2023-12-31-accounts - Orbis Charitable Trust

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A visionary story of creating access to eye care ORBIS CHARITABLE TRUST ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2023

Chair and CEO welcome	4
Who we are and what we do	6
Our year in numbers	8
Comprehensive eye care	10
Childhood blindness	14
Specialist training	16
Trust, transparency and accountability	18
How we did in 2023	20
Looking ahead to 2024	22
Thank you	24
Board of trustees	25
Financial statements	31
Trustees and officers	61

Front Cover image: In May 2023, six-year-old Hizkiel received the 100 millionth dose of antibiotics administered by Orbis to combat trachoma in Ethiopia.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Kamrunnahar and Eti take a moment to test out their glasses after receiving them at Shahrasti Vision Centre, in Chandpur, Bangladesh. Orbis are pioneering a program of vision centres that are led by women, powered by green energy and financially sustainable. Since their establishment, the vision centres have already seen significantly more women and girls access treatment compared to standard services.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Chair and CEO welcome

The warmest of welcomes to the 2023 Orbis UK annual report

Dear supporters,

2023 was a landmark year across our Orbis UK funded projects. As the challenges of the pandemic continued to recede, we were able to achieve significant growth across a whole host of areas and celebrate some truly historic achievements.

We’re delighted to report that once again we exceeded our targets for treatments, screenings and surgeries, and saw our income significantly grow. These successes are delivered by the joint efforts of the Orbis team and our in-country partners. But above all else, it’s thanks to the ambition and commitment of our supporters, who make all of our sight-saving work possible.

One of the highlights of the year was the administration of Orbis’s 100 millionth dose of antibiotics to combat trachoma in Ethiopia. Six-year-old Hizkiel was the recipient of the milestone dose at a special ceremony in the Gacho Baba District, in southern Ethiopia, where Orbis UK has steadfastly supported antibiotic distribution to work towards the World Health Organization’s (WHO) target of eliminating trachoma by 2030. It was brilliant to celebrate this achievement alongside the confirmation that Gedeo, an area with a population of 1 million, has now successfully eliminated trachoma. There’s more on these momentous achievements on page 10.

We were also delighted to host Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Edinburgh at an historic Orbis organised trachoma elimination conference in Ethiopia. Her Royal Highness visited a number of Orbis projects and renewed the call to eliminate trachoma globally by 2030.

In Bangladesh, our women-led green vision centres continued to increase the number of women and girls, and patients overall, who are accessing eye care. Analysis of patient figures show that more women and girls are seeking treatment compared to typical services, and the green power and financial sustainability of these centres is seeing them go from strength to strength. Our partners and funders are continuing to help scale-up the centres: you can read more on page 12.

Elsewhere, in Mongolia we screened 41,628 babies for retinopathy of prematurity, exceeding our targets by 156%, as our partnership with the Mongolian Health Ministry continues to save the sight of premature babies. In India, our school eye screening program reached thousands of children, while projects in Ghana and Zambia helped provide screenings and train community eye health workers. Read more about these on pages 13-16.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Firstly, we were delighted to support the Flying Eye Hospital's return to the skies for its first patient facing missions since the pandemic. In Vietnam during May, and then in Zambia in November, large numbers of local eye care workers received training and guidance from world-leading eye care experts who gave up their time as volunteers. This included a number of British health workers from the NHS, who shared their skills to help embed outstanding eye care locally. In addition, over a hundred patients received sight-saving treatment during the two visits. See more on page 17.

We are working hard to further build on our successes in 2023 by raising more funds, supporting more projects and delivering more access to eye-care for communities who would otherwise face needless vision loss. By working together, we can bring closer the ambition we share with our partners and supporters, of a world without avoidable vision loss.

Finally, we continued to keep pace with emerging technologies to reach more people and deliver better patient outcomes. In 2023, Orbis’s online telemedicine and training platform Cybersight celebrated its 20th anniversary by surpassing 90,000 global eye care users across the world. Artificial intelligence eye screening software has now been integrated with Cybersight, allowing eye care professionals in low- and middle-income countries to more quickly identify and treat eye conditions. In addition, our ongoing use of virtual reality for simulation training of eye surgery, with our partner Fundamental VR, was highlighted by Meta in an international advertising campaign. This brought our work to audiences across UK TV channels, transport networks and digital platforms and helped us raise further awareness of our vital work.

With best wishes,

Rebecca Cronin (Chief Executive)

Nick Fox (Chair)

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Who we are

and what we do

Orbis and our supporters aim to create a world in which no one experiences avoidable vision loss, simply because of where they live.

Over 1.1 billion people live with sight loss globally, so ending avoidable blindness for all is a global challenge. 90% of vision loss is preventable or treatable - that’s why we work with supporters and partners to deliver a sustainable and scalable approach to:

TREAT people with vision loss, to save sight today.
TRAIN eye care professionals, to save sight tomorrow.
Employ TECHNOLOGY to create a future without avoidable vision loss.

Our vision

A world where everyone can access the eye care they need to thrive.

Our mission

To build strong and sustainable eye care systems globally that put treatment and prevention within reach for all.

Why we do it

1.1 billion people in the world live with some form of visual impairment. Of these:
450 million are children and adolescents
90% live in low- and middle-income countries
55% are women and girls, and 2 out of 3 children who are blind are girls.

How we fight avoidable blindness

We provide specialist training and equipment for doctors, nurses and local eye care teams. We carry out screening and treatment programmes, and support the distribution of antibiotics for controlling trachoma.

We raise awareness among communities about the importance of eye health.
We partner with local hospitals, non-government organisations (NGOs) and governments so they can strengthen and improve eye health services.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Our global reach – Orbis International

Orbis UK is an affiliate of Orbis International (OI), which is headquartered in the USA. Orbis UK funds projects delivered by Orbis International country programme teams, and supports the development and implementation of selected projects within these countries.

The vast majority of people who are blind and visually impaired live in low- and middle-income countries. Older people, women and those living in rural and disadvantaged communities are particularly affected.

We focus on where the need is greatest: in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

‐ Eliminating avoidable blindness is one of the most cost effective ways of fighting poverty. Research shows that every $1 invested in tackling leading causes of blindness, such as cataract and refractive error, delivers a $36 return of benefits including education and employment outcomes. [1]

2 IN-PERSON FLYING EYE HOSPITAL PROJECTS

1 VIRTUAL 14 OFFICES FLYING EYE HOSPITAL PROJECT

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10680113/?report=classic

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Our year in numbers

Orbis UK’s impact

Our partners and supporters helped us to save the sight of people in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Mongolia and Zambia across 12 projects in 2023.

Key successes we delivered in partnership included:

enabling 572,741 eye screenings, exceeding our target by 40%
enabling 33,560 treatments, exceeding our target by nearly 15%
delivering 3,965,369 antibiotic doses, which was 10% more than our yearly target
delivering 11,782 training sessions for health workers, which was 97% of our target.

Orbis UK’s income

Total income: £6,479k

2023 saw our total gross income increase year‐on‐year by 5% (£292k).

This enabled us to invest more in our ‐ sight saving programmes across the world.

2023 saw a significant increase in legacy donations, due to the compassion and kindness of supporters who included a gift to Orbis in their Will.

Our income from organisations and major donors was down from the previous year, due mainly to delays in funding being received from existing donors, which is forecast to remit next financial year.

The impact of the cost-of-living impact continued to be a factor in 2023, with fewer people overall donating to Orbis compared to 2022. However, the additional generosity of existing donors and our careful monitoring of fundraising costs resulted in a 13% / £109k year-onyear net income increase from individual donors.

As percentages of total income:

Legacies 40% Major donors, trusts and corporate partners 20% Individual donors 21% Statutory donors 19%

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

After receiving sight-saving treatment, Rhoda, steps off the Flying Eye Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. During the visit, 115 patients were screened, more than 50 sight-saving surgeries were performed, and more than 80 eye care professionals in-person were trained, with a further 40 trained online.

Comprehensive eye care

Working with partners to provide eye care everywhere, for everyone

We work in partnership across the health system, from community-based clinics to specialist hospitals, and at all stages of a patient’s journey, to deliver comprehensive eye care to people everywhere.

In 2023, we worked with our partners to deliver 572,741 eye screenings, 33,560 treatments and provide 3,956,369 doses of antibiotics in Ethiopia to people at risk from blinding trachoma.

Ethiopia

2023 was a year of landmarks in our work on eliminating trachoma. Multiple infections from trachoma cause eyelashes to turn inward, where they scrape across the eye’s surface with each blink, causing enormous pain and permanent blindness without treatment. With over half of the world's at-risk population living in Ethiopia, our work is vital to the global goal of trachoma elimination by 2030.

