In Nepal, like nearly everywhere else in the world, the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted daily life at home, at work and especially at school. To keep our children engaged in reading while classes are cancelled, we started a village book drive to make home deliveries. We’ve also set up hand-washing stations to promote good hygiene.
Village Book Drive
Serving 14 schools, 20 communities and 400 children.
50 Hand-Washing Stations
Supplied with 1,000 bars of soap, 500 hand sanitizers and 1,000+ masks.
Daily Read Aloud Sessions
Some teachers are leading small groups of students in informal daily sessions.
Add a Book to Our Book Drive!
See how your donation will make a difference below.
How your donation will be put to work:
$20: supplies for hand washing stations
$50: 1 box of children’s books
$75: carpets and cushions for a reading corner
$150: classroom bookshelves
$250: one-day (socially distanced) read-aloud training workshop for 5-8 teachers
A Record of Responding to Crisis
After the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, we did our best to help our communities rebuild their schools and their lives. Now, during another devastating emergency, we’re adapting again to meet the needs of our students, their teachers and their schools. Over the years, we’ve worked closely with some special people who are truly dedicated to serving children. We want to continue to support them as best as we can in these uncertain times.
Our Mission in Trying Times
We empower children, their teachers and their communities to transform the experience of learning in rural Nepal. In “normal” times, that means helping educators to inspire their students with a childcentered curriculum that emphasizes literacy and community-based learning activities. Now, with schools closed indefinitely because of the pandemic, fulfilling our mission means bringing books to children where they live.
Acute Deficits in Places like Nepal
Developing countries like Nepal lack the healthcare infrastructure to handle an outbreak of Covid-19, which has stretched the capacity of much wealthier nations. This type of crisis makes daily life even more fragile for families already struggling to make ends meet. Imagine being stuck at home without a computer or a favorite gadget – or even something as simple as a good book.
A Local Effort, Led by Our Nepali Partners
We have been fighting for literacy for more than 13 years. During that time we’ve forged strong bonds with communities in remote parts of the Kathmandu Valley. Because we already have relationships with local leaders, we can move quickly to give the kinds of services and resources that people look to us to provide.