The Women Literacy Program is one of the projects that have been held in Kathmandu since November 2015.
This project was established with the aim of teaching literacy to those women who haven’t had the opportunity at the time. More than 1500 women have been beneficiaries through the years of the project, which is not based only in teaching, since cultural visits to different places are also held. By now, women have already visited two temples.
On November 3, 2017, we made our second visit to the Namo Buddha temple. The group was formed with 15 people, including our president and our vice-president (Enric and Anna) and one of our volunteers, Marta. We departure at 8:30 am. The trip was very exciting, as it was the first time that members of the Barcelona Board joined the group.
Namo Buddha is a small village located 40 km southeast of Kathmandu. Its temple, name after the village, is one of the most important Buddhism pilgrimage and sanctification sites of Nepal. It is believed that King Mahasattva fed a hungry tigress with his own flesh.
We arrived at Namo Buddha at 11:30 a.m. Upon arrival we visit the temple and the monasteries. There were several people who gathered there to worship the god and receive blessings. After visiting the “Gumba” (monastery), we approached a small open forest and we ate all together the delicious food prepared by the women of the program.
After visiting Namo Buddha, our next stop was Sanga. This place is located on the boundary of the districts of Bhaktapur and Karepalanchowk in Nepal, about 20 km from Kathmandu. When we arrived, we saw the tallest statue of Shiva in the World, also called “Kailashnath Mahadev statue”. We visited the place and took some photos.
The Shiva statue is made of copper, zinc and steel and is 44 meters high.
To end our visit, we stopped at the Durbar Square in Bhaktapur. Bhaktapur is a popular place of religious, cultural and historical heritage. When we arrived, we saw the great temple of Nyatapola (five-floors temple) and the fifty-five windows palace (buildt by King Bhudapaindra Malla). After visiting the temple, we enter the Bhaktapur Durbar Square. After the visit, we stopped at a small bar for tea, where we could taste Juju Dhau, a quark desert typical of the city.
Bhaktapur is 10 km away from Kathmandu and Bhaktapur Durbar Square is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is a place well known for Newari culture and tradition.
The women of the program had a great time, like the rest of us. We are now able to keep great memories of the visit. Furthermore, this kind of visit is very important for them, since participating in this project, once they have learned to write and read, they can approach cultural places and see them and enjoy them with a different perspective.
