"Three Cups of Tea"

Question number 3 of our handout from class on Thursday poses the question, "What do you think of the "one cup of tea at a time" philosophy? So you think Mortenson's vision can work for lasting and meaningful change?"

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Call me an idealist, but I really do think it can work.  What impresses me the most about Mortenson is that he works within the context of Pakistan's cultural context and Islam. He doesn't impose, he doesn't accept US government funds, he doesn't try to convert, he has no hidden agenda. This middle-of-the-road approach for a developmental  NGO (non-governmental organization) is rare. For example, lets compare Greg Mortenson with economist Jeffrey Sachs.  Sachs' current project of the Millennium Villages (a part of the UN's Millennium Development Goals) throughout Africa pour millions, if not billions, of aid into desperately poor African villages. He saturates a chosen village with aid; providing everything from chemical fertilizers for farmers to clinics providing immunizations. However, the sustainability of such methods of development are highly debatable. Since the Millennium Development Goals do not expire until 2015, we will have to wait to see the results of Sachs' project in Africa.

Mortenson on the other hand, has a rather simple goal: provide change through education.  Give the youth of Pakistan and Afghanistan (particularly targeting girls) the opportunity for a well-balanced, non-extremist basic education and they will excel. Not only is this approach much cheaper than Sachs', it has proven to be sustainable, which is a huge accomplishment within itself. I have to applaud Mortenson for his rather different approach to development, and moreover I respect the risks just one man has taken to radically improve the lives of future generations within one of the most geopolitically volatile places on Earth.