Room to Read Blog

Guest Blog from CEO Erin Ganju: A Call for Advocacy on International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day, celebrated annually on March 8, not only provides an opportunity for all women to celebrate the progress we have made, but also a moment to stop and reflect on how we may ensure that the next generation of women are empowered to reach their full potential.

Despite the substantial advancements in many countries, some very sobering statistics remain. Of the 793 million illiterate people in the world, two-thirds are female. And although there has been a worldwide increase in the enrollment of girls in primary schools, there remains a substantial gender gap at the secondary level. This is particularly true in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, where—according to a World Development Report—there were only 66 female tertiary students for every 100 male students.

It is widely known that educating girls is one of the most powerful and effective ways to address global poverty, but the barriers to education facing girls in the developing world go far beyond simple economics. Girls are often tapped to help in the home, including several hours of housework and sibling care before and after school, and parents may be reluctant to allow their daughters to trek the lengthy distances to school. Cultural bias only compounds these issues.

One of the most powerful ways to support girls to overcome these barriers is by acting as advocates. At Room to Read, our advocacy efforts include enlisting family support, engaging with governments and communities, and providing life skills workshops for girls. We also employ social mobilizers, women who serve as role models and counselors, and help girls navigate their individual journeys.

The power of advocacy is clear in stories like that of Suma Tharu, one of our Girls' Education scholars who was invited to perform at this week's Women in the World Summit, hosted by The Daily Beast and Newsweek in New York City. Such an invitation would no doubt have been unimaginable to Suma as a young girl trapped as an indentured servant in Nepal’s illegal Kamlari system, but today she stands as a thriving example of what a quality education and a lot of determination can yield. At 19, Suma is expected to complete secondary school in March 2014, and has plans to become an advocate herself.

Despite all the challenges that Suma has faced, her thoughts are focused on the needs of other girls. At this week’s summit, Suma will share with the world a song she wrote about the challenges faced by girls in the Kamlari system—giving a voice to a community whose struggles are often overlooked. We first heard Suma's song when she shared it with the producers of 10x10, a feature film and social action campaign aimed at highlighting the stories of 10 girls from 10 countries as they struggle to earn an education. When she returns to Nepal, Suma plans to become a health teacher, so that she may educate and empower other young girls.

The need for advocacy is not limited to girls and women in developing countries.  In 1950, only one-third of working-age women in America had a paid job, a figure that has now been doubled. Despite this incredible advancement however, women still represent less than 15 percent of corporate executives and board members at top companies. More alarmingly, only three percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are women.

Although there are undoubtedly numerous contributory factors inherent in such inequalities, a recent study revealed that one of the key issues for women as they seek to advance in business is a lack of senior executives who would advocate for them; someone who could help navigate the internal politics in companies. Men were much more likely to have such an advocate to help guide and facilitate their advancement.

So on International Women’s Day, let us all look toward ways to advocate for girls and women—those in our personal lives, professional networks or in the world at large. Perhaps Suma’s courage can guide and inspire us, an extraordinary example that no matter what challenges we may be faced with, there may still be room in our lives to advocate for another.

Watch the live stream of Suma's performance in New York today at 6:30 PM EST or Saturday, March 10 at 11:00 AM EST, and find out how you can support girls like her across the developing world on our website.

This blog post was adapted from International Women's Day: Advancing the Next Generation of Gals, originally published by the Huffington Post on March 8, 2012.

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 Laos: Looking Ahead to the Next Five Years

On a recent trip to Laos, our Regional Director for Asia, Jon Beaulieu, signed a five-year agreement with the government of Laos to extend our programs there. He shares his thoughts on the experience, as well as our work in the country so far in a guest post from the field.

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Last February, I went to Laos to meet with our team on the ground there to discuss Room to Read’s Global Strategy and how it can be localized to further our partnership with the government. The goal was to find ways to make a bigger impact in the country, and the government, which is currently encouraging growth through private sector investment, was enthusiastic from the start.

