Room to Read Blog

Students in Sri Lanka Make Headway by Taking Literacy Outside the Classroom

“When I was assigned to facilitate the pilot literacy programs in Wilgamuwa, I was little uneasy,” says Uppal Nandasiri, a senior teacher who has joined Room to Read’s Reading and Writing Instruction program in Sri Lanka as a field facilitator. “Literacy is a complex issue.”

When the program began, says Mr. Nandasiri, “less than 50 percent of children passed their O levels and about 22 percent failed in Sinhalese, which is their mother tongue.”

Reading and Writing Instruction in Sri Lanka began with a pilot group of 21 schools in Wilgamuwa. “The program made children think and use their imaginations,” says Mr. Nandasiri. “The previous curriculum was monotonous for young children who naturally have a short attention span.”

A short distance away, a group of primary school children sit very animatedly under the shade of a tree with their teacher, engrossed in the current lesson. One girl hops around like a rabbit using her fingers as ears. Another boy is down on all fours, roaring loudly. The rest of the class and the teacher split into laughter.

“We are acting out a lesson and each child is playing the part of an animal,” says the teacher, Sanjivini Jayathunga. With a giggle, eight-year-old Indica shares her part: “I am a puppy because I love dogs.” Her laughter, she says, was prompted by her “scene partner”, Raja, who forgot he was supposed to be a bear, roaring like a lion instead.

Sanjivini has been teaching for five years now and says the new methodology our program has taught her is much more engaging. “This is definitely is an easier way to get your students to learn and respond to the lesson.”

And it’s not just fun that makes the program worthwhile, she says. “Before we started this program, many of my students read with great difficulty...now almost every child here is an independent reader.” As if to prove her point, the teacher invites our team to call on any student in the class and have him or her read a passage. Sarath, an eager student whose hand went up immediately, does the honors.

He starts reading from a book called ‘Kuru Kuraga’ (Rumbling Tummy) his little finger tracing each word slowly.  The class is all ears and the teacher’s smile reflects her pride. As the story draws to a close, Sarath shares his view of the story’s moral, proving that his comprehension skills are on par with his reading.

“Standard school curriculums are usually a ‘one-fit-for-all’ module, and don’t take into consideration the difference in rural and urban schools” explains Mr. Nandasiri. “But this module is tuned to the needs of the children, and is supported by the storybooks, teaching aids and workbooks that are provided.”

Indica’s mother Sita, who has come to collect her from school, couldn’t agree more. “I am proud of Indica’s reading skills,” she says. “She is enjoying school like never before and I am very happy that the school is using methods that the children seem to enjoy.”

Learn more about our work in Sri Lanka.

A Record of Success for One Budding Librarian in Sri Lanka

Nine-year-old Dilshi loves the library at Hedunuwewa Primary School. Ever since Room to Read launched our School Library program there three years ago, she has been a regular, having read more than 240 of its 2,600 books.

At home, the books Dilshi read allowed her to explore new ideas and places, which made her think: with school so far away, there were others in her community that could not experience such joy.

This realization, coupled with her zealous love of reading, inspired Dilshi to create her own small library at home, and she immediately got started building her inventory.

Armed with a detailed checkout log and classification system, Dilshi runs her home library with the utmost efficiency. “I checked out 11 books to my friends and family during the school vacation last December,” she says, confirming the number with a glance at her register.

“Dilshi is my good friend," says Shachini, another fifth-grader from the school. "I went to see her home library and thought it was very beautiful.”

As word of Dilshi’s home library spread, she gained more and more patrons from the surrounding area—a fact, says her librarian, that is particularly important given the district’s remote, rural setting.

“Before Room to Read and Dilshi’s library,” says the librarian, “we had to take the primary school students to another school if we wanted them to see a library full of books.”

Our team in Sri Lanka, upon seeing the effects of Dilshi’s project, awarded her with a special literacy certificate recognizing the quality of her home library.

“I’m most impressed with the records she keeps,” says the principal of her school. It’s clear that the home library project is helping Dilshi develop more than just her literacy skills.

Learn more about our School Libraries and our work in Sri Lanka.

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

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

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

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

 Watch the videos on our website.

Guest Blog from Sri Lanka: Nelka's "Need to Read"

Recently, on a trip to visit our programs in Sri Lanka, our team had a chance encounter with Nelka, a young waitress who, as it turns out, knows a thing or two about Room to Read. Reena Luke, our communications manager for Asia, shares her impressions of the team’s meeting with Nelka in a guest post from the field.

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The A-9 highway is a busy truck route in Sri Lanka connecting Mannar in the northwest to the capital, Colombo. On most days, traffic is heavy and a sense of urgency abounds. Police stop vehicles at frequent intervals—checking papers and asking questions—reminding travelers that they are close to the “war zone” where scars are still fresh from dark days past.

Standing in stark contrast to the somber police checkpoints are lush green fields dotted with children on bicycles headed off to school.

Just past the 100 mile marker, our team spots a small hotel that seems the perfect place to stop for a cup of tea and a bite to eat.

Once inside, we are greeted by a young woman named Nelka, who rattles off the breakfast menu with impressive speed.

After serving our food, Nelka approaches our group and asks in perfect English whether we are tourists or on business.

“We’re here for work," shares one member of our group. “We help set up libraries in some of the schools here.”

“Well, you are not the first to do that here,” she counters without skipping a beat. “My school had a library built by an organization called Room to Read.”

At that, we point towards to the parking lot, where our van sits adorned with a Room to Read logo. Nelka squeals with delight, and immediately launches into the story of how she spent hours reading in the library at her school, and as a result, had become proficient in Sri Lanka’s three most prominent languages—Sinhala, Tamil and English. She spoke of the “tri-lingual” books she had enjoyed and the “need to read” they had helped to cultivate within her.

“I passed my A-levels a year ago with good marks,” she shares, adding that her voracious appetite for reading has only grown since graduation, thanks to weekly trips to her community's public library.

When the time comes to rejoin the traffic on the A-9 highway once again, we say goodbye to Nelka, but I can still see her in my rearview mirror as we pull away, waving vigorously. In that moment it occurrs to me that the traffic, the checkpoints and the long journey are all worth it, so long as more children like Nelka in this part of Sri Lanka that have seen such hard times, have a place to go where they can learn and play safely.

Learn more about our work establishing libraries, and about our programs in Sri Lanka.

 

Don't forget to help us spread the word this month about our campaigns for literacy!

Join our tweet campaign! Each RT will donate $1 to our literacy programs in Asia and Africa (up to $30,000) thanks to Random House, Inc. Click to Tweet!

 

Throughout September, all donations to our library programs will be matched up to $40,000 thanks to our partner, Better World Books. Click to donate.

On World Refugee Day: Finding Refuge in Sri Lanka Classrooms

Although the civil war in Sri Lanka recently ended between the government and the Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Eelam (aka Tamil Tigers), a return to normalcy for most families has yet to occur. Passage through to the north of Sri Lanka is heavily monitored and individuals need special government clearance just to visit the area. The road to the war-torn Mannar District in the Northern Province, where Room to Read has been invited to work, is freshly tarred and empty of traffic except for an odd military truck or a land rover. Police check-posts are replaced with military check-posts every 50 yards and the road is fenced on both sides with barbed wire, indicating that the areas beyond are still mine-ridden. This is the story of one recent visit to three schools in Mannar.

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The Tamil community here is tight-lipped and wary of strangers. Many of them still continue to stay in the guarded government-run "internally displaced people" camps ("IDP camps"), a stark indicator of their refugee status in their own country. Others have been allowed to return to their villages.

“The two main concerns for the people here are health and education. The priority for most families is to send their children back to school,” says Mary Matilda Pillai, the principal of a school in one local village in Mannar which will soon be receiving Room to Read’s support for classroom libraries.

Unlike earlier times when the Catholic Church or missionaries managed most schools, now all the schools in Sri Lanka are under the control of the government—which is actively encouraging children to go back to school but the lack of basic infrastructure and safe buildings poses a big challenge. As a result, many nonprofit agencies have been invited by the government to help contribute to school and educational system improvements.

Room to Read launched operations in Sri Lanka following the devastating tsunami in 2005. Last year, we moved into the war-torn Mannar District to work with 43 schools and local communities in three villages. Here, we are providing libraries, books and in some cases, building schools and classrooms.

At one local school, the staff and teachers are elated with the books they received from Room to Read this past January. The colorful books are all prominently displayed in a corner library where the children, for the first time, have story books in their own language. In fact, several students decided to spontaneously read their favorite stories aloud to show off their reading skills to our visiting staff.

“Before Room to Read gave us books we just had nine books in our library and the tragedy was, despite our children being able to read, they did not have access to any books!” says principal J. Wijeykumar. “Now both teachers and students are excited about taking books home and there is a noticeable improvement in their class work.”

“Scholastic books like ‘Seven Wonder’ and the ‘Magic School Bus’ has made teaching easy and interesting and I depend on some of these books to teach,” says the senior school English teacher. Adds the science teacher, “The community is happy with this facility because they realize that their children have a better future if they are educated.”

At another village school, the excitement is even more palpable. The children take us to a room where the new school furniture is stacked high and one student points to the pile and says animatedly, “Soon we will have a new classroom with new tables and chairs so we will not have to sit on the floor anymore!”

Their school principal, Mr. Robert Amalathasan explains, “Room to Read is supporting us at every step of this construction. After years of misfortune, the children have something to look forward to. We are going to make the best use of this opportunity and make this school a happy place for the kids.”

While students in these two schools are celebrating, at another nearby village, students and teachers are anxiously waiting for Room to Read to arrive. According to Patricia Ammal, a senior teacher, “This school was established in 1932 and was a thriving school until the war breached its walls. Today, the school looks more like a dilapidated military barrack and as a result, parents prefer to send their children to other schools."

But Ms. Ammal is optimistic that once they have a new library filled with child-friendly books in the local language, there will be a big change. Sharing her final thought, Ms. Ammal says, “Our hopes are now pinned on Room to Read’s support. For the displaced people here, education is the only way forward.”

Learn more about our programs in Sri Lanka.

In Memory of a Special Father: One Family’s Passion for Reading in Sri Lanka

Last month, our communications manager, Reena Luke, visited Sri Lanka and met this wonderful family who taught their two daughters to develop a passion for reading and books; their passion was significantly fueled when Room to Read opened a library at the local primary school. Just two weeks ago, we sadly learned that the family has since been involved in a tragic moped accident which killed the father and put these two young girls in critical condition in the hospital. Our hearts go out to this family and in tribute to this wonderful father on Father’s Day (also celebrated in Sri Lanka), we wanted to post this story with our thoughts, prayers and deep appreciation for teaching his children how to find their passion. The two girls are now recovering at home and we wish them a quick recovery and send the entire family our condolences on their loss.

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Eight-year-old Paboda and her elder teen-age sister Sandeepa, are two cute book worms always fighting for the latest book to read!

I met Paboda first when I walked into a Grade 3 classroom in Sri Lanka. She greeted me but was in the middle of reading a story to her class. Impressed with her reading skills, we struck up a conversation about the book she was reading.

“My sister read out that story to me last night so I had heard it before,” Paboda said.

Mrs. Rohini Fernando, the school librarian explained, “Paboda’s elder sister, Sandeepa, was a student here two years ago. When Room to Read began supporting us with books, Sandeepa was in Grade 5 and she had never read a story book.” 

Mrs. Fernando continued, “Almost overnight, the child became a bookaholic! I still remember her excitement after she finished one book and within a week she got hooked to reading like no other child in this school. Each day she would take a new book home and it is a habit that she still continues even though she is no longer our student.”

When Sandeepa passed 5th grade, she started attending a senior school a few kilometers away where her father is a music teacher but since that school does not have a library, each morning she sends a “wish list” to Mrs. Fernando via Paboda with the names of books she wants her sister to bring home. 

“I send back at least three books,” Mrs. Fernando says. “The best part is that over the last two years, Sandeepa has never defaulted in returning these books and it is such a pleasure to indulge her.”

Sandeepa’s passion for reading has encouraged her kid sister Paboda to follow in her footsteps.

“I take books for my akki [elder sister in Sinhala] as well as for myself,” explains Paboda. “Earlier my grandmum or my mother used to read out the story to me, but now I can read on my own.  But I enjoy the story best when my akki reads it out to me because she also acts out the story. But I have now made a pact with her: I will get books from my library only on the condition that she reads out one story to me each day!” says Paboda with a big smile.

Continues Paboda in all eagerness, “But it is not that simple because akki too has some conditions: She will read me a story only after I finish my home work and also after I have read aloud one story.”

I get to hear three stories each day,” explains Paboda. “I read one story, my akki reads out another story and my grandmum reads out a story to me at bedtime. Now I know the most of the stories in my class and I am the one my class teacher picks when she wants the class to hear a story.”

At Paboda and Sandeepa’s house, I met  the proud grandmother who is an “O level” graduate. “I used to get my granddaughters books instead of giving the girls sweets or clothes every time I met them. I used to also read out the stories to them to fire their interest and hoped to get them into the habit of reading. Fortunately my efforts were complemented with Room to Read’s library in the girl’s school and so today these girls are book worms!”

Tracking down Sandeepa, we meet her and her father, Aruna, getting ready to leave for their home.

Said her father “Now that Sandeepa is in her teens, her mother monitors what she is reading.  My passion is music and but I have realized that it is not music but books that excite my kids. We are happy that Room to Read helped their school with books because we cannot afford to buy new books every month.”

Learn more about our programs in Sri Lanka and our library program.

To make a special tribute gift in honor of Father's Day, please click here. Father's Day eCards and printable cards are available following your donation.

Room to Read Volunteers Write a New Chapter In Fundraising for Education

Last week, more than 50 Room to Read chapter volunteers from around the globe gathered with Room to Read staff at our annual Chapter Leadership Conference. The conference brought together chapter leaders from as far away as Australia, Japan and Zurich and as close as San Francisco. In all, nine different countries were represented and 20 U.S. cities!

 

Room to Read is very proud of our chapter network comprised of long-term volunteers who have made a commitment to promote Room to Read within their networks and communities. Each year, many chapter leaders attend the Chapter Leadership Conference to receive valuable training and updates about the work Room to Read is doing. Plus, there are plenty of fun times created when you fill a room with passionate people who share the same mission! The enthusiasm of this incredible group of volunteers is contagious, evidenced by the fact that chapters last year raised over US$12 million, which is roughly one-third of Room to Read's operating budget.

 

Mihiri Udabage has been volunteering with Room to Read's Sydney Chapter since 2008 and was very involved in the planning and coordination of the chapter's wine gala held on March 4, 2011. In this guest blog, she reveals her motivation for her dedication to Room to Read.

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As I head to the door to go to volunteer at the Room to Read Wine Gala in Sydney, I am met with protests from my children, aged 8 and 6: “Don’t go, Mummy—stay home!” “I have to go,” I counter. “We have to make sure lots of children get to go to school, just like you do, right?” 

Absolutely right. With the world holding more than 796 million illiterate people in the world and 98% of them living in developing countries, there is much work to be done. 

Tonight’s event is about inviting investors to become a part of the global movement to see illiteracy banished. As John Wood, Room to Read Founder, delivers his presentation on behalf of the millions of children this organization has yet to serve, he’s firing on optimism. Optimism fueled by seeing girls like Merina, 15, from Nepal, saved from a life as an indentured servant and returned to a childhood she was taken from, and of the plan that will see hundreds more girls like her returned to school where they belong. Optimism incited by 11-year-old Inkham from Laos, whose scholarship from Room to Read allows her to read to her parents, both mute, and also to her brothers and adored baby sister. Optimism for the five million children Room to Read has served to date, and the five million more who are hoping that Room to Read comes to their community. 

Later in the night, after the auction hammer slams repeatedly, the total amount raised is announced. More than US$892,000 has been donated this one night in Sydney, thousands of kilometers from where it will eventually land. It will provide schools, libraries, girls’ education, books, bikes, bags and uniforms. It will fund the NGO workers who will partner with Room to Read to ensure that girls are attending school and maintaining their studies so they will pass to the next grade.

I picture one of the girls who will benefit from the 400 years of girls’ education funded this night. How one morning soon, she will braid her hair, exchange her worn house dress for a crisp uniform, hop on the new bike parked outside her home and pedal to a place where she is no longer defined as the poorest girl, living in a small hut, but where she is a student, a scholar, tomorrow’s teacher/engineer/author/artist.

I see her raising her hand in class to have her voice heard. 
I see her writing a poem about the mother she adores.
I see her pointing to the places on the atlas that she will travel to one day.  
I see her stopping by the library on her way home—maybe one of the 30 new libraries donated tonight by friends in Sydney she has never met. 
I see her step inside this cool haven and pass her hands across the hundreds of books that will line the shelves, mesmerized by the bright covers and overwhelmed for choice.  
I see her mother welcome her home, proud of this girl who does what her mother can’t.

As the guests leave, they are flushed with excitement, happy to have been a part of something wonderful. They are no longer on the outside looking in, they are on the inside looking out and will go home and tell their friends about the incredible work that Room to Read is doing. Many will call in the coming weeks wanting to know more, do more. We will be so happy to take their call. They thank us. We cannot thank them enough. They walked in as guests; they leave as heroes.

Our team is tired but happy. They have worked hours upon voluntary hours, months upon months, to make this night a success. As I return home after midnight, and lean over my sleeping son to kiss his cheek, he half wakes to ask “Mummy, did the children go to school tonight?”  I smile and whisper to him, “Yes baby, lots and lots and lots of children got to go to school tonight.”

To learn more about Room to Read’s growing network of volunteer chapters and upcoming events, visit our website.

 

 

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.  

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.

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.