Initially, we faced a major challenge with mass drug administrations, due to an insignificant supply of the antibiotic azithromycin available. We had also faced this challenge in 2022. However, we were able to unlock access to the doses needed and distributed 3.9 million doses, surpassing a target of 3.6 million.

We were also delighted to celebrate two major milestones for Orbis in Ethiopia in 2023. Firstly the administration of the 100 millionth dose of antibiotics by Orbis to help fight trachoma in Ethiopia. The milestone came 20 years after the first dose was given by Orbis in Ethiopia, showing the long-term success of our projects in the country.

The announcement of elimination of trachoma in Gedeo, an area South West of the capital Addis Ababa, also showed the scale of our impact. Over 1 million people now no longer have need for mass-drug administrations and health care teams can reprioritise their efforts to other vital work.

Six-year-old Hizkiel was the recipient of the 100 millionth dose of antibiotics given by Orbis to fight trachoma. To mark the occasion, local children performed a play and community leaders blessed the giving of the historic dose.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

"Now is the time that we must all redouble our efforts if we are to achieve our aim of eliminating trachoma by the year 2030, which is a mere six years away.”

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh renewed the call to eliminate trachoma whilst speaking at a trachoma elimination conference in Ethiopia, organised by Orbis.

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh visited Ethiopia during World Sight Day 2023 celebrations, to join an Orbis-organised conference on trachoma elimination.

The event, which was jointly organised by Orbis, Ethiopia Federal Ministry of Health and the British Embassy Addis Ababa, brought together over 40 organisations and more than 100 participants including the Ethiopian Minister of Health to discuss challenges, successes and future plans to eliminate trachoma. Her Royal Highness’s attendance, her visits to Orbis projects to see trachoma elimination work in action, and her meeting with the Ethiopian Prime Minister and Ethiopian President during the trip helped raise further awareness of the vital urgency of this work.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Bangladesh

Our women-led green vision centres continued to grow their impact in 2023. The centres empower local women by training them as managers and positioning them as role models, which encourages other women to seek care. Women‐led centres also remove cultural or religious barriers that might prevent women from seeking care from centres run by men. 56% of patients screened were women and girls, demonstrating the success of the approach to increase eye care for women. Numbers for screenings delivered, people receiving medicines and distributions of glasses were all above target in 2023.

We were also excited to launch a new project in Bangladesh, which aims to tackle vision impairment among tea pickers working in 12 tea estates in Sylhet, northeast Bangladesh. The initial phase trained 10 community health workers who then screened 6,622 tea workers and their families through door-to-door screening, exceeding the initial target by 32%. Those found to have an eye condition were referred for evaluation, completed at the tea estate health centres, using equipment procured by the project.

We continued to work with partners to provide essential eye care services for Rohingya people living in the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, and the host community. During 2023, the project completed 73,248 screenings against a target of 72,500. In addition, we worked with our local partners to conduct a total of 1,241 cataract surgeries.

Pobi, a tea picker in Sylhet, Bangladesh, received a pair of glasses as a result of the new Orbis project.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Tasmia and Mahfuza’s story

Not long after Mahfuza hit her head whilst playing, her mother Hawa noticed her daughter falling behind at school: “She was nervous because she couldn’t see the writing on the board clearly. She couldn’t answer questions, so everyone would laugh at her.”

Mahfuza’s family live in Haimchar, Bangladesh, where Orbis established a local vision centre that provided training to Tasmia, an ophthalmic technician, to lead the centre. When Mahfuza’s family visited, Tasmia diagnosed traumatic cataracts and arranged for the young girl to have surgery.

Soon after the bandages came off, Mahfuza was back playing and enjoying school. For Hawa, the relief was overwhelming: “Without these services my daughter would not have been able to see, study or live without help. I cannot express how happy I feel”.

For Tasmia, it was a reminder of why her work leading the vision centre is so important.

“After their children go through the surgery, the parents are often brought to tears. Seeing them becoming so emotional and happy makes all the hard work I put in feel like it was the best thing I have ever done. The thought of being able to help another person see this beautiful world makes me extremely motivated to keep on helping people.”

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Childhood blindness

Giving children the eye care they need to realise their potential

If a child’s eye condition is not identified early enough, it can lead to irreversible blindness that robs them of their education and can cause a lifetime of economic hardship.

We work with partners around the world to provide specialist paediatric ophthalmology skills and treatments. Together, we can screen and treat children, and provide the straightforward solutions that we all too often take for granted in the UK, such as cataract surgery, medicine and glasses.

And a Hospital Based Training was conducted within three neonatal departments to further knowledge.

Work to improve access to specialised paediatric eye care launched with a new curriculum for eye care and health workers, developed in consultation with the Mongolian National Centre for Maternal and Child Health. A ROP training schedule was completed, and the first phase of training for ophthalmologists and neonatologists will take place in early 2024.

Mongolia

We made excellent progress in 2023 on work to include eye examinations into newborn and paediatric care, to stop blindness from retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and other eye conditions in Mongolia. ROP is a condition of abnormal development of the retina that affects premature babies. If left untreated, it can cause permanent blindness, so screening is absolutely crucial to identify those at risk of the condition.

Over the year, 41,628 babies and children were screened, exceeding the target by 156%. In addition, 94 babies were treated for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), exceeding the target by 38%. 28 neonatologists were trained on screening newborns using Red Reflex testing to detect ROP.

India

In Odisha, eastern India, we launched a comprehensive child eye care project in partnership with Trilochan Netralaya, a local eye care clinic.

Over 8,500 screenings were completed across three green vision centres, at schools and through door-to-door screening and outreach camps, helping to ensure that more patients could be reached across a range of locations. 1,312 patients were referred for follow-up appointments.

A high proportion of patients attended these appointments, which enables better treatment outcomes and shows the project’s dedicated follow-up strategy is proving effective.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Glasses prescriptions for refractive error were particularly high at 710 (12% of those screened versus a national rate of 3-4%), continuing to demonstrate the significant need for eye care services in the project area.

Surgeries also significantly exceeded target, with growing numbers coming forward for screening and being referred for surgery across the course of the year.

Tamana, who received a pair of glasses thanks to a school screening programme by Orbis in India.

This shows a growing awareness amongst the population of the availability of services, and the effective removal of barriers such as cost or fears over treatment.

The project team concluded the year by working on expanding access to eye care, with the addition of two more green vision centres.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Specialist training

Sharing expert knowledge with eye care professionals around the world

To achieve our vision of eye care everywhere, we work with partners such as local hospitals, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and governments to share skills, knowledge and expertise with local eye care teams. By mentoring and training eye care workers, we pass on the tools they need to save the sight of people in their communities.

In 2023, we delivered 11,782 training sessions for health workers, 97% of our target for the year. Training is integrated across many of our projects, allowing us to ensure that sight-saving work can be delivered locally, long into the future.

Zambia

In 2022, Orbis trained 63 volunteer Community Health Workers (CHWs) in Zambia, with a specially created curriculum delivered via non-smart phones to align with locally used technology.

In 2023, the health workers screened 19,005 people versus a target of 11,340 and referred 6,707 people for assessment by an eye care worker (target 1,134). 11,898 people visited eye care facilities (target 6,570).

The CHWs work closely with staff from eye clinics, enabling patients to receive a ‐ better, more joined up experience. Finally, because more people are being treated locally, capacity has been freed-up at the province’s main eye hospital, allowing staff to focus on the more serious cases.

Vietnam

20 district health staff in Hoa Binh and Lai Chau were trained in refractive error, a key cause of vision loss in Vietnam.

Across three districts of Lai Chau, nearly 1,440 people received free eye check-ups and 168 people received free cataract surgery.

As part of work in the region, 184 teachers were trained on primary eye care. This helped them to identify eye conditions within the classroom, where eye conditions can often be identified early if children are noticed struggling reading books or the blackboard.

In addition, 32,517 children were screened and 1,289 spectacles provided to children free of cost.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

The Flying Eye Hospital

In 2023, Orbis UK supported the Flying Eye Hospital to visit Vietnam and Zambia. The converted cargo-plane, donated to Orbis by FedEx, carries a state-of-the-art ophthalmic teaching hospital and allows volunteer eye care experts to share their skills around the world.

Both visits in 2023 involved a programme of treatments and training for local eye care workers, delivered in partnership with local teaching hospitals. Vietnam was the first patient-facing mission for the Flying Eye Hospital since the Covid pandemic, with over 50 patients receiving treatment and 52 eye care workers trained.

In Zambia, a strabismus-focused programme saw over 50 more patients receive sight saving treatment with over 80 eye care workers benefitting from the training in-person and online.

Whilst the benefit to patients treated during the Flying Eye Hospital visits are significant, the training will help local eye care teams save sight and deliver outstanding eye care in their communities for generations to come.

Seven-year-old Zipporah and her older brother Gabriel received treatment for strabismus as part of the Flying Eye Hospital visit to Zambia.

Nadine Grant-Mckenzie, NHS nurse at Moorfields Eye Hospital, was part of the Orbis volunteer team who helped deliver treatments and train Zambian eye care teams whilst in Lusaka.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Trust, transparency and accountability

Fundraising statement

As we sought to build back-up in-person programmes last year after the pandemic, our supporters continued to show their staunch commitment to Orbis UK and the fight against avoidable blindness. Orbis UK is registered with the Fundraising Regulator, and we continue to adhere to the standards set out in the Code of Fundraising Practice: fundraisingregulator.org.uk/code

We act with the greatest care, transparency and accountability in all our fundraising practices. We ensure the right policies and controls are in place so that we raise money in the most considerate and responsible way. We recognise our responsibility to act appropriately and compassionately when engaging with people in vulnerable or potentially vulnerable situations. All staff and volunteers involved with fundraising are trained and aware of our policies. The Safeguarding policy outlines our general approach with people in vulnerable situations.

The Ethical Funding policy, and the ‘Fundraising and Vulnerable Persons’ section in the staff handbook detail the specific processes fundraisers implement and follow. Staff and volunteers are trained as part of their inductions, and refresher training is carried out periodically.

We operate a diverse range of income streams that raise money from individuals, organisations, statutory funders, and ‐ legacies. We use third party suppliers to help us raise funds, especially when we do not have the relevant expertise in‐house. We ensure that the correct safeguards are in place with our suppliers and those who fundraise on our behalf. We require them to confirm and demonstrate that they comply with the Code of Fundraising Practice. We received two complaints in 2023, which was three less than in 2022. We responded to both promptly and have taken appropriate action to learn from the causes of these complaints to improve our practice.

The Orbis Supporter Promise

We value supporters’ contributions enormously, but above all, we value their trust and we make this promise:

We spend their money effectively We contact them only in ways which have been agreed
We listen when they change their mind
We respect the privacy of their data.
To find out more about our Supporter Promise and our policies on privacy and dealing with vulnerable supporters, please visit: gbr.orbis.org/en/ourpromise-1

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Safeguarding

Orbis UK is committed to protecting people from harm and providing safe and effective care for everyone we encounter. We ensure that we have appropriate safeguarding policies and that staff, volunteers and contractors follow a strict code of conduct. These policies align with the Charity Commission’s safeguarding guidance, the Charity Governance Code’s ‘Integrity Principle’, and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s Enhanced Safeguarding Standards.

In 2023, we continued working with country programme partners to maintain safeguarding policies and processes for our programmes. In particular, we continued to work with Orbis International on the development of a safeguarding reporting system for the Orbis programme in Ethiopia and began planning with Orbis India on a new reporting system for their programme. This work will be progressed in 2024.

Orbis UK staff participated in an annual update on safeguarding. No safeguarding incidents were reported in 2023.

In 2024 we will continue to monitor, review and develop our policies and processes, particularly those in our country programmes.

Transparency and governance

Last revised in 2020, the Charity Governance Code sets out good governance across seven principles: organisational purpose, leadership, ‐ integrity, decision making, board effectiveness, equality, diversity and inclusion, and openness and accountability.

The Orbis UK board remains committed to complying with the code and to a periodic review of its effectiveness against the principles set out in the code.

The Safeguarding Management Group, led by the Designated Safeguarding Trustee, met four times in 2023 and reported to programme committee and board meetings. When we recruited staff in 2023, reference requests included the questions recommended by the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, which is designed to stop perpetrators of sexual misconduct moving between organisations undetected.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

How we did

in 2023

Goal 1: We will sustainably deliver our vision and mission

Our £4.3 million programme expenditure in 2023 was directed through Orbis International to support 12 new and existing projects. All projects were designed to have significant impacts on the communities they reached.

We continued our focus on helping to eliminate trachoma in southern Ethiopia, supporting eye care in the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar and developing our pioneering women led green vision centres in Bangladesh.

We funded three new projects in 2023 focusing on providing eye care for tea pickers in northeastern Bangladesh, delivering child eye care in Copperbelt, Zambia, and integrating technology in retinopathy of prematurity screening to improve eye care outcomes for premature babies in Mongolia. Our projects supported partners to:

Distribute 3,965,369 antibiotic doses for trachoma control and elimination Conduct 572,741 patient screenings Deliver 33,560 eye treatments Provide 11,782 training sessions for eye health workers.

A dedicated team worked with Orbis International and its country teams to optimise the performance of the projects, the value of the grants, and compliance with donor requirements. The team also identified opportunities to secure significant extra funding for additional priority projects.

Goal 2: We will reach and engage the audiences most likely to support us

In 2023, we put audiences at the heart of our fundraising and communications. Using data and insights, we identified the types of individuals who would be interested in supporting our work. This resulted in a number of campaigns, including our first Ramadan appeal, focusing on our work in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. In addition, we activated digital campaigns for Diwali and Easter, as well as launching an integrated campaign around World Sight Day and Christmas, calling on the public to help ‘Make Trachoma History’.

As we continued to prioritise digital engagement for its greater efficiency, we reached 10,461k on social media and gained over 1.4k followers, surpassing our target of 1k. Our overall engagement rate was 3.7%, significantly above industry benchmarks. Our website had over 105k visits from a wide range of audiences (a growth of 9k from 2022), including those accessing our expertise on eye conditions.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Goal 3: We will develop and strengthen our governance and organisational management

We continued to maintain organisational compliance with the relevant legislation and codes, and supported the board to develop its diversity and capabilities. The Finance team optimised our processes within the new finance system, making them as efficient as possible. They also provided accurate and timely reporting, and reviewed internal controls to minimise financial risks and monitored our financial position to ensure we managed resources efficiently in a challenging financial environment.

The Business Support Team worked to provide the UK staff team with HR, IT and travel services, and effective office administration.

Goal 4: We will develop a culture that promotes staff wellbeing and encourages staff development

Since the post pandemic return to more normal working practices, Orbis UK staff are now able to benefit from a permanent change to hybrid working, enabling them to work from home three days a week to aid in managing a healthy work-life balance. 2023 also saw Orbis UK relocate to our new offices in Craven Street, which allowed staff to work from a central location, easily accessed from across the South East. This also gave us an opportunity to collaborate with our new landlord, The College of Optometrists, a natural partner of Orbis. Together, we aim to offer better facilities for hybrid working and improved local amenities for our committed staff.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Looking ahead to 2024

Goal 1: We will sustainably deliver our vision and mission

Goal 2: We will reach and engage audiences most likely to support us

Our programme expenditure in 2024 will be directed through Orbis International to support 11 new and existing projects. All of the projects are designed to significantly reduce eye health problems in the communities they reach.

We will continue our focus on helping to eliminate trachoma in southern Ethiopia, supporting eye care in the Rohingya camps of Cox’s Bazar and improving rural eye care services in Bangladesh and Zambia. We will also continue focusing on screening newborn babies for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and supporting government eye care workers in Ghana and Mongolia.

We will also fund a new project strengthening paediatric eye care services in Orissa, India.

A dedicated team will work with Orbis International and its country teams to optimise the performance of the projects, the value of the grants, and compliance with donor requirements.

Building on the foundations of our 2023 audience-led approach, we will significantly increase the number and value of new individual donors to Orbis UK. We will take a data-led and multi-channel approach to diversify opportunities and reach audiences most likely to support us.

We will also increase the number and value of organisations and high-value donors who support Orbis, with a focus on securing multi-year funding to enable sustainable investment in our programmes.

To increase our unrestricted funding and help establish a long-term source of income for Orbis UK, we will invest further in our Public Giving fundraising programme. A core aim of this investment will be to increase the number of new regular giving supporters of Orbis UK. A multi-channel marketing strategy will be employed to identify the most efficient fundraising opportunities, and a set of controls will be established to ensure the spend delivers an effective fundraising return.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Goal 3: We will develop and strengthen our governance and organisational management

Working closely with the board, we will continue to maintain a high standard of corporate governance ensuring adherence with relevant codes and legislation, with the assistance of a new platform to support efficiency in these areas. We will continue to draft excellent proposals that showcase the impact of our work and we will work to improve reporting for donors in conjunction with our global colleagues, though effective use of the new grants management database. The Finance team will continue to review and renew internal controls to minimise financial risks and strengthen compliance oversight. The Business Support team will continue to provide effective HR, IT, travel and administrative support.

