## EDUSPOTS: ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ## EDUSPOTS UK REGISTERED CHARITY 1166734 WE CONNECT, TRAIN AND EQUIP EDUCATIONAL CATALYSTS TO DRIVE COMMUNITY-LED CHANGE PAGE 02 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT ## _A year's overview_ **WELCOME!** The Trustees of EduSpots are pleased to present their report with the financial statements of the Charity for the year ended 31 December 2020. The financial statements were prepared to meet the requirements for a directors’ report. The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102). The charity is constituted as a Charitable Trust by a Deed dated 25 April 2016. ## **A welcome message from Nimatu, a volunteer:** I have often reflected on what I would have done to contribute to the happiness, growth and wider development of my community as a member if I had not met EduSpots. Many times I thought engaging the community in supporting their own development was the work of political and local government leaders in the community. I became part of EduSpots in 2018 and my preoccupation of community development changed ever since. I learnt to be an impactful volunteer, developing myself, impacting others and developing the community at large. The community's development is best achieved when managed by the indigenes. With this mission in mind, EduSpots supported me with the needed capacity to understand and support my community, knowing the problems and needs of the community through community needs assessment. As a catalyst to community development, I have gained a lot from volunteerism at EduSpots, involving understanding myself more, thinking aloud and bringing innovative ideas on board to support my community through education. I have learned to redirect my focus from selfcenteredness to community engagement, ensuring personal well being and community development simultaneously. It's great if an external organization supports a community in managing their problems and providing their needs, but it is more reliable and sustainable if the community members themselves are enabled through capacity building and resources accessible to drive their own change by taking up responsibilities, which is always at the heart of EduSpots. _Nimatu Abdul-Rahmen is one of the original youth changemakers, who worked with her community and EduSpots to create a learning centre in her community, Savelugu. Today, Nimatu is part of our new CLEd programme, and has recently led STEM camps and created a remote library system to further increase access to resources across the local area._ PAGE 03 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT ## **CONTENTS PAGE** - **Page 2 Volunteers welcome Page 3 Contents page Page 4 A message from the Chair Page 5 A message from Yvonne Asamoning Page 6 Core charity information Page 7 Our vision & mission Page 8 Theory of change Page 9 Governance Page 10 New Spots Page 11 Akumadan: A Case Study Page 12 Covid response Page 13 EduLit Page 14 Literacy resources Page 15 EduSTEM Page 16 CLEd programme Page 17 School partnerships & online courses Page 18 Resources & fundraising Page 19 Our impact Page 20 Independent Examiner's Report Page 21 Financial reports Page 22 Additional notes Page 23 Thank you Page 24 Supporting EduSpots** PAGE 04 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT ## **A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR** As we began to develop our new STEM and literacy programmes at the tail end of 2019, we could never have anticipated that our plans would be disrupted by a global pandemic. And yet, as I reflect today on our activities in 2020, I am proud of the steps we took as a team to support our Spot communities and advance educational opportunity more widely. I can say with confidence that EduSpots is in a much stronger place as organisation today than it was at the start of 2020, with a clearer strategy and improved systems; vitally, our volunteers have also bounced back and reengaged communities. As the pandemic hit, we reached out to communities to offer support with establishing sanitation stations and accompanying educational resources. Thanks to the support of students at Sevenoaks School and the Fonthill Foundation, we were able to support communities across the network with a significant quantity of local text books. Our volunteers established and led Covidsafe book loaning stations, ensuring full compliance with government recommendations. For some students, this was the only way that they were able to continue learning in the nine months that schools were completely closed in Ghana. As ever, I have been inspired and motivated by the work of our local volunteers, many of whom have created innovative solutions to the educational crisis. As one example of many, Adu in Akumadan fixed a speaker system to the outside of the library and recruited local teachers to deliver lessons. Supported by the work of students at Sevenoaks School, we also created weekly #StayAtHome challenges in literacy and STEM which aimed to support parents and students in practical challenges for the home setting. These were shared widely across the UK and Ghana, with great engagement. As the restrictions lifted, we were able to recommence delivery of our EduLit and EduSTEM programmes, thanks the support of the Fonthill Foundation. We continued our support of volunteers throughout the year through