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.

With Newfound Confidence and Her Family’s Support, Ngoc Gioi Finds Her Own Path to Success

Beneath her friendly demeanor and dimpled smile, sixteen-year-old Ngoc Gioi is all business—a dedicated student who starts her days at 4:00am.

The youngest of four children, Ngoc Gioi says she is lucky. Despite financial hardship, her parents always stress the value of education, and do everything they can to help their daughter stay in school. Her older sister, also a bright student, was forced to drop out after the fifth grade to take care of the three younger children, and is determined to ensure her sister does not suffer the same fate. “My brother is supportive, too,” says Ngoc Gioi. “He helps with my studies, and often gives me pocket money from his earnings.”

That small bit of extra money comes in handy for Ngoc Gioi, who lives alone in a small rented room close to school. Thu Khoa Thua High School is more than 40 kilometers from her parents’ home, a trip that would be far too difficult and dangerous for the teenager to make daily. Living on her own, says Ngoc Gioi, is difficult, but she has developed a routine that helps her manage.

At 4:00am, Ngoc Gioi starts her day with a light breakfast and some last-minute studying before school starts at 7:00. She attends classes from 7:00am to 5:00pm, except for a short lunch break that she uses to do grocery shopping and prepare her lunch and dinner for the day. After school, Ngoc Gioi goes to tutoring until 8:00pm. Although she has been comfortably ranked at the top of her class throughout secondary school, she knows that good grades are key in helping her achieve her dream of becoming a teacher, so she never misses a session.

After finishing her homework and chores, Ngoc Gioi ends her days with a little relaxation, listening to music on a second-hand mobile phone her dad purchased for her as a gift.

The support Ngoc Gioi receives through the Girls’ Education program has helped her remain focused on her schoolwork “I used to be burdened by guilt—watching my parents struggle and sacrifice so much just to keep me in school,” she says. “Now that guilt is washed off and I can study in peace.”

In addition to easing her family’s financial burden, the program has developed Ngoc Gioi’s confidence. “I find the life skill training and camps very empowering,” she says with a smile. “I have learned to be more confident and how to articulate myself well. “

The skills she has gained will serve Ngoc Gioi well as a teacher, but that’s not the only goal she’s set for herself. “I would like to help other girls by passing on some of the skills that I learned through the Girls’ Education Program and to see the world outside of my village,” she says of her future plans. “I think my first stop would be France, to see the Eiffel tower and French fashion!"

Learn more about our Girls Education program. 

Girl Graduates Gather for Annual Alumnae Meeting in Vietnam

The sun was shining brightly over Vietnam's Long An province on October 16 and over Can Giuoc Secondary School. Sundays are normally quiet on school grounds, but this is an exception—with more than 40 graduates of Room to Read’s Girls’ Education program on campus for the annual alumnae meeting.

All of the attendees have completed secondary school and most are scattered among colleges and universities in and around Ho Chi Minh City. Each year, our team invites these girls from four provinces to return to the local high school for a meetup, to share successes and swap advice on school, friends, love and life away from home. Through these meetings, the young women are able to retain connections they made in secondary school and refresh what they learned through the program.

The day’s activities began with an exercise in reflection and goal-setting called Vẽ lại “cây cuộc đời (the tree of life). Each one of the young women was given a blank outline of a tree and art supplies, with instructions to add flowers and fruit to represent personal success, leaves for future goals, worms for obstacles and roots for motivation. The girls then shared their experiences with the rest of the group—including Room to Read staff. 

One scholar, Nguyen Thi Yen Xuan spoke of how the life skills training she received had helped her achieve greater independence: "I have gained a scholarship for university, learned how to use a computer and become more confident compared to my classmates."

Another girl, Vo Thi Kim Tram, agreed. “I have gained interpersonal and leadership abilities,” she said. “I know how to set clear objectives for every activity and how to prioritize well.” She also shared her motivation to continue in school with the group. “My sister only completed grade two," she said solenmly. "I have to do more.”

After sharing their stories, the girls reflected together on the mutual challenges they have faced since graduation and those that lie ahead, including transportation, finding accommodations and balancing school with work.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong voiced her frustration that her journey to school every day requires a commute of more than 2.5 hours. Another girl, Nguyen Thi Cam Giang, who takes three separate bus trips to get to school each day, was comforted to hear that other girls had experienced struggles similar to hers.

