In Garissa, Kenya, camels carry goods between villages that can’t be accessed with trucks. In most of those villages, 80% of people are illiterate. In order to address illiteracy while working within the limitations of the region, a small group of Kenyans started a mobile book-lending service that delivers books to 3,500 villagers and nomads around Garissa. On each visit they bring 200 books, lending each for a period of two weeks and then retrieving them to share with the next community. Camel Library targets children rather than catering to the few literate adults, says head librarian, Rashid Farah, “We believe that maybe in the next ten years, we will have a society which is educated, and the community which is now illiterate will [become] literate.”
Check out Rocketboom’s short video documenting the mission and activities of Camel Library.
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(Posted by Sarah Rich in Education at 5:14 PM)