READ (Rural Education and Development) Global
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December 6, 2012
I did visit Read Geejgarh and Shahbad Mohammadpura centres and I work as a volunteer/intern at Read India. The models which they are working on has huge impact on the rural villages. They educated rural women in basic essentials of local language, math and this will enable women to overcome the daily hurdles such as reading a bus display board, calculate daily wages, savings. Also the library facility which they are providing will provide a platform to many rural masses who are upgrading and cannot afford to pay for such facilities.
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Would you volunteer for this group again?
Likely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
A lot
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Quite well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Likely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
November 30, 2012
I've visited READ centers in India, Nepal and Bhutan. What's impressive about them, and why they are extremely successful, is the way each reflect the input and interests of the local community. Rural villagers have invested their time and resources to create READ centers that delivers on their unique needs. And the result is people's lives are improving in some of the poorest communities in these countries.
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Definitely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Definitely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
November 30, 2012
READ does not need any review as the MODEL and functioning simply deserves appreciation as it stands true to its MISSION. I very strongly feel READ is a very DYNAMIC non profit organisation as IT keeps no profit for itself but gives much beyond to the RURAL Communities and society thus adding to the holistic development of a country. I am privileged to be associated with READ which is a rainbow of BOOKS, LIBRARY, LITERACY, OPPORTUNITIES and much BEYOND...... MY SALUTE and BEST WISHES to READ in all the En devours.
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How does this organization compare with others in the same sector?
Very Well
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
Life-changing
Will you recommend this organization to others?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
November 30, 2012
I have been an ICT practitioner in India for over 16 years. As a member of the ICT community in India I travel and interact with many NGOs in remote locations India. I have a personal network of over 200 Non government organizations who are part of the engo group. I have visited the READ center in a remote village called Geegargh in Rajasthan and seen the change a library and women's empowerment can do. The READ model is surely a best practice to be replicated as it works closely with communities building a eco-system of change. The Read centre in Rajasthan works with village women who have never gone to school, it provides them functional literacy and creates community groups which work together to create new livelihood and economic independence.
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How does this organization compare with others in the same sector?
Very Well
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
Life-changing
Will you recommend this organization to others?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
November 29, 2012
I have visited READ Global centers in India, the center in Geejgarh village in the state of Rajasthan; another one in Dwarka, Kakrola village in Delhi, and most recently the newly inaugurated Shahbad Mohammadpur Model Center in also in Delhi. The work READ Global does is inspiring and meaningful but most importantly, it's amazingly impactful. READ centers in India are community-based and owned projects that are born from the community members' needs but also from their desire to live better lives and to be able to have a safe and inviting place where they can access opportunities that will help them tackle different development issues. READ centers are active, dynamic, lively places where women can be receive training and develop marketable skills (computer or sewing skills or attend beauty school classes, for example) as well as women's empowerment workshops; all the while their children attend the early education section and the library at the center. I see the READ centers as multiple-service centers where community members can come together to use information resources, enjoy recreational activities, learn about issues that are relevant to them, and feel at home. When I think of public libraries and the role they play in developing and empowering their communities, the READ model and its centers are models worth replicating.
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Definitely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Definitely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
November 29, 2012
READ Nepal, an International Non Government Organization (INGO) in Nepal is a branch office of READ Global which is now headquartered in Washington DC and registered as a 501(c)(3) corporation in the U.S. Established in 1991, READ Nepal is a Non Profit Organization which has already established several self sustaining rural libraries in various districts of Nepal. Founded by Dr. Antonia Neubauer in 1980s, READ Nepal has been involved towards a holistic development of the community through the intervention of community libraries.
With the major objective of promoting education through libraries, READ Nepal has been continuously involved in establishing and supporting libraries and helping them to sustain in long run. Conducting various literacy campaigns and involving the local participants of the rural areas has been one of the key roles of READ Nepal for social development. READ Nepal always focuses on economic growth of local communities through income generation sustainability projects and therefore, has been providing various employment opportunities in rural as well as urban areas of Nepal.
The establishment of libraries in various parts of Nepal has made the local communities literate and well able to communicate. As I have witnessed, some of the libraries also have started the literacy campaigns for housewives and the change in those housewives are remarkable and truly appreciable. They have been well able to understand and communicate in proper way and are being involved in social and health awareness programmes.
As I have been associated with READ Nepal since 2003, I have also observed that READ Nepal has truly served for the better education, social and health awareness, income generation, women empowerment and social development through local communities libraries. As sustainability has been essence of READ Nepal, READ supported community libraries are sustained by various income generation projects, whether they by establishment of cooperatives or providing training to local people.
