John Wood's Inspirational Journey

Last summer, the Nepali translation of John Wood’s book Microsoft Dekhi Bahundanda Samma (Leaving Microsoft to Change the World), seemed very prominent in the book stalls of New Road.

I had heard a lot about Wood, mainly from my husband who was going to be attending the Kellogg School of Management, of which John Wood is a a graduate. Although tempted to read the Nepali version, I resisted and decided to read the original in English. From my previous experience with translations, I feel as if the original message is unintentionally diluted. Afraid that might be the case, I decided to read the English version itself.

Upon returning to the US, I was ecstatic to finally get my hands on the book. John Wood was going to be speaking at the Kellogg School in two weeks and I wanted to finish the book before his visit. Wood’s imagery of the Annapurna region recalled my own trek to the Everest Base Camp. Themes such as poverty and illiteracy were not new to me. Wood seemed to have been struck by the fact that children had to walk almost two to three miles to get to school. I had met little children during my trek who were used to walking two hours daily to go to school. They struggled and yet, seemed happy.

For me, the book was a mixture of an emotional and inspirational journey. In 1998, Wood was simply a trekker. Upon seeing the dire need of education in the rural villages of Nepal, he took time off from his job at Microsoft to help children obtain a better education. It saddens me to think about how much people need to struggle in Nepal. Unlike many girls from Nepal, I have been very lucky to get a decent education. Having had a chance to study at an international school in Tokyo with students from 35 different nationalities, I have learned not to take anything for granted.

John Wood’s Room to Read is led by the belief that “World change starts with educated children.” Standing strong on the belief that education can break the cycle of poverty, Room to Read aims to build educational infrastructure in the developing world. The organization currently works in Nepal, Cambodia, India, Laos, Sri Lanka and Vietnam and to date has opened over 3,300 bi-lingual libraries with more than 2 million books. It recently opened projects in Bangladesh and Zambia. Furthermore, they support over 2,300 girls with long-term scholarships and have established more than 220 schools. In Nepal, they have built 388 schools and given scholarships to 1,250 girls.

Upon finishing the book, I wrote to John Wood. I wanted to meet him and talk to him personally. His talk at Kellogg was very vibrant and energetic. John is an American who decided to do so much for Nepal after just one visit. I felt ashamed, being a Nepali with opportunities and yet, having not done anything to help those in need in Nepal. During the Q&A session, I thanked him on behalf of Nepal and asked him what I, as a privileged Nepali woman, could do to help. He asked me to spread the word of Room to Read. I am currently involved with Room to Read’s Chicago Chapter to raise funds. Along with my husband and my brother-in-law, we are planning to raise money for a project in Humla.

I am in touch with John and will be meeting him again in April. His inspiring words have motivated me to get more involved with the community. He has made me focus on the importance of education in our part of the world. It only takes $250 to fund a child’s education for a year, $8,000 to open a library and $11,000 to build a school. Room to Read’s long term goal is to help at least 10 million children gain education. I strongly urge everyone to read John’s book, contribute and grant the gift of education to others.