DEIR EL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — In an era where social media is the name of the game, people are no longer reading books in the Gaza Strip. But some young girls who believe that reading is an intrinsic part of education have provided a glimmer of hope by thinking out of the box in a bid to encourage reading. In late January, they began to establish a library using recycled books and other items.
The library was ready in early March, and it immediately started attracting passers-by. The library organizes several activities to lure students and others into reading. When it opened its doors, it announced a competition requiring people to read five different books on various topics and summarize them. Ten winners receive a collection of cultural, social, historical, literary and religious books.
