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Dear Friends,
What role has education played in your life?
I can trace every success I have had back to the knowledge and skills I gained in school. My education has played a critical role in my contributions to my community, the relationships I have forged, my ability to cope with challenges and even how I parent. As Mother’s Day approaches, my desire to ensure all women and girls have the same opportunity is only reaffirmed.
Every day, Room to Read is helping to make that dream a reality in communities across Africa and Asia. Through our Girls’ Education program, we are paving the way for bright young women to not only stay in school, but thrive—developing the confidence and life skills necessary to make informed decisions and create a better life for themselves and their families.
Contained in this newsletter is our 2011 Girls’ Education Yearbook, where you will meet eight incredible girls who are already putting those skills into practice. You’ll also read about Suma, one of our Girls’ Education program participants from Nepal, who was invited by Room to Read partner 10x10 to perform at the Newsweek/Daily Beast Women in the World 2012 Summit. I was fortunate enough to attend the conference in March to hear Suma sing. As a Room to Read Board Member, it was thrilling to hear the confidence in her voice—a shining example of what happens when you educate a girl.
Suma is one voice speaking for many, and her song was not only a beautiful testament to her own story, but a call to action. In developing countries, 42 percent of girls are not enrolled in school…but with your help they can be. For the month of May, Hilton Worldwide will match all donations up to $150,000 in honor of Mother’s Day—doubling the impact of your gift.
Thank you for your continued investment in Room to Read.
Sincerely,
Kim Anstatt Morton
Room to Read Board of Directors
10x10 Advisory Board
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Kim Anstatt Morton (with Suma in New York City).
This May, give the gift of education and honor the women in your life with a donation to Room to Read. In celebration of Mother’s Day, all gifts will be matched up to $150,000 by our partner, Hilton Worldwide.
Donate Now »
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Beyond the Classroom: Our 2011 Girls’ Education Yearbook
 Our approach to girls’ education is about more than just academics. We work to ensure each girl has the life skills training and mentorship she needs to succeed in school and to make informed decisions. In 2011, 95 percent of the more than 13,000 girls enrolled in our program advanced to the next grade or graduated from secondary school. Meet eight of those trailblazing young women in our 2011 Girls’ Education Yearbook.
Download the PDF »
UNICEF Honors Room to Read South Africa with Award for Best Early Childhood Development Publication
 When Room to Read first began establishing libraries in 2000, we set about stocking them with as many local-language books as possible. Our teams scoured local markets and met with printers, but it became evident almost immediately that there were simply not enough quality children’s books to fill the shelves of our libraries or the minds of young readers in developing countries.
In South Africa, this issue is only compounded by the country’s rich linguistic diversity. With 19 official languages, finding age-appropriate, culturally-relevant children’s books is quite difficult. Since beginning work in the country six years ago, our team has sought to fill the void, publishing 239,600 books in 11 languages.
This spring, we learned that one of those books, Unjani (How Are You?), had been named Best Early Childhood Development Publication of 2011 by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), an incredible honor. Designed for very early readers, Unjani uses a mixture of colorful illustrations and photographs to teach children the words for expressing emotion, and was published in English, Afrikaans, IsiXosa, SiSwati, Xitsonga, Tshivenda and Sepedi.
At an award ceremony held on March 15, a representative from UNICEF praised Room to Read for sourcing and publishing our books locally. Also noted was the organization's commitment to distributing copies of the books to schools and NGOs outside of our network, a practice that extends the reach of our Book Publishing program far beyond the four walls of our Room to Read libraries.
Learn more about Book Publishing »
Suma Takes the Stage at the Women in the World 2012 Summit
 “I was worried about whether people could understand what I was singing,” says 19-year-old Girls’ Education program participant Suma Tharu. “When I stopped and everyone clapped and cheered, I felt that they understood.”
Suma made the long trip from her home in Nepal to New York City this past March to share her story with the world at the Newsweek/Daily Beast Women in the World 2012 Summit. After singing a song she wrote about her childhood as an indentured servant, Suma told a packed house at Manhattan’s Lincoln Center about her struggle to pursue and education and her plans for the future. “I want to fight for the rights of women,” she said with confidence.
As a delegate for the summit, Suma had a chance to meet several other trailblazing women, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, actress Meryl Streep and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.
Our partners at 10x10, who will feature Suma’s story in an upcoming film, documented her journey to New York City. Hear her explain, in her own words, how she felt about taking the stage.
Watch the video »
Lucky Number Six: Celebrating Another Year as One of Charity Navigator’s Top-Rated Organizations
 Accountability has been essential to Room to Read’s organizational culture since we first set out to change the world more than 12 years ago. Today we are as committed as ever to ensuring all investors have the information they need to give with confidence, so we were extremely pleased to learn last month that Room to Read had once again been awarded Charity Navigator’s highest rating of 4 stars.
Receiving this rating for the sixth consecutive year puts Room to Read among the top three percent of rated charities in the United States. The nation’s largest independent evaluator of philanthropic organizations, Charity Navigator uses a rigorous, two-dimensional evaluation framework to calculate each score.
“What we are most proud of is the culture of transparency and fiscal responsibility that exists across the organization worldwide,” says Joanne Chou, Room to Read’s Chief Financial Officer. “Our staff respects the fiduciary duty we owe to all donors, and understands that how we work is as important as what we accomplish.”
In addition to ensuring these values are shared by all teams, the organization undertakes a thorough external audit each year and publishes five years’ worth of financial statements on our website.
Read the full press release »
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Meet Wakyo Musongo, Girls’ Education Program Manager for Tanzania
 Since earning her degree in Sociology from the University of Dar es Salaam, Wakyo Musongo has worked tirelessly to improve opportunities for women and girls in her country. This year was no different, as she joined the Room to Read team and led the launch of our Girls’ Education program in Tanzania. We caught up Wakyo to hear how the program is taking shape and to find out more about her own journey.
What role has education played in your life?
My education helped me to become the woman I am today—confident and planning life on my own terms. It also gave me the analytical skills to approach every issue with a critical mind and rational decision-making.
What excites you most about your role at Room to Read? How is it going so far?
There are many things I must do to serve the disadvantaged girls we work with and help them achieve their goals, but the most important is to ensure they have everything they need to complete their education.
So far we have started the program in three schools in Turiani district and have more than 290 girls enrolled. Our social mobilizers have already begun meeting with the girls and providing life skills training and our team is identifying which girls need material or academic support. The girls are very much excited already and we have begun meeting with parents to engage them in the program as well.
Why do you believe it is so important that we close the gender gap in education, particularly in Tanzania?
I strongly believe that education is one of the most important means of empowering girls and women because it gives them the knowledge, skills and self-confidence necessary to participate fully in the development process. If we want all people in Tanzania to be a part of the country’s growth, we need to break the gender gap in education and make sure all children have equal access. Education helps girls and women to know their rights and to gain the confidence to claim them.
What are the greatest challenges you see with the Girls’ Education program in Tanzania and how do you plan to overcome them?
The greatest challenges are early marriage, pressure to work in the sugar factories, poor school infrastructure and the great distances many girls must travel each morning.
In Turiani we have a great opportunity, though because the community is so supportive. They contribute to the school feeding program, help build the classrooms, attend parent meetings and have an active school board. Our staff plans to form a community committee that will engage this group in our program activities.
Learn more about our work in Tanzania »
Cricket-Fever Strikes Room to Read Libraries in India and Bangladesh
  Recently, our libraries in South Asia have been slightly more star-studded than usual, thanks to cricket superstars Virat Kohli of India and Mushfiqur Rahim (Mushfiq) of Bangladesh. Earlier this year, both players took time out of their preparations for the Twenty20 Tournament in Sri Lanka to bring attention to the importance of literacy.
The events were part of our ongoing partnership with the International Cricket Council, and were the highlight of the year for many students.
In Bangaldesh, Mushfiq was the guest of honor at a read-play festival in Brahmanbaria. The day began with a game called “Read and Run,” combining literacy and athleticism, before the national hero inaugurated a bookshelf for the school library by reading from one of our local language books. Later on, Mushfiq wrapped up the day by batting and bowling with the students—a thrill for the young fans.
A few weeks later, cricket-fever reached Delhi, where superstar Virat Kohli spent the day at a Room to Read library not far from the capital. In addition to reading aloud to a group of students in Hindi, Virat spent time with a few of the students from our Girls’ Education program. "Whatever you want to do, do it with full passion and work really hard towards it,” said the 22-year-old athlete.
Learn more about our work in India and Bangladesh »
Saro’s Story: Going the Extra Mile to Help Girls Succeed in Camboda
 At 26 years old, Saro Yoeung calls herself a “no-nonsense person.” For the past three years, she has been a social mobilizer for Room to Read’s Girls’ Education program, and says she enjoys going to work every day.
Saro’s passion for education was inspired by her mother, who always encouraged her daughter to stay in school despite being the sole breadwinner for the family. Now, Saro honors her mother’s commitment to education daily, paying it forward as a social mobilizer for 66 girls in Cambodia’s Kampong Cham Province.
Saro works closely with families to make sure the girls she works with stay in school. “Most parents, especially the fathers, tend to be dismissive,” she shares candidly. “They don’t like a woman advising them as to how they should bring up their daughters.”
Despite the negative reaction she receives, Saro has vowed never to lose her temper. “I do not push when a person is angry; instead I return another day and use metaphors they understand.”
“I will never forget Sareth as long as I live,” she says of one student. Sareth’s parents had taken out a loan they were unable to repay, so she dropped out of school and began to work in a nearby factory. Immediately, Saro launched a campaign to get Sareth back in school—visiting with her family every day for weeks and eventually showing up at the factory gates in person to retrieve Sareth.
“I explained to her father that for long-term gains, he must treat his daughter like a mango tree—be patient and nurture her development.” Saro now proudly reports that Sareth is at the top of her class. “I want every girl I work with to finish her schooling,” she says with a smile. “One day I know they will appreciate that I was so adamant.”
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