I have always found the staff and officers of READ Nepal enthusiastic, energetic and dedicated and happy to serve the organization and well able to handle the programmes and projects conducted in a regular basis. With such effective staff as a merit, the objectives of the organization have always been achieved and indeed, READ Nepal has truly acted as a perfect organization to serve the local communities on every basis.
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Will you volunteer or donate to this organization beyond what is required of advisors?
Definitely
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
Life-changing
Will you tell others about this organization?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
November 28, 2012
I had the opportunity to meet with staff, volunteers and community members at READ Centers in both India and Nepal. I met individually with staff from all four countries in which READ operates. The commitment and dedication of the staff is exceptional. What makes READ unique is their ability to engage communities as partners in their own development efforts. They do not have a "donor" mindset, but an entrepreneurial "partner" mindset. Having met the staff and seen READ Centers in action, I can say confidently that READ's programs have a tremendous impact on rural communities.
More feedback...
How does this organization compare with others in the same sector?
Very Well
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
Life-changing
Will you recommend this organization to others?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
November 27, 2012
I have been a librarian for more than 35 years and was totally amazed and impressed by the incredible work I saw happening during the two weeks I spent visiting the program in Nepal, India and Bhutan. The work being done in community building, in supporting the development goals and needs of communities, villages and countries, is simply unprecidented in my career.
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Was your donation impactful?
Definitely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Definitely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
November 27, 2012
I have recently returned from a wonderful holiday trekking in Bhutan. During my weeks in the country I was able to visit 3 of READ's libraries and community centres. They were all different, a testament to READ's overarching principle that each facility must be requested and owned by the local people and reflect the specific needs of their community. URA library was a full facility with additional rooms for computer use, for youngsters and also for the many training programmes that are being provided for the local women in particular. It was decorated with the drawings and paintings created during a recent art day for the local children. I was also pleased to hear how the staff are providing outreach to a more remote village 11 km further up the valley. It is sustained by a tractor rental business which provides a much wanted service to the local potato farmers. The second library was much smaller and associated with a women's craft training centre. This is an example of how READ Bhutan develops collaborations with domestic charities as well as INGOs to provide convenient opportunites to correct illiteracy within specific groups. The final library and community centre was actually being built. It is a low income area of the capital Timphu and is situated in one of the apartment blocks right in the middle of the development. As part of the many services it will offer (computers, internet access, training, children and women areas etc) it will house representatives of other groups serving the local peripatetic population so giving them a comprehensive and convenient safe haven in which to learn and read. It was opened in mid November by the Prime Minister, another sign of how quickly the READ model of sustainable community-owned facilities has been recognised and adopted in Bhutan.
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Was your donation impactful?
Definitely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Definitely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
November 27, 2012
I had the opportunity to visit three READ centers in Nepal in November 2012 and was very impressed by what I experienced and observed. At the strategic level, the READ model of self-sustaining enterprise makes a lot of much needed sense in a world of historically well-intentioned giving with unintended consequences. The READ model, which emphasizes community and stakeholder engagement and ownership, is also highly replicable and does not rely on any one single charismatic individual to succeed. At the operational level, I was able to witness the positive impact READ centers have had on individual lives as well as on entire communities. It was, for example, inspiring to hear the stories of women who, through READ programs, learned to read and write late in their lives or those of the young women who learned technical skills and opened profitable, successful businesses providing valuable and needed services to their communities, or those of the women who formed a successful farming cooperative in their village. It was a moving experience to witness these women articulating how they felt empowered and were now able to contribute to the economic situation of and decision-making processes in their families and communities, rather than feeling marginalized as invisible, second class citizens in a society characterized by ethnic, gender, caste, political and socio-economic divisions. I believe READ has already achieved much and has further potential to do still more. I was also impressed by the READ team's commitment to understand its development impacts through a rigorous monitoring and evaluation process that they are implementing - it is not easy for organizations to take a hard look in the mirror and be honest about what is working versus what is not achieving desired results. READ's monitoring and evaluation program will also achieve accountability for results and give the team the tools and data to substantiate and evidence results, which is critical for ongoing reporting to donors and the public. All in all, I was very impressed with the quality and caliber of the READ Nepal staff that I met as well as with the vision and leadership of the Executive Director of READ Global. Well done everyone and I wish you much continued success!
More feedback...
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
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