About Pennies for Peace

 The majority of the funding

to build Pennies for Peace

schools does not come from

millionaires or rich movie stars

but from people like you and

me;  people who are sometimes

in need of help ourselves.

  People like us throw a few pennies or loose change in a jar. We tell our family and friends and they tell their family and friends and all those pennies and all those people, little by little. contribute enough that the pennies add up to dollars, and the dollars add up to hundreds of dollars, and the hundreds of dollars add up to thousands of dollars, and all those pennies added together have built more than 145 schools  and educated more than 64,000 students

Students become teachers and  nurses and engineers. They strengthen their communities. All these people, coming together; Americans,          Pakistanis and Afghanis, one person, one penny, at a time,  are building  a mountain of hope and  changing  the world!

 Teen age boys and young men across the globe, who grow up without fathers and without education, have limited opportunity

Such  boys become vulnerable to being recruited by violent gangs, whether they live in Chicago or Central Asia.

 In Pakistan and Afghanistan many good men, fathers, loose their lives to the harsh physical environment or violence. If their sons do not have education they have little chance of a rewarding future

 Pennies for Peace schools offer these boys and their mothers a chance to survive. Through education boys are transformed. They gain a sense of hope, and purpose. They grow up to be good young men who give back to their communities. Pennies for Peace lowers poverty and violence by educating all boys and all girls.

 In Pakistan and Afghanistan there are areas ruled by oppressive governments which do not allow the education of women or girls. When Greg Mortenson, founder of Pennies for Peace, visit’s a village, he offers respect to the village’s people and their local religious leader or “Mullah.”

 The girls have grown up to be nurses and teachers and give back to their community; promoting more health, education and peace!

 Mr. Mortenson’s first book, Three Cups of Tea: One Mans Mission to Promote Peace One School at a Time, tells the story of his life and his near fatal mountain climb which lead him to meet the good people of the village of Korphe.

The kindness of the people of Korphe inspired Greg Mortenson’s life mission.

Korphe was the first village in which a Pennies for Peace school was built.

Greg Mortenson informs the Mullah that he respects him and his village. He states that he would like to help the village build a school and if the Mullah does not want the girls to be educated, the decision will be respected.

   Yet, Greg Mortenson, who was raised in a Christian missionary family, asks the Mullah that they pray together and read the Quran  (the Muslim Holy Book) together, before the Mullah makes his decision. In every village Greg Mortenson visited, the Mullahs agreed to educate the girls!

 If you would like to join us in  Chicago Area  Pennies for Peace fundraising, awareness or education, please contact jeanniem3@hotmail.com       

Please feel free to visit our face book,  write on our wall and post your photo with our members.

   in peace...

Raised $254.89 Fall 2010

Thank You!