Leaving Microsoft to Change the World

I read Bill Clinton's Giving a few months ago. It highly recommend it. Inspiring in itself, it also leapfrogged me into reading Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur's Odyssey to Educate the World's Children by John Wood. Wood is the founder of Room to Read, a non-profit that promotes education in the developing world by building schools, libraries and providing scholarships to girls.

The book is bottled lightening. I couldn't put it down. Who would have thought that a book about starting a non-profit organization would be so riveting? It helps that Wood was a marketing director at Microsoft. He keeps the reader engaged through a combination of self-deprecating humor, passion and energy.

The first country he started in was Nepal. It was a very grassroots effort where he just asked for people to send books to him. From there, it snowballed. At latest count, the org has established over 5000 libraries, 400 schools and given long-term scholarships to more than 3000 girls.

A lot of the initial fundraising was done through friends. Wood's friends, mostly in high tech, would catch his enthusiasm and write him nice sized checks. One of them called him up and said this:

You have to promise me that you'll consider expanding Room to Read to India. I know you had a bad experience traveling there because you are a wimp who hates crowds, and who can't deal with heat or constant haggling. Put that aside. Get over it. The country needs you.

Happily, Wood listened and there are almost 1000 Room-to-Read libraries in India now. What I like about the set-up is that Room to Read provide funding, but the local community must match the contribution. They can provide labor, materials, or money. I think this co-ownership concept is really powerful.

Laos woman carries materials as part of challenge grant

Founding and running a non-profit organization does not come without sacrifices. Wood talks about the constant travel and the havoc it wreaks on his life. He struggles with the fact that he probably will never own a home in San Francisco with his small salary. He also talks about how his point of view has changed:

I had to remind myself that my newest little mental game--fantasizing about turning luxury items into Third World Educational projects--was quite annoying to others. A friend of mine put it best: "I could show up in a a hot new pair of Manolo Blahniks and you would not say that I looked cute. You'd be too busy thinking about how the price of my shoes would fund two years of a girl's scholarship."

It only takes $250 a year to fund a girl's scholarship overseas. Only $4000 to fund an entire library!

Why the need for scholarships for girls? Of the 770 million adults in the world that cannot read, two-thirds are women. Since women are the primary caregivers in the family, an educated woman means an educated family.

Wood talked about a specific case in Cambodia:

There were two obstacles to Nam attending school, both economic. Her mother could not afford the $5 monthly fee, and the nearest secondary school was 20 miles from their home. Even a bicycle would not solve this problem (unless we taught Nam to "be like Lance"), so she was forced to drop out after grade six.

Room to Read reviewed Nam's academic record and motivation. They awarded her a scholarship that covered not only supplies but also allowed her to board with a teacher during the week.

I'm so thrilled to have found this book. Things have been getting a bit myopic for me lately, as I try to get things ready for the baby and deal with aches and pains. This is a great reminder to keep thinking about the big picture. I'd like to throw a little fundraising party (after the baby is born!) but wondering how many of my friends/ acquaintances would actually be interested. Either way, The Serene One and I are definitely funding a scholarship this year.