About Us

The Nepal Library Foundation (NLF) exists to promote literacy in Nepal. Our mandate is to support library development and work towards a national library system. NLF is registered as a charity with the Canadian Revenue Agency GST# 884108705 RR0001. NLF is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is run by a committed group of volunteers throughout Canada and beyond. Our Board members include Canadians from different walks of life some of whom are Nepali born. We have developed a close working relationship with the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), which has appointed the NLF as the agent through which libraries in Nepal are supported.

President's Message

Starting in the year 2005 with a seed capital of $500 we are proud to have contributed to the sustainable development of a number of new community libraries in many parts of rural Nepal as well as playing a leading role in the facilitation of national library policy development for Nepal.

What We Do

Our mandate is to support library development and work towards a national library system. We support both rural and urban libraries which are established and in development. We recognize the importance of digital information and believe that library development needs to take place in the context of Internet access and are working on initiatives to further this. We raise funds to achieve our aims through individual and corporate donations and from foundation grants.

Why We Do It

The minimum hourly wage in Nepal (2006) is $0.11 with an equivalent purchasing power of $0.53. Under these conditions 40% of the population live under the locally defined poverty level. This fact, and the resulting inequality, has in itself helped fuel the insurgency which has only recently and tentatively been put on hold. Eighty percent of the work force engages in subsistence farming. Literacy rates are amongst the lowest in the world. Not surprisingly, as a result of which, Nepal suffers from an acute shortage of skilled labour. We believe that the future prosperity and peaceful development of Nepal is predicated, in part, on the ability of its people to access and use information for their benefit. We know that by supporting existing libraries and assisting in their establishment we are helpful to fulfill a basic need that exists in Nepal.

What You Can Do

You support will make a tangible difference to people across Nepal by providing them access to knowledge.