Writer Ambassadors Share Their Passion For Room To Read at The Children's Bookshop

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a fabulous event for my favourite organisation Room to Read. If you're a regular reader of this blog you'll know that I've supported and volunteered for Room to Read for the last five years. Room to Read build schools and libraries in developing nations (7 countries in Asia and 3 in Africa) and provide scholarships for girls. They also publish children's books in local languages, written by local authors and illustrated by local artists. The focus is on literacy and gender equality. Having been to India and visited some of their program schools I know first hand how effective they really are.I managed to snap a few pics last night but apologies for the quality.As a way of raising awareness here in Australia we have a wonderful team of Writer Ambassadors. Last night Susanne Gervay, Deb Abela and Gus Gordon all spoke about their own passion for books and why it's so important to promote books and reading in countries where children have very limited access to books.Susanne spoke of her own visits to third world countries where she has witnessed the life changing impact of education.Deb spoke of the way children can enter new worlds through books and explained the importance of educating girls in countries where they are often removed from the education system much earlier than their male siblings. Educated girls will grow up to educate their own children and so the cycle of poverty is broken.And Gus talked about the books that influenced him as a child and opened up his imagination in the same way they can do for any child. The room was filled with people who are passionate about books and reading and there was a real buzz in the air. If you live in Sydney and haven't been to The Children's Bookshop please pay a visit. Paul has a wonderful selection of both children's and adults books and holds regular events throughout the year. To find out more about Room to Read go to: www.roomtoread.org  or  www.roomtoread.org/australiaFollow Room to Read on Facebook: facebook.com/roomtoreadTwitter: twitter.com/roomtoreadThe Children's Bookshop: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Childrens-Bookshop/239327069453946Susanne Gervay: http://www.sgervay.comDeb Abela: http://www.deborahabela.com/site/Welcome.htmlGus Gordon: http://www.gusgordon.com