BRISTOL —Without supportive intervention, life is bleak for Nepali girls and women. To learn how an innovative program is helping inner-city Nepali girls achieve a brighter future, the public is cordially invited to “Hands in Outreach: Giving Nepali Girls a Future Through Education” presented by Jaclyn Davidson. The program takes place on Thursday, Nov. 21, at Lawrence Memorial Library from 7-8:30 pm. This event is sponsored by One World Library Project. It is free and handicapped accessible.
Nepal has the densest number of world heritage sights in the world and unsurpassed natural splendor in its landscape. It is also the poorest country in South Asia, with a mean annual income of $350, a literacy rate of 35 percent and a jittery government and economy with unemployment hovering near 50 percent. Because Nepal is a patriarchal society that treats women as second-class citizens, girls and women are marginalized and positioned to have no voice.
The mission of Hands in Outreach is to provide access to education to help alleviate a condition of profound poverty. With a holistic approach, HIO builds lasting relationships with families and partner schools, empowering girls to become strong, self-reliant adults.
Jaclyn Davidson of Salisbury has sponsored two children in one family through Hands in Outreach. In addition to offering an overview of the program and its supportive literacy initiatives for girls and their mothers, Davidson will share her personal journey visiting with the family she supports and the schools and teachers of Hands in Outreach in Kathmandu. As Davidson points out, HIO “increases a girl’s change to stay in school, avoiding early marriage and/or pregnancy and a lifetime of low-wage, menial jobs.”
The program will include a slide show. Time will be available for questions. For more information about this event or One World Library Project, contact the Lawrence Memorial Library at 453-2366 or go to OneWorldLibraryProject.org or the One World Library Project Facebook page.