Room to Read Blog

Guest Blog from our Team: International Day of the Girl Child

Emily Leys is Global Director of Girls' Education for Room to Read and a passionate advocate for gender equality around the globe. 

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Today is the first ever International Day of the Girl Child (as designated by the United Nations), and if you ask me it is a long time coming. On behalf of the entire Girls’ Education team worldwide, I couldn’t be more excited to commemorate this day and the incredible opportunity it represents to engage girls, schools and communities around the globe in bringing about greater gender equality.

The benefits of educating girls are well-documented and they extend to families, communities, and whole nations. But most importantly, providing equal access to girls is simply the right thing to do. All children deserve an education and the opportunity it accords. For girls in the countries where we work—in places like the sandbar islands of Bangladesh and the Mekong Delta of Vietnam—education is the key to health, security, active citizenship and a better life for future generations. That’s why our teams in nine countries across Africa and Asia are hard at work each day providing the academic support, mentoring and life skills training that the girls on our program need to succeed in school and beyond.

On a recent trip to Zambia, where our program is wrapping up its fifth year of operation, I was humbled yet again by the lengths the young women on our program go to in order to get an education and expand their options. This includes the literal length of five miles walked to and from school each day, but also the hours poured into study and courage to break with traditions in conflict with their dreams. In a community where early marriage has been the norm for generations, these young women are determined to finish school before moving on to marriage and parenthood. I’m reminded of an 11^th grade student named Esther telling me, “I want to have a family, but only after I launch my career in journalism.”

Young women like Esther make me more confident than ever that gender equality in education is within reach. The fact is that despite all odds there are countless girls across the developing world who are bravely claiming their right to education, making important choices for themselves, and inspiring others in their communities to do the same.

This powerful ripple effect is the subject of a new documentary, Girl Rising, set to premiere in spring of 2013. The ground-breaking film, produced by our partners at 10x10, will feature the story of Suma Tharu, a Room to Read student from Nepal, along with nine other trail-blazing young women.  You can read more about Suma’s story on our website.

In honor International Day of the Girl, we are excited to share the film’s trailer, and announce that a group of generous Room to Read supporters has committed to matching all donations 2-to-1 through the end of the day in honor of this special occasion (up to $350,000). Learn more and donate at www.roomtoread.org/10x10act

   

This afternoon at 3:00pm PST, join Emily—along with representatives from Intel, CARE and more—for an Ashoka Changemakers Twitter chat on how to leverage technology to improve the lives of women and girls. Follow the action with the hashtags #SocEntChat and #IDG2012!

Mark Your Calendars: Tune in to PBS on October 1 to See Room to Read's Work on the Small Screen!

In the best-selling book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn explore one very powerful idea: that in the developing world, "women are not the problem...they are the solution." That same thesis is central to the two-part documentary of the same name that will air on PBS stations across the US this Monday, October 1 at 9:00pm (8:00 CT), and will feature Room to Read's work in Vietnam. 

To prove their point (and tide over audiences until the nationwide premiere) the Half the Sky Movement released the following video featuring two of the most effective solutions around: education and economic empowerment. Take a look:

 

To learn more about Room to Read's role in Half the Sky:Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide go to www.roomtoread.org/halfthesky and don't forget to tune in to your local PBS station on Monday, October 1.

Supporters Turn to Endurance Sports to Fuel Global Movement for Education

At Room to Read, we are constantly inspired by the creative, clever and sometimes crazy ways that individuals find to raise funds and awareness for our programs—from bake sales to book swaps, marathons to mountain climbing, we have seen it all!

This year in particular, Room to Read supporters around the globe are turning to endurance events to galvanize support for our mission in their communities. Over the next few months, adrenaline-fueled teams from Hong Kong, Sydney, Switzerland and New York City will run, walk, bike and climb their way to world change. Here are a few of those extraordinary stories:

Sydney City2Surf

In 2009—the year Room to Read’s first Australian chapter was established in Sydney—a few volunteers decided to run the City2Surf 14-kilometer race as s social activity. In 2010, they took it to the next level, gathering a team of more than 100 runners who raised over AU$30,000 for two straight years.

This year, the team—dubbed the Yak Pack (in honor of our good friend Zak the Yak)—is at it again, and has even recruited a local celebrity to join them  for this year’s race on August 12. Actor Pacharo Mzembe ran across the entire continent of Australia earlier this year to raise funds and awareness for literacy, and now he’s putting his running shoes back on to join the Yack Pack in their fourth year at the City2Surf. “I'm all about showing my appreciation for the quality education I received having come from a developing nation,” said Pacharo. “There are children around the world who are not afforded the same opportunity."

