. On June 12th, I wrote about the generous and humbling gift Greg Mortenson sent to me - two copies of his newest book Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan
.I finished the book that week in June but I have been exceedingly busy the past month or so and haven't had a chance to give the book the thorough review it deserves. For those that are just coming to this now, essentially Greg and the Central Asian Institute (CAI) have made building schools, especially aimed at the education of girls in the most remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Mortenson abides by the axiom that when you educate a boy you educate an individual but when you educate a girl you educate a village. He also builds schools under the motto of the last place first. Hoping that his schools will serve as a catalyst for other aid groups to eventually make their way to these remote regions of the world. From his first school and the $12 000 he raised to build it to managing a $4 000 000 yearly budget.
On a personal level this book is deeply satisfying. It goes into much more detail on the individuals who make up Mortenson's team in Afghanistan and Pakistan that he affectionately refers to as his Dirty Dozen - a third of which cannot read, two have multiple wives, and critically they are equally divided between the three rival Islamic sects: Sunni, Shia, and Ismaili. Without the work of the CAI, there is virtually no way these men would be sharing tea. What they do share though is a commitment to educating young girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan, a commitment that could cost them their lives at any point.
This book is even better written then the first. The drama and newspaper feel of the first is replaced by an earnest story about the personalities involved and the mission they are all on. As Canada gets ready to wind down their military commitment to Afghanistan, this book is an interesting way of looking at what might be able to be done if we focused more of our efforts on enabling villages and the people instead of spending on the military effort. In the end, Mortenson is doing more to win the hearts and minds with 4 million dollars a year than the Canadian Department of National Defence who operates on a 20 billion dollar annual budget, nevermind the US budget.
While I admire his approach and the effort Mortenson has put in, in the last 16 years I can't help but be disgruntled by the state of progress (and yes I know progress is a dangerous word but I think an appropriate one when it comes to basic human rights) in Afghanistan. Case in point - This repressive law that was passed a little over a year ago by the Afghani Parliament. That we are almost a decade into our mission to allow a form of islamic democracy in Afghanistan and we are still "celebrating" the Kabul Women's Garden where women are "allowed" to remove their burkha's and wear high heels and makeup seems like we are going backwards. Shouldn't this be part of the society by now and it seems that in a society that featured the following stats pre-taliban:
- 60% of teachers at Kabul University
- 50% of students at Kabul University
- 50% of civilian the government workforce
- 70% of school teachers
- 40% of doctors
that we should be further along the way helping this country achieve it's own goals.
but I digress...
What Mortenson is doing is nothing shy of amazing. He is engaging the local populations and they are the ones who provide the land, build the schools, and employ the teachers. What Mortenson provides is much needed cash. That locals complete the construction and make th decisions make The CAI a unique NGO. Instead of forcing their will on the local population they are engaging the population and building schools to lay the foundation for future generations. I support his mission both on here and through a small monthly donation and I hope you find a way to at least read the books...
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