BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Introducing a partnership between Global Fund for Children, AfriKids and Postcode Lottery to improve children’s learning in Ghana by putting communities at the centre of change.

Combining over 50 years of experience in locally-led solutions, AfriKids and Global Fund for Children are working together to take learning beyond the classroom, putting communities at the heart of children’s education.  

Why this work matters 

More children are in school today than ever before. The challenge now is ensuring they learn. Across Africa, 8 in 10 children complete primary school, yet only 1 in 10 leave with the basic learning skills they need to thrive. 

This learning gap has serious consequences. It increases vulnerability to poverty, child labour, early marriage, and limits future opportunities. 

Ghana is leading the way in West Africa when it comes to time spent in school. Children can expect to spend around 12 years in education. Yet those 12 years currently translate into just 6 years of meaningful learning. Alarmingly, this amount of effective learning per year is lower than in some of the world’s most fragile education contexts, including South Sudan and Afghanistan. 

The challenge is not just getting children into school. It’s how much meaningful learning is happening while they are there. 

Governments are investing and schools are working hard, but not all answers can be found in the classroom. 

Why communities are the key to change 

Children spend nearly 90% of their time outside the classroom. That means families and communities play a critical role in increasing learning outcomes and helping their children reach their full potential.  

Much of global education reform has focused on the supply side: building schools, training teachers, and providing resources. These efforts are essential- but they are only part of the solution. 

The demand side of education has often been overlooked. When families are supported to value education, understand how to reinforce learning at home, and actively engage with schools, children thrive. 

Rather than asking how to build more classrooms, Beyond the Classroom asks a different question: 

How do we build communities that fill those classrooms and support children to succeed? 

What Beyond the Classroom will do 

With support from Players of Postcode Lottery, AfriKids and Global Fund for Children are working together to generate evidence, build momentum, and strengthen community leadership to improve learning outcomes. 

Together, we will: 

• Explore how community mobilisation affects children’s learning  
• Measure the impact of supportive parents and communities on learning outcomes  
• Identify the most effective and scalable investments to improve education  

By sharing research and learnings on the impact supportive families and communities have on children’s learning, we will inform education policy, guide governments and scale a model that ensures every child, no matter where they live, has the chance to learn, thrive and shape a brighter future.

Building a shared learning movement 

As part of this collaboration, we have formed a Ghana Community-Led Development Collaborative, led by our partner Mc2h Foundation. 

This platform brings together: 

• Learnings from AfriKids’ Rise Up pilot  
• Insights from Global Fund for Children’s partners working on community-led approaches  
• Wider evidence from across the education and development sector  

Together, this shared learning space will help strengthen the practice of community-led development and support its scale in real-world education systems. 

The partnership behind the work 

This unique partnership brings together Global Fund for Children’s expertise in resourcing community-based organisations, empowering grassroots leaders, and amplifying their impact across Ghana and beyond.  

It pairs these strengths with AfriKids’ two decades of experience of unlocking the power of communities to transform outcomes in literacy, numeracy, attendance, and inclusion. 

Activities will include:

• equipping caregivers with the knowledge and skills to support learning at home
• fostering stronger partnerships between schools and communities to identify and address barriers to education
• working with community leaders to champion education and drive lasting change.

With support from the Players of Postcode Lottery, this partnership is able to test, learn, and scale approaches that place communities at the centre of education improvement. 

“Ghana has made significant progress in getting children into school. But too many are still leaving without the basic skills they need. The key to change is stronger collaboration between caregivers, schools and local leaders, so communities can actively support every child to learn. Through Beyond the Classroom, we have an opportunity to strengthen that collaboration and build sustainable solutions from the ground up.” David Pwalua, Country Director, AfriKids Ghana

“The greatest breakthroughs in children’s education happen when they are supported by their schools, families and the wider community around them. I’m so proud Global Fund for Children is working with AfriKids and Postcode Lottery to strengthen those connections and help more children access the opportunities they deserve,” – John Hecklinger, Co-CEO at Global Fund for Children. 

From postcodes to possibilities 

Thanks to the Players of Postcode Lottery, more children in Ghana will have the chance to learn, stay in school, and thrive beyond the classroom. 

Together, we are helping turn community power into lasting educational change- so every child, no matter where they are born, has the opportunity to learn, grow, and shape their future.