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Bringing Literacy to Rural Nepal

About Books in Every Home

Books in Every Home (Ghar Gharma Kitaab) is a grassroots, volunteer-based nonprofit that works in rural Nepal to foster an environment in which reading is truly a part of life, and books are found in every home.

It operates in the belief that true literacy takes more than buildings and literacy classes. It takes practice. And practice takes something very basic: materials to read, and motivation.

Activities are designed to nurture a reading culture and inspire people to feel pride in their accomplishments and faith in their potential. Participants can get involved in Readers' Circles, Write to Read projects, youth activities called ACE (Action for Creative Education), and a Creative Artists' Program (CAP).

Activities are driven by the convictions that:

Reading and discussion strengthens the capacity for critical thinking that is necessary for Nepal's struggling democracy to succeed;
People will become lifelong learners if learning is fun and gains them recognition from their peers;
All people deserve respect and encouragement for their intelligence, creativity, and achievements, regardless of age, gender, caste, ethnicity, economic status, or success in the formal educational system.

The project was launched in a place called Buddhi-the name means "intellect"-which in many respects is a typical Nepali village. It had school buildings and short-term literacy projects, but books were almost unknown, literacy gains weren't being sustained, and frustration and lack of hope was growing. Books in Every Home was founded by a native of Buddhi who became a writer, had the opportunity to study in the U.S, and was determined to find ways to reverse that cycle. People from other parts of the district, and then districts across Nepal, heard about it and volunteered to coordinate programs in their areas, and projects are now running or beginning in six districts.

Books in Every Home is about children like 6-year-old orphan Ajay Tharu, who is in first grade-a crucial time for children, who often give up on school early. Ajay is now zipping through books at a level far above his age.

And it's about people like Om Neupane, a young farmer who writes, "At first I didn't believe [in this project]… I had been given so many hopes and assurances from so many people, and had digested them all without any result. So I didn't pay much attention at first. But today I feel like my pen has been liberated. My pen had been so malnourished that at first I couldn't write things when I tried, because I hadn't been given any chance to do so. Now my pen is getting stronger, and hopefully one day, it will come into fullest capacity."

Books in Every Home (Ghar Gharma Kitaab) is a registered non-governmental organization in Nepal, and is incorporated as a nonprofit in Washington, D.C.

Readers' Circles

Some circles are large, some are small. Some are connected with schools; others are based in the community. There are Beginner's Circles for students under grade 5, Junior Circles up to grade 8, Senior Circles for older youth, and Grassroots Circles for community members-- farmers, young mothers, graduates of adult literacy training, anyone who'd like to read.

Circles form on their own initiative and choose a name, receive copies of books to share, and meet regularly to discuss the books and mull questions such as, "What things in this book might apply to your own life?" Then the books are re-circulated to another circle.

Parents in Readers' Circles pledge to read to their children and nurture a love of books in the home. Some grassroots groups have chosen to collect a small monthly membership fee which goes into a group-operated revolving fund, on a micro-credit model, to use for their children's education or for skills training.

In Kapilvastu, Books in Every Home also operates three small libraries in donated space, which are open to everyone in the community.

A Nepali girl reads by oil lamp.

"What have you done to my son? It used to be that he just wanted to go mess around on the streets. Now he's racing to finish his homework so he can read his book!"
- a mother in Kapilvastu.

Girls from occupational caste (dalit) families and a friend who is Brahmin founded this group, called the Progressive Readers' Circle. Such mixing was forbidden in the past, but these girls are taking an active part in a changing society.	Members of this group in Mahendrakot have written, "We really like this program, because now books are reaching every cottage in our village. We hope this program will continue forever."
This group in Buddhi includes some women who learned to read in adult literacy classes, but had been losing their skills because of lack of access to books.	Boys in this junior readers' circle in Barkulpur are pouring over editions of Deshko Awaj (Country's Voice), the magazine of community writing.
Literacy and school pass rates are particularly low in minority communities where Nepali is a second language, but members of this school-based group in an Abadhi-speaking area are striving to beat the odds.	The children in this junior Readers' circle now have a chance to read and enjoy storybooks. Having access to books, or being encouraged to read for pleasure, is almost unknown in rural Nepal.

Action For Creative Education (ACE) Youth Projects

Many Readers' Circles have been founded by young people who are filled with energy and dreams, but are growing up in challenging and often discouraging times.

Field staff and volunteer coordinators work with members of the youth Readers' Circles to tap their energies in positive ways and draw links between reading, writing, and participating creatively in civil society.

Youth from Senior Readers' Circles, class 8 and above, are encouraged to give time as education volunteers by organizing regular programs where they read aloud to smaller children and illiterate people in their communities.

Interviews with elders can be the basis of articles for Deshko Awaj or local newspapers. Field trips around the home district can be a chance to talk about the area's natural resources, brainstorm ways to use them productively and sustainably, and then write their ideas for publication. Each circle has a lot of autonomy to come up with projects, organize them, and write about their experiences, practicing the skills of observation, discussion, and reflection.

Members are also looking forward to the upcoming Reading Festival, when the circles will compete against each other in dramatic readings.

Creative Artists' Program (CAP)

The goal of CAP is to bring established writers and creative artists into rural communities and schools to lead workshops, mentor students and spread excitement and a sense of engagement about the written word and creative work. Although the security situation resulting from the insurgency has made it difficult for Kathmandu-based artists to travel into rural areas, writers have been donating books to Readers' Circles and the libraries, and have participated in the Write to Read project by contributing stories geared to rural levels of literacy.