A
cool story about the spread of libraries in Nepal, a
country where things have not been going well lately. Maoist rebels in Nepal have made the country dangerous for
visitors and the political situation there remains dodgy, but this story covers a side of things there you don’t often
hear about. In Nepal, where literacy rates are at 50 percent (or less…the rate among women is 35 percent), a new
program to build libraries throughout the country, especially in the small towns, is introducing lots of Nepalese kids
the wonder of words. The effort is led in part by an organization called READ, headed by Antonia Neubauer, who has been
building libraries in rural and remote Nepali villages and towns. This really is a good story. Could be a good
documentary.