About Room to Read:
Introduction
Room to Read is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing under-privileged children with an opportunity to gain the lifelong gift of education.
Background
Room to Read was established in the year 2000 on the belief that basic education is crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty. Room to Read currently focuses its efforts on Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, countries with a desperate lack of resources to educate their children.
John Wood, Founder and CEO, launched Room to Read after a trek through Nepal. While in Nepal, John visited several local schools and 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 eventually quit his executive position and began working with rural villages to build a sustainable solution to their educational challenges.
Results
In just four years, Room to Read has accomplished the following:
• Construction of 115 schools
• Establishment of over 1,780 libraries
• Published 48 new local language children's books titles
• Donation of over 980,000 local language and English children's books
• Establishment of 47 computer labs
• Establishment of 17 language labs
• Funding of more than 1,275 long-term girls' scholarships
Awards
• Time Magazine Asian Heroes Award, 2004
• Fast Company “Social Capitalist” Award, 2004 and 2005
• Skoll Foundation Award for Social Innovation, 2004-05
• Draper Richards Foundation Fellowship, 2002-04
• Gleitsman Foundation Award of Achievement, 2002
Community Support
Room to Read partners with local communities in an effort to “help them to help themselves” and break the cycle of poverty through education. In order to assure community buy-in and ownership, projects are built under a “challenge grant” program. Communities are required to raise a significant portion of the required funding before Room to Read will make its contribution. To date, all projects have been built with great efficiency and on-budget, because this program gives communities every incentive to save money and to work hard to make the project a success.
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