Building educational infrastructure in the developing world is not a simple task. Every country offers a unique set of challenges and opportunities, every region has its strengths and weaknesses, every community has its own needs. For this reason, Room to Read employs local teams led by a local director in each country. Our local teams understand the needs of each country and each community. They speak the language, know the customs, and understand what it takes to implement each program successfully. They ensure that our programs are of the highest quality and meet their singular needs.
We have five core programs that provide educational resources to communities throughout the developing world:
- Reading Room Program - We establish libraries and stock them with local language children's books published by Room to Read, donated English language books, games, furniture - everything that is required to establish a child-friendly learning environment.
- Local Language Publishing Program - We source new content from local writers and artists and publish high-quality children's books in the local language and in English. These books are then distributed throughout our network of schools and libraries so that children have access to books in their local language and in English.
- School Room Program - We partner with local communities to build schools so that children can learn in a safe environment.
- Room to Grow Girls' Scholarship Program - We provide long-term scholarships to girls so they have the opportunity to go to school.
- Computer & Language Room Program: We establish computer and language labs to provide students access to computer technology and to help them learn other languages. These skills enable students to have better employment opportunities after they graduate.
Through our Challenge Grant model, communities co-invest with Room to Read, facilitating the long-term sustainability of our projects after our local teams have moved on to assist other villages.
We also conduct regular monitoring and evaluation to ensure that our programs run effectively and efficiently, and have the best possible impact on children throughout the developing world.
Results to Date
Since our inception in 2000, Room to Read has impacted the lives of over 1.7 million children by:
- Constructing 442 schools
- Establishing over 5,160 libraries
- Publishing 226 new local language children's titles representing over 2 million books
- Donating over 2.2 million English language children's books
- Funding 4,036 long-term girls' scholarships
- Establishing 155 computer and language labs
