Room to Read Blog

In Honor of J.K. Rowling's Birthday: Meet the Next Generation of Storytellers

"It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be." 

— J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)

Today is J.K. Rowling’s birthday, and in honor of her literary contributions (over 4,000 pages of them!), we bring you the story of two young women from Sri Lanka who are following in her footsteps.

At just 15 and 17 years old, respectively, Sarasi and Chathurika have already written and illustrated a successful children’s book with the help of Room to Read’s Local Language Publishing program.  Now, three years after the book was first published, the two girls reflect on their first foray into children’s literature, and what the future has in store for them.

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Three years ago, a small ad in a leading newspaper in Sri Lanka inadvertently brought two young school girls together for the first time. It was a call for submissions for a competition held by Room to Read that aimed to find and develop young literary talent in Sri Lanka, as well as identify potential authors and illustrators for the Local language Publishing program.

When the competition ended, 12-year-old Sarasi and 14-year-old Chathurika were among the winners. “I had participated in several competitions so when I was told that I was the winner, I was happy and all I expected was some kind of prize… I never thought that I would get an opportunity to write a story to be read by children all across my country,” says Sarasi.

Chathurika, too, did not expect the competition to be a life-changing event. “When I submitted my painting, I did not even know that I had this potential—I enjoyed drawing but never took it seriously,” she confesses. “But when I was selected, it made me realize that I can draw—it was a moment of epiphany.”

Thinking back to her days at the illustrators' workshop held for the winners, Chathurika says she is almost embarrassed by how “raw” she was, having never taken a formal drawing class before. “I had no idea about scale or shading or about the different mediums of this craft,” she says, "it was at the workshop that I realized that there was much more to drawing than just copying—I learned that there was indeed a method to this madness!”

It took her precisely 20 days to do the artwork for Sarasi’s 20-page story, Baby Fish Goes to School, which the young author says came to her almost immediately when she joined the writers’ workshop. “We had just put a civil war behind us and because my dad is in the army, the message of peace was at the top of my head,” she says.

Three years later—after becoming a much beloved children’s book in their native Sri Lanka, Baby Fish is back, with a whole new set of illustrations, courtesy of Chathurika.

Since their first foray into children’s literature, both girls have continued to develop their talents. Sarasi has even begun illustrating some of her own stories. “I have dreams of becoming an army doctor or a scientist,” shares the 12 year-old with confidence, who plans to continue writing and publishing her stories on the side.

Chathurika, on the other hand, says that art has become her life, having illustrated several more Room to Read local-language books since Baby Fish. After passing her exams, she has decided to attend art school, and dreams of one day holding exhibitions of her work. “I will always find time to do books for Room to Read however,” she says with a smile, “for after all it was Room to Read that showed me the way.”

Learn more about our programs in Sri Lanka.

Room to Read Honored by UNESCO with 2011 Confucius Prize for Literacy

Big news came today from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s headquarters in Paris, France: the winners of the 2011 UNESCO Literacy Prizes have been announced, and Room to Read has been chosen as one of the awardees for the 2011 Confucius Prize for Literacy!

The award, established in 2005, recognizes the activities of outstanding individuals, governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in literacy. This year, Room to Read's Local Language Publishing program was recognized for its success in producing and distributing high-quality, culturally-relevant books to young readers in Asia and Africa.

UNESCO’s selection committee also commended our commitment to increasing local capacity by working with local authors and illustrators to produce over 550 original local-language children's books to date. 

The Room to Read team will be on hand in New Delhi, India, on September 8 to officially accept the award at UNESCO’s International Literacy Day celebration, which includes a $20,000 grant to fund our programs. Photos of our work will also be on display as part of an exhibition at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris September 5-11, alongside images from fellow 2011 Literacy Award winners from Burundi, Mexico and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and programs with Honorable Mentions from Pakistan and the Philippines.

We are extremely honored by UNESCO's choice to recognize Room to Read’s work, and by the thoughtful nomination submitted by Dr. Fernando Reimers of our board of directors.

Thank you to everyone who has invested in our literacy programs over the past 11 years—we could not do any of it without you!

You can read about all the 2011 Literacy Prize winners in UNESCO’s Press Release.

Learn about our Local Language Publishing program on the Room to Read website.

Guest Blog from Vietnam: CEO Erin Ganju Celebrates Reading Day in Can Tho Province

“Do you like to read?” asked the teacher.  “Yes!” shouted the students.

“Who wants to read now?” Hands darted up and children excitedly ran to the three corners of the school yard set up with varying reading related activities.

Recently, I had the great fortune of attending Tan Thanh Primary School’s summer Reading Day in the Can Tho Province of Vietnam's Mekong Delta. The school provides instruction for 1st through 5th grade students, and was selected to participate in Room to Read’s library program in 2008.

Our Room to Read Country Director in Vietnam, Mr. Tien Phong Le, explained that Reading Day was initiated last year as a way to engage students in reading during the summer break, providing a fun and creative way to reinforce the importance of reading on a regular basis. The event immediately proved to be very popular among the students.

Last year, Room to Read was actively involved in planning the event, but this summer the school wholeheartedly embraced Reading Day, and organized everything themselves.

About 125 students attended this year, and participated in three main activities: free reading, in which children independently engage with a wide variety of books; storytelling, in which teachers dynamically read aloud and pose questions about the stories; and drawing, in which children enjoy illustrating parts of their favorite books. The school yard was buzzing with activity as students eagerly ran from one activity to the next—hurrying so as not to miss anything.

As part of my participation in Reading Day, I sat and read quietly with some of the students for a while. Then, one girl very sweetly took it upon herself to read one of her favorite stories aloud to me in Vietnamese—perhaps she thought that would help me understand the Vietnamese book better!

Next, I offered to “read” a story to the students near me, which I did by making up a story from the pictures in a book (since all the books were in Vietnamese). Our Room to Read Local Language Publishing Program Officer, Ms. Quynh Le, kindly assisted me by translating my story for the children. I am happy to report that my “spur of the moment” story received more than a few giggles, even from my own five-year-old daughter, Julia, who was traveling with me and happily joined in the Reading Day festivities.

At the end of the day, each student was rewarded with a new notebook for their attendance. A few lucky students earned “Excellent Participation Awards” and received additional notebooks, bookmarks and pens. It was interesting to note that the ratio of girls to boys receiving awards was about 4:1, although I’m not sure if that indicates that the girls are better at reading or participating!

We left Tan Thanh Primary School with fond memories of our morning spent in celebration of reading. Julia proclaimed that she would happily attend a similar event at her own school back home, reminding me yet again of the universal love of reading shared by children everywhere…and their right to experience it.

Learn more about our work in Vietnam.

Parents in South Africa Celebrate Mandela Day by Giving Back All Year Long

In 2009, the United Nations officially declared July 18 as Nelson Mandela Day, which also happens to be Mandela’s birthday. As a birthday present to the man who spent 67 years in politics serving his people, South Africans and others around the world spend 67 minutes on July 18 in service of others. The hope is that their collective efforts will effect positive change in the world.

Here at Room to Read, we are firm believers that small acts of service can have big results, so we asked our team in South Africa’s Eastern Cape how some of the members of their community would be celebrating Mandela Day. What we found were three parents who have taken Mandela’s creed of service to heart, but have gone above and beyond the traditional 67 minutes—volunteering in their local libraries all year long.

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Ms. Nomathamsanqa Payiya has been volunteering full-time at Lumanyano Public School since January 2010. She was inspired to take an active role in the library when she learned that her son, although in 7th grade, had not yet learned to read well.

When the principal of her son’s school, Mr. Jongilanga, announced in a parents' meeting that Room to Read had established a library at the school, and that he needed assistance from parents to operate it, she jumped at the chance. For Nomathamsanqa, having a library in her community—an informal settlement with an extremely low literacy rate—is a dream come true.

Even though her son has now moved on to the local secondary school, Nomathamsanqa continues to volunteer Monday through Friday—helping young readers with their homework, reading aloud and making book recommendations to new visitors. She also assists the head librarian with book processing, classification and display of the reading materials.

For Mr. Jongilanga, having such dedicated volunteers is extremely important. Parents like Nomathamsanqa, he says, not only allow the library to run smoothly, but forge a tighter bond between the school and the community. Recently, the parents of the school got together, inspired by their children’s enthusiasm for reading, and asked Mr. Jongilanga to open an Adult Education Center on the premises and start a reading club on weekends.

Having only completed her schooling up to 7th grade, Nomathamsanqa is proud to be helping the children of her community become independent readers and complete their education. She reports that attendance at the library increases everyday, with many children becoming “regulars” who visit on a daily basis.

A few miles away, at Msundulo Primary School, our team met two other adults that are Room to Read library regulars. Mr. Kholisile Nelson Felani is the chairperson of Msundulo School Governing Body. His dream is that his children complete their education, as he never had the opportunity to do so.

As part of the School Governing Body, Kholisile helps to ensure operations run smoothly. He initially participated in the construction of the library building, and since then has volunteered on a weekly basis—stamping library books, updating check-out logs and tidying up the facility.

Kholisile is glad to have a library in town because of his neighborhood’s high rate of illiteracy. He encourages the local children to spend as much time reading as possible, and views the community’s investment in education as an important step in lowering the crime rate.

Among other benefits, he says the library’s inclusion of newspapers and magazines among its materials allows adults in the community to keep abreast of local news and search for employment opportunities.

Ms. Noluthando Kame also volunteers in the Msundulo school library. With two children at the school, she relishes any opportunity to be a part of their education. When the library assistant passed away early this year, Noluthando volunteered to take over without hesitation.

