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{{Short description|U.S.-based international non-profit organization}}
{{Infobox company
{{Infobox company
| name = Room to Read
| name = Room to Read
| logo = [[File:Room to read logo.png]]
| logo = Room to read logo.png
| type = [[Non-profit organization]]
| type = [[Non-profit organization]]
| foundation = 2000
| foundation = 2000
| location = [[San Francisco, California]], [[United States]]
| location = [[San Francisco, California]], [[United States]]
| key_people =
| key_people =
⚫
* Geetha Murali (Chief Executive Officer )
* [[John Wood (Room to Read)|John Wood]] (Founder and Executive Chairman)
* [[John Wood (Room to Read)|John Wood]] (Founder)
⚫
* Erin Ganju (Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer)
* Erin Ganju (Co-Founder)
* Dinesh Shrestha (Co-Founder and Director of Field Operations)
* Dinesh Shrestha (Co-Founder and Director of Field Operations)
| industry = [[Education]]
| industry = [[Education]]
| homepage = [http://www.roomtoread.org/ www.roomtoread.org]
| homepage = [http://www.roomtoread.org/ www.roomtoread.org]
}}
}}
{{cleanup-PR|date=February 2020}}
'''Room to Read''' is a global [[non-profit]] organization headquartered in [[San Francisco, California]].<ref name="people">{{cite news |last1=Westfall |first1=Sandra |title=Inside Michelle Obama & Julia Roberts' Emotional Day with Vietnamese Girls: 'I Will Never Recover' |url=https://people.com/politics/michelle-obama-julia-roberts-share-emotional-day-with-vietnamese-schoolgirls/ |work=[[People magazine]] |date=December 9, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> The organization focuses on working in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments to improve [[literacy]] and [[gender equality]] in education.<ref name="Charity">{{cite news |last1=Newsdesk |title=Charity releases hundreds of children's books for free online to help parents teach at home |url=https://www.charitytoday.co.uk/charity-releases-hundreds-of-childrens-books-for-free-online-to-help-parents-teach-at-home/ |work=charitytoday.co.uk |date=July 4, 2020}}</ref>


Room to Read has reached 23 million children and has worked in 20 countries.<ref>{{cite web |title=Factsheet on Official Website |url=https://www.roomtoread.org/about-us/media/?accordion=short |website=www.roomtoread.org}}</ref><ref name="ft">{{cite news |last1=Jack |first1=Andrew |title=Pupils' parallel pandemics in India and Tanzania |url=https://www.ft.com/content/43c0c834-f8ac-466e-8bcc-a0f49cbedeff |work=[[Financial Times]] |date=14 October 2021}}</ref>
'''Room to Read''' is a [[non-profit]] organization for improving [[literacy]] and [[gender equality]] in education in the [[developing world]]. Headquartered in [[San Francisco, California]], and founded on the belief that "World Change Starts With Educated Children," the organization focuses on working in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments. Room to Read develops literacy skills and the habit of reading among primary school children, and supports girls in completing secondary school with the relevant [[life skills]] to succeed in school and beyond.<ref name="About Us">{{cite web|title=About Us|url=http://www.roomtoread.org/Page.aspx?pid=209|website=Official Website|publisher=Room to Read}}</ref>

Room to Read is serving communities in ten countries in Asia and Africa: [[South Africa]], [[Zambia]], [[Tanzania]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[India]], [[Nepal]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Laos]], [[Cambodia]], and [[Vietnam]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Our Programs|url=http://www.roomtoread.org/Page.aspx?pid=433|website=Official Website|publisher=Room to Read}}</ref>


== History ==
== History ==
[[John Wood (Room to Read)|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 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 education challenges.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://business.financialpost.com/executive/leadership/john-wood-i-had-to-get-out-of-microsoft-and-make-education-for-the-worlds-poorest-children-my-job|title=John Wood: 'I had to get out of Microsoft and make education for the world’s poorest children my job'|work=Financial Post|access-date=2017-03-25|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite podcast
Room to Read was co-founded and launched by [[John Wood (Room to Read)|John Wood]], Erin Keown Ganju and Dinesh Shrestha in 1999 after Wood visited several local schools in Nepal. He observed the teachers' and students' enthusiasm and lack of resources, which led him to quit his job and build a global team to create sustainable programs that help solve their education challenges<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://business.financialpost.com/executive/leadership/john-wood-i-had-to-get-out-of-microsoft-and-make-education-for-the-worlds-poorest-children-my-job|title=John Wood: 'I had to get out of Microsoft and make education for the world's poorest children my job'|work=Financial Post|access-date=2017-03-25|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite podcast| url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04x2zc8| title=Hardline Conservatives Threaten To Sink 'Trumpcare'| website=Business Matters| publisher= [[BBC World Service]] | host=[[Roger Hearing]]| date=2017-03-24| minutes=26:30| access-date=2017-03-25}}</ref>
| url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04x2zc8
| title=Hardline Conservatives Threaten To Sink 'Trumpcare'
| website=BBC World Service Business Matters
| publisher= BBC
| host=Roger Hearing
| date=2017-03-24
| minutes=26:30
| access-date=2017-03-25
}}</ref>


