Room to Read Blog

An Engineer in the Making: Kurlithlimli’s Story

At 14 years old, Kurlithlimli has lived in the same village her whole life. She has three older siblings, but since her parents’ divorce, she has lived alone with her father, who works as a farmer and participates in local politics.

Kurlithlimli’s day typically starts at 6:00am, when she prepares for school, which is a short, 15-minute walk from home. At school she excels in science, physics in particular. “I find it very easy to understand,” she says with a smile.

Physics is not only fun for Kurlithlimli, but an important step in achieving her dream of becoming an engineer. “I think Tanzania needs more female engineers,” says Kurlithlimli, who notes that all the engineers she has seen at the road construction site near her home are men. “I hope that when I become an engineer I can inspire more girls to join the profession,” she says.

In her daydreams, Kurlithlimli sees herself owning a successful business and engineering skyscrapers in Tanzania’s cities. Her dreams, she says, help her remain focused in school. “Education is the key to success in life. If you want to do something with your life, you have to be educated.”

After school, Kurlithlimli and her classmates often participate in life skills lessons before heading home. “I enjoy the self-awareness sessions, which help me plan my future and set goals,” she says, explaining that the training has helped she and her friends avoid common roadblocks like early pregnancy.

When she arrives at home each day, Kurlithlimli gets started on her chores: making dinner, fetching water and cleaning the house. Afterwards, her father helps her with homework. Since he cannot speak English, she translates her questions into Kiswahili so they can work on them together.

One day, Kurlithlimli hopes she can repay her father for his support by becoming an engineer and earning enough money to buy a house for them. Until then, she continues to work hard in school and listen to Tanzania’s Minister of Infrastructure on the radio for inspiration. “He is an engineer and I have heard him give speeches in front of Parliament,” she says. “I like his integrity.”

Meet Kurlithlimli's trained mentor, Upendo Mchau, in a blog post from March 2013.

Join our Freedom to Dream campaign and help more girls across Asia and Africa pursue their dreams. All gifts through May 31 to our Girls’ Education program will be matched (up to US$850,000)!

Girls' Education Program Alumna in Cambodia Finds Success After Graduation

The only girl child born to her parents, 21-year-old Sreymom Mat is the middle sibling in a family of five. Her parents are illiterate farmers who own a small plot of land, but their yield is often insufficient income, so her mother also makes akor (rice cakes) to sell in the village market.

Because of her family’s financial hardship, Sreymom’s mother suggested that she quit school after 6th grade in order to help provide additional income, but the young girl was persistent. Sreymom’s passion for education gave her courage to negotiate with her mother until a truce was found and a compromise worked out—she would help with house chores after school and study with friends at night. She joined Room to Read’s Girls’ Education program in 2004, and threw herself into her academics, recognizing the chance to stay in school as an opportunity to carve out a brighter future.

Sreymom started planning for that future while she was still in secondary school, undertaking a small business to help her save money for university. She began to raise cows as a source of income. As her cows grew so did her profits, allowing Sreymom to amass a small herd of what is now seven cows.

After graduating from secondary school and completing our Girls’ Education program in 2012, Sreymom was accepted to the Royal University of Agriculture in Phnom Penh. Now in her third year of study majoring in rural development, she lives in the city with family friends and couldn’t be happier.

In addition to caring for her cows, she also holds several part-time jobs and internships that provide her with hands-on experience in the development sector, including providing translation services to ActionAid Cambodia, performing community outreach on behalf of the Japanese International Volunteer Center and acting as a freelance research assistant.

In celebration of Sreymom’s many achievements and her steadfast dedication to education, she was invited to attend two Room to Read gala events in Hong Kong and Singapore as the guest of honor this March to share her story with packed houses of Room to Read supporters. “Without education I would never have gotten this far,” says Sreymom. “And, without Room to Read I may never have received an education.”

Read more stories in our Girls' Education Yearbook.

Join our Freedom to Dream campaign and help more girls across Asia and Africa pursue their dreams. All gifts through May 31 to our Girls’ Education program will be matched (up to US$850,000)!

Freedom to Dream: It All Starts with Education

2012 was an incredible year for our Girls' Education program, with the launch of our program in a new country, Tanzania, increased visibility through two groundbreaking media partnerships (with 10x10's Girl Rising and the Half the Sky Movement), and most importantly, with the enrollment of the program's 20,000th participant. As audiences around the world got a chance to see our work up close on screens large and small, our teams in nine countries worked tirelessly to ensure each of those 20,000 girls has the chance to find her own path to success—providing life skills training, holding tutoring sessions and helping them plan for the future.

After all, completing secondary school for girls born in the most underserved parts of Asia and Africa is about much more than earning a diploma. A quality education opens up a world of possibilities, allowing girls to envision a brighter future for themselves and their families, and to develop the skills needed to turn those dreams into reality.

