Room to Read Blog

Six Short Weeks: Room to Read’s First Ever (Mini) Film Festival!

Over the past year, documentary filmmakers James Connolly and Rachelle Escaravage visited Room to Read projects throughout Asia. They met the children and communities that are benefitting from our programs, and recorded their stories on film.

Now those stories are the subject of six mini-documentaries, each focusing on one aspect of Room to Read’s work promoting literacy and gender equality in education. Over the next six weeks, we’ll be releasing those videos one at a time—providing you with a closer look at our programs than ever before.

The videos will take you to India, Laos, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, inside the libraries, homes, classrooms and communities of the children we serve. So grab some popcorn, press play and enjoy the show!

 Watch the videos on our website.

Guest Blog from John Wood: Kicking off the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative

The excitement is palpable as the world descends upon New York for today’s opening of the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). I’ve been lucky enough to attend CGI on behalf of Room to Read for the past five years, and now sit on CGI’s Advisory Board. Every year I’m in awe of how the forum has turned into a catalyst for game-changing partnership and collaboration in the field of international development. Each year, I leave with new connections and new ideas that we have been able to implement to make a difference for millions of children across the developing world.

This year’s CGI will be no different. Room to Read will unveil an innovative report, the inspiration for which was born at a meeting convened by CGI last spring. At the meeting, Cory Heyman, our chief program officer, met with representatives from FHI 360 and Amenons Nos Filles á l’Ecole (ANFE), two other nonprofits working in the field of girls’ education. Despite the multitude of organizations around the world dedicated to girls’ education, they noted, there has been very little research dedicated to identifying the factors that contribute to girls’ success in reaching higher education.

Together they questioned: If we know that gender bias, safety concerns, early marriage, pregnancy and financial disadvantage are major roadblocks to tertiary education, then what are the success factors that can help girls in the developing world overcome them? In other words—let’s not focus on the barriers, let’s learn about the real-world solutions that actually work.

As the idea for a study identifying such factors began to take shape, The MasterCard Foundation, with whom we first connected at CGI 2010, stepped in to provide guidance and financial support—kicking off six months of rigorous research.

The fact is, even under the most challenging conditions, there are young women across the developing world charting new territory and taking the bold step of seeking higher education. We wanted to hear from them—in their own words—about the factors that were positively contributing to their success.

Our team conducted in-person interviews with 160 of these trailblazing young women in Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India and Mauritania, and found that despite political, cultural, and economic differences between their communities, the girls identified very similar success factors as being instrumental in their ability to reach university.

The young women we met shared personal stories that illuminated their common attributes of determination and courage. Many cited the encouragement of their families, teachers and communities as being paramount to their success, coupled with the material and emotional support they'd received from nonprofit organizations.

For Room to Read, these findings will help shape our Girls’ Education program curriculum, which we’ve built out over the years to go beyond financial support and to include extensive life skills training and mentoring as well as family and community engagement.

By releasing the final report at this year’s CGI Annual Meeting, we hope that these girls’ voices can reach across borders and help shape best practices in the field of girls’ education for years to come.

Read the complete report, Through Their Eyes, In Their Voices: Young women in five countries share their experiences navigating tertiary education, on our website.

Tune in tomorrow at 3:20pm EST to watch John Wood answer your questions live from CGI in an interview with Randi Zuckerberg broadcast on Facebook.

Show and Tell: Accepting the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy in New Delhi

This post is part of the ongoing series, Show and Tell, where we bring you photos and stories collected by Room to Read team members on the road. 

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Today's show and tell is hot off the presses. Taken earlier today in New Delhi at the UNESCO Literacy Day 2011 celebration, it shows Wilfredo Pascual, global program officer for our Local Language Publishing program, accepting the 2011 Confucius Prize for Literacy on behalf of the entire Room to Read team. The award was presented by President of India Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil and Dr. Qian Tang, Assistant Director-General for Education for UNESCO.

