Japan gives Rs9.9m grant for mobile libraries in rural Islamabad

An agreement has been signed between Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan and Chairman Bright Star

The government of Japan has extended a grant of Rs9.87 million ($94,184) to a local NGO help it implement a social development project for deprived communities in the suburbs of Islamabad.

The agreement was signed on Wednesday by Japanese Ambassador Takashi Kurai, and called Bright Star Chairman Saeed Malik at the Japanese Ambassador’s residence in Islamabad, according to a statement issued by the Japanese Embassy.

Indus Motors Vice Chairman Toshiya Azuma also attended the ceremony.



Bright Star, founded in 2009, started an exclusive mobile library operation in 2011 by the name of Bright Star Mobile Library (BSML). It caters to schools with no library facilities.

The NGO currently working with around 20 such schools, said the press release, for promoting reading habits among students.

In order to appreciate the concept of mobile libraries in the country and to enhance reading and learning skills in the future generation, the Japanese government decided to provide the grant under the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) scheme, said the press release.

The idea is to reach out to an increased number of underprivileged children through BSML and to promote a library culture by providing 5,000 to 7,000 books to 5th-grade students of these schools.

Activities in the project would initially include storytelling to younger students as well as guiding and self-learning book reading sessions in every school every week.



To facilitate the programme and its expansion, Indus Motors would also help the Japanese government and Bright Star, said the statement.

Indus Motors – under the first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) component of GGP scheme 2017 – would provide two Japanese vehicles which would later be modified into fully-equipped mobile libraries.

The vehicle would carry at least 850 books (both English and Urdu) each and electronic media items such as projectors and DVD players would also be installed in them, the press release explained.

Indus Motors would also provide free maintenance services for these vehicles for a specified time-period.

The ambassador emphasised that how important it was to have superior and accessible facilities of education for strengthening the foundation of long-term development at individual and community levels.

Kurai also assured continuous support for communities in Pakistan and hoped that the project would surely improve friendly relations between Japan and Pakistan.