Hello Have Fun * Do Good readers! April 16th is Blog Reader Appreciation Day created by Robin Reagler of the OTHER Mother blog.I wanted to say thanks to all of you for reading Have Fun * Do Good for the past 2 1/2 years by giving away three copies of the book I've enjoyed reading the most so far this year, Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School At a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. If I buy the book through the link on the Three Cups of Tea web site, the Central Asia Institute, Mortenson's nonprofit, will get a percentage of the sale's proceeds.
Don't let the book cover photo of three little girls reading lead you to believe that this is a sweet, mellow book. Rather, it is a do-good adventure story of a former mountain climber who has spent almost 15 years building schools in remote
mountain villages of northern Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia. As you read it, not only will you be inspired by the impact one person with perseverance can achieve, but you won't be able to stop turning the pages as you follow Mortenson on his synchronistic, dangerous and exciting journey to build schools for boys and girls.To enter for a chance to receive a book, please post a comment with the name of a person or organization that you think is doing innovative work around educating children (anywhere in the world) by 5 PM PT Friday, April 18th. I'll pick three people from the comments at random. Be sure to list some way to contact you on your comment so I can get your mailing address if you are chosen to receive a book.
Thanks again for reading Have Fun * Do Good, and for sharing it with your friends!
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School At a Time Book Cover Image via Greg Mortenson's web site. Photo of Hushe Community School under construction courtesy of Greg Mortenson, Central Asia Institute.
Hat tip to Beth's Blog for letting me know about Reader Appreciation Day.
education
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Pakistan
Afghanistan
Kyrgyzstan
Mongolia
Three Cups of Tea was my book club book a few months ago, and was absolutely wonderful. Thanks for sharing it with everyone :-)
ReplyDeleteMy friend Lindsay's organization, Breaking Ground, is building schools, organizing football leagues, and running entrepreneurial programs for women in Cameroon. I think of her every time I see Three Cups of Tea, I think of her. One of her dreams is to bring the author here to Portland, Maine, as a fundraiser for Breaking Ground!
ReplyDeletemachik is an organization that is building schools and self sustaining communities in tibet. it is also educating health care workers and midwives. unfortunately there is not much on their website right now, as they are building a new one, but there is an informative pdf newsletter that can be downloaded. i've heard "three cups of tea" is an excellent and inspiring book. the author just spoke at the virginia festival of the book, but unfortunately i wasn't able to attend his session.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great review of this book! I was taken back by the cover, but realized once I started, that although it wasn't the book I thought it would be -- it was extremely inspiring! And the way this author got his message out, taking this book to every group that would listen to him, really made an impact on me. Also, thank you for the GREAT work you do -- I wish more blogs were so positive and helpful!
ReplyDeleteJulie
Looks like a great book.
ReplyDeleteI like Ricardo Semlers school in Brazil: http://www.lumiar.org.br/english/index.html
More here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/main.jhtml?xml=/education/2004/02/10/tefguru09.xml
I have been doing some research and have been struck by the possibilities that exist to accelerate the megatrend in finding your life's purpose as a means to changing the world for the better by activating Americans to consider their contribution to making the world a better place. I realize this doesn't fall under the topic of schools and formal learning. Rather, I'm referencing the learning that takes place through mentoring programs and action-based service training.
ReplyDeleteWhile I have only scratched the surface, one organization that really caught my attention is Girls For A Change. They seem to be on track to rally girls to choose to make a difference and empower them with the self-confidence and real-life experiences that will instill service as a part of one's daily life for many young women.
Through such efforts, our next generation of leaders will be off to a great start in the effort to change the world for the better by starting in their own communities. With this solid foundation, they will be ready to take all they have learned and do good worldwide.
Here's the link followed by a quote from their website stating their mission:
http://www.girlsforachange.org/?gclid=COKk1s-A4pICFQS0HgodrEUDcg
"Girls For A Change (GFC) is a national organization that empowers thousands of teen girls to create and lead social change. GFC provides girls with professional female role models, leadership training and the inspiration to work together in teams to solve persistent societal problems in their communities. Explore our web site to learn more about how you can join our movement and how girls are transforming our world--and reinventing girl culture--through GFC!"
Thanks for writing about this book. I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Central Asia, and Mortenson's work is close to my heart. His students remind me of my kids that I taught. And my vote goes (can you guess?) to the Peace Corps. My fellow volunteers were (and still are!) innovative, energized, and passionate people who did so much for the students and families in Kazakhstan and around the world.
ReplyDeleteEsperanza Juvenil is a program in Guatemala that provides homes, parenting, and educational opportunities for young children who would otherwise be raised by the streets. Their ultimate goal is for each child to attend college. The parent organization is Boys Hope Girls Hope which is based in the United States.
ReplyDeletewww.esperanzajuvenil.org
www.boyshopegirlshope.org
I'm a huge fan of the Edible Schoolyard at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, CA. All the students at the school learn to grow and cook their own food. Alice Waters of Chez Panisse founded the garden to promote eco-literacy and healthy eating. A few years ago I volunteered in the garden, and at lunch time the students, teachers, and volunteers sat down together and ate the delicious food the students had prepared. I had really worked up an appetite from weeding, the polenta the kids made was amazing, and the garden was so lovely -- that day was like a dream. I would love to see every school set up a similar program.
ReplyDeleteThis book looks great...thanks for the giveaway. The non-profit I work for, Walking Shield, Inc., serves poor American Indian reservations across the U.S. One of our programs specifically focuses on education, whether its distributing much needed school supplies to educating students and their families on college access. You can check out our website at www.walkingshield.org. My email is aroggow@walkingshield.org. Thanks! Amanda
ReplyDeleteTeachers Without Borders does very important work in teacher professional development and community education in the developing world.
ReplyDeleteflensburgam@sasktel.net
Ok, I put your names in a baseball hat and had my husband pick three (without looking). The winners of the three books are:
ReplyDeleteSven Cahling
Joan Baily
Besty
I'll be contacting each of you to get your mailing address.
Thanks again to everyone for reading Have Fun * Do Good!