In Afghanistan, some schools are hundreds of miles away, and a child’s education is further obstructed by a lack of resources, including print books. Saber Hosseini is a literacy hero who believes in the power of education and brings Afghan children books on his bicycle library, providing them access to a world of knowledge. Saber, a schoolteacher in one of the poorest areas of Afghanistan, attests to the fact that a library is more than just stacks of books - it is also a community of individuals willing to learn and discuss and grow.
Many schools were destroyed through the violence of the past several years and children from remote villages were often forced to drop out, reversing earlier educational progress that had been made.
Saber came up with the idea for a bicycle library six months ago. After conversations with friends in literary circles, Saber was able to raise enough money to purchase 200 books. Working with volunteers, Saber traveled to the Iran border to purchase most of the library’s books because the publication of books in Afghanistan is severely limited.
Now six months later, through the support of communities and people around the world, the library has grown to 3,500 books and Saber has even opened the first public library in Bamiyan.
The literacy rate is on track to rise again all because because of a library stationed in a box on one man's bicycle. The power of education is something we should hold on to just like Saber did and still does.
Contributed by: Salma Khalil https://kristawelz.wixsite.com/literacyheroes/forum-1/middle-east/the-bicycle-library
Source: This bicycle library is raising literacy rates in Afghanistan and A knowledge transporter in Afghanistan