regular EduZOOM online training sessions on topics ranging from local fundraising to child protection. These trainings have now developed into our new Community Leadership in Education programme, CLEd, which has been successfully piloted in 2021. We were also pleased to open new Spots in New Atuabo and Bono Manso, with 2021 also bringing projects in Ejura, Sanzule, and Yamfo. As with many charities, our fundraising in 2020 and beyond has been affected by the pandemic, with an impact on our more traditional income streams. We were able to hold some pre-pandemic in-person events early in 2020, and we successfully delivered our first online fundraising events including the 42 Challenge at the end of the year. These combined with personal donations and a widening fundraising strategy enabled us keep all our staff members in employment. Further than this, we used the time strategically to improve our internal systems and programmes. We also developed three additional online courses exploring leadership, postcolonial thinking and social entrepreneurship which we successfully took to market, with over 30 schools in the UK and Ghana using these courses as a replacement for in-person community service. These, alongside some bespoke curriculum development work, enabled us to raise additional revenue whilst offering an education in sustainable and inclusive development practice. Finally, this week I have been informed that I have been selected as a finalist for the Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher Prize 2021 in partnership with UNESCO, after being initially nominated by EduSpots volunteers. Although this recognition focuses on me an individual, this is also an opportunity to place a spotlight on EduSpots’ work and celebrate the collective growth we’ve all been part of. I am an ally to every volunteer and my role is to seek ways to promote, support and fund their work. My heartfelt thanks goes out to every supporter for their belief in the EduSpots’ community-led model thus far. Now is the time to push for more impact. If you have any suggestion towards achieving this, please do reach out at cdavison@eduspots.org. Cat Davison, September 2021 PAGE 05 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT ## _A year's overview_ ## **A MESSAGE FROM OUR GHANA TEAM COORDINATOR** _Yvonne Peters Asamoning is our Ghana Team Coordinator, joining the team in September 2021._ _Yvonne has been an EduSpots volunteer since 2018 when she won a Teacher Changemaker grant to support her work in Kalpohin, which developed into her BeBetter Mentoring organisation. She has recently finished an MA in Gender and Development at Sussex University as a Chevening Scholar. She brings extensive experience in education, development and social entrepreneurship._ If there is one thing we have all learnt this year, it is that community is important, people matter and all efforts in our work should be humancentered. The vision of EduSpots has never been more relevant than it is now. EduSpots is uniquely set up in a way that allows for learning among individuals and communities and their Spots. This attribute makes the network filled with insightful learning opportunities. Every model organisation, every model community and every model country started out by creating a unique pathway for itself although adapting and learning from others. As we work towards making communities in the EduSpots network model communities, it is my hope that communities will capitalise on their unique talents and resources to excel. Additionally, I hope to see communities in the EduSpots network learning from the past and utilising old but effective methods of teaching, learning and literacy techniques. Especially in this age of high technology, there is often the assumption that new is better. In Ghana we have a saying that ‘Sankofa yenkyi’ which means it is not forbidden to go back and take from the past. We must take old lessons and new learnings to move forward and become model communities. PAGE 06 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT **EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT** ## **CORE CHARITY INFORMATION** ## **Our Charitable Objects** ## **Core Information** Our charitable objects were updated in June 2020 to the following: To advance education throughout Africa and the UK by the provision of but not limited to, providing educational courses, assisting in the operation of community led education centres and providing grants to individuals to further education as trustees from time to time may determine. ## **Our Trustees** EduSpots is UK Registered Charity 1166734 Our UK office is Flat 5, 2 High Street, Sevenoaks, TN13 1HX. Our website is www.eduspots.org and we use @eduspots on social media ## **Our Bank** Lloyds Bank North St Brighton 171-173 North St Brighton BN1 1GL Our current trustees are: ## **Independent Examiner** Catherine Davison (joined April 2016) Mark Goodrich (joined October 2019) Ruth Bussey (joined June 2020) Amjad Saleem (joined March 2021) Gloria Agyemang (joined July 2021) . The financial reports inclosed in this report have been approved by an Independent Examiner: Shruti Soni Limited, St. Johns Hill, Sevenoaks, TN13 3PE PAGE 07 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT ## **OUR VISION & MISSION** Our vision is to create a world in which communities unite to create the future they want to see through education. Our mission is to connect, train and equip educational ‘catalysts’ to drive community-led change. Our core beliefs: - 1.We believe that everyone should have access to a quality education that reflects and engages with their communities. - 2.We believe in everyone’s ability to effect change. - 3.Communities are stronger when diverse groups and schools work together. - 4.Change is more sustainable when communities are engaged in social change. - 5.Partnerships enable us to progress our impact and broaden our understanding. ## **How do we do this?