環(huán)球英語 — 482：Building Schools in Pakistan, 2

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Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Adam Navis.

Voice 2

And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1

Today’s Spotlight is on The Central Asia Institute and its director, Greg Mortenson. This is the second Spotlight program about the work of Greg Mortenson.

Voice 2

In the first program, we described how Greg Mortenson began working in Pakistan. After a failed mountain climbing trip, he wandered into the village of Korphe, in Northern Pakistan. He was so touched by how the people cared for him, and by their poverty, that he promised to build them a school.

Voice 1

Many people helped with this effort. The community worked very hard with Mortenson. But it was not until Dr. Jean Horeni gave them the money that they were able to finish the school. When Mortenson brought pictures to show Dr. Horeni, Horeni said, “You seem good at building schools and more villages need schools. We will form the Central Asia Institute. I will give it one million [1,000,000] dollars and you will be the Director.”

Voice 2

Mortenson returned to Pakistan. When he arrived, he called together a group of people who believed in education. They could help him understand the culture and customs of Pakistan. These people would help him decided where to build the next school.

Voice 1

They sat around smoking cigarettes and drinking tea. The men spoke about what areas had the greatest need and which would be able to support the school. They told Mortenson which village leaders would fight the education of girls. They spoke about which areas had the resources to build. And they developed a way to decide where to build schools.

Voice 2

Each one of Central Asia Institute’s projects would require the community to work. Village leaders guide each project. The village must offer local resources like rocks, wood, and paint. They must have the skills necessary to build the base, walls, and top. This makes sure that a village is serious about a project.

Voice 1

As the men sat together, as the smoke became thicker, they came up with three possible places for the next school. They turned to Mortenson and asked him, “Which should we build?” Without waiting, Mortenson said, “All of them.”

Voice 2

But, even with more money and connections with people, working in Pakistan was difficult. Pakistan is near the Himalayan mountains, the highest mountains in the world. South of these mountains is the Sindh desert. The mountains and the desert make it difficult for people to move from place to place. Roads often need repair, or are blocked by snow.

Voice 1

There are also many different people groups in the area. Each has its own custom, traditions, and language. There are over eighty languages spoken in Pakistan. This fact alone makes communication difficult.

Voice 2

And not everyone believed that the work of The Central Asia Institute was good. Some leaders were against the education of women. There were others who believed that because the schools were not religious schools, Mortenson was trying to destroy religion. Some of these people were willing to use violence to stop Mortenson. Therefore, he was warned never to travel alone.

Voice 1

But Greg Mortenson was too trusting. On one occasion he travelled with a driver he did not know. They drove to see a place for a new school. They stopped for the night in a compound with high walls. The men all carried guns. Because of the language difference, Mortenson could only say a few words them.

Voice 2

In the middle of the night, Mortenson woke with a gun in his face. The men covered his eyes and brought him to another place. They held him for several days. He tried to tell the men about his work, about how he was building schools.

Voice 1

One night, his eyes were covered and he was driven into the dark. He heard gunfire all around him. When his eyes were uncovered, he saw a huge fire. Around the fire, hundreds of men fired their guns into the air. He did not know what was happening.

Voice 2

Then a man walked up to him and pressed money into his hand. Again and again men came up to him and gave him money. They had heard about his work and were excited that someone had taken an interest in them, and their villages.

Voice 1

This is just one example of how life in Pakistan works. Greg Mortenson says,

Voice 3

“They say it takes three cups of tea to do business here. The first cup you are a stranger. The second cup, a friend. The third cup, you are family. But, this process will only happen over several years.”

“It is all about relationships.”

Voice 2

In the first few years of the Central Asia Institute, they were able to build the three schools. Mortenson continued to make relationships with people in the government and in villages. People began to recognize him and respect his work. But in a single day, working in Pakistan became much more difficult.

Voice 1

On the eleventh of September 2001, two airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center buildings in New York City. The buildings crashed to the ground. Three thousand [3000] people were killed. The group Al Queda claimed responsibility for the attacks, and its leader Osama bin Laden claimed to have planned them.

Voice 2

As a result, the United States sent its army into Pakistan and Afghanistan to hunt for Al Queda and Osama bin Laden. The United States believed the group’s members were hiding in the mountain area where Mortenson was working to build schools.

Voice 1

This made people in Pakistan suspect that Greg Mortenson was a spy for the United States government. And the government of the United States suspected that he was secretly working for Al Queda.

Voice 2

Mortenson had once served in the United States military. But he did not believe that military action was the best way to produce long-term peace in Pakistan or around the world. He believed that education was the way to peace. And education for girls was especially important.

Voice 3

“It is women who push the value of education in a community. We can drop bombs, or hand out birth control, or build roads, or put in electricity, but unless the girls are educated I think a community will not change.”

Voice 1

The people of this area face many difficulties as a result of this military action. But Greg Mortenson hopes that the schools will still help to create peace. The Central Asia Institute has now built seventy eight [78] schools. They support over five hundred [500] teachers. Also, they have begun establishing libraries and developing teacher training programs. This is a sign of hope for the villages, a sign of hope for the future.