Members of the India women's cricket team today visited Colaba Primary Municipal Marathi School to inaugurate a library funded and established by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The visit showed the players' support for Room to Read, a global non-profit organisation that aims to promote literacy and gender equality in education across Asian and African countries.
As part of the ICC Women's World Cup 2013 commitment towards the local community in one of the host cities, Mumbai, the ICC is supporting a Room to Read initiated campaign, the 'Checkout Challenge' – which provides access for children to quality education and enhances cricket's positive contribution to the society.
India captain Mithali Raj and pace bowler Jhulan Goswami visited the school and spent time with students in the school's Room to Read library. The visit included a special storybook reading session, a reading ladder game and an autograph session.
ICC Commercial Partner, Emirates, is supporting this initiative by donating educational and informative local language children's books to the library.
ICC and Room to Read
Room to Read seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education.
Working in collaboration with local communities, partner organisations and governments, the charity aims to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children, and support girls to complete secondary school with the relevant life skills to succeed in school and beyond.
The ICC began its partnership with Room to Read at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 with a series of player activities, with Virat Kohli, Shane Watson and Angelo Mathews becoming global Room to Read Ambassadors. The partnership received further impetus at the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012.
Room to Read "Check out Challenge"
The "check out challenge" is a call to action to all Room to Read supporters to invest in programs that help provide a million plus books to children across the world. The ways of doing so will be either through a library or helping Room to Read publish an original children's book.