Room to Read
 | |
| Company type | Non-profit organization |
|---|---|
| Industry | Education |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Headquarters | United States  |
Key people |
|
| Revenue | 59,837,695 United States dollar (2019) |
| Website | www.roomtoread.org |
Room to Read is a non-profit organization with globally distributed headquarters with leadership across the globe. [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 worked in 28 countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, China, Grenada, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Malawi, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, Vietnam and Zambia.[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 and established libraries. 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 in 28 countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, China, Grenada, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Malawi, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, Vietnam and Zambia.[3] [4]
Programs
[edit]Room to Read nurtures foundational learning skills in children, enabling them to pursue lifelong learning and make informeddecisions. Room to Read’s Literacy Portfolio supports children in developing literacy skills with a love of reading, and its Gender Equality Portfolio supports adolescents, particularly girls, in developing life skills that promote gender equality. The organization delivers and scales programming directly and with partners, operating within our areas of expertise: curriculum and content;educator training and coaching; delivery structures; and research and insights. [2][1]
Impact
[edit]As of 2024, Room to Read benefited more than 50 million children. [8]
Awards and recognition
[edit]- Skoll Foundation: Award for Social Entrepreneurship (2004–2013)
- Academy for Educational Development: Breakthrough Ideas in Education (2007)
- Fast Company / Monitor Group: Social Capitalist Award (2004–2008)
- Charity Navigator: 14 four-star ratings (2005–2017, 2019)[9]
- American Library Association: Presidential Citation (2008)[10]
- UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy: 2011[11]
- Cambodia Ministry of Education: Royal Medal of Munisaraphorn Mahasereaywat (2013)
- World's Children's Prize, Honorary Award Laureate (2014)
- American University School of International Service: Ten Innovative NGOs in Education (2014) [12]
- Library of Congress Literacy Award: Special Response Award (2020); David M. Rubenstein Prize (2014)[13]
- OnCon Icon Awards: Top 10 Finance Team, 2023 [14]
- UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education [15]
- Manchester Animation Festival: Best Short Film for Children, She Creates Change – Dewmini, 2023 [16]
- HundrED's Global Collection: Hall of Fame, 2025, Top 100 Global Collection, 2025, 2024, 2023 and Academy Choice Award, 2023 [17]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Westfall, Sandra (December 9, 2019). "Inside Michelle Obama & Julia Roberts' Emotional Day with Vietnamese Girls: 'I Will Never Recover'". People magazine.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Jack, Andrew (14 October 2021). "Pupils' parallel pandemics in India and Tanzania". Financial Times.
- ^ a b "Room to Read: Building Libraries, Schools, and Computer Labs in Developing Countries". Edutopia. Archived from the original on 2024-09-08. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Wood, John (2006). Leaving Microsoft to Change the World. New York: Harper Collins. pp. 119–125. ISBN 9780061121074.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Charity Navigator - Rating for Room to Read". www.charitynavigator.org.
- ^ "ALA Presidential Citation for Innovative International Library Projects". Round Tables. 16 July 2010.
- ^ "UNESCO International Literacy Prizewinners 2011". UNESCO.
- ^ "Ten Innovative NGOs in Education". International Relations Online. American University School of International Service. 12 September 2014.
- ^ "Library of Congress Literacy Award Winners Announced". News from the Library of Congress. 30 August 2014.
- ^ "2023 Finance Team Winners | OnCon Icon Awards". onconferences. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
- ^ "2022 UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education: mentoring programmes from Cambodia and Tanzania chosen as laureates". Archived from the original on 2023-12-29. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
- ^ "Manchester Animation Festival (2023)". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
- ^ "HundrED Global Collection 2023". hundred.org. 2025-02-26. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |