The Didi Project - Sisters Helping Sisters
The Didi Project - Sisters Helping Sisters
Access to Information and the Skills to Use It
Half of the world’s population lacks access to information online. In our knowledge society, libraries provide access and opportunity for all." (Lyon Declaration on Access to Information and Development)
Reading is no longer a distant dream for several Nepalese communities with new libraries funded by the Didi Project. Current buildings are strategically located in three municipalities that are ripe for the immense value of investing in literacy, with other sites on the way.
First, the Rautahat Library continues to attract new children, nearly 800 as of this writing. This facility is well staffed with three teachers covering six-hour shifts, six days a week. Next, the Janakpur Library is used daily by girls living at a safe house, with an educational officer who helps guide them. Finally, the Sariahi Library is under construction, the newest addition to Didi Project literacy efforts.
Libraries dovetail with another Did Project initiative, the distribution of the book SOLD, written by journalist Patricia McCormick, about human trafficking in Nepal and India. In this story, a terrible experience has a positive ending, but that is not the case for the more than 15,000 Nepali girls who meet a similar fate every year.
On a larger global scale, libraries have been recognized as key institutions for achieving many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, such as: Access to Information: Target 16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements." (Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development).
The Didi Project goal of expanding libraries recognizes that access to information is a cross-cutting issue that includes:
A group of professional women working to provide educational opportunities for women and children in Nepal.