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Room to Read

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Room to Read
Company typeNon-profit organization
IndustryEducation
Founded2000
HeadquartersSan Francisco, California, United States
Key people
  • John Wood (Founder and Executive Chairman)
  • Erin Ganju (Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer)
  • Revenue44,679,630 United States dollar (2016) Edit this on Wikidata
    Websitewww.roomtoread.org

    Room to Read is a non-profit dedicated to promoting education. Founded on the belief that world change starts with educated children, Room to Read works in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children, and ensure girls have the skills and support needed to complete their secondary education. Since 2000, Room to Read has impacted the lives of more than four million children by providing increased access to high-quality educational opportunities through its network of libraries and schools, local language children’s books and its girls education program. Room to Read is changing children’s lives in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zambia and aims to reach 10 million children by 2015.

    History

    In 1998, John Wood was an overworked Microsoft executive looking for the quiet solitude of a trekking vacation. While backpacking in the Himalayas, John met a middle-aged Nepalese man who invited him to visit a school in a neighboring village. Hoping for a chance to see the real Nepal, rather than his tourist's trek, John agreed. When he arrived at the school, he was shocked by the absolute poverty and an extreme lack of educational opportunities. It was then that John heard the words from the school headmaster that would forever change his adult life: “Perhaps, sir, you will someday come back with books.”

    Moved by this experience, John honored his promise to the headmaster and returned the following year with bags and bags of books in tow. After seeing first-hand the faces of the children light up as they looked at brightly-colored children’s books for the first time, John made the decision to leave his lucrative corporate career to instead devote himself to helping bring high-quality educational resources to children in the developing world.

    What began as a humble request from a school master in Nepal sparked what John thought would be a one-time act of kindness to a small school in Nepal and turned it into a lifelong passion. In 2001, Room to Read co-founder and CEO Erin Keown Ganju spearheaded Room to Read’s expansion in Vietnam. The organization's reach rapidly grew as significant needs and opportunities were identified in Cambodia (2002) and India (2003). The Asian Tsunami in December 2004 provided a catalyst for entry into Sri Lanka followed shortly by Laos. In 2006, Room to Read grew to its second continent by launching in South Africa, and later in Zambia in 2007. Room to Read has most recently begun operations and programs in Bangladesh.

    Innovative Model

    • Room to Read invests locally by only hiring and empowering local teams, including senior management positions, to run the organization’s in-country operations, ensuring that Room to Read’s staff knows the local language and customs, and that their work is contextualized and meets the needs of each community.
    • Communities are required to co-invest and contribute to the local project – either by donating labor or materials, providing space or staff, or donating money. This “Challenge Grant” model ensures local ownership and promotes the long-term sustainability of each Room to Read project.
    • Room to Read seeks to constantly improve the quality of its programs through ongoing monitoring and evaluation. For example, during the first three years after a Reading Room is established, site visits are conducted every three months to assess progress, offer needed training and provide additional books and educational materials.
    • Room to Read manages resources efficiently and effectively to enable maximum investment in its programs. From 2000 through 2008, overhead expenses remained at less than 16% of total expenses.
    • Room to Read created a global chapter movement with 40 chapters in 14 countries (including 21 U.S. cities) with over 3,000 volunteers that network, plan events, and raise awareness for Room to Read. Collectively, the chapters raise approximately 1/3 of the organization’s annual operating budget

    Programs

    Room to Read has developed a holistic, multi-pronged approach to help children in the developing world gain the lifelong gift of education. This approach includes the following programs:

    School Room — Room to Read partners with villages to build schools so children can learn in a safe, child-friendly environment.
    Reading Room — Room to Read establishes bi-lingual libraries and fills them with donated English books and local language books purchased in-country or self-published, creating a colorful space with posters, games and furniture.
    Local Language Publishing — Room to Read sources new content from local writers and illustrators and publishes high-quality local language children's books.
    Girls' Education — Room to Read provides long-term holistic support for girls who would otherwise not have access to an education.

    Results

    Since its inception in 2000, Room to Read has impacted the lives of over 3.1 million children in the developing world by: [1]

    • Constructing 1,128 schools
    • Establishing 10,000 libraries
    • Publishing 433 new local language children's titles representing over 4.1 million books
    • Donating over 3.3 million English language children's books
    • Funding 8,944 long-term girls' scholarships
    • Establishing 179 computer and language labs [2]

    Awards

    Media Highlights

    Rating and Financial Arrangements

    Room To Read has been awarded a four star rating by Charity Navigator with 6.4% of its budget going to administrative expenses. John Wood Founder and CEO earnt an annual salary of $132,500 as of December 2007.[3]

    Notes and references

    1. ^ Results as of 2010. Room to Read posts its result numbers quarterly.
    2. ^ These programs are on hold as of 2010; results are reflective through Q4 2009.
    3. ^ Charity Navigator. Room to Read section. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=10217 accessed 21 Feb 2010.
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