Goal 4: We will develop a culture that promotes staff wellbeing and encourages staff development

The Orbis Values will be refreshed to help underpin the positive experience of working at Orbis UK. We will undertake a staff survey to gather practical ideas of how we improve our wellbeing as a team and as individuals. As part of this we plan to develop a new performance review and development process with regular checkins to support professional resilience, ensure performance, and link to individual learning and development plans.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Thank you

Our sight-saving work wouldn’t be possible without our remarkable supporters, partners and volunteers

Generous individuals, charitable trusts and foundations

A Nelson and Co Limited Aumund Foundation Bliss Family Charity Eddie Dinshaw Foundation The Edenbeg Charitable Trust Fondation Pro Victimis Gary Lee-Richards Greendale Charitable Foundation Mr and Mrs (Dr) Mehta Qatar Charity The Ruia family, Manchester UK The Zochonis Charitable Trust

Statutory and institutional funders

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Qatar Fund for Development Sightsavers States of Guernsey Overseas Aid & Development Commission

Corporate partners

Clyde & Co Espresso Solutions Ltd Heidelberg Engineering Hoya Vision UK Qatar Airways United Kingdom Air Cargo Club

Co-opted sub-committee

Special thanks

British Embassy Addis Ababa British Embassy Doha Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh

UK and Europe medical volunteers

Ann-Marie Ablett Dr Lawrence Azavedo Mr Larry Benjamin Dr Ian Fleming Nadine Grant-McKenzie Dr Michelle Le Cheminant Dr Jonathan Lord Dr Nurhayati Lubis Dr Ghalib Mukadam

Office volunteers

Polly Holt

UK ambassadors

Ann-Marie Ablett Polly Braden Tim Bucher Tom Davies Ian Fleming Mary Killen Brian Little Air Commodore Rick Peacock-Edwards CBE AFC FRAeS FCIM RAF (Ret’d) Sunil Ruia

members

Chris Bentley Donal Brosnahan Tony Cowles

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Board of trustees

Nick Fox, Chair, UK

Nick Fox has over thirty years of national and international experience in creative communications, based out of London, Los Angeles and Tokyo. Nick sat on the worldwide board for DDB, an Omnicom agency network based in New York. His experience encompasses all sectors from fast‐moving consumer goods, finance, publishing, charity and the automotive industry. Nick has managed teams, budgets and international agency networks to increase consumer demand to drive brand value for some of the world’s biggest brands. In 2013, Nick started his own independent agency with four partners, Atomic London, of which he is now chair.

Trustees

Sir Dominic Asquith,

Nominations Committee Chair, UK

After a number of years as a political analyst, teacher, journalist and traveller in the Middle East, Sir Dominic joined the British diplomatic service in 1983. He served in the Americas, South Asia and returned frequently to the Middle East. He was Ambassador successively in Iraq, Egypt and Libya between 2006 and 2012.

After retiring in 2013, he was recalled to government service as High Commissioner in India from 2016 to 2020.

Nick joined the board of Orbis UK in January 2020 and was appointed Chair in March 2022.

He is currently a Partner in Macro Advisory Partners, which provides ‐ independent, long term strategic counsel to decision‐makers in business and government.

Sir Dominic joined the Orbis UK board in October 2020.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Larry Benjamin FRCS (Ed), FRCOphth, FRCOphth (Hon), DO

Larry Benjamin was a consultant ophthalmologist at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Buckinghamshire for 30 years (recently retired) and has been an Orbis medical volunteer since 2004. With special interests in cataract and diabetic retinopathy management, he has also served on the ophthalmic committee of the Royal Society of Medicine, published a number of scientific papers and two books. He was, until December 2018, chair of the microsurgical skills committee at the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and is a past president of the United Kingdom and Ireland Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons. He is ‐ the immediate past president of the ophthalmic section of the Royal Society of ‐ Medicine (2020 2022).

Siân Block MBE, Designated Trustee for Safeguarding, UK (until March 2023)

Siân trained as a nurse and has over 30 years’ experience in many areas of healthcare, both nationally and internationally. These include the independent sector, the NHS, the Department of Health and Social Care, voluntary sector organisations, charities and Resuscitation Councils (UK and European).

Siân joined the Orbis UK board in June 2020 and is also a member of the board of Orbis International.

In March 2016, Larry received the Care Service Provider trophy at the Charity Staff and Volunteer Awards for his work improving access to eye care services across the globe. He was recently made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists for his contribution to UK Ophthalmology.

Larry joined the Orbis UK board in November 2008, and retired in July 2023.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Sheraz Daya MD FACP FACS FRCS(Ed) FRCOphth

Sheraz Daya is an ophthalmic surgeon in practice for more than 30 years. Brought up in Tanzania, he has in the pursuit of education spent time in several countries. He trained in the United States initially under the tutelage of David Paton, the founder of Orbis. He was in practice in New York City, and later was recruited to direct and modernise the Corneoplastic Unit and Eye Bank, Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, UK.

Yvette Dunne MA FCA, Audit Committee Chair, UK

Yvette Dunne trained and qualified as a chartered accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

After 15 years in financial management roles in the banking and recruitment industries, Yvette spent ten years as a CFO in the not‐for‐profit sector.

Yvette joined the Orbis UK board in December 2017.

Sheraz practices at Centre for Sight an organisation he founded which has three branches. Interested in medical innovation and artificial intelligence, he co-founded a start-up company Infinite Medical Ventures in 2020.

He serves on a number of industry and society advisory boards and is the next president of AECOS-Europe (American European Congress of Ophthalmic Surgery).

Sheraz joined the Orbis UK board in July 2023.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

John Ferris, MB, ChB, FRCOphth, Programme Committee Chair, UK

John has been a consultant ophthalmologist at Cheltenham General Hospital since 1999. He has a special interest in cataract surgery, squint surgery and paediatric ophthalmology. John has an international reputation in the fields of simulation and surgical training. He was the Head of the School of Ophthalmology in the Severn Deanery for 10 years and succeeded Larry Benjamin as the Royal College of Ophthalmologists surgical skills faculty lead in 2019, a post he held until 2023.

Fiona Hobbs

Fiona trained and qualified as a solicitor with Linklaters and has over 30 years’ experience (25 years as a partner) of developing major infrastructure and energy projects both in the UK and in emerging markets. She has held a number of senior management and governance roles within the firm and has spent six years as its global head of diversity and inclusion. She is a lay member of the Lord Chancellor‘s advisory committee.

Fiona joined the Orbis UK board in December 2021.

Nicola Floyd

Nicola worked in investment banking in London, Hong Kong, Bangkok and New York for more than 10 years. She worked as a consultant to Operation Fistula for two years. She is currently CEO of Water Harvest and also sits on the board of the Edenbeg Charitable Trust. She has a degree in economic history from Edinburgh University, is a CFA charterholder, and holds other financial and regulatory qualifications.

Nicola joined the Orbis UK board in September 2017.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Mona Khan, MD, Designated Trustee for Safeguarding, UK (from March 2023)

Mona Khan, MD has over 25 years of clinical and surgical experience as an ophthalmologist. Her private practice was located in downtown Chicago and she was on the staff of Mercy Hospital for over 20 years. At Mercy, she was the principal comprehensive ophthalmologist at the Mercy Family Health Clinic, a federally funded clinic whose mission was to treat the most vulnerable and socioeconomically disadvantaged residents from Chicago’s South Side.

She retired from clinical ophthalmology to move to London in 2020 with her husband and daughter.

Patricia Moller

‐ Following an awarded 25 year career with the U.S. Department of State, Patricia ended her active government service to return to the private sector. Through her consultancy, Moller Global Advisory, she has advised governments, international financial institutions and businesses from Fortune 500 juggernauts to greenfield startups. She chairs the boards of directors of West Africa LNG, Africa Project Advisors, and the Baara Hospital and Agriculture Projects. In addition, she sits on a number of other boards of directors, and joined Orbis UK as a Trustee in November 2017.

Patricia has been a member of the board of Orbis International since 2013.

In September of 2021, Mona became a trustee of Advanced Research Clusters Management Ltd (ARC). ARC owns some of Europe’s leading science and innovation clusters. Its portfolio includes Harwell, a leading science and innovation campus based in Oxfordshire.

Mona joined the Orbis UK board in December of 2021.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Sophia Pathai MBBS MSc PhD MRCOphth

Sophia Pathai is an ophthalmologist by training. She worked in the NHS and subsequently as a clinician scientist undertaking research at the International Centre for Eye Health, based at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

Her passion for global health was ignited during her tenure as a staff ophthalmologist on the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital in 2009.

Sophia has been appointed to global medical leadership roles at companies such as Roche, AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson. She is currently Vice President of Medical Initiatives at Hevolution Foundation. She gained her BSc and medical degree from University College London, and her MSc and PhD were awarded by LSHTM.

Sophia joined the Orbis UK board in December 2021.

Prior to joining Blick Rothenberg, Darsh was a partner at an independent London practice, having spent a number of years at Deloitte LLP before that.

