READ Global, in Partnership with the Community of Ura and the Global Law Firm, Linklaters, Inaugurates the First Community-Owned Library in Bhutan
THIMPHU, Bhutan, July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 26, 2010, READ (Rural Education and Development) Global, READ Bhutan, and the community of Ura inaugurated the first READ Community Library and Resource Center ("READ Center") in Bhutan. As the second public library in the entire country, Aurbay Sher Shong Poizokhang (ASSP) Community Library and Resource Center has been equipped with a library stocked with books for both adults and children, a computer center, a telecommunications center, an A/V center, a women's empowerment center, and a space for public meetings.
Like all READ Centers, ASSP is owned and operated by the community and will be paired with a for-profit business (a "sustainability project") that will also be managed by the community. Profits from the sustainability project will help cover the operating expenses of the ASSP READ Center over the long run. Both the READ Center and the sustainability project were made possible through the generous support of the Tokyo office of Linklaters LLP, a global law firm with offices in nineteen countries and headquarters in London. Linklaters has partnered with READ through its Community Investment Programme, a global initiative which aims to advocate the responsibility of the firm to use its experience, networks and position to invest in community development.
The ASSP READ Center is the culmination of the efforts of READ Bhutan staff and the Library Management Committee of ASSP, comprised of seventeen villagers from Ura. Since READ Global commenced operations in Bhutan in December 2008, under a memorandum of understanding with the Royal Education Council (a quasi-government agency created by the Fifth King and reporting directly to the Prime Minister), READ Bhutan staff has visited villages in all of the regions of the country to promote READ's unique model. As Thinley Choden, the Country Director of READ Bhutan, explains, "READ does not choose the community in which to work, it is up to community members to come together and approach READ. Ura in Bumthang was the first community in Bhutan to do so."
Over the past year, READ and the people of Ura collaborated to turn a two-story, Bhutanese style house into a community library. Community members will use the center to access books, magazines and newspapers, learn computer skills, and form self-help groups to discuss topics like micro-finance, new agricultural production techniques and crop rotation. "It's a good initiative," said an Ura resident. "For a start, the students and teachers of Ura middle secondary school can use the books and computers."
The next step for the community of Ura and READ Bhutan will be the creation of the business that will sustain the operations of the library. In Bhutan, READ has created a system through which community members can come forward with entrepreneurial business plans to request funding. Ideas for the sustainability project for the READ Center in Ura include buckwheat flour production, handicraft production, and herbal tea packaging.
READ Global will help provide technical support for the next few years, to make sure the READ Center is running properly and that it is being financially sustained by the business that will soon be launched. READ will also help link the READ Center with other organizations that can help the community through the promotion of literacy, health and other topics of need. "While the community of Ura owns the library and will run the business, READ staff will be available until the Library Management Committee feels ready to manage both the READ Center and the business without any assistance," says Tina Sciabica, the Executive Director of READ Global.
Bhutan is a land-locked Himalayan country of less than 700,000 people that was isolated from the rest of the world until fairly recently. The government of Bhutan has taken a careful approach to economic development and measures its success in terms of Gross National Happiness. Bhutan held its first democratic elections in 2008. As one of only a handful of international NGOs working in Bhutan, READ Global looks forward to partnering with more rural communities to provide access to educational and economic opportunities in a manner that is consistent with Bhutan's rich cultural heritage and desire to preserve the country's natural resources.
READ Global was started in Nepal in 1991 by Dr. Antonia Neubauer, who also founded and runs Myths and Mountains, an award-winning cultural and immersive travel company. READ Global has U.S. offices in San Francisco, CA and Washington, DC and country affiliate offices in Nepal, India and Bhutan.
To see footage from the inauguration of READ's first community library and resource center in Ura, Bhutan, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Tgfq8uFMUfs&vq=medium#t=20
To learn more about READ Global's unique model and work in Bhutan, India and Nepal, visit www.readglobal.org
Contact: Tina Sciabica |
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773.259.0699 |
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SOURCE READ Global
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