Room to Read Blog

Room to Read Profiled on CBS Evening News: Literacy in Developing World: "

Last Friday, CBS Evening News, anchored by Katie Couric and watched nightly by 7 million U.S. viewers, aired a fabulous segment on Room to Read and our Local Language Publishing program. This marks the first time a major U.S. network television news program has covered a specific Room to Read program and its significance cannot be overstated.

In March of this year, CBS producers traveled to India to meet with the local author, Manju Gupta, and illustrator, Mehul Navodit, who collaborated on the Room to Read title, Machho’s Ocean Journey. Their inspiring stories were included in the segment showcasing Room to Read India’s efforts to cultivate local talent to create age-appropriate and culturally-relevant children’s books published through our Local Language Publishing program. The story follows Manju and Mehul into their homes and through their creative processes as they work on new Room to Read manuscripts and illustrations.

"Drawing makes me enjoy that kid in me," Mehul said in the piece. "To see your work got published, you feel a lot of confidence -- like what you are doing is actually good.”

Manju agreed. "When I write on my own... It's my soul which is giving out,” said Manju. “My potential has been made use of for the right purpose. It's the best thing."

We hope you have a chance to read and watch this story that captures the powerful impact Room to Read’s Local Language Publishing program is having on the lives of not just the children, but also on the hundreds of authors and illustrators in the developing world that now have the opportunity, thanks to Room to Read, to share their talents with their local communities and in their local language.

WATCH the CBS video story here.

READ the CBS online story here.

To learn more about our Local Language publishing program, click here.

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