John Wood was inspired to start Room to Read after visiting a school in Nepal that had very few books for the 450 students. He officially co-founded Room to Read in 2001 to focus on increasing literacy and gender equality in education in developing countries through programs that develop literacy skills, a habit of reading, and life skills for girls. As of 2012, Room to Read has established over 1,600 schools, 13,500 libraries, distributed 11 million books, published 707 children's books, and benefited 6 million children total across 10 countries in Asia and Africa.