Room to Read Blog

Giving Girls a Voice

Today, 25,000 girls got married. All of them were under 18 and most had no say in when or who they would marry. The overwhelming majority will drop out of school if they haven’t already. This is not acceptable.

Early marriage and pregnancy among teenage girls is common in developing countries—a product of tradition, economic scarcity, lack of opportunity and deeply-rooted gender bias. As Global Director for Girls’ Education at Room to Read, I have witnessed firsthand how early marriage and pregnancy affect the lives of teenage girls in places like Nepal, Bangladesh and Zambia, further limiting their options in communities where the roles for women are already extremely circumscribed.

Studies have shown education to be the single most important predictor of age at marriage, a number that can mean the difference between life and death. According to research done by the International Center for Research on Women, pregnancy (often preceded by early marriage) is the leading cause of death for young women between the ages of 15 and 19 worldwide. By missing out on the completion of their formal education, many young brides lack the knowledge of how early pregnancy affects their health, when and how to obtain medical care, and the emotional maturity to actually seek it—skills more likely to be developed during adolescence.

Through our work in girls’ education, Room to Read provides support for girls at their most vulnerable phase—in the transition to adulthood—so that they can reach key milestones like marriage and pregnancy later in life and from a more powerful place. We also work with families, communities, and schools to foster a more empowering environment.

I have seen what happens when a girl from a disadvantaged background is supported to stay in school and develop the skills she needs to make informed choices.  The results are truly transformational.

As girls build confidence and academic success, it is not only those around them that begin to recognize their worth. The girls themselves develop the confidence to see a broader set of options for their lives and the agency needed to build a brighter future.

One of my favorite examples is Esther, a student from a very rural region in Zambia where teenage pregnancy is widespread. She told me when we met that she wants to be a lawyer and motivational speaker. Esther’s experience in secondary school combined with the life skills training she has received from Room to Read have given her the confidence to stand up for her own right to education and to advocate for the other girls in her community.

When she is out of school and on breaks, Esther goes back to her village—quite a distance from her boarding school—and talks to her friends about their futures. Most of her contemporaries did not make it to high school and many are at high risk for early marriage. “I tell them not to just go with marriage but to think creatively about their options—there is no rush!” she counsels. Esther’s friends listen to her, she says, and she is proud to help them expand their thinking. It seems to me that Esther need only work on the law degree, as her career in motivational speaking is already in full swing!

Esther’s story is a perfect example of the potential that is unleashed when a girl is afforded the opportunity to stay in school and develop her own voice. While early marriage and pregnancy manifest differently depending on regional, class, and cultural contexts, the crippling effect they have on the lives, health, and livelihoods of millions of women across the world is unquestionable. It is incumbent upon the international community to stand alongside girls and young women on this issue that is so widespread and gender-specific. If we provide support and a platform to Esther and the hundreds and thousands of girls like her, then together we will turn the tide on the practice of early marriage within our lifetimes.

Statistics featured in this piece were taken from resources provided by the International Center for Research on Women. 

This blog post was originally published by The Huffington Post on November 2, 2012. 

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.

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 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.

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.

Guest Blog from Board Director: Room to Read's Numbers Tell the Story

Craig Bruya, former CFO of Microsoft Business Solutions and audit manager with Arthur Andersen & Co, and now a professional philanthropist, has been actively involved with Room to Read since 2002 and joined the Board of Directors in 2008. From the perspective of both an investor and a board member, Craig shares his thoughts as to why numbers matter, how Room to Read is getting it right -- and how the world seems to be finding out about it.

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In 2002, when I was first approached by John Wood, a former colleague at Microsoft, to get involved with helping to develop a financial model for Room to Read, I did what every self-professed number-cruncher does: I reviewed their financial statements, budgets and five-year plan.  Eight years later, I find myself happily ensconced on the board of an organization that has grown exponentially, both in revenue and results.

As the head of the Audit Committee, I work closely with Room to Read CFO, Joanne Chou, and her skilled staff of finance and accounting experts, and with pencils sharpened, we continue to refine and improve procedures to keep our efficiency level extremely high. Apparently it’s working, and word is getting out.

Last week, Barron’s, a publication targeted for a financially-sophisticated audience, included Room to Read in their second annual “25 Top Givers” list. This list calls out individuals and organizations that get big results from their donation dollars and this year, includes the standard heavy hitters of philanthropy with Bill Gates, Jr. at #1, Bill Clinton at #8 and Oprah Winfrey at #21. And, I am proud that among that list is John Wood/Room to Read at #9, up two positions from last year -- and one of the only on the list that didn’t start out as a billionaire or celebrity-led endeavor.