Guest Blog from India: U.S. Ambassador Gets a Closer Look at a Room to Read Library in New Delhi

This is a guest post from Sunisha Ahuja, Room to Read's Country Director for India (pictured).

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The excitement was palpable when we reached the MCD Andrews Ganj Primary School, with dozens of children sitting on the floor of the library, poised to meet their special guest. The room had been buzzing since the day began—after all, a visit from a U.S. Ambassador is not something that happens every day!

“We are very excited that the ambassador has come to visit our school today,” said Abhilasha, one of the library's facilitators. “The children have been preparing for her visit for two days and learning new poems.”

Melanne Verveer, the U.S. Government’s Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, is one of the most high-profile visitors the school has ever seen, and the children were eager to show her what they had learned. Her visit—the result of an emerging partnership between Room to Read and the U.S. government—started off with a traditional Indian welcome, where she was greeted with flowers and a song, sung by the school’s 1st grade class.

After the welcome, one 5^th grader, Sachin, read a book aloud to the ambassador about the power of friendship. It was the guest’s turn next. Selecting an English-language book from the library, Ambassador Verveer read to her hosts, with a student volunteer translating each page into Hindi as she read—an exciting experience for the children who had never before witnessed such an interaction.

“India is going to celebrate Independence Day soon,” Kiran, a 5^th grader, shared with the ambassador. “I am drawing children flying kites!”

“Do you want to be an artist when you grow up,” asked the ambassador. Kiran nodded enthusiastically.

Ambassador Verveer then met with 10 of our Girls' Education program scholars. “I had never imagined that I could become an engineer one day,” said Bharati, who was recently admitted to a graduate computer science program at a college in New Delhi.

“If I wasn’t here today, I would be married,” shared Shweta, another one of the girls, whose aspirations now include starting her own business—a dream she's had since participating in an entrepreneurial skill development workshop through our program.

Ambassador Verveer had one final question for the girls, “What is the biggest change that you notice in yourselves today?”

A few spoke up immediately: “We are confident and able to speak to you,” they shared, adding, “we never imagined that we would meet someone like you.”

More photos from the Ambassador’s visit:

 

Read more about our Girls' Education program and about our work in India.

 

Many "Firsts" in Her Family: Reconnecting with Hema in India (VIDEO)

In the 2009 Room to Read Girls’ Education Yearbook, we highlighted the story of a former scholar in Uttarakhand, India, named Hema. When we last met Hema, she was balancing a job as a primary school teacher while tutoring younger students in Room to Read's Girls’ Education Program to support herself financially through university. In 2010, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science, English literature, and history. She is the first person in her family to graduate from both high school and college. Hema’s boss at an outsourcing company where she now works allowed us to catch up with her during working hours at her office. 

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Seeing the 2009 Girls’ Education Yearbook for the first time, Hema shyly looked at the page profiling her story and smiled. Her boss leaned over her shoulder and asked to scan the pages. He explained that he wanted a copy to share with all of their employees and said, “We have been very happy with the program scholars working here. They are hard workers. I hope more will apply to work here in the future.”

After graduating from high school in her small village in Uttarakhand, India, Hema knew she wanted to continue her studies. She dreamt of studying at a university campus in the nearest city. Though her family’s finances couldn’t support this dream, Hema was determined. “I really wanted to continue studying, so I filled out the forms for distance learning education on my own. I had saved my salary from teaching and managed to pay the fee to submit the form myself,” she said. “I managed it all by myself.” In 2010, Hema was the first in her family to attend and graduate college, yet she still yearned to go even farther in her studies. She has now started working towards earning a master’s degree in political science.

Continuing to balance work and studies, today Hema sits proudly at her own computer with a company ID badge around her neck. After passing the entrance exams and interviews, she joined a rural outsourcing company a year ago. She is responsible for quality assurance and hopes she will one day move into a training position. She grins from ear to ear as she describes her work, “At this office, we are like a family; we don’t feel like we are in a job. There is no senior-junior divide. Whenever we have a problem, we can freely talk about it and discuss it. The work environment here is really good and it makes me feel very comfortable and good.”

