A Teacher Who Believes in the Magic of Words

His name is Ahmad. A teacher from Hirmand, Sistan & Balouchestan. He teaches the sixth grade at an Elementary School.

He is the sort of teacher who knows the village. He knows its children. Because he has once been one of them. On the other hand, he believes in the magic of words, he adores books.

In October 2018, Ahmad met with one his relatives, Jalil Barichi, winner of Jabbar Baghtcheban Award and a Read with Me ambassador in Sistan & Balouchestan. He found Read with Me in harmony with his vision of village children’s needs and hardships. So, with his love for books, he started reading. Reading for children at home and for children in schools.

Read with Me project supervisor, Mahtab Moghaddam, surprised at Ahmad’s enthusiastic endeavor in Reading Aloud to children and adolescents, sent him more quality books. And so began his reading promotion activities in the region’s villages.

Ahmad, with his creativity and hard work, goes beyond the limitations of individual work and enters the realm of institutional teamwork. He has even installed a piece of paper on his car that reads: Read with Me Mobile Library.

“Children in deprived areas, especially those in remote villages have no access to books. Families don’t consider introducing them to books as well. If we are to promote a reading culture, we have to start from these villages, from a young age. I’m from the village myself. I love rural regions and rural children. And by bringing books to remote villages, I intend to bring joy to children. Children who with the slightest kindness and attention become so happy; it’s as if you’ve given them the whole world…” says Ahmad about his activities.

When one of his students was struggling with depression because of his skin disease, it was Ahmad who shone a new light on his life, with the magic of words and power of reading.

Reading Aloud, having dialogues with children around books and their subjects and performing plays in groups has been among this young teacher’s activities.

In March 2019, he received more books from the Read with Me team, so that he could start another round of reading for children in villages.