Our new Students Helping Students program is focused on establishing new libraries and creating new local language books for children in Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Vietnam.

These two programs are very important to Room to Read because they help provide a foundation for literacy and education for young children.

Libraries

Most of the schools we work with do not have a dedicated library room. This means that there is no place for children to get their hands on a great book that encourages more learning, more thinking, and more creativity. They do not any have fun, high quality children's books, posters, and other resources for kids to learn and explore.

Establishing libraries has always been at the core of our organization - it was the first program we started and has continued to be a focal point for us. Through our library program we are able to reach thousands of children in rural areas and provide educational resources for them. By the end of this year, we will have established over 5,000 libraries in seven countries!

Although this is an important program for us, it is our most difficult program to fund. But who can better understand the importance of libraries and supplementary reading material than students and teachers!

"With the help of Room to Read now we have plenty of books and enough furniture to accommodate our students. It has helped us to increase curiosity of books and the habit of learning among the students. They are able to gain valuable knowledge from variety of books besides their course books. It has not only benefited the students but also [the] teachers."

Children's Books

Our local language publishing effort is an important part of the library program because it allows us to fill a huge need for colorful children's books. Our goal is to provide high quality, culturally relevant books to children so that they develop a lifelong love for reading and learning.

Currently, children in the developing world are not inspired to learn to read at a young age because there simply are not many children's books. The few books that are available in many developing countries are either second-hand books in foreign languages or low quality, black and white books for more mature readers. Often, there are very few children's books in schools, and they are locked away for safekeeping. Children do not have access to the type of books that will spark imagination, curiosity, and a desire to learn to read.

Our goal is to make relevant children's books more accessible to children in urban and rural areas. By the end of 2007, Room to Read will have published approximately 200 titles in seven countries; many of these books are also bilingual. Because we publish these books in country, we are able to keep our costs extremely low - approximately US$1-2 per book - and we ensure that the money we spend stays in these countries.

"Before I saw the colorful Room to Read books, I thought reading was only for homework. Now, I can read books that are fun and learn about other places and animals."