Hema’s commute is an eight mile walk up and down steep mountain terrain, so during the winter months she rents a room closer to her office. “Financially, I support myself completely and manage my own expenses and pocket money,” she explained. Self-sufficient and determined to share her resources with her family, she also sends money home in addition to paying for her master's degree education. Hema casually adds that, “I also support the education of one of my brother’s children. I deposit their school fees. I feel proud that I have always had the support of my family for my education.”

As our conversation comes to a close, she eagerly returns to her office in time for a team meeting—making sure to take the copy of the Room to Read Girls’ Education Yearbook along with her.

All gifts matched through May 31! From now through the end of May, all donations to our Girls’ Education program will be matched up to $350,000. Honor mom—or any other special person that has shaped your life—by supporting the next generation of women. www.roomtoread.org/MayMatch.

Cricket Players Come to Bat for Literacy: World Cup Stories from Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka

 
Cricket is practically a religion in South Asia and cricketers are no less than gods. The adulation and fanfare must be seen (and experienced) to be believed, and it is difficult for non-cricket playing countries to begin to understand the rock star status of these players.

With cricket being the second most popular sport in the world, Room to Read was thrilled when the International Cricket Council (ICC) named our organization as their charity partner for the 2011 ICC World Cup. Additionally, through a unique initiative, Reliance Life Insurance, one of India’s top private sector life insurance companies, committed to a 25,000 rupees donation (approximately US$550) for every “sixer” or boundary that the cricketers hit. So far, 132 sixes have been hit which translates to over 3.7 million rupees donated (US$82,000). With each six, you can imagine the cheers coming from our country offices in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka -- countries hosting the World Cup games!  

In an effort to draw attention to Room to Read's work and encourage donations, the ICC coordinated special events with both cricket players and students participating in Room to Read programs. Reliance Big FM, with a special "Hit Illiteracy for a Six" segment, Big Cinema, Big CBS and various other Reliance ADA Group platforms are being used to promote these interactions widely.

Reena Luke, Room to Read Asia Regional Communications Manager, attended the events and shares some of the unforgettable moments. For these children, meeting and spending time with their sports heroes was a dream of a lifetime. And even for the millions of children unable to attend these events, the support of ICC, Reliance Life Insurance and the global cricket-loving community will fulfill their dreams of becoming educated young adults.

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Tigers Celebrate International Mother Language Day in Bangladesh

  When the World Cup opened in Dhaka, Bangladesh, our Room to Read Bangladesh country office was ready to pitch! Just after their big game with India, the Tigers (the Bangladesh team’s nickname) were ready to take a break, and Room to Read invited them to celebrate International Mother Language Day on February 21 with hundreds of young children at the Pora Khela Utsob (Reading Festival) at the Kishalay Girls School and College in Dhaka.

The names of the players were kept secret until the last minute, and the entire community gathered to greet them at the gates of the school which was decorated with tents and colorful bunting. The invited students managed to squeeze their way past the adoring crowds and, after a security check, anxiously awaited the arrival of their favorite players. Each time the huge iron door creaked open, there was a collective gasp of anticipation, and children pulled out their autograph books and ran towards the gate.

Finally, after a couple of false starts, in rolled a cavalcade of cars with police escorts. Three cricket stars—Zunaid Siddiqui, Mahamudulla Riyad and Shariar Nafees—stepped out and immediately faced a wall of waving autograph books eager to be filled. Without wasting much time, the young heroes took to the field and ran with the children, took part in “Read and Run” games, signed more autographs, posed for photographs, visited all the booths, talked to the kids, and flipped through Room to Read’s local language children’s books. Shahriar Nafees even managed to give a brief pep talk to his young fans, “I want each of you to focus and read better. Reading requires practice like cricket, and to excel, one needs to practice.”

