A 17-year-old high school student from Tokyo has been appointed as Japan’s inaugural literacy ambassador by the World Literacy Foundation. This role aims to promote literacy and encourage reading among young people across the country.
For Paudel, reading is not only about enjoying books. Her interest in literacy is also connected to education and equal opportunities for young people. One book that had a strong impact on Paudel was Malala Yousafzai’s I Am Malala. The book strengthened her interest in girls’ education and women’s empowerment.
Paudel is the first ambassador from Japan to be appointed under the World Literacy Foundation’s 12-year-old youth programme, The Japan Times reported.
World Literacy Foundation CEO and founder Andrew Kay said Paudel was chosen for her leadership, passion for literacy and commitment to empowering young people in Japan.
Born in Japan and raised partly in Nepal, Paudel’s bilingual background fueled her passion for reading and literacy advocacy.
Aditi Paudel, a high school senior, has joined the foundation’s Youth Ambassador Programme, which brings together young people from around the world to promote literacy and encourage reading. Paudel was born in Japan but spent the first part of her childhood in Nepal. She later returned to Japan and had to learn Japanese again. Her experiences growing up between the two countries helped shape her interest in languages, books and education. Paudel’s interest in reading started when she was very young. One of her earliest memories is of her grandfather handing her a newspaper written in Devanagari script when she was still in preschool. The script was difficult to read, but Paudel was able to make sense of the text, surprising those around her. That experience became an important memory for her and helped build her confidence as a reader. After returning to Japan, books remained an important part of her life. Her father also encouraged her reading habit by regularly buying her books. She particularly enjoyed fantasy stories, including Enid Blyton’s The Wishing-Chair series.
The programme has around 900 participants aged 16 to 25 from 101 countries.
As Japan’s first literacy ambassador in the programme, Paudel will work with other young ambassadors and encourage young people to develop a habit of reading. Her journey, from reading a newspaper with her grandfather as a preschooler to representing Japan in an international literacy programme at 17, has given her a story that goes beyond academic achievement.