He is an FCA (Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants) and has a BSc in Management Sciences from The University of Manchester.

Darsh joined the Orbis UK board in December 2022.

Robert F Walters FRCS, FRCS(Ed), FRCOphth

Rob Walters is a consultant ophthalmologist who has worked in the National Health Service (NHS) for over 30 years and been an Orbis medical volunteer since 1994. Rob has played key roles in numerous UK eye health organisations and authored three books on the causes and treatment of blindness.

In 2014, he was honoured with the title ‘Trustee of the Year’ at the Charity Staff and Volunteer Awards for his dedication to improving eye health globally.

Darsh Shah

Darsh Shah is an Audit, Assurance & Advisory partner at Blick Rothenberg. He has over 20 years of experience in professional practice and specialises in auditing and financial reporting to clients ‐ ranging from start ups to large international groups in the hospitality, care, recruitment and retail sector.

Rob also served as chairman of the boards of Orbis International in New York and Orbis Africa, and he remains an emeritus member of the Orbis International Board.

Rob joined the Orbis UK board in June 2003, and retired in July 2023.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Financial

statements

At just 3 months old, Estifanos was infected with trachoma in Ethiopia. Repeated infections can cause permanent damage to a child’s sight. But thanks to an Orbis trachoma programme, Estifanos and his mother Zuriyash received vital antibiotics, to treat his infection and protect his vision.

2023 Financial summary

----- Start of picture text -----
Income 2023 1%
8%
Legacies
Individuals 11%
Statutory
Trusts
40%
Major Donors
Corporate
19%
19%
21%
7%
18% Programme area spend 2023
Comprehensive Eye Care
Childhood Blindness
Specialist Training
75%
----- End of picture text -----

The cost of fundraising was 28.8% of our income.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Reference and administrative details

Orbis Charitable Trust is a registered charity (No 1061352) and a company limited by guarantee (No 3303689). The Memorandum and Articles of Association provide that the liability of each member is limited to £1 in the event of the company being wound up. Orbis UK's address, the names of trustees, the name of the Chief Executive and other senior management and information on advisers are detailed on the last page of the financial statements.

Orbis UK (Orbis Charitable Trust) is an affiliate of Orbis International (Project Orbis ‐ International), a non profit global development organisation established under the laws of the State of New York. The two organisations work collaboratively, sharing a common vision of a world where everyone can access the eye care they need to thrive, and they share a common mission to build strong and sustainable eye care systems globally that put treatment and prevention within reach for all.

Orbis UK engages in fundraising, branding, communications, grant management, donor stewardship and relationship management. Orbis International is responsible for all programme activities worldwide. It designs and manages programmes and determines the global medical and programme strategy. This relationship is described in further detail in Note 18 (Related parties).

Objectives and principal activities of the charity

Orbis UK's Memorandum of Association states that the objects for the public benefit for which it is established are:

a. The relief of persons suffering from blindness, sight deficiencies or other medical conditions and the prevention and cure of blindness, sight deficiencies or other medical conditions by the provision of training, education and counselling

b. The relief of sickness of persons suffering from blindness, sight deficiencies or other medical conditions by, but not limited to, the provision of healthcare services and medical treatment

c. The conduct of research into the causes and cure of blindness, sight deficiencies and other medical conditions and the publication of the useful results of that research

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

The trustees have had due regard to the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit when considering Orbis UK's objectives and activities. Orbis UK provides funds to Orbis International to enable project implementation by grants funding to partners, who include ‐ ‐ government, local non governmental and community based organisations. When selecting the geographical project area, we consider the level of government commitment to eye care to ensure that our work is integrated sustainably in the national or provincial health system. More information on what Orbis UK does, our work, how we performed in 2023, and our four key goals for 2024, can be found in the front section of this report.

Financial review and results for the year

Income in 2023 rose by £292k (4.7%) compared to 2022. There was a significant increase in legacy income of £1,132k (77%) as delays in probate continued to ease after the pandemic. This has offset year-on-year reductions in donations of -£162k (-6%) and grant income of-£701k (-37%).

Overall expenditure increased by £110k (2%) compared to 2022. This was, in part, due to increased programme spend in Ethiopia, Zambia and Ghana as well as additional costs related to our relocation to new offices during the year.

Expenditure on charitable activities increased by £24k (1%) in 2023 compared to 2022. Programme expenditure on the Comprehensive Eye Care programme increased by £284k (9%) due to the aforementioned additional targeted expenditure in Africa, in particular, increasing trachoma elimination activity in Ethiopia, thanks to the re-supply of antibiotics. Spending on Childhood Blindness decreased by -£74k (-9%) whilst expenditure on Specialist Training decreased by -£186k (-37%).

The trustees and senior management team have a priority of continually improving the ratio of charitable activities spend versus the cost of raising funds. The cost of raising funds ratio in 2023 remained at the same level as 2022 (28.8%) for two main reasons. Firstly, expenditure on raising funds increased by £86k (5%) year-on-year, due to the continued impact of inflationary pressures on resourcing and staffing costs. Secondly, the unexpected increase in legacy income at the end of the financial was received late in year, meaning it wasn’t possible to spend this on charitable activities within the financial year, thus skewing the ratios of income versus charitable spend and cost of raising funds.

The late and unexpected remittance of legacy income resulted in unrestricted funds at the end of December 2023 being £1.46m higher than the trustees' reserves target. The trustees have set a budget for 2024 which will bring the general reserves within the target range, which includes expenditure on charitable activities and planned investment in our Public Giving campaigns aimed at generating significant additional income over the next five years. These additional reserves will contribute towards this.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Structure, governance and management

Orbis UK is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association adopted on 29 September 1997, 22 December 2005 and 17 April 2020. The board of trustees is responsible for the overall governance of the charity. It makes decisions on the strategic direction and policies of Orbis UK and delegates day‐to‐day management and implementation of these decisions to the chief executive.

Orbis UK adheres to Orbis International's global policies relating to project selection and approval; all other policies are approved by the trustees to comply with UK legal requirements and good business practice. In addition, Orbis UK and Orbis International collaborate on the content of global policies, e.g. safeguarding policies. The board of trustees is authorised to appoint new trustees as additions to the existing board or to fill vacancies arising through resignation or death. The trustees are members and directors for Companies Act purposes. The following trustees retired at the 2023 AGM: Larry Benjamin and Rob Walters. The trustees have adopted the Charity Governance Code recommendation that the maximum term of office for a trustee should be nine years.

Two members of the board also served as directors of Orbis International during the year: Patricia Moller and Siân Block (from June 2022).

On appointment to the board, trustees receive a trustee handbook that includes the Memorandum and Articles of Association, Charity Commission and good governance information, trustee job descriptions, terms of reference for subcommittees, and programme information. They receive inductions from the chief executive and the senior management team. At board meetings, presentations are made on relevant topics to keep trustees up to date with developments within Orbis and the charity sector generally.

Normally, the board meets four times a year and delegates the exercise of certain powers in connection with the management and administration of the charity, as set out below. Three subcommittees report to the board, each with specific terms of reference and functions delegated by the board.

Charity Governance Code

The Charity Governance Code, which is designed as a tool to support improvement in the governance of charity boards and recognised as a standard against which performance can be evaluated, was updated in 2020. The Orbis UK board is mindful of the Code's guidance and is committed to periodic reviews of our relevant practices. The last board evaluation was conducted in 2021, and the Nominations Committee guides these improvements.

A designated safeguarding trustee ensures that safeguarding is prominent in the charity's ‐ agenda, and a staff led Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion group established in 2020 has a remit to collect, discuss and disseminate best practice, including board and staff recruitment, to ensure Orbis UK reflects the diversity of UK society.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee comprises trustees who are responsible for reviewing the management accounts throughout the year, monitoring Orbis UK's internal controls, recommending the appointment of auditors, reviewing the management letter submitted by the auditors, risk assessment and financial management of the charity.

Programme Committee

‐ The Programme Committee comprises trustees and co opted members who are responsible for ensuring that Orbis UK maintains a high standard in project selection, development, implementation and monitoring.

Nominations Committee

The Nominations Committee comprises trustees who are responsible for assessing and reviewing applications to recruit and select appointees to the board. The committee decisions are subject to the board’s consideration and approval.

Chief executive and senior management team

The chief executive is responsible for the management of Orbis UK's affairs and for implementing policies agreed by the trustees. The chief executive is supported by the senior management team. The senior management team comprises key management personnel of the charity in charge of directing, controlling and operating Orbis UK on a day‐to‐day basis.

