Read-A-Thon: A Flagship Reading Event by Room to Read India Across 12 States of India

Room to Read India, as part of its ‘India Gets Reading’ flagship reading campaign, is organizing and running the “Read-a-thon” event today. The event aims to reach far and wide across the country with enhanced participation by all stakeholders, including children, parents, communities, international organizations, and government, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other supporters. This year’s Read-a-thon is an ambitious record-setting attempt by Room to Read India, where they aim to bring in a record number of participants in an in-person setting. The participants will be organized to read at multiple locations across the country including 12 states where it has active intervention.Room to Read India launches Read-A-Thon event across 12 Indian StatesThis Read-a-thon will create an opportunity for all stakeholders to come together in spaces such as schools, communities, government offices, donor offices, etc., and pledge their support towards children’s reading and learning. Ms. Poornima Garg, Deputy Country Director, Room to Read says, “This year’s reading campaign is themed on ‘Reading Equals’. It is an opportunity for all stakeholders to drop all other activities, come together and just READ for 30 minutes at a stretch at a predetermined time. Through this record setting event, we also want to reaffirm our commitment to ensure that children everywhere read, learn, and thrive.”Highlighting the partnership, Dr. Poonam Smith-Sreen, Deputy Office Director of USAID/India’s General Development Office said, “USAID is delighted to partner with Room to Read India to benefit millions of children in India with enhanced reading and learning skills. USAID, in collaboration with Room to Read India, is improving reading outcomes among primary grade children in the government primary schools in four states. The approach fosters early literacy by focusing both on reading skills and reading habits.”It is the goal of Room to Read India, to mobilize as many people as possible to support the promotion of reading habits through this Read-a-thon. In addition, the event is expected to set an official record for the number of participants reading multiple literature pieces at the same time. India Book of Records and Asia Book of Records will incorporate the record-setting gathering into their books.About Room to Read Room to Read India was established in 2003 and presently has programs in twelve states-Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi NCR, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. Room to Read is a global organization transforming the lives of millions of children in low-income communities by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children, our innovative model focuses on deep, systemic transformation within schools during two time periods that are most critical in a child’s schooling: early primary school for literacy acquisition and secondary school for girls’ education. We work in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations, and governments to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children and ensure girls can complete secondary school with the skills necessary to negotiate key life decisions. By focusing on the quality of education provided within the communities and ensuring these outcomes are measured, we have created a model that can be replicated, localized, and sustained by governments. With its global headquarters in San Francisco, Room to Read has benefited 32 million children across 21 low-income countries. Website: www.roomtoreadindia.org. Facebook: www.facebook.com/roomtoreadindia. Instagram: www.instagram.com/roomtoreadindia.