| Birchman Supports Nepal Book Drive |
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November 2009 Birchman recently supported the ‘We Need Books Campaign’ which raised money and donations of books and toys to set up a library in a school in the remote mountainous village of Ramechhap (approximately 200km from Kathmandu). Nepal is a country that is much in need of assistance from more wealthy nations. For example the adult literacy rate in 2007 was 57%, average life expectancy is 64, mortality rate is 32 (compared to 3 in Australia) and in 2005 55% of the population were below the international poverty line, earning less than $1.25 per day.
The Nepalese education system has made a great deal of progress in a very short time, but there is still much to be done. Many government schools are in bad physical shape while those that exist are extremely underfunded, especially in the countryside. In these remote areas the schools are very basic and even sometimes unsafe. Often these schools have no blackboard and very little furniture. Even supplementary materials like libraries, children's books, and computer labs are rare. As a result, most schools do not have a library nor do they provide books other than textbooks.
On occasions travellers also do donate books that are written in English or other foreign languages rather than in Nepali. In many cases, these few books that schools have are so valuable that teachers lock them up, unavailable to curious children. I’ve seen this first hand when I went there. I had bought a whole bag of books for the children at the orphanage and they went straight into a locked cupboard filled with all their orphanages important things. Books are very much a treasured resource and rare commodity in these village area schools. Education is one of the key elements in helping these children emancipate themselves from the cycle of poverty. The donated books give countless children opportunities to educate, dream, escape, entertain and grow. One of Birchman’s Consultant’s (Riaz Lalla) has taken a sabbatical to devote some time to helping people less fortunate then the rest of us. Riaz has been working with Birchman as a Management Consultant in Australia for nearly three years. In addition to working with our clients, Riaz has also represented and been actively involved with a number of high profile Humanitarian and Social Justice Organisations. Riaz is also a member of Red Cross’ International Humanitarian Law Unit and is a Group Convener for Amnesty International. Birchman is proud to have helped in a small way to such a meaningful cause. The book drive was a massive success with a total over 700 books and lots of toys being raised.
Do you have any unwanted children’s books? If you would like to help personally, have a look at the website. |
