Room to Read

Room to Read is a global non-profit organization which focuses on working in collaboration with local communities,^[2] partner organizations and governments to improve literacy and gender equality in education.^[3] Room to Read has globally distributed headquarters with leadership across the globe.

Room to Read

Company type	Non-profit organization
Industry	Education
Founded	2000
Headquarters	United States
Key people	Geetha Murali (Chief Executive Officer ) John Wood (Founder) Erin Ganju (Co-Founder) Dinesh Shrestha (Co-Founder and Director of Field Operations)
Revenue	$64.7 million (2023)[1]
Website	www.roomtoread.org

Room to Read has reached 50 million children and has worked in 28 countries.^[4][5]

History

Room to Read was co-founded and launched by John Wood, Erin Keown Ganju and Dinesh Shrestha in 1999 after Wood visited several local schools in Nepal. He observed the teachers' and students' enthusiasm and lack of resources, which led him to quit his job and build a global team to create sustainable programs that help solve their education challenges.^[6][7]

Wood and Shrestha worked with rural communities to build schools and established libraries. They later expanded beyond libraries, to begin the Girls' Education program in 2000, which focuses on young girls and provides a long-term commitment to their education.^[6]

Geetha Murali joined the organization in 2009 as a manager, and in 2018, was appointed CEO of Room to Read.^[5][8]

John Wood transitioned off the global board of directors in December 2021.^[9]

In 2023, Room to Read leading funders included: Atlassian, Cartier Philanthropy, Humanitix, Goldman Sachs Gives, IMC, The Patrick J McGovern Foundation, Tatcha, and World Food Programme (WFP).^[8]

In 2024, the writer Jacinta Kerketta turned down the Room to Read Young Author award; she said this was because of Room to Read's ties to Boeing.^[10][11]

Programs

Room to Read nurtures foundational learning skills in children, enabling them to pursue lifelong learning and make informed decisions.

Room to Read’s literacy programming supports children in developing literacy skills with a love of reading, and its gender equality programming supports adolescents, particularly girls, in developing life skills that promote gender equality.^[3][2] They deliver and scale programming directly and with partners, operating within areas of expertise: curriculum and content; educator training and coaching; delivery structures; and research and insights.

Impact

As of 2024, Room to Read has benefited more than 50 million children and worked in 28 countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, China, Grenada, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Lebanon, Malawi, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, Vietnam and Zambia.^[4][12]

Awards and recognition

• Skoll Foundation: Award for Social Entrepreneurship (2004–2013)
• Academy for Educational Development: Breakthrough Ideas in Education (2007)
• Fast Company / Monitor Group: Social Capitalist Award (2004–2008)
• Charity Navigator: 18 four-star ratings (2005–2017, 2019)^[13]
• American Library Association: Presidential Citation (2008)^[14]
• UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy: 2011^[15]
• Cambodia Ministry of Education: Royal Medal of Munisaraphorn Mahasereaywat (2013)
• World's Children's Prize, Honorary Award Laureate (2014)
• American University School of International Service: Ten Innovative NGOs in Education (2014) ^[16]
• Library of Congress Literacy Award: Special Response Award (2020); David M. Rubenstein Prize (2014)^[17]
• OnCon Icon Awards: Top 10 Finance Team, 2023 ^[18]
• UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education^[19]
• Manchester Animation Festival: Best Short Film for Children, She Creates Change – Dewmini, 2023 ^[20]
• HundrED's Global Collection: Hall of Fame, 2025, Top 100 Global Collection, 2025, 2024, 2023 and Academy Choice Award, 2023 ^[21]