Room to Read

Room to Read is a global non-profit organization focused on improving literacy and gender equality in education within low-income communities. The organization's inception traces back to a 1998 trek in Nepal by John Wood, then a Director of Business Development for Microsoft. After witnessing the severe lack of books in a local school, Wood was inspired to act, a moment that led him to leave his corporate career to establish Room to Read.

Co-founded in 2000 by John Wood, Erin Ganju, and Dinesh Shrestha, the organization leverages a business-minded approach to achieve scalable social impact. Wood's background in business development at Microsoft informed the organization's strategy for rapid, scalable growth. Ganju, with her experience at Goldman Sachs and Unilever, was instrumental in designing the scalable and replicable operational model. Shrestha, who had a background with international development agencies, became the first country director in Nepal and was pivotal to the organization's on-the-ground operations.

Room to Read operates a dual-pronged model, concentrating on two critical stages of a child's education: early primary school for foundational literacy and secondary school for girls' education. The Literacy Program transforms school libraries into engaging, child-friendly learning environments and supports the creation of culturally relevant children's books in local languages. This initiative includes training for teachers and librarians to foster a habit of reading among children. Its Girls’ Education Program provides comprehensive support, including life skills training, mentorship from local women, and material aid to ensure girls complete secondary school and can negotiate key life decisions.

The organization's business model is centered on collaboration with local communities, governments, and partner organizations to create systemic change. Initially deploying a direct, school-focused delivery model, Room to Read has increasingly shifted to an 'Accelerate Model,' which involves scaling its impact by integrating its programs into national education systems, influencing policy, and training educators at a national level. This strategic shift has been successfully implemented in countries like Cambodia and Vietnam. Funding comes from a diverse base, including individual donors, corporations, and foundations like the Skoll Foundation. Since its founding, Room to Read has invested over $1 billion and benefited more than 50 million children across 28 countries.

Keywords: literacy education, girls' education, global nonprofit, educational equity, low-income communities, children's books, teacher training, school libraries, life skills, international development, community partnership, education policy, social entrepreneurship, South Asia education, Africa education, local language publishing, gender equality in education, secondary education for girls, foundational learning, education system strengthening