Book Review: Three Cups of Tea

The book Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen and David Oliver Relin is a wonderful and inspirational read. I was fascinated to read about how Greg Mortensen, after making one promise to a village to build them a school, was able to go on through perseverance and determination to eventually build 50+ schools in Central Asia, Pakistan and Afghanistan, provide support for teachers, initiate public health and conservation projects and positively affect the lives of thousands of children. He was able to make a significant difference in regions where governments were continually failing to deliver.

In a time when many people often associate Muslims with terrorism and extremism and the policies of most governments for dealing with terrorism focus on military measures, it was refreshing to read about someone committed to promoting peace through education. Greg's efforts are amazing and the results he was able to achieve on a small budget working tirelessly to get funding would put to shame most countries third world aid programmes. He overcame at times insurmountable problems, even putting his life at risk, to complete the projects he started and fulfil the promises he had made.

It was fantastic how Greg took the time and effort required to learn local cultures and their languages and adapt his way of working to these cultures, eventually becoming integrated and accepted. One is left with the impression that Greg genuinely wanted the villagers to feel that it was they who were building the schools for themselves. I definitely believe that he was successful in achieving this goal.

Basic education is one of the best tools that the world has for fighting poverty and promoting peace, it is also a right of every child (UN Rights of the Child) to go to school. Greg Mortenson and his team of helpers have done an amazing job and after reading Three Cups of Tea I truly believe that they have made life better for thousands of children by providing them not only with education and schools to learn in, but also health services and other public facilities.

Three Cups of Tea is an enlightening book that highlights how one person really can make a difference, and how big a difference they can make. In the book Greg quotes one of his favourite sayings from Mother Teresa, which sums up this philosophy well.

What we are trying to do is a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.

Links related to Three Cups of Tea:
Three Cups of Tea
Central Asia Institute
Pennies for Peace