Aditi Paudel - Tokyo student, 17, who became Japan’s first literacy ambassador

ADITI Paudel, a 17-year-old high school senior in Tokyo, was recently appointed Japan’s first literacy ambassador. Around 900 young people between the ages of 16 and 25 from 101 countries are participating in the program run by the World Literacy Foundation, a global nonprofit headquartered in Australia.

Andrew Kay, CEO and founder of the World Literacy Foundation, was quoted by the Japan Times as saying, "While the program is 12 years old, this is the first time an ambassador from Japan has been appointed."

Who is Aditi Paudel?

According to the local media, Paudel is a high school senior in Tokyo. She was born in Japan but spent the first half of her childhood in Nepal.

She returned to Japan to enter the third grade. In addition to the typical upheaval associated with settling into a new life, she also found herself having to learn Japanese once more, which meant hitting the books, the Japan Times reported.

Paudel, who has plenty of experience developing her own reading skills, said a common view of literacy is how well someone can read or write, but she sees things in broader terms. Essentially, it’s “something that helps you open doors for more opportunities,” she notes.

For Paudel, a love of reading came early on, and was something her father nurtured by buying her several books. She developed an early taste for fantasy, and recalls falling in love with Enid Blyton’s “The Wishing-Chair.”

“It sounds funny, but the moment I read it, I would just be so immersed in it that it felt like I was the one flying. So it felt like I was really in that story, and I love having books like that where I can just transform into another world, and yeah, picture myself there,” she was quoted as saying.

Later, reading Malala Yousafzai’s autobiography, “I Am Malala,” made a significant impact on Paudel’s interests in female empowerment, including ensuring women around the world have access to education and literacy.

Paudel plans to work with the Shanti Volunteer Association to collect and donate books to Asian countries with lower rates of literacy — including Nepal.

Why was she chosen as Japan’s literacy ambassador?

World Literacy Foundation's Kay said Paudel was singled out “for her leadership, passion for literacy, and commitment to empowering young people in Japan.”

“Her curiosity about English shaped thoughtful advocacy, strengthening the program’s global voice and cultural reach,” he was quoted by the Japan Times as saying.

The report claimed that while Japan has a literacy rate of roughly 99 per cent, the picture in Nepal is considerably different. There, just 76 per cent of the population is literate, and there is a notable gender divide. For men, the rate is around 84 per cent, while for women it is 69 per cent, according to the most recent government data available, as cited by the media outlet.