I just finished reading "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Overall the book is a very compelling read of the difference one determined man has made to tens of thousands of children in the remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. He literally through his own commitment has allowed for tens of thousands of poor children to receive a education at a cost that is extremely low making his accomplishments all the more remarkable. One negative for me though, would be the one sided nature of the talk of the US war on terror and my disagreement with this notion that through the promotion of peace and building schools alone, that somehow this will win the war on terror.
The book starts out with a story of Greg before he started his humanitarian work. He was a avid climber and was taking on K2, in Pakistan where he hoped to honor his recently deceased sister by leaving her necklace at the peak. Unfortunately as fate would have it Greg was unable to complete the climb and through a series of bad turns of luck ended up wondering into a Balti village by mistake. The village takes care of Greg and seeks help to guide him the rest of the way down the mountain. While there Greg, a son of teachers and humanitarians, asks to see the towns school. He is shocked to see that there is no school and children are unable to obtain an education. He promises the village elder that he will have a school built for the school.
A very big promise considering at the time the guy was broke and living out of his car. Without detailing it too much, Greg through a lot of hard work, and some luck returns to the village a year later with the building materials ready to complete his promise. Once he's there he is told that while a school would be appreciated the village is in need of something more important... a bridge. For whatever reason Greg never considered just how he was going to get the supplies to the village. Lesson learned. Through his contact with a wealthy supporter Greg is able to have the bridge built and three years after his initial promise the school is completed.
Finding he has a passion for helping the poor in Pakistan Greg's wealthy supporter establishes a non-profit organisation called the Central Asia Institute, hires Greg as the director, and endows it with a million dollars before passing on. Greg accomplishes much with little, and with the story of what his organization does gaining more national attention the CAI gets generous donations from many Americans making it a great success. According to the CAI's website, as of 2010, CAI had successfully built 145 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan and that these schools had provided an education for 64,000 students with an emphasis on girls education. Simply incredible.
A few negative notes though. The book was a very enjoyable read except for the last few chapters as the book covers the US war in Afghanistan. Greg admits that he initially supported the war but currently does not approve of the conduct of the war after hearing of many civilian casualties along with a lack in US interest in rebuilding the country. Not sure exactly where Greg gets the bulk of his info on the civilian casualties, but in what war did he ever read about where there were none? The US does do it's best and it never targets civilians deliberately, but at the same time casualties are going to happen and it's a fools task to try and fight a war where you're singular biggest worry is civilian casualties. Throughout this section of the book it is rife with anecdotes on how accommodating people can be who Greg meets while lamenting a Washington that doesn't care about the effect it has on these people's lives. While Greg's work is very impressive it should be noted that during his work in Pakistan the Taliban grew and took over Afghanistan. Madrassa's went up near the towns where he worked offering a militant education to a ignored mass. If it weren't for the US military's actions Greg would be unable to work in Afghanistan and it would not be possible for him to have made the gains he has made there. Lament our lack of cultural understanding all you want, but don't act like it's the only thing that will turn back terrorism, you will need security as well.
The only other negative is the author, and I imagine this is more from Relin than from Mortenson, takes a rather melodramtic view to events that make them fail the BS test. In an early account Greg is getting school supplies for the first school and the whole bazaar of Rawalpindi is watching as this great Angrezzi gathers up the supplies and they gasp at his graciousness and for one fleeting moment they appreciate America and this man and think nothing but good will and good thoughts. Yeah right. Anyone who knows anything about Pakistan and Afghanistan I think had a good chuckle or rolled their eyes at parts like that. Otherwise though, the accomplishments of the CAI are very real and should be supported. If you wish to learn more about the book or how you could donate to this worthy cause, please click on the link below.
http://www.threecupsoftea.com/how-to-help/
-Zach
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