{{Short description|U.S.-based international non-profit organization}} {{Infobox company | name = Room to Read | logo = Room to read logo.png | type = Non-profit organization | foundation = 2000 | location = San Francisco, California, United States | key_people = Geetha Murali (Chief Executive Officer )<br/>John Wood (Founder)<br/>Erin Ganju (Co-Founder)<br/>Dinesh Shrestha (Co-Founder and Director of Field Operations) | industry = Education | revenue = $64.7 million (2023)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.roomtoread.org/media/ibdbpq0l/room_to_read_2023_annual_report_web.pdf |title=Room to Read 2023 Annual Report |access-date=2025-09-04}}</ref> | homepage = {{URL|https://www.roomtoread.org/}} }} '''Room to Read''' is a global non-profit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California.<ref name="people">{{cite news |last1=Westfall |first1=Sandra |title=Inside Michelle Obama & Julia Roberts' Emotional Day with Vietnamese Girls: 'I Will Never Recover' |url=https://people.com/politics/michelle-obama-julia-roberts-share-emotional-day-with-vietnamese-schoolgirls/ |work=People magazine |date=December 9, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> The organization focuses on working in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments to improve literacy and gender equality in education.<ref name="Charity">{{cite news |last1=Newsdesk |title=Charity releases hundreds of children's books for free online to help parents teach at home |url=https://www.charitytoday.co.uk/charity-releases-hundreds-of-childrens-books-for-free-online-to-help-parents-teach-at-home/ |work=charitytoday.co.uk |date=July 4, 2020}}</ref>
Room to Read has reached 50 million children and has worked in 28 countries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Siu |first=Ernestine |date=2024-11-14 |title=I became CEO of a company that has helped millions of kids read—here's my no. 1 piece of career advice |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/15/ceo-heres-my-no-1-piece-of-career-advice-for-young-people.html |accessdate=2025-09-04 |newspaper=CNBC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-25 |title=Room to Read Marks 25th Anniversary with Strategy to Benefit More Children, More Quickly and Global Recognition List Honoring Partners in World Change |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250225575405/en/Room-to-Read-Marks-25th-Anniversary-with-Strategy-to-Benefit-More-Children-More-Quickly-and-Global-Recognition-List-Honoring-Partners-in-World-Change |accessdate=2025-09-04 |website=Business Wire}}</ref>
== History == Room to Read was co-founded and launched by John Wood, Erin Keown Ganju and Dinesh Shrestha in 1999 after Wood visited several local schools in Nepal. He observed the teachers' and students' enthusiasm and lack of resources, which led him to quit his job and build a global team to create sustainable programs that help solve their education challenges.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Moore |first=Karl |date=2016-01-19 |title=John Wood: 'I had to get out of Microsoft and make education for the world's poorest children my job' |url=http://business.financialpost.com/executive/leadership/john-wood-i-had-to-get-out-of-microsoft-and-make-education-for-the-worlds-poorest-children-my-job |access-date=2017-03-25 |work=Financial Post |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite podcast| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04x2zc8| title=Hardline Conservatives Threaten To Sink 'Trumpcare'| website=Business Matters| publisher= BBC World Service | host=Roger Hearing| date=2017-03-24| minutes=26:30| access-date=2017-03-25}}</ref>
Wood and Shrestha worked with rural communities to build schools called School Room and established libraries called Reading Room. They later expanded beyond libraries, to begin the Girls' Education program in 2000, which focuses on young girls and provides a long-term commitment to their education.<ref name=":0" />
In 2001, Ganju launched Room to Read in Vietnam.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wood|first1=John|title=Leaving Microsoft to Change the World|date=2006|publisher=Harper Collins|location=New York|isbn=9780061121074|pages=[https://archive.org/details/leavingmicrosoft00wo/page/119 119]–125|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/leavingmicrosoft00wo}}</ref>
Geetha Murali joined Room to Read in 2009 as a manager and was appointed chief executive officer in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.circlemena.org/resources/case-studies/scaling-success-the-story-of-room-to-read/ |title=The NGO scaling solutions for literacy and gender equality |access-date=2025-09-04}}</ref>
In December 2021, John Wood stepped down from the global board of directors of Room to Read.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Knott |first=Kylie |date=2024-11-20 |title=Ex-Microsoft director’s mission to get disadvantaged girls to university |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3287152/how-ex-microsoft-director-helping-young-women-low-income-countries-go-university |accessdate=2025-09-04 |website=South China Morning Post}}</ref>