After the sharing period, the young women were led in a resume writing workshop by our local team and discussed their individual career goals. Girls like Nguyen Thi Ngoc Thao, who just graduated with honors in Intermediate Medicine, provided inspiration for others like Tran Thi Cam Hong who currently works eight hours in a factory every day and studies accounting in the evenings.

For our Girls’ Education program team in Vietnam, these alumnae meetings are not only a chance to catch up with former scholars, but also to see their hard work in action. Every day, throughout the surrounding provinces, these girls are putting their education and life skills training to use. They are confident, empowered young women and role models in their communities, armed with the tools they need to succeed.

Learn more about our Girls’ Education program and meet some of our Girl Graduates.

Show & Tell: Postcards from Vietnam's Mekong Delta

This post is part of the ongoing series, Show and Tell, where we bring you photos and stories collected by Room to Read team members on the road. 

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Today’s show and tell comes from Danielle Reichner, senior global program operations officer.  

Along with colleagues John Beaulieu (regional director for Asia) and Steve Wisman (director of international operations), Danielle had the chance to visit a Room to Read library in the Tieu Can District of Vietnam's Mekong Delta earlier this month. 

Danielle sent back these photos from her visit:

Learn more about our School Library program and our work in Vietnam.

Hitting Another Room to Read Milestone: 10 Million Reasons to Celebrate

Today, in the Tien Giang Province of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, Room to Read celebrated a milestone eleven years in the making.

At a ceremony held at Ngu Hiep 2 Primary School, founder John Wood and the Room to Read Vietnam team delivered a brand new box of books to the school’s library, symbolizing the 10 millionth book donated to our network of over 12,000 libraries in nine developing countries.

The emblematic book, Floating Market, is a Room to Read original title produced through our Local Language Publishing program, which comprise more than half of all books donated to date. It is also a “big book,” of which we’ve printed many in Vietnam—designed to help teachers and librarians facilitate shared reading activities.

The commemorative ceremony was indeed a moment of reflection and pride for our hard-working team, but most of all it was about the children we work with. The day’s festivities included literacy games, story time and a workshop lead by one of our talented illustrators, and attended by a bustling crowd of enthusiastic young readers.

Below are several photos of this morning’s ceremony, which we hope you’ll enjoy. After all, without our passionate community of supporters around the world, none of this would be possible. On behalf of the entire Room to Read family, thank you for joining us in our belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children, and for helping make it a reality.

 

 

Read the full press release related to our 10 millionth book milestone on our website.

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 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.

Making the Transition: Graduates Surveyed about Life After Room to Read

Room to Read is committed to tracking results and improving programming. Our monitoring and evaluations team conducts studies on an on-going basis, and this year, we are conducting a post-secondary school transition study of our Girls’ Education program participants. In November 2010, Kirsten Anderson joined Room to Read as the Girls’ Education Program Fellow to conduct this study. She began research in India and shares her thoughts and experiences of conducting fieldwork with our inspiring girls. Stay tuned for updates from Kirsten’s research in India, Nepal, Vietnam and Cambodia over the next several months.

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Weaving in and out of Delhi’s traffic on dusty streets, the research assistants and I finally arrived at our destination—a poor urban community located on the back side of an old fort wall. We had scheduled a focus group with four young women, each the first person in their family to graduate from 12th grade. This was our first day of research and our task was to make sure our freshly translated interview questions made sense for the young women we were interviewing.

The day was bitterly cold, and fifteen minutes into our first focus group, the power went out. For the young women we were interviewing, power cuts are a common occurrence. They didn’t even flinch and continued to talk about their financial struggles and having to balance work with university courses. For the research team, the darkness was a frustrating disruption. Not only is it hard to take notes and refer to the list of interview questions, reading facial expressions and body language in the dark is next to impossible. But the darkness was also a blessing, as it allowed us to really focus on the women’s voices—to listen to the details of their stories and feel what they were saying.

As of December 2010, 234 of Room to Read's Girls’ Education program scholars from India, Nepal, Vietnam and Cambodia have graduated from secondary school. This number will quickly multiply as the Girls’ Education program provides scholarships and material support to more than 10,000 girls across eight countries. What are the young women doing now? What do they plan to do in the next ten years? How has Room to Read influenced their lives and their goals?