All too soon, it was time to say good-bye. The cricketers handed over prizes to the winners and gifted the school a full cricket kit. Said Mahamudulla, “It was a good experience, and I enjoyed the afternoon with the kids. I am happy to see that these young children are getting such good books to read.”

Eighth-grader, Zoya, exclaimed, “I will never forget this day. Imagine—I got to shake Zunaid’s hand!”

Girls' Education Scholars Practice Their Interviewing Skills in India

 
Across the border, in India, the ICC arranged several opportunities for Room to Read India to showcase their work to cricket lovers. Several match venues had Room to Read booths, filled with books and displays inviting book lovers to sponsor our reading programs. Aside from the matches, the big event of the World Cup was when four of Room to Read’s Girls’ Education program participants—Ishan, Ruppu, Renu and Moushmi—got an exclusive interview with Virat Kohli, India’s upcoming star cricketer and the nation’s heartthrob.

For these young girls, all from the Sarvodya Kanya Vidyalaya school in Tuglakabad village in Delhi, a trip to Bangalore by flight just to meet their favorite Indian cricketer was stuff that dreams are made of. And Virat made sure that they would remember this day all their lives by playing cricket with them, signing autographs and, of course, getting photographed with them. He even promised that once he was over with the hectic match schedules, he would visit their school and help to champion Room to Read’s cause. Said Virat to his young fans, “I am happy I got this opportunity to promote Room to Read. I would like to continue doing whatever I can to promote literacy and reading.”

Virat wasn't the only cricketer the girls got to meet. In the evening, the girls were taken to the stadium to watch the England cricket team practice. A sudden rain shower proved to be a blessing, for the players had to run for cover, and the girls knew how to grab an opportunity. Soon the English team was signing autographs and talking to the girls. Ishan even dared to ask the English captain about his strategy to defeat the Indian team! The captain threw up his hands and ducked to the nearest exit!

The BBC crew filming the event took the opportunity to meet the girls and learn more about Room to Read, and within minutes of the cricketers’ departure, the girls and the crew were fast friends. In fact, after a quick broadcast lesson, the crew found themselves on the other side of the camera being interviewed by the teenaged amateur camera-persons and reporters!

 

Shane Watson, Room to Read's ICC Ambassador, Teaches Fielding and Encourages Reading in Sri Lanka

March 3 is a day 10 children from central and northwestern provinces of Sri Lanka will never forget—for that is the day that they spent several hours with Australian cricket star, Shane Watson.

  Shane has been named Room to Read’s official ICC brand ambassador and, between World Cup matches, led a coaching session with the excited group of children at the P Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo. The children, all participants in Room to Read programs and all very avid cricket fans, received individual coaching about fielding from Shane, and one exclaimed, “We can’t even believe that we are practicing with Australian cricketers. Our worry is that no one would believe that we got such an opportunity!”

 
Reading has been a big part of Shane’s life since childhood, and he is anxious to help other children discover the joy of books. He humbly explained, “The cross section of people that cricket reaches means that we are able to reach a lot of people and promote the work Room to Read does. It is very special that we have the chance to impact people’s lives away from cricket. Hopefully we can touch as many people’s lives as possible and provide them with a chance to benefit from some of the things that we have been lucky enough to have.”

The end of the afternoon held another great surprise, as each child was given a personally signed photograph of Shane and a ticket to watch the match between Pakistan and Canada. Shane, too, was equally as moved when the children presented him with a picture they had created for him.

The event was covered by Yahoo, ESPN and Star Cricket. ICC also posted a short video that was screened pre-match on March 5. 

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Room to Read will be featured on billboards, scoreboards and other events throughout the 2011 ICC World Cup which culminates with the finals on April 2. Visit our website to learn more about Room to Read’s World Cup partnership.

Read more through the ICC press release and Reliance Life Insurance's Facebook page.

Making the Transition: Graduates Surveyed about Life After Room to Read

Room to Read is committed to tracking results and improving programming. Our monitoring and evaluations team conducts studies on an on-going basis, and this year, we are conducting a post-secondary school transition study of our Girls’ Education program participants. In November 2010, Kirsten Anderson joined Room to Read as the Girls’ Education Program Fellow to conduct this study. She began research in India and shares her thoughts and experiences of conducting fieldwork with our inspiring girls. Stay tuned for updates from Kirsten’s research in India, Nepal, Vietnam and Cambodia over the next several months.

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Weaving in and out of Delhi’s traffic on dusty streets, the research assistants and I finally arrived at our destination—a poor urban community located on the back side of an old fort wall. We had scheduled a focus group with four young women, each the first person in their family to graduate from 12th grade. This was our first day of research and our task was to make sure our freshly translated interview questions made sense for the young women we were interviewing.

The day was bitterly cold, and fifteen minutes into our first focus group, the power went out. For the young women we were interviewing, power cuts are a common occurrence. They didn’t even flinch and continued to talk about their financial struggles and having to balance work with university courses. For the research team, the darkness was a frustrating disruption. Not only is it hard to take notes and refer to the list of interview questions, reading facial expressions and body language in the dark is next to impossible. But the darkness was also a blessing, as it allowed us to really focus on the women’s voices—to listen to the details of their stories and feel what they were saying.

As of December 2010, 234 of Room to Read's Girls’ Education program scholars from India, Nepal, Vietnam and Cambodia have graduated from secondary school. This number will quickly multiply as the Girls’ Education program provides scholarships and material support to more than 10,000 girls across eight countries. What are the young women doing now? What do they plan to do in the next ten years? How has Room to Read influenced their lives and their goals?

For the next four months, the research team and I will conduct interviews and focus groups with the program’s recent and upcoming graduates. The purpose of this study is to learn more about how these young women navigate this time of transition and opportunity. How do they make decisions about higher education, employment, as well as marriage and possibly parenthood? What are their challenges? What are their success stories? The stories they share of their struggles, accomplishments and ambitions will teach us and inform our current and future programming, and give us insight as to how we can better prepare future graduates.

Collecting these stories, however, requires constantly balancing the rigors of research and the realities of the field. It means listening intently, asking the right questions and learning about the whole person and her story.

We recently met with a young woman who had just graduated from 12th grade. Her shaky hands and quick, quivering voice were not the results of the Delhi winter, but of an obvious sense of shyness and nervousness. Midway through, she stopped to tell us that she did not usually develop bonds with adults so easily, but she felt comfortable with us and wanted to share her story. She talked about her future ambition: to study English, to get a job and to support her family. She described her family and how her parents have supported her education—sometimes giving up meals to pay additional fees for her and her sister. Wanting to maintain an objective distance, the research assistant and I quickly busied ourselves with our notes so as not to show our eyes tearing.

As we presented her with a small thank you gift—a notebook and pen—she thanked us for giving her the opportunity to share her story. Yet, I am the thankful one. I am humbled and honored to spend time with these young women—so full of courage, strength and determination.

Every day, we emerge from our interviews to a different Delhi—warmer as the days grow longer. We have adjusted our vision, as these young women do every day when they think about and plan for their future. We anticipate our next interviews with a renewed sense of hope and focus.

Read more about how Room to Read tracks results in its programs.  

Through Story and Song: A Student and Her Ukulele Make a Universal Connection in India

Ellen Blanchard, a junior at Kenyon College in Ohio, spent a semester abroad in India participating in an internship program. She discovered how connected the world can be, especially if you happen to have a ukulele in hand.

