Villages Library Projects

Part of Ten Friends’ Villages Library project is to provide libraries for those villages in which a book is a rare thing. In 2009, we established our very first library in the village of Lingham and dedicated it to Diane Jacobsen, a revered teacher from Sisters, Oregon. Over the years more libraries were established and dedicated to a number of individuals from Central Oregon. Throughout the years the program has continued to grow and we now have more than 35 libraries in place!

A typical village in which we place a library has from 100 to 400 residents. The cost of one book placed in a library is around $5 – roughly $2 for the book and $3 to transport the book by plane and/or porter. Bookcases are constructed by village carpenters and the village provides the building for the library. The average total cost of a library is around $6,000.

Student Library Projects

Over the years, Ten Friends has taken high school students to Nepal and over 65 students have had the experience. As part of the trips students and their chaperones work on library projects in remote villages of Nepal.

2023 Larry's Library Project

A recent library was created in the village of Khokatak in the Makalu region. The library was dedicated in October 2023 with Ten Friends Board member Larry Weinberg in attendance. He was accompanied to the dedication ceremony by Sunita Gurung, Director of the Himalayan Education Center. The library is located in an elementary school, but the library itself is a community library, open to all the villagers. A large number of village residents, including the teachers, staff and students at the school and the school board, were present at the ceremony. There was music, dancing and speeches to inaugurate the village's first library

2025 Library at Himalaya Secondary School

The Himalaya Secondary School (HSS) is located in Khandbari, Nepal. HSS supports 1,700 students from preschool through high school graduation. Many of the students travel long distances to attend, as it is one of the best public schools in the region.

The HSS library contains over 4,000 books, but prior to the completion of a new library, they were inaccessible to the students. The old library was very small, with minimal light and crowded bookshelves. In addition, there had been no space to sit and study. Due to this, the majority of students didn't use the old library and therefore lack the opportunity to gain knowledge and learn new perspectives outside the classroom.

The newly constructed library which was completed in 2025 provides not only accessibility to books, but also natural light, comfortable seating, and air conditioning. Students now have a space to study, learn, and take a break in between classes. The project was spearheaded by Louisa Lamarre, a previous member of the Ten Friends board. The new library was especially important to her because in 2020, Louisa fundraised to travel to Khandbari to dedicate the old library at HSS. She states that, “I believe it is important to continue to support projects and provide access to books so students can develop empathy, perspective, and knowledge.”

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