9123lEft A teacher reads aloud from a
children’s book published by Room
to Read in Nepal. Room to Read is
the only organisation in the country
that focuses on literacy and gender
equality in education“I learned about Room to Read at
school and was so inspired that on
my 17th birthday I used my birthday
money to send a girl to school.”- BRENNA W. (HONG KONG)
“I love reading stories! My favourite is
Chek Check Wants to Get Married.”- REASKSA, STUDENT (CAMBODIA)
“‘I love going through Room to
Read’s workbooks and completing
the activities.”- SITHIKA, STUDENT (SRI LANKA)
Room to Read requires the
host governments to support their
projects, and so they actively work
with education ministries to promote
widespread policy and curriculum
changes which allow the organisation
to effectively address illiteracy and
gender inequality on a national scale.
Having achieved its initial aim
of supporting the education of 10
million children, the next goal is to
reach 15 million by 2020. Wood affirms
that Room to Read has to keep up its
strong mission focus and financial
efficiency (83 percent of all its proceeds
go into new or existing projects):
“The main thing we’ve got to do is
not be complacent – we want to keep
growing our impact both quantitatively
and qualitatively.”
As of the beginning of 2017, Room
to Read is growing rapidly in Indonesia,
and is also being launched in Jordan
and Rwanda through a technical
assistance arm called Room to Read
Accelerator. Nevertheless, there is
much work still to be done, and it is this
understanding that continues to drive
Room to Read to improve and expand.
On a parting note, Wood says:
“You don’t have to be a millionaire
like Bill Gates to change the world.”
Whether it is the people on the ground
improving literacy in their communitiesor the generous individuals around the
world investing in a child’s education
through donating time or money to
Room to Read, this organisation is
“a classic case of ordinary people
doing extraordinary things.” agf Ast fACts
For more information:
http://www.roomtoread.org/take-actionCAN PUBLISH A CHILDREN’S BOOKusd1
CAN TEACH 50 CHILDREN TO READ
AND WRITE FOR ONE YEARCAN PROVIDE A COMMUNITY LIBRARYusd2,500
usd7,000
CAN KEEP A GIRL IN SCHOOL
FOR ONE YEARusd300