In 2024, the writer Jacinta Kerketta turned down the Room to Read Young Author award; she said this was because of Room to Read's ties to Boeing.<ref>{{cite web | last=Muzaffar | first=Maroosha | title=Indian poet rejects US-backed arts award ‘in solidarity with Palestine’ | website=The Independent | date=1 October 2024 | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/india/jacinta-kerketta-usaid-room-to-read-india-author-award-b2621234.html | access-date=27 February 2025}}</ref>
==Programs== Room to Read implements literacy programs aimed at developing reading skills and fostering an interest in reading among children. Its gender equality programs focus on supporting adolescents, particularly girls, in building life skills that promote gender equality.<ref name="Charity" /> The organization delivers and scales its programs both directly and through partnerships, with core areas of focus including curriculum and content development, educator training and coaching, delivery systems, and research and evaluation.<ref name="people" />
==Impact== As of 2024, Room to Read had reached more than 50 million children across 28 countries.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Room to Read: Building Libraries, Schools, and Computer Labs in Developing Countries |url=https://www.edutopia.org/global-education-libraries-developing-countries |access-date=2025-09-04}}</ref>
== Awards and recognition == * Skoll Foundation: Award for Social Entrepreneurship (2004–2013) * Fast Company / Monitor Group: Social Capitalist Award (2004–2008) * Charity Navigator: 14 four-star ratings (2005–2017, 2019)<ref>{{cite news |title=Charity Navigator - Rating for Room to Read |url=https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/912003533 |work=www.charitynavigator.org}}</ref> * Academy for Educational Development: Breakthrough Ideas in Education (2007) * American Library Association: Presidential Citation (2008)<ref>{{cite web |title=ALA Presidential Citation for Innovative International Library Projects |url=https://www.ala.org/rt/irrt/alapresintlibraryaward |website=Round Tables |language=en |date=16 July 2010}}</ref> * UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy: 2011<ref>{{cite web|title=UNESCO International Literacy Prizewinners 2011|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/education-building-blocks/literacy/literacy-prizes/2011/|website=UNESCO}}</ref> * Cambodia Ministry of Education: Royal Medal of Munisaraphorn Mahasereaywat (2013) * World's Children's Prize, Honorary Award Laureate (2014) * American University School of International Service: Ten Innovative NGOs in Education (2014) <ref>{{cite news|title=Ten Innovative NGOs in Education|url=https://ironline.american.edu/ten-innovative-ngos-in-education/|work=International Relations Online|publisher=American University School of International Service|date=12 September 2014}}</ref> * Library of Congress Literacy Award: Special Response Award (2020); David M. Rubenstein Prize (2014)<ref>{{cite news|title=Library of Congress Literacy Award Winners Announced|url=https://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2014/14-156.html|work=News from the Library of Congress|date=30 August 2014}}</ref> * OnCon Icon Awards: Top 10 Finance Team (2023)<ref>{{Cite web |title=2023 Finance Team Winners {{!}} OnCon Icon Awards |url=https://www.onconferences.com/2023financeteamwinners |access-date=2025-09-04}}</ref> * UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education<ref>{{Cite news |title=2022 UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education: mentoring programmes from Cambodia and Tanzania chosen as laureates |url=https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/2022-unesco-prize-girls-and-womens-education-mentoring-programmes-cambodia-and-tanzania-chosen |access-date=2025-09-04}}</ref> * HundrED's Global Collection: Hall of Fame (2025), Academy Choice Award (2023) and Top 100 Global Collection (2023-2025)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-26 |title=HundrED Global Collection 2023 |url=https://hundred.org/en/reports/hundred-global-collection-2023 |access-date=2025-09-04}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist|2}}
== External links == * {{Official website|http://www.roomtoread.org|Room to Read official website}}
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Category:Educational charities based in the United States Category:Charities based in California Category:International educational charities Category:Development charities based in the United States Category:Organizations established in 2000 Category:2000 establishments in California Category:Organizations promoting literacy Category:501(c)(3) organizations