Our workforce: Room to Read’s workforce includes a geographically representative and diverse group of staff, partners, board members, volunteers and ambassadors, all actively working to advance our mission. Our programming: Since 2000, Room to Read has reached 29 countries and benefited 60.3 million children cumulatively.1 1Children benefited numbers reflect children who benefit through any of our programmatic activities within our Literacy Portfolio and Gender Equality Portfolio.
Our Reach
2025 Annual Report
From our CEO
Education begins in moments we all recognize: the weight of a book in a child’s hands, the pride of reading a sentence aloud, the quiet confidence that grows when learning feels possible. These moments are small, but their power is vast. They shape how children see themselves and the world they believe they can build.
Throughout my 17 years at Room to Read, I’ve seen how progress can stall without sustained support. Moments of possibility require systems strong enough to support them. As CEO, I feel a deep responsibility to ensure these moments don’t depend on chance but are protected by design and elevated with intention.
From our Global Board Chair
Grounded in a career evaluating growth, scale and operational strength, I am deeply aware that the most meaningful progress is built over time and made possible by dedication to continuous learning and growth. These principles are foundational to my approach as an investor; I assess opportunities based on their demonstrated capacity to endure and expand. When I was first introduced to Room to Read over a decade ago, it was clear to me that its programming met those criteria in an effort to pursue long-term, positive change. Demonstrated through patience, discipline and an unwavering focus on results, Room to Read consistently yields the maximum return of every dollar, stretching every cent to contribute to improved learning outcomes for children.
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Room to Read combines rigorous evaluation of program effectiveness with comprehensive monitoring of reach and implementation to ensure every investment drives measurable outcomes for children. As of January 2026, preliminary 2025 results show:Our Results
16.5MM children benefited in 2025, with 55MM children benefited cumulatively
Children in Room to Read programs read up to 2.5 times faster and answer up to 2.6 more comprehension questions than peers in comparison schools
45.7MM books distributed and 5,166 original and adapted children’s literature titles published cumulatively
*Children benefited through Gender Equality Portfolio (GEP) participate in a range of different types of programming based on our core competencies, including life skills and content knowledge development as well as mentorship.
615,724 adolescents benefited in 2025, with 4.4MM adolescents benefited cumulatively
32,967 adolescents have graduated secondary school school through our comprehensive Girls’ Education Program cumulatively, including 4,598 in 2025
Over 90 percent of girls enrolled in our Girls’ Education Program advance to the next grade and more than 80 percent secure work or enroll in tertiary education
Room to Read develops and implements our programming based on our four distinct core competencies. As you scroll through this report, you’ll see how each competency translated into tangible results in 2025, from measurable gains in learning to expanded access for millions of children, and how these strengths position us to deepen our impact in the years ahead.Our Successes
Approximately 251 million children and youth remain out of school ― often due to poverty, conflict or displacement. To meet children wherever they are requires flexible, inclusive solutions that adapt to their realities. Room to Read cultivates safe and accessible learning spaces, as well as the time and technology to use them effectively. In 2025, this included global efforts that created engaging library spaces, supported nonformal learning environments, and explored innovative AI-enabled tools to strengthen teaching practices. Delivery Structures
Over the past decade in Indonesia, Room to Read has helped strengthen the country’s nascent children’s book publishing sector and expanded access to child-friendly libraries and local language books. To date, this transformational work includes establishing more than 500 school libraries across seven provinces, training more than 4,000 teachers and librarians, distributing more than two million books and co-creating 127 new children’s books. Our library model now serves as the foundation for the government-led National Child-Friendly Library Program, which is designed to rapidly scale this work in the coming years.
Around the world, Room to Read continues to explore the cost-effectiveness of different library models. These include cluster libraries that serve multiple schools, community-based mini-libraries, container libraries that transform empty shipping units into vibrant reading spaces, mobile libraries that can travel to remote areas, as well as classroom-based libraries and cozy reading corners integrated into existing learning spaces. With the ability to overcome barriers like distance, limited infrastructure, or crowded classrooms, these models accelerate access to books in diverse settings.
To ensure children not only have the spaces but also the technologies they need learn, Room to Read’s digital library, Literacy Cloud, hosts a diverse collection of books, read aloud videos and library resources that can be accessed online around the world.
In 2025, in Tanzania, Room to Read and local partners launched a remedial learning program for children in non-formal learning settings ― educational environments that exist outside of formal school systems. These settings include children’s homes and Complimentary Basic Education centers, which are designed to help children who have fallen behind catch up in their learning. Through flexible, small-group instruction, students who have fallen behind receive targeted support to help ensure they can enter or re-enter formal education better prepared.
Amid continued instability in Lebanon, Room to Read expanded access to safe learning spaces by opening 15 new, fully equipped school libraries in Lebanon and distributing more than 27,000 storybooks. Through this sustained work, Room to Read and our local partners are benefiting children who need our support the most ― preserving both learning and hope.
In India, Room to Read is piloting a Hindi-language, AI-enabled app designed to support educators with personalized, on-demand instructional support. In Vietnam, Room to Read is adapting our mobile coaching app to support library educators in Vietnamese.
At the same time, we are further strengthening our approach by shifting to more digital data capture tools — enabling real-time insights, faster program adjustments, and more responsive support to learners. In South Africa in 2025, community-based staff were trained to conduct program assessments using tablets and leveraged interactive digital dashboards.
Additionally, in India, Room to Read is co-creating a web-based Oral Reading Fluency Assessment and Diagnostics tool that will facilitate accurate, streamlined student reading assessments.
Room to Read extends special recognition to our generous institutional supporters, including those who contributed more than US$50,000 in 2025, and those who offered vital in-kind donations. We are grateful for the global community of dedicated individuals who contribute their time, expertise and energy to advance Room to Read’s mission.to ensure Room to Read can continue to nurture foundational learning skills in all children. Our progress in 2025 was catalyzed by the commitment of our esteemed global and regional board members, advocates, ambassadors and volunteer leaders. 
Our Community of Supporters
Our major investors Partner case studies Partner with us
Our 2025 audited financials are forthcoming and will be posted to our financials page once finalized. Financial integrity, transparency and accountability are central to Room to Read’s values. Our work is made possible by the generosity of our global partners and supporters, and we are deeply committed to stewarding those resources responsibly and reporting transparently on how funds are used. 2025 Financials
We also maintain administrative costs below industry averages to prioritize program investment. At least 85 cents of every dollar spent directly supports delivery of our literacy and gender equality programming.
