Common reading author Mortenson addresses the importance of education in fighting global terrorism

By Kern Vijayvargiya     9/4/08 7:00pm

Providing education in poor countries is possible for just $2 a day, Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, said this week to a crowd including over 500 freshmen. The bestselling author of this year's common reading spoke in the Rice Memorial Center's Grand Hall Tuesday. The speech was part of a series of common reading events that will include a film series, "Beyond Belief," Sept. 24 in the Rice Media Center. Mortenson serves as the director of the nonprofit Central Asia Institute, which supports 64 schools, over 520 teachers and 25,000 students in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Three Cups of Tea, a New York Times Bestseller that won numerous nonfiction awards, chronicles Mortenson's efforts to build schools for girls in these countries.

Mortenson started his address by congratulating Rice University for its legacy of community service. He cited the fact that Teach for America is currently employs the largest percentage of Rice graduates.

"I don't think there are many other universities in the country that have that percentage of students going out and making a difference," Mortenson said.

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After congratulating the Rice freshmen on their matriculation, Mortenson began to describe his life's work, emphasizing the magnitude of under-enrollment in schools around the world. He said 140 million children are denied the opportunity to have an education, which would cost $2 per month per child.

"Unfortunately, that's not really happening," Mortenson said. "Every single child on this planet should have the right and privilege to have an education."

In his travels, Mortenson said he found the desire for education to be a common concern.

"What most women tell me are two things," Mortenson said. "One, we don't want our babies to die. Two, we want our children to go to school."

Mortenson said he is passionate about education in order to leave a legacy of peace. Educating girls can reduce infant mortality and prevent a population explosion, he said. He provided the example of Bangladesh, where population growth has halted as female literacy has tripled since 1970. On the other hand, Mortenson said the population of Pakistan, where the Taliban and other groups have destroyed 480 girls' schools, is projected to double in the next twenty-seven years.

"We can drop bombs, build roads, put in electricity, but if girls aren't educated, then society won't change," Mortenson said.

Mortenson also presented a six-minute DVD, "Pennies for Peace," narrated by his 11-year-old daughter, Amira Mortenson. "Pennies for Peace" is a Central Asia Institute project that collects pennies as donations.

"'Pennies for Peace' has inspired hundreds of kids to do a lot of things on their own," Mortenson said.

Mortenson mentioned several international success stories. For example, a 12-year-old from California raised $54,000 last year to set up 15 soccer fields in Johannesburg, South Africa. An 11-year-old from Florida set up a non-profit organization called the Red Wagon Foundation and raised $260,000 last year to help children who have trouble reading.

Chris Gray, a Martel College freshman, said that the speech began slowly but he enjoyed it as a whole.

"At first, there were a lot of thank you's, and it didn't seem like he was into it," Gray said. "Once he got into the meat of the speech, it was really good. It was cool to see how what we had read in the book was brought to life. You could really see his passion."

After the speech, Mortenson stayed to sign personal copies of Three Cups of Tea. He said he would try to return to Rice Nov. 21, the Friday before Thanksgiving Recess.

"I would love to come back and talk with students and discuss these issues," he said.

Kevin Bush contributed to this article.

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