ROOM TO READ MOBILISES CAPITAL, RESOURCES OVER WORLD BANK COVID-19 DESCRIPTION

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 (Bernama) -- Room to Read has announced it is urgently working to mobilise capital and resources through its 1,600 employees in 17 countries, global and regional board network, and investors worldwide.

This is according to the aftermath of the exacerbated COVID-19 pandemic in countries including India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and as a new wave of the virus threatens the African continent, a worsening learning crisis that affected 1.6 billion children in 2020 is permanently disrupting the educations of children and heightening risks to young girls.

The World Bank is calling the COVID-19 pandemic ‘the worst crisis to education and learning in a century’.

Room to Read, in a statement said, it is committed to reaching an additional 20 million children and adding 10 new countries to its operations by 2025, with ‘COVID-smart’ programmes in literacy and girls’ education.

“The pandemic has created a deep and enduring wound to the global education system that will chronically and profoundly affect the life outcomes of children and communities everywhere,” said Room to Read Chief Executive Officer, Dr Geetha Murali.

When school closures happened in 188 countries last year, children were immediately at risk of falling behind in their education. In response, Room to Read pivoted its programmes to new modes of delivery, reaching 4.9 million children in 2020, more than double the number of students reached the prior year.

Room to Read’s response to COVID-19 disruptions to education included producing unique literacy broadcasts that reached over 123 million households via television and 31.5 million households via radio.

They also deliver physical books and worksheets to over 600,000 children, and reach nearly 35,000 girls through individual remote mentoring sessions to help them navigate pressures to abandon their education.

Room to Read recently received a game-changing investment of US$25 million from philanthropists Mackenzie Scott and Dan Jewett. (US$1 = RM4.155)

Founded in 2000, Room to Read collaborates with governments and other partner organisations to deliver positive outcomes for children at scale. Room to Read has benefitted more than 23 million children across 20 countries and over 40,700 communities.

More details at www.roomtoread.org.

-- BERNAMA