In this year’s Girls Education Yearbook, you’ll meet nine extraordinary young women who are bravely claiming their right to education with help from Room to Read. In an interview with someone who inspires her, you’ll hear from each girl about the challenges she’s faced in getting an education, and her individual aspirations for the future.

Take a look:

Join our Freedom to Dream campaign and help more girls across Asia and Africa pursue their dreams. All gifts through May 31 to our Girls’ Education program will be matched (up to US$850,000)!

Guest Blog in Honor of Khmer New Year: Looking Ahead

Borin Srey is Room to Read’s Communications Officer for Cambodia. In this guest blog he shares the traditions and office rituals surrounding the Khmer New Year.

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Today marks the first day of the Khmer New Year, a three-day celebration based on Buddhist legend, with each day having its own particular significance. In honor of the holiday and on behalf of the entire Room to Read Cambodia team, I will share a little bit about the holiday and how our team marks its occurrence every year.

The first day of this ritual ceremony is called Maha Sangkran. For this day, most Cambodians clean their houses and decorate them with lights, while preparing of offerings, such as flowers, garlands, fruits, candles, and incense to welcome the new goddess. As radio and television announce the arrival of the New Year, monastery drums sound, and people burn candles and incense to celebrate happiness, luck and prosperity. In the afternoon, many go to the local monastery to build sand or rice hills that symbolize Buddha’s stupa (where his relics were buried).

The second day is Virak Wanabat. For this celebration, people dress up in traditional costumes, prepare food to offer to monks at the monastery and offer their charity—such as money, clothes, or foods—to less fortunate individuals. They also burn candles and incense to ask for happiness and prosperity.  

The last day of the New Year celebration is Leang Saka. On this day, children shower their grandparents at home to show their gratitude and respect. At the monasteries, people do the same for Buddha statues. Young people love to splash in the perfumed water and play games, like scarf-throwing, tug of war or traditional dancing.

As with all national holidays in Cambodia, rural villagers finish their harvest early and relax a bit. Those who have migrated to urban areas often visit relatives these days as well. The ambiance in both the countryside and cities is lively, with illuminated decorations and music echoing in the streets.

Every year, just before the arrival of Khmer New Year, the Room to Read Cambodia team organizes a staff gathering, followed by recreational activities to celebrate the New Year and build team spirit.  Together, we reflect on the year’s achievements and look forward towards the future.

“Last year, we accomplished many great things. This year, we’ll continue to focus on building a positive work environment,” said Kall Kann, our country director, during this year’s reflection. Then, program staff voiced their plans for the future, building momentum and excitement among all of us.

“We are looking forward to collaborating with the Reading & Writing Instruction team on producing decodable books to help teachers nurture young readers,” shared Rattana, manager of Book Publishing. “We will be introducing Life Skills Assessment to track the progress of our Girls’ Education program participants,” added program manager Soseihaknead. Sok Ieng, manager of School Libraries was next to chime in. “We are focusing on capacity building for our field staff to improve the training they provide to schools,” he said proudly.

With so much to look forward to, it’s certain to be a very good New Year.

Learn more about our work in Cambodia.

Video Blog from Tanzania: Building a Strong Foundation for Education

Last year, Room to Read launched programs in Tanzania. We started in an area called Turiani, and immediately our team noted that school infrastructure there was a challenge.

With more than 100 students often sharing a classroom, we knew that School Construction would play a vital role in helping children in Turiani gain the literacy skills they need to become confident, independent readers.

Now that our first year's School Construction projects are complete, we wanted to take a look back at what went into the new buildings and explore the impact they are already having on the school environments in Turiani. In this video, you'll meet the headmaster and construction committee chair of Kanga Primary School and hear from our team about the importance of community involvement at every step of the process.

Take a look:

 

Learn more about School Construction.

Upendo's Promise: Paying it Forward in Tanzania

“Being a social mobilizer for Room to Read is a dream come true!” says 22-year old Upendo Mchau. Upendo spends her days working with the female students of Nassaro Seif Secondary School in Tanzania’s rural Mvomero district—conducting life skills lessons, providing mentorship and visiting with parents to encourage a supportive environment.  It’s a scene she saw many times in her own childhood, and to which she attributes much of her own personal success.

“When I was in secondary school, I had a teacher who served as a mentor to me and went out of her way to make sure I did well in class,” says Upendo. “She really helped me to succeed in school, and inspired me to work in a field like hers.”

Upendo recalls a time when her teacher visited her parents at home and encouraged them to enroll their daughter in a tutoring program to improve her academic performance. “She did this for lots of girls,” says Upendo.

Growing up, Upendo always knew the value of a good education, with a school secretary for a mother and a father who held a university degree. “My parents worked hard to ensure that my four siblings and I could go to school,” she says, recalling her childhood.

