In pictures: Kenyan camel library
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Ships of the desert
The Camel Mobile Library was set up by the government-owned Kenya National Library Service to improve literacy rates in the north-east.
Ships of the desert are the best way to travel in the Garissa area, some 400km from the capital, Nairobi.
Librarian Rashid Farah tells the BBC News website about their efforts to provide books and reading materials.
"The people whom we serve lead a nomadic life. They are here today but tomorrow they might be gone. -
Load
A static library would be of no use to nomads and so instead we follow them, wherever they go.
We start early in the morning and work Monday to Thursday. Each box contains 200 books. One camel carries two boxes of books. Another carries the tent and the third one carries our things.
We have nine camels - three caravans. From our two headquarters, Garissa and Wajir, the caravans go to 12 different sites. -
Big impact
We travel within a radius of 11km on a given day. As the camels arrive, the children are actually waiting for us. The day we come is fixed and they are expecting us.
The schools that we serve have told us that already there is a big impact - their standard of education has improved and they did well in the national examinations.
People are responding very well, because right now we have 3,500 registered members. That's more than you would have for your average static library! -
Unaffordable
People in this area are very poor, they cannot actually purchase books. Whatever they need, they have to buy with other necessities like food and shelter.
A book is an important thing but they cannot afford to buy one. So we provide specialist story books and books that are useful. In fact, the books are the latest and they match the syllabus of the current system of education.
When we deal with adult learners we liaise with the Ministry of Adult Education. They have given us suitable books. -
Poverty
If we are dealing with children we take some story books and some subject books for their classes as well. We have textbooks meant for secondary school children too.
Each child is allowed to borrow two books. They have 14 days before we return to the same centre. Then we renew the books they have or issue them with a new book.
The reason so many people are illiterate (currently estimated at 85.3%) in this area is to do with the nomadic way of life. The other factor is poverty. -
Little time
When a parent gets a little money, they would prefer to purchase food. When they see a book it has no value to them.
There are very few books published in the local language, Somali. You'll find books in English, even in Swahili, but hardly any in Somali.
People are so into their daily lives, running here and there, they don't have time to read. In fact they only read when they need to sit for an examination. We hardly have anyone reading for pastime or for knowledge. -
Limits
We are constantly receiving letters and applications from learning centres that want us to come to them, but we have limits to what we can do.
For this project to be more successful, we'd like to improve a few things.
The Kenyan government gives what it can but it is not enough. A motorcycle to assist the camel clerks would be helpful. We'd also like a holding ground to graze our camels permanently when there is a drought. -
Reading more
All our camels are male camels. If we had some females then we could breed some more for the future.
It would be good to be able to do more for these remote populations. To get them all, children and adults alike, reading more.
Interview and photos by the BBC's Wairimu Gitahi. -
