Room to Read's John Wood on finding inspiration in Nepal

SINGAPORE — John Wood is better known as the former high-flying Microsoft employee who decided to leave his whole career behind to bring books and literacy to underprivileged children. That was 17 years ago. Today, the organisation he co-founded, Room To Read, is one of the most effective and successfully-run charities. It is ranked 13th in the annual Top 500 NGO (non-governmental organisation) rating by NGO Advisor, and also attained a four-star rating 10 years in a row from Charity Navigator (America’s largest independent evaluator of charities).

“Last year, Room to Read reached our milestone of impacting 10 million children through our programmes in literacy and girls’ education,” shared Wood over an email interview with TODAY. “I am proud to say we celebrated this milestone five years earlier than anticipated.”

Room to Read most recently tied up with luxury river cruising company Aqua Expeditions to bring copies of Khmer and Vietnamese children’s books to the local river-based communities in Vietnam and Cambodia through its ship Aqua Mekong, in a move that will help enlighten both children and travellers alike. “Through our partnership with Aqua Expeditions, we give travellers a unique opportunity to bring copies of our quality reading materials, created by local authors and illustrators, and deliver them to eager young readers. This experience brings an understanding of the cultural and educational landscape in a local community that cannot be paralleled by a traveller’s guide,” Wood explained.

“When local community leaders, educators and children sit alongside foreign travellers and are able to communicate through a mutual love of learning, a connection is made that brings worlds together.”

Q: What do you think are the reasons for Room to Read’s success?

A: Room to Read focused its start-up years on achieving tremendous programmatic growth. Over the years, our hard work and commitment to our mission have resulted in the ability to systematise and institutionalise best practices. It has also paved the way for governments to start adopting our work to benefit more children. For example, our Girls’ Education Program’s life skills curriculum is being integrated into the standard school curriculum in Prey Veng and Kampong Cham provinces in Cambodia. We are now advocating for additional integration of life skills education into the national secondary school curriculum across that country. I am constantly in awe of the passion and dedication of our local teams and rejoice alongside family and community members who see the value and opportunity education brings to the children of their villages. A grandmother in Nepal once told our staff with tears in her eyes that she could die happy knowing that her granddaughter would now be able to complete secondary school, thanks to Room to Read.

Q: You decided to change your entire life after a trip to Nepal. What made you take that leap of faith?

A: While on holiday trekking through the Himalaya mountains in Nepal, I met a man who was a resource director for several schools, and he invited me to visit a local Nepalese school. Once there I was shocked to see the students had no books, only a handful of old paperbacks left behind by travellers, and even these were kept under lock and key. After noticing my surprise, the headmaster turned and uttered a sentence that would change my life forever: “Perhaps Sir, you will someday come back with books.” At that moment the seeds were planted for Room to Read. The early years of Room to Read came with many challenges but I always remembered that headmaster in Nepal and the joy on his students’ faces when I returned to their school with six donkeys carrying colourful children’s books. I could have pursued my interest to address global illiteracy as a hobby but hobbies don’t scale. I decided to jump in with both feet and although there were a few scary moments along the way, I am lucky to have many great people join me on the journey including my co-founders Erin Ganju and Dinesh Shrestha.

Q: Besides your trip to Nepal, what has been your most life-changing vacation?

A: I was in Cambodia in 1994 shortly after the Khmer Rouge had been defeated. The genocide that killed millions had also resulted in hundreds of schools being burned to the ground. I made a vow to return and help the Cambodian people to rebuild their nation. And today, Room to Read has helped thousands.

Q; What sort of books do you like to read when you travel?

A: I love to read the history of the places that I’m visiting, such as biographies, memoirs of the key people in the nation’s history and travelogues.

Q: Will there be more initiatives from Aqua Expeditions and Room to Read after your tie-up?

A: Room to Read’s leadership, including myself and our country director of Vietnam, anticipate joining the Aqua Mekong cruises in future to interact with guests and host them when they visit the Room to Read schools and libraries where they can interact with the children and community members. It is our hope that Aqua Expeditions’ passengers will be inspired by these philanthropic journeys, and ultimately make a long-term and impactful investment in the communities they have had the privilege of visiting.