Three Cups of Tea

I recently finished the book Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, a heroic story of Greg Mortenson’s journey to improve social conditions in rural areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan, through the gift of education. Tom Brokaw describes it as, “one of the most remarkable adventure stories of our time. Greg Mortenson’s dangerous and difficult quest to build schools in the wildest parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan is not only a thrilling read, it’s proof that one ordinary person, with the right combination of character and determination, really can change the world.”

 

His story was inspirational and intriguing as he came upon many challenges and obstacles to accomplish his goals. There are many things to learn from Mortenson’s successes and failures, three which really hit home for me were 1. Never give up, 2. Learn what the people need, not what you think is best for them and 3. Immerse yourself in the culture, i.e. learn the language and customs it will open doors and increase your impact. Mortenson’s first school, the Korphe School (left) was completed in 1996.

Mortenson’s nonprofit organization the Central Asia Institute (CAI) continues to promote and support community-based education, especially for girls, in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. To make a tax deductible donation visit CAI website http://www.ikat.org./ Or if you want to get involved the organization promotes Pennies for Peace (P4P), which is ideal for mentors, families and teachers to introduce children to cross cultural experiences and all them to see the impact they can have on others. P4P educates children about the world and how they can make an impact, one penny at a time http://www.penniesforpeace.org/.