These days, Upendo is determined to pay it forward—helping disadvantaged female students get the scaffolding and support they need to succeed. “On my first day as a social mobilizer, I was so nervous,” she admits readily, “but I have earned the girls’ respect now and feel confident in my role.”

Many of the girls Upendo works with are facing an uphill battle in completing their secondary education. “Most of their families live in poverty and don’t have enough food,” she says, adding that the girls are “often solicited to do inappropriate things for money, food or transportation.” Determined to help the girls make good choices and avoid the numerous obstacles before them, Upendo says her focus is on ensuring each individual girl has the knowledge she needs to avoid dangerous situations and make smart decisions. “I really enjoy educating the community about the importance of education,” she says with a smile, “but my favorite part of my job is helping the girls reach their goals.”

Join our Freedom to Dream campaign and help more girls across Asia and Africa pursue their dreams. All gifts through May 31 to our Girls’ Education program will be matched (up to US$850,000)!

In Zambia, Westwood Basic School Builds a Habit of Reading by Bringing Parents to the Table

In 2010, Westwood Basic School in Zambia’s rural Kafue province got its very first library. Everyone was excited about the new resources—especially the Teacher-Librarian, Ms. Nalumaba. But in 2011, it was clear that there was still a long way to go in inculcating the habit of reading among the students and the community in general. In order to address this need, our team called together parents and community members for a meeting to discuss some of the challenges at hand.

A few of the issues that came to light were the busy lives of both students and parents, widespread adult illiteracy and—to a certain extent—lack of engagement by teachers. Our team explained the Room to Read vision and strategy, and encouraged the parents to take an active role in their children’s education. Recommendations at the close of the meeting included a commitment to closer communication between the school and parents as well as commitment from parents to encourage their children to borrow books from the newly-established library.

Recently, our team returned to Westwood Basic School for one of our regular visits and was pleased to see a great deal of progress since that meeting just a year and a half ago. Library usage is higher than ever, and an increasing number of students are borrowing books. Several community-members are actively involved in running the library and reading with children there, and teachers are utilizing it for class time.

Beyond the walls of the school library, things have changed dramatically as well, with many homes in the surrounding area having established mini “library corners” since the meeting in 2011. The N’gambi family is one example. Mr. and Mrs. N’gambi maintain a library corner in their home and, after noticing a passion for drawing in their daughter, Jessica, purchased a drawing book to add to their collection.

Nearby, the Meyembe family has had a similar experience. Their 12-year-old daughter, Yosiya, is a 7^th grade library prefect. Her parents are both on the community’s School Library Committee and often borrow books from the library themselves. Mrs. Meyembe, who just completed 12^th grade herself, says her children’s performance in school has improved as their participation in the library management has increased. Like the N’gambi family, the Meyembes also maintain a library corner in their home to encourage evening reading.

Learn more about our work in Zambia.

Celebrating International Women's Day and the Release of Girl Rising: An Update on Suma from Nepal

This post is in honor of International Women’s Day, March 8, 2013.

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This time last year, Suma Tharu, one of our Girls’ Education program participants from Nepal, took the stage at Lincoln Center for Newsweek & The Daily Beast's Women in the World Summit. With almost no nerves and very little fanfare, she stood before a packed house in the middle of Manhattan and shared a song she had written thousands of miles away in rural Nepal about a childhood spent in servitude and her desire to pursue an education. No more than a minute long, her song—and the story behind it—captured the imagination of the international audience before her, her confidence and strength shining throughout.

This year, Suma will share her story with the world again, as part of the new film Girl Rising. The film, which premiered last night in New York and will do so tonight in Los Angeles, is a testament to the power of the human spirit to overcome adversity and a powerful reminder that educating girls can truly change the world. In Girl Rising, Suma plays herself in the story of her own life—brought to screen by Director Richard E. Robbins and Nepalese author Manjushree Thapa.

Through Girl Rising, audiences have the chance to follow Suma’s journey as a Kamlari (indentured servant), and watch as education helps set her free. But escaping life as a Kamlari was just the beginning of Suma’s story, and since filming, she has continued to thrive. Now ending the 10^th grade and preparing for the School Leaving Certificate Exam (a highly-competitive national exam all Nepalese students must pass to move on to 11^th grade), she is working harder than ever and has her sights set on a career helping other girls like her find their own paths to success. “I am prepping for the exam with all my heart,” she told our team last month. “I want to stand on my own two feet and this exam is the first step towards that goal.”

In order to ensure Suma is ready for the exam, she and her classmates from the Girls’ Education program in Nepal's Bardiya region are staying together at a boarding house near school and attending coaching classes. “Suma’s house is far from the school and she used to spend more than two hours every day commuting,” says Tripti Chaudhary program associate for our Girls’ Education program. “The time she once spent commuting she now utilizes for preparation.”    