Jungfrau Marathon

Inspired by their counterparts Down Under, a few members of the Room to Read Zurich Chapter assembled their own Yak Pack this year to run the Jungfrau Marathon in the Swiss Alps. In addition to longtime friends of Room to Read, some of our very own staff will participate in the event, including founder John Wood and regional director for Asia Jon Beaulieu!

The steepest race of its kind, the course of the Jungfrau Marathon includes more than a mile of elevation. In order to keep motivated, the team has challenged themselves to raise enough money for at least one year of girls’ education for each kilometer they run, or as John Wood puts it, "no matter how much pain we're in, each kilometer we'll think to ourselves, 'one more girl goes to school.'"

Vietnam Bike Adventure

After reading John Wood’s book Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, Ashwin Subramaniam of Singapore knew he wanted to make a difference, but wasn’t sure how. The answer came in the form of a bicycle, which he will ride across Vietnam this November—along with 15 others—in support of Room to Read's Girls’ Education program.

Winding up the Vietnamese coast from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, Ashwin and his fellow travelers will hit the road for nine days and document their journey on film. "This idea was born out of my dual passions for adventure sports and social development," says Ashwin.

Inspired to start your own campaign for Room to Read? Find out how!

Hoeurn Him's Story: Paying it Forward in Cambodia

“When I got my first salary check, I went and placed the entire amount in my mother’s hand and said to her, ‘This is the power of education.’”

At 24 years old, Hoeurn Him is a natural leader with a warm smile and bright eyes. As a social mobilizer for Room to Read’s Girls’ Education program in Cambodia, she is currently responsible for monitoring the progress and development of 63 girls throughout the rural province of Kampong Cham. In this role, Hoeurn visits each girl’s home on a regular basis, helps facilitate life skills sessions and keeps a close eye on the academic performance of all her young students—providing support and encouragement along the way.

As the first person ever to graduate from secondary school in her village of 300 families, Hoeurn is particularly adept at understanding and navigating the challenges girls face in her community. “During my school days my parents were not at all concerned with my education,” she says frankly. “I finished school only because I wanted to have a better life and to not have to struggle for food.”

Her status as the village’s first-ever graduate has earned young Hoeurn a great deal of respect within her community and made her parents very proud. She says she will never forget that moment when she was able to share the fruits of her labor with them.

"When my first paycheck arrived, my father and mother were quiet for a long time and had tears in their eyes," she recalls. "Now they insist that my kid sister and brother stay in school, too.”

These days, Hoeurn is the primary breadwinner for her entire family, and plans to attend University within a few years. “I hope to receive a full scholarship, but my parents would still need a little bit of money to run the house,” she says. “Because of this, I set aside half of my salary each month to prepare for when I will be studying full-time and unable to earn for them.”

After university, Hoeurn has her sights set on becoming a teacher and returning to Kampong Cham to bring technology to the schools in her area. “I know from my own experience how much education can be empowering, so I must support all girls to see that as well,” she says.

Learn more about Room to Read’s Girls’ Education program.

Guest Blog from John Wood: Catching Up with Phung from Vietnam

Last fall, Nicholas Kristof wrote about a Vietnamese girl, Dao Ngoc Phung, and her family. Her story inspired readers of The New York Times to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to support Room to Read's work around the globe, to support other children like Phung in achieving their dreams. This past month on a trip to Vietnam, John Wood had a chance to visit Phung and her family in the Mekong Delta to check on her progress and hear about what she has planned in the future. 

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For Phung and her family, life continues to present challenges, and yet they remain optimistic and resilient.  

Her father, Mr. Hiep, has realized his dream of running a small furniture assembly business close to home. This means that he is no longer working in Ho Chi Minh City, and is now able to be with his family seven nights a week. A neighbor loaned him a small piece of land, and he borrowed $2,000 from a relative and from the local veteran’s committee. He showed us his shop, where currently he is building a bed frame for a local newlywed couple along with a large cabinet for their living area. The work pays as well as a day’s labor in Ho Chi Minh City, so he is very happy. If he had more capital he could hire an assistant and do even more, but for now he is content. 

His four children are all so delighted to have their father home. Phung said that she feels more secure and added that she is no longer the one responsible for the morning wake up call for her younger siblings. “My father now wakes me up each morning.”

