Book Bikes - Girls Reading to Succeed

Pakistan's literacy rates are amongst the lowest in the world: Less than 60 percent of the population is literate. The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) estimated in 2016 that around 25 percent of the Pakistani youth is illiterate with 8.2 percent unemployed with no vocational and technical skills.

Mobile libraries bring resources outside of the library's fixed location to users who otherwise may not get a chance to benefit from them thus effectively extending the outreach of the library's safe learning and social development practices.

Starting with one Book Bike, we now run two; one of them being supported by an Ausaid award granted to Ayesha Jabbar. The Book Bike is an initiative launched during the pandemic by Alif Laila Book Bus Society and has been up and running since 2020 in 20 low income communities of Lahore Punjab, Baarkhaan Balochistan and Mardan, KPK. Both Book Bikes have been equipped with 1000+ books and an LED screen that allows children to learn through watching educational videos. This mobile library has been going to communities and providing books to children whose learning was compromised because of school closure. Many hundred children have rushed to the Book Bike to pick out story books to read and enjoy and to watch interesting science, astronomy, craft and “how to make” videos on the screen installed inside the library box.

In April 2022, the book bike running in Mardan was shifted back to Lahore, Punjab while one remains in Balochistan serving different schools and communities. The Book Bike creates an environment conducive to active learning and togetherness, this laying the foundation for the building of strong communities. One of the most classic reasons kids should go to the library is to receive help in finding materials. Though the freedom to choose their own books or other media is critical to developing consistent reading habits, having access to a helpful adult who can help find materials on a variety of topics is key and this purpose is well served by this low cost mobile library.

There is an increasing demand for the Book Bike from many areas of our country which prompted us to improve the original. We are currently experimenting to install an electric motor in it to make it easy to drive and then it can be taken to more areas in less time and more speed.

Thank you for your continued support in making this dream come true for the children of Pakistan.