the instructor who travels with the van . “ Because of this , some children only go to school three days a week [ if they go at all ]. But little children — girls and boys — many of them are not able to go to school because the school is too far away from their village .”
Thanks to the library van and the free classes it offers , these young children now have a chance to learn . Hira teaches them about reading , writing , math , art , critical thinking , and more . There ’ s even a lesson on gardening . All the exercises are interactive and encourage students to ask questions . Many are designed to bridge the gap between classroom learning and daily life .
Hira feels the lessons on nature and climate change are especially good at accomplishing this . One of her favorite books from the library talks about the importance of conservation . “ Trees are our friends ,” she says . “ In the village , we see trees all around us . That ’ s why I teach [ the students ] to take care of trees . Trees are good for our health .”
Conservation is crucial in northern Pakistan , where farmers are clearing more and more trees to make room for farmland . There is a growing concern about deforestation and climate change throughout the country , yet the solutions and need for wild spaces are not widely talked about . ( See page 28 for more information on climate change and girls ’ education .)
Mr . Babar Khan , the library van project manager , speaks passionately about the need for more lessons that have real-world impacts . “ Our classrooms are disconnected from our society ,” he says . “ Where and how will the classroom content be applied in your practical life ? [ This story ] from the library is an example of how we can connect classroom learning and sensitize children and make [ conservation ] part of the social norm — to be a part of nature and not the enemy of nature . We are trying to introduce this concept to children at an early age so that it will last .”
Hira visits up to three villages a day . Throughout the month , she ’ ll service approximately 15 different locations , spending one to two hours in each village . Hira wishes that she could stay longer in each place , but due to the steep mountain terrain , the remote locations of the villages , and the poor quality of the roads , her drive to the next village is often long and slow .
Even though their time with the van is limited , children and adults have come to look forward with excitement to its arrival and all the treasures and joy it brings . “ I am always welcomed by smiling faces ,” says Hira . “ And when I ask
them if I can go , they always say ‘ No , madam ! We want more activities !’”
It ’ s no wonder that the communities love the library van . Few villagers have books to open their minds and imaginations to new information and ideas . And having engaging learning activities is a new concept for students in Pakistan . Teachers rarely use interactive materials like the ones Hira employs . Teaching methods have historically focused on rote memorization and preparation for end-of-semester tests . Without interactive , playful lessons , students who go to government-run or private schools
are slow to grasp or retain most of what they are taught and unable to analyze information .
To get a sense of what they were up against , Ismail conducted a survey when the van program was getting started . Children were tested on their knowledge of basic concepts , like the alphabet and numbers . Most scored very low on the assessment . Ismail used what he learned to design specific activities for each village . Activities that Hira uses with students are selected based on the assessment results .
The progress they ’ ve witnessed has been incredible . When the children were first tested , almost none of them passed the assessment . After one year , students were retested using the same assessment . This time , approximately 80 % of students passed the test . Of the 20 % who didn ’ t , most had poor attendance or had joined the program late . The library van team is targeting these students for special attention so they can catch up with their peers and be able to read , write , and speak English and Urdu — the two national languages — at a passable level in the next few months .
10 | JOURNEY OF HOPE CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE