Agbledomi is a predominantly fishing and farming community located at the Southern part of Volta, precisely in the Anloga district, and has a population of about 3000 people. It is a coastal town with mangrove forests, lagoons, and few beach resorts.
Abledomi has 13 different species of crab, hence the festival “Agalaza”, which means crab festival, is celebrated in the community. Parents in the town advocate for quality education and other education related activities for their children, and as such, they take keen interest in their education.
The Abgledomi Spot was made possible because the community had an already existing structure which was abandoned due to the lack of books and furniture. The vision was for the Spot to be stocked with books and furniture to make learners of Agbledomi develop the habit of reading and a build a community where individual talents can be nurtured. Some of the key members in the establishment of the Spot include Mr. Jasper Abganator, an assembly man, Mr. Saviour Nenyonyoge, a prominent man in the community, Mr. John Nuvormawor, the Spot lead and Mr. Felix Kwame Adu Slai, a Spot Catalyst.
The Spot started with only two strands, the Spot leadership strand — now Spot Lead, and Ignite Girls, now Ignite Equity. The Spot faced a hurdle early on when the project lead found himself unavailable to commit to the task of running the Spot. He was faced with the the enormous responsibility of the operations in the Spot. However, in considering the great impact the Spot would bring to the learners, individuals of the community stepped up to volunteer to assist in the affairs of the Spot. They include Mr. Tende Fred Kafui, Mr. Kugbe Jonas, Mr Kwamigah Bright, Mr Agblevor Evans, Mr. Sakpaku Reuben, Miss Adams Phylis , Miss Mensah Hannah, Mr. Afeke Emmanuel, Mr. Doamekpor Gershon, Mr Noglo Felix, Mr Seidu Vienyo, and Agbanu Vicentia. With the help of these volunteers, the Spot now runs all the strands of EduSpots.
The steps taken to initiate the running of the Spot include the loaning of books to learners and the inclusion of library period in the school’s timetable. The learners make use of the Spot when it is time for library period which is part of the school’s timetable. Learners who are not students of the school makes use of the Spot mostly during weekends and after school closes. The PTA also assisted the Spot in acquiring 31 benches and 8 tables, while EduSpots provided books and other materials such as a projector, 2 Lenovo tablets, and learning tools to aid the club sessions.
During the celebrations for the Agalaza festival, the community also raised funds to renovate the Spot. As a result, they fixed the leaking ceiling and roof, fixed the louvre blades, painted the structure, and installed six shelves. However, there are still some few challenges. For instance, there is still no electricity at the Spots, and there are some struggles with the consistency of both Catalysts’ and learners’ commitment levels.
There is a wide range of activities that learners overall are engaged in: this includes the monthly strand challenges; inter strand/ club quiz competition; environmental sustainability activities; field trips; inter-school competitions; and talent shows. They also have access to over 500 storybooks, as well as textbooks for Mathematics, English, and Science. There are positive changes observed so far in the learners, Catalysts, and the community at large, with increased interest in reading and desire to pursue higher education, as well as reduction in teenage pregnancy and other social vices — this is especially considering that in 2022, the community recorded the highest teenage pregnancy cases in the district. Various stakeholders are also increasingly interested in the issues of the Spot and are willing to assist in any way they can when the need arises, for example they actively supported the Spot’s social enterprise project to end period poverty.
The responses to activities across the strands have been very positive. STEM education used to be a no-go area for learners in the community, but is now the most common area of interest for the learners due to the practical-based and learner-centered approach of EduSpots sessions. Learners have been encouraged to think outside the box when solving problems, hence developing their critical thinking abilities. The desire of learners to pursue higher education in STEM related courses has increased. Learners found a few experiences particularly memorable, such as when Catalsysts explained how the area of a circle came about, or when they organised a visit to the Keta Nursing and Midwifery Training School.
Learners have been encouraged to use play productively since play is an integral part of learning. Their club sessions are activity-based which makes the learners learn through. For example, EduKidz learners improved in “words and sentence reading”. Learners have shown interest in learning at the Spot since there is a Catalyst who guides them. There has been a tremendous increase in the academic performance of learners in the main school system.
With the activities of Ignite Equity, girls and boys have been empowered such that they now see life differently. Prior to the establishment of the Spot, a prevalent occurrence was that learners even at Junior High School could not tell what they want to become in future. But mentoring such learners has now exposed them to certain career paths that they can choose for themselves.
The enterprise project to end period poverty has tremendously helped to reduce absence on the part of our female learners during their periods. Launching of enterprise project to support the constant provision of sanitary pad was also instrumental as girls did not have to rely on anyone else to acquire the resources they needed. The different activities and engagement programmes have helped girls to challenge preconceived gender stereotypes, and dismantled beliefs that certain things or activities are for only boys and vice versa.
