Room to Read Blog

Zak the Yak is Here to Give Back!

It’s been years in the making
And we’re proud to declare
Zak the Yak has arrived
And his story’s quite rare

In the Nepal Himalayas
He sets out on a quest
To bring books to the children
He will work without rest

With his two young helpers
Named Manju and Arul
The team has a simple goal
Books for every child in the school

To find out the ending
We invite you to read for yourself
We hope Zak’s tale will inspire
These books to fly off the shelf!

We are proud to announce that Room to Read Founder and Board Chair, John Wood, has published his first children’s book, Zak the Yak With Books on His Back. In fun and rhythmic prose, Wood tells the story of sturdy, lovable Zak, a yak whose determination and strength help to bring thousands of books to a rural village in Nepal.

Thanks to the generosity of our friends at the Republic of Tea, who have underwritten the printing costs of the book, every dollar raised from Zak the Yak With Books on His Back funds Room to Read’s educational programs. The book's publication coincides with Room to Read's 10 year anniversary and the triumphs that accompany it: establishing our 10,000th library, opening our 1,000th school and funding the education of 10,000 girls. 

Can’t wait to get your hands on a copy?  Add it to your shopping cart on The Republic of Tea website.

Remember, for every book you order, Room to Read will put 10 books into the hands of children across the developing world!

To learn more about how The Republic of Tea supports Room to Read with its line of Little Citizens’ Herb Teas, read the press announcement.   

Find out more about Zak the Yak on the Room to Read website. 

Guest Blog from CEO Erin Ganju: My Favorite Week

This week is our annual Country Management Conference, a time when our management teams from around the world gather to discuss strategies and plan for the following year.  Erin Ganju, our CEO, submitted this guest blog following the opening of this year's conference in Kathmandu, Nepal.

***

This is always one of my favorite weeks of the year. Every summer, the management teams from each of Room to Read’s offices, from San Francisco to Bangladesh, converge for our Country Management Conference (CMC). It’s a week that is both exhausting and exhilarating, as we spend countless hours sharing best practices, learning about challenges and successes, and setting the strategic direction for the organization for years to come. In the past, we’ve rotated the location of the conference to a different Room to Read country in order of the year our country offices were established. This year we made an exception to our own rule and brought the CMC back to Nepal in honor of Room to Read’s 10-year Anniversary.

As we sit and discuss our first decade and make plans for our second, I sometimes find myself pondering how we got here -– building an organization that defends the global right for every child to grow up with a quality education, and, at the same time, empowering leadership in each country to have the flexibility to contextualize how we deliver our programs.  It is a complex balancing act, but one that has resulted in depth and richness in our programming.

When I look around the room, I get my answer -– for around me is a melting pot of incredible personal perseverance and commitment to providing education to children now and in the future. It is fascinating to hear my colleagues discuss how we can enhance our library program, launch literacy pilots, improve government partnerships or conduct life skills workshops for our girl scholars through the lens of the real in-country challenges they face and the solutions they develop on the front lines.

Dinesh Shrestha, Room to Read's Co-Founder and Regional Director of Human Resources and Administration in Asia, embodies the essence of what Room to Read has achieved in the past ten years. He has demonstrated and helped develop our model of local leadership, one of the cornerstones of our success. Like Dinesh, each country director brings a personal story that reveals the heart of what drives them to work so hard for educational opportunities for children. For example, Kall Kann, our country director in Cambodia, grew up separated from his family as a young teenager due to the Khmer Rouge and had to struggle himself to get an education. Wiseman Ngwata, our regional director in Africa, has devoted more than 30 years to ensure that the quality of the education in classrooms meets the dream of parents to have their children be able to read and write. Sunisha Ahuja, our country director in India, has been a role model for women breaking through the glass ceiling and showing generations of girls in our Girls’ Education program that it is possible for women to play a significant leadership role. And Chris Mothupi, our country director in South Africa, who experienced the denigration of apartheid South Africa (and blogged about it last week), yet was determined to complete his education and share that gift with generations of children.