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Have ukulele, will travel. This seemingly frivolous carry-on to India was the most important tool to have with me during my field experience at a local NGO in the state of Rajasthan in India. I chose to do my internship with the Urmul Marusthali Bunkar Vikas Samiti, a weaving cooperative and sponsor of various Indian development programs, including Room to Read. I had heard all about the Room to Read organization this summer from my mentor. It was so exciting to see the local work Room to Read does and to meet all the librarians from Urmul.

After staying in Phalodi at the Urmul foundation office, I moved to the village of Bhojesar and lived with a family for sixteen days. Coincidentally, one of my host brothers, Hukuma Ramji, was one of the librarians I had previously met in Phalodi! I was excited to have the opportunity to go with him to the schools in the neighboring villages and see the Room to Read libraries. The libraries were the biggest and most vibrant rooms in the school building—the walls covered in posters and shelves filled with books. At my visit to a school in Moriya, I brought along my ukulele and played my first concert in a Room to Read library. After my performance, the students shared poems and songs with me. Then everybody went outside to play a Hindi version of “Duck, Duck, Goose.” Hukama Ramji facilitated the game and I got to join in and play!

The ukulele was a big hit in Rajasthan. During my visit to a school in the village of Khitchan, which coincided with the official opening of their Room to Read library, I was the special guest from America with a ridiculous little instrument that wasn’t a familiar tandura (a local 5-stringed instrument). I practiced saying “ukulele” with the students after writing the Hindi pronunciation on the board. Then it was time for my second Room to Read library concert and my largest audience ever!

The students wanted me to read to them, but since I couldn’t read their local language, and they couldn’t understand my English, I resorted to using the illustrations and some silly character voices to entertain a very captive audience. After that, it was Library Time! In small groups, the students returned last week’s books and perused the shelves to pick new ones. They had to present their choice to Hukama Ramji, identify the book title and number and then sign their name on the book register. Every step of this process is an agent for empowerment: individual freedom to pick a book, the ability to sign their name, teaching responsibility and accountability and all the while interacting with a superb library teacher.

I took my ukulele on my semester abroad and had no idea the impact it would have on my interning experience. I only spent a short time in Room to Read libraries and I can’t stop thinking about what other new things the students are discovering in their libraries.

Learn more about our Reading Room program and our work in India by visiting our website.

Trek to India: Chapter Leader Trip Brings Renewed Commitment to Education

Room to Read boasts a network of over 40 volunteer chapters, groups of individuals who raise funds for and awareness of Room to Read around the globe. In 2010, the chapters raised approximately 30% of Room to Read’s total operating budget. Last December, several chapter leaders joined in the inaugural Chapter Leader Trek to Rajasthan, India. Sherrie Nguyen, co-leader for the Austin Chapter in Texas, shares her impressions and experiences of meeting some of the girls participating in Room to Read’s Girls’ Education program in India.

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We marched onto the school grounds to the beat of a drum and trumpet. There we were adorned with garlands of flowers, newspaper hats made by the students and marks on our foreheads. The entire village had come to watch, as if we were stars on the red carpet.

It wasn’t until we stepped into the classroom and were met by a resounding “Namaste” that I came floating back to reality. As we took turns introducing ourselves, I told the girls that I like to surf, which was loosely translated as “playing in the water.” I later realized we were the first foreigners these girls had ever seen, and how vastly different our worlds must seem.

When I interacted with the scholars in a small group, I learned that each wanted to be either a teacher or policewoman when she grew up. Curious, I asked why and got an insightful and direct response from one of the girls: "Because they can affect change." In this tiny village where most people make a living in agriculture, policemen and teachers are seen as authority figures with reputable careers. In this particular school, the headmaster and teachers are all male. I was stunned that, in a world where most girls never advance past 8th grade, each girl here had hope in her eyes and the aspiration to break the status quo.

