Published Sept. 22, 2008, The Enterprise of Brockton, Mass.
enterprisenews.com
By Christopher Confrey
EASTON — Greg Mortenson shuffled onto the stage, looking uneasy. “Peace be with you,” he told the hundreds of people gathered at Stonehill College’s sports complex.
Moments earlier, Mortenson had been introduced as a man who, through the power of education, brought hope to countless Pakistani and Afghani people.
He appeared at Stonehill College to recount his story, turned into the New York Times bestseller, “Three Cups of Tea,” of how he overcame what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles to build schools for girls in the two countries.
Dressed in a camel-colored suit and red tie, Mortenson explained the meaning of his book’s title — a common saying in the Pakistani culture.
“The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family,” Mortenson said. Balti is an ethnic group in Pakistan.
It was through taking the time to share those cups of tea and spend time with people that he built the bonds needed in the project, he said.
Mortenson grew up knowing what is needed to develop projects in other countries. He was raised near Mount Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania where his parents were Christian missionaries. His father was the founder of the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center and his mother founded the International School Moshi.
Upon returning to the United States for high school, Mortenson planned on becoming a doctor. He wanted to provide health care to people in rural Africa.
After finishing a tour in the military, Mortenson — who is also a mountain climber — went to college on the G.I. bill, and became a nurse.
The aspiring doctor’s plans changed while he was climbing the Karakoram Mountains in northern Pakistan. After unsuccessfully making it to the summit of the mountain, Moretenson came across the remote village of Korphe.
That is when his career plans changed.
“When I saw the 84 children sitting in the dirt behind Korphe village on a crisp autumn morning … writing with sticks in the sand, that was all it took — Eureka! moment — for me to decide to build a school,” he said.
Mortenson traveled back to the United States to raise money to build the school. He wrote letters asking for money, held fundraisers and sold many of his possessions, including his car and climbing equipment, to raise enough money to start the school.
“If you have hope, you can do anything,” Mortenson said.
But raising the money, it turned out, wasn’t enough.
When he returned to Pakistan , Mortenson learned that before he could build a school, he had to build a bridge so people could get there. So Mortenson used the money he raised for the school to build a bridge.
Penniless, Mortenson returned to the United States and raised an additional $10,000 and once again returned to Pakistan to complete the school.
Witnessing the hope and joy the school brought the people of the small village, Mortenson said he made it his mission to build more schools in remote places across Pakistan and Afghanistan. He founded the Central Asia Institute, a nonprofit organization, geared toward building schools. To date, the organization has 64 schools in the two countries.
After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Mortenson began receiving hate mail and death threats. But his wife encouraged him to continue.
More than a decade after opening his first school in a small village in Pakistan, Mortenson now travels across the United States talking about his dream of bringing hope and opportunity to the world through education.
Mortenson told his recent Stonehill audience that great strides have been made in educating the Middle East.
“In the last eight years, there are eight times as many children in schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he said.
By Christopher Confrey
EASTON — Greg Mortenson shuffled onto the stage, looking uneasy. “Peace be with you,” he told the hundreds of people gathered at Stonehill College’s sports complex.
Moments earlier, Mortenson had been introduced as a man who, through the power of education, brought hope to countless Pakistani and Afghani people.
He appeared at Stonehill College to recount his story, turned into the New York Times bestseller, “Three Cups of Tea,” of how he overcame what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles to build schools for girls in the two countries.
Dressed in a camel-colored suit and red tie, Mortenson explained the meaning of his book’s title — a common saying in the Pakistani culture.
“The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family,” Mortenson said. Balti is an ethnic group in Pakistan.
It was through taking the time to share those cups of tea and spend time with people that he built the bonds needed in the project, he said.
Mortenson grew up knowing what is needed to develop projects in other countries. He was raised near Mount Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania where his parents were Christian missionaries. His father was the founder of the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center and his mother founded the International School Moshi.
Upon returning to the United States for high school, Mortenson planned on becoming a doctor. He wanted to provide health care to people in rural Africa.
After finishing a tour in the military, Mortenson — who is also a mountain climber — went to college on the G.I. bill, and became a nurse.
The aspiring doctor’s plans changed while he was climbing the Karakoram Mountains in northern Pakistan. After unsuccessfully making it to the summit of the mountain, Moretenson came across the remote village of Korphe.
That is when his career plans changed.
“When I saw the 84 children sitting in the dirt behind Korphe village on a crisp autumn morning … writing with sticks in the sand, that was all it took — Eureka! moment — for me to decide to build a school,” he said.
Mortenson traveled back to the United States to raise money to build the school. He wrote letters asking for money, held fundraisers and sold many of his possessions, including his car and climbing equipment, to raise enough money to start the school.
“If you have hope, you can do anything,” Mortenson said.
But raising the money, it turned out, wasn’t enough.
When he returned to Pakistan , Mortenson learned that before he could build a school, he had to build a bridge so people could get there. So Mortenson used the money he raised for the school to build a bridge.
Penniless, Mortenson returned to the United States and raised an additional $10,000 and once again returned to Pakistan to complete the school.
Witnessing the hope and joy the school brought the people of the small village, Mortenson said he made it his mission to build more schools in remote places across Pakistan and Afghanistan. He founded the Central Asia Institute, a nonprofit organization, geared toward building schools. To date, the organization has 64 schools in the two countries.
After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Mortenson began receiving hate mail and death threats. But his wife encouraged him to continue.
More than a decade after opening his first school in a small village in Pakistan, Mortenson now travels across the United States talking about his dream of bringing hope and opportunity to the world through education.
Mortenson told his recent Stonehill audience that great strides have been made in educating the Middle East.
“In the last eight years, there are eight times as many children in schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he said.
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