Room to Read Blog

Show and Tell: New York Gala Draws Influential Crowd

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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Last week, Room to Read's New York Chapter celebrated in style at the Midtown Loft in Manhattan. Their Spring Gala, designed to raise funds and awareness for our work around the globe, was a resounding success and even drew a few familiar faces, including author and journalist Katie Couric and CNN correspondent Poppy Harlow. The evening included a lively auction and an appearance by Room to Read Founder and Board Co-Chair John Wood.

Here are some photos, courtesy of our New York Chapter Leaders and photographer Jane Bruce:

Learn more about our Chapter Network, and get involved with Room to Read where you live.

Show and Tell: Room to Read Founder Honored at the Tribeca Film Festival

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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Last week, Room to Read Founder and Board Co-Chair John Wood hit the red carpet, accepting an award for lifetime achievement at the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards. Recognized for his work with Room to Read, John accepted the hammer-shaped award alongside fellow honorees Jack Dorsey of Twitter, actor Ed Burns (pictured below) and pop superstar Justin Bieber.

Here are some photos from the event:

Learn more about Room to Read's Awards and Recognition.

Hitting Another Room to Read Milestone: 10 Million Reasons to Celebrate

Today, in the Tien Giang Province of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, Room to Read celebrated a milestone eleven years in the making.

At a ceremony held at Ngu Hiep 2 Primary School, founder John Wood and the Room to Read Vietnam team delivered a brand new box of books to the school’s library, symbolizing the 10 millionth book donated to our network of over 12,000 libraries in nine developing countries.

The emblematic book, Floating Market, is a Room to Read original title produced through our Local Language Publishing program, which comprise more than half of all books donated to date. It is also a “big book,” of which we’ve printed many in Vietnam—designed to help teachers and librarians facilitate shared reading activities.

The commemorative ceremony was indeed a moment of reflection and pride for our hard-working team, but most of all it was about the children we work with. The day’s festivities included literacy games, story time and a workshop lead by one of our talented illustrators, and attended by a bustling crowd of enthusiastic young readers.

Below are several photos of this morning’s ceremony, which we hope you’ll enjoy. After all, without our passionate community of supporters around the world, none of this would be possible. On behalf of the entire Room to Read family, thank you for joining us in our belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children, and for helping make it a reality.

 

 

Read the full press release related to our 10 millionth book milestone 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.

Guest Blog from John Wood: From Yak Bells to Closing Bells

From the earliest days of Room to Read, we have enjoyed a tradition of ringing a yak bell from Nepal in honor of each significant victory. Be it an investor funding a new school, a program milestone like our 10,000th library, or having made a key hire, the yak bell provides an opportunity for the Room to Read team to pause during very long days, take a deep breath, and celebrate with our colleagues.

This week, there is a new bell to ring–the daily closing bell of the NASDAQ stock exchange. 

One of the key reasons for Room to Read’s meteoric growth during our first decade has been the support of the business and financial communities. Companies like Atlassian, Barclays Capital, Bloomberg, Caterpillar, Credit Suisse, the Financial Times, Goldman Sachs and Jones Day have embraced our model of using education to empower people across the developing world to help themselves. Executives from such companies have joined our global Boards, hosted fundraising events, and been active members of our chapter network in 56 cities around the world.

 
  So it is with great pride that today Room to Read has been invited to ring the closing bell on the NASDAQ stock exchange. I am delivering the lunch keynote today in New York at an annual shipping industry conference called Marine Money on the topic of “Why Capitalists Should Care about Education in the Developing World.” Each year, the Marine Money team is invited to  ring the bell as the day’s frantic trading comes to a close. I was completely surprised last week when the event organizers emailed to say, “We’d rather see Room to Read in the spotlight, and have the world learn more about your team’s great work.”

And what a spotlight it will be. My short remarks, along with the bell ringing, will be streamed live online here. It will also be broadcast in New York’s bustling Times Square, via a 100-foot tall electronic billboard. Hopefully it will inspire the business community to continue to think big about the power of education to change lives.

The first time I delivered a yak-load of books to schools on Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit over ten years ago, I could never have imagined our little start-up receiving such an honor. From yak bells to the closing bell–we couldn’t have made it this far without you, our incredible community of passionate supporters. Go team!

 

Learn more about our corporate partners on our website.

More from New York: Another Side of the Clinton Global Initiative

Cory Heyman, Room to Read Strategic Advisor for the Girls' Education and Monitoring and Evaluation programs, joined John Wood at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) this week in New York. In his guest blog, Cory shares an off-stage glimpse of CGI.

 

The halls of the Sheraton Towers in New York City are alive this week with international dignitaries, corporate CEOs and NGO leaders. Many people have come to declare new commitments that their organizations are making to respond to some of the most challenging issues in the world today. It was inspiring to hear President Arroyo announce Room to Read’s new commitment to improve educational opportunities for one million girls and one million boys over the next two years.

