Camel Library Project brings cheer to children in remote Balochistan
Updated:
Updated:
May 05, 2021 15:34 IST
In this arid Pakistan province, Roshan the camel brings the world to children missing school due to the COVID-19 pandemic
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Children stand next to Roshan the camel, who brings books, in Mand, Pakistan | Photo Credit:
Reuters/ FUZUL BASHIR
In this arid Pakistan province, Roshan the camel brings the world to children missing school due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Roshan’s even toes sink into the sand, dodging scree as he plods along the expansive plains towards Mand, a small town in southern Balochistan bordering Iran. The camel passes sights that belong to a medieval play small houses, their doorways covered in hessian sacks, pepper the hillside; lone trees stand scattered; and the only colour in the dun landscape is from intricately painted Bedford trucks on the highway and the children dressed in bright
Reuters photo
We have all been at the receiving end of those never-ending stories by our parents about all the calamities and demons they countered to reach school. Well, we have a better story for you.
Due to this raging Coronavirus pandemic, children across the world have taken to online classes. But those who cannot afford the latest technology are left behind.
In Pakistan, the COVID-19 pandemic has left around 50 million school-age children and university students continuing their education at home. Needless to say, this has affected the studies of children living in places like Balochistan, where many villages don t even have internet access.
Roshan the camel brings books to homeschooling children in Balochistan s Kech
Founder of the Camel Library Project wants children to continue learning despite schools being closed
By
Updated Sunday May 02 2021
Plodding his way through the desert in remote southwest Pakistan, Roshan the camel carries priceless cargo: books for children who can no longer go to school because of coronavirus lockdowns.
The school children, who live in remote villages where the streets are too narrow for vehicles, put on their best clothes and rush out to meet Roshan. They crowd around the animal shouting the camel is here!
Pakistan s schools first closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, and have only opened sporadically since then, with around 50 million school-age children and university students told to continue their education from home. It s been especially difficult in places like Balochistan, where in many villages internet access is almost non-existent.
Updated / Tuesday, 27 Apr 2021
17:34
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Roshan the camel has an important mission; trekking across the arid terrain of Pakistan s Balochistan, to a village where dozens of children are waiting for his important cargo - books. The camel is here!! The camel is here! delighted children chant as they surround Roshan, the camel library, on his arrival to their village.
In March 2020, with the Covid-19 pandemic raging across the country, Pakistan closed its schools, sending over 50 million school and university-going students home, to the dismay of tens of thousands of parents and people connected with the education system.