Remuneration of personnel

The pay of staff, including the senior management team, is reviewed annually by an external HR consultant, the director of finance and operations, and the chief executive. Staff pay is approved by the trustees of the Audit Committee. The review includes a benchmarking exercise which is carried out annually against comparable roles within the public and not‐for‐ profit sector, to set market pay levels and to ensure that salaries remain competitive. All staff are paid at least the London Living Wage as calculated by the Resolution Foundation and overseen by the Living Wage Commission.

All staff who have passed probation at the beginning of the year and whose salaries are not adjusted as part of the benchmarking exercise will receive cost of living increases based on the Consumer Price Index where possible. Staff who are on probation at the beginning of the year will receive the cost of living payrise when they pass probation, where possible.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Risk management

The trustees are committed to maintaining a robust risk management framework to manage risk appropriately. The Audit Committee considers Orbis UK's strategic and operational risks and the mitigations for risks at each meeting. The board formally reviews the risk policy, the risk register and approach to risk management annually.

The current regulatory environment in the banking sector has presented challenges to Orbis UK with regards to access to adequate banking facilities in order to meet our operational demands. There have been two recent incidents of bank accounts being suspended, with little notice or reason provided. Whilst that has not had a material impact on the running of the charity, we are attempting to mitigate this through engagement with our banks, peers in the sector and the Charity Commission and Financial Ombudsman, to ensure that we maintain the highest standards of compliance.

There remains the risk of having to manage differing donor requirements, as we continue to grow and expand our fundraising base across different income sources and partners. Whilst this gives us the opportunity to raise greater funds for even more programmes, this requires careful balance given the number of stakeholders and reporting needs that are necessary to meet those goals. We are mitigating this through partnership work with our peers at Orbis International (OI) and actively participating in Acuity, the grant management tool implemented by OI to help manage these expectations.

Finally, the recruitment of new staff across the Fundraising and Operations teams provides an excellent opportunity to improve our effectiveness, however there are inevitable challenges in recruiting a number of new staff across a short period of time that can present some risks. This is being mitigated through a review of our HR policies and continuing to ensure we learn from best practice across the sector, when it comes to people management.

Reserves policy

The trustees have examined Orbis UK's requirements for free reserves in light of the main risks to the organisation. The risks that have been identified are: having insufficient working capital to meet outstanding commitments; that unbudgeted costs may arise; and that there may be an unexpected shortfall in income. Having taken these risks into account, the trustees ‐ have identified a reserves target of £1,425k +/ 10% as an appropriate level of general reserves for Orbis UK to hold. At 31 December 2023, the balance on total unrestricted reserves was £2,890k, which was £1.32m above the maximum reserves target set by the trustees; this was due to an increase in legacy receipts significantly increasing our unrestricted reserves at the end of 2023. The trustees have set a budget for 2024 which will bring the general reserves closer to the target range.

In addition to the general reserve, at 31 December 2023, designated funds stood at £38k. Designated funds are funds allocated by the trustees for particular purposes. Further details are shown in Note 15.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Grant making policy

The board of trustees approves the decision to fund specific projects following a recommendation by the Programme Committee, financial approval by the Audit Committee, and selection criteria that include:

The size and/or priority of the targeted eye health problem
The potential impact on preventable blindness
Strategic alignment
Value for money
The fundability of the project in the UK

The need to maintain a balanced portfolio of programme activity.

All projects should fall within the Orbis International approved project portfolio. Funds are transferred to Orbis International on the basis of actual or forecast expenditure on the projects.

Statement of trustees' responsibilities

The trustees (who are also directors of Orbis UK for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards).

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law, the trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period.

In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to: select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP/FRS 102; make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; state whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charity's transactions, disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity, and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006 and the provisions of the charity's constitution. The trustees have applied the exemption available to small companies from preparing a strategic report. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

In so far as each of the trustees of Orbis UK at the date of approval of this report is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which Orbis UK's auditor is unaware. Each trustee has taken all of the steps that they should have taken as a trustee in order to make themself aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that Orbis UK's auditor is aware of that information.

This report has been prepared under the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 applicable to small companies.

Approval

This report was approved by the Trustees on July 12th 2024 and signed on their behalf.

Trustee Nick Fox

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Independent auditor’s report to the members of Orbis Charitable Trust

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Orbis Charitable Trust (‘the company’) for the year ended 31 December 2023 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Summary Income and Expenditure Account, the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard Applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’ (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

• give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 December 2023 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;

have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s Responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

• the information given in the trustees’ annual report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and • the trustees’ annual report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the trustees’ annual report.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies exemption in preparing the trustees’ annual report and from preparing a strategic report.

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 38, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

As part of an audit in accordance with ISAs (UK) we exercise professional judgement and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. We also:

• Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.

• Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purposes of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the charitable company’s internal control.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

• Conclude on the appropriateness of the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the charitable company to cease to continue as a going concern.

• Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.

We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.

Explanation as to what extent the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detectingirregularities, including fraud is detailed below.

The objectives of our audit in respect of fraud, are; to identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements due to fraud; to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the assessed risks of material misstatement due to fraud, through designing and implementing appropriate responses to those assessed risks; and to respond appropriately to instances of fraud or suspected fraud identified during the audit. However, the primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of fraud rests with both management and those charged with governance of the charitable company.

Our approach was as follows:

• We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory requirements applicable to the charitable company and considered that the most significant are the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011, the Charity SORP, and UK financial reporting standards as issued by the Financial Reporting Council.

• We obtained an understanding of how the charitable company complies with these requirements by discussions with management and those charged with governance.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

• We assessed the risk of material misstatement of the financial statements, including the risk of material misstatement due to fraud and how it might occur, by holding discussions with management and those charged with governance.

• We inquired of management and those charged with governance as to any known instances of non-compliance or suspected non-compliance with laws and regulations.

• Based on this understanding, we designed specific appropriate audit procedures to identify instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. This included making enquiries of management and those charged with governance and obtaining additional corroborative evidence as required.

There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above. We are less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations that are not closely related to events and transactions reflected in the financial statements. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to any party other than the charitable company and charitable company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Signed

Samir Chandoo (Senior Statutory Auditor) for and on behalf of Moore Kingston Smith LLP, Statutory Auditor

Date: 17 July 2024

6th Floor 9 Appold Street London

EC2A 2AP

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Statement of financial activities

(Incorporating an income and expenditure account) Year ended 31 December 2023

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted Total Unrestricted Restricted Total
Note funds 2023 funds 2023 2023 funds 2022 funds 2022 2022
(£) (£) (£) (£) (£) (£)
INCOME FROM:
Donations and legacies 5 4,957,198 1,496,609 6,453,807 4,021,591 2,163,485 6,185,076
Investments 25,294 - 25,294 1,879 - 1,879
TOTAL INCOME 4,982,492 1,496,609 6,479,101 4,023,470 2,163,485 6,186,955
EXPENDITURE ON:
Raising funds 1,867,807 - 1,867,807 1,781,860 - 1,781,860
Charitable activities:
• Comprehensive Eye Care 1,655,187 1,548,720 3,203,907 1,278,331 1,641,304 2,919,635
• Childhood Blindness 558,992 186,402 745,394 452,675 366,441 819,116
• Specialist Training 221,179 85,656 306,835 437,977 55,242 493,219
Total expenditure on charitable
2,435,358 1,820,778 4,256,136 2,168,983 2,062,987 4,231,970
activities
TOTAL EXPENDITURE 9 4,303,165 1,820,778 6,123,943 3,950,843 2,062,987 6,013,830
Net gains/(losses) oninvestments - - - - - -
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) 679,326 -324,169 355,157 72,627 100,498 173,125
Transfers between funds 15 - - - - - -
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS 679,326 -324,169 355,157 72,627 100,498 173,125
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS:
Total funds brought forward 2,210,940 544,104 2,755,044 2,138,313 443,606 2,581,919
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED
2,890,266 219,935 3,110,201 2,210,940 544,104 2,755,044
FORWARD
----- End of picture text -----

All operations of Orbis UK continued throughout both years. There were no gains or losses other than the gain for the year.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Balance sheet Year ended 31 December 2023

		Note	2023 (£)	2022 (£)
FIXED ASSETS: Tangible assets 12 38,456 13,123
	TOTAL FIXED ASSETS		38,456	13,123
CURRENT ASSETS: Debtors 13 410,658 283,489 Short term deposits 2,883,768 3,201,464 Cash at bank and in hand 1,129,196 1,250,198 TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 4,423,622 4,735,151 LIABILITIES: Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 14 (1,351,877) (1,993,230) NET CURRENT ASSETS 3,071,745 2,741,921 DC
	TOTAL NET ASSETS		3,110,201	2,755,044
FUNDS OF THE CHARITY:
	Restricted funds		219,935	544,104
	UNRESTRICTED FUNDS
	General reserve		2,851,810	2,197,817
	Designated funds		38,456	13,123
	TOTAL UNRESTRICTED FUNDS		2,890,266	2,210,940

	TOTAL CHARITY FUNDS	15	3,110,201	2,755,044

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime. The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Board on July 12th 2024.

