Every week, a little van brimming with books winds its way through narrow dirt roads, past rice paddies, and into villages scattered across Kep and Kampot. As it approaches, children gather with joy—some barefoot, others still clutching notebooks from their morning lessons—ready to dive into stories and imaginary worlds.
The Mobile Library is an initiative supported by Action Education / Aide et Action under the CO-SAVED project, co-funded by the European Union. Its mission? To nurture a culture of reading and foster a love for books in rural Cambodia.
The mobile library stops at schools as well as remote villages without formal classrooms. In many of the schools visited, physical infrastructure is limited. Few schools have dedicated libraries, and even fewer have updated books in Khmer or other languages.
Education in Action: A Source of Happiness and Joy
For children, the mobile library’s arrival is like opening a new chapter—an invitation to explore a world where dragons fly, folktales whisper, and knowledge lives on every page. Sessions often include storytelling, reading aloud, and playful literacy activities designed for different age groups.
At Toul Sangam Primary School, students poured out onto the schoolyard where the Mobile Library had set up. With books neatly organized in colorful baskets, the children browsed, selected, and read. Some sat in small groups, sharing stories.
In West Prey Thnong Village, families gathered on a green mat spread over a quiet patch of land. Children sat cross-legged, flipping through colorful books, while adults—curious and engaged—joined in.
One elderly man sat reading alongside the children, showing that it’s never too late to enjoy a good story.
In Chbar Ampov, reading isn’t just confined to desks.
Here, under the trees and in the school garden, students lean in together over shared pages. From Khmer folktales to books on science and animals, the variety sparks wonder and imagination.
For some children, this little van is the only library they have ever known—the sole source of fresh stories, ideas, and practical guides in Khmer. Entire communities can now see books not just as objects, but as doorways to knowledge and empowerment.
Books on Wheels: Our Mission is to Inspire Reading
The Mobile Library is a moving bookshelf of hope—a bridge between children and the boundless opportunities that reading can unlock: to learn, to imagine, to grow.
The aim is not only to provide access to literacy but to weave reading into daily life—encouraging children to carry stories home, to read aloud with siblings, and to build habits that last beyond school.
Because the road to knowledge is paved with books.
