Matribhumi Community Library
Birgha, Syangja District, Central Nepal ,Opened in 1994. Sustaining Project: Telephone service
Birgha is a small farming village in western Nepal, a five-hour walk from the town of Tansen. The village is primarily composed of Brahmins, but has large populations of Magars, Sarkis, and Kamis. Although almost all of the villagers are farmers, Birgha also boasts a large number of people who have become politicians and government officials in Kathmandu. In fact, the original patron of the library, Shankar Raj Panday, was a member of Parliament in Kathmandu.
Within easy walking distance from the library are three elementary schools, a pre-primary school, and a secondary school. Education has always been a primary focus in Birgha. Shortly before the library was built, three students at Tribhuvan University actually used their scholarship money to build the pre-primary school and hire a teacher from the city of Pokhara.
Matribhumi Library was one of three pilot libraries built in the initial phase of READ’s development. The building site was donated by the patron, Shankar Raj Panday, and was his former home. Instead of constructing a new building, READ simply renovated the house, adding a new roof, building bookshelves, tables and benches, and reconfiguring the rooms. Its operations are supported by fees from operating a telephone service.
