About READ 

READ enhances the standard of living of Ecuador’s most underserved population by introducing information resources to remote areas of the state of Cotopaxi, increasing the information literacy rate. We do this through our educational resource centers and our work-study and child sponsorship programs which help to remove financial barriers for those unable to afford high school.  The educational resource centers include libraries  that allow people to take books home to read was something totally foreign to the rural communities which we serve.  To our knowledge, we are the only lending library system in the entire state of Cotopaxi with a population of 409,205 people.  The 2010 census shows that the population we serve is 24.3% illiterate with an average educational level of 6th grade.  Lack of education creates chronic poverty, which results in conditions that make educational opportunities unattainable for most living in rural Ecuador.