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Nepal Radio Program Lets People Tell of Core Beliefs and Motivation
FrontLines - May 2009
By Sven Lindholm
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Chameli Waiba
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KATHMANDU, Nepal—“I
believe in the alphabet because it
has the power to change life. I
realized the power concealed in
the alphabet on the very first day
I joined the adult literacy class.
For the first time, I was
introduced to letters that stood
for my name.”
These words opened an
essay by Chameli Waiba of
Bajrabarahi in the Makawanpur
district of Nepal. Waiba is one
of 26 Nepalese who shared core
beliefs and philosophies with
audiences countrywide as part
of a series entitled Mero
Jindagi, or My Life.
In recent years, Nepal
ousted its monarchy, ended a
Maoist rebellion, and formed
a new government through
the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement in late 2006—all
of which politicized religious,
caste, and ethnic groups.
Antenna Foundation Nepal,
through a USAID grant, began
broadcasting a radio and television
documentary series based
on the U.S. National Public
Radio program, This I Believe.
The project was initially suggested
by U.S. Ambassador to
Nepal Nancy Powell.
This I Believe has its roots in
a 1950s U.S. radio broadcast of
the same name. Hosted by journalist
Edward R. Murrow, the
program ran during the start of
the Cold War and at a time of major social change within the
United States. It said its aim
was “to point to the common
meeting grounds of beliefs,
which is the essence of brotherhood
and the floor of our
civilization.”
The first of 26 essays and
documentaries in Mero Jindagi
began Dec. 3. The essay by
Waiba, 36, has been translated
by Antenna Foundation Nepal
and was broadcast on National
Public Radio’s This I Believe
segment in the United States
Feb. 15.
In her essay, Waiba compared
her life to a nearby lake, stagnant
before she enrolled in adult
literacy classes. However, she
said as a result of the classes:
“My new knowledge of words
boosted my confidence and
courage, I made a resolution…
I and my sisters and brothers
should be given education as
much as we would like.”
Through this resolution, she
helped get a bridge built in her
hometown so children could
attend the village school on the
other side of the river, which is
impassable during monsoon
season.
“Now I cannot express my
satisfaction seeing children running
to school over that bridge.
It is a bridge of iron, a bridge of
letters, a bridge of community,”
Waiba wrote. “Nothing is
achieved without the cooperation
of all.”
She also helped start microsaving
women’s groups and said
she would like to run permanent
literacy classes for women and
open a library.
“All this is the result of my
knowing the alphabet, even
though I learned it late,” said
Waiba, describing the impact
literacy classes have had on
her life. “Letters have immense
power. They have magic.
The greatest thing in the world
is the alphabet. That is my
belief.”
Waiba’s essay can be accessed
at www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100677646.
Go to www.thisibelieve.org
to learn more about the
U.S. program.
★
FrontLines is published
by the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs
U.S. Agency for International Development
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Material should be submitted
by mail to Editor, FrontLines, USAID,
RRB, Suite 6.10, Washington, DC 20523-6100;
by FAX to 202-216-3035; or by e-mail to frontlines@usaid.gov
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