Community

Martyn, you have been a tremendous partner to Room to Read for 15 years. What inspired you to get involved? 

One of the drivers of my life has been the knowledge that my mother, who was born in the early years of the 20th century, was taken out of school by her father at the age of 13 because he didn’t think that girls should be educated. My mother never expressed any resentment of that fact, even though she had been doing extremely well at school, but she determined that her children would never be in the position she was put in. She went to enormous lengths to make sure that my three siblings and I had the benefit of the education she missed out on. That is why the whole concept of Room to Read and its work around gender equality really resonated with me.  

You spent your career as a solicitor, helping people with their estate planning. When it came to writing your own will, what factors did you take into consideration? 

The factors that I considered in creating my will were my individual circumstances, as well as my wife’s. Most importantly, we wanted to determine the needs of our family and make sure they were protected. We have three sons and six grandchildren, so they were at the forefront of our minds. At the same time, we are very conscious of how lucky we have been in the way life has panned out for us and so we wanted to include gifts to charities whose missions resonated with us most. We knew we couldn’t benefit every cause, so we decided to prioritize education and we selected Room to Read because we believe very passionately in what they are doing and how they are doing it.  

While everyone’s situation is different, one thing that is constant is that everyone ought to make a will. As a solicitor, I would say this, but it’s true. A will is necessary to protect everyone and everything you care about. The positive side of this is that there is an appropriate option for nearly everyone to support the causes they care about by including a gift to charity in their will. It gives everyone the opportunity to invest in their vision for a better future.  

Speaking of the future, what excites you about Room to Read’s future? 

When I think about the future, I feel both excited and frustrated. Room to Read has reached more than 32 million children, which is truly remarkable, but we live in a world that has more than 7 billion people, hundreds of millions of which are illiterate. I truly believe that we will get to a place where Room to Read will no longer need to exist, but it isn’t going to happen in my lifetime. I take real confidence in knowing that Room to Read has a plan to keep growing and expanding access to education. Gender equality in education is so important, especially in societies that are very patriarchal, and I am heartened by the progress we have made so far. These changes don’t happen overnight, and I am hopeful for the future knowing that organizations like Room to Read exist and will keep advancing progress for girls and students around the world until a quality education is something that everyone can take for granted.