Giving 10% of profits to education
My parents grew up in the aftermath of the Vietnam war and was barred from entering university in their native country. When they arrived in Norway as refugees, access to free education enabled them to obtain degrees and support their families back home during a very challenging time. My mother completed a PhD in Biochemical Engineering and my dad worked as a computer programmer for the same company for 20 years.
Right now, schools all over the world have closed down due the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting over 90% of the world's student population. It means a loss of safety and academic progress for children from poorest and most vulnerable vulnerable communities. Many of these do not have access to computers or parents with the resources to homeschool, which reinforces the social inequality that already exists between high and low income families.
That is why in April and May, I will donate 10% of the profits* from Literary Lip Balms to Room to Read, a global non-profit organization focused on children’s literacy and girls’ education. If you have placed an order between April 1 - May 31st, you will contribute to the donation. Thank you!
Room to Read's Girl's Education program helps girls stay in school longer, progress towards completion of secondary school, and acquire the skills they need to make informed choices about their lives. Their programs have benefited 10 million children across 18,000 communities in Asia and Africa and aims to reach 15 million children by 2020
Please read their COVID-19 appeal below and on their website.
In every country where Room to Read operates, there are partial or full public school closures.
With so many children out of school, there has never been a more urgent need to facilitate learning. If you can, please make an emergency donation now or start your own fundraiser to ensure that this crisis doesn’t result in a generation of children who lack basic reading skills, or a generation of girls who drop out of school with no hope.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Room to Read is facing significant loss of income due to canceled fundraising events and school closures all around the world.
But we are not giving up on our students, so we need your help. We are calling on our global community who shares in our belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children® to help. Together, we will ensure that children continue their education no matter what.
Our team will continue to work tirelessly to bring our programs and resources to students throughout this crisis in novel ways. We will do so even as we maximize every contribution and operate with the same transparency and fiscal accountability we are known for. You can count on us to forward our mission, focus on impact and report back to you with results.
Source: https://give.roomtoread.org/campaign/covid-19-urgent-appeal/c278379
Photo: Anne Holmes
*Net revenue will be calculated by taking the total value of sales in this period minus the cost of materials + packaging.