What began as months of strategic planning between our local team and the Ministriy of Education, became an official Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed into effect on July 28, outlining the next five years of our partnership.

It was an incredible experience working closely with the various government entities and teams on the ground to come to a consensus about our goals for the next five years, with the best interest of the children of Laos at the forefront of our discussions.

The new MoU outlines our programs and targets over the next five years, including establishing 500 libraries, building 150 schools, publishing 75 new Lao-language children’s books, and supporting the holistic education of an additional 1,500 girls.

In addition to those very specific targets, Room to read will focus on maximizing the sustainability of our investments in Laos. By partnering with communities and the government, we seek to ensure continued quality and long-term success for our programs in the country, including the 851 libraries and 172 schools we established in Room to Read Laos’ first five years of operation.

Read more about our programs in Laos.

 

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.

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.

Guest Blog from Bangladesh: Traveling by Van, Boat and Foot to See Education in Action



Last week, Room to Read held its annual Country Management Conference (CMC) in Bangladesh. The CMC is a time when Room to Read’s senior staff from our country, regional and global offices get together to share, learn, provide input and make decisions on important strategic and operational matters facing the organization and make plans for the year(s) ahead. Pierre Towns, Room to Read’s Chief Talent Officer, attending this year’s CMC for the first time and sent us his thoughts on the experience.

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The hallways and common areas of our hotel in Dhaka, Bangladesh, were filled with excitement and anticipation of the week ahead. As we gathered in the meeting room, I admit I felt a little jealous as I watched old friends and colleagues renew acquaintances and reminisce about old times at Room to Read. However, as with most Room to Read gatherings, it didn’t take long for celebrations and a festive atmosphere to break out—even during panel discussions. 

 
As I surveyed the composition of my new colleagues, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the mosaic of ethnicities, nationalities, attires and cultures. I have worked in international companies most of my career, but this is the first international organization where the leadership is truly international. It is an extraordinary and uplifting sight that I can already tell is a real asset for our organization.

The energy, participation and commitment to our work was exemplified by our sleepless schedule which included working weekends and attending early morning, dinner and late night side bar meetings. Luckily, after three days confined to our meeting room, we had the opportunity to visit our Bangladesh projects to see the work for ourselves! I chose to see our Girls’ Education program in Dogachi Chor, one of the most remote chars (sandbar island) in Sirajganj Sadar. Eighteen girls from this char go to three different schools and if you can believe it, their only means of transportation is by boat—some of them travel several hours a day to attend school.

For us to reach Dogachi, we traveled four hours—first by van, then boat and finally by foot. The drive from the city to the distant Jamuna River was both harrowing and exhilarating! The busy streets were filled with transportation modes of every type: livestock, domestic animals, and people of every hue. Their colorful dress combined with the activity on the crowded street formed a collage of machine and humanity.

After a few hours of driving, the noise and activity succumbed to a lush, tropical and tranquil countryside accented by rice patties, wheat fields, a mixture of palm and hardwood trees, makeshift huts and dwellings, and the occasional roadside commercial establishment. It is as though we traveled back in time to a simpler and less hectic life. Out the van window I could see clay bricks being pulverized by man and hammer to form every size of gravel imaginable; wheat being cut in the fields by hand using a sickle, then separated from the shaft by makeshift bamboo pitchforks and man as it is tossed into the air; people bathing in the river and lumber being milled by hand. As I observed the people go about their day, I couldn’t help reflecting on how difficult their existence seems to me yet how determined, prideful and unaffected they were as they went about their chores. 

By 6:30am, we had already been on the road a few hours and the initial van chatter died down and the quiet interrupted only by a cell phone ringing or a snore from a napping colleague. Determined to see everything, I stayed awake!   

