Founder and Executive Chairman of US-based Room to Read, John Wood, visited Sri Lanka this week.
Mr Wood, a noted philanthropist who has been promoting poverty alleviation through education, donated 50,000 books to Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, to be distributed in 598 schools in the conflict recovering eastern districts of Ampara and Batticaloa, said a statement from the Room to Read Sri Lanka office.
Mr Wood also met Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa, the Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha and other high level officials in the education sector, said the statement.
Room to Read, the non-profit organisation founded by Mr Wood, after he left his senior executive position with Microsoft, is currently active in nine countries in Asia and Africa. The organisation partners local communities throughout the developing world to provide quality educational opportunities by establishing libraries, creating local language children's literature, constructing schools, and providing education to girls.
Room to Read in Sri Lanka is involved in constructing schools and libraries and providing children with materials that will enhance education. Room to Read has been operating in Sri Lanka since 2005 and has constructed 202 pre/primary schools 655 bilingual libraries, given 1,200 long term scholarships for girls and published 47 children’s story books. |
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