Room to Read During COVID-19

Room to Read India - boy reading bookRaven Supply works with a number of local and international organizations to support the wellbeing of our communities and raise awareness of initiatives that are important to us. This includes our work with the global education non-profit Room to Read, whom we donate a portion of our profits to each year.

As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world, we were saddened to learn that over 1.5 billion children and youth are out of school, including vulnerable children in the 16 countries in which Room to Read operates. Girls are especially at risk; with local and nationwide school closures, many girls have dropped out of school and gotten married.

Room to Read Cambodia - girl holding school booksRoom to Read is supporting children in continuing their studies, by adopting new ways of delivering education. Classes and life skills workshops are being broadcasted through radio and TV in areas without internet, print materials and worksheets are being distributed to local communities, and book supply chains have been expanded to reach children who cannot visit libraries.

For those with access to the internet, Room to Read has launched a free online learning platform, digitizing 900 book titles and read-aloud videos for all levels and in up to 12 languages. It also houses a plethora of resources for teachers, book creators, publishers and governments.

Room to Read Nepal - girl reading by treeWithin the Girls’ Education Program, girls are now receiving phone support and mentoring. An early warning system has also been revised, which helps local staff to identify girls whom are at risk of dropping out of school early.

Lastly, through remote training and workshops, Room to Read is continuing to provide professional development to local teachers and authors and illustrators.

Many of these new paths to learning have been fast tracked but will continue to benefit childhood literacy and education for years to come. They are enabling us to reach even more children, including those whose access to education is restricted by weather or location.

Room to Read Vietnam - teacher writing on chalk boardRaven Supply is committed to our goal of raising $20,000 for Room to Read this year, to provide 50 scholarships to girls in Vietnam. For every discount that we receive from a vendor, and every contribution made by a customer, we are matching it with an equal donation. Thus far, we have raised over $13,574 and no doubt together, we can reach our goal by end of year.

You can learn more about our work with Room to Read here.