Text and Photos: Thomas L Kelly

In a country where the literacy rate of women, on average, is 57.4 percent, in comparison to that of men with 75.1 percent (as per UNESCO Literacy Status of Nepal report, 2013), digital literacy is still a new frontier for adolescent girls of Nepal. Statistics show that while the emphasis on education for girls has been growing over the years, it remains inaccessible to a large population of girls. In addition to that, the whole idea of digital literacy is still a taboo, in some quarters. With factors like poverty, traditional values and gender inequality still pressing the Nepali society, intervention in regards to information and communication technology literacy for girls seem too costly an affair for many families in the country.

A recent program launched by the British Council Nepal aims to bridge this digital divide. In the course of the program, that gave girls digital and English language education, I was fortunate to traverse five districts, namely Lalitpur, Kavre, Arghakhanchi, Makwanpur, and Gumli. Each of these districts had clubs where adolescent girls indulged in their laptops and phablets, learning vital skills that were all but alien only a few short weeks ago. What was inspiring to witness was their sheer joy in learning, in trying to understand something new and earning self-confidence out of their acquired knowledge.

I also had the opportunity of visiting their households and observing their daily lifestyles with their families. Many of their family members were not literate and their professions included agriculture and animal husbandry. It is motivating to see how people, even in rural Nepal, are becoming flexible in changing their mindsets from old school practices and allowing their daughters to attain a modern digital education. As I am a photographer, for the rest, I choose to let my viewers read between my photographs—the joy of learning, the art of teaching and the art of self-empowering through language, digital and social skills. If this experience of watching young women bridge the digital gap, was anything to go by, I remain hopeful that maybe Nepal will every walk abreast with other technologically advanced countries in the future. And maybe, it just might be these happy young women leading the charge.