David Relin, author of Three Cups Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time, will discuss the issues of world poverty at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 12 in the Recreation and Convocation Center at St. Edward's University. Three Cups of Tea follows the journey of Greg Mortenson that led him to effectively establish schools in the remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. This event, sponsored by Freshman Studies and University Programs, is free and open to the public.

After failing his attempt to climb the K2 in Pakistan, the world’s second highest mountain peak, and stranded from his group, Mortenson stumbled across a village that changed his life. Mortenson witnessed the village’s children scratching their school lessons into the ground because the village couldn’t afford a school teacher. When Mortenson left, he promised that he would return to the village to build them a proper schoolhouse. Even though he had trouble getting his mission off the ground, he has established 78 schools in rural areas over the course of 15 years.

For two decades, Relin has been dedicated to reporting about social issues around the world and their effect on children. His work as an investigative reporter and editor has received national awards and honors. For instance, his interviews with child soldiers have been included in Amnesty International Reports. As well as his investigation into the way the INS abused children in its custody contributed to the reorganization of that agency.

Relin’s work and focus on human rights resonates with the Holy Cross tradition at St. Edward’s University of confronting critical issues of society and striving for social justice.

Three Cups of Tea is a New York Times best seller and was named nonfiction winner of the 2007 Kiriyama Prize, 2007 Pacific Northwest Booksellers’ Book Of The Year, Time Magazine, Asia Book Of The Year, People Magazine Critic’s Choice, and a BookSense Notable Title.