Donate to Central Asia Institue

My grandmother gave me this book and told me to give it away when I finish it. So that is what I began here on this site.  I gave it away with instructions that it continue to be passed on.  I am tracking it’s location here on this site. 

But this book has such a powerful message, I wanted to do more than simply give it away.

It is a fascinating story of how one person can change many lives. Greg Mortenson was hiking the famous K2 mountain of Pakistan in 1993 when he got lost, nearly died, and stumbled upon a tiny village. As he was being nursed back to health by the villagers, he asked to see the village’s school. What he was shown was shocking. Boys (and a few girls) were outside in the elements (without a teacher), scratching their lessons into the frozen ground. It turns out that a teacher cost $1 a day. The village was too poor to afford that salary, so they teamed up with another village to hire a teacher. Even between the two villages, they could not afford to pay a teacher to teach every day. So on the off days, the students gathered to practice their lessons.

How many American children do you know that would dedicate that much effort to school?

Mortenson returned to America and tried to raise enough money to build a school and hire a teacher for this village. It took him a long time, but he finally found a donor who was willing to give it a shot. Mortenson returned and built the school, under extremely difficult adversities. Later, with the help of the same donor, Mortenson was able to set up a fund, called the Central Asia Institute (CAI). He has since established 78 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, with a special emphasis in helping girls receive their education. (You can read more about this book and see pictures of the schools at www.threecupsoftea.com).

Mortenson believes that the only way to end the terrible conflicts in these areas is through education. I believe he is right.

That is why I gave away this book and track it here on this site. Each time this book is given away, I will donate $1.00 to the Central Asia Institute, and I will invite any willing readers to do the same. It only costs $1.00 a month for one child’s education in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

If you would like to donate

 You can donate online at the Central Asia Institute here or mail your donation to Central Asia Institute, P.O. Box 7209, Bozeman, MT 59771, or you can call 406-585-7841.

If you do donate, please drop me a little note at thrilledbythethought {at} yahoo {dot} com or leave a comment on any post on this site, so I can keep track of how much Thrilled by the Thought readers donate.  I would like Thrilled by the Thought readers to eventually donate $50,000- the cost of building one school and supporting it for 3-5 years.  It’s a hefty goal, but I know it can be done.  Each time the book is passed around, I will donate $1.00 and invite readers to do the same.  Eventually, we can donate enough to build a new school!

If you would like, please spread the word about these donations.  I will constantly be posting updates on the whereabouts of the book and how much Thrilled by the Thought readers have donated.

You can track the progress of donations and follow the book by clicking on the Three Cups of Tea Category on the main page of this website.