This autumn a new charity society will be added to the extensive list of societies and charities already available for us to join at the University of Aberdeen. Room to Read is establishing itself across various European universities, and here at Her Campus we decided to find out some more about it.
The Room to Read European University Societies say that their vision is that “one day all children, regardless of gender, status or place of birth, will have the same inherent opportunities for education and advancement.” And in order to achieve this, Room to Read focuses on improving literacy and gender equality around the world. They say that “over 250 million children around the world are failing to achieve basic literacy skills, and more than two thirds of the illiterate population are women and girls. […] By empowering children through this lifelong gift, we see a world in which people are able to realize their full potential.”
Room to Read focuses on sustainable programs in ten countries throughout Africa and Asia. They employ local teams and tailor each program to suit the individual needs of specific communities. By employing local teams they ensure that the programs are more successful as they are carried out by someone who speaks the language and understands local customs. Room to Read also has a special focus on girls’ education, as Malala Yousafzai said “Extremists have shown what frightens them most: a girl with a book.” By supporting girls’ education, Room to Read wants to ensure that girls complete secondary education, and this will in turn help them to make key life decisions, as well as give them a basis for further education and development.
We spoke to James Dunk, the president of the new society, about why he decided to start the society and why he thinks it’s important. He said, “one in seven people in the world can’t read. That’s nearly a billion of the world’s population. Imagine if we can help a significant proportion of these people achieve literacy, and subsequently the change it could accomplish. I can’t even fathom it.” He said Room to Read is about raising awareness as well as funds. If you raise awareness about the serious lack of education in certain parts of the world you encourage people to do something about it. With the new society he wants to involve local academics, dignitaries, writers and politicians to hold events and raise further awareness. He also wants Room to Read to function as a network across European Universities as this will increase the efficiency of fundraising by working collectively. As for what you can expect of you decide to become a member he says, “I want everyone to be really active and involved in this society. I want our socials to have a fundraising aspect to them, getting as many people as possible involved so that we can do our upmost to financially contribute to Room to Read. It would address what I believe is the biggest problem in the world; the sheer inequality of education.” James’ goal for the first year is to raise between £20-30,000, and he thinks this will be achieved through a combination of hard work and dedicated members. And, after all, he says “it’s not just a good thing to put on your CV, you will be contributing to making an actual positive change in the world.”
All of this is something Her Campus can truly get behind! So look out for Room to Read next year, and you can contribute either by becoming a member or donating money!