This project is in part a love letter to my mother

My mom read to me, brought me on trips to the public library and became a librarian herself as a second career. What better way to "pay it forward" than to bequeath the permanent gift of literacy to a deserving community of schoolchildren in a developing country? 

By investing in this campaign, you are enabling Room to Read to bring their Literacy Program to a school in need in Cambodia, establishing a school library, training teachers in data-backed literacy techniques, and providing thousands of appropriate-level, local language children's books to students. Education is the gift that keeps on giving and your impact on this community will be felt for years to come. 

I'm excited to have you join me on our journey to our school in Kampong Speu, Cambodia (two hours outside of Phnom Penh)!

About Room to Read

Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children, Room to Read is creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality. We are achieving this goal by helping children in low-income communities develop literacy skills and a habit of reading, and by supporting girls to build skills to succeed in school and negotiate key life decisions. Our Literacy Program trains and coaches teachers, creates quality books and curricular materials and establishes libraries filled with diverse children's books in local languages that can be enjoyed at school or at home. 

Room to Read can state unequivocally that our programs work - in classrooms supported by our Literacy Program students demonstrate significantly higher reading fluency and comprehension scores than their peers, reading 2-3 times faster and giving 87% more correct answers than children in comparison schools. As of the end of 2019, Room to Read has published more than 1,684 children's titles, established more than 40,000 program schools, trained more than 130,000 teachers and librarians, and benefited more than 18 million children through our programs. 

Room to Read has been consistently recognized for exceptional fiscal responsibility and financial health and has earned 13 four-star ratings from Charity Navigator since 2007, which less than 1% of U.S. charities can claim.