Solar-Powered Camel Libraries

Since 2010, Save the Children has operated a “four-legged library” in Ethiopia, delivering books by camel to children. Until recently, the camels have carried boxes filled with hundreds of books to hand out. These camel libraries are now going solar-powered: the camels carry tablets loaded with ebooks instead of paper books. The camels also carry solar panels, and they visit every 3-4 days so the tablets can be recharged.

The program includes 21 camels and serves 33 rural Ethiopian villages, and all of them are making the switch to solar. The tablets allow children to continue their education even as COVID-19 has kept many of them out of school.

Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.