This week, Maria talks with Geetha Murali, who is the CEO of Room to Read, a global organization transforming the lives of millions of children through literacy and gender equality in education. Room to Read was founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®. Together we dive into the model of Room to Read that focuses on sustainable transformation within schools in low-income countries during two time periods that are most critical in a child’s schooling: primary school for literacy acquisition and secondary school for girls’ education. Room to Read has benefited 16.8 million children in 37,000 schools and aims to reach 20 million children by 2020. Tune-in to listen to an inspiring conversation with a person who has been recognized by WIRED as a leader who will shape the next 25 years.
Production team:
Host : Maria Xenidou
Producer: Julie-Roxane Krikorian
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast@gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
Where to find Room to Read:
Mentioned in this episode:
Room to Read - Learn More in Under 3 Minutes
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Melbourne Book Club raised money to build two libraries Video
Listen to this episode and explore:
Geetha’s childhood: the significant impact of her mother’s story (3:34)
How Geetha became a statistician (5:59)
How Geetha’s Indian background taught her empathy and emotional intelligence (10:13)
Building a good career through life skills and connection (13:10)
Room to Read’s vision and mission (16:53)
Room to Read Literacy Program: transforming an ordinary school to a child-friendly learning environment (18:14)
The importance of engaging local communities to create sustainable change (19:30)
Why Room to Read publishes their own children’s books all over the world (20:40)
How they identify and select their local partners (23:05)
The importance of working with local governments to create sustainable change in literacy and gender equality in education (25:09)
How their literacy coaches provide guidance and support to local teachers as they learn to implement the Room to Read program (28:21)
Room to Read’s impact over the last twenty years: the numbers (31:14)
The Girl’s Education Program (33:10)
Room to Read’s goals for the coming years (37:21)
Geetha’s experience in Vietnam with former First Lady Michelle Obama (39:25)
How Geetha created a ripple effect by telling her mother's story (42:38)
Different ways we can all support Room to Read (44:38)
The one thing Geetha wants to leave her mark on during her lifetime (47:36)
Geetha’s call-to-action to move education forward (48:33)
Maria’s key takeaways and call-to-action (49:40)