The Suffolk Museum and the Suffolk Art League are participating in the Pennies for Peace program.

The penny, 1 percent of a dollar, is symbolic of the “1% of Gross Domestic Product” goal set by the United Nations for wealthy countries to give foreign aid to impoverished nations each year.

Pennies for Peace teaches children the rewards of sharing and working together to bring hope and educational opportunities to children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. A penny in the United States is virtually worthless, but in Pakistan and Afghanistan, a penny buys a pencil and opens the door to literacy.

The mission of Central Asia Institute focuses on community-based education, especially for girls. A 5th-grade education for girls improves not only the basic indices of health for her and her family, but it also allows her to spread the value of education within her community.

Literacy, for both boys and girls, provides better economic opportunities in the future and neutralizes the power of despot mullahs and other extremist leaders.

This summer, the Suffolk Museum and the Suffolk Art League collected Pennies for Peace to promote and support community-based education, especially for girls, in remote mountain regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. In past years the groups have collected funds for a variety of non-profits, including Heifer International and the Suffolk Humane Society.

Thanks to generous patrons, the museum collected $80.

Pennies for Peace was begun by Greg Mortenson, the author of “Three Cups of Tea.” For more information, visit www.threecupsoftea.org or www.penniesforpeace.org.