Literacy & Girls' Education Nonprofit at Work in Nepal

Our first country of operation, Room to Read Nepal, pioneered much of Room to Read’s early work. Today, our literacy and girls’ education programs thrive throughout Nepal and we continue to be a catalyst for change in the country’s educational landscape.

As Room to Read’s first country of operation, we have been delivering programming in Nepal since 2000. This work began in pursuit of a clear mission: improve children’s access to education through books. Inspired by a visit to a rural Nepali school that had minimal books available to support the learning of hundreds of students, Room to Read founder John Wood returned with 3,000 donated books and a vision to make a lasting impact. Partnering with local education advocate Dinesh Shrestha, Room to Read began distributing children’s books to low-income communities in Nepal.

This early work was the beginning of a global movement to drive world change through education. Recognizing that limited book access was only one of many challenges that limit children’s learning opportunities in vulnerable communities around the world, this early work in Nepal inspired the expansion of Room to Read’s education support to address more of the barriers children and adolescents face every day in their pursuit of a quality education.

Most recently in Nepal, Room to Read shifted our implementation strategy to align with new regulations from the Social Welfare Council, which now asks for all international nonprofits working in Nepal to partner with locally-based and registered nonprofits. As such, Room to Read is shifting our work toward the “accelerate” model approach in Nepal, training local organizations and government partners on our literacy and gender equality approaches. These local partners — some of which are local nonprofits Room to Read has worked with for years — will then lead the implementation of these programs in schools.

In Nepal, Room to Read implements two key programs:

Literacy: Room to Read provides local educators with the training and resources they need to ensure more students are more effectively learning learn how to read and write. Room to Read also equips schools to establish and maintain child-friendly classroom libraries, filled with colorful, local language books developed by local authors and illustrators, in partnership with Room to Read.
Girls’ Education and Gender Equality: Room to Read supports secondary school students with mentorship and life skills workshops to help adolescents — especially girls — navigate the many challenges, biases and pressures they face, including the pressure to drop out of school early.