Although she has put it on hold to focus on exam prep, Suma is also resolute in her desire to continue advocating for the end of the Kamlari system in Nepal. “It is important that the community understands why education is so important,” she says.

As for her song, which will now be heard by movie-going audiences around the world, Suma says she has continued to write more over the past few years. “My songs have always centered me,” she says. “They tell me where I have been, where I have come from and how far I have to go.”

Learn more about Suma and the Girl Rising film at www.roomtoread.org/girlrising.

Join our Freedom to Dream campaign and help more girls like Suma pursue their dreams. All gifts through May 31 to our Girls’ Education program will be matched (up to US$850,000)!

Half the Sky Movement Brings World Change to a Computer Screen Near You

Every month, users around the globe spend roughly 700 billion minutes on Facebook (according to MacWorld). It’s hard to imagine just how vast the positive impact would be if we spent some fraction of that time dedicated to conquering the world’s biggest social issues, but luckily we don't have to wait to find out. With its launch today on Facebook, Half the Sky Movement: The Game is designed to do just that!

Based on the real-world challenges faced by women and girls around the globe, as documented in the acclaimed book (and subsequent PBS documentary) Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, the game aims to raise awareness and of these issues and invest in real-world solutions.

Half the Sky: The Game allows players to take actions that mirror the solutions employed by seven nonprofit partners (The Fistula Foundation, GEMS, Heifer International, ONE, Room to Read, United Nations Foundation, and World Vision), tying those actions to real-world impact through partnerships with the Pearson Foundation and Johnson & Johnson.

“We want to reach a broader audience for these issues we care deeply about,” said Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, co-authors of the best-selling book that inspired a movement. In seeking to bring their message to computer screens around the globe, Kristof and WuDunn found a kindred spirit in Games for Change, a non-profit that catalyzes social impact through digital games. “Around 300 million people play games on Facebook across the globe on a monthly basis,” said Games for Change Co-Presidents Asi Burak and Michelle Byrd. “If we’re able to inspire this group of players to spend just 30 minutes of their time with this game the ripple effect of players’ actions will result in hundreds of thousands of dollars towards this critical cause.”

In the game, players embark upon a journey through India, Kenya, Vietnam Afghanistan and the United States, taking actions along the way that unlock funds from the game’s sponsors. For example, players can collect books for young girls in the virtual world which activates a real-life donation to Room to Read. Players who are inspired by their virtual journey can also choose to make personal donations to partners at any point throughout the game.

Watch the trailer: 

 

Learn more about Half the Sky: The Game.

In Nepal, Community Engagement Turns One School Library into a Hive of Activity

Three siblings are huddled over a book. The eldest is narrating. Her sister—also working diligently on a homework assignment—nods slowly, occasionally requesting that her older sister repeat a paragraph. At just two months old, the youngest is peacefully sleeping in his cradle.

Pratikshya, Pragya and Pragyan start most days this way, even though the youngest participant isn’t likely to remember.  Next door, Santosh and his father are ensconced in a similar scene. A few houses down, Ganesh is reading his mother a story while his sister listens in.

Pratikshya, Santosh and Ganesh are all students of Shree Jana Jagriti Lower Secondary School, located seven hours from the capital of Kathmandu. All three of them admit to reading at least one book before school each day, something that’s become a regular occurrence in the community since the doors of the school’s Room to Read library opened in 2001.

“After we established the library,” says Manoj Subedi, Room to Read’s School Libraries Program Associate, “we helped the school with the awareness campaign about the positive impacts of reading and worked on motivating them to use the library frequently.” At first sight, parents sitting with their children reading might not seem like a major event, but it is exactly this kind of activity that helps children develop a lifelong habit of reading.

The school’s chairman, Dev Bahadur Rana Magar, saw a stark difference in the community after the literacy awareness campaign. “Members of the local community rarely loaned books before because they assumed that the library catered only to the students,” he says. “The awareness camp dispelled that and introduced them to the library’s various resources.”

Som Bahadhur Mauarati has a son at Shree Jana Jagriti. “I was surprised to find books to suit my level,” he says. “Earlier I asked my son to loan books for me, but now I visit the library on my own whenever I have free time.” He is currently devouring a book about yoga in his spare time.

And it’s not just the adults of the village who are benefitting—the library has been a hub of activity for students like Santosh, an 8^th grader, for over a decade now. Santosh says the storybooks in the library helped him to be analytical thinker.

“I am reading Ghost’s Flute now about a cowardly boy,” he says. “The main character believes that ghosts gather in the bamboo groove near his house to play flute at night because he doesn’t realize bamboo ‘sings’ in a slight breeze. He soon realizes his mistake and becomes more practical after discovering the truth.” The moral, says Santosh, is not to jump to conclusions. As Santosh discovered, some of life’s greatest lessons can often be found on the pages of a book.  

Learn more about our work in Nepal.