Mr. Hiep wakes up at 1:00 am to begin his day’s labor, having gone to bed between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm most nights. There is a hammock in his work shed, leading me to believe that he must supplement his sleep with an afternoon siesta. I hope so, as he still has lingering effects from malaria contracted during the Vietnam War. 

Phung is fantastic. Her face lit up when I told her that as a result of the Times’ story about her, Room to Read raised enough funding to send an additional 3,000 girls to school. I told her this number rather than raw dollars raised, as I just don’t think she can contemplate a number like $750,000 (or, for that matter, 15 billion dong). Mr. Hiep chimed in to say that he is so proud that through the family’s story, “other girls in Vietnam and beyond” are being helped.

This year, Phung’s class sits for two exams: one to pass 9th grade and another to enter 10th grade. Phung already passed the former, as did the 144 girls in the Room to Read program who sat for the same test. I asked Phung if she thinks she’ll do well on the 10th grade entrance exam, which affects where she will attend upper secondary school. “Yes, of course,” she said, without hesitation. She described her physics homework as “easy.” I told her that I did terribly in physics class in school, which elicited a small smile.

Both of her younger siblings are also in school and doing well. During our conversation, they upgraded themselves to the main table with the adults, rather than sitting off to the side as they did when I visited in November. They paid attention the whole time and did not fidget at all despite a long conversation. They seem to be gaining self-confidence from their sister.

Mr. Hiep said that he still attends all the parent-teacher meetings and tries to encourage other parents to do the same. “If I were to give my children land, they could sell it and spend the money,” he said, adding: “But if I give them education, they will always have that.”

As for her future, Phung is most definitely on track to make it to university and said that is very much her plan. And thanks to Times’ readers, there is now money available to help make that dream a reality. 

This blog post was originally featured on Nicholas Kristof's blog from The New York Times, On the Ground.

Girls' Education Program Participants Hit the Road in New Delhi

Despite a light drizzle, the air of excitement was palpable as 30 girls from Room to Read’s Girls’ Education program in Delhi arrived at a special life skills session. Anxious to begin the day’s activities, the girls lined up neatly to meet their mentors for the day—female drivers employed by Sakha Cab Company.

Today, the eager young students would learn the rules of the road, basic vehicle maintenance and, of course, how to drive. In large cities like New Delhi, which can be unsafe for women, the ability to drive is more than just a practical mode of transportation—it is a key to independence.

For the special life skills session, Room to Read India partnered with Sakha, a social enterprise that provides employment opportunities to women as drivers for other women, corporations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). They also provide a women’s taxi service throughout Delhi that will eventually be owned by the female drivers themselves.

Sakha’s professional drivers were equally excited to work with our Girls’ Education program participants, and began the day with a lively question and answer session in which they candidly shared the individual challenges they had faced in striving to achieve their career aspirations, and how they overcame them. “I used to be very shy, but learning to drive has given me so much confidence—I am a different person now,” shared Chandni, a 22-year-old Sakha employee.

Next up was an overview of vehicle parts and care as well as a test ride courtesy of the female drivers. Squeals of joy could be heard all around!

It wasn’t only the girls, though, that learned something. They brought with them some of Room to Read’s local-language books to share with the women they met, including one that teaches traffic regulations to children. “One of the biggest regrets that I have is that I couldn’t finish my education,” said Chandni to the girls. “Room to Read has given you the wonderful opportunity to complete your education, so make use of it!”

Learn more about Girls’ Education.

On World Refugee Day: A Physician in the Making

Although the civil war in Sri Lanka officially ended in 2009, the country is still recovering from more than 25 years of internal conflict. The war turned many families—particularly in the northern provinces—into refugees in their own country. In honor of World Refugee Day, we bring you a story from one formerly war-torn Sri Lankan community that is full of hope for the future.

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In a far corner of the North Central Province—surrounded by acres of fields—lies Wahalkada, a farming village where the residents are beginning to rebuild their lives after years of war.

Chaturangi, a seventh grader at nearby Wahalkada Vidyalaya School, exemplifies the hopeful spirit that permeates her entire community. Along with 53 other girls at her school, Chaturangi was selected last year to participate in Room to Read’s Girls’ Education program. With a younger brother in preschool, she is committed to completing her education and setting a good example.  “When I was accepted into the program, I knew this was my moment to change my life,” she shares candidly. “Until I got that opportunity, I did not know how I would continue on in school.”

