--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is still a desperate need for…" description: "\"There is still a desperate need for investment and promotion of education in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Official figures put Pakistan literacy rat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/805/greg-mortenson-7579_afghanistan_there-is-still-a-desperate-need-for-inve_2207833.jpg" --- # There is still a desperate need for investment and… ![“There is still a desperate need for investment and promotion of education in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Official figures put Pakistan literacy rate over 45%, but in many rural areas we work it is about 10-15%, and for girls even lower.” quote by Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/805/greg-mortenson-7579_afghanistan_there-is-still-a-desperate-need-for-inve_2207833.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/805/greg-mortenson-7579_afghanistan_there-is-still-a-desperate-need-for-inve_2207833.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/805/greg-mortenson-7579_afghanistan_there-is-still-a-desperate-need-for-inve_2207833.jpg) > “There is still a desperate need for investment and promotion of education in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Official figures put Pakistan literacy rate over 45%, but in many rural areas we work it is about 10-15%, and for girls even lower.” [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rural Pakistan and Afghanistan have very low literacy, especially for girls, needing urgent investment and promotion. **In simple terms:** Rural literacy is critically low, especially for girls. Key Takeaway Invest in rural education. Themes education development gender inequality Mood urgent determined Type advocacy informative When to use this quote - NGO projects - policy advocacy - community schools Key Concepts literacy rates rural development gender gap Questions to Reflect On - What barriers exist for girls’ education? - How can local communities be engaged? A Different Perspective Political instability can hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afghanistan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/) [Desperate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperate/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education Rural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-rural-4876357/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Investment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investment/) [Literacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literacy/) [Literacy Rate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literacy-rate-1567514/) [Pakistan Literacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pakistan-literacy-4876356/) [Promotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promotion/) [Rate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rate/) [Rural Pakistan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rural-pakistan-4700483/) ## Related quotes > [I decided in '96 to dedicate my life to mostly promoting literacy and education for girls in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/i-decided-in-96-to-dedicate-my-life-to-mostly-promoting-literacy-and/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [If development was measured not by gross national product, but a society's success in meeting the basic needs of its people, Vietnam would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pilger/if-development-was-measured-not-by-gross-national-product-but-a/) [John Pilger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pilger/) > [Hamirpur has a high literacy rate and most people are well-settled. It is also home to a significant number of Army men, government employees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-thakur/hamirpur-has-a-high-literacy-rate-and-most-people-are-well-settled-it/) [Anurag Thakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-thakur/) > [For Castro, freedom starts with education. And if literacy alone were the yardstick, Cuba would rank as one of the freest nations on Earth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/for-castro-freedom-starts-with-education-and-if-literacy-alone-were/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [Producing satire is kind of hopeless because of the literacy rate of the American public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/producing-satire-is-kind-of-hopeless-because-of-the-literacy-rate-of/) [Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/) > [I'm feeling optimistic about rural Pakistan. Farmers are making good money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/i-m-feeling-optimistic-about-rural-pakistan-farmers-are-making-good/) [Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/) > [Sixty-six percent is the literacy rate in the Arab world. We have 58 million illiterate among adults in our part of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mozah-bint-nasser-al-missned/sixty-six-percent-is-the-literacy-rate-in-the-arab-world-we-have-58/) [Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mozah-bint-nasser-al-missned/) > [Japan's literacy rate is almost 100%.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muniir-zero/japan-s-literacy-rate-is-almost-100/) [Muniir Zero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muniir-zero/) > [“If you've ever wondered how many prisons need to operate withinin America, just look at the literacy rate. 60% of America's prison inmates are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/us-dept-of-education/if-you-ve-ever-wondered-how-many-prisons-need-to-operate-withinin/) [US Dept. of Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/us-dept-of-education/) > [“In 1960 Taiwan had a much lower literacy rate than the Philippines and half the income per person; today Taiwan has ten times the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-1960-taiwan-had-a-much-lower-literacy-rate-than-the-philippines/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [I come from the small town of Sialkot in Pakistan. During pre-Partition, this town had the highest literacy rate among women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umera-ahmad/i-come-from-the-small-town-of-sialkot-in-pakistan-during-pre/) [Umera Ahmad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umera-ahmad/) > [It is not a coincidence that we have managed to send rockets into space, but our literacy rate continues to be below the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anubhav-sinha/it-is-not-a-coincidence-that-we-have-managed-to-send-rockets-into/) [Anubhav Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anubhav-sinha/) > [“There was a major demographic boom in Egypt from the 1980s, in which the population almost doubled from around 45 million to 80 million,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/there-was-a-major-demographic-boom-in-egypt-from-the-1980s-in-which/) [Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/) > [According to UNESCO: there are over 154 million children in the world deprived of education due to poverty, slavery, racism, religious extremism, gender discrimination,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/according-to-unesco-there-are-over-154-million-children-in-the-world/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [It is my vision that we all will dedicate the next decade to achieve universal literacy and education for all children, especially for girls.