At the Jamuna River we left the van to take the naota (small wooden boat) to Dogachi Chor. With four of my colleagues I boarded the naota and settled in for the 40-minute trip to the river island, trying to enjoy the breeze, sights and sounds while watching our boat’s first mate bailing water out of the boat! I did a quick check for the nearest life preserver.   

After arriving safely on the island, we braved the 35 degree centigrade (95º F) temperature and stifling humidity as we walked through sesame and jute fields on the way to the village.  At last we arrived and were greeted with flowers by the villagers and the girls who are supported through our Girls’ Education program. With a “welcome” coconut to sip in my hand, we were treated to a dramatic performance of “The Tale of Two Girls,” a musical produced by some of Room to Read’s Bangladesh staff. The play, performed not only for us but in front of most of the village, was about two girls born into the same challenging circumstances and how each of their lives took different directions because one received an education and one did not. Following the performance, we had the opportunity to visit with the girls and share questions and experiences. 

 As we strolled back to the river through the sesame fields, all of the effort, heat and harrowing transportation experiences became a distance memory, replaced instead by fond recollections of a very inspiring and motivated group of girls with ambitious plans for their future!

Now, as I write this, we are back in the Dhaka meeting room wrapping up the final days of the conference. But, thanks to a little village on a remote sandbar, in the middle of a river, and 18 Girls’ Education program superstars, all of us here approached our work with a renewed enthusiasm and commitment as we planned for 2012 and beyond!

Learn more about our programs in Bangladesh.

Room to Read Sends Message of Hope to Japan

Dear Friends,

On behalf of Room to Read's Board of Directors, and our worldwide staff and volunteers, we want to express our deepest, heartfelt sympathies to all those affected by the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The images of sorrow and destruction, coupled with the ongoing problems at multiple nuclear power plants, are both tragic and frightening. During these difficult times, please know that everyone at Room to Read is standing firmly behind the Japanese people who will undoubtedly rebuild their country with courage and determination. 

To support the humanitarian relief and reconstruction efforts, Room to Read will be making a donation from unrestricted funds to the Japanese Red Cross Society, which is now providing medical assistance at temporary centers housed in schools and public buildings. 

Room to Read was very involved in rebuilding the educational infrastructure in Sri Lanka following their tragedy in late 2004, and what most inspired us were the many families and communities who found ways to be resilient, and to eventually rebuild. Having traveled to Japan on many occasions, we both know that this same spirit and determination are key reasons why Japan is a great nation, and one of the world’s leading economies. We are confident that the country will, after a period of mourning, come together to aid and rebuild the communities that have been hit by this terrible tragedy.

As we gather this week for our annual Chapter Leadership Conference in San Francisco, we will bow our heads for a moment of silence to honor the victims and their families. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

With warmest regards,
John Wood and Erin Ganju

 

This message is also available in Japanese.  

Room to Read Celebrates International Women's Day Centennial (video message)

A century ago, women in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland celebrated the first International Women’s Day. On that day, over a million women and men in these countries came together with one voice to rally for women’s rights to vote, work and hold public office, and an end to gender discrimination. International Women’s Day, March 8, is now commemorated around the globe, and while full gender equality has yet to be achieved, women have taken huge strides in improving their position in the world.

Room to Read's mission is to help level the playing field for all children, no matter what race, gender, religion or social status by providing educational opportunities. Because two-thirds of the world’s illiterate population are women, we focus extra attention on making sure girls have a chance to become educated and literate within the countries where we work. Our Girls’ Education program currently includes over 10,000 girls in eight different countries in Asia and Africa. Together with local staff, community leaders and family members, Room to Read is building a critical network for each girl—one that will ensure she has a strong foundation in education upon which she can build her future.

Today, we send a special message of respect and appreciation to all the women in Room to Read’s network who work hand-in-hand with thousands of girls in their journeys to become educated young women.

  

Read Erin's International Women's Day-inspired op-ed "Equal Access to Education = Empowered Workforce" on CNBC.com. Learn more about our Girls’ Education program on our website.