Beginning in Nepal, John and his Nepali Co-Founder, Dinesh Shrestha, started by working with rural communities to build schools (School Room) and establish libraries (Reading Room). John and Dinesh quickly recognized the need to expand the scope of work beyond libraries, and wanted to address the fact that many girls in the developing world are overlooked in the educational system due to cultural bias. To that end, in 2000, Room to Read began the Girls' Education program, which targets young girls and provides a long-term commitment to their education.<ref name=":0" />
Wood and Shrestha worked with rural communities to build schools called School Room and established libraries called Reading Room. They later expanded beyond libraries, to begin the Girls' Education program in 2000, which focuses on young girls and provides a long-term commitment to their education.<ref name=":0" />


In 2001, co-founder and CEO Erin Keown Ganju spearheaded Room to Read’s expansion into [[Vietnam]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wood|first1=John|title=Leaving Microsoft to Change the World|date=2006|publisher=Harper Collins|location=New York|isbn=9780061121074|pages=119–125}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Scher|first1=Eddie|title=Financial Times Features Room To Read and ‘Year of Tens’|url=http://www.skollfoundation.org/financial-times-features-room-to-read-and-%E2%80%98year-of-tens%E2%80%99/|website=Skoll Foundation|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101119121207/http://www.skollfoundation.org/financial-times-features-room-to-read-and-%E2%80%98year-of-tens%E2%80%99/|archivedate=19 November 2010|date=12 November 2010}}</ref>
In 2001, Ganju launched Room to Read in [[Vietnam]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wood|first1=John|title=Leaving Microsoft to Change the World|date=2006|publisher=Harper Collins|location=New York|isbn=9780061121074|pages=[https://archive.org/details/leavingmicrosoft00wo/page/119 119]–125|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/leavingmicrosoft00wo}}</ref> Since then, Room to Read's operations have expanded to include 20 countries.


==Programs==
== Chapter network ==
Room to Read's Literacy Program supports literacy development for primary school students. The organization works with local authors and illustrators to create and distribute children's books.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Staff |title=Libraries Changing The Margins of The World |url=https://bittersweetmonthly.com/stories/room-to-read |work=BitterSweet Monthly |date=June 1, 2019}}</ref> It also introduced an online learning platform called Literacy Cloud during the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name="Charity" />
Room to Read has all-volunteer fundraising chapters in:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roomtoread.org/annualreport/2011/chapter_network.html|title=Chapter Network|last=|first=|date=|website=Official Website|publisher=Room to Read|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}}</ref>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; Salt Lake City/Wasatch, UT; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; St. Louis, MO; Washington, DC; and Westchester, NY.


Through its Girls' Education Program, Room to Read supports girls with resources, mentorship and a life skills curriculum that helps them overcome challenges to education.<ref name="people" />
Canada: Calgary, AB; Edmonton, AB; Toronto, ON; Montreal, QC; and Vancouver, BC.


==Impact==
Asia: Hong Kong, China; Seoul, South Korea; Tokyo, Japan; Mumbai, India; Singapore.
Since its inception in 2000, Room to Read has reached 32 million children in underserved communities around the world:<ref>{{cite news |last1=Williamson |first1=Lee |title=Room To Read Founder John Wood On How To Turn Social Impact Into A Startup's Competitive Advantage |url=https://generationt.asia/ideas/room-to-read-founder-john-wood-on-how-to-turn-social-impact-into-a-startup-s-competitive-advantage |work=Generation T |date=16 March 2018 |language=en}}</ref>


* 49,000 schools in 29 countries have been benefitted from Room to Read programs.
Middle East: United Arab Emirates
* Approximately 34 million children's books have been distributed, including more than 4,777 original and adapted Room to Read book titles

* 3.5 million books have been checked out.
Australasia: Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney.
* 200,000 teachers and librarians have been trained in literacy and reading best practices

* More than 2.8 million girls are supported by Room to Read's Girls' Education Program; 95% of girls who remained in the program advanced to the next grade
Europe: Edinburgh, Scotland; London, England; Brussels, Belgium; Paris, France; Munich, Germany; Rhein-Main, Germany; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Zurich, Switzerland.
* More than 3 million girls have benefitted from the Girl's Education Program since the onset of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].

