inally last week, i dived in and read it through. three cups of tea tells the story of greg mortenson (see photo at left) and his mission to educate children in remote areas of pakistan and afghanistan as a way to promote peace. mortenson, a former mountaineer and K2 climber, stumbled upon a rural village when he lost his track down the mountain. and so began a new journey and life's work for him as a builder of schools in areas where the taliban holds strong. he asserts a simple goal: provide schools and non-religious based education for children in remote, impoverished areas to combat terrorism and extremism.for over a decade, mortenson has faced incredible obstacles (kidnapping, treacherous working conditions, death threats after 9/11, lack of funds, meetings with the taliban, f
atwas against him by mullahs and a meeting with rumsfeld) and ultimately flourished. he runs the central asia institute "to promote and provide community-based education and literacy programs, especially for girls, in remote mountain regions of Central Asia."
atwas against him by mullahs and a meeting with rumsfeld) and ultimately flourished. he runs the central asia institute "to promote and provide community-based education and literacy programs, especially for girls, in remote mountain regions of Central Asia." at times i wondered how he pushed forward despite the adversity and impossiblity. mortenson always thought about the families he first encountered in korphe, pakistan and how the village cared for him when he was lost and near death. yet the book, written by mortenson and david oliver relin, doesn't get too maudlin or pull at your heart shamelessly. mortenson is that rare person who commits to changing the world and never stops. i'm planning to donate this week to CAI. read for yourself and be inspired. don't we all need that now?
2 comments:
I've read this book. It's amazing how one unexpected event can change the path of a life completely. Incredible story. Glad for your coverage of it.
Yes, it certainly shows the "power of one"! The Human Poverty Index shows that there are 17% of Pakistanis having less than $1 per day income and 73.6% of the population lives below $2 per day. UNESCO reports that the overall literacy rate among women and girls in Pakistan is somewhere between 12-26% (often literacy means only that they can sign their name.) Improving the literacy rate among Pakistani women will go a long way towards empowering them to know their rights and changing their lives. From Mukhtar Mai's website: "A society where women face no injustice on the basic of gender and are empowered enough to have education, better health, and economic independence; they should have proper awareness of their fundamental rights, have a right to make decisions affecting their lives and strive for positive social change." (www.mukhtarmaiwwo.org). (Read her book “In the Name of Honor” and see how she survived incredible circumstances and has shown what one woman can do.) Other organizations working to empower Pakistani women through literacy and life skills are Women's Development Association at www.womensdevelopmentassociation.org and Developments in Literacy at www.dil.org.
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