Room to Read Blog

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.

 

In Observance of World AIDS Day: Introducing An Unlikely Heroine for Children in South Africa

World AIDS Day was established by the World Health Organization in 1988 to raise awareness of a disease that has devastated generations worldwide. Every December 1, as we observe this solemn day, it’s hard not to be completely overwhelmed by the staggering statistics: 1.8 million deaths from AIDS in 2009; 2.5 million children worldwide infected with AIDS, and 30 child deaths from AIDS every hour. Of those infected by the disease, nine of every 10 live in Sub-Saharan Africa.

And while the numbers are daunting, one little hero is making a big difference to children in South Africa whose lives have been shattered by this ravaging epidemic. Her name is Thandi, and though she doesn’t have the notoriety or spell-casting powers of Harry Potter, her story is very powerful and has brought hope and comfort to some of the millions children who are ill or have lost one or both parents to AIDS.

Thandi is the heroine of a series of books produced by Catherine Groenewald and Room to Read’s Local Language Publishing program in South Africa. Thandi made her debut in I Could be Anywhere, written by Groenewald in 2004 after working with her friend, Sarah Oosthuizen, to establish a women’s sewing collective for an impoverished community in South Africa.  The local women learned sewing skills by making ragdolls, named Nosipho dolls, from scraps of material. It was here Groenewald and Oosthuizen met Gogo, a grandmother who was the sole bread winner for a large family in a community ravaged by HIV/AIDS, TB, poverty, illiteracy, teenage pregnancies and alcohol abuse. Groenewald remembers, “Forming a friendship with her, and seeing her daily life, the children around her and her personal struggles, made me want to tell her story.” 

In I Could Be Anywhere, Thandi, an orphan who has lost both of her parents to AIDS, moves in with her grandmother, Gogo, and together they make a doll named Nosipho from the scraps of Thandi’s deceased parents’ clothing. Through Nosipho, Thandi finds comfort and healing, and the two become inseparable. The second Thandi book, Nosipho Comes to Stay, written by Oosthuizen and illustrated by Groenewald, was published by Room to Read in 2007, translated into 11 South African languages, and distributed to Room to Read libraries throughout South Africa. 

Groenewald later produced three more books in the Nosipho series, two of which are Room to Read publications: Jingle-jingle in My Pocket, published in 2009, and The Big Secret, to be published by the end of 2010.
In addition to having the books about Thandi in our libraries, Room to Read South Africa partnered with two local non-profit organizations, ABC Stories and Siphosenkosi, to have the books and handmade dolls distributed to orphanages and children’s clinics throughout the country. Groenewald notes, “While speaking to a doctor, who works for Kidz Positive, an HIV/AIDS Clinic in Kayalitsha, Cape Town, I was struck by the huge burden HIV-positive children bear. They feel they must keep their status secret for fear of family scorn, reprisals and rejection by a sometimes uncompassionate community. The Clinic Sisters and counselors comfort and counsel these children - hopefully with the doll (as a tangible comfort) and book (gentle education about the truth) these children feel heard and less burdened.”

We all anxiously await the day we can close the book on the tragedy of AIDS, but until that day, we’re honored to be part of an effort bringing some comfort to children coping with extreme loss and sadness.  

Meet Thandi personally by reading Jingle-jingle in my Pocket via Scibd (and also check out Scribd's Read for a Cause promotion benefitting Room to Read).

Visit our website to learn more about our Local Language Publishing program.  

 

Finding Miss Gilchrist: Guest Blog from South Africa

Lisa Ellis, Room to Read Director of New Country Operations, visited our staff and projects in South Africa last week and met a teacher who personifies the values of Room to Read -- dedication to students and a love of learning.

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One of the most motivating teachers I ever had was my third grade teacher, Miss Gilchrist. She not only made learning fun and interesting by using pictures, books, and other materials in the classroom, but she very obviously loved teaching, and learning as well.  Her enthusiasm was inspiring as it was infectious -- even to an eight-year-old.

Imagine my happy surprise when I found a carbon copy of Miss Gilchrist teaching in a poor, rural primary school in the Eastern Cape, where Room to Read South Africa got its start. I was visiting the area last week for various meetings, but the highlight of the trip was a visit to one of our schools.

The road to the small village was dotted with cows and goats grazing on the hillside and near the road. We turned off the main road and travelled a few kilometers down a winding, pot-hole filled dirt road. Our destination was Makhazi Primary School whose student body included approximately 300 children and whose staff included an amazing teacher, Mrs. Vuyiswa Dlephu.

 Mrs. Dlephu had been trained as a librarian by Room to Read staff in 2007. She spoke passionately about all of the things she had added to the library since it first opened, such as  a corner section with current newspapers and magazines,  and a room filled with artwork made by the children and local posters about hygiene.  She described the assistance she gave the other teachers on how to test the children on what they learned from the books and other materials in the library.  Room to Read had not just found a teacher to train as a librarian, but we had presented a motivated teacher with the resources and professional development  to inspire her entire school -- teachers and students alike.

When I asked her how long she had been teaching, Mrs. Dlephu proudly told me 20 years -- it’s the only job she’s ever had.  She explained that while she had received her teaching diploma years and years ago, she had only recently finished her bachelor’s degree in education. She was then pleased to tell me she had just applied for a master’s program and planned to do her research thesis on needed improvements to the education system, especially as it relates to her community.

With a big smile on her face, she said, “I want to be a role model for my children and for all the children who have been through this school.  You can never stop learning!”  She went on to say, “I have always been a teacher and I always will be, no matter how much education I get. I will never leave this community!” 

I left that school hoping that the community realized what a tremendous, encouraging, motivating, and committed teacher they had in Mrs. Dlephu, the Miss Gilchrist of South Africa.

Read more about our work in South Africa on our website.

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.

Guest Blog from South Africa: 67 Minutes...in honor of Nelson Mandela

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
-- Nelson Mandela

The United Nations declared July 18 as Nelson Mandela International Day. This day marks not just the birthday of the man who inspired a nation to make fundamental changes in ethnic inclusion and acceptance, but also, at the request of Mandela himself, a day for good to be done. As we celebrate Mandela’s 92nd birthday, we join our South African neighbors who have committed to spend a minimum of 67 minutes, a minute for every year Mandela served in politics, to make a positive change in the world. Read a book to a child. Spend time with an elderly person or clean up a nearby park. No effort is too small, and the sum can be world-changing.

Chris Mothupi, Room to Read's Country Director in South Africa, grew up during South Africa's apartheid and remembers how “the man behind bars” changed his country and the world. Our thanks to Chris and Wilfredo Pascual, our Local Language Publishing Global Program Officer, for collaborating on this post.

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Long before he understood there was something wrong with the way things were, Chris Mothupi heard stories about “the man behind bars.” Chris grew up in rural South Africa and understood very little about how people were treated differently. He had only brief contact with white people during those days, other than their monthly visits to check on the cattle.

His mother worked as a housekeeper in Johannesburg, and sometimes during holidays, Chris would be allowed to visit her. It was on one of those visits when he saw the big houses in the city for the first time. He was never allowed to go inside -- but he knew the people inside the house lived differently. He was also told to be quiet in front of them and to try not to speak.
 
Chris’ mother worked for several employers, some of whom treated her well. One of them, the son of the owner, even asked to see Chris’ report card and, upon learning that he was doing well in school, offered to pay Chris’ school fees.

It was the mid-seventies, and already the riots had started. Chris heard of the violent student protests against the teaching of Afrikaans instead of their mother tongue. Students were fleeing to rural areas, and suddenly Chris’ world was connected to national unrest. Less than a year later, his mother told him that the owner had ordered his son to stop paying for Chris’ school.

Determined to continue to study, Chris tried to help save money by working as a caddy in a golf club. One day, the police saw him counting his money and asked him where he got it. He explained that he worked hard, but they did not listen and took it away. To this day he can still remember the words of the policeman, "I can break you.”  With an anger burning inside him, it suddenly became very clear to Chris why Mandela was behind bars.

Chris was a teacher in his mid-twenties when he heard that the government was considering releasing Mandela on the condition that he should denounce violence. Mandela said that he did not even have the means to talk to his people behind bars, and that if they were going to release him, it had to be without conditions. Apartheid was losing favor with some in government, and one official was quoted (and later admonished) as saying that someday South Africa might have a black president. 

The day of Mandela’s release is very clear in Chris’ memory. He was hurriedly driving back to Pretoria after visiting his mother, and by the time he got to the townships, crowds of people were already glued to their TVs and radios. The atmosphere was festive, and it was then that Chris first saw the man whose stories he had heard of growing up. “Freedom was coming,” Chris thought. 

The first time he saw Mandela in person was at a large rally. Though he could only see him from afar, Chris remembers well what the man said. He wanted everybody to be equal --  black and white.  He also said that children must go to school and learn. How can you have freedom if you do not have education, Mandela asked everybody.

A decade later, South Africa has come a long way, and yet there is still a lot of work to be done. For Chris, Mandela has done his part. He left lasting legacies to the people, and, for Chris, one of the most important is how the man who was imprisoned for 27 years taught them the value of “perseverance.”
 
“We now have to do our part,” Chris says.

Since 2006, Room to Read South Africa has established over 200 libraries and published more than 25 children’s books in several local languages. However, over 80% of South African children still do not have a library in their community. To learn more about Room to Read’s work in South Africa, click here.

We’re Already a Winner on South Africa’s Pitch

Today, the eyes of the world are upon South Africa as football (soccer) fans descend on the country for the kickoff of the 2010 FIFA World Cup competition. It’s the first time this worldwide sporting event has been hosted by an African nation, so it’s a big deal! We’d also be remiss if we didn’t offer our congratulations to the people of South Africa, especially our Room to Read South Africa team whom we hope can enjoy some of the festivities!
 
But, there are other – smaller varieties – of competitions that happen around South Africa and in honor of the World Cup, we wanted to share our own “competition” story. This one, however, is not about who takes home a coveted trophy but about who wins the battle for the best school library.

Just a few weeks ago, over 300 people in the Mpumalange province – an agricultural region located far and away from the urban landscapes of Johannesburg and Cape Town – gathered at an awards ceremony hosted by the provincial Department of Education to recognize the achievements of several local school libraries.

The government surveyed more than 200 schools in the province to present awards in categories such as “Best Improved Library,” “Best Library Monitor,” and “Best Librarian.” It’s an annual presentation by the Department of Education to support and promote the utilization of local libraries by children, families and the community at large.

Room to Read was thrilled to learn that many of the schools honored at the event have active Reading Rooms that were established by Room to Read. Even more exciting was news that two schools – Kennen Primary School (supported by Sterling Brands) and Ehlanzeni Siyakhula – scooped up the award for “School Library of the Year” in their respective regions.

Teachers and students around South Africa who now have a library thanks to Room to Read have been sending us their words of thanks. Miss Prudence Ntimba, a librarian and teacher, commented, “Our school is located in a remote area…there is a high illiteracy level in our community. Room to Read provided us with books and library furniture and we are very grateful. My students can now read with confidence in front of other students and their self-esteem has improved. Thank you for making me realize my dream to bring something good for my community.”

Talk about more feathers to add to South Africa’s cap!

For more information about Room to Read in South Africa, click here.

Miss Library: A Special Poem from South Africa By Mr. Poet

We posted this poem to our quarterly eNewsletter but it was too good -- so we had to post it here as well!  The following was  written by “Mr. Poet,” a student and frequent visitor to a Room to Read library in East London South Africa. 

Miss Library

Miss Library, you are the quiet lady full of respect and dignity.

You attend to people who take time to seek information and never get disappointed.

Your shelves are full of books filled with knowledge, inspirational information and amusement.

Through you I shared in the ideas of very important people like William Shakespeare and Gcina Mhlophe.

The dinosaurs became extinct before our time but you kept record of them and make them alive to us.

Anytime I visit you seeking knowledge, I depart more powerful which confirms the saying ‘knowledge is power.'

When I seek a good story, she leaves me inspired. Oh Miss Library you are one of a kind.

You are a mother of all nations.

You feed the nations with knowledge and wisdom.

Feed us.

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To learn more about our Reading Room program, click here.

To sign up for our Quarterly eNewsletter, click here.

Meet Dr. Sindiwe Magona, One of Our Local Authors from South Africa and Voted Top 10 Best African Women Writers

Kim Morton, a recent addition to the Room to Read board of directors, just returned from South Africa and Zambia where she was able to witness Room to Read's programs and impact first-hand.

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South African writer Dr. Sindiwe Magona thinks African children need more stories about naughty girls and boys that can cook. And she should know! She's been voted Top 100 Best African writers and and Top 10 Best African Women writers. She's written over 100 children's books in all 11 of South Africa's official languages. Dr. Magona believes that if you want children to read, you must write exciting books, wild stories, fables, and mysteries.

Last week, when I sat down to talk with Dr. Magona in Johannesburg, she was intense and focused on the dire situation South African children find themselves in today. Grinding poverty, illiteracy, prevalent HIV/AIDS, and orphaned children are the daily reality. Twenty-eight percent of pregnant women (2007) were living with HIV, perpetuating the cycle of sickness for another generation. But, last week as I toured rural and urban South African schools and visited Room to Read's libraries, I saw real hope amidst these tough circumstances. Children love the refuge of their bright colorful books, they engage in their Room to Read libraries whose shelves hold Xhosa and Setswana stories like Dr. Magona's, and several of our libraries have dedicated librarians with time built into the curriculum to visit the library, be read to, play word games and even check a book out to take home. Think of the pride a child feels taking home a book and reading to an illiterate parent or grandparent.

Dr. Magona points out that in several different African languages, the word for a person who cannot read is "blind". "We can make a breakthrough!" she promises. "Right now our South Aftrican children are crawling while the rest of the world runs! If we make books interesting for kids, and we write them in their mother tongue, children will develop a love and a habit of reading." Room to Read agrees, and is fortunate to collaborate with Dr. Magona's vast expertise in children's literacy. She serves on Room to Read's Book Selection Committee, she helps to train aspiring young writers in South Africa, and she has served as a Judge for Room to Read's writing competitions which often receive hundreds of submissions in all South Africa's official languages. The winners of the competition are published by Room to Read and are then placed in Room to Read's libraries across South Africa so young children can read exciting books about their own cultures in their own languages.

"We are all born with  our hands tightly fisted, " says Dr. Magona. "That is where the Maker, the Universe places the talents we come bearing to the world. And it is only by using these talents that we can leave the world a better place than we found it. So do your bit. Sing if you must; Write if you must; but do your bit to make the world a better place."

To learn more about our programs in South Africa, click here.

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