The USAID funded Afghan Children Read (ACR) project establishes reading labs to introduce supplementary reading materials to students and improve their reading skills. Since 2018, the ACR team established reading labs in Herat schools and trained teachers and school administrators to manage the labs.

Farid Ahmad Nayel, a teacher trained through the project, had dreamed of starting a library when he was a boy. He finally realized his wish thanks to inspiration from the project’s reading labs and established a small reading library in Khaja Kozagar High School in Enjil District, serving 500 early grade reading students. Many of the residents in this area are poor and their children may not have access to reading materials at home.

“I had this idea to start a library from my own time at school, but was deprived of the facilities and materials to improve my reading skills and share information with my family at home,” says Mr. Nayel. “After working as a teacher trainer under the ACR project and observing the reading labs established in Herat, I was inspired to chase my childhood dream.”

Mr. Nayel posted about the reading lab on Facebook and managed to collect 350 books from friends and the public. He says that the library helped the school establish a culture of reading, and students regularly go there to sit and read together.

“As encouragement, the school conducted reading competitions and rewarded students for their attempts to improve their reading.” Said Mr. Nayel.

The positive effect of the library is already evident in the students’ abilities – several of whom participated in an article writing competition and received appreciation letters from school management.

To involve students and give them a sense of ownership over the space, a box has been installed in the library for them to provide ideas and suggestions on more ways to utilize the learning space.