Each person at our conference this week brings a compelling story to the table and each story is very different from the person sitting next to them. And yet, they all share one quality -- a personal commitment to our mission of bringing education to children in the developing world. After a week of long hours and seemingly endless meetings, we will all return to our home offices, energized and ready to take the next step in Room to Read’s success. Millions of children are counting on us, and with the diverse and talented team we have in place, I’m confident we will fulfill, and likely exceed, our commitment.

Read more about our Leadership team.

 

Guest Blog from South Africa: 67 Minutes...in honor of Nelson Mandela

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
-- Nelson Mandela

The United Nations declared July 18 as Nelson Mandela International Day. This day marks not just the birthday of the man who inspired a nation to make fundamental changes in ethnic inclusion and acceptance, but also, at the request of Mandela himself, a day for good to be done. As we celebrate Mandela’s 92nd birthday, we join our South African neighbors who have committed to spend a minimum of 67 minutes, a minute for every year Mandela served in politics, to make a positive change in the world. Read a book to a child. Spend time with an elderly person or clean up a nearby park. No effort is too small, and the sum can be world-changing.

Chris Mothupi, Room to Read's Country Director in South Africa, grew up during South Africa's apartheid and remembers how “the man behind bars” changed his country and the world. Our thanks to Chris and Wilfredo Pascual, our Local Language Publishing Global Program Officer, for collaborating on this post.

***

Long before he understood there was something wrong with the way things were, Chris Mothupi heard stories about “the man behind bars.” Chris grew up in rural South Africa and understood very little about how people were treated differently. He had only brief contact with white people during those days, other than their monthly visits to check on the cattle.

His mother worked as a housekeeper in Johannesburg, and sometimes during holidays, Chris would be allowed to visit her. It was on one of those visits when he saw the big houses in the city for the first time. He was never allowed to go inside -- but he knew the people inside the house lived differently. He was also told to be quiet in front of them and to try not to speak.
 
Chris’ mother worked for several employers, some of whom treated her well. One of them, the son of the owner, even asked to see Chris’ report card and, upon learning that he was doing well in school, offered to pay Chris’ school fees.

It was the mid-seventies, and already the riots had started. Chris heard of the violent student protests against the teaching of Afrikaans instead of their mother tongue. Students were fleeing to rural areas, and suddenly Chris’ world was connected to national unrest. Less than a year later, his mother told him that the owner had ordered his son to stop paying for Chris’ school.

Determined to continue to study, Chris tried to help save money by working as a caddy in a golf club. One day, the police saw him counting his money and asked him where he got it. He explained that he worked hard, but they did not listen and took it away. To this day he can still remember the words of the policeman, "I can break you.”  With an anger burning inside him, it suddenly became very clear to Chris why Mandela was behind bars.

Chris was a teacher in his mid-twenties when he heard that the government was considering releasing Mandela on the condition that he should denounce violence. Mandela said that he did not even have the means to talk to his people behind bars, and that if they were going to release him, it had to be without conditions. Apartheid was losing favor with some in government, and one official was quoted (and later admonished) as saying that someday South Africa might have a black president. 

The day of Mandela’s release is very clear in Chris’ memory. He was hurriedly driving back to Pretoria after visiting his mother, and by the time he got to the townships, crowds of people were already glued to their TVs and radios. The atmosphere was festive, and it was then that Chris first saw the man whose stories he had heard of growing up. “Freedom was coming,” Chris thought. 

The first time he saw Mandela in person was at a large rally. Though he could only see him from afar, Chris remembers well what the man said. He wanted everybody to be equal --  black and white.  He also said that children must go to school and learn. How can you have freedom if you do not have education, Mandela asked everybody.

A decade later, South Africa has come a long way, and yet there is still a lot of work to be done. For Chris, Mandela has done his part. He left lasting legacies to the people, and, for Chris, one of the most important is how the man who was imprisoned for 27 years taught them the value of “perseverance.”
 
