Three Cups of Tea - Bring peace through education

I was driven to read Three Cups of Tea by a combined interest in the mountaineering relationship Greg Mortenson has with the ranges of northern Afghanistan, the humanitarian aspect of the tale and an exploration of cultural relationship; all subjects I'm personally interested to read more about.

What I discovered behind the covers was one man's mission to adopt a common sense approach to ensuring the promotion of peace in areas of the world that are suffering from one of the most intense and complex violent conflict that the world has seen for decades.

The book begins with Mortenson finding himself stranded in Kotphe village high up the Braldu Valley after an attempt on K2. Here in this village he is welcomed as a friend into world that humanity has forgotten.

After recovering and accustoming himself with the local traditions and needs of the village, slowly Mortenson is made aware that education is the key to resolving the deep issues that exist in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

From this point forward he sets off on a one man mission to resolve the issue by building as many schools as possible in the remote, inhospitable regions of northern Pakistan and Afghanistan. Particularly focusing the education on the young female population that had been forgotten about.

The book unfolds to reveal some amazing stories of success and others of unbelievable frustration as Mortenson continues on his mission. Taking Mortenson to not only the highest levels of both the Afghan and Pakistani governments, but also his own in America in his desire to teach them that violence and "shock and awe" will not work alone.

He works to reveal the myths behind misconceived Western ideas about the Muslim religion and its role in the education of women, finding himself working with some of the leading figures of the Muslim faith in the region as they work together to achieve their targets.

Mortenson identifies that the hole left behind from the lack of national investment in education in these areas was quickly being filled by money from the Middle East with the building of madrassas.

It was then some of these madrassas that were becoming breeding grounds for the teaching of the fundamental extremism that the West was too quickly associating with the Muslim faith as a whole.

Mortenson aim was to replace the madrassas as the only source of education in these forgotten areas by building schools that could offer a secular education and, in turn, banish the ignorance that could be turned by the madrassas into fundamental extremism.

With years under Taliban rule, the female population in particular had been forgotten about with regards to education, Mortenson is working to reverse this damage and working very hard.

Often at the expense of his own family Mortenson works for months at a time travelling to areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan that have never been visited by westerners before, establishing new villages and towns in need of schools.

Often fulfilling the promise that was made by Western leaders at the expense of the charity that has new been established (Central Asia Institute) to complete the work of building schools. In a population that was promised not to be "forgotten about" during rallying calls to war.

Mortenson's work started before the attacks in New York and have continued throughout the war that is still ongoing in Afghanistan.

He sees the work as having a longer lasting and more significant affect on reducing the terror threat from the region than the current military campaign that is being waged and yet states his support for military action in Afghanistan.

His idea of promoting peace through education and offering people other informed alternatives is one that I whole heartedly endorse.

If you haven't read the book already, I'd highly recommend that you do. If you use the link at the bottom of the post and follow it to purchase "Three Cups of Tea", up to 7% of proceeds will go to benefit Greg Mortenson’s non-profit foundation, Central Asia Institute (CAI).

Grass roots secular education should be available to all and the world would be a more prosperous and peaceful place for it.

So if you do anything today in our busy work-life schedules, take the time to visit Greg's site and order a copy of a Three Cups of Tea, then find the time to sit down and read it.


Related links:

Three Cups of Tea - http://www.threecupsoftea.com/

Central Asia Institute - https://www.ikat.org/

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