Room to Read

Room to Read is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to improving literacy and gender equality in education. It was founded in 2000 by John Wood, a former executive at Microsoft. The organization's mission is to transform the lives of millions of children in low-income communities by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education.

We envision a world in which all children can pursue a quality education that prepares them to lead fulfilled lives and make positive change — in their families, communities and the world.

Room to Read is creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality. We are achieving this goal by helping children in historically low-income communities develop literacy skills and a habit of reading, and by supporting girls as they build skills to succeed in school and negotiate key life decisions. We collaborate with governments and other partner organizations to deliver positive outcomes for children at scale.

We’re people from around the world, from diverse industries, who are passionate about education. Taking best practices from our diverse disciplines, Room to Read employs more than 1,600 staff across 21 countries. Of those staff, 88% are employed in our program countries. We hire local nationals to lead our community-based operations in countries where we operate and have visibility from program design through to the communities where our programs are contextualized and implemented.

We maximize our resources and hold ourselves accountable to our partner communities, investors, and internal stakeholders. We set ambitious, measurable goals and track them. Ever a learning organization, we take calculated risks and use creativity to accomplish goals. And we build upon our partnerships to grow sustainably and create systemic change around the world.

Our programs and fiscal efficiency have earned consistently positive recognition from the media, as well as from leaders in the nonprofit and corporate sectors. We are proud to have a reputation that is strong and authentic as an innovative leader in global education. Our work and impact is validated by respected journalists, academics, policy makers and our peers.