== Results ==
Since its inception in 2000, Room to Read has impacted the lives of over 10 million children in the developing world by:<ref>Results as of October 2011. Room to Read posts its result numbers quarterly.</ref>

* Constructing 1,450 schools;
* Establishing 12,522 libraries;
* Publishing 591 new local language children's titles;
* Distributing over 10,4 million children's books;
* Funding 13,662 long-term girls' scholarships.


== Awards and recognition ==
== Awards and recognition ==
⚫
* [[Skoll Foundation]]: Award for Social Entrepreneurship (2004–2013)
⚫
* Library of Congress Literacy Award: 2014 David M. Rubenstein Prize<ref>{{cite news|title=Library of Congress Literacy Award Winners Announced|url=http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2014/14-156.html|work=News from the Library of Congress|date=30 August 2014}}</ref>
⚫
* [[Academy for Educational Development]]: Breakthrough Ideas in Education (2007)
⚫
* [[UNESCO]] Confucius Prize for Literacy: 2011<ref>{{cite web|title=UNESCO International Literacy Prizewinners 2011|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/education-building-blocks/literacy/literacy-prizes/2011/|website=UNESCO}}</ref>
* [[Fast Company (magazine)|Fast Company]] / [[Monitor Group]] "Social Capitalist Award" &mdash; four-time winner;
* [[Fast Company (magazine)|Fast Company]] / [[Monitor Group]]: Social Capitalist Award (2004–2008)
* [[Charity Navigator]]: 14 four-star ratings (2005–2017, 2019)<ref>{{cite news |title=Charity Navigator - Rating for Room to Read |url=https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/912003533 |work=www.charitynavigator.org}}</ref>
* [http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=10217 Charity Navigator] four-star rating - seven-time winner;<ref name="Room to Read">
* [[American Library Association]]: Presidential Citation (2008)<ref>{{cite web |title=ALA Presidential Citation for Innovative International Library Projects |url=https://www.ala.org/rt/irrt/alapresintlibraryaward |website=Round Tables |language=en |date=16 July 2010}}</ref>
{{cite web
⚫
* [[UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy]]: 2011<ref>{{cite web|title=UNESCO International Literacy Prizewinners 2011|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/education-building-blocks/literacy/literacy-prizes/2011/|website=UNESCO}}</ref>
|url=http://www.roomtoread.org/page.aspx?pid=212
* Cambodia Ministry of Education: Royal Medal of Munisaraphorn Mahasereaywat (2013)
|title=Financials
* World's Children's Prize, Honorary Award Laureate (2014)
|publisher=Room to Read
⚫
* [[American University School of International Service]]: Ten Innovative NGOs in Education (2014) <ref>{{cite news|title=Ten Innovative NGOs in Education|url=https://ironline.american.edu/ten-innovative-ngos-in-education/|work=International Relations Online|publisher=American University School of International Service|date=12 September 2014}}</ref>
|accessdate=3 March 2013
⚫
* [[Library of Congress Literacy Award]]: Special Response Award (2020); David M. Rubenstein Prize (2014)<ref>{{cite news|title=Library of Congress Literacy Award Winners Announced|url=https://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2014/14-156.html|work=News from the Library of Congress|date=30 August 2014}}</ref>
}}</ref>
⚫
* [[Skoll Foundation|Skoll]] Awards for Social Entrepreneurship 2004, 2006, and 2010;
* Attended [[Clinton Foundation|Clinton Global Initiative]]
⚫
* [[Academy for Educational Development]] (AED), one of six 2007 "Breakthrough Ideas in Education";
* [[Reader's Digest]]'s 'Best of America 2008'.<ref>{{cite web|title=Awards & Recognition|url=http://www.roomtoread.org/programs/awards.html|website=Official Website|publisher=Room to Read|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090316045557/http://www.roomtoread.org/about/awards.html|archivedate=16 March 2009}}</ref>
⚫
* Named one of "Ten Innovative NGOs in Education" by the [[American University School of International Service]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Ten Innovative NGOs in Education|url=https://ironline.american.edu/ten-innovative-ngos-in-education/|work=International Relations Online|publisher=American University School of International Service|date=12 September 2014}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist|2}}
{{Reflist|2}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://www.roomtoread.org|Room to Read official website}}
* {{Official website|http://www.roomtoread.org|Room to Read official website}}

