Greenwich Academy Creates a “Room to Read”

John Wood, founder of global literacy organization Room to Read, spoke to the Greenwich Academy Upper School on Thursday, April 12. Introduced by GA’s three Room to Read Club senior class presidents Caroline Granruth, Caroline Seaton and Anne  Gilliland, Mr. Wood began by extending a heartfelt “thank you” to his audience for all the volunteer work and fundraising that has gone into the project about which he came to speak: GA has raised the funds to build an entire library in Cambodia. Through school-wide initiatives like Gator-Aid and small fundraisers such as bake sales, the Room to Read Club was able to donate $20,000 to the cause---an extraordinary gift to a community that, Mr. Wood said, is in desperate need of books.

The library in Cambodia, which will have a plaque that bears Greenwich Academy’s name, will be available to 500 children. Mr. Wood expressed gratitude on the part of teachers, who so urgently need books to do their work, and explained how crucial the spread of literacy is to rebuilding civil society in the wake of the Cambodian genocide.

A captivating speaker, Mr. Wood described the reach of Room to Read’s global efforts; the organization has funded and built over 1,600 schools and 13,000 libraries since its inception in 1999. The schools and libraries span several countries (including Nepal, Vietnam, Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, Laos, South Africa, Zambia and Sri Lanka), and have, to date, aided in the education of nearly six million kids. These astronomical figures, Mr. Wood said, are a testament to the notion that “education has a ripple effect.”  However, there is still much work to do as 800 million people in the developing world are illiterate. Of this fact, Mr. Wood asserted, “We think that notion belongs on the scrap heap of human history.”

Students in the audience asked about the formula for success in a charitable organization, the ways in which Room to Read operates abroad and Mr. Wood’s decision to change careers and focus on literacy. Mr. Wood referenced the 13,500 girls currently benefiting from Room to Read’s Girls’ Education initiative, proclaiming, “We will not stop until every girl goes to school.” Room to Read’s goal is to expand to ten more countries in the next ten years, using a scalable model that he hopes will one day eliminate illiteracy altogether.