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Our impact

EduSpots is more than a network of learning hubs. It is a growing grassroots movement that is reshaping education across Ghana.

Independent evaluation has validated what communities themselves have been witnessing: classrooms are becoming more interactive and learner-centred, parents are moving away from harsh punishment towards positive discipline, and young people are stepping forward with the confidence to use their voices and lead. As one headteacher reflected, the shift is nothing short of transformative:

“Before the programme, I was an ordinary headteacher. I returned not just as a school leader, but as a strategic leader, a change maker, a community builder and a staff developer.”
— Hamidu Kaadri, Catalyst and headteacher

Evidence of change

A 2025 independent study across 10 Spot communities found:

  • A 52% increase in Catalysts’ self-reported empathy and cultural sensitivity scores

  • 85% of Catalysts felt able to handle complex safeguarding concerns

  • Learners’ participation in civic activities increased by 40%

  • Parents reported greater openness from their children in sharing issues they faced at school

  • Teachers recorded a 45% rise in student-centred practices in their classrooms

These findings were echoed by stories of change across the network: students becoming advocates for their rights, girls finding their voices in community meetings, parents choosing dialogue over violence, and chiefs visiting Spots regularly to champion safeguarding.

A collaborative learning model

Impact is not measured from the outside alone. Catalysts themselves are active participants in EduSpots’ monitoring and evaluation, contributing stories, feedback and ideas that shape how the model evolves. As one Catalyst shared, “We’re not just implementing a pre-set model. Our ideas and experiences are actively shaping how EduSpots evolves. It’s truly a collaborative effort.”

Through validated surveys with ImpactEd, we have also tracked long-term improvements:

  • A 12% increase in self-efficacy among Catalysts

  • A 5% increase in civic engagement among learners in Ignite Equity clubs

  • A 4.8% increase in Sense of Community scores across Catalysts

  • A 13% increase in emotional engagement in maths and science for learners in EcoSTEM clubs

Building for scale

The independent evaluation concluded that the EduSpots model is replicable, sustainable and offers significant value for money, with volunteer engagement and community ownership at its core. As one evaluator wrote, “The EduSpots programme has successfully transformed educational landscapes across Ghana, fostering a new generation of active, empathetic citizens and catalysing community-driven change.”

This combination of lived experience, measurable results and external validation positions EduSpots as a model ready to expand, not only doubling our reach in Ghana, but offering a blueprint for community-driven education globally.

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