** **We connect our Catalysts,** creating a community that learns from each other. Through effective use of WhatsApp feeds and conferences, we enable community Catalysts from different areas to share their experiences and problem-solve together. Our highly active social media feeds, zoom training and conferences also give those in our network a platform to speak up and speak out. This year, **we have trained** our Catalysts in elements of community leadership in education. This comprises project management, team building, child protection, communication for change, education project design and other areas core to ensuring the ‘Spots’ are used effectively whilst volunteer capacity is built. We have also trained our volunteers in early and later years literacy development and practical STEM education, leading to the formation of our EduLit and EduSTEM clubs. This training has been delivered at conferences and through community visits. In 2020 during Covid, it took a new online form on Zoom. . **We equip our Catalysts** through grants to support construction or refurbishment work for the creation of a ‘Spot’, also offering solar power installation where possible for environmental and economic sustainability. We provide all communities in the network with books (both donated from the UK, and African fiction and nonfiction books, bought in country), as well as supporting communities running STEM clubs by providing Dext Technology science kits and other sustainable science equipment. We have also supported Spots with items such as white boards, furniture, book boxes, community signage and noticeboards. PAGE 08 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT ## **OUR THEORY OF CHANGE** ## A. **What is our process of change?** 1.We identify individuals or teams who want to create change in their communities through education, often through our online courses. 2.We help them to build a team and strategy to create that change built from local community interests, also connecting them to our network. 3.Selected Catalysts participate in our Community Leadership in Education (CLEd) programme, which includes a 5 day Academy training and collaborative learning in subjects such as project management, community engagement, education programme design and child protection. 4. We support them in the creation and ongoing management of Spots, often supporting with books, science kits, IT equipment. Catalysts apply for flexible grant funding. 5.We offer communities optional trainings in leading literacy (EduLit) and practical STEM (EduSTEM) clubs with the option to lead our 10 day ‘STEM for a Sustainable Future’ camps. 6.Our catalysts grow in their ability to affect change, supported by mentors with lived local experience. 7.Users have improved confidence and educational outcomes. We witness users becoming volunteers having directly witnessed the impact of active citizenship. . EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT PAGE 09 ## **GOVERNANCE** In 2020 the Charity Board consisted of three trustees who oversaw all elements of the Charity’s work for that year. ## **Cat Davison (Chair)** Cat Davison has direct oversight of all elements of EduSpots' ongoing development. She has 10 years of teaching experience in the UK and Ghana and has built experience of community-centred education programmes in Ghana and the UK since 2012. She holds an MA in Education and International Development from UCL, alongside a PGCE with QTS. ## R **uth Bussey (Trustee)** Ruth is a Chartered Accountant with previous experience of auditing UK charities during 7 years at EY London. In addition to being a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Ruth also has a Batchelor’s degree in Molecular Genetics. Ruth was born in Sierra Leone and moved to Europe at the age of 10. She is passionate about education as a tool for national development and social change. ## **Mark Goodrich (Trustee)** After a 25-year career as a lawyer including as a partner with the global law firm, White & Case, Mark recently requalified as a primary school teacher to pursue his passion for education.He has had a highly international career with his work taking him to many different countries in Asia and Africa. In addition to a law degree and his teaching qualification, Mark also has two Masters degrees in the area of politics, administration and public policy. In 2021, we were delighted to welcome two new trustees to the team: . ## **Gloria Adyemang (Trustee)** Gloria Agyemang, Professor of Accounting, and current Head of the School of Business and Management at Royal Holloway, University of London holds a PhD in Management from the University of London. Receiving her undergraduate degree at the University of Ghana and her postgraduate at McGill University, Canada, she has both management