Celebrating our Book Launch in Kathmandu - Day 1

Exactly one week ago, on October 13th, Community Action Centre - Nepal (CAC Nepal) hosted our book launch event.

Tulasa Lata Amatya (CAC Nepal) with Lily Thapa and Liam Shivanth Mandelz (our Chief Guests)

For this book launch to be successful, we needed to bring together a cohort of key enablers from various NGOs, doctors, educators, youth leaders and media influencers.

Honourable Lily Thapa, a member of the Human Right Commission and a pioneer in advocating for single mothers, officiated the launch together with Liam Shivanth Mandelz, five-year-old, son of author/founder of vDCW.

During this event, we had our key contributors share with the audience their work and contribution to the creative landscape of Nepal.

Sandra, talking about the aspirations of vDCW

Sandra Shiwani van Doesburg kicked off the launch by sharing the publishers' aspirations to bring out stories representing the diverse composition of the world. She plans to differentiate the company in two folds:

1. Gaining a niche market share

In Nepal, by establishing vDCW as a contemporary quality publisher and in Europe (starting with Switzerland & Netherlands), by showcasing stories from places/cultures that rarely break into the mainstream market.

2. Integrating the experiential learning element as their USP

Her background in adult learning plays a crucial role in producing books with this learning element. Books from vDCW integrate a concept called QueRy Van, where children and adults can explore the characters and learning value through an interactive interface online. Go check it out!

Sandra shared with the audience the purpose of the company is to create a space where children and adults can continue to explore emotions of feeling in and out of socially defined "normal" space. In this space, differences can be shared and celebrated.

Niranjan Kunwar, an educator, shares why what he does is important

Niranjan Kunwar, the editor of Are you a Snow Leopard? then went on to talk about how his professional education training revealed how making

time for the arts and stories directly connects to one's values and vision for equity and harmony. Niranjan conducts professional development training for primary school teachers in Kathmandu. These sessions aim to promote qualitative language arts instruction, which ultimately helps increase young children's love for reading and writing.

Kanchan, sharing the role of a picture book

The illustrator of Are you a Snow Leopard?, Kanchan Burathoki, explained how illustrations help children to understand the text and make reading more exciting. Pictures can widen a child's imagination, make them curious and lead to interesting conversations. Both comics and picture books allow us to explore complex and traumatic subjects such as the loss of loved ones, mental and physical health, abuse or issues around caste, class, identities, social taboos, historical events and much more. They can be targeted and created for any age group.

Chungba, shares his encounters with these gorgeous animals

Chunga Sherpa, a wildlife photographer, highlighted his work and how he got good pictures of the various animals showcased in the QueRy Van part of the book. He talked about how the focus on wildlife and conservation work in Nepal needs to be more on the forefront. Recently, he had the amazing opportunity of capturing a picture of a Wild Yak in Nepal. This is a monumental achievement, as it is thought that wild yaks no longer exist in Nepal. He agreed that children's books could highlight conservation work as being essential so that we can ensure our children get the biodiversity they deserve.

Karuna Giri, our illustrator for the high-contrast book - Namaste, was unable to attend as she is based in the US. She nonetheless was there in spirit and we share with you her love for what she does.

The book launch event was closed by a roundtable discussion and getting all who attended to sign and commit to van Doesburg Creative Works' aspiration of igniting curiosity, self-awareness and confidence in Children through experiential storytelling.

We thank all that attended and look forward to future collaborations.

Namaste is a picture book that introduces Nepal to the little ones and their caretakers with the help of some very Nepali illustrations highlighting plants, animals, and patterns from Nepal. Targeted for 0 – 3-year old's this book is illustrated by Karuna Giri.

Are you a Snow Leopard? is a picture book that poignantly captures the search of a lonely snow leopard for a friend who looks just like her. Set in the Himalayan region, this book introduces children to rare and endangered animals like the blue sheep and red panda. Targeted for 2 – 5-year old's, this book is written by Sandra Shiwani van Doesburg and illustrated by Kanchan Burathoki.

Proceeds from the sales of the books in Nepal will be shared with CAC Nepal to help towards initiatives and activities directed towards children's education, health & well-being.

Community Action Centre - Nepal (CAC-Nepal) is a non-profit, non-governmental social organization. They work with the basic principle to enhance the spirit of the people to take charge of their lives in partnership to promote sustainable development. Their target groups are particularly marginalized women and children.

Enjoy scrolling through the book launch event.