Mobile Schools Provide Hope For Afghan Children -- Especially For Girls

Afghan girls wait for the start of an educational event organized by Pen Path in Kandahar Province on May 17. This was the first time the NGO sent its mobile school and library to the area.

Afghan boys walk to the event. Pen Path was created by two brothers, Matiullah and Attaullah Wesa, in 2009, with the aim of combating illiteracy in Afghanistan.

Children watch an educational video -- their first experience of a mobile lesson. 

Children listen to an instructor.

A volunteer distributes books to children. The mobile library includes books on history and geography as well as children's fiction in Pashto and Dari.

Educating the community on the importance of children's education is part of Pen Path's initiative. According to Human Rights Watch, only 37 percent of Afghanistan's teenage girls can read and write, compared to 66 percent of boys.

Children raise their hands to answer a question. Pen Path says lessons like these have been held across the country. They continue their work despite the Taliban seizing power.