and teaching experience at UK and African Universities. ## **Amjad Saleem (Trustee)** Amjad Saleem (OS 96) is a British Sri Lankan currently working with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva. He manages the work around diversity, inclusion, violence prevention, education and youth. He has many years experience of peace building, interfaith dialogue and working in the humanitarian space. PAGE 02PAGE 10 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT **NEW SPOTS 2020** "I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED IN THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION. EDUSPOTS HAS HOWEVER, HELPED ME TO UNDERSTAND THAT EDUCATION AND VOLUNTEERING IS A LIFESTYLE THAT AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY CAN EMBRACE." CEDELLA, PROJECT LEADER, NEW ATUABO (PROJECT SHOWN BELOW) ## A. Early in 2020 we took a strategic decision to slow down the growth of new Spots. After nearly 4 years of growing the network, we felt that it was the right time to move our focus to consolidating and strengthening the impact of the Spots already within our network. However, we were delighted to open two new Spots in 2020 that were already in the planning. The Madam Doris Taylor Community Library Spot in New Atuabo, near Takwa, is open to all local schools in the area. Cedella, the project lead, was able to have a building donated by the local church, engaging community members in supporting refurbishments. She was then successful in being offered a grant through our youth changemaker programme, and is one of eight African Science Academy alumni who have now created libraries in their communities. The second Spot opened in 2020 was the Bono Manso library, housed within a government school. This project is led by Kofi Antwi, a mathematics teacher and a long-term supporter of EduSpots. He received a grant to create the project as part of our teacher changemaker programme. "I BELIEVE THAT EVERY STUDENT NEEDS A GOOD EDUCATION TO NURTURE THEIR DREAMS. HOWEVER, MANY STUDENTS HAVE STRUGGLES IN LITERACY AND ARITHMETIC. I AM EXCITED TO WIN THE GRANT BECAUSE IT WILL HELP MY TEAM AND ME TO IMPROVE THE STANDARD OF EDUCATION IN THE COMMUNITY AND INFLUENCE PARENTS TO BE MORE COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING THEIR WARDS." (KOFI, BONO MANSO PROJECT LEAD) PAGE 02PAGE 11 **EDUSPOTS 2019 ANNUAL REPORT** EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT **EDUSPOTS 2019 ANNUAL REPORT** PAGE 02 ## **AKUMADAN: A CASE STUDY** "WE STARTED WITH JUST THE TWO OF US, AND NOW WE HAVE COME FAR, AND BUILT A STRONG TEAM. WE SHOULD ALL SACRIFICE OUR TIME, BECAUSE THE EFFORTS WE PUT IT NOW ARE SOWING SEEDS FOR THE FUTURE GENERATION." JAMES, VOLUNTEER, AKUMADAN The Akumadan Spot ran a regular programme of activities until the Covid-19 pandemic threatened the smooth running of the centre. Like many initiatives globally which had to be shut down due to the virus, the Akumadan Spot was almost entirely inactive until Catalysts in the community came up with a creative idea to get students learning again. Their idea was to install speakers on the outside of the library so pupils could learn through audio broadcasts. This innovative plan ensured that pupils could still learn in a safe environment even though schools in Ghana were closed. Adu Boahen Carlos, the Project Leader of the Spot and long-term volunteer, together with other Spot volunteers repaired faulty speakers and an amplifier systems owned by their church to broadcast lessons that had been recorded by willing teachers. Adu was delighted that 11 teachers participated in this initiative. The teachers recorded lessons on different subject taught at school, as well as recording homework and tests that pupils would have been taking if they had been in the classroom. Approximately 400 pupils and students benefited from this fantastic initiative at the Akumadan Spot. Adu shares that the political, traditional, and school leaders in the community all expressed their joy in the fact that the Akumadan Spot provided an avenue for pupils to learn when schools were closed for the best part of nine months. The Akumadan Spot is an example of the tenacity exhibited by the Spots in the EduSpots network this past year. In addition to the broadcast activities, the Spot also provided wash stations, masks, and sanitisers, some of which were donated by traditional leaders in the community, enabling users to practice Covid-safe measures when pupils needed to borrow books or use the library once restrictions allowed. EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT PAGE 12 ## **COVID RESPONSE** **“MEMBERS WHO BORROW BOOKS FEEL THAT THEY ARE IN SCHOOL DESPITE THE LOCKDOWN BECAUSE THEY DO NOT LACK ANY READING MATERIALS IN THEIR HOUSES BECAUSE OF THE BOOKS AVAILABLE.” (ADU, PROJECT LADER, AKUMADAN)** The Covid 19 pandemic is probably the worst threat to human wellbeing in our lifetime. As an organization that believes in and capitalizes on the power of human interactions to inspire social and educational change, the necessary measures of social distancing have served us an entropic blow, too. One of the earliest proactive measures we took when the pandemic struck was to share information about the virus through our network, and to advise our communities to close down their learning centers, and halt all club and mentorship activities to