I asked to learn a Hindi word, and was taught “home” and “work." Just by this casual interaction, it was evident that family is central to the lives of people in this village, and even a 10-year-old girl has to work incredibly hard to help out. For one girl, this meant waking up early every morning to fetch water from the well. When it came time to go to school, her parents would tell her to just stay home and finish her chores. She would beg to leave, sometimes just running to school to seek refuge; she was that determined to continue her education, with or without their support.

Despite the factors against them, these girls are determined to improve their circumstances, and Room to Read has helped tremendously. We played a life skills game with an older age group, covering everything from how AIDS is contracted, to the effects of puberty, to how to be an effective communicator. These were very progressive and sensitive subjects, but the girls’ confidence shone. When asked if they wanted to finish secondary school, every single head nodded "yes" with enthusiasm.

As a chapter leader, I felt blessed and humbled by the Chapter Leader Trek—not only by seeing our work, but seeing how these girls fight daily for things we take for granted. Attending this trip reaffirmed my desire to make a difference in the world, and after seeing the success of Room to Read’s work with my own eyes, I’m confident we’re doing just that. I was awestruck by the children’s zest for learning, undeniable courage, and perseverance to gain an education; I will share their story for years to come. Although we were treated as honored guests and thanked profusely by the community for our efforts, the true stars of the village were right there all along.

Take a quick journey to Rajasthan by viewing Sherrie's slideshow.

Interested in joining a Room to Read Chapter or attending a fundraising event? Visit our website for more information.

 

Education is a Priceless Gift: A Holiday Message from a Room to Read Donor

Gift-giving can take many forms -- from the simple to the elaborate -- but each gift carries a similar message of appreciation and affection from the giver to the recipient. Bonnie Campbell Hill, a long-time supporter of Room to Read from Washington state, shares her holiday gift tradition which continues to build bright futures for children in developing communities.  

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I’ve been in education as a teacher, a college professor, a consultant, and as an author of professional books. I’m also an avid traveler, growing up in Turkey, and working with international schools around the world as an educational consultant. I truly believe that the path toward peace and change in the world is through education.

Several years ago, my family and I decided that rather than giving holiday gifts to our long list of friends and family, we would take the opportunity to share some of the resources we’ve been blessed with and make donations to various charities. In searching for a nonprofit organization in which to invest that focused on international education, I happened upon John Wood’s book, "Leaving Microsoft to Change the World," and also had the chance to hear him speak. In Room to Read, I knew I had found an organization that not only embraced my belief in the power of literacy and education, but it is also making a significant impact for future generations in nine countries around the world. 

For the past five years through Room to Read, our family has supported girls’ education, local language children’s books, schools, and libraries in Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Nepal. Two years ago, we were even fortunate enough to visit one of the libraries we had sponsored in Nepal. It’s one thing to see photographs in a slide show or on a website, but it is an entirely different experience to actually visit a library and see the dramatic impact on the lives of so many children!

Recently I found out that I have a rare form of cancer for which I am currently receiving chemotherapy and scheduled for surgery. This sobering news made me pause and really think about the work I’ve done with literacy and how I could come up with a way to have an even larger impact on the lives of children. 

To do this, my family and I have decided to start a personal giving campaign with Room to Read to reach an ambitious fundraising goal of $400,000 to support literacy programs in India. Having spent much time working and traveling in India, I know how critical education is to ending the cycle of poverty in this area of the world.

The money we raise in our campaign, affectionately called "Bonnie's Big Idea," will be used to provide much-needed educational resources to children in four regions of India, including Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttarkhand and Maharashtra. Children in these areas currently have little or nothing, but could, with education, change the path of their lives from poverty to opportunity.

I'm very proud that already several of our friends and family members have committed to helping grow our small idea into a big idea affecting the lives of thousands of boys and girls -- today and for generations to come.   

 

Please don't forget:

For ideas about how you can give holiday gifts that will have lasting effects on the lives of children, please visit our Holiday Gift Catalog. All gifts made online through the end of December will be matched 100% up to $500,000. You can also set up your own personal giving campaign on our website.