Nepal

Through our literacy and girls' education programs, Room to Read partners with the national government of Nepal, municipal level governments (palikas), communities and other education organizations to address — and mitigate — the recent learning losses, including poor reading habits and high dropout rates for girls. Key components of Room to Read’s programs include: 

Improving how children learn to read and write  

We work directly in schools to improve literacy curricula for grades 1 and 2 while also training and providing ongoing coaching to teachers and school librarians on effective library management and reading activities. Through these activities, children are encouraged to collaborate with their peers, explore different themes and topics through the lives of storybook characters, and develop self-guided learning skills. Local palikas increasingly request support from Room to Read to help improve the local school curriculum. 

Cultivating a robust book publishing sector 

To address the lack of local-language books in Nepal, Room to Read trains local publishers, authors and illustrators on how to develop quality books that are engaging, educational, colorful, appropriate for different levels of readers and include topics across a variety of genres. Through this work, Room to Read is cultivating a flourishing children’s book publishing ecosystem that will ensure that children across Nepal have access to quality reading materials for years to come.  

Combatting harmful gender norms 

Through local educators and Room to Read social mobilizers, educated women from the same communities as program participants, secondary school girls benefit from individualized mentorship, peer-to-peer mentorship and life skills education to help girls build and practice essential skills. Key skills include leadership, resilience and critical thinking, which are demonstrated to help girls navigate challenges and key life decisions, including advocating for themselves and their peers to stay in school and graduate.

In Nepal, Room to Read is also field-testing an innovative climate justice curriculum that engages grade 7 and 8 students on the science of climate change, its impact on gender inequalities, and how to actively lead or participate in climate action. Material and academic support is also provided to girls on an as-needed basis to ensure girls can stay in school despite financial hardship. 

Partnering with the government to benefit all children

As Room to Read launches and implements our programs in new schools, palikas gain opportunities to learn and understand how — and why — the programs work. Room to Read has started sharing costs and collaborating with the government to meet the huge demand from palikas to "uptake" Room to Read’s best practices as standards that can be rolled out in schools municipal-wide. By engaging governments to lead this work long-term and equipping government-level teachers to cascade trainings, our programs are systemically improving the quality of education in schools.