For more than 30 years, author and literacy activist Pam Allyn has been traveling to some of the world's poorest countries to share her love of reading with others in need.
Now Allyn and her company, Meadow, have a new project in the works that aims to get more kids readingand to get them reading in the first place, the New York Times reports.
The ReadWorld initiative, a joint effort by Allyn and her company with the help of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to get kids reading by providing them with reading materials, after-school programs, and other services in some of the world's hardest-to-reach places.
The idea is to get kids hooked on reading early, so they'll be more likely to pick up a book later on, Allyn tells the Times.
"It's so important for kids to be able to make their own decisions about what they want to do with their life," she says.
"They don't have to make a decision about whether they want to go to school or go to work.
They don't have to make a decision about whether they want to read or not.
They can make a decision about what they want to do with their life."
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