The deserts of Thar stretch for miles, the landscape often barren and the weather unforgiving. Most people don’t step out of their insulated huts – topped up with thatched roofs to protect against the strong winds and heat - unless necessary. Unless it’s a Wednesday, for that is the day when a lone camel emerges on the unrelenting landscape dotted by sand dunes.

It is no ordinary camel for this one brings stories that range from educational to fantastical.

Jaman Bai and Badal, two local teachers, accompany the camel bringing stories to the children of Thar. They are part of an initiative by a local NGO, the Ali Bano Foundation, in partnership with a reading initiative called the Alif Laila Book Busy Society.

Jaman and Badal read the stories with the children and help them with comprehension. On some days, they let the children’s imagination run wild to concoct stories of their own.

The camel carries around 100 books, comprising storybooks in English and Urdu. The activity envisions holistic education and includes books on mathematics and the sciences to help children understand basics of reading, writing and numerical skills.

The on-the-go school conducts classes twice a week teaching students the basics of reading and writing.

Asghar Naqvi, one of the driving forces behind the project, says that the project was created to deal with the scattered nature of the population in rural parts of Sindh.

The initiative works on the motto “education for all” and provides children in remote areas access to books and teachers where they do not have proper educational infrastructure.

The NGO, which also runs four schools across the country, says it has enrolled over 1600 hundred children from some of the remotest villages of Sindh during the two years since the initiative was launched.

“The camel and its handler along with two teachers walk from village to village, spending time helping the children read and write,” says Naqvi. They make weekly visits, hitting at least two villages during each trip. This rounds up to eight villages every month.

He said that the recent induction of local women teachers is helping the project improve its gender inclusivity in a region that is extremely conservative along with dealing with high level of poverty and nearly non-existent educational infrastructure.

“These under-privileged children are forced to work from an early age deprived of their right to education. The initiative provides them an opportunity to access their right even if they are working to sustain their families,” Naqvi added.

The success of the camel initiative builds on previous efforts of the Ali Bano Foundation including the establishment of four branches of its Ali Model School.

One is located in Karachi’s Korangi area, where around 275 students are receiving free education. It offers education till matriculation.

In Khairpur and Tharparkar areas of Sindh, two such schools are offering primary education. They also run a montessori in Skardu in the country’s north.

The foundation, which has been working for five years, also operates five government schools that it took up under the adopt-a-school initiatitive.