Room to Read
Literacy and gender equality in education across Asia and Africa
Our editorial assessment
Room to Read stands out in the education charity space for two reasons: their focus on local-language literacy (rather than English-language instruction), and their girls' education programme that supports students through to the completion of secondary school. Publishing 23 million books in local languages addresses a fundamental barrier — children cannot learn to read in a language they don't speak at home. Independent evaluations have shown significant improvements in reading comprehension and school completion rates, particularly for girls. Their evidence-based approach to curriculum design and teacher training, combined with strong Charity Navigator ratings, makes Room to Read one of the most credible education charities working in low-income countries.
The problem they're solving
Over 250 million children worldwide cannot read at a basic level, and girls in low-income countries are disproportionately likely to drop out before completing secondary school. Room to Read addresses both problems simultaneously, with a model that has been validated by independent evaluation across multiple countries.
About Room to Read
Room to Read has reached 42 million children and published 23 million books in local languages.
Where your dollar goes
What your donation could do
Your $100 ≈ 25 students reached with literacy programs
Illustrative estimate based on published cost-per-outcome figures. Actual impact varies by program and year.
How this score was produced
The GiveWise score is our own editorial assessment, produced with a weighted rubric covering program spending, transparency and governance, evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and leadership. It draws on publicly available reports from independent evaluators such as GiveWell, Charity Navigator, and CharityWatch, but it is not a rating issued or endorsed by any of those organisations. Read the full methodology →