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Pennies for Peace
We are very excited about our current outreach project and we want to share it with you. Pennies for Peace is a program of Central Asia Institute begun by a man named Greg Mortenson. After a failed attempt at climbing K2 in Pakistan, Mr. Mortenson became lost. He was rescued by a village of people in Korphe. While recuperating from his ordeal on the mountain he shared the life of the people in the village. What he discovered and learned about these people is both sad and amazing. Because villages in the mountain areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan are so remote, most of its inhabitants are illiterate. The fundamentalist culture that has been a way of life has oppressed these poor people. The people have less than nothing, but their sense of pride, family values, and loyalty to their community is boundless. Educating the children (especially girls) of this region became the mission of Greg Mortenson. Mr. Mortenson believes that education is the key to peace. In a region rife with extremism and with few prospects for the future, illiterate and uneducated children become easy recruits for terrorist organizations. He began building schools in 1993 and feels that well educated young men and women are less likely to fall victim to the fundamentalist mindset thereby promoting peace in the region and around the world. Greg Mortenson will be visiting our area and speaking in Rockford this September. The goal of the Rockford community is to raise $50,000. Enough to build and sustain a school for 5 years. We would like to help Rockford meet that goal. We now have a Pennies for Peace collection bin in our office and welcome any "spare pennies" you may have. One percent of a dollar is essentially worthless here in the United States. In Pakistan and Afghanistan, however, a penny buys a pencil and empowers a child to read and write. Here is what a donation to Pennies for Peace can buy: 1 cent: A pencil $20: One student's supplies for a year $50: A sewing machine and supplies $100: Maternal health-care supplies for one year $300: One advanced student's annual scholarship $600: One teacher's annual salary $5,000: Support for existing school for 1 year $50,000: Construction of one school and support for 5 years We will be collecting pennies until Mr. Mortenson comes to Rockford. We welcome your donations in any amount. Thank you for your support of our "Pennies for Peace" campaign. Drs. Roger & Pamela Schmidt and staff |
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