Room to Read Fact Sheet THE CHALLENGE 750 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE WORLD ARE ILLITERATE 2/3 ARE WOMEN AND GIRLS 262 MILLION CHILDREN AREN’T LEARNING IN PRIMARY SCHOOL OUR RESULTS Room to Read believes that World Change Starts with Educated Children.® We envision a world where every 16.8M CHILDREN child can reach his or her full potential thanks to BENEFITTED from Room to Read’s work education and be an active participant in society. since 2000. Room to Read transforms the lives of millions of children in low-income communities by MORE THAN focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. We work in collaboration with local 26M CHILDREN’S communities, partner organizations and governments to develop literacy skills and a habit of BOOKS DISTRIBUTED reading among primary school children and ensure girls can complete secondary school with the skills necessary to negotiate key life decisions. including more than 1,750 titles published by Room to Read, and donated English- and local-language books. MORE THAN OUR PROGRAMS 10,000 TEACHERS TRAINED Our Literacy Program is designed Our Girls’ Education Program on average each year in to help every child become an ensures that girls complete secondary literacy and reading best independent reader. school and have the skills to negotiate practices. key life decisions. We transform primary schools into child- MORE THAN friendly learning environments that enable We offer girls life skills training, mentoring 95,000 GIRLS children to become lifelong, independent and need-based material support while readers. Our program ensures schools have also increasing advocacy for girls’ education SUPPORTED libraries filled with books in the children’s by Room to Read’s Girls’ among their parents, school staff and Education Program. Our local languages, as well as teachers and communities. We take a long-term, holistic participants have a 95% librarians who are trained on how to engage approach by going beyond academics to build advancement rate. a classroom of eager, young learners. We the skills that girls need to make informed life build strong relationships with families, decisions. Essential to our program are our MORE THAN communities and governments to ensure social mobilizers, local women who are hired 6,200 GRADUATES local buy-in for the transformation of as mentors and work to ensure that girls stay from Room to Read’s Girls’ learning environments and their long-term in school, participate in life skills activities and Education Program, with success. navigate the challenges of adolescence with 70% going on to tertiary the ability to make their own life choices. education or employment. World Change Starts with Educated Children.® | www.roomtoread.org RECOGNITION WHAT DIFFERENTIATES US? FISCAL EXCELLENCE We design, implement and institutionalize Room to Read has achieved 13 4-star effective and efficient models for achieving ratings from Charity Navigator since quality learning outcomes related to literacy 2007, an achievement that less than and gender equality. We do so in a manner 1% of charities can claim. that governments and other NGOs can LEADER IN LITERACY adopt, integrate and scale-up “best-in- class” approaches within education systems Won 2014 Library of Congress Literacy Award’s David Rubenstein in the interest of underserved communities Prize for our outstanding around the world. commitment to literacy, and the We combine the science of learning to UNESCO 2011 Confucius Prize for Literacy recognizing excellence and read with the magic of loving to read, inspiration in the literacy field. developing a generation of independent readers who are breaking the cycle of SOCIAL INNOVATOR illiteracy within their own families through Chosen as Twitter’s first Corporate our Literacy Program. Social Innovation partner and won the Skoll Foundation’s Award for Through our Girls’ Education Program, we Social Entrepreneurship ten times. give girls the tools to self-advocate and find power in their voices to chart a path that HIGH-IMPACT GIVING Room to Read’s innovative model focuses on deep, systemic transformation within they choose for themselves, rather than the Recognized in Barron’s magazine schools during the two most critical time one forced upon them. 25 Best Givers list, 2009, 2010; The periods in a child’s schooling: early primary Global Journal’s Top 100 NGOs in the World, 2012, 2013; and Great school for literacy acquisition and secondary Nonprofits Top Rated list, 2013, 2014. school for girls’ education. PRESS OUR REACH Room to Read has received significant global media coverage including: Room to Read has benefited 16.8 million children in 16 countries around the world. • ABC • BBC • Bloomberg • CBS • CNN • • Financial Times • The New York Times • • Newsweek • People • Radio National • O U T • Vogue • The Wall Street Journal • S H A S I A Jordan Nepal Myanmar Laos India PARTNERS R I C F A Vietnam A Bangladesh T H E A U S O S I A T Room to Read receives support from S A leading global organizations including: Sri Lanka Cambodia Rwanda • Artha Capital • Atlassian Foundation • N T R A C E L Tanzania Indonesia M E R I C A • Bank of America—BA Continuum India • A Zambia • Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation • Caerus Foundation • Citi • Credit Suisse • Dubai Honduras Cares • Echidna Giving • Goldman Sachs • South Africa • Google.org • IKEA Foundation • IMC • I B B E A R A N • Myriad Asset Management • The Stone C Grenada Family Foundation • Tatcha • Townsend Press • UBS Optimus Foundation • USAID • 465 California Street, Suite 1000 • San Francisco, CA, 94104, USA • Voice: +1 415 839 4400 • Fax: +1 415 839 4303 [email protected] • www.roomtoread.org • twitter.com/roomtoread • facebook.com/roomtoread World Change Starts with Educated Children.® .