Room to Read: Literacy and Quality Education for All Children

In 1998, John Wood was a burned-out Microsoft executive in desperate need of a vacation. Thus, he headed off to Nepal. As he was hiking in the Himalayas, he met a Nepalese “Education Resource Officer” who invited him to visit a school in a nearby village. Wood was stunned to see a bedraggled schoolroom with a handful of books that were left behind by backpackers, including a Danielle Steele title and the Lonely Planet Guide to Mongolia. These books were so precious that they were kept locked up to protect them from the children. The schoolmaster requested that maybe Wood would come back with books one day. Back home, Wood started emailing friends for help collecting children's books. Within a couple of months, he had amassed more than 3,000.

The following year, Wood and his father returned to the village with the books, which they transported with the assistance of eight donkeys. Seeing the children's faces convinced Wood to leave the corporate world, and he quit his job at Microsoft in late 1999. He subsequently founded Room to Read with Dinesh Shrestha, and they began building schools and libraries in Nepal.

Today, Room to Read is an award-winning, global organization dedicated to promoting literacy and gender equality in education. Envisioning a world where all children can pursue a quality education, reach their full potential, and contribute to the world, Room to Read works with local communities and governments across Asia and Africa to develop literacy skills and a reading habit among primary school children as well as support girls to complete secondary school with the life skills necessary to succeed in school and beyond. Room to Read's operations in program countries are completely run by local staff and the programs are adapted to suit the local context for the greatest possible effect.

One of the few non-profits that have received Charity Navigator four-star ratings for seven consecutive years, Room to Read has helped more than 7.8 million children to date. In addition, the organization has established 1,627 schools and 15,082 libraries; published 874 books; distributed 12.8 million books; and welcomed 20,378 participants in its girl's education programs.