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The Magic Yeti Library-Frequently Asked Questions
How many books do you need for your children's and community libraries in Nepal? Can you give some examples of the kinds books you need (and maybe some
examples of what you don't need), AND age groups and range we are talking about providing for?
What about multiple copies of one book?
What about soft cover exercise-type books, like mathematical and spelling
exercises? Coloring books and crayons? Pencils? Rulers? Sharpeners?
We say yes to everything. If people want to donate supplies, these will be used. We will need to separate them, though, and ship them separately. The Asia Foundation can ship books only, and we are looking into means for shipping other supplies and toys, etc. Send ideas! How much money does it take to build a library to completion? (the actual
building structure) Do the libraries (and the classrooms) have current, large world maps? What is your total target monetary amount for The Magic Yeti libraries? AND what exactly does that cover? How are you currently getting books from the U.S. to the libraries? How difficult is it to obtain books in their own language right there in
Nepal? The schools can't afford to buy books for library use. We have partnered with Room to Read (check them out online), the largest publisher of Nepali-language books for children (written by authors from Nepal). Room to Read has, and will continue to, donate books to our libraries. They also build schools/libraries throughout rural Nepal. We love them. Is there any connection between a lack of interest in books and a lot of them being in English? Intimidation factor? Lack of teachers who speak, read and write both Nepali and English?
What sets us apart is that we're delivering up-to-date children's books from the States that are classics and that are truly geared for kids. The language, in the end, often with these books, doesn't matter. The kids get much of what they're reading through the images, but the words just offer them the enticement to want to learn to read, no matter what language. We also have Nepali and Tibetan books that we have in a separate section. This is where Room to Read is a big help to us. Teachers have pretty good English proficiency, but still this point is well taken, if the teachers aren't excited by the power of what the books can bring, the kids might not go to the books. However, we've found that if we pile the books randomly onto tables and if they're not on a shelf, the kids just pick them up and can't get enough of them.
If a person writes a check for the project, how does that work and where
does the money go? Do you have any kind of special packet you put out at book drives or fundraisers for people to read about or better understand the project? If I do a book drive for the Magic Yeti Libraries, once I have books coming my way, then what should be my plan of action? How many books are now on the shelves of the Khumjung School's Magic Yeti Library? How many students use the library every day? Can you give me a basic idea of how many children attend the Hillary school in Khumjung on a daily basis/and or throughout the school year? How many teachers? How much does a family pay to send a child to school for a year? When do children start attending school? Approximately how many students are there per class? What do the children use for lesson plans and writing? Paper? Other?
What is the school season for the children and hours and days they go to
school? School season is February through December. They get 15 days' vacation in October. School hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every day but Saturday. Fridays are a half day. In Tsarang (Mustang), how many students will have access to the Magic Yeti Library? When is the ideal "goal accomplished" date for fundraising needs? Are bookbags (children's backpacks of good quality) useful as a donation? What about environmental awareness books geared towards children? If I wanted to be a hands-on volunteer at one of your libraries, what would I do? We are looking for volunteers in Nepal and in the States who are interested in working with us to conduct book drives, raise funds, set up the libraries and do follow-through work on keeping them sustainable. Each library has its own character and set of challenges, and we try to match volunteers with each community. To learn more, please email us at clarkliesl@mac.com.
We need as many books as possible. Since we're a growing consortium of libraries, we need to supply many communities. We're confident there will be more libraries to come, and in fact we've had requests from schools in two other locations - even though we've cast only a shallow net so far.
We need children's books for all ages, from infant/pre-school board books, to simple readers/primers, to easy reading levels, to chapter books, and then on up to full adult-level books. Since we're now supplying some community libraries with books, we can take pretty much anything, but we'd prefer to focus on the following:
Children's Books (see above)
Reference Books: Atlases, Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, books on the sciences, Illustrated Reference Books
Books About Women's Health
We avoid books that are too religious in nature, and those that focus too much on warfare, and, of course, books with "adult" themes.
If we end up with several copies of one book, these could be used as a teaching tool in a classroom, as a textbook. Or, the book can go to other libraries. One day we hope to have our libraries all digitally catalogued. Then we'll know what is where. However, in the Khumjung School, as in Tsarang, for example, one library will act as the "mother library," with several satellite school libraries that will benefit from the trickle-down effect of extra books or old or additional books that the main library wants to share.
