When I was young, my mom bought me The Breadwinner series by Deborah Ellis. We would discuss the book, and this story always stayed with me in my mind, especially whenever the country of Afghanistan and the Taliban regime would make news headlines. When contemplating this blog post about library projects in developing nations, my mind went to the recent resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan and how that is affecting the educational rights of children, particularly girls. It is fitting also, that the book The Breadwinner centers on a young Afghani girl, Parvana, who earns money for her family by dressing as a boy and reading messages for people who are illiterate. I knew that I wanted to learn more about the library programs in Afghanistan and how they've been impacted by the events of the last couple of years.
In my research, I came across an organization called Charmaghz. It is a non-profit organization based out of Kabul that provides mobile library services to children ages 18 and under. The organization operates through five converted busses, which travel to communities near schools to support children's literacy, as most public schools do not have libraries (Cassidy). Each bus is staffed with librarians, and librarian assistants; each mobile library is stocked with 400 books, and they estimate that they have roughly 1000 visitors per day (Charmaghz). In the following video, Husna Nabizada, one of the librarians, discusses the benefits of the program. You see the mobile library in action, and it is a bustling hub of reading energy!
I find it especially heart-warming to hear Nabizada discuss how the mobile libraries are designed to be safe spaces for the children, and to help them with their social-emotional development in addition to building their literacy (Charmaghz, “Mobile Libraries | Charmaghz”).
Charmaghz has certainly been impacted by the war in Afghanistan in 2021. On August 2, 2021, the Charmaghz Twitter account announced that they had just launched their Online Library which gave free access to pdfs of children's books, and free access to audiobooks of children's books read by their librarians (@charmaghz). Less than two weeks later, the Afghanistan government fell to the Taliban, and Charmaghz had to suspend operations (News Desk) (@charmaghz). It is unclear in their communications about what access their patrons would have had to internet services during this time, and whether or not the children would have been able to access the online books. However, in December, they were able to resume their services and continue helping young children living in the Afghanistan receive the education they deserve (@charmaghz). Their resumption was a happy occasion for many involved, from students, to librarians, to residents of the city (Safi).
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| Young women using the mobile library. |
Works Cited
Cassidy, Anne. “Moving Stories: Inside the Book Buses Changing Children’s Lives” [UK]. The Guardian, 5 Nov. 2019, www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/nov/05/moving-stories-inside-the-book-buses-changing-childrens-lives.
Charmaghz. “Charmaghz - Mobile Library.” YouTube, uploaded by Begum FM, 5 Apr. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrzNVC7f78k.
Charmaghz. “Mobile Libraries | Charmaghz.” Charmaghz: An Opportunity for Critical Thinking, charmaghz.org/mobilelibraries. Accessed 17 June 2022.
Charmaghz [@charmaghz]. "Charmaghz Library is back in action! We have been actively going around Kabul the past few weeks, providing library services. Our 5 mobile libraries visit hundreds of children each day. We're so happy to see smiling faces once more! #bookmobile #libraries #community." Twitter, 21 Dec., 2021, 9:02 a.m. a.m., https://twitter.com/charmaghz/status/1473338015745396744.
Charmaghz [@charmaghz]. Image of Charmaghz announcing their temporary suspension of services. Twitter, 18 Aug. 2021, 4:47 p.m., https://twitter.com/charmaghz/status/1428141450613563394.
Charmaghz [@charmaghz]. "We have some great news to share! We have launched our Online Library to bring books to your home via Telegram! 1. Children’s audiobooks for free. 2. Receive PDF version of children’s books for free. 3. Know real time location of our mobile libraries in Kabul! #books." Twitter, 2 Aug, 2021, 9:02 a.m., https://twitter.com/charmaghz/status/1422226183744200706.
News Desk. “A Historical Timeline of Afghanistan.” PBS NewsHour, 30 Aug. 2021, www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/asia-jan-june11-timeline-afghanistan.
Safi, Zameer. “Mobile Library Resumes Service in Kabul” [Afghanistan]. TOLOnews, 28 Dec. 2021, tolonews.com/afghanistan-175778.
A great idea to look into how learning and libraries are finding ways to navigate the harsh realities of Afghanistan since the Taliban has taken over. Once again, women's rights and education is at risk, and these mobile libraries can start to fill the large void that has been created.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me think of the book "The Librarian of Basra", which is based on the true story of a librarian trying to save all the books in her library during the war in Iraq. Mobile libraries have many benefits, especially in countries with political instability and war.
I appreciate the personal connections you made to this week’s prompt. I agree that access to uncensored information is a gift and one that we can sometimes take for granted. Access to information and ideas can be a lifeline in a war-torn country. It is amazing to see librarians, such as those working for Charmaghz, breaking down barriers to this lifeline.
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