Single-minded in her ambition, Chaturangi dreams of becoming a doctor—inspired by a female physician that treated her as a child. After participating in the goal-setting portion of Room to Read’s life skills training last year, Chaturangi drew out a goals chart to hang on the wall of her tiny bedroom—neatly arranged beside her “study space” and a treasured stack of books. “Those guidelines have opened my eyes,” she says of the chart. “I now have a plan to work towards and feel more positive.”

This newfound confidence has helped Chaturangi excel in school, especially in science—her favorite subject. Teachers have also noted a marked difference in her participation in extracurricular activities. She often writes poems about her family and participates in school debates.

Chaturangi’s parents attribute much of their daughter’s success to her social mobilizer. “I am so thankful for the great service she is doing for my daughter,” says Chaturangi’s mother. “She coaches her through all the skills needed for a girl in this part of the country and always believes in my daughter.”

“I want to be a good doctor,” Chaturangi says with confidence. “I want to serve the deserving people in the villages who are just like me.”

Learn more about Room to Read's work in Sri Lanka.

In Honor of World Day Against Child Labor: A Second Chance for the Kamlari Girls of Nepal

June 12 is World Day Against Child Labor, a date designated by the United Nations to reflect on both the extent to which child labor exists in our world and the measures necessary to eliminate it.

In several countries where Room to Read operates our Girls’ Education program, child labor presents a major challenge to achieving gender equality in education. In Nepal, for example, girls are often contracted into indentured servitude by their parents through the Kamlari system. Though officially outlawed by the Supreme Court of Nepal in 2006, the practice is still widely culturally-accepted, especially in the western region of Bardiya. The vast majority of Kamlari girls are forbidden by their landlords to attend school and many are subject to physical abuse.

But the story doesn’t end there. Together with local partner organization Friends of Needy Children Nepal, Room to Read is helping rescued Kamlari girls rewrite their own futures and find a way back to school. Several of these stories were documented by 10x10, a feature film and social action campaign dedicated to galvanizing support for girls' education. In Bardiya, 10x10 met with the incredible young women currently enrolled in our program, and heard—in their own words—about the impact of education.

In honor of World Day Against Child Labor, we bring you a short film featuring three of those stories, produced by 10x10. Watch the video below to meet Asha, Sita and Suma—three former Kamlari girls determined to create a better life for others in their community.

 

Learn more about our work in Nepal.

Mark Your Calendars: Half the Sky Brings Girls’ Education to the Small Screen

“How we treat women and girls is absolutely essential to who we are as a people.” —Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State

Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide—that’s the aim of Half the Sky, a groundbreaking documentary that will air on PBS October 1 and 2 across the United States. Inspired by the best-selling book of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, the film is aimed at galvanizing public action for the rights of women and girls.

Over two days, Half the Sky will take viewers on a tour of ten countries to explore the most pressing challenges facing women and girls around the globe, including maternal mortality, gender-based violence and human trafficking. It will also showcase tangible solutions to fight these problems, such as gender equality in education—highlighted for its uniquely transformative power to alleviate poverty in one generation.

Last fall, Half the Sky's film crew made its way to Vietnam’s Mekong Delta to learn more about the success of our Girls’ Education program in the region. Led by our local staff, founder John Wood, author Nicholas Kristof and actress Gabrielle Union—one of six celebrity advocates in the film—met with several of the girls supported by our program, documenting their stories and learning about the challenges they face.

Those stories, along with others from Cambodia, Kenya, India, Sierra Leone, Somaliland, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Liberia and the United States, will be broadcast nationwide on October 1 and 2 in the United States on PBS. Until then, here is a sneak peek to tide you over:

Learn more about our Girls’ Education program.

Leading by Example: Divya's Story

In each country where we work, our Girls' Education program looks a little different. Depending on the local context, our team makes various adjustments in order to ensure the greatest probability of success for each girl. One thing however, remains consistent: in every country, every community and every school where we have a Girls' Education program participant, there is a social mobilizer ready to act as her personal advocate on the path to graduation. Equal parts mentor and role model, these women are the backbone of our Girls' Education program and provide the integral support that many girls do not get at home.

Divya is one of those women. Despite her own challenging circumstances, Divya perservered. After earning her degree in teaching, she joined Room to Read as a social mobilizer to help more girls in her community do the same. Learn more about Divya's story in this video: 

 

Meet more social mobilizers in our 2011 Girls' Education Yearbook. And remember, all gifts will be matched through May 31 by our partner, Hilton Worldwide! Honor the influential women in your life with a gift that has the power to change a generation at www.roomtoread.org/MayMatch