Reuters – A school teacher delivers books by bicycle to children in remote areas of Afghanistan, giving them a chance to learn to read and gain knowledge.
Around 08:00 on every weekend and holiday, Saber Hosseini, a teacher from the town of Bamyan, the capital of Bamyan province in central Afghanistan, selects books from his library, loads them onto his bicycle and sets off for remote villages around the city which have no schools.
After over an hour riding on rugged dirt roads, Hosseini arrives at an isolated village, bringing the books, an extremely rare commodity, to the local children.
He distributes the books taking notes of which book each child borrows so he can exchange with them for other books next time.
For the children who have little access to education and have to help support the family from a young age, Hosseini’s arrival is a special event.
“These books are all very interesting. I often borrow them from the library” said Mahmaz, a young girl who picked a storybook from Hosseini’s library.
“Many of those children are old enough for the third or fourth grade, but in fact, they have not learned to read or write at all. This should not be happening,” said Hosseini, who wanted to change this situation.
It has been difficult for the teacher to buy books since there is no bookstore in Bamyan.
“I started with about 200 books, all thanks to my friend in Kabul. I bought these books and had them delivered. They cost about 200 U.S. dollars,” said Hosseini.
He started riding his ‘library bicycle’ to remote villages throughout Bamiyan province seven months ago.
“When I hand out the books to them, I can see their excitement and joy. It is the joy of being able to learn. I am also inspired,” said Hosseini.
Hosseini’s project has become well-known across Bamiyan as well as around the rest of the country, and donations have started pouring in. In just a few months, his collection has grown from 200 to about 3,500 books.
Hosseini moved his collection to an empty house near his home and decided to open it to the public, making it the first library in Bamyan.
“It opens for several hours every day. People can come here and read. Sometimes I take care of it and other times, someone else looks after it for me,” he said.
Every weekend, Hosseini still rides his bicycle loaded with boxes of children’s books to isolated villages. He said he hopes there will be a school in the mountainous region one day.