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/it-is-my-vision-that-we-all-will-dedicate-the-next-decade-to-achieve/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) ## More by Greg Mortenson > [Our greatest ally in the Pakistan region of turmoil is the moderate Muslim majority, who we must reach out to and embrace if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/our-greatest-ally-in-the-pakistan-region-of-turmoil-is-the-moderate/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [“People who live in the last places-the people who are most neglected and least valued by the larger world- often represent the best of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/people-who-live-in-the-last-places-the-people-who-are-most-neglected/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [If you teach a boy, you educate an individual; but if you teach a girl, you educate a community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/if-you-teach-a-boy-you-educate-an-individual-but-if-you-teach-a-girl/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [You can hand out condoms, drop bombs, build roads, or put in electricity, but until the girls are educated a society won’t change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/you-can-hand-out-condoms-drop-bombs-build-roads-or-put-in-electricity/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [“I don't want to teach Pakistani's children to think like Americans...I just want them to have a balanced, non-extremist education”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/i-don-t-want-to-teach-pakistani-s-children-to-think-like-americans-i/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [I've learned that terror doesn't happen because some group of people somewhere like Pakistan or Afghanistan simply decide to hate us. It happens because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/i-ve-learned-that-terror-doesn-t-happen-because-some-group-of-people/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [“Abdul brushed the dirt from the American's forehead, where it had been pressed to the cool ground. "Not Pakistan man," he said. "But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/abdul-brushed-the-dirt-from-the-american-s-forehead-where-it-had-been/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [When your kids accomplish something it means much more than anything you've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/when-your-kids-accomplish-something-it-means-much-more-than-anything/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [If you look at the 9/11 highjackers, certainly they were educated, some even had university degrees, but nobody really checked their mothers, who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/if-you-look-at-the-9-11-highjackers-certainly-they-were-educated-some/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [One thing that I noticed is having met some former Taliban is even they, as children, grew up being indoctrinated. They grew up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/one-thing-that-i-noticed-is-having-met-some-former-taliban-is-even/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [“Osama, baah!" Bashir roared. "Osama is not a product of Pakistan or Afghanistan. He is a creation of America. Thanks to America, Osama is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/osama-baah-bashir-roared-osama-is-not-a-product-of-pakistan-or/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [ “We shall pursue our dreams “until \[we\] reach\[…\] it. Or fail\[…\] trying. ” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/we-shall-pursue-our-dreams-until-we-reach-it-or-fail-trying/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [“What we are trying to do may be just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less because of that missing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/what-we-are-trying-to-do-may-be-just-a-drop-in-the-ocean-but-the/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [. . . hope resides in the future, while perspective and wisdom are almost always found by looking to the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/hope-resides-in-the-future-while-perspective-and-wisdom-are-almost/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [It is my vision that we all will dedicate the next decade to achieve universal literacy and education for all children, especially for girls.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/it-is-my-vision-that-we-all-will-dedicate-the-next-decade-to-achieve/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) [Explore all 89 Greg Mortenson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) ## More Afghanistan quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [They're criminals, they brutalized Afghanistan, they killed our people, they destroyed our land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamid-karzai/they-re-criminals-they-brutalized-afghanistan-they-killed-our-people/) [Hamid Karzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamid-karzai/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The terrorist attacks of September 11th and the courageous actions of our armed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq remind us that friends of tyranny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-levin/the-terrorist-attacks-of-september-11th-and-the-courageous-actions-of/) [Carl Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-levin/) > [According to a recent Harvard study, $6 trillion, when you include the ongoing healthcare expenses for our wounded soldiers, which is the least they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/according-to-a-recent-harvard-study-6-trillion-when-you-include-the/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [You don't bargain with terrorists. You don't appease terrorists. And anybody who believes that this is about something we've done has to ask themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/you-don-t-bargain-with-terrorists-you-don-t-appease-terrorists-and/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [“I stood with my mom in the cemetery. She felt terrible pain. My grandmother is with God. My mom has to continue living. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/i-stood-with-my-mom-in-the-cemetery-she-felt-terrible-pain-my/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [The most successful cultural diplomacy strategy integrates people-to-people or arts/culture/media-to-people interactions into the basic business of diplomacy. The programs in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Iran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-p-schneider/the-most-successful-cultural-diplomacy-strategy-integrates-people-to/) [Cynthia P. Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-p-schneider/) > [Because Iran understands Afghanistan far better than Americans do, making Iran a partner in a long-term effort to transform Afghan agriculture makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/because-iran-understands-afghanistan-far-better-than-americans-do/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Thousands of Americans have given their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq upholding their oaths and defending this nation. Chelsea Manning broke her oath and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/thousands-of-americans-have-given-their-lives-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [I have been to Afghanistan many times, even before the Taliban collapsed. I was fascinated by the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-khan/i-have-been-to-afghanistan-many-times-even-before-the-taliban/) [Kabir Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-khan/) > [There has been sort of, if you will, a moral interventionism on the part of the United States trying to reshape countries in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/there-has-been-sort-of-if-you-will-a-moral-interventionism-on-the/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The legal system in Afghanistan is very immature and porous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/the-legal-system-in-afghanistan-is-very-immature-and-porous/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) [Browse all 1,159 Afghanistan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is still a desperate need for investment and promotion of education in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. 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