What sparked IMC’s Mumbai’s partnership with Room to Read?

IMC has had a longstanding relationship with Room to Read since 2016, supporting education projects in Tanzania and South Africa. When the Mumbai office set up its charity function in mid-2023, we made a commitment to look for synergies with organizations working to break inter-generational cycles of poverty, predominantly through education. 230 million people in India live in poverty, with health, education, and standard of living the most pressing issues.

When assessing potential philanthropic partnerships at IMC Mumbai, we look for renowned, grassroots institutions that are close to local communities, and work to empower individuals for the long term. We identified Room to Read as one able to make a real and lasting impact in the country, both in the city and in rural areas.

Talk us through the trip – what did it entail?

In October 2023, myself and some of the senior managers from the IMC Mumbai office, including Managing Director Jocelyn Dentand and Technology Lead Javed Akhtar, went on a site visit to two schools that Room to Read supports in Mumbai. It was a great opportunity for the Mumbai leadership team to get familiar with the work of our largest philanthropy partner in India.

Both schools are located in underprivileged areas, serving the communities living in urban slums. In the first school we observed a library lesson designed by Room to Read’s literacy program. A librarian trained by Room to Read took the students on an adventure with their favorite book characters. It was a pleasure to observe how an educator can engage and inspire children simply by reading a story. The children were invited to ask questions and share their own thoughts and experiences – they actively picked up the lead and everyone had a lot of fun. It was a masterclass in how to ignite a love of reading among young people.

In the second school, we observed a life skills class for girls and met with the girls’ mothers. This work falls under Room to Read’s Girls’ Education Program, which provides support from Grades 6 – 12, when girls are especially at risk of falling behind or dropping out of school entirely. Through classes, workshops, and extracurricular activities, girls in the program learn how to apply key skills such as resilience, leadership, collaboration, critical thinking, and decision-making in their daily lives and become better equipped to handle challenges like gender discrimination or finding time to study.

What was your main takeaway from the experience?

I’m grateful for the opportunity to personally meet beneficiaries of IMC-supported programs. I spoke with one of the mothers from the life skills class, who shared her personal experience of being a child bride at the age of 10. She was married and sent to her husband’s house. At the age of 21 she was already a mother of four. She is determined for her daughters to receive an education.

It was deeply humbling and eye-opening to witness the challenges these children and their families face every day to simply get to school. Despite the Indian constitution clearly stating that no child below 14 should work, many children aged five to 14 head out to work every morning instead of go to school. I realized how many things I took for granted growing up: breakfast, clean clothes, an easy commute, books, and school supplies.

I think it’s important to see the whole picture. It’s not only about providing books and library lessons – this is the final step of the whole process. Before that, Room to Read social workers reach out to hundreds of families in India every day to learn about their struggles, to find ways to make it easier for them to send their children to school, and to encourage them not to give up on education.

What other activities are taking place with Room to Read at IMC Mumbai?

IMC Mumbai has planned lots of activities with Room to Read in the lead up to our Trading and Gaming for Charity event on July 16, 2024. In our very first art competition, we invited children from five remote geographies to create artworks inspired by their favorite children’s book. Each school received an art kit, packed with art materials for the children to use in their creations. IMC Mumbai colleagues will vote on the 10 best artworks, which will be used to decorate the office for Trading and Gaming Day for Charity!

The weekend before the big day, IMC volunteers will team up with Room to Read ground staff and children supported by the NGO to pot plants in clay pots. These pots were painted at other community volunteering events IMC hosted in the local area in early June. While the pots will be used to add further color to the IMC office on Trading and Gaming Day for Charity, following the event IMC colleagues will personally deliver the pot plants to local schools for decorating their classrooms and gardens.

We’re also excited to be hosting IMCers from other offices for more site visits this year. In August, Adam Arents, Program Officer for IMC’s Charitable Foundation in Chicago, will join a Room to Read site visit in rural locations in Rajasthan, where we’ll be learning about the challenges faced by rural communities to access education and how Room to Read is helping to address these challenges.

Stay tuned for the final instalment blog in our Room to Read series, featuring Executive Director of the IMC Chicago Charitable Foundation, Lisa Wiersma.

© Images: Owned by Room to Read