Having completed her own education a few years ago after passing the high school exit exam, Noluthando loves reading, and makes it a point to help slower readers improve by leading spelling games and word puzzles. She has become a mentor in the community for many students, and says she is continually inspired to serve by the dedication her community’s school has shown to providing a quality education for all its students.

Thanks to the commitment of parents like Ms. Payiya, Mr. Felani and Ms. Kame across South Africa, it's clear that Mr. Mandela's legacy of service continues to inspire.

Learn more about our programs in South Africa.

Show and Tell: Students Go Global in England

Often at Room to Read, our quest to lead a global movement to support developing world education takes us on the road. Between our global office in San Francisco, California, seven international fundraising offices, 53 chapters worldwide, and 10 program countries…at any given time it’s a safe bet that somewhere in the world, a member of the our team is in transit—by plane, on foot, or even by boat—raising funds, building awareness and implementing programs on behalf of Room to Read.

On these voyages, there seems to be a pattern: send a passionate, enthusiastic Room to Read team member out into the field, and they will return with stories of inspiring individuals they met along the way.

Without further ado, we welcome you to the first installment of our newest blog feature: Show and Tell. When we come across a great photo or other tidbit while out and about, we’ll post it here, and you can let us know what you think.

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Today’s photos come from Jill Carlson, a development fellow who helps students around the world find ways to get involved with Room to Read. Jill is in England this week, where she is working on the Go Global Challenge—a competition in which high school students are challenged to come up with entrepreneurial fundraising plans to fund our programs in Asia and Africa. So far, the ideas have been incredibly impressive, as has the students’ dedication to helping their peers in developing countries.

Here are some pictures Jill shared of students in Blackburn, England, working on their Room to Read fundraising plans:

Learn more about Student Engagement at Room to Read.

"Big Books" Help a Little Girl in Zambia Develop a Love of Reading, Despite Late Start

Meet Stella: a lively 3rd grader from Balmoral, Zambia.

Born the sixth child of eight to parents Phales and Patrick, Stella was a happy baby who seemed no different from her siblings. At three years old, however, Stella had not yet begun to walk, and it became clear that her development was not following the familiar pattern.

Doctors assured Phales and Patrick that their daughter was healthy, despite her developmental challenges. Relieved by this news, they vowed to raise Stella in the same manner as they had her older brothers and sisters, including enrolling her in the local primary school.

Stella began first grade at Balmoral Basic two years ago at the age of nine. Because the school has a special education program, she is able to get the extra support she needs, as well as attend classes with her peers.

The school also has a large library that Stella visits often. She is particularly captivated by the colorful posters and "big books", which she shares with our team when they visit. “Lyi ni sapato yaba mami,” (this is my mother’s shoe) she says with a smile, pointing to a poster on the library wall. 

"The posters and 'big books' enable her to indentify objects and relate them to her everyday life," says Room to Read Country Director for Zambia, Samantha Chuula. These supplementary reading materials are included in Room to Read libraries because they help to create a literate environment and encourage young kids to read. It's clear that they have helped foster a love of reading in Stella, despite her late start in school.

When asked about her favorite book, Stella proudly holds the “big book” version of Who Can Be a Friend. She's almost completely hidden by the book's massive cover, but peeking out from behind it, her face is all smiles.

Learn more about our Reading Room program and our work in Zambia.

Taking Literacy to New Heights

We’re always amazed by the creative (and yes, sometimes extreme) fundraising campaigns that Room to Read supporters come up with. Take, for example, our friend Rob Hart…

Rob has been climbing some of the world’s tallest peaks at the rate of one per year since 2003. The South African native (now based in Singapore) says he understands that, “the attraction of frozen digits, howling winds, and inedible food eludes many,” but none of those things were going to stop him from summiting the world’s tallest peak, Mount Everest, this year. And what’s more, he decided to turn his personal quest into a fundraiser for Room to Read, and carried a flag with our logo on it all the way to the top. 

Hart says he chose Room to Read as the beneficiary of his efforts based on our record of efficiency—having grown up in Africa, he says, “I’ve seen the amount of money wasted by NGO’s on Land Rovers and the like across the continent, it was heartening to find a charity that doesn’t waste money.” He chose to designate the funds raised to projects in Nepal, where he would be climbing, and South Africa, the country of his birth.

Hart reached the summit of Everest on March 14, and hot on his heels is another group of Room to Read supporters—13 work colleagues from Penguin Group in the UK. For some, the Everest Base Camp Trek will be their first major climbing adventure, like Helen Atkinson, who describes herself as “a fair-weather walker that’s never been at any kind of altitude.” She and the rest of her group will commence their journey on October 22, and will finish with a visit to Room to Read's projects in Nepal. We wish them the best of luck!

Feeling inspired? You don't have to be a mountain-climber to start your very own fundraising campaign for Room to Read.

Photo credit: Rob Hart atop Mount Everest (courtesy of subject).