Room To Read seeks Country Director

Room to Read, a global nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of millions of children in developing countries through literacy. They currently have an opening for a Country Director position at their office in Vientiane, Laos. They are seeking individuals who might be interested in returning to Laos to do some work with them. More information on the position can be found at http://www.roomtoread.org/LACountryDir.

Room to Read envisions "a world in which all children can pursue a quality education, reach their full potential and contribute to their community and the world." To achieve their goal, they focus on two areas where they believe they can have the greatest impact: literacy and gender equality in education.

They "work in collaboration with communities and local governments across Asia and Africa to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children, and support girls to complete secondary school with the life skills they’ll need to succeed in school and beyond."

Their approach is that literacy is the cornerstone of all learning and fundamental for participation in today’s global society, yet 793 million people across the globe lack the ability to read and write. That includes every medicine bottle, employment ad and ballot form they encounter. Of all the illiterate people in the world today, two-thirds are female and over 90 percent live in developing countries.

To that end, Room to Read sees educating girls and women as the most powerful and effective way to address global poverty. Women who finish secondary school earn more money, have smaller, healthier families, and are more likely to educate their own children—breaking the cycle of illiteracy in one generation.

Room to Read partners with communities across the developing world to promote literacy and gender equality in education by establishing libraries, constructing classrooms, publishing local-language children’s books, training educators and supporting girls’ education. They believe all children deserve the opportunity to reach their full potential, and that investing in education now will pay dividends for generations to come.

If you're interested, drop them a note.