Big Give

Today, EduSpots is embarking on its third Big Give Christmas Challenge, which we hope will be our biggest yet, with £10,000 of match funding from pledge funders and the Big Give Anchor Fund.

Yes, this means that up to £10,000 raised, all donations will be DOUBLED, to give us £20,000! Amazed? So are we! Note that all donations must go through this donation link on the Big Give fund in order to be illegible for match funding.

Where is the funding going?

This year, EduSpots Big Give fund is to provide us vital catalytic funding to invest in the resources, programmes, and core costs, needed to enable 250 changemakers to lead change through their 50 community-led education spaces named ‘Spots’.

Under EduSpots community-led model, it costs less than £5 for one learner to access a Spot for an entire YEAR. Yes, that’s access to a safe and quiet learning space, resources, homework support, and a range of literacy, STEM and empowerment clubs, all for £5. 

Listen to this story of how EduSpots has impacted Rahim, a learner in Sakasaka so far:

Convinced? Here’s how you can help!

  1. Organise a cake sale or mince pies and mulled wine evening, with all proceeds going to the Big Give with all donations DOUBLED!
  2. Ask for donations for EduSpots at a pre-existing event – consider choosing EduSpots as your organisational charity. We will show you the impact of your donations, which will be DOUBLED.
  3. Organise a Spots for EduSpots home clothes day, dress down day, or office party! Ask for donations to EduSpots which will be DOUBLED.
  4. Share our powerful stories of change on your feeds, including the donation link.
  5. Donate! Even the price of a coffee will enable one learner to access a learning space for a year. And as the donation is DOUBLED, this immediately takes it to 2 learners.

One donation. Twice the impact. 

The campaign information..

Equip 300 changemakers to lead dynamic libraries

EduSpots’ innovative and cost effective model puts communities in the driving seat to create and sustain 50 learning spaces in Ghana & Kenya, providing transformative educational activities and resources for 15,000 children and adults. Your support will advance the quality and reach of impact.

Situation

Close to 2.6 million people are classed as illiterate in Ghana, which is around 25% of the population over the age of 15 (UNESCO, 2023). Schools have very limited access to books or computers with little to no activities offered to students beyond school hours. Access to pre-primary education is just 38% in rural areas, compared to 90% for urban areas, with teaching standards and access to resources variable. Children are often pulled out of school to help parents with crucial livelihood tasks.

Solution

EduSpots works with over 300 community volunteers (Catalysts) to create and sustain 50 community-owned and led learning spaces. Our Catalysts enable students of all ages to have free access to learning resources (including storybooks, phonics resources and teaching aids, textbooks, science equipment and some limited IT equipment) alongside study space and homework support. They also run clubs in creative literacy, early years education, STEM and environmental education and girls’ empowerment.

Campaign aims:

  • Provide educational resources to our Spots, enabling Spots to have a wide stock of local textbooks and storybooks, alongside literacy and STEM kits, computers and sustainable learning tools requested by our volunteers.
  • Advance the quality of learning in education clubs delivered by our volunteers through investing in staff and volunteer training and recruitment, resource creation, and monitoring and learning visits.
  • Grow our volunteers’ skills by investing in their training through the Community Leadership in Education (CLEd) programme alongside the existing support delivered through our Ignite Programme.

Campaign aims:

  • £10,000 – Educational resources (e.g. storybooks, text books, science kits, IT equipment, phonics cards)
  • £5,000 – Volunteer training (e.g. Ignite Programme, CLEd Programme, training conference, monitoring visits)
  • £5,000 – Advance quality of training and resources (staff salaries, consultants, design work, Spot visits)

Impact

Our work will enable over 15,000 learners to increase their confidence and engagement in learning, whilst advancing their literacy, practical science and wider skills and values as leaders. At the same time, we are advancing the self-efficacy, leadership, entrepreneurial and education skills of our network of community change makers. In the process, we are developing a model of sustainable community-led education that could be adopted by organisations and communities across the world.

Reporting

In partnership with Impact Ed, we are leading quantitative and qualitative studies of the impact of our Ignite Girls, EduLit and EcoSTEM clubs upon students and volunteers, using validated scales to look at school engagement, interest in reading, self-efficacy and teamwork. Alongside this we are using the ASER literacy assessment tool with early years students and collecting information on Spot usage. The findings will be shared to supporters through an impact report published in March.

Need any support?

Want to contact us with a media opportunity? Or do you need any support with resources to lead your event in support of the Big Give (e.g. stickers, letters, marketing support)? Please email Cat Davison at cdavison@eduspots.org. We can also offer talks with the EduSpots Ghana-based team and volunteers. Just reach out!