“We now have to do our part,” Chris says.

Since 2006, Room to Read South Africa has established over 200 libraries and published more than 25 children’s books in several local languages. However, over 80% of South African children still do not have a library in their community. To learn more about Room to Read’s work in South Africa, click here.

Room to Read Profiled on CBS Evening News: Literacy in Developing World

Last Friday, CBS Evening News, anchored by Katie Couric and watched nightly by 7 million U.S. viewers, aired a fabulous segment on Room to Read and our Local Language Publishing program.  This marks the first time a major U.S. network television news program has covered a specific Room to Read program and its significance cannot be overstated.

In March of this year, CBS producers traveled to India to meet with the local author, Manju Gupta, and illustrator, Mehul Navodit, who collaborated on the Room to Read title, Machho’s Ocean Journey. Their inspiring stories were included in the segment showcasing Room to Read India’s efforts to cultivate local talent to create age-appropriate and culturally-relevant children’s books published through our Local Language Publishing program. The story follows Manju and Mehul into their homes and through their creative processes as they work on new Room to Read manuscripts and illustrations.

"Drawing makes me enjoy that kid in me," Mehul said in the piece.  "To see your work got published, you feel a lot of confidence -- like what you are doing is actually good.” 

Manju agreed.  "When I write on my own... It's my soul which is giving out,” said Manju.  “My potential has been made use of for the right purpose. It's the best thing."

We hope you have a chance to read and watch this story that captures the powerful impact Room to Read’s Local Language Publishing program is having on the lives of not just the children, but also on the hundreds of authors and illustrators in the developing world that now have the opportunity, thanks to Room to Read, to share their talents with their local communities and in their local language.

WATCH the CBS video story here.

READ the CBS online story here.

To learn more about our Local Language publishing program, click here.

Are You a Member of the Conspiracy For Good?

We have to admit, we were intrigued when we were invited to join something called the Conspiracy For Good (CFG) –- a first-of-its-kind interactive experience from the imaginative and Emmy award-winning mind of “Heroes” creator, Tim Kring. To hear him describe the project in his own words, click here.

The idea was to combine Tim’s storytelling abilities with Nokia's Ovi platform to create a dynamic experience using interactive theatre, mobile and alternate reality gaming and more, to empower you, the audience, to take real-life action and create positive change in the world. It’s a unique blending of fact and fiction that they call "Social Benefit Storytelling."

If you haven't yet been following the conspiracy, since June, users from all over the world have been logging on to www.ConspiracyForGood.com and following the interactive mystery of a school library in the village of Chataika, Zambia, where a teacher (Nadirah) has gone missing, a shipment of books has been hijacked and a shady corporation may be behind it all. Sound intriguing yet? Followers are playing along and uncovering clues online that are furthering the narrative, and in doing so, they are helping to eventually build a real-life library stocked with children’s books.

Confused? Stay with us because here’s where we come in…

Uniquely interwoven into the fictional plot, Room to Read has become part of the Conspiracy For Good storyline operating alongside Nadirah, the main character, and the CFG collective, or secret "members” that are fighting the forces of social and environmental injustice. The good news is that in the narrative, when the books are found and Nadirah is located thanks to the Conspiracy for Good, Nokia will establish five real-life Room to Read libraries in Zambia, including one to be built at the Chataika Basic School (which really exists!). Plus, Nokia will fund the education of 50 Girls’ Education Program scholars in the country.

The "real" books for the new libraries will be furnished by Room to Read’s long-time partner, the Pearson Foundation, an organization that has teamed up with Nokia to establish a one-for-one giving campaign, whereby a new English-language book will be donated to a Room to Read library for every digital book read online at www.wegivebooks.com.

Catch up on the storyline here and join the conspiracy today to follow the clues and see if you can figure out what's next as the plot thickens.

