It was on the backs of the yaks that, John Wood, Room to Read founder, delivered books to the children in Nepal to areas without roads - as documented in his book, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World.

It all started with a journey of one man, John Wood, who needed to escape from his days as an overworked Microsoft executive. During his much-needed break, he went hiking in the Himalayas and was invited to visit a school in a neighboring village, where he confronted the harsh reality of severe shortage of books for Nepalese children and the lack of educational support in developing countries. After returning home, he immediately called out to his friends to help collect children’s books and within months, collected over 3,000 books.

Collecting books to send to Nepal. It was this small action by one man, which lead to the formation of a non-profit organization in 2000 called Room to Read. Over the years, his action has changed from donating books to providing educational infrastructure in developing countries.　

From launching an operation in Nepal, Room to Read expanded to other parts of Asiaand Africa, now supporting 9 countries in theregions.

Partnering with local communities, Room to Read now establishes libraries and schools, as well as publish local language children's books and support education of girls.

And after 10 years from its inception,