Journey of Hope 2017 journey-of-hope-2017 | Page 10

CHILDREN LEADING THE CHANGE
In 1994, when Greg Mortenson first had
the vision to help a village in Pakistan
build a school, he had difficulty raising
funds and creating awareness. A visit to
Westside Elementary School in River Falls,
Wisconsin, where his mother was the prin-
cipal changed all that.
“Never forget that at the heart of education
and change is one pen, one book, and one
child,” says Greg. “When I left that school I
had no idea that a seed had been planted.”
After hearing Greg speak, a fourth grader
immediately emptied his piggy bank and
brought all his pennies to class to help
build a school for the children in Pakistan.
Because of one child’s generosity, the
entire school became determined to help
and within six weeks they raised 62,340
pennies — which became the seed funds
and inspiration for others to contribute. It
began with just one child and one penny.
The story of the Westside school-kids
inspired others to follow in their footsteps,
and eventually led to the creation of CAI’s
Pennies for Peace (P4P) program, which
has been in over 7,000 schools, places of
worship, and much more since its inception.
At the heart of P4P’s vision is the power of
one, and the idea that people, including
children, can come together to bring the
dream of education to life.
“When one person gives, they sow the
seeds of that individual power and create
hope and potential for others to tap into
their own power. One person or child
creates the beginning of a revolution of
change,” says Greg.
8 | JOURNEY OF HOPE
or two for the commu-
force or coerce the
Tapping into the power nity to build around. I
result is strong, steady,
grew up on the slopes
and worth the wait.
of one means looking
of Mt. Kilimanjaro, in
CAI board member
beyond
the
daily
disaster
Tanzania, and learned
Farid Senzai, originally
from my father
from Afghanistan says,
headlines and seeing the that
who helped establish a
“Education is a long,
individual people.
regional teaching hos-
long, tedious process,
pital. He and a hand-
and it is hard work,
ful of colleagues spent
but the benefits are
profound and it is the most powerful agent several years to build relationships with the
locals and raise funds, and did not put down
of change.”
CAI built this foundation for education a brick until they had local support and indi-
by starting with one village at the end of viduals to build the hospital around.”
the road and expanding out. In each village
there was at least one person determined to THE POWER OF ONE
bring education to the children, including IS EXPONENTIAL
girls. Focusing on this one person and em-
The power of one person has a secret
powering them to own the process of build- weapon, the ability to expand upon itself.
ing a school is much slower than moving Greg explains, “Why educate one girl?
from village to village and erecting schools Because not only will she clear the path for
without input or buy-in. This faster process others, she will share that knowledge, and it
almost always fails because no one is invest- will grow exponentially.”
ed to encourage others to use the schools.
The power of one is the seed that creates
“To build a strong foundation it takes growth and opportunity for the next gener-
time, and it starts with one person,” Greg ation. When one woman is encouraged to
explains. “There is a misperception that CAI get an education, she may take vocational
spent its first years just building schools, but classes in hospitality. With this knowledge
that is not the case — we spent months and she can open a tea shop or hotel. This busi-
even years to build relationships, listen to ness will employ other women, giving them
the people, and then find elders and a teacher an income and allowing them to send their
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