Posted on March 5, 2009

A Librarian/Tree Hugger and a Painter without Borders

Project update: Thanks to everyone who has supported our little project. We finally delivered our books and now Gord and I are thinking about our next project. We’ll keep you posted. 

Original post below…

(I thought this was a neat blog post title….)

I would like to share with everyone a special project that my fellow volunteer (a painter from Toronto, Ontario) and I (a librarian/tree hugger from Vancouver, BC.) have committed to during the next few months our time here in Nepal. For the next two years, Gord and I plan to help bring books to two local schools in Nepal.

This is not supposed to be a grand project or anything like the book that I am currently reading (Leaving Microsoft to Change the World). We simply met a few people who care about improving literacy in their community, a few teachers who care about their students, and lots of children who are really eager to learn how to read and write. Their needs are so simple and we both thought about how lucky we were to have received basic education while growing up back home.

(photos: the local school and children of Chankhu Besi)

Helping out

Similar to how John Wood started, we sent a few emails back home explaining to people about our little project. Gord emailed a few goods friends back home as did I about what we wanted to do. We also chatted with a few Nepali people that we have met here as well. Amazingly, within a couple of days we received some encouraging support and great enthusiasm to help get our project going. We already dropped by the Room to Read office in Nepal and they are happy to give us a bulk discount.

Here is a sample break down:

• $15 CDN dollars can get us a package of 40 Nepali local language books from Room to Read.
• $400 CDN can fulfill the needs of an entire school of 40 children.
• More info to come….

Every little bit helps. If you are interested in helping us out, feel free to make a donation via credit card using PayPal.

Click on the button above or click on this link.

We plan to delivery the books by mid-May and will be posting up an update with photos and videos shortly after that.

Thanks!

(photo: Gord and his Nepali host family brother)

(fyi – No yaks will be used in the process of delivering the books. We plan to carry the books manually up and down the mountain ourselves….oh the dedication).