Trustee: Nick Fox iho.

Trustee: Yvette Dunne Puc

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Cash flow statement

Year ended 31 December 2023

Year ended 31 December 2023
	Note	2023 (£)	2022 (£)
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES: Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:	A	(419,596)	67,456
Interest and income from investments		25,294	1,879
Purchase of property, plant and equipment		(44,396)	(2,698)
NET CASH (USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES		(19,102)	(819)
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period		(438,698)	66,727
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year	B	4,451,662	4,384,935
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT THE END OF THE YEAR	B	4,012,964	4,451,662

Notes to the cash flow statement:

A. Reconciliation of cash flows from operating activities

	2023 (£)	2022 (£)
Net income for the year	355,157	173,125
Depreciation charges	18,162	35,084
Interest from investments	(25,294)	(1,879)
Loss on the sale of fixed assets	901	-
(Increase) in debtors	(127,169)	(7,180)
(Decrease) in creditors	(641,353)	(131,604)
	(419,596)	67,546

B. Analysis of cash and cash equivalents

	2023 (£)	2022 (£)
Short-term deposits	2,883,768	3,201,464
Cash at bank and in hand	1,129,196	1,250,198
TOTAL CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS	4,012,964	4,451,662

C. Analysis of changes in net debts

	At 1 January 2023	Cashflows £	Foreign Exchange Movements	31 December 2023
	£		£	£
Short-term investments	3,201,464	(317,696)	-	2,883,768
Cash at bank and in hand	1,250,198	(121,002)	-	1,129,196
Overdrafts	-	-	-	-
TOTAL CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS	4,451,662	(438,698)	-	4,012,964

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Notes to the financial

statements

Statements year ended 31 December 2023

1. Company information

‐ Orbis Charitable Trust (Orbis UK) is a registered charity and, as such, is a non profit making organisation, limited by guarantee and therefore with no share capital. The number of members at 31 December 2023 is 12, and their liability on liquidation is limited to £1 each. Orbis UK is registered as a limited liability company in England and Wales under number 3303689, and its registered office is 42 Craven Street, London, WC2N 5NG. Orbis UK is a Public Benefit Entity registered with the Charity Commission under number 1061352.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Companies Act 2006, and the 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), effective 1 January 2015. Orbis UK constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.

Orbis UK's key activities are the relief of persons suffering from blindness, the prevention and cure of blindness by the provision of training, education and counselling, the conduct of research into the causes and cure of blindness and sight deficiencies, and the publication of useful results of that research for the public benefit.

2. Key judgments and assumptions

In applying the charity's accounting policies, which are described in note 4, trustees are required to make judgments, estimates, and assumptions about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates. The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period. Should the revision affect current and future periods, revisions are recognised accordingly.

The key sources of estimation uncertainty that have a significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements are described in the accounting policies; they are summarised below:

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Residuary legacies – The charity recognises residuary legacies when Orbis UK has an entitlement to the money (which is usually upon grant of probate) when it is measurable and when there is a probability of receipt; this, therefore, requires an estimation of the amount receivable.

3. Presentation currency

The functional currency of Orbis UK is considered to be pounds sterling because that is the currency of the primary economic environment in which the charity operates. The financial statements are presented in pounds sterling.

4. Accounting policies

The principal accounting policies adopted in the preparation of the financial statements, together with judgments and key sources of estimation uncertainty, are as follows:

a. Basis of preparation

b. Going concern

The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about Orbis UK's ability to continue as a going concern for 12 months from the date of signing these financial statements. Due consideration for the effects of the global economic situation and the impact of inflation on donors have been taken.

c. Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are expendable at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the objects of Orbis UK. The fund comprises the accumulated surpluses and deficits of unrestricted income and expenditure.

The trustees have designated certain funds within unrestricted funds for specified purposes (Note 15, Designated funds). Restricted funds are funds subject to specific trusts, which may be declared by the donors or, with their authority, by the terms of an appeal, but still within the objects of Orbis UK.

d. Income

Legacies are recognised once the criteria for recognition has been met, i.e. once probate has been granted, the gift is measurable and the probability of receipt is certain.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Statements year ended 31 December 2023

e. Gifts in kind and donated services

Services, and gifts in kind that are donated to the charity are recognised as both income and expenditure. The value of such gifts/services is pre-determined by the donor, typically based on market prices for the goods/services.

f. Expenditure

Expenditure is accounted for when incurred.

The cost of raising funds comprises fundraising costs associated with generating voluntary income. Charitable activities comprise all expenditure on activities directly relating to the objects of Orbis UK, including the payments of grants, direct programme expenditure, and the costs of supporting charitable activities.

Support costs comprise staff involvement with Orbis UK programmes and central costs (including management, finance, IT, governance and other support costs). They are allocated to activities on the basis of staff time or another basis consistent with the use of resources. Governance costs are those expenses incurred in compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.

g. Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost and include any incidental expenses of acquisition. Assets costing more than £1,500 are capitalised.

Depreciation is provided on all tangible fixed assets at rates calculated to write off the cost over their expected useful economic lives as follows:

Computer equipment – 20 per cent straight line, depending on the date of purchase Office equipment – 20 per cent straight‐line
Leasehold improvements – over the remaining length of the lease, although in this instance, due to our move to new offices in 2023, this has now been fully depreciated.

h. Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the transaction price. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid.

i. Investments

Listed investments are included in the balance sheet at market value. Donated investments are sold shortly after receipt and therefore included in current assets.

j. Cash at bank and in hand

Short term deposits and cash at bank are split based on a working capital requirement of three months expenditure.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Statements year ended 31 December 2023

k. Short term deposits

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

l. Creditors

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and in such cases that the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Short‐term trade creditors are measured at the transaction price.

m. Pension costs

During the year, the charity contributed to a defined contribution group personal pension plan. The contributions are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities when incurred.

n. Operating leases

Rentals under operating leases are charged on a straight‐line basis over the lease term.

o. Liabilities

Grants are recognised in the accounts once a legal or constructive obligation has been created.

p. Financial instruments

Orbis UK has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method. Financial assets held at amortised cost comprise cash at bank and in hand, together with trade and other debtors. Financial liabilities held at amortised cost comprise bank loans and overdrafts, trade and other creditors.

q. Foreign exchange

Transactions in foreign currencies are recognised at the rate of exchange at the date of the transaction except for Orbis International programme expenditure which is recognised at ‐ either the monthly average exchange rate or an agreed rate for the whole year. All non pounds sterling current assets and liabilities are translated into pounds sterling at the exchange rate on the balance sheet date. All exchange differences are recognised through the statement of financial activities.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Notes to the financial statements (continued) Statements year ended 31 December 2023

5. Income from donations and legacies

	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total funds	Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Unrestricted funds
	funds 2023	funds 2023	2023	funds 2022	funds 2022	2022
	(£)	(£)	(£)	(£)	(£)	(£)
Donations	2,362,326	290,997	2,653,323	2,558,527	257,029	2,815,556
Legacies	2,594,872	-	2,594,872	1,463,064	-	1,463,064
TOTAL	4,957,198	290,997	5,248,195	4,021,591	257,029	4,278,620

6. Income from grants

		Total 2023 (£)	Total 2022 (£)
Sightsavers	Ethiopia	562,920	1,254,000
UK Government	Nepal	9,646	291,489
Guernsey Overseas Aid	Bangladesh	24,750	-
Qatar Charity	Bangladesh	-	280,022
Qatar Fund for Development	Qatar Creating Vision - Ethiopia	261,699	80,945
	Paediatric Eye Care - Zambia	316,072	-
	Flying Eye Hospital - Doha	30,526	-
TOTAL		1,205,613	1,906,456

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Statements year ended 31 December 2023

7. Gifts in kind and donated services

The following gifts in kind and donated services were received:

	2023 (£)	2022 (£)
Google grant advert	61,335	59,765
Flights	8,498	30,013
Promotion at aviation festival	-	5,800
Hotel accommodation	-	5,491
Gift Voucher	75	-
Media/PR Campaign	7,534	-
TOTAL	77,442	101,069

These amounts are included within our income (see note 5) and expenditure (note 9).

