The Challenge
Adequate schools are often scarce in the rural areas of the developing world, a factor that contributes to continuing poverty and lack of economic development. It is not uncommon for young children to walk several hours each way just to attend school. Many of the schools that do exist are often ramshackle collections of crumbling bricks, loose sheet metal and dirt floors. Although these structures are no longer safe for children, they continue to be used because the community has no alternative.
In other villages, the school structure might be sufficient, but classrooms are grossly overcrowded, with as many as 80 students jammed into a room designed for 40 students. Unfortunately, these schools cannot count on outside help as government funding for education is sparse. In many countries, the government does not sponsor certain facets of education like preschool, which is the building block for a successful primary and secondary education. Although many citizens of the developing world are committed to universal education, they do not possess the resources to accomplish that goal in the near future. That's where Room to Read comes in.
The Room to Read School Room Approach
Through our School Room Program, Room to Read partners with local communities to build several types of schools to meet the specific needs of each village and culture.
Primary & Secondary Schools
In Laos, Nepal, and Vietnam, Room to Read works to rectify the lack of schools by constructing four- to eight-room buildings for primary and secondary schools that currently have an unsafe structure or overcrowded classrooms. In some cases, we assist in completing a school construction project that has been delayed or cancelled; we also identify communities that do not have any schools but are in need of one. For example, we partnered with the local community to expand the Shree Janakalyan Lower Secondary School in the Dhadhing district of Nepal. In the past, young students who completed grade five had to walk a minimum of one hour each way on a busy highway to reach a secondary school; tragically, every year some students were killed in road accidents. As a result, the community and school began expanding the number of grades they offered in order to make it a full secondary school (grades 1-10). Room to Read partnered with the community to add an additional six-room building to facilitate this expansion.
The vast majority of primary and secondary schools we establish include a Room to Read library - often the first library the students have been able to use. These libraries provide extracurricular reading materials, games and activities that nurture intellectual curiosity and improve reading and critical thinking skills. These schools also include adequate toilet facilities, another relative novelty in many developing world school communities. These facilities improve hygiene and increase privacy, which leads to increased student retention rates, especially among girls.
Preschools
In Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and to a lesser extent Laos, one of our main focal points is to provide access to preschool. Educational studies demonstrate that early learning makes a significant and positive impact in the educational development of young students. In addition, preschools offer an organized learning environment in which small children can be nurtured. This arrangement frees up the time of parents, grandparents, and siblings (especially older sisters) who would otherwise be needed to provide care. Room to Read understands that a child's education begins with an adequate learning environment.
For example, in Vietnam, though The Education and Training Ministry understands the importance of preschool education, the funds to build preschools simply do not exist. The government hopes that many of these poor local communities can contribute their material and labor to construct community preschools by themselves, but these communities are often too poor to do so. In the community of Tan Lap in the Long An province, villagers realized that they desperately needed schools for their children. They knew that if their young children could attend school, the villagers could focus on farming and better support their families. In addition, a preschool would begin to teach the children the critical skills they need to improve their lives and end the cycle of poverty. With the support of Room to Read, today 31 young students are learning, writing, singing, and dancing in their new preschool.
Our preschools usually consist of a three-room building and include appropriately-sized furniture for the little students as well as lavatory facilities. These well-built structures have plenty of ventilation and a strong roof to withstand the heavy rains of the monsoon season; many have a school yard with a fence and gate to provide protection; and some - depending on location - even have a playground for the children.
Our Challenge Grant Model
Central to all of our school constructions is our Challenge Grant model. We approach our partnerships in every locale with an understanding that the people involved have the best solutions. Local Room to Read teams do not seek future locations; instead, communities apply to Room to Read for assistance with constructing a school. Our program requires local investment and involvement. Once a community has been chosen as a future site for a Room to Read school, they must make considerable contributions to the process. The local team selects partners based on the following criteria:
- The village must apply for a school construction project and be willing to partner with Room to Read to manage it.
- The village must pass our thorough needs assessment. Rather than simply building or paying for a new school, Room to Read involves the local community where the school is to be built. We ask communities to provide some of the funding, land, materials and/or labor required to build the school.
- The community must sign our "Challenge Grant" contract. This contract stipulates that the village: (a) must assemble a construction committee that meets regularly to ensure progress; (b) use an agreed-upon blueprint, which ensures that schools are built safely and cost effectively; and (c) donate funds, materials, land, and/or labor to the effort.
This model of community ownership produces a deep sense of commitment and a lasting impact on education in rural areas. Because of the Room to Read approach, our schools are sustainable institutions that are able to provide for the education of children for the long term.
School Room Results
By setting high standards and expectations, Room to Read has partnered with local communities to build over 440 schools and over 280 planned for 2007. Thousands of young students are now learning in safe, child-friendly environments that encourage their mental, physical, and spiritual development.
| Country | Total Thru 2007 | 2008 (Projected) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambodia |  |
- | - |
| India |  |
- | - |
| Laos |  |
72 | 38 |
| Nepal |  |
169 | 179 |
| Sri Lanka |  |
115 | 43 |
| Vietnam |  |
86 | 20 |
| South Africa |  |
- | - |
| Zambia |  |
- | - |
How You Can Help
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
- Nelson Mandela
Almost all educated people have fond memories of an early teacher who influenced their life. What if that teacher did not exist? What if the school or classroom did not exist? What if a child eventually learned that an educated life was not a privilege meant only for other children? What would be the effect of that realization? Your contribution can make the difference in such a life.
With communities co-investing right beside you, just US$15,000 to US$35,000 is enough for us to build a school that will support hundreds of students and last for years to come.
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Donate to the School Room Program - Make a donation towards school construction in a particular country, to the program in general, or leave it up to Room to Read to best allocate your contribution. |
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Sponsor the construction of a school. |
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Learn about volunteer opportunities with Room to Read. |
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"Your glorious help has changed our school, and inspired our students to improve their academic performance. The students at our school received some of the highest exam scores out of the Kaski district; the first time our school received such distinction. We are very grateful to you all."
- Udaya Karki, Principal, Harihar English School, Nepal
