Show ' He's Fighting On continued Mortenson reads to students of the Gultort Community GIHs School from a book donated bythe late Patsy CoMns a PARADE reader TImm girfc art the firat to loam to road in this mountain region whore the literacy rata is Just 3 to 5 bythe Freedom Forum The winner for 2002 was the Burmese Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi The annual award goes to “the per-son in the news who has stirred our hearts by demonstrating the human capacity to He has moved his office out of the basement of his home in Bozeman and doubled his staff of two “Afghans are still grateful to America for banishing the Taliban” he says “but we’re in danger of losing that goodwill We need to keep the promises we made to the people who need us most— the girls who were confined to their homes during the time of the Taliban dream- ing of the day they could go to school” This springy Mortenson plans to break ground on two high schools in rural northern Afghanistan— farfrom urban centers like Kabul where most of what little foreign aid entering the country is spent Together these schools Will offer more than 5000 Afghan girls something that has been in short supply during the decades of war their nation has endured: hope “The decisions we make as a nation now will affect re-latinos between Islam and the West for generations” Mor“We tenson argues "People ask me how I can leave my wife and two small children for months at a time and risk my life to 'do my work” he says “It’s because when I look into my kids’ eyes I know that I owe it to them to make the world they’ll inherit abetter more B peaceful place” dare dream and do" ANewMission In Afghanistan Mortenson is about to embark all-gir- challenge in a decade— ' building schools for the girls of Afghanistan - ls need to keep the promises we made to the people who need us most” says Mortenson i' ' A rimpli mpnmtow of BcfcnoHfjBdoniBni! At tlii Gmyal School In Gutted Valley Pslditan which buftt wMi fundh derated by PSJtADE readers this Orsfrgrader Aziza laarnsd to reed bIm AbIm Lbb ahjI monms no (uiaA vibb Iubb bi scnooi vor kkL cnvn Aan door Ik wvmin BmJLIi ovvy kx bukcLb w I ' PAG! 14 GfogMovton - pW ordboutMe FURUAKV 29 2004 PARAM |