“We conceptualized this to facilitate the visually impaired who wish to learn. Prior to this, the blinds could only read the printed versions of school text books in Braille, and their source of knowledge was limited,” Kumar Thapa, Secretary General, NAWB says. [break]
The library that occupies a small space at the association"s compound houses more than 1,000 books gifted by Japan and the United States of America. Of the total, majority come from the US with around 100 from Japan.
All the books are in English. Of them, 80 per cent books are for children and the rest for advanced learners. To some extent, the library even accommodates western philosophy and literature.
“Readers can come here and study. They also can issue books for 15 days. One can take up to three books at a time. However, because the Braille books are heavy, some can"t even carry a single book. As a result, they read in parts,” Thapa explains.
In order to ensure that the blind students enrolled in schools too get the opportunity of reading foreign books, NAWB has also started mobile library. Under mobile library, books are circulated every two weeks from one school to the other.
“We are open on weekdays and closed on Saturdays, and so are schools. On Saturdays, they might have other schedules. Consequently students cannot come here to read. As a result, mobile library has been much effective,” Thapa adds.
“I won"t be able to use the library because I cannot read the Braille script and nor am I educated enough to understand the texts,” Bikram Karki, 27, a blind pedestrian says. “Visually impaired people in the valley who are uneducated, but wish to learn the Braille script can come here to learn,” Thapa adds.
The organization which has been running with aid from donor agencies for the past 25 years currently is under financial crisis. “As a result, neither can we add a staff for the library, nor ask the current staff to do overtime to ease early and late readings,” he further adds.
Thapa hopes that the government does something so that such libraries are set up throughout the country. “In most of the countries, Braille libraries are run by governments,” he said.
By next year, NAWB aims to expand the library"s reach in three major cities -- Pokhara, Dharan and Nepalgunj. The library is open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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