As Taliban violence forces schools in Afghanistan to close, mobile libraries give hope to girls

Motorcycle-riding volunteers from the Pen Path Civil Society travel across areas ravaged by fighting to distribute books and stationery

Co-founder Matiullah Wesa says parents are reluctant to send their kids to school, as 468 children had already been killed by June

Reading Time:4 minutes

Pen Path has 2,400 volunteers running mobile libraries on motorcycles in Afghanistan. Photo: Handout

Published: 9:00pm, 14 Aug 2021Updated: 10:37pm, 16 Aug 2021

For 11-year-old Husna, books are her only source of happiness. Her school in Wat village, 3km from the Spin Boldak district in Afghanistan that is now under Taliban control, is closed for summer holidays until September. But no one knows for sure when it will reopen, due to the clashes between Afghan nationalist forces and the Islamist group that have ensued since troops from the United States began withdrawing in May.

Now, Husna’s only ray of hope is the mobile library run by the Pen Path Civil Society, a non-governmental organisation whose motorcycle-riding volunteers travel across areas ravaged by fighting to distribute books and stationery to children.

“I am very happy that I can at least continue to study,” she said, adding that she wants to grow up to be a doctor.

In Afghanistan, where more than 60 per cent of the 3.7 million out-of-school children are girls, Pen Path’s mobile libraries – which include books on history, geography, and children’s fiction in Pashto and Dari, the country’s official languages – continue to educate girls such as Husna.

The Taliban is notorious for its violence and discrimination towards women. Besides harsh restrictions on their appearance and behaviour, the group also banned most women from receiving more than a primary school education while it ruled the country.

More than 60 per cent of the 3.7 million out-of-school children in Afghanistan are girls. Photo: Pen Path Civil Society

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x