prevent the spread. This time of closure offered communities the opportunity to carry-out intensive cleaning and disinfection exercises at their libraries, whilst observing all precautionary protocols. Following this, we worked with communities to set up hand-washing stations at the libraries and were particularly enthralled by the ingenuity of some of our communities who manufactured their own liquid soaps to supplement what we were able to provide. We also supported our Spots to implement safe book loaning systems where Senior and Junior High School students could borrow textbooks relevant to their respective syllabi for reading at home. To guarantee the success of this model, we equipped our Spots with textbooks across subjects in the Senior & Junior High School syllabi, thanks to donations from the Fonthill Foundation, and pupils at Sevenoaks School. Our online-based Covid strategy leveraged on our enthusiastic volunteer capacity and social media networks. This involved developing a series of #Stayhome STEM challenges and literacy lessons for family-based learning. We also initiated weekly EduZOOM sessions on key educational and entrepreneurial topics, attracting a growing number of participants across our network. Last but not least, we introduced further online courses aimed at fostering global citizenship among students across the world, and also equipping students and volunteers with the requisite skills to effectively lead community actions. EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT PAGE 13 ## **EDULIT PROGRAMME** 'THIS PROJECT HAS.... GIVEN THEM AN INTEREST IN READING, AND TAUGHT THEM THAT LEARNING CAN HAPPEN OUTSIDE SCHOOL AND WITHOUT A TEACHER." (NIMATU, PROJECT LEADER, SAVELUGU) **----- Start of picture text -----**
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The EduLit Programme activities cover three main areas - our literacy clubs, the creation of literacy resources and partnership projects. in 2020 we had 6 active literacy clubs running in Kalpohin, Akumadan, Abofour, Tease, Bimbilla and Dulugu communities. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, these clubs could obviously not meet physically, so we adapted to develop the WhatsApp based Literacy Hub. The Hub is a platform for the leaders of all literacy clubs to receive and share information on all things literacy. Stay At Home Challenges were also developed in the peak of the pandemic when schools in Ghana were closed, and we launched our first network-wide creative writing competition and magazine. Around this time we also held a virtual training event to support others interested in setting up their own clubs. When activities were able to resume across the network, five new literacy clubs were formed in other communities including Metsrikasa and Takuve. Beyond the pandemic response we have been continuing our literacy learning support, looking at how to develop student engagement in reading as well as developing early years literacy skills. Our trainees, who are mostly qualified teachers, are able to inject the knowledge and skills they receive into their classroom teaching, as well as the literacy work they are delivering through their Spots. Feedback shows that teachers who have received support through the EduLit programme report increased academic performance, with 97% of trainees believing the programme should be extended to other teachers and schools.. . PAGE 14 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT ## **OUR LITERACY RESOURCES** '“IF WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE PUPILS TO READ THEN WE NEED TO GIVE THEM BOOKS THAT MIRROR THEIR WORLD AND CAPTURE THEIR INTEREST, THIS IS WHAT THE BOOK DOES AND I BELIEVE MORE OF SUCH INITIATIVES NEED SPREADING." (VOLUNTEER, KALPOHIN) **----- Start of picture text -----**
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Since 2019, students at Sevenoaks School, led by Ms Anne Durnford, have been working with the EduSpots staff team and wider volunteers to produce literacy resources that feature concepts and images that are relevant to the Ghanaian context. The group produced a locally relevant set of beautifully designed phonics cards, which were distributed across many communities who were participating in the wider EduLit training, alongside other phonics related equipment. From here, we developed the first storybook in what we hope will be a series of books. ‘Kwame’s Adventures: Tease and the Missing Science Book’ was born from a collaboration between Sevenoaks pupils, the community in Tease, and Fleance Forkuo, a Ghanaian illustrator. With the amazing success of the first book, in 2020 we launched the second book in Kwame's Adventures, as well as producing two phonics books: The Bee is Free, and Kobi and the Lost Coat. Thanks to support from the Fonthill Foundation and students at Sevenoaks School, we have now distributed 4000 of PAGE 14 these books across 42 communities. The reaction from communities has been amazing and they are definitely the most popular resources across our network! _“I love the book because it talks about my community and this is the first time I am reading a storybook that mentions my community’s name.” (_ Student in Tease) PAGE 15 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT ## **EDUSTEM PROGRAMME** “BEFORE WHEN I ENTERED SCIENCE CLASSES I WAS FROWNING, BUT NOW I SMILE BECAUSE I REALISE