QUETTA: Plodding his way through the desert in remote southwest Pakistan, Roshan the camel carries priceless cargo: books for children who can no longer go to school because of coronavirus lockdowns.
The school children, who live in remote villages where the streets are too narrow for vehicles, put on their best clothes and rush out to meet Roshan. They crowd around the animal shouting "the camel is here!"
Pakistan's schools first closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, and have only opened sporadically since then, with around 50 million school-age children and university students told to continue their education from home. It's been especially difficult in places like Balochistan, where in many villages internet access is almost non-existent.
Raheema Jalal, a high school principal who founded the Camel Library project with her sister, a federal minister, says she started the library last August because she wanted children around her remote hometown to continue learning despite schools being closed.
The project is a collaboration with the Female Education Trust and Alif Laila Book Bus Society, two NGOs that have been running children's library projects in the country for 36 years.
Roshan carries the books to four different villages in the district of Kech, visiting each village three times a week and staying for about two hours each time. Children borrow books and return them the next time Roshan visits.
"I like picture books, because when I look at the pictures and the photographs, I can understand the story better," nine-year-old Ambareen Imran told Reuters.
Jalal hopes to continue and expand the project to cover more villages, but needs funding: around $118 a month is needed now each month for Roshan.
Murad Ali, Roshan's owner, says he was taken aback when he was first contacted about the project, but thought camels were the sensible mode of transport. He enjoys the trips and seeing the happy children and still earns as much as he used to when he transported firewood.
Balochistan makes up nearly half of Pakistan by area, but the sparsely populated province is also the country's most impoverished.
Roshan the camel brings books to homeschooling children in rural Pakistan
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Roshan the camel brings books to homeschooling children in rural Pakistan
- Raheema Jalal started the library last August because she wanted children around her remote hometown to continue learning
- The school children put on their best clothes and rush out to meet Roshan
Pakistan Airports Authority reports ‘historic’ twin-engine aircraft landing in Lahore
- Twin-engine aircraft are usually larger, heavier and require better airport infrastructure, navigation systems to land
- Pakistan Airports Authority says landing reflects its commitment to enhance aviation sector, strengthen infrastructure
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) announced on Saturday that the New General Aviation Aerodrome achieved a significant milestone when it handled the landing of a twin-engine aircraft.
A twin-engine aircraft has two engines that provide it redundancy and increased performance compared to single-engine counterparts. These aircraft range from small twin-engine propeller planes to large commercial jetliners. The presence of multiple engines enhances safety by allowing the aircraft to continue flying in the event of an engine failure.
However, twin-engine aircraft are usually larger, heavier and more complex than single-engine planes. They require advanced airport infrastructure such as better runways, navigation systems and air traffic coordination.
“The New General Aviation Aerodrome, Lahore achieved another significant operational milestone today with the successful landing of a twin-engine aircraft, following the recent arrival of a single-engine aircraft,” the PAA said in a statement.
It said the flight was also boarded by Air Vice Marshal Zeeshan Saeed, the director general of the PAA. The move reflected “strong institutional confidence” in the aerodrome’s safety standards, operational capability, and overall readiness, it added.
“The landing was conducted with exceptional precision and professionalism, demonstrating the aerodrome’s robust operational framework, technical preparedness, and effective airside coordination in accordance with contemporary aviation requirements,” the PAA said.
It said the landing represented a “major advancement” in Pakistan’s general aviation sector and underscores the PAA’s commitment to enhancing regional aviation capacity, strengthening infrastructure and promoting excellence in aviation development.