{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Educational charities based in the United States]]
[[Category:Educational charities based in the United States]]
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[[Category:Development charities based in the United States]]
[[Category:Development charities based in the United States]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 2000]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 2000]]
[[Category:2000 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:2000 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Organizations promoting literacy]]
[[Category:Organizations promoting literacy]]

Latest revision as of 02:17, 29 September 2024

Room to Read
Company typeNon-profit organization
IndustryEducation
Founded2000
HeadquartersSan Francisco, California, United States
Key people
  • Geetha Murali (Chief Executive Officer )
  • John Wood (Founder)
  • Erin Ganju (Co-Founder)
  • Dinesh Shrestha (Co-Founder and Director of Field Operations)
Revenue44,679,630 United States dollar (2016) Edit this on Wikidata
Total assets72,676,292 United States dollar (2022) Edit this on Wikidata
Websitewww.roomtoread.org

Room to Read is a global non-profit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California.[1] The organization focuses on working in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments to improve literacy and gender equality in education.[2]

Room to Read has reached 23 million children and has worked in 20 countries.[3][4]

History

[edit]

Room to Read was co-founded and launched by John Wood, Erin Keown Ganju and Dinesh Shrestha in 1999 after Wood visited several local schools in Nepal. He observed the teachers' and students' enthusiasm and lack of resources, which led him to quit his job and build a global team to create sustainable programs that help solve their education challenges[5][6]

Wood and Shrestha worked with rural communities to build schools called School Room and established libraries called Reading Room. They later expanded beyond libraries, to begin the Girls' Education program in 2000, which focuses on young girls and provides a long-term commitment to their education.[5]

In 2001, Ganju launched Room to Read in Vietnam.[7] Since then, Room to Read's operations have expanded to include 20 countries.

Programs

[edit]

Room to Read's Literacy Program supports literacy development for primary school students. The organization works with local authors and illustrators to create and distribute children's books.[8] It also introduced an online learning platform called Literacy Cloud during the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]

Through its Girls' Education Program, Room to Read supports girls with resources, mentorship and a life skills curriculum that helps them overcome challenges to education.[1]

Impact

[edit]

Since its inception in 2000, Room to Read has reached 32 million children in underserved communities around the world:[9]

  • 49,000 schools in 29 countries have been benefitted from Room to Read programs.
  • Approximately 34 million children's books have been distributed, including more than 4,777 original and adapted Room to Read book titles
  • 3.5 million books have been checked out.
  • 200,000 teachers and librarians have been trained in literacy and reading best practices
  • More than 2.8 million girls are supported by Room to Read's Girls' Education Program; 95% of girls who remained in the program advanced to the next grade
  • More than 3 million girls have benefitted from the Girl's Education Program since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Awards and recognition

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Westfall, Sandra (December 9, 2019). "Inside Michelle Obama & Julia Roberts' Emotional Day with Vietnamese Girls: 'I Will Never Recover'". People magazine.
  2. ^ a b Newsdesk (July 4, 2020). "Charity releases hundreds of children's books for free online to help parents teach at home". charitytoday.co.uk.
  3. ^ "Factsheet on Official Website". www.roomtoread.org.
  4. ^ Jack, Andrew (14 October 2021). "Pupils' parallel pandemics in India and Tanzania". Financial Times.
  5. ^ a b "John Wood: 'I had to get out of Microsoft and make education for the world's poorest children my job'". Financial Post. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  6. ^ Roger Hearing (2017-03-24). "Hardline Conservatives Threaten To Sink 'Trumpcare'". Business Matters (Podcast). BBC World Service. 26:30 minutes in. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  7. ^ Wood, John (2006). Leaving Microsoft to Change the World. New York: Harper Collins. pp. 119–125. ISBN 9780061121074.
  8. ^ Staff (June 1, 2019). "Libraries Changing The Margins of The World". BitterSweet Monthly.
  9. ^ Williamson, Lee (16 March 2018). "Room To Read Founder John Wood On How To Turn Social Impact Into A Startup's Competitive Advantage". Generation T.
  10. ^ "Charity Navigator - Rating for Room to Read". www.charitynavigator.org.
  11. ^ "ALA Presidential Citation for Innovative International Library Projects". Round Tables. 16 July 2010.
  12. ^ "UNESCO International Literacy Prizewinners 2011". UNESCO.
  13. ^ "Ten Innovative NGOs in Education". International Relations Online. American University School of International Service. 12 September 2014.
  14. ^ "Library of Congress Literacy Award Winners Announced". News from the Library of Congress. 30 August 2014.
[edit]
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