Afghanistan has a huge population of children. Approximately 80% of its total population is under the age of 20. The literacy rate in Afghanistan among young people is growing. 50% of young men are literate and 25% of girls, along with school enrolments increasing rapidly. There is a growing market for 'good books', for children, teen-agers and university students.

Safari Consultants plays a key role in meeting the need for “good books” by publishing a selection of value-based, culturally appropriate books for Afghan children and youth. We revive positive features of Afghan culture by selecting and publishing Afghan fables, legends and folk-lore. The stories are accompanied with factual and thought provoking questions to encourage reflection and discussion. Our books are generally aimed at readers between six years of age and high school students.

We publish 5-7 new book titles and reprint 2-3 titles each year. In 2010 we distributed nearly 10,000 books! Books are sold at subsidized prices through private schools, bookshops and children’s reading clubs that have developed out of our Self Help Groups. Safari Consultants works closely with Operation Mercy’s Self-Help Groups who form cooperatives among women from low-income families. These groups develop children’s groups who form reading clubs. A number of reading groups have now formed their own small libraries.

We listen to the children’s feedback about our books. They often ask, ‘When is the next book coming?’ We also listen to the illiterate women who enjoy listening to the stories and provide us with valuable feedback. Children and vulnerable women gain a sense of confidence as they read and listen to ‘good books’. By engaging with the stories and discussing them they develop critical thinking skills and grow in interpersonal relationships. One child said, ‘We are poor and we don’t have anything else to do. When we meet as a group for one hour, we learn a lot. We talk with each other and we tell stories to each other. It’s a lot of fun. We learn honesty, respect, friendship and information about animals from these books’.

In July 2010, the Ministry of Economics evaluated our Safari Good Books project. One official said, 'These are the best books I’ve ever seen and with such good quality.' They recommended that we work with the Ministry of Education so that we could distribute our “Good Books” through the regular school system.

A number of years ago, Safari Consultants dubbed the classic family film ‘Treasures in the Snow’ into Dari and Pushtu, the local languages. Different television networks have repeatedly aired this film in the past 5 years. The values in this movie deal with conflict resolution skills, forgiveness and peace building.

Operation Mercy is so pleased to see how Safari Consultants Good Books is making a valuable contribution to the Afghan society through its book publishing and distribution. It has so much scope for further initiatives such as more film dubbing and perhaps even in film making one day.