The 'Three Cups of Tea' expose: The fallout

The 'Three Cups of Tea' expose: The fallout - The Week

Greg Mortenson was in Dallas a few months ago, and I along with probably 500 other people, attended a fundraiser for his charity at a swanky hotel. The setup was great, the people on the stage included some Hollywood  celebs (Danny Pudi, anyone?) and the story was riveting...

...and then the expose' happens...

“Good intentions” do not make charities and non-profits efficient and effective. Their work must be judged, not on the idealism and excitement they generate, but on the impact their programs and projects have on the lives they intend to affect. More importantly, it must be considered in the context of their ability to solve problems – and, dare I say it, put themselves out of business.

Related articles

• "Did Three Cups of Tea Author Greg Mortenson Fabricate Much of His Memoir (and Charity Work)?" and related posts (nymag.com)
• Three Cups Of Tea Author Mistook 60 Minutes' Steve Kroft For A 'Suicide Bomber' (businessinsider.com)
• Greg Mortenson and "Three Cups of Tea" | Gene Expression (blogs.discovermagazine.com)

Sipping Tea with Greg Mortenson

Actually, it was coffee...

Mortenson, the author of NY Times Bestseller Three Cups of Tea, was in Dallas yesterday, at the Fundraising Gala for the Central Asia Institute (CAI).  

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?

Related articles

• Pioneer in Girls' Education Assists U.S. Military (education.change.org)
• A potential answer for Afghanistan: Make tea, not war (trueslant.com)
• Op-Ed Columnist: Dr. Greg and Afghanistan (nytimes.com)
• Afghanistan: Bombs harden hearts; schools transform them (seattletimes.nwsource.com)