Literacy foundation calls for donations to help Afghan girls access books

Friday marks International Literacy Day, but not everyone is able to share the same joy of reading.

According to the World Literacy Foundation, the new Taliban government in Afghanistan has banned books for girls. As a result, the organization is working alongside a network of underground book clubs in the Islamic country to help ensure everyone – regardless of gender – can share in the joy of reading.

“We started to partner with the underground book clubs in Afghanistan through a network of our Youth Ambassador participants to supply them with digital books and educational resources to foster their love of reading,” the foundation’s Rosario Aran said in a statement.

“As a lover of books, I couldn’t even imagine if l wasn’t allowed to read books anymore.”

On International Literacy Day, the foundation is calling for donations from Saskatchewan and around the world to help support access to books for 3,000 girls in Afghanistan.

More details on the campaign can be found on the foundation’s website.