Room to Read Blog

Story from Sri Lanka: Prashanthini Wins the Day

Until recently, Prashanthini was known to her family and neighbors as a timid girl who could hardly look a person in the eye. Her turning point came the day her school library was transformed with colorful books donated through Room to Read’s Local Language Publishing program.

As the only girl born into a family of laborers of Tamil origin (an ethnic minority in Sri Lanka), Prashanthini’s chances of receiving an education were bleak.  In fact, it was her elder brother who received all their parents’ encouragement and support to pursue schooling.

Disappointed, but undeterred, Prashanthini enrolled in the Malaimakal Tamil Vidyalayam school and plodded along the long road to school each day with dogged determination. But even so, she remained painfully shy and did not participate in any class activities.

Prashanthini vividly recollects the day that changed -- it was the day she discovered the book, Equal Rights for Rani Wins the Day. What amazed her about the book were the similarities between her life and that of the main character, Rani.  It told the inspiring story about how despite all the setbacks Rani encountered, she still managed to achieve her goals. Prashanthini was so impressed and overjoyed with the story that she said she read the book more than five times!

Finding herself newly inspired and emboldened, Prashanthini began to work harder in school.  She set goals for herself and gained the confidence to make new friends.

“If I had not received this opportunity from Room to Read, I would not have these books to read and I would have remained illiterate and unmotivated,” says Prashanthini.

The change has been so dramatic and swift that Prashanthini’s entire community has noticed -– especially her parents who are now very proud of their daughter’s academic success and know both Rani, and Prashanthini have "won the day."

To learn more about our programs in Sri Lanka, click here.
To learn more about our Local Language Publishing program, click here.

Charity Navigator Honors Room to Read (Again) with its Highest Rating

We did it…again!

Charity Navigator, America's largest and most-utilized independent evaluator of charities, has awarded Room to Read its coveted 4-star rating for sound fiscal management for the fourth consecutive year in a row. Only 8 percent of their rated charities can claim what Charity Navigator says demonstrates to the public a charity that is "worthy of their trust."

Charity Navigator uses a unique method of applying data-driven analysis to the charitable sector – focusing on accountability, transparency and measurable results – to help savvy donors evaluate which charity is going to make the most effective and efficient use of their philanthropic dollars. According to Ken Berger, Charity Navigator President and CEO, "Room to Read consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way, and outperforms most other charities in America."  That’s a bold statement coming from a charity evaluator that assesses ten times more charities than its competitors and which influenced an estimated $10 billion in charitable gifts last year alone.

"Receiving this honor for the fourth year in a row places us in an elite class and goes a long way in reinforcing the confidence our donors have in their investment in our work," said John Wood, Room to Read Founder and Executive Chairman. “From our beginning in 2000, we have taken an entrepreneurial and creative approach to running a tight ship. I have used over 4 million donated frequent flier miles to travel the world, and in numerous cities hotels provide free rooms. Credit Suisse provides no-cost office space in Hong Kong, London and Tokyo, and over 3,000 volunteers run fund-raising chapters in 45 cities around the world. Room to Read’s consistent four-star rating is a reflection of this commitment to putting our investors’ money where it is most needed: into quality and scalable education programs in over 10,000 cities across the developing world.”

This news comes on the heels of our recognition as a “high-impact giving” organization in Barron’s 2009 “25 Best Philanthropists” issue, ranking 11th on the list.

Click here to visit the Room to Read page on the Charity Navigator website for more information.

Guest Blog: Notes from our Chapter Leadership Conference

Right now, Room to Read is conducting its annual Chapter Leader Conference (the 9th annual), which gives the Room to Read staff the opportunity to bring our chapter leaders up-to-date and to present our vision for the years ahead. It also provides a key forum for chapter leaders to share best practices across their chapters.  Our Boston Chapter Co-Leader, Barb Heffner, shares her impressions of one of the sessions on our Girls' Education program which ties in nicely with this week's celebration of International Women's Day.

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When I attended my first Chapter Leader Conference last year, I was ill-prepared from a tissue-stocking standpoint. There are so many moments when a Room to Read program staffer shares a story of an individual student, which makes Room to Read’s work come alive (and makes me reach for my Kleenex!)

Emily Leys kicked off the first session which immediately started the tear-jerking moments. Emily is a senior global program officer for Room to Read, leading the Girls’ Education Program -- a personal favorite of mine. Emily has been with the organization for nine years, and she’s just a ball of fire. She graciously gave us an hour of her time and then left directly for the airport, for a trip to Vietnam!

I always value the stats about the difference that girls’ education can make. For example, one study shows that educating an additional 10 percent of the girls in a country boosts the GDP by three percent.

We tend to oversimplify the Girls’ Education program, for shorthand, by describing it as a girls’ scholarship program. But that’s a terrible injustice because it’s so much more than that, and the program’s tremendous success depends on its holistic nature. It includes exam preparation and tutoring, remedial education, transportation where needed, life skills workshops and mentoring. In a nutshell, the program is designed not just to educate a girl in the conventional sense, but also to support the student and equip her for success in life.

The program has been underway for a sufficiently long time now that Room to Read is beginning to see its first graduates! And the success rate has been terrific, with about 98 percent of girls advancing to the next grade. 

One program graduate is now a Room to Read employee in Cambodia, working as a mentor for younger girls. She is bringing the benefits of education full circle, providing the next generation of students with a vibrant role model from their own community.

