla Sharshekeeva, James Hung and other teachers, and donors, Mr. Young opened the Yraiyim Vocational Institute in 2008, and it became the International University of Central Asia (IUCA) in 2009. Thanks to the dedication of Kamilla Duishebayevna Sharshekeeva and Dr. John Rosslyn Clark, IUCA continues to strive for the highest academic standards and the best possible preparation of our students for the careers they desire.
Mr. and Mrs. Young were very fond of Kyrgyzstan and its people. During their 16 years in Kyrgyzstan, they provided a tremendous amount of financial resources and helped gain international support for our education system. In 2004, Mr. Young became an honorary citizen of Tokmok. Mr. Young was also awarded the Medal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic. With the assistance of Mr. Young, Mr. Chuck Howard and Mr. Butch Rafferty, the cities of Tokmok and Rockford, Illinois, USA, signed a sister city agreement in 2008.
In the summer of 2016, as Mr. Young's health was worsening, he asked G.L.E.C. (Global Life Enrichment Center in California, U.S.A.) to continue the work of MUCA and the Yrayim Christian Charitable Foundation. Since Mr. Young's passing, Mrs. Young and Young's family are grateful to S.A.S.A. under President Butch Rafferty and G.L.E.C. under Rev. Zhou and Rev. Hung for continuing the mission begun in 2000 to provide high quality education for the young generation of Kyrgyzstan, the future of Kyrgyzstan.
