Dara Village Library & Learning Centre

Partner: Dara Village Residents
Project: Dara Village Library Project
Location: Village North of Kabul
Canadian Donor Support: US$12,120 per annum 

This project is a new community library with literacy classes for both women and men. The village itself contributes some of the necessary resources. Donations are used for the purchase of a variety of new books in Dari, Pashto and English from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and English speaking countries, including books in Sharia, science, the humanities, history, mathematics, literature and novels, reference material such as dictionaries and encyclopaedias, art, culture and heritage, recreational interest material, and children’s books. There are a variety of books for new readers as well as for experienced readers, and for readers of different ages.

We also contribute funds for some modest furnishings for the library, including shelving, tables and chairs, and for some stationery supplies to be used for establishing and maintaining the classification and borrowing systems. Donations also fund the salary of two librarians drawn from the village, and help pay for a literacy teacher’s salary.

This library project is a model project with a goal to open more small community village libraries, run by the villagers themselves, all over Afghanistan.

Read more about the library HERE.

Also, see our Winter 09 Newsletter for 'stories from the field'.