We also learned last week that we had qualified for membership in a very elite group in having been awarded Charity Navigator’s four-star (the highest) rating for sound fiscal management for a fifth consecutive year.  Only 6% of their rated charities can claim this five-year streak. Charity Navigator is the recognized report card for U.S. charities, and each year, 5,500 nonprofits are evaluated on various criteria, including levels of overhead, direct program spending and program results.

So what exactly do these honors mean? Simply put, they mean that Room to Read has developed a formula for growth and efficiency that is rarely seen in the nonprofit (or even for-profit) world. That formula, which includes innovative thinking, transparency, diversified funding and planned growth, attracts investments from business giants such as Credit Suisse and Barclays Capital and Goldman Sachs, as well as individuals looking for a philanthropic partner who can take their dollars and turn them into a tool to change the lives of children. Investors know they can trust Room to Read -– which is why, in an economy that is challenging at best, Room to Read managed to grow its revenue by over 20% last year and is on target to do the same in 2010!  As an accountant, I love to see great revenue growth, but as an investor I take greater comfort knowing that we are helping many more children gain the lifelong gift of literacy.

What’s Room to Read’s secret? That’s just it –- we don’t have secrets. One of our core beliefs is transparency, which means that all the books are on the table –- data about donation totals, project expenses and program results are updated regularly and made available to all of our key stake holders, including staff, board, volunteers, donors and potential donors.

Of course, it helps when you have good data to report, which, in general, we do. Thanks to our “cheap and cheerful” mantra, more than 80 cents of every dollar is funneled directly into our program work. That being said, we don’t believe in being penny-wise but pound-foolish. Room to Read invests in the necessary infrastructure that allows our worldwide team to excel at their work. It costs money to build accounting systems and donor management systems and to monitor and evaluate our programs to make sure that they are cost effective and getting the desired results. We work hard to strike a careful balance between donation efficiency and infrastructure investment.

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Bangladesh, India, Zambia and South Africa to see our programs at work. It is one thing to be impressed with our numbers and to be happy that we are a well-managed organization, but it is a very different thing to see donor dollars in action. The children are thrilled to be learning -- and they are sharing their new-found knowledge with their families. The experience was life-changing, and my commitment to the organization has never been greater. I know of no investment with greater return than that of educating a child.

Read more about Room to Read's recent honors on our website. And, consider giving a unique gift this season through our Room to Read’s Holiday Gift Catalog where your gift can help share education with children in Asia and Africa. Plus, through the end of December, all online donations will be matched 100% up to $500,000. 

 

Guest blog from Financial Times CEO John Ridding: Snapshot from Cambodia

John Ridding, Financial Times CEO and Room to Read Board Member, recently visited our projects in Cambodia and Sri Lanka. In the following guest blog, John shares the memorable evening he had in Siem Reap at the 10 Year Anniversary celebration planned by Room to Read Cambodia.

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The Room to Read tenth anniversary ceremony in Siem Reap was a grand affair -- traditional Khmer dancing, a line of provincial officials listening stiff-backed to the national anthem and a succession of speeches, culminating with the local governor. But all were upstaged by the star of the show -- a diminutive schoolgirl who stepped up with a confidence beyond her years to tell her story.

Hawai, the eldest of eight siblings, had been deprived of schooling because of poverty and an alcoholic father. It seemed an unhappily common story in Cambodia. Earlier that day, we had seen a schoolyard play in which a drunken dad was the villain and the reason why his children were not being educated. It struck a chord with the village children, who watched intently, and it hit a nerve with some of the dads looking nervously towards the grassy stage.

In Hawai’s case, the story had a happy ending. Granted a spot in Room to Read's Girl’s Education program, she became a top student. So impressed was her father, that he quit drinking and became a Buddhist priest. Her other siblings are attending school, or waiting to attend. Hawai is aiming for university and wants to work for Room to Read. With the confidence and energy she displayed, there’s every chance she’ll succeed in her ambitions.

It was a moving story and a reminder for all of us that, beyond the metrics and statistics that Room to Read rightly uses to measure and challenge itself -- and which are a significant factor in the support of donors and the Financial Times -- the real meaning of the movement is the children who benefit.

I was fortunate this trip to be able to see projects in both Sri Lanka and Cambodia. And the two abiding impressions that stand out from the myriad of memories we brought back were the infectious enthusiasm of the children, matched only by the enthusiasm and dedication of the Room to Read teams.