THE IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE.” (LUCY, STUDENT FROM SANZULE) A key ingredient needed for the improvement of STEM among pupils is the availability of practical learning and experiments. In the past year our activities have been geared towards continuous practical learning. We held a workshop for teachers and volunteers in Bosomadwe that equipped participants with the skills to improvise with science equipment and perform lowcost experiments in their Spots without extensive equipment. We have also run a monthly series of STEM challenges set out to inspire scientific enquiry amongst pupils. The monthly STEM challenges are set in a way that allows EduSTEM clubs to use local tools and equipment to perform scientific investigations. The topics for the challenge are selected from the Ghana Education Service syllabus for the Junior High School, enabling students to relate the STEM challenges to the work they do in the classroom. During the time that schools were closed in Ghana due to the pandemic, the monthly STEM challenges enabled students to still engage in critical thinking and science based enquiry. Building on our STEM programme in 2021 we launched our highly popular STEM Summer Camps. PAGE 16 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT ## **NEW FOR 2020: CLED PROGRAMME** **“I SEE A GROUP OF PEOPLE FULL OF PASSION TO MAKE OTHERS’ LIVES BETTER - EVEN WHEN I'M READY TO SLEEP, I ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THIS AND IT MOTIVATES ME TO DO MORE.” (SEIDU, EJURA PROJECT LEAD)** Our new Community Leadership in Education (CLEd) programme launched in late 2020. Building on our focus to grow the impact of our Spots the programme will develop our Catalysts’ knowledge, skills and mindset to have greater impact in their communities; leading sustainable change through education, based on their community’s aims and aspirations. The programme has seven core components: Project Management, Community Engagement, Education Project Design, Communication for Impact, Literacy Development, Child Protection & Inclusion, and Fundraising & Social Entrepreneurship. With STEM education and advanced literacy as additional . elements, plus the Academy also explores well-being in social change, the power of reflection, and social leadership more widely. We have been building the leadership capacity of our local leaders since 2016. By introducing the CLEd programme we are now doing this in a strategic, focused and measurable way. The first cohort launched in Dec 2020 and has been running throughout 2021 following the successful 5 day CLEd Academy held in April. Our first cohort of 19 Catalysts, all long-term EduSpots volunteers, have already demonstrated impressive leadership potential and commitment in their Spot communities. The 12 month programme involves the following stages: - Application and interview process Introduction to course, group and mentors (online) Community needs assessment 5 Day Residential CLEd Academy Ongoing mentoring from local coaches Grant application process Community visits Documentation of impact Presentations Graduation PAGE 17 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT ## **SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS & ONLINE COURSES** ## **Sevenoaks School** Sevenoaks School continues to be a supportive partner, with their students gaining understanding and skills whilst contributing to EduSpots’ impact in Ghana. The EduLit group led by Ms Anne Durnford, continued to work with Stephen Tettegah and Ghanaian volunteers to develop literacy resources of various forms, also fundraising for local text books and sanitation centres, and leading on the annual book drive. increasing readership of African fiction and non-fiction, also starting a public speaking competition for students across our communities, with pupils creating short talks on topics that matter to them. We are also excited to be developing a new leadership partnership with students and staff at Wellington College for 2021, and we continue to strengthen our relationship with students and alumni from African Science Academy in Tema. ## **Online Courses** The EduSTEM group led by Dr David Roche continued to work with Ali Eliasu to support the creation of #StayAtHome STEM challenges and accompanying videos, which have been shared widely across the UK, Ghana and beyond, during the pandemic. They also led a STEM resource collection of sustainable items that were shipped to Ghana. ## **School Partners** We have welcomed many new schools to our network through the online courses, with 20 schools contributing to the book drive this year. We have been delighted to start projectswith Eton College which focus on During the pandemic, we were asked by schools to develop additional online courses to provide an online replacement for inperson volunteering. Our Global Development course was first written in 2018. Since then, we have introduced courses in social entrepreneurship, leadership and action, and postcolonial perspectives. These 5-week courses involve students engaging in material that focuses on the amplification of African voices, and the application of critical thinking to practical ethical scenarios relating to development practice. Nearly 30 schools across the UK and Ghana have participated, with the programme also providing a small but sustainable source of income