Room to Read

We are Room to Read, a global non-profit organization. Our work is guided by a clear mission: we want to help children who live in low-income communities develop the crucial skills of literacy. At the same time, we focus on supporting girls to make sure they have the opportunity to complete their entire education. Our story as an organization did not begin in a large office, but with a single observation. The idea that sparked our creation came about in the year 2000. One of our co-founders, John Wood, was visiting Nepal when he encountered a school library that was nearly empty. He saw firsthand that the students there had almost no books to read, which limited their ability to learn and imagine.

From that initial experience, our first programs took shape. We began by focusing on the most direct need we saw: a lack of books and places to read them. Our early work centered on establishing school libraries filled with resources for students. However, simply providing books wasn't enough. We wanted to ensure children had access to stories that reflected their own lives and cultures. To achieve this, we started publishing new, high-quality children's books written in local languages. We believe it is important for young readers to see themselves in the stories they read, so we collaborate directly with local authors and illustrators to create these culturally relevant books. As we developed these literacy programs, we recognized another significant obstacle. We saw that girls, in particular, faced additional challenges that often prevented them from staying in school. This understanding led us to create our Girls' Education Program. This program is designed to give girls the tools they need to succeed, providing them with mentorship from trusted adults, training in important life skills, and direct support to help them not only stay in school but also to thrive there.

What began as a single project in Nepal has since grown far beyond its origins. We have become a global organization, expanding our work to more than 20 countries throughout Asia and Africa. The scale of our efforts has grown, too. Over the years, we have been able to reach millions of children through our programs. This has been accomplished by opening tens of thousands of school libraries and by publishing and distributing millions of books that are now in the hands of young readers. This journey has not been without its difficulties. As we expanded our work, we've had to navigate complex challenges. One significant hurdle has been overcoming long-standing cultural barriers that can prevent girls from receiving a full education. Another challenge has been the task of building local publishing industries from the ground up in places where there was little infrastructure for creating children's literature.

Today, our mission continues with the same focus it has had from the beginning. We are dedicated to pursuing a future where illiteracy and gender inequality in education are problems of the past. To meet the needs of the modern world, we are adapting our methods and embracing new tools. We are now using technology to create and distribute digital books, making stories accessible to even more children. A key part of our strategy is forming partnerships with local governments to help expand the impact of our programs and make them sustainable. By openly sharing the methods we have developed and proven effective, our ultimate hope is to contribute to building a world where every single child has the chance to receive a quality education and reach their full potential.