School Library for Girls in Northern Afghanistan

Thanks to your donor support, we were able to buy science, math, Dari and English language textbooks for our schools. As the number of older girls interested in science and math increases as well as those hoping to study for the college entrance exams, the library is a central place for keeping study material. 

"I've always wanted to read more and study science, even computer science. But we don't have the books until now. It is the one thing that stays in a room and can be used again and again by many girls. When we had visitors from Mazar-i-Sharif, they brought magazines and books. It makes such a big difference. People may not realize how much it matters to have books," student, rural school, Balkh Province

"Bring us books, books and more books. We need textbooks. We need books with our poetry and stories about life. We need books about hope. Come and see our room, there are no books," a student told Airokhsh, our Afghan Fellow as when she visited our schools. With donor support, Airokhsh purchased books in the Mazar-i-Sharif bazaar and was able to distribute them to girls who previously were without textbooks. 

About 80,000 books were lost and 18 main libraries closed in the course of Afghanistan’s civil war under Taliban rule.  Many became sources of heat to fuel stoves during times when wood was scarce, or sold in bazaars at bulk weight to make bags used by shopkeepers to wrap food.

And while Afghanistan has made tremendous strides since those days, including getting girls in the doors of schools, girls in rural areas continue to lag behind their urban sisters in attending school. Over 60% of rural girls do not attend school and are vulnerable to ongoing cycles of early marriage, health problems and poverty. The Afghan Ministry of Education is committed to trying to improve literacy rates. Their goal for 2014 was to increase national literacy rates from 26.4% to 48% and to increase female literacy from 12% to 43%

There are many reasons for girls not attending school including a lack of schools, troublesome security situations and few resources such as books and other equipment. Sahar's library project touches the lives of over 2,000 girls in rural schools. Girls go to school in shifts, typically up to three shifts in one day. Having books to read is an essential step in tackling illiteracy. 

Donor support is essential for bringing books into rural schools. Afghanistan remains on the bottom rung of the UN Poverty Index. Helping girls gain a toehold in reading and writing contributes to lifting the nation out of poverty.

Sahar equips schools with libraries to serve the needs of students of all ages. We buy an array of math, science and reading books that are age appropriate and sensitive to cultural issues, always with the goal of providing access to knowledge that is otherwise highly restricted. We also equip the library spaces with shelves, chairs and a table. The funding amount for each microproject ($2,500) is enough to furnish a typical library space and provide up to 250 books, serving about 500 students.