Globally, nearly 800 million people are illiterate, two thirds of which are women and girls. Room to Read envisions a world in which all children can pursue a quality education and make positive change. Since our start our founding in 2000, we have expanded to work to 24 countries around the globe, operating at the nexus of school and community-level implementation and education systems.
Room to Read’s innovative model focuses on systemic education transformation during the two most vulnerable time periods in a child's education: acquiring literacy skills in primary school and reducing dropout among girls in secondary school.
Our Literacy Program trains and coaches teachers, creates and publishes quality books and curricular materials, and establishes libraries filled with diverse children’s books in local languages that can be enjoyed at school or home. Our seven-year Girls’ Education Program builds girls' skills to succeed in secondary school and make key life decisions by providing life skills curriculum, mentorship and peer support, and family and community engagement.
Since 2000, we’ve deployed more than $850 million into improving foundational learning for 45 million children across 24 different countries, helping them break the cycle of illiteracy and gender inequality and become changemakers for their families and communities. Our strength is in working with governments and communities to implement solutions that work: 90% of our 1,600 staff, supported by 22 legal entities, are situated right in the communities we serve. Working at scale and with the implementation of remote learning solutions, Room to Read has benefited the same number of children over the past four years as our first 20 years.
Room to Read is working at the intersection of education and world’s great challenges. A partnership with Room to Read can blend your organisation’s goals with our programmatic objectives. In order for us to begin a conversation, please contact us at https://www.roomtoread.org/partner-with-us/.
