Nepal

"Library for Batase": an Ideas Cube to fight against human trafficking

In Nepal, the lack of access to information and education, iliteracy, and poverty are the biggest causes of human trafficking since they create vulnerability to misinformation and manipulation. That is why, since 2017, Libraries Without Borders has accompanied a group of fourteen volunteer students from the University of Canberra in the construction of the first library in Batase, a remote village in the country. In December 2018, during the inauguration of the library, users were all trained in the use of the Ideas Cube, which includes ebooks in Nepali and English, math exercises, and language classes. Videos were also selected to raise awareness among the villagers about the human trafficking problem and its consequences. In addition to a weekly cinema session, there are also workshops in the Batase library (on hygiene, sports, writing), movie shoots with tablets, and games to encourage group activities that include the presence of young children facing illiteracy. Since the Ideas Box program began, several residents have volunteered to take turns with daily setup until a trained librarian arrives.