Room to Read Nepal
The important work of Room to Read was first brought my attention after reading John Wood's wonderful book, “Leaving Microsoft to Change the World,” which detailed his founding of the organization, after a visit to the rural countryside of Nepal opened his eyes to the neglect of the government in providing basic literacy services. In a few short years, Room to Read has established thousands of libraries across the developing world, and in Nepal, the country of origin, the organization has also branched into the publication of wonderful children's literature, of which I have been trying to procure for the Magic Yeti Libraries. The vision and mission statements of the organization are as follows:
Room to Read believes that World Change starts with Educated Children. We envision a world in which all Children can pursue a quality education that enables them to reach their full potential and contribute to their community and the world.
Room to Read seeks to transform the lives of millions of children living in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Working in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations, and governments, we develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children, and support girls to complete secondary school with the relevant life skills to succeed in school and beyond.
I believe that literacy and gender equality are the two key phrases in these statements. How then, to achieve these goals in a country where there has been so little emphasis placed on ensuring a high quality education for all citizens, regardless of gender and social standing? A country that still simmers in ancient castes and still places procuring arms for its enormous armed forces above procuring books and ensuring teachers are working to achieve universal literacy amongst the most vulnerable?
Room to Read, in addition to publishing children's books and distributing these free or at a nominal charge to public and community schools, also hosts trainings for teachers and librarians across the country free of cost. While I have experienced many futile training events (and have even hosted a few), these are noble steps for the organization to take. The books are excellent; the only problem is in the quantity of distribution, as there is such a large scale need for reading materials that has been left unmet by the government. Overall, this is a great organization with a great mission that has proven to be a steady partner to the Magic Yeti libraries, the Himalayan Trust schools, READ Nepal, and other important NGO's working in the educational development sector of the country.
The Asia Foundation-Books for Asia Program
Organizational Vision Statement:
The Asia Foundation believes in the power of education and that knowledge is the key to transforming lives and inspiring positive, long-lasting change. We believe an educated person is an empowered person, and that books can change the way people think and live. We envision a world where every child has books to read, and where students can study English as a way to access greater opportunities and information about the world around them.
I also recently had the chance to visit the offices of the Asia Foundation, which runs, through Mrs. Shameera Shresta and their main offices in San Francisco, a wonderful program entitled Books for Asia. According to the Books for Asia information page, “In 2008, Books for Asia distributed more than one million books and educational materials valued at nearly $41 million across 18 counties in Asia.” This is quite an achievement in working towards the goals of educational development and universal literacy. And, while the quality and appropriateness of the materials in some cases has been called into doubt, the organization and the program are undoubtedly providing an outstanding service to Nepal. I had a chance to sit and talk with Shameera about the work of the program, and also to further the partnership between the Foundation and the Magic Yeti Project, both in securing more outside books for the libraries, and in help with shipping donated books from San Francisco to rural Nepal, via the Calcutta port facilities. Shameera also voiced her concern about the many communities in in Western Nepal that are still without any governmental or NGO help with their literacy struggles. While the Magic Yeti Project, READ Nepal, the Himalayan Trust, and other NGO's are able to help many communities develop libraries and train teachers, for every community served there are 30 more that are in great need. This is a daunting task in one of the least developed countries in the world, one with infrastructure and high delivery costs for heavy materials such as books and building supplies.
In addition to traditional support with reading material donations and logistical operations, The Asia Foundation has also worked to pioneer non conventional means of reaching populations that have been affected by disasters, both natural and man made; they have worked in such conflict zones as Pakistan and East Timor to develop innovative approaches such as “box libraries” and “Books for Asia Mini Buses” which can bring books, audio visual materials, and instruction to uprooted populations.
More radical innovations, such as these, and such as those that have been developed in India, with Pratham, and in Rwanda, with the One Laptop Per Child Initiative/Nicholas Negroponte, need to be employed in the developing world to ensure progress in this field.
The challenge lies in meeting non-conventional educational and literacy needs with non-conventional resources and tactics. The challenge also lies in balancing educational advancement with cultural and traditional preservation.
The needs of Nepal are certainly non-conventional; the lack of roads and other infrastructure provides huge challenges; however, there are certain qualities that can be seized and utilized: a growing mobile phone network, lack of historic widespread conflict, a willingness of development partners to channel money directly to the undeserved; and a great desire of the people themselves to increase literacy rates and opportunities for children. The challenges also for the country are also strongly seen in the current “development and advancement” mentalities, which often involves children being sent to Kathmandu for a quality education, either at the primary or secondary level, which then involves a radical breakdown of rural culture, customs, and family structures. English language capacity is crucial for advancement in the modern economy; however, this does not have to relegate local languages to a secondary or tertiary role, and does not necessarily need to involve the massive modern migrations from rural landscapes to centralized, completely overloaded, and exploding megacity (modern Kathmandu). It must involve radical thinking, motivated actors, appropriate monetary and educational resources that have already been developed or need to be developed, and the utilization of modern technology.
