I first met Greg Mortenson in Kashmir, in 2002. At the time, his fledgling non-profit organization, Central Asia Institute, had built a handful of schools in the mountains of Northern Pakistan, with a specific commitment to providing education for girls in one of the most conservative regions of the Islamic world.
Over the years, I've watched him do the impossible, completing one project after another, across the most challenging terrain on earth; CAI now has almost 90 schools across Afghanistan and Pakistan, with over 20,000 students in its care. He is now frequently called upon by senior US military commanders, who want to understand how CAI has been able to work peacefully in areas where the US military forces have borne relentless insurgent attacks.
Given my experience in this region, I can honestly say that there are few people who can truly comprehend the scope of CAI's work the way I do; even fewer who understand how unusual it is that he has done it all without any of the trappings associated with international aid organizations. CAI has no extravagant fleets of UN-style land cruisers, and no highly-paid teams of western consultants living behind the walls of armored compounds in Kabul or Islamabad. By most standards, it remains a tiny crew of completely "unqualified" aid-workers - a rag-tag band of taxi drivers, porters, and former soldiers and insurgents - led by a mountain climbing nurse from Montana, Mortenson.
These days, a lot of people are trying to understand the secret to Greg Mortenson's impossible accomplishments. I can suggest one possible explanation: common sense, uncommon compassion, and 16 years of 22 -hour workdays.
It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to know Greg, and to play a small role on the team at Central Asia Institute.