Profiles

Scholarship Recipients

Leela Paitola

Leela is a resident of Gaddachauki, Mahendranagar and she attends Siddhanath Amar Higher Secondary School. She has 2 sisters and 2 brothers. She received a scholarship through the project to complete her secondary level education (Class 8 - 10).

"I applied for this scholarship because our class teacher told us that our tuition fees would be paid for. Our family's financial situation is very weak and we used to sell vegetables to pay for my school fees. This scholarship has eased our family's burden. It is particularly difficult for girls to continue with their studies because on top of being financially difficult there is also constant pressure for their marriage. A few of my friends have also gotten married over the years. However, I want to continue my education after 10^th grade, like my elder sister, and hope to receive further scholarship."

Regional staff

Keshav Upadhyaya

Keshav is a resident of Kathmandu and had previously worked as a Kailali field coordinator for Step Nepal, a program sponsored by DFID.

He is the Regional Manager of the Barabise Regional Team and is responsible for coordinating and overseeing the project's implementation.

"I was involved in a box library project (where people carried books in boxes) before and I thought that the Doko project would be an interesting opportunity to learn more about a similar library system and broaden my horizons.

The community was unfamiliar with the concept of a mobile library but after clarifications they took to it enthusiastically. The community's needs are diverse - religious books for old people, teaching guides and intellectual books for teachers, agriculture related books for farmers, and books that supplement textbook material for school children. We will be able to make a significant impact by delivering books through our mobile library to people who can't come to the regional centre often."

Chandra Kant Silwal

He is a resident of Mahendranagar and used to teach in Florida International Boarding School, Mahendranagar.

He is the Regional Manager of Mahendranagar and is responsible for implementing and coordinating the project there.

"I expect the community to make regular use of the library and other services in the RCC. School children will especially benefit from having access to a wide variety of books. We are also organizing trainings and other competitions for the students at the RCC. I feel that the participants and ultimately the community will benefit from these activities. We are learning a lot from each activity we conduct and are incorporating the lessons learnt in the process as best we can."

Community members (Regional Management Committee)

Yam Bahadur Basnet

He is the principal of Sharada Higher Secondary School, Barabise, Sindhupalchowk.

He is the Chairman of the Regional Management Committee in Barabise that makes policy guidelines for local implementation of the project. Sharada Higher Secondary School has provided the project with two rooms to continue implementation until the completion of the RCC construction. The RCC is also being built next to the school and a room from their Resource center will be used as the community hall for the project.

"Because of the key role that SEBS is playing in this project's implementation for the benefit of the community at large, the ex students of my school were really inspired and have said that they will contribute funds to the school. The teachers have also started a fund contributing a day's salary (amounting to about Rs. 3-4000). This is being used to help people with illnesses, thus giving back to the community.

The title of the project itself is very appropriate and significant - making a project sustainable and using our Doko dais to spread knowledge via a library - makes it seem as thought it was designed with us in mind. We can now take books in Dokos straight to the villages and provide books to even the most deprived members of our community. The community is really behind the project idea and has great expectations from it."

Pratap Ram Lohar

He is the founding chairman of Florida International Boarding School (FIBS), Mahendranagar, and the chairman of Children's Home, Mahendranagar.

He is the Chairman of the Regional Management Committee in Mahendranagar that makes policy guidelines for local implementation of the project. FIBS has provided the project with one room to continue implementation until the completion of the RCC construction. The RCC is being built on the school grounds and has been made available by him.

"I feel that the project idea is especially relevant for children's development. The community has appreciated this rare initiative for the country's underprivileged Far Western region. I assure that the project will be sustained after the funding runs out."

School teachers and principals

Krishna Bahadur Thapa

He is a teacher of Kshemadevi Secondary School, Kshemadevi VDC, Barabise, Sindhupalchowk.

The Kshemadevi Secondary school is one of the stops of one mobile library route in the Barabise area. A few of his students have received scholarships through the project.

"The children are grateful for the scholarships and it has gone to those who deserved it. I am happy that the children will have access to various kinds of books as they have had to rely solely on their textbooks in the past and have not had the opportunity to gain knowledge from extracurricular books. Nowadays, parents tell their children to go to Bal Bikas Bhawan, a recreation and learning center for children run by DEPROSC, instead of asking them to work.

Initially I was suspicious about whether or not the project would be practically sustainable. As I heard more about it, I have become more assured of its success and its instrumental impact on Barabise's future. We now need to train local people in library management and institute library cards so that books do not get lost."

Narayan Dutta Bhatta

He is the principal of the Siddhanath Amar Higher Secondary School, Mahendranagar. He has been involved in the education sector for the last two decades.

His school serves as one of the stops of the mobile library and four students from his school have received scholarships through the project.

"I think that readership promotion is extremely necesary for children's educational development. The readership promoter needs to be a formidable presence who can motivate readership by attracting the students and hence ensure proper use of books provided through the library. I think story books, biographies and poems will be most useful along with books on sanitation, gender equity and home science."

Training Recipients

Ramesh Bauju

He is a resident of Barabise and has received a 15 day Computer Literacy Training held in Barabise.

"I feel that I have gained a lot from this training experience. I had no idea what a computer was before this training program. Now, after having received this cheap and convenient service, I feel like I know what a computer does. Computer literacy is particularly important in a country like ours where over half of the population has no idea what a computer is. I think that computer literacy and other types of computer training programs should continue to be organized.

The trainers were computer science students from Kantipur City College and they taught us in a supportive and friendly environment. We had a lot of fun learning and they seem to have enjoyed the experience teaching us. We hope that this project will continue to provide such relevant training in the future and we are committed to provide necessary support for making such programs successful."