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“Education is
a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation
rest the cornerstones of freedom, democracy & sustainable human
development.”
Kofi Annan, former Secretary General, the United Nations
We wanted the proceeds from our second book to benefit an international charity where our contribution would have a truly positive impact. Room to Read was the perfect choice; a charity that provides underprivileged children with the same opportunities as those in the developed world. We admired their energy, their organisation and their unstinting commitment to education. We are thrilled at the opportunity to work with Room to Read, with whom we can share the fruits of our efforts with the many needy children out there who have a passion to learn. In a sense we have created a book to provide books!
Room to Read (www.roomtoread.org) partners with local communities throughout the developing world to provide quality educational opportunities by establishing libraries, creating local language children’s literature, constructing schools, providing education to girls and establishing computer labs. We seek to intervene early in the lives of children in the belief that education empowers people to improve socioeconomic conditions for their families, communities, countries and future generations. Through the opportunities that only education can provide, we strive to break the cycle of poverty, one child at a time.
Room to Read is impacting lives! With over 1.7 million children accessing over 440 schools, 5,160 bilingual libraries, 226 new local language children’s titles, 108 computer labs, and 4,036 girls in our long-term scholarship program — we are providing opportunities that change children’s lives and communities throughout the developing world. With your help, we can reach our goal of an additional 5,000 libraries to impact more than 5 million children by 2010.
Room to Read had its humble origins in Nepal in 2000, where we began bringing donated books to rural communities. Today, we are a global organization that helps children gain access to education through a variety of programs. Our libraries give children a friendly space to read and to explore. Our children’s books allow students to read in their local language. Our schools give children a safe place to learn. Our scholarships enable girls to enroll in and stay in school. And our computer labs make it possible for children to gain 21st century skills. We currently work in nine countries with plans to expand further throughout Asia, Africa, Latin America and beyond to bring educational opportunities and resources to children throughout the developing world.
Room to Read’s programs have reached more than two million children so far. One such student is Thao Pajuay Phankommadam, a young boy from Laos. Thao lives in a remote farming village without electricity or running water. The local school was rundown, and there was no library or books – not even textbooks for the teachers. In 2007 Room to Read established a library in Thao’s school, filled with hundreds of books as well as games, puzzles, and posters. Thao told us, “Now I have so many books to read! On weekends I bring books home from school. The children in my neighborhood will come to my house and listen to me tell stories. At night I read the books to my parents, brothers and sisters. Before we received the library, I used to daydream about what it would be like to read books. Now with all of these new books, my dreams have come true.”
Imagine a world in which every child has access to an education. Room to Read is doing our best to make this dream a reality, one child at a time. To learn more about our work, visit our website at www.roomtoread.org. |
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