Sambhav Nepal

The Dharapani Community Library was established in May, 2010, in Dharapani School (Arupokhari, Gorkha) through aid provided by a group of Australian nationals and field coordination of Sambhav Nepal. The building is made of above-standard materials, and is well furnished with tables, chairs and shelves. Gorkha2010 has helped bring the library into operation -- making Dharapani library the only school with such a facility in entire Gorkha. There are currently some 3,000 books in the library, but the library is designed to hold up to 15,000 books. The students and the locals have started to extensively utilize the library, but frequently they inquire why there aren't enough books.

The school is struggling to take full advantage of library's capacity, and in testing times like these, the generosity the library receives will go a long way in improving the education scenario of the community. The Dharapani Community Library has a great potential to benefit the students and the locals who cannot afford proper books, and we are doing our best to make the system as productive and efficient as possible; this would not be possible without the support from private and public sectors.

The Dharapani Community Library has a great potential to benefit the students and the locals who cannot afford proper books, and we are doing our best to make the system as productive and efficient as possible. The following are the two major immediate needs the library currently faces:

Books
Though the library has gone into full service, the students and the locals frequently inquire about the lack of volume of the books. The library initially has about 3,000 books though it is capable of holding several times more. The library's full capacity to serve the beneficiaries has thus not yet been realized. The generosity the library receives will go a long way in improving the education scenario of the community.

Computer
The region has only recently started receiving electricity from the national grid, which means through the use of a computer, the library can be better maintained by keeping an electronic record of the books, issue dates, and membership status. The software utilized for this purpose will be developed by professionals in this field. We will consult the head librarian of St. Xavier's School (Lalitpur, Nepal) for training the library staff in operating the software.

We approached several schools, embassies and organizations requesting for their support for this matter. We are seeking direct book donations as well as a helping hand in organizing a book-drive. Mr. Jivan Karki, the head librarian of St. Xavier's School, has been generous in providing us with detailed information about how a library is run. We also invited him to visit the library in early 2011, to futhter train the library staff. The logo, letterheads, membership cards, index cards, labels, call/due cards and so forth were designed by the Gorkha2010 team, and have come in use in the library. The membership cards have been handed out to the students and the locals of the village. The membership fee is minimal, barely enough to cover the maintenance expenses. Members are able to freely borrow the books for up to two weeks from the library at specified hours. The members are allowed to renew the books for however long they need it. Daily newspapers and national magazines have been subscribe for the library, which means the locals need not travel to the market everyday to read the news, helping them keep abreast of the national and international current affairs. We have received very positive remarks about the library project which has benefited countless people in the Arupokhari region by enhancing the existing educational infrastructures.