Overview

"Nepal Studies" is still "Under Construction" and nowhere near ready for public launch.

The aim is to become a reliable source of authoritative factual information, and especially links to primary sources, on how New Nepal is transforming Old Nepal, together with an incubator for projects enabling outsiders to liase with Nepalese and Non-Resident Nepalese (NRN) organizations in providing concrete assistance.

Current focus is on developing an urgent proposal for a case study in Nepal implementing Universal Communications in areas lacking basic infrastructure such as electricity, cell phones and adequate postal services. Proposal is to use cheap MP3 players with flash card readers with podcasting via postal/courier email using physical media in support of distance education and eventually voicemail connections between NRNs and their families and friends in Nepal. Background material including details of Nepal's geography, culture, infrastructure etc will be provided in the main website, but most of the work is on concrete details for "Cardpodcasters" to be successfully deployed to more than 40,000 literacy volunteers. This requires priority because the literacy campaign is intended to eradicate illiteracy in two years so any assistance to distance education for the volunteers should start now.i

A key aspect of the deployment proposal is use of XO laptops from the One Laptop Per Child program to establilsh a Delay and Disruption Tolerant Network (DTN) including all schools - One Laptop Per School (OLPS). This then extends via One Cardpodcaster Per Teacher to One Laptop Per Teacher (OLPT) and One Cardpodcaster Per Child (OCPC), preparing for eventual One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) by acceleration of the deployment infrastructure necessary.