As some of you have likely heard, allegations have been raised against Greg Moretenson, co-author of the popular book “Three Cups of Tea,” about mismanaging funds for the Central Asia Institute.
The institute oversees the Pennies for Peace program, a popular fundraising program that supposedly helps create schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Several Whatcom County schools have done Pennies for Peace fundraisers, with kids leading the charge to bring in as much money as possible.
The allegations, which became well-known after a recent 60 Minutes episode, include claims that Mortenson made-up some of the stories in his book, doesn’t spend all of the Pennies for Peace funds on creating schools, and uses funds to purchase copies of his own books for publicity reasons.
Central Asian Institute officials say Pennies for Peace money does go to build schools.
What do you think? Is the Pennies for Peace program still worth supporting, even if some of the facts that helped create the program are proved false? Or, should students focus their fundraising efforts elsewhere?
Here are some links to stories about the issue:
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