We’re periodically going to comment on current events that are relevant to the Dream Ride since besides raising money for international education, we also hope to contribute to the education and actions of everyone who reads this, including you. Ultimately we want to contribute to an international movement that prioritizes international development.
50% of Pakistanis can’t read. Imagine what your world would look like if you never read a sentence, how much you would never know, how much you would have to rely on and trust others, and how powerless you would be. Even if you could read, imagine having 50% of your friends who couldn’t read. What would conversations be like? In such a society – if Pakistan can really be called one society – how much would one actually be able to read, even if one passed the literacy test? Recently, there have been even more reasons why getting an education is trying, and students must not only be bright but also brave to succeed.
In the last year, at least 170 schools have been burnt or blown up by remnants of the Taliban, in Pakistan’s Northwest. Girls and women are especially targeted for attacks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/opinion/23kristof.html
CARE, our beneficiary, contributes to education efforts in this difficult and potentially dangerous country.