We do not build libraries. We work with existing buildings that the community chooses to house a library. This way our efforts can be put to getting books quickly into children's hands and increasing literacy, rather than dealing with expensive building projects. Perhaps most importantly, by providing a room or a building, the community has a stake, an investment, in seeing that the library succeeds.
All of the libraries could use large (current) world maps.
Our budgets for each library are form-fitting, but they typically cost about $7,500 to start. This includes shipping, porterage or yak/horse loads, carpenters, shelving, paint, library supplies, and librarian(s) salaries for one year. Each ensuing year, the operating budget, after the opening year, is approximately $3,000.
In the case of the Khumjung library, they are shipped from The Asia Foundation, in San Leandro, California, in a sea container to India, then trucked to Kathmandu, then flown to Lukla or Jomsom, then loaded on dzos/yaks/horses/people.
This is a really good question and difficult to answer in a short sentence or two. We've found that the areas we're most able to provide books for are in areas where English is truly a 2nd (or 3rd) language! So, English books are not a problem, as we have witnessed kids of all ages reading our books out loud to each other (devouring them in groups) and enjoying them. Kids in Khumbu, Mustang and Nubri, and some other areas, want to read English language books in preference to those in any other language, and English books are generally going to be of more use to them in their adult lives than books in other languages.
Checks go to the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation (ALCF). Mailing address: P.O. Box 6666, Bozeman, Montana 59771. Please, however, make it clear that the money is for the Magic Yeti Libraries, since the ALCF has several wonderful projects. Or, (easier) you can click on the Donate Now! button and look for fundraiser Liesl Clark. That way the MYL project gets credit for the donation.
The ALCF is currently our umbrella non-profit providing us with some funding and administrative and web assistance (check us out at www.alexlowe.org). It's easy to donate online, and you can even set up your own fundraiser page, which is really fun and track the funds you've been able to raise for the Magic Yeti Libraries. The ALCF has made this whole thing possible. Money given is all tax-deductible and donors receive a receipt. All proceeds go directly to The Magic Yeti Libraries.
Do check out our web pages, but we're working on a volunteer booklet that can help answer all questions and get volunteers doing book drives and fundraising on their own. This is very much a grass roots project.
The books should be shipped to The Asia Foundation. We are working on getting a donor to help with the shipping in the US to The Asia Foundation. Contact us and we'll give you specific directions.
There are now approximately 2500 books, with many more coming!
At least 40 are reportedly using the books every day.
Most of this info is on the Magic Yeti Web site. The Khumjung school has 374 students year-round, according to 2006 records. The school is open from March through December. They are closed, -- except for some 10th grade students that stay on for exam studying with the teachers - January and February. There are 18 teachers at the Khumjung School, and now a full time librarian!
School is free up to Grade V at which point families pay Rs 600 (about US $8.50) per child for supplies.
They start at age 4 or 5.
Classes vary in size but they average approximately 25 students per class.
Paper. They have a computer lab, but it isn't used extensively. We are looking for a donation of computers and technical IS services. There's occasional internet access in Khumjung, too. But mostly people rely on Namche (2 hours' walk) for the internet.
The library is in a local Ani School, a school for girls/nuns that is a new building that can also be accessed by the local monastic school for boys. This means approximately 300 children, from Tsarang and neighboring villages, would have access to the books. The school year is different in Mustang, in that the students go to school in Pokhara for the cold winter months.
By the end of January each year, if not before.
Yes, kids can always use book backpacks there, especially ones that are well made.
Complete sets of children's magazines are very welcome.
Yes, these are critical for Khumbu: books about trash, recycling things in their community (which the Sherpas mostly do), not throwing out glass or breaking it on rocks, planting trees, picking up trash and only using designated dump sites, not burning plastics, green living practices, sustainable and organic farming methods -- the list goes on and on.
Tickets to Nepal from the U.S. vary between $1500 to $2000. Flights to Lukla or Jomsom are approximately $150 one way, porters/yaks/horses will cost approximately $12/day and food and lodging varies between $20 and $35/day. If you're interested in traveling to Mustang, a restricted region, the permit fee is $700 for a maximum of 10 days' visit.
