Pennies for Peace
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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Central Asia Institute. (Discuss) Proposed since April 2011. |
| Pennies for Peace | |
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 Pennies for Peace |
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| Location | PO Box 7209, Bozeman, MT USA 59771 406-585-7841 info@penniesforpeace.org |
| Parent organization | Central Asia Institute |
| Affiliations | Children's service-learning program of 501(C) 3 nonprofit Central Asia Institute |
| Website | penniesforpeace.org |
| Remarks | Started by students at Westside Elementary School, River Falls, Wisconsin USA who collected 62,340 pennies to help build a school in Pakistan - in 1994 |
Pennies for Peace is an international service-learning program sponsored by the Central Asia Institute (CAI) that "helps educate American children about the world to show them they can make a difference one penny at a time."[1] The program focuses on raising cross-cultural awareness through education to promote peace.[2]
Pennies for Peace was originally founded in 1995 as “Pennies for Pakistan” The founders were two elementary school teachers, Susy Eisele and Sandy Heikkila, of the Westside Elementary School of River Falls, Wisconsin USA. They had been inspired by a talk given by Greg Mortenson on the harsh conditions he witnessed for children in Korphe Pakistan. The original effort raised $620 in pennies which helped pay for materials to build a school in Korphe. The program was awarded the 1997 Richard Lewandowski Memorial Award for Humanitarian Activities. This award was presented to Westside Elementary by the Wisconsin Education Association Council [3]
Pennies for Peace in its current form was launched by CAI executive director Greg Mortenson to help broaden the horizons of youth in the developed world, and teach them about their capacities to be philanthropists by raising funds to cover the soft costs of building schools (paper, pencils, books, uniforms, desks, etc.) in remote, northern Pakistan and Afghanistan.[4] Mortenson is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller, Three Cups of Tea.[5][6][7]
The idea behind the Pennies for Peace program is that in the developed world, "a penny is pretty much worthless, but in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan a penny can buy a lot. With one single penny, schools can buy a student a pencil. With a pencil, the student can become literate and educated."[8] Mortenson believes one can promote peace through education, especially the education of girls, because: "If you educate a boy, you educate an individual; if you educate a girl, you educate a community."[9]
Pennies for Peace is based in Bozeman, Montana, and as of November 2009, had raised over thirty million pennies since its inception in 1994.[10] Pennies for Peace is registered in over 4,800 schools in USA and about twenty countries internationally.[11]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Students give to Pennies for Peace", Pat Ferrier, The Coloradoran, March 4, 2008
- ^ "Promoting peace one penny at a time", Kristin Holtz, Litchfield Independent Press, March 25, 2008
- ^ “Pennies Build Pakistan School, Project Wins WEAC award”, June 4, 1997
- ^ "Pocket change for social change", Lora Pabst, Minneapolis Star Tribune, March 5, 2008
- ^ "Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers", The New York Times, March 16, 2008
- ^ "American mountaineer fights Taliban with books, not bombs", John Blake, CNN International, March 3, 2008
- ^ "Famous author, humanitarian visits Paly", Megha Ram, The Paly Voice (Palo Alto, CA), November 19, 2007
- ^ "Pennies being collected for the schools in Central Asia", The Huron Daily Tribune, March 6, 2008
- ^ "Educating the World One Step at a Time", Alison Walkley, Fairfield Citizen News, March 7, 2008
- ^ "Author builds schools by pinching pennies - Students donate coins for classrooms in Pakistan, Afghanistan", Anna Webb, Idaho Statesman, February 9, 2008
- ^ [1]
[edit] External links
- Pennies for Peace - official site
- Three Cups of Tea - official site
- Central Asia Institute
- Pennies for Peace: The Story
- Pennies for Pakistan 3rd grade video
