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From the Bozeman Daily Chronicle:

Mortenson receives Star of Pakistan

by Karin Ronnow

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Humanitarian Greg Mortenson’s staff and supporters showered him with rose petals, hung garlands of fresh flowers around his neck and cheered in Urdu Monday night.

The cheerful celebration came hours after Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari presented the 51-year-old Bozemanite with the Sitarai-i-Pakistan medal, or Star of Pakistan, in a formal midday ceremony here in the nation’s capital.

"This award is an honor, a big honor, not only for Greg but for Greg's family and for all of Central Asia Institute - from America to Pakistan and Afghanistan," said Sarfraz Khan, CAI’s operations manager.

Mortenson founded Central Asia Institute in the mid-1990s to support his efforts to build schools and promote education, especially for girls, in neglected and isolated mountain villages in Pakistan. His work has since expanded to Afghanistan and now includes nearly 80 schools benefiting more than 33,000 students.

More about Greg's Central Asia Institute: CAI site

The must-read book about how this all came about: