Room to Read Blog

Mark Your Calendars: Half the Sky Brings Girls’ Education to the Small Screen

“How we treat women and girls is absolutely essential to who we are as a people.” —Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State

Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide—that’s the aim of Half the Sky, a groundbreaking documentary that will air on PBS October 1 and 2 across the United States. Inspired by the best-selling book of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, the film is aimed at galvanizing public action for the rights of women and girls.

Over two days, Half the Sky will take viewers on a tour of ten countries to explore the most pressing challenges facing women and girls around the globe, including maternal mortality, gender-based violence and human trafficking. It will also showcase tangible solutions to fight these problems, such as gender equality in education—highlighted for its uniquely transformative power to alleviate poverty in one generation.

Last fall, Half the Sky's film crew made its way to Vietnam’s Mekong Delta to learn more about the success of our Girls’ Education program in the region. Led by our local staff, founder John Wood, author Nicholas Kristof and actress Gabrielle Union—one of six celebrity advocates in the film—met with several of the girls supported by our program, documenting their stories and learning about the challenges they face.

Those stories, along with others from Cambodia, Kenya, India, Sierra Leone, Somaliland, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Liberia and the United States, will be broadcast nationwide on October 1 and 2 in the United States on PBS. Until then, here is a sneak peek to tide you over:

Learn more about our Girls’ Education program.

Show and Tell: On Air with our Girls Education Scholars in India

Today’s show and tell post comes from Sukanya Sen, communications officer for Room to Read India. The photos feature some of our Girls’ Education scholars who had the chance to appear on one of India’s most popular radio stations, 92.7 Big FM, in honor of International Literacy Day. 

On the station’s breakfast show, a group of fifth grade girls introduced themselves and read aloud from one of Room to Read’s local-language books, “Power of Friendship.” They also sang songs and spoke with the host about their favorite Bollywood heroes. Later on, some of the older girls in our program shared their stories of struggle in finishing secondary school and how Room to Read has helped.

 

Guest Blog from Vietnam: CEO Erin Ganju Celebrates Reading Day in Can Tho Province

“Do you like to read?” asked the teacher.  “Yes!” shouted the students.

“Who wants to read now?” Hands darted up and children excitedly ran to the three corners of the school yard set up with varying reading related activities.

Recently, I had the great fortune of attending Tan Thanh Primary School’s summer Reading Day in the Can Tho Province of Vietnam's Mekong Delta. The school provides instruction for 1st through 5th grade students, and was selected to participate in Room to Read’s library program in 2008.

Our Room to Read Country Director in Vietnam, Mr. Tien Phong Le, explained that Reading Day was initiated last year as a way to engage students in reading during the summer break, providing a fun and creative way to reinforce the importance of reading on a regular basis. The event immediately proved to be very popular among the students.

Last year, Room to Read was actively involved in planning the event, but this summer the school wholeheartedly embraced Reading Day, and organized everything themselves.

About 125 students attended this year, and participated in three main activities: free reading, in which children independently engage with a wide variety of books; storytelling, in which teachers dynamically read aloud and pose questions about the stories; and drawing, in which children enjoy illustrating parts of their favorite books. The school yard was buzzing with activity as students eagerly ran from one activity to the next—hurrying so as not to miss anything.

As part of my participation in Reading Day, I sat and read quietly with some of the students for a while. Then, one girl very sweetly took it upon herself to read one of her favorite stories aloud to me in Vietnamese—perhaps she thought that would help me understand the Vietnamese book better!

Next, I offered to “read” a story to the students near me, which I did by making up a story from the pictures in a book (since all the books were in Vietnamese). Our Room to Read Local Language Publishing Program Officer, Ms. Quynh Le, kindly assisted me by translating my story for the children. I am happy to report that my “spur of the moment” story received more than a few giggles, even from my own five-year-old daughter, Julia, who was traveling with me and happily joined in the Reading Day festivities.

At the end of the day, each student was rewarded with a new notebook for their attendance. A few lucky students earned “Excellent Participation Awards” and received additional notebooks, bookmarks and pens. It was interesting to note that the ratio of girls to boys receiving awards was about 4:1, although I’m not sure if that indicates that the girls are better at reading or participating!

We left Tan Thanh Primary School with fond memories of our morning spent in celebration of reading. Julia proclaimed that she would happily attend a similar event at her own school back home, reminding me yet again of the universal love of reading shared by children everywhere…and their right to experience it.

Learn more about our work in Vietnam.

Room to Read Celebrates International Children's Book Day

On April 2, the world celebrates International Children’s Book Day, a forty-four year tradition established by the International Board on Books for Young People on the birthday of esteemed children’s book author, Hans Christian Andersen. International Children’s Book Day is designed to inspire a love of reading among children and adults. At Room to Read, we celebrate reading every day, as we work to provide the materials, environment and skills for children in some of the more marginalized regions of the world so that they can discover the joy of books.

The theme of International Children’s Book Day for 2011 is “The Book Remembers,” which means that books are reflections of the time in which they are written. Thus, they are invaluable sources of history, as well as being entertaining and inspiring. Room to Read’s Local Language Publishing program holds culture and tradition as critical elements of the books we publish. We want to be sure the children reading these books can identify with the setting, the characters, the habits and speech –- for in seeing themselves and their surroundings, they are better able to understand and learn.

Last week, the two global office members of our Local Language Publishing team, Wilfredo (Wili) Pasqual and Sarah Stewart, had just returned from a 60-day, seven-country trip through south and southeast Asia. Though they were still fighting off jetlag and wading through unread email, they couldn’t wait to share some of unforgettable moments and colorful stories they brought back from their recent journey. The fast-paced tour was planned in an effort to survey the Local Language Publishing program -– its strengths and opportunities for growth. Along the way, Wili and Sarah met with individuals from all the various groups involved with putting local language children’s books into the hands of young and budding readers. Their notebooks and Flip cameras were filled with conversations with authors, illustrators, librarians, teachers, ministers of education, publishers, and, of course, some of the children enjoying the colorful and inspiring books filling the shelves of their libraries and schools and filling their imaginations.

One of these children was Kimlay, from a village near Siem Reap in Cambodia. Two years ago, Kimlay struggled to keep up with her school work. Because her reading skills were poor, she was very embarrassed whenever asked to read aloud in class. The librarian at her school saw a dramatic shift in Kimlay’s performance once a Room to Read library was established. With the encouragement of her grandmother and aunt, both of whom had attended school themselves, Kimlay became a voracious reader, checking out up to 10 books each day and staying up late to finish every book so that she could check out 10 more the following day. Kimlay is now ranked third in her class and continues to bring home a stack of books each night, many of which she reads to her young cousin.

What Wili and Sarah found as they traveled via plane, bus, tuk-tuk and footpath, is that, the value of children’s books is universal. The words and the pictures touch the soul and imagination of young minds eager to discover and understand their world.

On International Children’s Book Day, we honor the authors and illustrators who create these portals to places undiscovered. We honor the librarians and teachers who make these tools available to young readers. And we honor the children who happily and enthusiastically pore over the colorful pages as they journey to magical places.

Read more about our Local Language Publishing program.

 

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 Celebrates International Women's Day Centennial (video message)

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

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

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

  

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

An Oasis of Learning in Nepal: School Library Serves Entire Community (VIDEO)

 
February 8 is the Saraswati Puja festival (also known as Basant Panchami or Vasant Panchami) celebrated in Nepal. The festival is devoted to Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, music and art. Traditionally during this festival children are taught to write their first words. In honor of this festival of knowledge, we share with you a visual story sent by Rishi Amatya, communications officer for Room to Read Nepal, about a modest school library atop a remote mountain that has opened up a new world to its many and varied visitors.

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Nepal is where Room to Read established its first library. Today, there are more than 2,800 Room to Read libraries throughout Nepal. To learn more about our work in Nepal, we invite you to visit our website.

 

Auntie’s Books: Celebrating Vietnamese New Year with a Gift to Last a Lifetime

February 3 is Tết Nguyên Đán, the Vietnamese New Year, which is one of the most festive holidays throughout Vietnam. 2011 is the Year of the Cat in Vietnam and over the next several days, families will gather together to eat, share time and gifts with their loved ones. In this guest blog, Room to Read Vietnam Program Director, Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, shares a gift-giving tradition she started with her nieces and nephews several years ago—a gift that will last well after the celebration has ended.

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Tet is coming! Indeed, it is already here on the door step. Out on the streets, decorative lights are sparkling, apricot trees are blossoming and a sweet spring breeze is dancing. For Vietnamese people, Tet is just like Christmas for Westerners. It is a time for love and family, a time of reunion, of sharing, of giving, and of hope for a fresh, new start. It is also a time to give presents to family members and friends—especially to children.

The usual gift to children is lucky money stored in red little envelopes. There may also be new clothes or toys. Coming home for this special time with my family, my luggage is full of books for my beloved nieces and nephew. I have made a tradition of giving books to them since they were just a few months old, and my mother tells me that the children are already quite eager and excited to see what books I am bringing for them this year. 

When my first niece was born, I got her some children's books as a special gift, which amused and surprised my family, especially my mother. Every day my mother asked me the same question: “How can a little baby enjoy a book?” Since my parents, my siblings and I were never read to at home, I could understand her confusion about my choice of gift. When I learned that, in Western countries, parents read to their children before they go to bed, I decided that even though my parents did not share the value of early reading with their children, as an aunt I should introduce this gift to the new generation.

I started to share books with my eldest niece when she was around four or five months old. Every time I was with her, I found different ways to show her the books, pointing to a picture for her to look at and reading the stories with different voices and emotions. Sometimes I got her little fingers running on each page of a book. Witnessing my performance, her parents and others around us often laughed. But sometimes they also got absorbed in the story and kept quiet when I was reading to the baby. Now that she is seven years old, my niece is able to read many books by herself, and very well. The birth of more children meant more storytelling and gifts of books at every New Year celebration. After observing me read to her daughter and son, my sister also started reading to them herself.

Today, I continue to select books as presents for my nieces and nephew, and now, each child has a shelf filled with all kinds of books. I also keep some with me so that, when we are out with the children, there are books for them to read or just to hold. At home, the children and I talk about the books we have read and often make up stories about characters and objects from real life. To them, learning to read is part of life—just like eating, drinking and sleeping.

Once again for Tet I’m coming home with books. I cannot wait to give the children their gifts for the New Year and to continue the tradition that I have kept with them since they were babies. I know they will learn many other important skills as they get older, but the skill of reading is the most wonderful thing that I can give to them as their auntie.

Read about how Thuy and her team at Room to Read Vietnam worked with the Ministry of Education in Vinh Long province to secure "reading periods" for children. Visit our website to read more about our work in Vietnam.

Through Story and Song: A Student and Her Ukulele Make a Universal Connection in India

Ellen Blanchard, a junior at Kenyon College in Ohio, spent a semester abroad in India participating in an internship program. She discovered how connected the world can be, especially if you happen to have a ukulele in hand.

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Have ukulele, will travel. This seemingly frivolous carry-on to India was the most important tool to have with me during my field experience at a local NGO in the state of Rajasthan in India. I chose to do my internship with the Urmul Marusthali Bunkar Vikas Samiti, a weaving cooperative and sponsor of various Indian development programs, including Room to Read. I had heard all about the Room to Read organization this summer from my mentor. It was so exciting to see the local work Room to Read does and to meet all the librarians from Urmul.

After staying in Phalodi at the Urmul foundation office, I moved to the village of Bhojesar and lived with a family for sixteen days. Coincidentally, one of my host brothers, Hukuma Ramji, was one of the librarians I had previously met in Phalodi! I was excited to have the opportunity to go with him to the schools in the neighboring villages and see the Room to Read libraries. The libraries were the biggest and most vibrant rooms in the school building—the walls covered in posters and shelves filled with books. At my visit to a school in Moriya, I brought along my ukulele and played my first concert in a Room to Read library. After my performance, the students shared poems and songs with me. Then everybody went outside to play a Hindi version of “Duck, Duck, Goose.” Hukama Ramji facilitated the game and I got to join in and play!

The ukulele was a big hit in Rajasthan. During my visit to a school in the village of Khitchan, which coincided with the official opening of their Room to Read library, I was the special guest from America with a ridiculous little instrument that wasn’t a familiar tandura (a local 5-stringed instrument). I practiced saying “ukulele” with the students after writing the Hindi pronunciation on the board. Then it was time for my second Room to Read library concert and my largest audience ever!

The students wanted me to read to them, but since I couldn’t read their local language, and they couldn’t understand my English, I resorted to using the illustrations and some silly character voices to entertain a very captive audience. After that, it was Library Time! In small groups, the students returned last week’s books and perused the shelves to pick new ones. They had to present their choice to Hukama Ramji, identify the book title and number and then sign their name on the book register. Every step of this process is an agent for empowerment: individual freedom to pick a book, the ability to sign their name, teaching responsibility and accountability and all the while interacting with a superb library teacher.

I took my ukulele on my semester abroad and had no idea the impact it would have on my interning experience. I only spent a short time in Room to Read libraries and I can’t stop thinking about what other new things the students are discovering in their libraries.

Learn more about our Reading Room program and our work in India by visiting our website.

Twas the Night Before Christmas...Room to Read Style

Twas the night before Christmas, and in library nooks,
Were millions of children reading Room to Read books.
The bookshelves were stocked by the librarian with care,
In the hopes that more kids would discover them and share.

These children had never seen so many choices,
Of books in their own language read by their teacher in playful voices.
And even after these children had read books and heard stories,
They found puzzles, toys and games -– these kids were truly in their glory.

With a focus on literacy and keeping girls in their classes,
In 10 years Room to Read’s education movement has reached out to the masses.
There are now libraries, books, reading lessons and schools.
And girls learning academics and life-coping tools!

Now Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Cambodia,
Sri Lanka, Laos, Vietnam, Zambia and South Africa,
Can celebrate literacy and help kids by the million,
Because World Change Starts with Educated Children.

 

Please don't forget:

Unwrap world change through our Holiday Gift Catalog. All gifts made online through the end of December will be matched 100% up to $500,000.