Three Cups of Tea and the man behind it

Tonight I had the chance to hear Greg Mortenson speak.   If you're unfamiliar with "Dr. Greg," he's the man who has been championing the cause for educating girls, particularly in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan, for upwards of 15 years.

Greg discovered his passion when a failed climb attempt at K2 landed him in a remote village in northern Pakistan (Baltistan) called Korphe, where villagers befriended and cared for him and he met a truly remarkable and inspirational man, the village leader Haji Ali.  During his time there, he was struck by the sight of a large group of children drawing in the dirt, desperately trying to learn.  He was also taken by the wishes of Haji Ali that the children of his village have the chance to be educated and rise above the cycle of poverty.

When Greg inquired about why there was no teacher, it was explained that the cost of a teacher ($1/day) was too expensive so they shared a teacher with the next village over.  Can you imagine your children going to school where there's no teacher half the week?  From that point on, Greg knew that he had to come back to build them a school.  Somehow.  And it wouldn't be easy.

This is the beginning of his journey to build schools for the children of Pakistan and Afghanistan and it's the start of the book Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace One School at a Time.   I just finished reading this book a few weeks ago and it was fortuitous that Greg himself was coming to our little city for a speaking engagement.

I found the book itself was challenging at times to read for a few reasons: there are a LOT of references to places and vocabulary that are very foreign, and also because at times the writer (David Oliver Relin helped Mortenson write this) gets a little too carried away with metaphor, and not in a good way.   Trying too hard, if you will.

Yet it is a truly remarkable story and one that I am very glad I read.  It's a powerful and sometimes frightening story of one man who simply wants to give children the opportunity to be educated.  Greg feels that educating the poorest children, particularly girls, is one of the most fundamental ways to promote peace (battle terrorism).  That girls who gain education become women who teach their own children and also entire villages, and can make tremendous change for the better.

I won't give away the story - because it's a very interesting read and so much happens - but suffice it to say that Greg has done amazing things.   He (and his organization, Central Asia Institute) has built over 100 schools now and shows no signs of slowing down.

While he, in typical Greg fashion, showed up nearly an hour late for tonight's presentation, he was still a very interesting speaker.  He's not pretentious.  He's not flashy.  He's just Greg.  Sharing his story and his hope for the world.   I'm sure he was exhausted but you could still tell this was truly something he believed in with all his heart.   This man has lived an extraordinary life already and he's still giving so much.

While we waited for Dr. Greg to arrive, we got to watch a video of Pennies for Peace, a program created by the Central Asia Institute for schools to raise money.   But it's not simply about raising money, it's a program designed to help stimulate critical thinking in students.  The program is geared to specific age groups and incorporates elements of social studies, literacy and math.  It's a fantastic program and one that was initially inspired by school children.

Back to the book.  There are a few variations on Three Cups of Tea available now for children.  I just picked up the young readers edition for Suvi.  It's a great tool for learning about what's going on in other parts of the world and what we can do about it.  How children (girls, really) in other countries are often not allowed to go to school and why.  How being educated opens up a world of opportunities for you.

We're framing it as our own mini-book club and she's excited about having a dialogue with me as she reads through it.

There's also a kids book entitled Listen to the Wind, The Story of Dr. Greg & Three Cups of Tea (geared at ages 6 - 8) that is more of a picture book version of the story, which also looks really lovely.

I could write pages about Greg's story but I'll leave things here and simply direct you to the Three Cups of Tea site.   I know it sounds cliche, but the world would be a much better place if we all took the time to understand each other and accept (embrace!) our differences.

I'll get of my soap box now. ;)