Ending illiteracy begins with children seeing themselves in books

While a cause for celebration, World Book Day should also be a time to reflect on the urgent need to end illiteracy around the globe. There are over 700 million people in the world who are still unable to read and write, including 115 million young people. At Room to Read, we believe World Change Starts with Educated Children.

By educating children, we can empower communities to overcome their challenges, from poverty to climate change. We need children to fulfil their potential to create a safer and more prosperous world.

That is why we must redouble our efforts to end the damaging impacts of illiteracy. To achieve this, we need to think about deep and meaningful change, with a focus on publishing children's books.