And don't think we haven't had some fun with this as well! Already some ingenious trackers have cornered Room to Read Founder John Wood to get to the bottom of things. Here's what he had to say about the Chataika situation and being a Conspiracy For Good "member" ;)

To read the official press release, click here

Guest Blog from CEO Erin Ganju: Through the Eyes of a Child

This guest blog is from Erin Ganju, Room to Read’s CEO, who is currently traveling through Asia with her daughter and mother to visit several Room to Read's offices and educational projects.  This entry is from Vietnam, where Room to Read has been working since 2001 and was in fact, the country that brought Erin to Room to Read.  After living in Ho Chi Minh City for more than two years, Erin developed a passion for the development of Vietnam and managed the launch of Room to Read in Vietnam, which marked Room to Read's first operation outside of Nepal.

***

Seeing your work through the eyes of your child can be an invaluable lesson in perspective. Last week, my four-and-a-half year-old daughter, Julia, joined me for her first visit to a Room to Read library, and as we drove up to Long Hoa Primary School in Tien Giang Province in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, she yelled out, “Yeah, Room to Read!” while pumping her hands in the air. Her enthusiasm was contagious and stirred up mine -- albeit a little less vocally.

As the van stopped in front of the school gates, we could see children lined up with flowers for us, along with the mandatory Vietnamese drum corps ready to alert the entire neighborhood that we had arrived. Our hands filled with flowers, we were then treated to a dance routine by the children and songs by the teachers about the value of education. I’ve had the honor of being part of these elaborate welcoming ceremonies dozens of times, but to see the twinkle in Julia’s eyes and her excited clapping at the end of each performance reminded me how special these events really are.

We were here attending one of Room to Read’s "Reading Summer Camps" in Vietnam, a new program designed by our Vietnam library team. The camps are designed to gently ease kids back to school for a few hours each day during the summer with a mixture of reading skill practice and fun activities. We spent a wonderful couple of hours exchanging drawings with some kids, reading aloud to a group of children in the library and then having them do the same for us, and teaching each other songs. The Itsy Bitsy Spider was a big hit! 

When I later asked Julia what she thought of the school and how it differed from her school in San Francisco, she replied, “Those girls dancing got to wear make-up to school.” (Yes, I have a four-and-a-half year-old going on sixteen.) Then she said, “They sure do have fun in school here.” I explained how it was summer camp, and that actual school was much more serious.

I then realized that Julia and I didn’t see the school in the same way. I walk into schools and think about how much more we need to do and all the things that can be improved. But for Julia, it was not about the physical environment, but the experience. And I was excited to think that, like Julia, maybe these students in Vietnam were returning home every day telling their parents, siblings and neighbors that school is fun and that they can’t wait to go back. From the perspective of a child (and her mother), that is success and something to celebrate!

To learn more about our programs in Vietnam, click here. 

Story from India: School's Out for Summer but the Reading Continues

In the Northern Hemisphere, this week we celebrate that magical turn of seasons -- when nightfall comes later, allowing us maximum daylight time for favorite activities. Summer reading is at the top of many to-do lists, no matter the location, for reading’s appeal is universal.

In Tikamgarh, a district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, children are struggling to find Summer activities that allow them more time for learning and discovery. During the school year, the students spend countless hours in the libraries established by Room to Read in their schools. However, once school is out for the summer, there is a dearth of reading materials and activity for children -- a matter that used to be the cause of great concern to parents trying to keep their children entertained and out of mischief.

Fortunately, Room to Read recently began a Summer library program in Tikamgarh to provide children with an outlet for reading and continued learning during the hot summer months. Part of this program involved Room to Read staff carefully selecting one enthusiastic child in every village and training them to run a mini-library in his/her own home for two months.

One girl librarian, who has herself published a story in a children’s magazine, reported that every morning she goes door to door distributing books to children, collecting them back in the afternoon. “I even go to those children’s houses who cannot read so that they at least learn to handle a book. I tell every child to handle the book very carefully.”

Though the home libraries are very modest, often tucked away near the family’s annual grain store or bedding, they contain printed treasures that the village children eagerly check out and faithfully return.

