In Islamabad many schools have been closed due to lack of funds. In some cases the only education available is in controversial madrassas.
But some are fighting back, reclaiming a culture that was known for its intricacy and the value it placed on education.
Enter Saeed Malik, a Pakistani who has returned to his homeland after retirement in the US, who has come up with a novel and useful idea.
He has painted a van a brilliant green, written on it "reading is fun" and had someone put a picture of children happily reading under a large apple tree.
A gaggle of young children can often be seen scurrying to his van, whenever he stops, like little bees to their flower.
In the midst of what are incessant news of terrible happenings, and increasing sectarian divisions, the work of Malik and other like him is a splendid ray of light.
What Malik has set out to do seems rather simple, getting to young children and giving them a viable alternative to poverty and ignorance, but it has enormous implications.
What prompted Malik to start his small mobile library endeavor was the dismal state of the education available to the children in Islamabad. What dismayed him even more was that often when asking young boys what they wanted to do when they grew up, their answer was to become a fighter. It was the only thing they knew.
So Malik, unhappy and saddened at the state of affairs, decided that the only way to change things was to give these children a vision of the world that was beyond the dismal choices known to them.
And what better than to give these children colorful, insightful books that throw open the door of a child's imagination?
And Malik has filled in a void that has become all but emptied in recent times: libraries are either non existant or they are locked up for no one to see.
Although Malik has to make do on the small funding he receives and the help of volunteers, his efforts are reaching thousands of children. And his numbers are growing each month.
Source: NPR news 3.1.13
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