Growing up herding sheep, Hira Gharti Chhetri received no formal education and never learned how to read. As an adult, she shyly used her thumbprint instead of a signature and avoided any activities that could require her to read. Yet, she desperately wanted to be able to understand the words on the pages the same way her husband did. When the Agyuali Community Library and Resource Center in her village of Danda in Nepal opened, Hira seized the opportunity to finally learn to read. She took literacy classes with other women in her village and her life changed, forever. Now, Hira can write her name, read books and attend community meetings. She can read signs and does not get lost when she leaves her village. Her shyness has given way to an empowered woman who is now determined to send her own daughter to school. Watch the video below to see how literacy has changed Hira's life.
Watch READ's "Changing Lives" video for more stories of empowerment from Nepal.