for our work. “I HAVE LEARNT TO TAKE THE TIME TO TRY TO CONSIDER ISSUES RELATING TO DEVELOPMENT IN GHANA THROUGH THE LENS OF SOMEONE WHO LIVES THERE. THIS CAN BE HARD – IT’S LIKE LEARNING TO WALK AGAIN.” (UK STUDENT) PAGE 18 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT ## **RESOURCES, FUNDRAISING & RECOGNITION** ## **Book Collection** In 2020, our annual book drive collection was unfortunately interrupted by the UK lockdown. Despite this, with support from more than 20 schools, we were able to collect over 6000 books, alongside other educational resources. These resources were shipped to Ghana and distributed by our Ghanaian Director and Resource Manager, Francis Yeboah, across our Spots. This was alongside over 3000 new books donated by long-term partners, Book Aid International, and local text books funded by the Fonthill Foundation and students at Sevenoaks School. ## **Resource Packs** This event included talks and presentations, alongside games, a quiz, a raffle, an auction, and sales of items made by Ghanaians linked to our network. ## **42 Challenge** We launched our 42 challenge in August 2020, which was a huge success in encouraging people across our network to challenge themselves to do something 42 times! Challenges undertaken included baking 42 cakes, running 42 laps of the athletics track, taking on 42 sea swims. A huge thank you to everyone who joined this challenge, an enabled us to raise over £4300. In addition to this, we are grateful for the additional support from the Fonthill Foundation for funding STEM and literacy kits, and providing the accompanying training for six of our communities, as well as the provision of tech packs including laptop, projector and wifi packs. ## **Annual Dinner** It was wonderful to welcome Stephen Tettegah to the UK, and host an annual dinner in Hotel de Vin in Brighton. ## **Recognition** We were delighted to be shortlisted for the EDUCOM Award for NGO or Business Contribution to Education in Ghana. More recently in 2021, we are all proud of our Founder Cat Davison, who was shortlisted as a finalist for the Global Teacher Prize in partnership with UNESCO, partly for the role she has taken in developing the EduSpots network. We hope that this will lead to further support and opportunities for EduSpots in the future. PAGE 19 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT ## **OUR IMPACT** In late 2020 we initiated a new impact evaluation strategy with support from ImpactEd. Insights from the report will be shared in the 2021 Annual Report. EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT PAGE 20 INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT Independent Examlner's Report to the Trustees of Eduspots I report to the Charlty trustees on my examlnalion of the accounts of the charlty for the year ended 31 December 2020 which are set oul on pages 19 to 20. Re8ponsibllltiès and bas18 of report As the charity s trustees you are responsible for the preparallon of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities A¢1 2011 ('the A¢l'l. I report in respect of my examination of the charity's accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carying out my examination I have followed all th8 applicab18 Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145{51{bl of the Act. Independent examinerfs slatement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me ¢ause to believe that in any material respect: accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act., or the a¢¢ounls do not accord with those records., or I have no concerns and have comeacross no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 3&*• Shruti Soni FCCA FCIE Dat8-. 29 October 2021 Shruti Soni Ltd • Chartered Certified Accountants 117a St. John's Hill, Sevenoaks TN13 3PE EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT PAGE 21 FINANCIAL REPORTS CHARIIY COMM1551014 FOR E￿lAN0AND WALES 1tWJ4 Recelpt8 and payment8 accounts CC16a 0110112020 31112orAo Section A Receipts and payments T•i•l Iw Al Fw¥tr ARI Subtot•l Lwxy. $IF.IA&IWPwvrffj N•t elM¢Wlp•ym•nW . C••h f￿￿1 th1* •nd Soction B Slatomont of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Uw•srrl¢t•d Restrkl•d Endowm•rrt 81 fvrMI• Rei•t•d Pty TrnnMcdo (rth*r lo Nwd*ty{201*. £nll. PAGE 22 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT ## **ADDITIONAL NOTES** . ## **Statement of Public Benefit Entity** ## **Trustees' Responsibilities** The Trustees have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing their aims and objectives and in planning future activities. In particular, the Trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives of the charity. ## **Reserves Policy** The Trustees aim to hold 3 months of direct charitable expenditure as reserves (estimated to be approximately £10,000), which will allow the organisation to run efficiently, and meet the needs of its members and beneficiaries. The unrestricted funds available to the charity as at 31 December 2020 was £6,773 (2019: £9,369). The impact of Covid on our fundraising in 2020 is reflected in the slight reduction in unrestricted reserves. The Trustees expect to improve the reserves level by 31 December 2021. ## **Financial Review** The charity has a net receipt for the year of £7,504 (2018: net receipt of £4,862). The charity's total receipts for the year was £75,894 (2019: £72,581). Its payments for the year