Residents of rural villages in Nepal will gain access to useful resources - including reference and continuing education materials as well as recreational and cultural topics - and will have a place to meet at their new Community Learning Centers.
Villages in the Dolakha District of Nepal are for the most part quite isolated, due to their distance from towns of any size and the relatively few roads in that area. As a result, there is a serious lack of educational resources in these villages: few libraries except some of limited scope at certain schools, and limited or no internet access. Moreover, there are few indoor spaces suitable for gatherings or meetings.
A CLC is a combination resource center/library and meeting venue. Resources are available on topics of great interest and relevance to village residents, including agriculture, health, income generation, recreation and culture, and ETC's own women's group publications (poetry/stories). Our women's group members manage these facilities and contribute for ongoing expenses. We will open at least one more CLC in the coming months. Given the high demand, we will open two more if funding permits.
ETC launched two CLCs earlier in 2018, in Babare and Lapilang VDCs, and local residents are already making very good use of them. Over time, CLCs can grow to include more resources and perhaps incorporate more space, as necessary and desirable. When used for meetings/training activities or even informal conversations, the information transmitted - for example, successful entrepreneurs sharing their knowledge with peers - can yield long-term positive gains for families and entire communities.
