Hundreds of children in recent years have used the libraries that circulate in Kabul every day, because many schools and orphanages do not have them.
Kabul (AFP) .- A library aboard a bus at the gates of an orphanage in Kabul. The image awakens smiles in children, since it has not been repeated since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in mid-August.
“I feel really happy. I’m studying again with the books that I love”Says Arezo Azizi, an 11-year-old girl holding a calculus book in her arms.
The library “had not come for three months,” explains the girl, sitting inside this bus turned into a library, trying to make herself heard among the joyous noise of her classmates.
The mobile library is one of five buses rented by a local organization called Charmagzh, created by Freshta Karim, an Afghan from the British University of Oxford.
Hundreds of children in recent years have used the libraries that circulate in Kabul every day, because many schools and orphanages do not have their own library and have few resources.
But “we lost almost all the backers after the government was taken over by the Taliban” in mid-August, said Ahmad Fahim Barakati, deputy head of the nonprofit organization.
The Taliban Ministry of Education granted permission for the mobile libraries to circulate again weeks ago, but it took days before reaching an agreement with the Ministry of Transport, which owns the buses, Barakati explained.
Like the children, 22-year-old librarian Ramzia Abdi Jail is visibly happy with the return of the units.
“It is a beautiful feeling. Especially because currently there is a part of the schools that are closed, “he recalled.
Girls’ education has been hit especially hard by the return of the Taliban to power, when millions of girls across the country were marginalized from secondary education in public schools.
At this time, only a part of the girls in the country can attend their classes and on the condition that they are non-mixed classes, a situation that has raised international concern and criticism. The Taliban say they first want to ensure “safe” conditions so that girls can return to classrooms.
“We have street children and I love taking care of them because they don’t have the opportunity to go to school,” adds Jail.
“We have Islamic books, we have history books in English and Dari, we have coloring books and games,” he said.
Charmaghz has sufficient funds to keep the mobile libraries running for about a month, Barakati said.
“We are raising funds on online platforms and I hope we have enough sponsors and donors” to keep them active beyond that time, he said.
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
