On Friday, Nov. 6, 2009 , 40-50 people gathered at the Garden Point Campus of Queensland University of technology for an information evening about the non-profit organisation, Room to Read. As a result, the Brisbane Chapter of Room to Read was formed; third in Australia after the Sydney and Melbourne Chapters. This region saw Sydney start its chapter in February, Singapore in August, Melbourne in September and now Brisbane in November.
The joy of this relatively new charity is infectious: it offers something for everyone. The recipients are ostensibly the book-hungry children in impoverished countries, but it is clear that whole communities benefit from the schools, libraries and literacy programs that are introduced, and those on the giving end — the ever-increasing army of volunteers throughout the world—have a profound experience of being useful and getting involved at a grass-roots level.
Finding a Global Name for a World Literacy Program
In 1999, founder, John Wood who wrote about his experience in Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, gained approval from the IRS for charity status for the organisation that he initially called Books for Nepal. In 2001, when the organisation wanted to build schools in Vietnam, a more global name became imperative, and so Room to Read was born.
Today, this social movement would thrive without John Wood’s direction —it belongs to the world and attracts those who want to make a difference in disadvantaged regions. The beauty of this organisation is that everyone, from giant corporations to ordinary mums and dads, feel they can play a meaningful part.
A Non- Profit Organisation with a Corporate Business Ethos
Room to Read is a slick operation. The Financial Times described it as melding the compassion of mother Teresa with the focus and tenacity of a blue chip company. Between 2000-2008, Room to Read kept its overheads below 16% of total expenses. In these past nine years, the organisation has built 763 schools and 7,022 libraries, and distributed 5.6 million childrens' books. Its no-nonsense vision is to “create a global movement to break the cycle of poverty in the developing world.”
It seems that everyone wants a ‘piece of the non-profit’ action. Dozens of the world’s great corporations are on the $50K donors list – companies such as Barclays Capital, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Prudential, Kelloggs, Scholastic Press And Deutsche Bank.
Getting Involved in Room to Read
Despite its corporate image, corporate support, superb marketing and high media profile, Room to Read is underpinned by a strong, zealous volunteer base. The vision of the movement has captured the imagination of people and groups all over the world. People who love reading are instantly on-side with a group that wants to bring literacy and books to kids around the world.
What’s more, participation is not limited to handing over a banknote to a collector at the front door. Individuals and small groups are encouraged to get in and make a difference. Book clubs, school Parent and Citizens Groups, mother’s groups and individuals can host a cocktail party, read-a-thon or dinner party. Support is available from local Chapters and in the form of a downloadable Fundraising Event Kit. Even the San Francisco head office relies heavily on volunteers to stuff envelopes, enter data and do administrative tasks.
New Initiatives in Local Language Publishing
One area of volunteering that is not available with Room to Read is the popular one of a working volunteer holiday to help build a school, teach English or offer some other practical help and get a taste of the local community life.
Room to Read are quite determined that local jobs go to local people; even management and administrative jobs within the organisation are reserved for workers from within that particular country.
The concept has been taken a step further with the introduction of Local Language Publishing Programs. Many of the books that are going into libraries have been written and illustrated by indigenous authors —some are even the work of older students. Thus, local culture is being preserved, jobs created and community pride boosted. In fact, latest figures from Room to Read indicate that to date 327 original titles have been produced in the local language, amounting to a total printing of 2.8 million books.
New volunteers are always welcome. Simply email volunteer @roomtoread.org. Similarly, after volunteering, the next pleasant task might be to open a new local Chapter. For more information about the founder, John Wood, visit this Suite101 article or visit the organisation website .
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