Guest post by Barbara Heffner – Room to Read Boston Chapter Leader:
“We are too poor to afford education. But until we have education we will always be poor.”
~ Nepalese Headmaster
In 1998, John Wood was serving as Microsoft’s director of marketing for the Asia-Pacific Division. Before moving on to a new posting in China, John took a vacation that changed his life. Trekking through a remote Himalayan village, he struck up conversation with a school headmaster, who invited John to visit his school. There, John discovered that the few books available were so precious that they were kept under lock and key – to protect them from the children! Fewer than 20 books were available for more than 450 students.
John was moved to action, initially collecting books from friends and family. In 1999, he delivered 3,000 books via a convoy of yaks to the mountain village he had visited the year before. The following year, John left Microsoft and launched what would later become Room to Read, with its world headquarters in the second bedroom of his apartment.
From these humble beginnings, Room to Read has evolved to become an awarding-winning nonprofit, changing the lives of more than five million children in the developing world by providing increased access to high-quality educational opportunities. To date, the organization has established more than 12,000 libraries and constructed 1400 schools. Room to Read’s Girls’ Education Program has supported nearly 11,000 girls in a long-term education program. The organization operates in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zambia and aims to reach 10 million children by 2015.
While these results are admirable, the problem is daunting. An estimated 750 million people around the world cannot read or write; two-thirds of them are girls and women.
To help the organization scale, Room to Read has leveraged volunteers working in many major cities around the world – more than 50 at last count. These chapters have consistently raised about one-third of the organization’s budget each year.
On November 15, Room to Read’s vibrant Boston Chapter will hold its third annual Fall Fundraiser at the NERD Center. Room to Read’s remarkable CEO, Erin Ganju, is the special guest speaker. Erin, who has been with Room to Read since 2001, has been integral to the organization’s growth to more than 500 employees in nine countries. Earlier in her career she worked in international business development for Unilever and Goldman Sachs.
The event will also feature international foods, a live auction, raffle items and special musical guests – the Boston Children’s Chorus.
You can register for the event at www.roomtoread.org/boston2011 or simply click here.