A five-minute conversation with these young librarians leaves no doubt that they are helping to create a critical social movement. These children have emerged as leaders who, in their innocent ways, keep the idea of reading books alive in the community year-round.

To learn more about our Reading Room program, click here.

Guest Blog: A Tribute to Dads, A Yak Bell, and a Challenge

This guest blog is by Crystal Wilson, one of two chapter leaders of Room to Read's Seattle Chapter (Seattle was our first Room to Read chapter, started in 1999!).  Crystal has been leading the charge for Room to Read in Seattle since 2007 with much passion and inspiration.  But, she was inspired herself by two sisters half-way across the country who started a Room to Read fundraising campaign in honor of their dad and Crystal wanted to lend her passion to their efforts as well.  Read on to learn more and see her challenge and announcement to us all in honor of Father's Day!

***

Father’s Day is a great time for me to reflect on why I’m a donor to and a fundraising chapter leader for Room to Read (GO SEATTLE!).  And to honor my Dad with a Father’s Day gift (you must read to the end).

I first learned about Room to Read in April, 2006 and immediately started donating.  I love their approach, their business acumen, and their positive, get-it-done attitude.  It wasn’t until a while into my involvement with Room to Read that I realized that what really got me involved was my Dad.  In spite of his background and upbringing (perhaps because of it) he married one of the strongest willed, smartest, prettiest, and most independent women I’ll probably ever know.  And I remember how often he reminded me how great she was.  Although I know he would have loved to have had a son with athletic skills, he adored me and valued the person I was – in spite of my complete lack of athleticism!  He raised me to believe that I could do anything I wanted to in life and that being a girl was just what I was but certainly didn’t dictate any path in life.

I remember being inducted into Honor Society in middle school.  Immediately after the ceremony, he pulled me aside and told me how the induction speeches talked about the honor student and how “he” did this or that.  He…. He…. He….  My Dad said, they kept saying “he” and there were WAY more girls up there than boys.  And then he said, “Fix that!”

After some time with Room to Read, I realized I was involved with the organization because my Dad’s voice was still in the back of my head saying “Fix that!”  Room to Read is fighting illiteracy and gender inequality in education in the developing world head on and through them, I am able to help contribute to “fixing that” by donating money and time in  working with the local chapter to raise funds.   

Last week I heard a story about Robyn and Alyse, two sisters who are honoring their Dad by raising funds for Room to Read.  Their goal is to raise $24,000 to establish six libraries so their Dad can ring the “yak bell” – a tradition Room to Read has when a big announcement is made (and yes, it truly is just a loud bell typically worn by a Nepali yak).  

Check our more of their inspiring story here:
http://yakbell.wordpress.com/. 

Wow, their Dad sounds like one heck of a guy! In their story, you can feel their love for him, not just for how they talk about what he did in raising them but in how they obviously love and value him.  Their story is completely different from mine except for the love and support they got from their Dad.

My Dad died not long after that Honor Society induction but I still hear his voice every day.  He’s the source of most of my inappropriate comments and many of my bad jokes but he’s also the source of my determination to make the world a better place.

So in honor of my Dad, in honor of the many Dad-like influences in my life, in honor of the men in my life who continually impress me by their dedication to and support of their daughters and sons, and in honor of these two sisters and their love for their Dad…I’m making a $24,000 challenge donation.  That means, I’ll match what Robyn and Alyse raise in honor of their Dad so we can build more Room to Read libraries! 

We challenge you to honor your Dad’s by donating to Room to Read in support of these sisters.  Because raising a child, is as much a man’s responsibility as it is a woman’s.  Because of the tremendous influence your Dad (or Dad-like influences) have had in your life.  Because Father’s Day is a great time to say thanks, pay it forward, and give more kids the opportunity for education and advancement. And because I want to be there when Robyn and Alyse’s Dad rings the yak bell! 

Father's Day Tribute: Not Even the Sky is the Limit for Her!

