OUR APPROACH
Our approach not only works for all children — it works at scale. By building literacy skills alongside reading habits, and by engaging governments and other NGOs to use this highly effective methodology, we are cementing the foundation for systemic change in education and paving an inclusive path toward ending global illiteracy.
Effective Literacy Instruction
. Our proven, data-backed instruction method combines the science of learning to read with the magic of loving to read. We train teachers and librarians in literacy and library best practices, assisting them in developing their skills and knowledge on effective literacy instruction and library management with ongoing support from local literacy coaches. We know that how we teach is just as important as what we teach.
Vibrant Learning Spaces
. . We partner with schools to establish libraries that support student learning. We advocate with governments to make sure every child has access to a child-friendly library filled with developmentally appropriate, diverse and engaging books. Our Library Rating System ensures our libraries are high-functioning and sustainable through twice-yearly assessments that help to prioritize schools that need extra support.
Quality Reading Materials
. . Through our unique role as a nonprofit book publisher, Room to Read partners with local publishers, authors and illustrators to create and distribute local language children's books. In addition to storybooks, we create customized, highly effective instruction books for every language we work in, including many countries’ minority languages. Room to Read’s Literacy Program supports children all over the world as they develop into independent readers and lifelong learners who are breaking the cycle of illiteracy in their families.
A WORSENING
ILLITERACY CRISIS
• The COVID-19 pandemic created a global education emergency and disrupted learning for 1.6 billion children around the world. • Post-pandemic, approximately 70 percent of children in low- to middle-income communities cannot read and understand a simple text by the age of ten. • Illiteracy costs the global economy more than US $1 trillion each year and creates a cycle of poverty for millions of families. • Only 3 percent of global humanitarian aid is spent on education. • In many under-resourced communities, quality, culturally relevant children’s books for early readers are limited or nonexistent. • Access to primary schooling has improved, but educational quality remains a major issue. World Change Starts with Educated Children. 9 www.roomtoread.org
OUR DIFFERENCE
We know how to solve the illiteracy crisis through a program that is proven to be:
Comprehensive
. We are the only global literacy organization that effectively combines these core elements: 1) quality instruction, 2) child-friendly libraries and 3) access to books that cultivate a life-long love of reading and learning. Our approach results in some of the strongest positive learning outcomes in the sector.
Locally Adaptable
. . . Our program operates successfully in tens of thousands of communities globally because it can be adapted for any population or context. Most of our staff are from the countries and communities where they work. This trusted local presence enables Room to Read to contextualize programs to better meet the needs of local students and families, and to quickly respond during crises. We meet students where they are — whether in the classroom or learning from home — including hand-delivering books and learning packets to children's homes, broadcasting lessons over the radio, sending mobile libraries to remote villages only accessible by camel or boat, and digitizing our books and teaching resources in 33 languages on our online platform, LiteracyCloud.org.
Scalable & Sustainable
. . . Through partnerships with governments, public school systems and other NGOs, we are reshaping education systems at the national level. We are involved in education reforms initiated by governments in Cambodia, Honduras, India and Tanzania, among others. Room to Read is often the only NGO invited by governments to join advisory committees to inform nationwide curriculum development, teacher training and school library standards. We mobilize children's book publishers in the countries where we work by purchasing and distributing books from partner publishers, building a demand for children's literature and promoting the growth of local publishing industries and individual book creators. Children in Room to Read’s Literacy Program read an average of 2 to 3 times faster and with greater comprehension than their peers in non- Room to Read schools. teachers and lik trained in 2022, more than any previous year. OUR REACH Room to Read has benefited more than 39 million children and has worked in 23 countries around the world to help young learners unlock their full potential through education United States Honduras Grenada INVEST WITH CONFIDENCE Room to Read/Jonathan S Fiscal Excellence For every US $1 donated to Room to Read, 86 cents goes to our programs. We are proud to have earned 16 four-star ratings from Chárity Navigator. Educational Leadership UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education . HundrED Global Collection recipient # ranked #1 for impact and scalability out of more than 3,400 education-focused organizations UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy World’s Children’s Prize Honorary Laureaté Library of Congress Literacy Awards, Rubenstein Prize and Special Response Award for outstanding work addressing pandemic-related challenges Questions? Contact us at info@roomtoread.org Room to Read Global Offices:  Colombo ・Dhaka/： Delhi ・ / Dubai Ho Chi Minh City • Hong Kong • Kathmandu • /London : / Mumbai Nairobi ・New York ・Pretoria ・San Francisco ・ Singapore ・ Sydney Tokyo • Washington, D.C. • Zurich