May 2026 Quarterly Newsletter

Welcome to our May 2026 newsletter. This quarter has been one of our most active yet, and we have a lot to share.

Highlights This Quarter

Community Hub — Six Months In

Our Mushin Community Learning Hub turned six months old in April and is already exceeding all targets. The reading room welcomed over 1,400 visitors in the first quarter of 2026. The computer suite is fully booked most afternoons. And the adult literacy classes — launched in February — are oversubscribed, with a waiting list of 40 parents.

We're exploring options to expand the space. Watch for an announcement later this year.

Teacher Training: Cohort Two Begins

After a successful first cohort, we welcomed 35 teachers into Cohort Two of the Ascend Teacher Development Programme in March. This cohort includes educators from two new partner schools outside Lagos for the first time, as we begin to test the model's scalability.

Summer School 2026 Registration Now Open

Registration for Summer School 2026 opened on 1 May. We have 250 places available this year — an increase from last year — and we expect them to fill quickly. If you know a child aged 6–15 in an underserved community in Lagos who would benefit, please share the details.

All places are free of charge.

Street Boys Initiative Expansion

We launched in two new communities in April: Ajegunle and Bariga. The first orientation sessions brought together 28 young men in Ajegunle and 19 in Bariga. Vocational training in carpentry and tailoring begins in June.

Financials at a Glance

We believe in full transparency. This quarter:

• Total income: £48,200 (donations, grants, and fundraising events)
• Programme expenditure: £39,700 (84% of spending directly on programmes)
• Administrative costs: £7,500 (16%)

Our running target is to keep administrative costs below 20% of total expenditure. We're comfortably within that.

Thank You

To everyone who donated, volunteered, attended an event, or simply shared our posts on social media this quarter — thank you. This work is yours as much as it is ours.

With gratitude,

The Ascend Education Foundation Team