Another student who has graduated demonstrates the lengths some girls will go to to advocate for themselves. This girl – a member of India’s untouchable caste – was always highly self-motivated. When both of her parents died, she began living with an aunt, who initially did not support her desire to continue her schooling. This young girl went on a hunger strike for three days to show her auntie how very much she wanted to continue her schooling. (Emily was quick to note that Room to Read does not endorse hunger strikes! This occurred before the student became involved in the Girls’ Education program.)

Under the Girls’ Education program, this girl was able to continue her schooling through secondary school. As part of the program, some health care professionals visited one day as part of a career education session. The student was inspired by this visit, and having graduated, she will shortly start university. She aims to be a doctor!

Stories like this one recharge volunteer chapter leaders like me. Time and again, we are reminded that by sheer chance, we were born in a country where education for girls is a right. It is so rewarding to support an organization that is trying to extend that right to deserving girls in the developing world.

-- Barb Heffner, Boston Chapter Co-Leader

To learn more about our Chapter Network, click here.

Guest Blog: Reflection and Celebration on International Women’s Day

I’ll always remember the chilly autumn day I waited with three women strangers to cross the street in downtown San Francisco.  The light was green, but the scream of a fire engine siren warned us all to stay put until the emergency vehicle passed.  As the fire truck tore by, I looked up just in time to see the Asian American woman driver expertly maneuvering it around the corner.  I can’t quite explain how I felt except to say that my heart leapt… funny as that sounds.  I glanced around to the other women on the corner and we were all grinning ear to ear.  One of us even said, “right on!” and we all nodded to each other.  We then crossed the street and each resumed our busy afternoons.  However fleeting, the positive, physical response I had to seeing this woman firefighter has contributed to my understanding of the power of role models. She was a gender transformative role model for me and I’m celebrating her today.

Today, March 8th, is International Women’s Day.  The day was established nearly 100 years ago as a day of international solidarity among women and their men allies around the globe.  Along with the history of struggle, the day has become a time to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future in our own contexts and those around the world.  This year’s theme of International Women’s Day is "Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities: Progress for All."  This theme resonates deeply with Room to Read as it is our vision and mission to promote quality education for all the world’s children.  Particularly relevant is our work to increase gender equality in education by supporting equal opportunities for girls through our Girls’ Education program.  A key strategy of this program is to ensure that girls have access to positive, transformative role models.

Room to Read fosters and provides role modeling in a variety of different ways.  One way is by supporting local mentors who work directly with the girls.  Joshina, a local Room to Read mentor in Nepal, was herself an indentured servant and provides a positive, breathing example to the hundreds of girls on our program who have lived through this same experience.  In Cambodia, Sokhea completed 12th grade as a participant on the Girls’ Education program and now works as a mentor in her community providing an example of the resources and skills that secondary school can provide.  Another way our program provides role modeling is by inviting adult women to come speak with the girls about their experiences and careers.  Recently, our Zambia team invited an accomplished female math teacher to demystify math and science as the girls were struggling in these subjects.  And, Nang Oy’s Dream, a local language title developed and published by Room to Read Laos, presents literary role models that include a girl struggle to go to school and her father’s willingness to break with traditional gender roles take on some of her household chores himself in order to make her dream possible.

The need for role models is universal, even if the relevance of the particular types varies between and within contexts. My excitement at seeing a woman firefighter is related to the context of San Francisco, California in the early 1990s.  I had learned that it wasn’t until 1987 that San Francisco had hired the first woman to the fire department and that was under a hard won court order to diversify.  This is just a small example of the hundreds of women and men that have represented gender transformative role models to me over the years.  I am excited for Room to Read to continue to promote positive and relevant role modeling for and among the girls and boys that we serve.  On this International Women’s Day, I encourage us all to reflect on the gender transformative role models that have inspired us and helped shape our lives.  And to continue to work toward a world with equal rights, equal opportunities and progress for all.

-- Emily Leys, Senior Global Program Officer, Girls' Education Program

To learn more about our Girls' Education program, click here.

Honor Dr. Seuss's Birthday by Reading Our New Cambodia Title: The Little Parrot's New Shoes

“The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
-- Dr. Seuss

Today is the birthday of Dr. Seuss, one of the most loved children's book authors of all time, and in his honor (at least in the United States), the National Education Association (NEA) has marked today as Read Across America Day!  But, no matter what country you live in, today is still a great excuse to get excited about reading and focus extra attention on how important it is to impart the habit of reading to children.

In September, we blogged about the making of one of our original Khmer local language children’s book titles from Cambodia called The Parrot with the Missing Shoe (read the blog here). The story was about a colorful parrot who wants to visit his grandmother but can’t because he’s lost his shoes. The book was developed in collaboration with the Cambodian Ministry of Education to supplement their 1st grade curriculum lesson plans on preposition words such as “under” and “in front.”

Well, we’re happy to report that the book was printed at the end of 2009 by Room to Read Cambodia.  Now officially titled The Little Parrot's New Shoes, thousands of copies have been distributed throughout our libraries in Cambodia for children to enjoy.

We know you are curious where the little parrot's new shoes were hiding and therefore, we present to you here The Little Parrot's New Shoes to read out loud to your children in celebration of Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss's birthday.

This book was sponsored by bol.com. Special thanks to them for their support of this title.