Like most fathers, France Shamilimo wants only the best for his children. And like most fathers, he works tirelessly to provide for his family, and he dreams of a happy and healthy life for them. But there’s something that sets France apart from other dads in the developing world: He’s raising the next Vice President of Zambia. Or so he hopes.

You see, France’s daughter, Sharon, is the only one of his eight children to attend school. He shamefully admits that the rest of his children have either dropped out of or failed in school because the family lacked money to purchase school shoes and supplies.

But for Sharon, he clearly has very high hopes. “Sharon has told me she would like to be a nurse,” says France, “but I see her working in a senior position in the Office of the Vice President.  I think she is capable of doing that job with the schooling she will now receive.”

His certainty wasn’t always so. Before becoming one of 81 girls supported by Room to Read’s Girls’ Education program, 13-year-old Sharon might have joined her parents and siblings tending to the corn and vegetables crops, two pigs, six free range chickens and two dogs on the family’s small plot of land in Chibango in the Chongwe District of Zambia.

But now that Sharon has the supplies she needs and guaranteed support through 12th grade thanks to Room to Read, France has big dreams for Sharon and is daring her to reach for the stars. 

“It is rare to have someone willing to support your child up to end of grade 12,” says France, “I am very happy for Sharon -– now, not even the sky is the limit for her!”

Sharon, too, recognizes how lucky she is and says, “Sometimes I pinch myself just to make sure I am not dreaming. Actually the day I was put on the program brought so much joy to me that I danced all the way home; I just couldn’t wait to tell my parents!”

Seeing the promise and passion in Sharon has only reinforced France’s commitment to her education.

He says, “I have hopes that at least my daughter will finish school and go to college. I have faith in her that she will erase my own shame. I will be able to raise my head in public because of Room to Read’s Girls’ Education program.”

In honor of Father's Day, please consider investing in our Girls' Education program and support a father's wish to give his daughter a brighter future.  If you are donating as a Father's Day gift for your dad or grandfather, after completing the donation process, you can print out or email a special Father's Day e-Card.

For more information about our Girls’ Education program click here.

To read more about Room to Read in Zambia, click here.

We’re Already a Winner on South Africa’s Pitch

Today, the eyes of the world are upon South Africa as football (soccer) fans descend on the country for the kickoff of the 2010 FIFA World Cup competition. It’s the first time this worldwide sporting event has been hosted by an African nation, so it’s a big deal! We’d also be remiss if we didn’t offer our congratulations to the people of South Africa, especially our Room to Read South Africa team whom we hope can enjoy some of the festivities!
 
But, there are other – smaller varieties – of competitions that happen around South Africa and in honor of the World Cup, we wanted to share our own “competition” story. This one, however, is not about who takes home a coveted trophy but about who wins the battle for the best school library.

Just a few weeks ago, over 300 people in the Mpumalange province – an agricultural region located far and away from the urban landscapes of Johannesburg and Cape Town – gathered at an awards ceremony hosted by the provincial Department of Education to recognize the achievements of several local school libraries.

The government surveyed more than 200 schools in the province to present awards in categories such as “Best Improved Library,” “Best Library Monitor,” and “Best Librarian.” It’s an annual presentation by the Department of Education to support and promote the utilization of local libraries by children, families and the community at large.

Room to Read was thrilled to learn that many of the schools honored at the event have active Reading Rooms that were established by Room to Read. Even more exciting was news that two schools – Kennen Primary School (supported by Sterling Brands) and Ehlanzeni Siyakhula – scooped up the award for “School Library of the Year” in their respective regions.

Teachers and students around South Africa who now have a library thanks to Room to Read have been sending us their words of thanks. Miss Prudence Ntimba, a librarian and teacher, commented, “Our school is located in a remote area…there is a high illiteracy level in our community. Room to Read provided us with books and library furniture and we are very grateful. My students can now read with confidence in front of other students and their self-esteem has improved. Thank you for making me realize my dream to bring something good for my community.”

Talk about more feathers to add to South Africa’s cap!

For more information about Room to Read in South Africa, click here.