Islamabad, November 23, 2021: The U.S. Embassy’s Regional English Language Office, in coordination with Cengage, National Geographic, and Allied Book Company, donated 26,500 books to over 5,300 students and alumni of the U.S. Government’s English Access Microscholarship Program (Access).
The Access program is delivering fiction and non-fiction books representing a variety of genres to Access students and alumni across Pakistan. The books are published by Cengage and National Geographic and distributed in Pakistan by Allied Book Company. Donated books include novels that combine comic illustrations and classical literature to entertain readers, as well as action, thriller, drama, and mystery books.
The Access program provides basic English language skills to economically disadvantaged students in Pakistan, between the ages of 13 and 20. The program provides participants opportunities to improve their English and develop leadership skills that improve students’ professional and educational prospects. Through these skills, participants are also able to compete for and participate in future exchanges and study programs in the United States. Overall, approximately 22,000 students from 16 cities in Pakistan have participated in the Access Program since its inception in 2015.