Inside Room to Read's Literacy Program
Literacy
Quality education is an inherent human right
And yet, a quality education remains out of reach for millions of children around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic created a global education emergency and we are in the midst of a worsening illiteracy crisis.
70% of children in historically low- to middle-income communities cannot read and understand a simple text by the age of ten.
2.4 million more teachers are needed to provide every child with a primary education by 2030. In the rush to fill this gap, many countries are lowering standards, leaving new teachers with little or no training.
In many under-resourced communities, quality, culturally relevant children’s books for early readers are limited or nonexistent.
Without action, current education systems will continue to deny the fundamental right to quality education for millions of children for decades to come.
We know how to solve the illiteracy crisis. Room to Read's approach not only works for all children – it works at scale. Our innovative Literacy Program results in some of the strongest positive learning outcomes in the sector and is the only global literacy organization that effectively combines these three core elements:
Room to Read is breaking the cycle of childhood illiteracy and poverty in a single generation.
Effective literacy instruction
Our proven, data-backed instruction method combines the science of learning to read with the magic of loving to read. We know that how we teach is just as important as what we teach.
Teacher TrainingEngaging, child-friendly libraries
We partner with schools to establish libraries and advocate with governments to ensure every child has access to a child-friendly library filled with developmentally appropriate, diverse and engaging books.
Room to Read LibraryQuality, local language children's books
Through our unique role as a nonprofit book publisher, Room to Read partners with local publishers, authors and illustrators to create and distribute diverse, culturally relevant children's books that inspire a love of reading.
Children's Book Publishing
Books Best Suited for Emerging Readers
Under-resourced communities often face a shortage of engaging, local language books designed for students who are first learning to read. In many of the countries where Room to Read works, locally developed children’s literature for early readers is often limited or nonexistent.
To remedy this, Room to Read plays a unique role both as a nonprofit publisher and an active supporter of existing for-profit publishers in the countries where we work. We partner with local children’s book publishers and local authors and illustrators to create and distribute local language storybooks that readers at various levels can enjoy. We purchase millions of children’s books to distribute around the world and our free online digital library, LiteracyCloud.org, hosts thousands of titles in 33+ languages, providing primary school students with the resources and guidance they need to build a strong foundation in literacy.
In addition to storybooks, we create customized, highly effective instruction books for every language we work in, including many countries’ minority languages.
COVID-19 Book Collection
Locally Adaptable
Our Literacy 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 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, and digitizing our books on our online platform, LiteracyCloud.org.
Sustainable & Scalable
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. Through partnerships with governments, public school systems and other NGOs, Room to Read is reshaping education systems at the national level. In fact, 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.
Read our latest literacy blogs:
"When we create something tangible for the students, that’s what love is."
Creating essential learning resources: Room to Read publishes new Urdu-language books in Pakistan
Education remains a constant amidst change for refugee communities across the globe
Room to Read’s STEAM-Powered Careers Book Collection inspires representation in STEAM careers
Inspiring the next generation of changemakers: Introducing Room to Read and Ashoka’s new children's book series
Invest in children's education today.