31/01/2026
Unanticipated insights from a ravaged professional charity manager....
At Village by Village, we have always tried to start by listening. Our approach is simple. We ask communities what they need and how they think we can best support them, rather than arriving with ready-made solutions to problems we think we understand. In theory, this is recognised as good practice in international development.
In reality, it requires trust, patience, and a willingness to accept that you will not always see the full picture at the outset.
When the people you are working with are speaking in a second or third language, and are used to being overlooked or misunderstood, not every benefit is clearly articulated. Sometimes the most important insights are felt rather than explained. You have to trust that local communities understand their own challenges in ways that outsiders, however experienced, never fully can.
The Gift of Hope teachers’ accommodation project in Gboloo Kofi was one of those moments where that trust was repaid many times over. We knew providing housing would help. It was obvious that teachers living on site would improve attendance and stability at the school.
What none of us fully anticipated was the scale and speed of the change that followed. When the survey results came back from the teachers themselves, I was genuinely taken aback. The impact was immediate. Overnight, not just the school but the wider community felt different. Teachers were more motivated, more present, and more settled. Children had consistent learning days. Parents noticed the difference. The village noticed the difference.
Measuring impact in projects like this is never straightforward. There are always external factors at play, and numbers rarely capture the full story. Even so, the results presented in a recently commission report are striking. And my strong suspicion is that, in the years to come, the true impact of this intervention will be felt and spoken about anecdotally in ways that go far beyond even these impressive figures.
This is the first teacher accommodation project we have built and in all honesty, this has been one of the most unexpected and rewarding successes Village by Village has ever been part of.
It is a powerful reminder that when we listen carefully, trust local knowledge, and act on what communities tell us they need, the outcomes can be far greater than anything we initially imagine.