For the next four months, the research team and I will conduct interviews and focus groups with the program’s recent and upcoming graduates. The purpose of this study is to learn more about how these young women navigate this time of transition and opportunity. How do they make decisions about higher education, employment, as well as marriage and possibly parenthood? What are their challenges? What are their success stories? The stories they share of their struggles, accomplishments and ambitions will teach us and inform our current and future programming, and give us insight as to how we can better prepare future graduates.

Collecting these stories, however, requires constantly balancing the rigors of research and the realities of the field. It means listening intently, asking the right questions and learning about the whole person and her story.

We recently met with a young woman who had just graduated from 12th grade. Her shaky hands and quick, quivering voice were not the results of the Delhi winter, but of an obvious sense of shyness and nervousness. Midway through, she stopped to tell us that she did not usually develop bonds with adults so easily, but she felt comfortable with us and wanted to share her story. She talked about her future ambition: to study English, to get a job and to support her family. She described her family and how her parents have supported her education—sometimes giving up meals to pay additional fees for her and her sister. Wanting to maintain an objective distance, the research assistant and I quickly busied ourselves with our notes so as not to show our eyes tearing.

As we presented her with a small thank you gift—a notebook and pen—she thanked us for giving her the opportunity to share her story. Yet, I am the thankful one. I am humbled and honored to spend time with these young women—so full of courage, strength and determination.

Every day, we emerge from our interviews to a different Delhi—warmer as the days grow longer. We have adjusted our vision, as these young women do every day when they think about and plan for their future. We anticipate our next interviews with a renewed sense of hope and focus.

Read more about how Room to Read tracks results in its programs.  

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.

Honoring those Special Teachers on Vietnamese Educators' Day

November 20 is Vietnamese Educators’ Day, a day on which students show appreciation to their teachers by giving them small gifts or flowers or by preparing special performances or compositions. Vietnamese culture places a very high value on education, and teachers are well-respected for their commitment to helping children develop into accomplished young adults.

But in many of the rural, marginalized areas of the country, the harsh realities of daily survival often compete with a child’s ability to attend school. Rather than being a time of self-discovery and imagination, childhood in these areas is often muddied with conflict, violence, pressure for early marriage, and poverty. Positive role models, especially for girls, are rare. But fortunately, every once in a while, a very special person appears who creates a large impact in the lives around them -- and very often, this special person is a teacher.

In Long Hau Lower Secondary School in the Mekong Delta region in Vietnam, two very special people, Ms. Lien and Ms. Phuong, have started to change the lives of many of the local children. Both have dedicated their lives to preparing the local children to become confident and capable young adults equipped to navigate a sometimes challenging environment. Both are teachers -- and we honor their passion and commitment.

Ms. Phuong is one of Room to Read's social mobilizers who works with students on our Girls' Education program.  She works closely with 54 girls from the school, and with her warm and welcoming demeanor, has developed close relationships with the girls and their families. She is well aware of the family situations of each girl and pays special attention to any signs that the girls may be at risk for dropping out of school because of economic or social pressures.  Ms. Lien, the school's head teacher, is very supportive of the work being done by Room to Read and Ms. Phuong and ensures the program is implemented as best it can be in her school.

Both Ms. Lien and Ms. Phuong are strong proponents of the life skills component of the Girls’ Education program -- these include special workshops to develop self-confidence, self-awareness, decision-making and problem-solving skills. Girls often face extreme gender bias in education and beyond, and the goal of our life skills training, both for the girls and their communities, is to enact change in attitude and behavior so that girls can thrive equally in society.

Starting this year, the whole school district of Can Giuoc, of which Long Hau School is part, has adapted the Room to Read model of life skills training to include the entire student body, both boys and girls. With the strong support of the Minister of Education, the school management board and the commitment and teamwork of Ms. Lien and Ms. Phuong, all students now participate in and benefit from life skills trainings on Saturday mornings.

Ms. Lien plays an active role in this expanded program and expresses her enthusiasm, “We really believe that young people need life skills.  Thanks to the training we received from Room to Read, we now have many reference documents on life skills, and Ms. Phuong and I can act as resource teachers and model facilitators to train other teachers.”

Ms. Phuong doesn’t mind that her Saturdays are now filled with the extra life skills workshops. Other teachers are joining her sessions and those of Ms. Lien to receive on-site training so that even more students can participate in the program. Though she admits her job is very tiring and time-consuming, Ms. Phuong stays happy and motivated in the knowledge that her students will gain something valuable and useful for their daily lives. 

Read more about our Girls’ Education program and our work in Vietnam.