Project: Empowering Indonesia’s Future
Organisation: Room to Read
Mission
Room to Read is a global nonprofit that designs and implements literacy and girls’ education programs around the world to systemically improve access to quality education for children living in marginalized communities. Their work is centered on the idea that educational outcomes significantly improve when primary school-aged children are surrounded and supported by high-quality literacy lessons and books.
Project
Since 2014, Room to Read has been dedicated to transforming the lives of children in Indonesia. They address the critical need for literacy education in underserved communities. And they are expanding their reach to thousands more children in Indonesia to provide access to quality education, enabling a better future for themselves, their families, and their communities.Their strategic approach to lasting change is based on 4 pillars:
- Building Vibrant School Libraries These libraries offer children a safe space. They are filled with culturally relevant and age-appropriate books. The libraries spark curiosity and creativity and nurture both the intellectual and personal growth of young learners.
- Developing Local Literary Talent Room to Read collaborates with local authors, illustrators, and publishers to create high-quality children’s books in Bahasa Indonesia. These books reflect the diverse cultures within Indonesia, making reading a relatable and engaging experience for children. And it strengthens the local publishing industry.
- Empowering Educators The training programs equip teachers and librarians with the skills needed to create engaging and effective reading environments, which helps to foster a love of reading and build a strong foundation.
- Scaling the Success Nationwide Through a partnership with the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, literacy programs are being scaled up nationwide. By 2026, the goal is to establish thousands more libraries, reach millions of children, and set new standards for literacy education.
Impact
Since the start of the program 868,000 children have been provided with basic reading skills, 550 schools in five provinces have been supported, 585,000 books have been distributed and 11,960 teachers have been trained.