I finally finished reading Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time.  If you are not familiar with this book, it is about Greg Mortenson’s mission to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time, Greg Mortenson, and acclaimed journalist David Oliver Relin, recount the unlikely journey that led Mortenson from a failed attempt to climb Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second highest mountain, to successfully building schools in some of the most remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. By replacing guns with pencils, rhetoric with reading, Mortenson combines his unique background with his intimate knowledge of the third-world to fight terrorism with books, not bombs, and successfully bring education and hope to remote villages in central Asia. Three Cups of Tea is at once an unforgettable adventure and the inspiring true story of how one man really is changing the world—one school at a time.

It truly is an amazing story and makes me feel guilty I am not doing more with my life to work towards peace.  Greg has built 55 schools, many just for girls, through the Central Asia Institute in regions where no schools exist, girls are forbidden to be educated, and/or madrassas dominate.

Every so often, I like to make a philanthropic donation to an environmental or children’s charity on behalf of the writers and readers of Eco Child’s Play.  The obvious selection this month is the Central Asia Institute.

Peace and Hope Begin With Education: One Child At A Time

Places: Remote Underserved Mountain Communities
Central Asia Institute community projects are in remote mountain villages of northern Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and the steppes of Mongolia.

People: Ancient Silk Road Cultures and Customs
The people and cultures of Central Asia are as varied and diverse as the landscape, blending to create a tapestry of customs, languages and cultures that have flourished for thousands of years.

Self-Sustainability: The Key to Long-Term Success
We believe in the parable: “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.”

Collaborative Efforts: Through Community Partnerships
Each one of Central Asia Institute’s projects is locally initiated and involves community participation. A committee of elders guides each selected project.

Pennies for a Peace is a program that allows your children’s school to become involved raising money for CAI. Over 3000 schools, organizations, and individuals have participated in this program.

Pennies for Peace educates children about the world beyond their experience and shows them that they can make a positive impact on a global scale, one penny at a time.

Our best hope for a peaceful and prosperous world lies in the education of all the world’s children. Through cross-cultural understanding and a solution-oriented approach, Pennies for Peace encourages children, ultimately our future leaders, to be active participants in the creation of global peace.

Dr. Greg shows us there is so much we can do to reach out to people around the world and step up where governments fail. Education is key.  My dream is to one day travel to Central Asia and teach in one of Dr. Greg’s schools, even if just for a day.