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Pennies for Peace To enable the less fortunate to reach their full potential through education can be one of the jobs of the peacemaker. The book, Three Cups of Tea, is the account of "one man's mission to promote peace . . . one school at a time." The Central Asia Institute founded in 1996 by Greg Mortenson builds schools which "provide community-based education, especially for girls in remote mountain regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan." The idea was born in 1993 when Mortenson, mountain-climbing in the Karakoram mountains of northern Pakistan, failed to reach the peak called K2. Alone and almost frozen, he was rescued by a person from the tiny village of Korphe and treated like family. To reciprocate, he decided to build a school. Not only was this the wish of the people of Korphe, it became his wish when he saw 84 children sitting in the dirt writing with sticks in the sand. Korphe had no teacher, no school building, and the area's literacy rate was less than 4 %. Fourteen years later the C.A.I. (Central Asia Institute) has 64 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Until recently when anyone in the area wanted to write a letter, he or she had to walk 8 hours to find someone who could read and write. The fourteen years were not without unbelievable roadblocks. In 1996, Mortenson survived an eight-day armed kidnapping in the northwest frontier province tribal areas of Pakistan. Also he escaped a 2003 firefight with feuding Afghan warlords, and he has overcome two fatwahs from enraged Islamic mullahs. The C.I.A. has investigated his activities thoroughly. Mortenson has received hate mail and death threats from fellow Americans after 9/11 "for helping Muslim children with education." One letter from Denver stated, "I wish some of our bombs had hit you because you are counterproductive to our military efforts in Afghanistan." He answered, "unless we invest a small amount building bridges of peace and understanding, all our efforts will be in vain." The military in Afghanistan agree with him and have said the end to terrorism will come from education. The cost is 1 to 2 dollars a year to educate a child. What the United States spends on war could educate the universe. I had the good fortune to hear Greg Mortenson speak at the Media Theatre in April. Rarely have I heard a person so totally committed to his cause. About 5 minutes was spent talking to a nine-year-old girl and her five year-old brother who presented him with a check for $250. They saved pennies for one year to educate the children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In fact, a number of U.S. schools are involved in a program called "Pennies for Peace" to support the C.A.I. This story of the C.A.I. is so important because it stresses the fact that the road to peace is full of bumps and obstacles that are difficult to overcome and very time-consuming. The operational tactic for Mortenson is to "drink endless cups of tea." When you have your first cup, you are strangers. After the second, you're friends, and after the third, you are regarded as family. Gaining trust and nurturing relationships with the villagers who will eventually build the schools is vital. "The mission remains focused on primary education, especially for girls. A fifth-grade education for a girl improves not only the basic indices of health for her and her family, she will also spread the value of education within her community." Mortenson has observed this happening. Literacy for boys and girls provides better economic opportunities later on and "neutralizes the power of despot mullahs." Uneducated boys will be easy recruits for warlords and terrorist groups such as the Taliban. Educated mothers will have more tools to keep their sons away from terrorist groups. What can you do?
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Mary Lou Grady |