stood at £68,390 (2019: £67,719) ## **Going Concern** The trustees are satisfied that the charity will continue to be a going concern for the foreseeable future. Charity law and good practice require trustees to ensure that financial statements are prepared which give a true and fair view of the charity’s affairs and of the receipts and payments of the organisation for that period. In order to achieve this, trustees must comply with their obligation under the Charities Act 2011 with regards to, the keeping of accounting records for the charity, the auditing or independent examination of the statements of account of the Charity, the transmission of the statements of account of the Charity to the Commission and the preparation of Annual Return and its transmission to the commission. It is also the responsibility of the trustees to ensure that the income and the property of the charity must be applied solely towards the promotion of its objects. A charity trustee is entitled to be reimbursed out of the property of the charity or may pay out of such property reasonable expenses properly incurred by him or her when acting on behalf of the charity and may benefit from trustee indemnity insurance cover purchased at the charity's expense in accordance with, and subject to the conditions in section 189 of the Charities Act 2011. Also subject to clause 28, none of the income or property of the charity may be paid or transferred directly or indirectly by way of dividend, bonus or otherwise by way of profit to any charity trustee. THIS REPORT WAS APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES ON 28TH OCTOBER 2021 AND SIGNED ON THEIR BEHALF. MISS CAT DAVISON, CHAIR OF TRUSTEES PAGE 23 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT ## **THANK YOU!** Firstly, thank you to all our volunteers - you are key to our impact, and EduSpots ultimately exists to support your vision for your communities. We also thank the entire core staff team for their diligence and passion during this challenging period. ## **We would also like to thank:** ## **Schools** To all our schools network, but in particular to: Sevenoaks School (especially Ms Anne Durnford, Dr David Roche & Mrs Clare Strange), Eton College, Wellington College, African Science Academy, Marlborough College, Brighton College, Brighton College Pre-Prep and Benenden School. ## **Individuals** ## **2020 Foundations & Partners** The Fonthill Foundation, Book Aid International, Black Spike, The Chalk Cliff Trust, Dext Technology, Doing the Right Thing, The Allen and Nesta Charitable Trust, Sweet Aroma Prints The Denyer family, the Baldock family, Nana Demoah, Felix Corke and Fleance Forkuo ## **Additions to our staff team in 2020-2021** Alongside new volunteers and Yvonne Asamoning, we are delighted to have several additions to our staff team during 2020-2021. Poppy Zuzu Simpson is our new School Partnerships and Fundraising Events Manager. In voluntary roles, Sarah Davis joined as our Finance and Admin Officer and Saorirse Walsh joined as a School Partnerships Officer. We are delighted that two of the original student volunteers, Ed Warren and Oliver Champness, have joined as Communication and Fundraising Support Officers. We have also established a new Advisory Board with members including Nana Demoah, Helen Denyer, Livingstone Delali Agbo and Evans Odei. We also welcomed Ruth Bussey, Amjad Saleem and Gloria Agyemang as Trustees. We are always looking for new volunteers and Trustees, particularly those with experience or interest in fundraising and the Ghanaian context. PAGE 24 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT ## **WAYS TO SUPPORT EDUSPOTS!** ## **1.Make a donation or become a monthly donor!** f you are inspired by our work and its impact, please consider donating towards our projects through our justgiving page: www.justgiving.com/eduspots. Alternatively, our bank details are: EduSpots Account number: 25013060 Sort Code: 30-94-63 ## **4. Volunteer for us!** We are always looking for committed volunteers or potential trustees who can offer time and a particular skill-set. We are looking for a range of skill-sets, but particularly those with a background or interest in fundraising, or those with experience and understanding of education and development in the Ghanaian context. If this might be you, email cdavison@eduspots.org. ## 2. **Support our resource drives!** ## 5. **Nominate us or partner with us!** Please do also get involved with our book and sustainable resource drives. We are specifically looking for more African fiction/ non-fiction and science books. Email cdavison@eduspots.org We are also **seeking support from trust funds, corporates, publishers and donors** . If you know anybody who might like to support our work, please contact us. ## 3. **Share our story!** Finally, share our story amongst your contacts! Pass this annual report on, and follow @eduspots on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and @edu_spots on Instagram. Finally, we are always keen to **partner with organisations with a similar mission** to ours. If you are keen to partner with us, please get in touch Miss Cat Davison at cdavison@eduspots.org. PAGE 25 EDUSPOTS 2020 ANNUAL REPORT WE CONNECT, TRAIN AND EQUIP EDUCATIONAL CATALYSTS TO DRIVE COMMUNITY-LED CHANGE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN BUILDING #OURCOLLECTIVEFUTURE