This blog features latest articles of interest to desis (slang for South Asian Americans - Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, etc.).
See the latest articles at facebook.com/TribeDesi
For those of you who have not heard of Greg or his books, the story is that he tried to climb the mountain K2 in Pakistan in the memory of his sister, but could not reach the top. He stumbled into a remote village, and through a series of events, promised them he would help them build a school. Since the humble beginnings of that effort, CAI has around 167 schools now in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Gala itself was well planned and executed, with over 1,200 attendees from the local DFW population, including members of organizations like The World Affairs Council and Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP), Dallas. In addition to Mortenson as the keynote speaker, the event had heavy weights like actress Geena Davis, actor Michael Rady, and comedian Danny Pudi. Another notable speaker was the Pakistani-American author Bapsi Sidwa. The live auction was professional and entertaining, and it looked like around $100,000 was raised from just five auction items.
It was impressive to see the DFW community turn out in such numbers and support this international noble cause - kudos to the organizers!
However, the message of the evening was how these girls schools are being built in some areas which are controlled by the Taliban - which is against education for girls. As a recent article in the Seattle Times (see below) states, "In volatile Kunar province, which borders Pakistan, the Taliban recently ordered a halt to a school being built by Mortenson's organization, the Central Asia Institute. But the villagers rushed to the school's defense. The Taliban, which have been mounting a campaign for hearts and minds, dropped the issue, according to Wakil Karimi, who leads Mortenson's team in Afghanistan".
The key fact behind this, according to Mortenson, is the active involvement of the local population - vs. something being thrust at them....maybe we need to re-look at our Afghan foreign policy?
No comments:
Post a Comment