One of our core values at Pacific Prime is to make a positive difference in the workplace, as well as our environment and wider community. We're particularly passionate about education, and firmly believe that education is the most important investment for the development of our society.
In our goal of giving children around the world an equal chance at learning, Pacific Prime has been an avid supporter of Room to Read, a leading non-profit organization that seeks to transform the lives of children in low-income communities, for almost a decade now.
We're thrilled to share with you the latest developments of the Room to Read Literacy Program in Chhattisgarh, India, and are honored to have the opportunity to continue supporting such an inspiring organization, that everyday strives to help children reach their full potential.
Who is Room to Read?
World change starts with educating children - Room to Read
Room to Read invests in the future of nearly one million children every year. Since it was established in 2000, the non-profit organization has helped over 16.6 million children succeed in school and beyond, with 19,884 schools added to their literacy program partnership. Working in collaboration with local communities, partners, and governments, Room to Read works tirelessly to develop and improve literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children.
Girls completing secondary school are another key focus for Room to Read, who is committed to gearing them with the relevant life skills to succeed in education and beyond. Help Room to Read invest in children's education by making a donation today.
Pacific Prime supports Literacy Program in Government Primary School Tumdilewa
The Room to Read Literacy Program is dedicated to transforming primary schools in low-income communities into child-friendly learning environments that help children become lifelong, independent readers. Pacific Prime is proud to support the launch of the Room to Read Literacy Program at Government Primary School Tumdilewa in Chhattisgarh, India.
Chhattisgarh: A heavily forested state in central India
Located in central India, Chhattisgarh is a heavily forested state known for its temples and waterfalls. The state's remote nature poses challenges for developing robust transport and educational infrastructure. The population in Chhattisgarh has one of the highest female to male ratios in the nation; there are 991 females per 1,000 males.
While this means that women in this particular region can enjoy a higher degree of social freedom than in some other parts of India, Chhattisgarh's culture still remains male-dominated, and this is especially the case in public spheres. This, in combination with the state's caste system, remoteness, and gender politics, translates to a significant gender imbalance in literacy rates in favor of men - male literacy in Chhattisgarh is 80%, but it hovers at 60% for women.
Government Primary School Tumdilewa: Profile
Government Primary School Tumdilewa Literacy Program highlights
Through the partnership of the local community, Room to Read, and Pacific Prime, we were able to achieve the following key outcomes for Government Primary School Tumdilewa:
- Literacy instruction training: During the first year of the Room to Read program, all Grade 1 teachers are taught a range of topics to improve literacy learning in their classrooms. This includes professional development focused on building literacy skills in Hindi. The main topics covered include: phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Our partnership also funded learning materials that were given to teachers to support activities learned during their trainings.
- Establishing a new classroom library: Classroom libraries allow children with limited space to access books and library resources, while also promoting the use of reading materials during class time. The program helped provide the school with 238 local language books published by Room to Read, 269 non-Room to Read local language books, as well as book display racks, display boards, furniture, shelves, stationary, and tables.
- Library management training: Room to Read offers all librarians and teachers involved with their libraries a minimum of three days' training in the first year of their support, and one to two days of refresher training in both the second and third years. This helped build on the library's stage of development. This particular literacy program provided training on key topics, such as the importance of libraries and reading, creating a child-friendly environment, engaging other teachers, library management, and library period and reading activities.
Pacific Prime supports the construction of 8 schools
Through our ongoing partnership with Room to Read, we've also supported the construction of 8 schools in Laos, Sri Lanka, and Nepal over the past decade. Our support has provided 2,000+ children with school buildings and books to further support their education. To learn more about how we've supported the construction of these 8 schools, read our other Room to Read article here.
How can I support Room to Read?
To get involved with Room to Read, simply visit their donations page to make a one-off or monthly payment. There's also a number of other ways individuals and corporations can get involved in charitable activities, such as fundraisers, marathons, cause marketing, and workplace giving. We encourage any person looking to support a good cause to contact their local Room to Read representative to see how you can help.