DUBAI // A group of Pakistani expatriates are embarking on a project to open libraries in their homeland to coincide with 2016 being the year of reading.
Kitaabie, which means my book in Arabic, has been launched by Maha Khan, an English teacher at the British Council, and two others in Dubai to promote education in Pakistan.
“It has been a dream for years, since I am from the education industry and have grown up with books around me. I’ve been taught to respect books and spread education,” Ms Khan, 39, said. She came up with the idea when she finished teaching in schools. “I was left with hundreds of books that I didn’t have the heart to throw out. Neither did I find a place to give them away,” she said.
The first library will be opened in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, with the premises donated by a former Dubai resident of 20 years, Ali Raza Jafry, 72, who now runs a welfare trust in Islamabad. “In Pakistan we need libraries because while there is tremendous love for reading, there is not enough availability of resources for everyone,” he said. “Regardless of the influx of technology, books will always be needed as a point of reference. Libraries are places where one can find authentic resources.”
Ms Khan agreed. “With the technology at its peak, we are losing the essence of real education. If you know the difference between sliding your finger on the screen of a smartphone as opposed to flipping pages of a book then you would agree on the need of a library,” she said.
Kitaabie is a non-profit, self-sustainable project, she added, with libraries being established where people can donate space, and books, furniture and everything else needed also donated. The hope is to have a Kitaabie every 100km in the country.
The Islamabad library is expected to be opened in March when they will look at other cities across the country, with the aim of opening another two within two months.
“We will be everywhere and all kinds of books will be available, be it academic, fiction, non-fiction, magazines,” Ms Khan said. “Kitaabie will be for everyone. I want to create a space where a woman can go with her kids a day and spend quality time with books, without any worries of day care, a place where students can go and research, a place where working professionals can work on projects.”
However, she needs help to collect more books. “I need books, any kind of book, but they have to be in good condition. They have to be intact, they have to be happy, they have to be warm,” said Ms Khan.
“As the UAE has declared this year as a year of reading, this is the best time to share books with others. Kitaabie depicts a special bond between UAE and Pakistani people. Just imagine, those books that have been lying on your bookshelf for ages will become a source of learning for an aspiring student in a remote city of Pakistan.”
Fatima Huzefa, an educational trainer in Dubai, said everyone should contribute to Kitaabie. “A library changes the mindset for the better – there is no other blessings better than spreading knowledge and education,” said the 37-year-old PHD candidate at British University in Dubai.
Ms Huzefa, from Karachi, said: “Everyone in the UAE who loves books and knowledge should contribute to this noble cause,” she said. “This will be the best gift to mankind.”
Those wishing to donate books or support the project can contact Ms Khan via maha@kitaabie.com.
akhaishgi@thenational.ae