| Type | Non-profit organization |
|---|---|
| Industry | Education |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Key people |
|
| Website | www.roomtoread.org |
Room to Read is an award-winning non-profit organization with its headquarters in San Francisco, California. Founded on the belief that World Change Starts With Educated Children, the organization focuses on improving literacy and gender equality in education in the developing world. Working in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments, Room to Read develops literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children, and supports girls to complete secondary school with the relevant life skills to succeed in school and beyond.[1]
Room to Read is currently serving communities in nine countries throughout Asia and Africa, with plans to expand into a tenth country, Tanzania, in 2011.[2]
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John Wood, founder and board co-chair, launched Room to Read in 1999 after a trek through Nepal where he visited several local schools. He was amazed by the warmth and enthusiasm of the students and teachers, but also saddened by the shocking lack of resources. Driven to help, John quit his senior executive position with Microsoft and built a global team to work with rural villages to build sustainable solutions to their educational challenges.[3]
In 2001, Room to Read Co-founder and CEO Erin Keown Ganju spearheaded Room to Read’s expansion into Vietnam.[4] Since then, Room to Read's operations have expanded to include Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Zambia. In 2010, Room to Read celebrated its "Year of Tens," marking its ten-year anniversary with the opening of its 10,000th library in Nepal, along with the construction of its 1,000th school and support of its 10,000th girl through the Girls' Education Program.[5]
Global Footprint and Long-Term Engagement: Room to Read employs flexible program models that can be adapted locally. It focuses on developing countries with relatively stable governance where education can be prioritized, seeking strategic partnerships with governments and like-minded organizations.
Community Engagement and Local Partnerships: The organization partners with communities to achieve its goals, challenging the local population to contribute to each project either financially, or through the donation of labor.
Scale and Sustainability: Room to Read seeks to successfully demonstrate effective and cost-efficient program models so that governments and other non-profits can adopt its methodology and practices, thereby catalyzing long-term, systemic change.
Diversified and Engaged Funding Base: Room to Read's donor base is diverse in type and geographic location, raising at least 30% of its funding base through its global chapter network. It is also committed to maintaining a low overhead ratio, with at least 80% of funding going directly to programs.[7]
Literacy:
School Room — Room to Read partners with villages to build schools.
Reading Room — Room to Read establishes libraries and fills them with donated English- and local-language books purchased in-country or self-published, creating a child-friendly environment that includes posters, games and furniture.
Local Language Publishing — Sourcing content from local writers and illustrators, Room to Read publishes children's books in over 25 languages.
Pilot Programs — In 2009, Room to Read introduced Literacy Pilot Programs in Sri Lanka and Nepal to improve the habit of reading among students who utilize the organization's resources.[8]
Gender Equality in Education:
Girls' Education — The Girls' Education Program is aimed at providing girls with the support they need to complete secondary school with the relevant life skills to succeed in the classroom and beyond. In addition to scholarships, Room to Read employs social mobilizers in each community to act as role models for the girls, as well as hosting life skills workshops.[9]
Room to Read currently has all-volunteer fundraising chapters in[10]:
United States: Aspen Valley, CO; Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Boston, MA; Central NJ; Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Columbus, OH; Dallas, TX; Denver / Boulder, CO; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Greenwich, CT; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; Manchester, NH; Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN; Nashville, TN; New York, NY; Portland, OR; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; St. Louis, MO; Washington, DC; Westchester, NY.
Canada: Calgary, AB; Edmonton, AB; Toronto, ON; Montreal, QC; Vancouver, BC.
Asia: Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Mumbai, Singapore.
Middle East: United Arab Emirates
Australasia: Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney.
Europe: Edinburgh, London, Brussels, Paris, Munich, Rhein Main, Amsterdam, Zurich.
Since its inception in 2000, Room to Read has impacted the lives of over 6 million children in the developing world by:[11]