 

The buzz around the conference is that Room to Read is an organization to watch. We take our commitments seriously—as ambitious as they are—and we follow through with quality programming. That John was joined on stage for the announcement by Robert Diamond, president of Barclays Capital PLC, and Noa Meyer, vice president of Goldman Sachs, further demonstrates the credibility that Room to Read has earned with some of the world’s most savvy investors.

 

What most people don’t know, though, is that there is another side of CGI. After major commitments are announced and spotlights dim, CGI members continue to sit together in thematic breakout sessions to discuss the most pressing challenges as well as new opportunities for collaboration. One of the themes that CGI has identified as an ongoing global challenge is economic empowerment for girls and women.

 

Room to Read has been an active partner in the Action Network called Focus on Girls: From Education to Economic Empowerment. Over the past few months, we have convened teleconferences to discuss ways in which organizations can work together to improve gender equality in access to education. What was clear early on is that all Subgroup members share the belief that adolescence is a critical time in girls’ lives for making important decisions about their future. Supporting girls to stay in school and complete secondary education is the best way to improve their life chances.

 

In Tuesday’s breakout session with the full Action Network, I shared some of the ideas that came out of the Secondary Education Subgroup to date. The first was to launch a study about the experiences of economically challenged girls who complete secondary school and continue to college or university. Organizations such as Room to Read have seen many girls overcome the odds not only to complete secondary school but also to receive support to enter college. Their stories could inspire many other girls at critical stages of their own education. A collaborative study could help us learn more about steps for continuing educational success.

 

Another key point of discussion, shared by the other two Action Network subgroups as well, was the need and desire to share the materials they develop to support girls’ education. All organizations can benefit from seeing each others’ materials and making use of the best resources available. The end result is that the entire Action Network decided to pursue a broader collaboration and work to create a website where a range of program materials for adolescent girls can be shared. Stay tuned for updates as these activities unfold.

 

Read more about our Girls’ Education program on our website.

John Wood Blogs from the Clinton Global Initiative & Makes Our Next Bold Commitment

It was definitely one of those “pinch me” moments -- standing on stage at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York with Robert Diamond, Barclays Capital PLC president,and Noa Meyer, vice-president of Goldman Sachs, as former Philippine President, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, announced our major commitment which will affect the lives of millions of children in Africa and Asia. Minutes later, Nicholas Kristof  praised Room to Read’s work in a panel discussion about girls’ education. When it rains it pours, and on this last day of summer in New York, we’re hoping for a downpour!

Our commitment: over the next two years, Room to Read will establish 4,000 additional libraries, improve school infrastructure, train teachers on library and reading skills, pilot literacy initiatives among primary school children, and publish 370 new local language titles, so that close to one million girls and one million boys will have enhanced educational resources.

Additionally, Room to Read will equip thousands of girls with life skills and support to ensure their completion of secondary school. These ambitious goals will be accomplished through the hard work of our country teams and the support of key partnerships with Barclays Capital, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, the U.S. State Department, CLSA Asia Pacific as well as individual funders.

Though our commitment was made before an audience of some of the world’s most influential business, political and philanthropic leaders, it was, more importantly, a promise made to millions of children in Africa and Asia awaiting the opportunity to learn to read and write. And it’s a promise we intend to keep – in a big way!

Three years ago, Room to Read co-founder and CEO, Erin Ganju, and I made another bold promise on this CGI stage: to double the impact of our work by establishing a total of 10,000 libraries and printing 3.5 million copies of local language children’s books by end the of 2010. In March of this year, I proudly cut the ribbon at the opening of our 10,000th library. These libraries are filled with colorful and culturally rich children’s books published by Room to Read, and at last count, the total number of books printed surpassed 4.3 million. When Room to Read promises, we deliver! Our supporters expect it, and millions of children are counting on it.

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Room to Read’s 10th anniversary than by rallying our global network of supporters to help us take the next giant step into creating a world where children, no matter where they’re born and no matter what their gender, can enjoy the myriad of benefits of education.

I’ll be spending the next couple of days at CGI shaking hands, doling out my business cards and making sure Room to Read becomes top of mind in discussions around education in Asia and Africa.  The world is ripe for action-oriented optimists, and we’re thrilled and extremely proud to be leading the charge to close the gender gap in global education.

For more information about the CGI announcement, read our recent press release.

Reconnecting with Mulenga: Zambia Scholar Looks to Bright Future

We first met Mulenga in 2008 during a visit to Zambia shortly after our program there started (see photo below).  Living full-time at the Lukwipa Basic School in the Chongwe District of Lusaka, Mulenga and over 100 other young girls participate in Room to Read’s Girls' Education program that includes educational support and life skills training. When John Wood met up with Mulenga recently, she was still an active participant in our program and had just returned from an educational summer camp with her peers that was organized by Room to Read.

