Adding new chapters in Africa

Our story on the African continent began in South Africa in 2006. Since then, we have benefited more than 10 million children across South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda and Rwanda with foundational learning skills, and in 2024 formed exciting new partnerships in Kenya and Malawi.

In 2024, we added exciting elements to our story. With the Tanzania Institute of Education, we revised national Grade 1 literacy materials, benefiting all children in government primary schools. Also in Tanzania, we trained 29 new educators across 19 schools in our financial literacy and life skills curriculum, benefiting an estimated 5,000 adolescent girls.*

With our government partners in South Africa, we developed Grade 3 instructional materials, expanding the reach of our literacy programming to align with government priorities.

And in an ongoing collaboration with the Reading Association of Uganda, we finalized our production of Grade 1 instruction books in Luganda and Runyankore-Rukiga, and distributed these books to 91 schools in Mitooma and Mubende districts.

We also began bold new chapters in Africa.

Our chapter in Rwanda opened with a familiar subject: books. The country’s book publishing industry is growing — rapidly. The World Bank has reported that publishers have grown from just three to more than 30 in the last 10 years, and Kinyarwanda children’s titles have increased from 15 to more than 1,000. While encouraging, this quick expansion has not been accompanied by a similar increase in the technical capacity needed to meet government standards for quality teaching and learning materials. High production costs and subsequently high-priced books create an additional problem: lack of consumer demand.

Room to Read has some experience in this area — 25 years’ worth. Our publishing work took root just after our founding, and we have since published more than 42 million books in 57 languages.

Our Story, Your Chapter 2024 Impact Report

We're 25 years into our story. We've proven that ending the global learning crisis is possible. And our story is far from over. This year, we're writing our next chapter, one focused on a new strategic vision for our future. Our new strategy is not time-bound. We're going bigger, bolder, longer term.

Read more in our 2024 Impact Report

Now, Room to Read is strengthening the book publishing ecosystem in Rwanda to support the teaching and learning of reading. Our approach brings together commercial publishers, printers, writers, editors and illustrators, the government, schools, homes and local communities, to increase supply and demand of high-quality reading materials in the Rwandan market.

We work with teachers to learn effective strategies for using these materials to strengthen reading skills among children and ensure that a culture of reading can thrive.

And in Malawi and Kenya, our next chapter is set on the screen. In 2024 we partnered with three organizations — the Creative Center for Community Mobilization, Girls Activist Youth Organisation and Polycom Girls — to adapt Room to Read’s She Creates Change films, in various lengths, for local children. Each partner is now working to translate and dub the films, adding local language subtitles and local voices, and to contextualize She Creates Change lesson plans, while training educators to facilitate discussions that promote gender equality.

To ensure a data-informed approach as we expand the reach of She Creates Change, we are developing a multimedia-focused measurement tool. In the months ahead, driven by your support, we will collect data on the effectiveness of this content in altering girls’ perception of what is possible, and in promoting gender equality among all adolescent children. Evidence on the use of multimedia in educational programs will help other organizations working with adolescents to apply our content or similar content to their programs effectively, both in and out of school.

*Estimates as of the end of January 2025 

Discover more in our 2024 Impact Report