Whether it was the dramatization of Sumudi’s Dance, one of the many titles from the burgeoning Sri Lankan local language publishing operation -- performed with style, grace, and spectacular self-made animal costumes by a troupe of schoolgirls -- or the progress reports delivered enthusiastically from the local staff, or the outstanding exhibition arranged by the Cambodia team, the quality and creativity of the work on the ground in each country shone through.

It was a once in a lifetime experience. And it was unforgettable to see how so many lives will be transformed and improved because of Room to Read.

The Financial Times selected Room to Read as the beneficiary of its 2009 seasonal appeal, which included several compelling feature stories and generated over $4.3 million in donations from corporations and individuals.

Please also continue to help us promote literacy this month:

TWEET out the International Literacy Day tweet.
INVEST in the publication of a new children's book for South Africa.

 

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.

Spare a Tweet on International Literacy Day? Because If You Can't Read, You Can't Tweet!

Let’s face it -- most of us take reading for granted. As we sip our first cup of coffee on most mornings, we check out our favorite blogs, we read the newspaper, and we tweet something clever to the social media universe. But for 776 million people around the world, reading is a skill yet to be mastered and literacy is a concept that remains out of reach.

To remind us all of the importance of literacy, UNESCO declared September 8 as International Literacy Day and today, Twitter and Room to Read have partnered to spread awareness of this important day using the power of social media.

The unique social media campaign was launched this morning on Twitter’s Hope 140 website.  Along with Twitter, we’re spreading an illegible tweet --  symbolizing how every sentence looks to the  millions of people worldwide who cannot read. Users are able to decode or “read” this indecipherable tweet and also tweet out the message through www.hope140.org/literacy-day to spread the word about the importance of reading and literacy.

“We see this viral campaign as a way to draw attention to the problem of illiteracy and raise awareness for an organization that’s actually doing something about it,” said Biz Stone (@biz), co-founder of Twitter.

Beyond tweeting, Hope 140 also offers visitors other ways to directly promote literacy in the developing world. In a special campaign through the month of September, supporters will have the opportunity to invest in the publication of one of Room to Read’s locally published books for children in South Africa. The book is an original early reader story called “Unjani?” or “How Are You?” written in Xhosa and English. All donations will be matched up to $25,000, and the book will be dedicated to all our social media mavens out there. We can’t wait to show off the final product via Twitter, so donate today!

Another way to support Room to Read, for the over-21 crowd, is by purchasing Fledgling Wine, produced by Twitter and Crushpad Winery. Five dollars from the sale of every purchase of the Chardonnay and Pinot will benefit Room to Read’s literacy programs in India.

On behalf of the entire Room to Read family, Happy International Literacy Day -- we appreciate all your help to do something about it and spread the word!

See all the links below for the quick ways you can help:

TWEET out the International Literacy Day tweet.
POST the tweet as your Facebook status and join our awareness fan page.
INVEST in the publication of a new children's book for South Africa.
LEARN more about this initiative through the press release.

Room to Read Profiled on CBS Evening News: Literacy in Developing World

Last Friday, CBS Evening News, anchored by Katie Couric and watched nightly by 7 million U.S. viewers, aired a fabulous segment on Room to Read and our Local Language Publishing program.  This marks the first time a major U.S. network television news program has covered a specific Room to Read program and its significance cannot be overstated.

In March of this year, CBS producers traveled to India to meet with the local author, Manju Gupta, and illustrator, Mehul Navodit, who collaborated on the Room to Read title, Machho’s Ocean Journey. Their inspiring stories were included in the segment showcasing Room to Read India’s efforts to cultivate local talent to create age-appropriate and culturally-relevant children’s books published through our Local Language Publishing program. The story follows Manju and Mehul into their homes and through their creative processes as they work on new Room to Read manuscripts and illustrations.

"Drawing makes me enjoy that kid in me," Mehul said in the piece.  "To see your work got published, you feel a lot of confidence -- like what you are doing is actually good.” 

Manju agreed.  "When I write on my own... It's my soul which is giving out,” said Manju.  “My potential has been made use of for the right purpose. It's the best thing."

We hope you have a chance to read and watch this story that captures the powerful impact Room to Read’s Local Language Publishing program is having on the lives of not just the children, but also on the hundreds of authors and illustrators in the developing world that now have the opportunity, thanks to Room to Read, to share their talents with their local communities and in their local language.

WATCH the CBS video story here.

READ the CBS online story here.

To learn more about our Local Language publishing program, click here.