Mulenga’s story speaks to the determination of young women who want to forge a life path different from past generations. Raising five children alone, Mulenga’s mother, who herself had only a few years of schooling, was forced to quit her job as a hairdresser because of severe asthma attacks.  Without Room to Read’s assistance, Mulenga would likely be forced to also quit school and work to support the family.

Instead, Mulenga has taken a very active role in her education -- two years ago, she beamed with special pride when she told us about her work as a library assistant in the school library. She’s now two years away from taking her national exam, which she plans to ace so she can enroll in university next.  As you will hear in her interview with John below, Mulenga would evenutally like to work in a bank, or perhaps she might even be the next staff member at Room to Read Zambia.  Regardless, Mulenga is determined to finish school at the top of her class and we have total confidence that she'll succeed!

Learn more about our Girls’ Education program and our work in Zambia.

Guest blog from John Wood: Postcards from Bangladesh

In celebration of Room to Read’s 10th Anniversary, John Wood is on an extended journey with some of our most ardent supporters to visit every Room to Read country. The first stop on this three-week mega-trip was Bangladesh and it included a visit to the “char” area, a remote region of river islands which are under constant threat of flood by the Jamuna River. For most people living in this isolated corner of Bangladesh, John and his co-travelers were the first foreigners they’d ever met. 

Until recently, during the four months of the annual monsoon season, the girls who live in the char area had been stranded and unable to get off the islands to attend school. Thanks to the brilliance of our Bangladesh team and our partner NGO, SHARP, the girls can now travel across the ever-changing river aboard the exciting new “Boat to Read.”  In addition to visiting with girls in our Girls’ Education program, John and guests celebrated Room to Read’s first decade by attending the Reading Festival and playing literacy-themed games like "Read and Run” and “Read Relay” with several hundred children at one of our libraries. John sent this descriptive postcard from Bangladesh and shares some of his unique experiences from the other side of the globe.

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If you are born as a poor, rural, female, to uneducated parents in a resource-deprived country like Bangladesh, you have five strikes against you from Day One. If your family can’t afford good land, and has to live on the marginal and silty land of the chars, add a sixth strike. But this is not a story of pity or sadness. It is one of hope.

The air was incredibly thick with humidity as we made our way to the boat launch. This year, the monsoon season has lasted even longer than the usual four months, and the water level is extremely high. What was once a dry plain is now a river seven kilometers wide. Where all this water comes from, we don’t know. All we do know is that it prevents residents from leaving their shifting sand islands for months at a time. There is no electricity on these islands, and fuel is incredibly expensive, so once the sun sets, so do all activities outside the home.

I hopped onto one of the large, flat boats sporting a colorful “Boat to Read” banner and filled with Room to Read Girls’ Education program participants wearing white Room to Read-logo’d hats made especially for our visit. My guide for the day, a 14-year-old scholar, introduced herself shyly, eyes aimed downwards in deference. Because our team has designated the hour-long journey as reading time, she and I decided to do just that -- and for this special occasion, I presented her with a copy of my first children’s book, “Zak the Yak With Books on His Back.” No deference here -- she looked Zak squarely in the eye, and a smile stretched across her face. Since the book is in English, I offered to read it to her first, but she was quite adamant that she could handle Zak. 

We were lost in the second reading of Zak’s adventures to bring books to children when the boat docked and cheers from our welcoming hosts filled the air. We had traveled to the other side of the river to attend the Reading Festival, a veritable reading Olympics, including reading relay games, live music and a general feeling of celebration. All along the shore, the children were lined up to greet us and escorted us to the site of this very special event.

Despite the extreme heat, there were chills as I watched and heard children from one of the most remote corners of world, reading and obviously loving their new skill. These were children from communities that are essentially off the radar of most NGOs and the government as well. Thanks to the dedication and ingenuity of our amazing team on the ground here, these children will thrive and have a brighter future.

I leave Bangladesh with many compelling images and stories. This is a people with virtually nothing permanent in their lives, and yet they recognize the importance of educating their daughters and sons.

This was eloquently summed up during the team celebration by a well-known local professor, who shared his interpretation of the tale of the genie in the bottle:

"Now, how is it that this genie could grant any wish, and yet he could not get himself out of the bottle?  What was it that was missing in the bottle that thwarted his powers? I will tell you. It is light. Light is the power. Once in the light, the genie was capable of anything. Education is like the light. With it, one can do everything. Bangladesh can do everything with education."

"Boat to Read," "Read and Run," and the magic light of education.  I leave Bangladesh a happy man.

Room to Read Bangladesh was established in July 2008, and in two years, over 150 libraries have been established and 234 girls are participating in the Girls’ Education program.

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.