Artful+Artist



"'Everything about their life was a struggle,' Mortenson says...He decided he wanted to do something for them. Perhaps, when he got to Islamabad, he'd use the last of his money to buy textbooks to send to their school, or supplies." Greg want to help the children living in this town since they reminded him of how his younger sister had to fight for everything in her life. When he found out that the children had no school or teachers he wanted to give them one. This drawing symbolizes what Mortenson wanted to do for the children, give them what they really needed in order to live.

As supplies came in for the school, people began to see the reality of the situation. There was some confusion as to what this school would be. One person even thought it was going to be a “climbing school”. Everyone was gathered at the table to celebrate the fact that a school would be opening up. This image symbolizes how everyone was intrigued by the thought of Greg building a small school. It is exactly what the town needed.

“’Which schools will we build this year?’ ‘All of them, //Inshallah//,’ Mortenson said. Mortenson’s life was practically set. He already had a family, a school, and a lot of money that Hoerni left him after his death. The children in Pakistan, however, did not have enough schools to attend. Mortenson knew that these children had been going through “neglect and suffering” so he knew that his next goal would be to build as many schools as possible before he was no longer able to work in Pakistan. This image shows the effect that Mortenson had in the towns. The children in Pakistan had no schools but then the man, Mortenson, came with everything he had to build them.