AP PHOTOS: Older women in Nepal are learning how to read and write

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Sushila Gautam, 77, checks her smartwatch, a gift from her son living in the United States, to see if she should leave for her reading and writing lessons.

''At home, I get bored when my son and daughter-in-law go to work and grandchildren are at school. I want something to do,'' she says with a smile.

When Sushila was young, girls in her village weren't sent to school.

For about a year now, she has been going for free lessons near her home on the outskirts of Nepal's capital Kathmandu, at the Ujyalo Community Learning Center. The center was set up three years ago by the local council to provide basic education to women like her.

''Now, I finally have the chance,'' says Sushila.

She can now read signs in English and Nepalese, is able to check her heart rate on a smartwatch, and use a smartphone. But the skill she is most proud of is her ability to sign her name on official documents. Previously, she had to put thumbprints.

Bimala Maharjan Bhandari, who runs the center, says she had difficulties at first to convince women to join.

''I had to tell them that being able to read phone messages, product labels and signing documents can benefit the whole family,'' Bhandari said.

Slowly, by quietly persevering, she was able to persuade the women and their families. The center has made more than 200 women literate in its first three years.

Women sit at desks reading aloud from their Nepali language textbooks, following their instructor. Some write down simple sentences in their notebooks. During a break, they file out of the classroom to play soccer on a small hard court.

Bhandari believes that the center encourages friendship and physical well-being among the learners, creating a supportive environment for personal and collective growth.

Among the older students is 88-year-old Thuli Thapa Magar, who has spent her entire life as a homemaker. She, like Sushila, never went to school and was illiterate before joining the center.

She is proud of the fact that she is finally learning.