8. Net incoming resources is stated after charging:

	2023 (£)	2022 (£)
Payments under operating leases	63,653	118,290
Depreciation	18,160	34,874
Fees paid to the auditor:
Audit fees	20,510	18,820
Tax advisory services	1,400	1,270
TOTAL	103,723	173,254

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Statements year ended 31 December 2023

9. Total resources expended

Activities Undertaken Directly 2023 (£) COST OF RAISING FUNDS Raising Funds 1,591,637 CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES	Activities Undertaken Directly 2023 (£) COST OF RAISING FUNDS Raising Funds 1,591,637 CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES	Grant Funding 2023 (£) -	Support Costs 2023 (£) 276,170	Total 2023 (£) 1,867,807	Activities Undertaken Directly 2022 (£) 1,606,846	Grant Funding 2022 (£) -	Support Costs 2022 (£) 175,014	Total 2022 (£) 1,781,860
Comprehensive Eye Care	444,001	2,453,366	306,540	3,203,907	579,014	2,167,368	173,253	2,919,635
Childhood Blindness	129,055	524,242	92,097	745,394	210,995	552,378	55,743	819,116
Specialist Training	85,649	163,304	57,882	306,835	220,751	202,593	69,875	493,219
	658,705	3,140,912	456,519	4,256,136	1,010,760	2,922,339	298,871	4,231,970
TOTAL	2,250,342	3,140,912	732,689	6,123,943	2,617,606	2,922,339	473,885	6,013,830

GRANTS PAYABLE

GRANTS PAYABLE Grants of £3,140,912 (2022: £2,922,338) were made during the year for projects managed by Orbis International. £1,820,777 (2022: £1,987,716) represents the expenditure of restricted donations received from donors for specific projects, details of these programmes are given in note 15 under Restricted Funds. The balance of £1,320,135 (2022: £934,622) was directed to programmes in Ethiopia, Ghana, Zambia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, India, Mongolia, Nepal, the Flying Eye Hospital, and Cybersight on specific projects identified by the trustees. Total support costs allocated to grant making activities totalled £379,508 (2022: £298,871).

10. Analysis of support costs

	Support Staff Costs 2023 (£)	Facilities Depreciation 2023 (£)	Governance 2023 (£)	Total 2023 (£)	Support Staff Costs 2022 (£)	Facilities Depreciation 2022 (£)	Governance 2022 (£)	Total 2022 (£)
COST OF RAISING FUNDS Raising Funds - CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES		261,016	15,154	276,170	-	162,365	12,649	175,014
Comprehensive Eye Care	154,206	144,915	7,419	306,540	35,407	129,042	8,804	173,253
Childhood Blindness	46,262	43,609	2,226	92,097	11,802	41,006	2,935	55,743
Specialist Training	30,841	25,557	1,484	57,882	15,736	50,226	3,913	69,875
	231,309	214,081	11,129	456,519	62,945	220,274	15,652	298,871
TOTAL	231,309	475,097	26,283	732,689	62,945	382,639	28,301	473,885

Support staff costs have been apportioned on the basis of staff time in each area of charitable activity. Facilities and depreciation costs have been allocated on the basis of staff time in each area across fundraising and charitable activities.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Statements year ended 31 December 2023

11. Staff costs

	2023 (£)	2022 (£)
Wages and salaries	1,451,159	1,443,117
Social security costs	171,761	173,311
Pension costs	88,140	101,348
Employment settlement agreement	7,083	-
TOTAL	1,718,143	1,717,776

Number of full time equivalent employees whose emoluments exceeded £60,000:

	2023	2022
£60,000 - £70,000	1	3
£70,001 - £80,000	2	1
£80,001 - £90,000	-	1
£90,001 - £100,000	2	1
£110,001 - £120,000	1	1

Contributions in the year to pension schemes for these employees was £34,523 (2022: £35,121). Remuneration in respect of key management personnel in the year was £358,595 (2022: £396,206).

The average headcount number of employees and full-time equivalent (FTE), analysed by function, for the year was:

	2023	2023	2022	2022
	Headcount	FTE	Headcount	FTE
Fundraising and communications	19	19	16	15
Finance and administration	5	5	11	9
Programme	4	4	3	3
TOTAL	28	28	30	27

Orbis UK provides life assurance cover at four times annual gross salary for qualifying staff, the cost is approximately £233 (2022: £223) per person per annum.

Expenses reimbursed to two trustees amounted to £3,318 (2022: two trustees totalling £2,195) in respect of travel, accommodation, and entertainment. Neither the trustees nor any person connected with them have received any remuneration.

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Statements year ended 31 December 2023

12. Tangible Fixed Assets

12. Tangible Fixed Assets
	Office	Computer	Leasehold
	Equipment	Equipment	Improvements	Total
	(£)	(£)	(£)	(£)
COST At 1 January 2023 Additions Disposals	90,939 - (23,228)	67,893 44,396 (21,070)	62,707 - (62,707)	221,539 44,396 (107,005)
At 31 December 2023	67,711	91,219	-	158,930
DEPRECIATION
At 1 January 2023	88,493	61,544	58,379	208,416
Charge for year	2,219	11,615	4,328	18,162
Disposals	(23,001)	(20,396)	(62,707)	(106,104)
At 31 December 2023	67,711	52,763	-	120,474
NET BOOK VALUE AT 31 DECEMBER 2023	-	38,456	-	38,456
At 31 December 2022	2,446	6,349	4,328	13,123

13. Debtors

	2023	2022
	(£)	(£)
Accrued income	325,650	175,385
Prepayments	40,537	82,087
Gift Aid	24,252	24,055
Other debtors	20,219	1,962
TOTAL	410,658	283,489

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Statements year ended 31 December 2023

14. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

	2023 (£)	2022 (£)
Grants payable	1,094,690	1,594,166
Other creditors	22,431	245,577
Tax and social security	63,849	49,817
Trade creditors	81,785	48,813
Accruals	45,672	33,848
Pension scheme	43,450	21,009
TOTAL	1,351,877	1,993,230

	Grant commitments accrued (£)
Grant commitments recognised as at 1 January 2023	1,594,166
New grant commitments charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in year	3,140,912
Grants paid during the year	(3,640,388)
Amount of grant commitments recognised as at 31 December 2023	1,094,690

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Statements year ended 31 December 2023

15. Statement of funds

15. Statement of funds
					Gains and	Balance
	Balance 1 Jan	Income	Expense	Transfers	Losses	31 Dec
	2023 (£)	2023(£)	2023(£)	2023(£)	2023 (£)	2023 (£)
UNRESTRICTED FUNDS General Reserves Fixed assets	2,197,817 13,123	4,982,492 -	(4,303,166) -	(25,333) 25,333	- -	2,851,810 38,456
TOTAL UNRESTRICTED FUNDS	2,210,940	4,982,492	(4,303,166)	-	-	2,890,266
RESTRICTED FUNDS Grant funding: Comprehensive eye care Childhood blindness Specialist training	590,253 (15,047) (31,102)	1,024,133 355,718 116,758	(1,548,720) (186,402) (85,656)	- - -	- - -	65,666 154,269 -
TOTAL RESTRICTED FUNDS	544,104	1,496,609	(1,820,778)	-	-	219,935

TOTAL FUNDS	2,755,044	6,479,101	(6,123,944)	-	-	3,110,201
UNRESTRICTED FUNDS General Reserves Fixed assets Transfer of funds was made to allow the purchase of new Compute Equipment.	Balance 1 Jan 2022 (£) 2,092,804 45,509	Income 2022(£) 4,023,470 -	Expense 2022 (£) (3,918,457) (32,386)	Transfers 2022(£) - -	Gain/Loss 2022(£) - -	Balance 31 Dec 2022 (£) 2,197,817 13,123
TOTAL UNRESTRICTED FUNDS	2,138,313	4,023,470	(3,950,843)	-	-	2,210,940
RESTRICTED FUNDS
Grant funding:
Comprehensive eye care	392,748	1,838,809	(1,641,304)	-	-	590,253
Childhood blindness	29,639	321,755	(366,441)	-	-	(15,047)
Specialist training	21,219	2,921	(55,242)	-	-	(31,102)
TOTAL RESTRICTED FUNDS	443,606	2,163,485	(2,062,987)	-	-	544,104
TOTAL FUNDS	2,581,919	6,186,955	(6,013,830)	-	-	2,755,044

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Statements year ended 31 December 2023

15. Statement of funds (continued)

UNRESTRICTED FUNDS

Designated funds are held for the following purpose:

Fixed assets – £38,456 – this fund is the value of assets held as fixed assets which are not readily accessible as free reserves. Transfer of funds was made to allow the purchase of new Computer Equipment.

RESTRICTED FUNDS

Restricted funds are held for the following purposes:

Comprehensive Eye Care — £65,666 — Orbis projects focussing on adult eye health or both adult & child eye health, including rural eye care and trachoma elimination.

Child Blindness - £154,269 - Orbis projects focussing on child eye health.

Specialist Training — £0 — Orbis projects focussing on strengthening health systems.

16. Analysis of net assets between funds

	Unrestricted Funds 2023 (£)	Restricted Funds 2023 (£)	Total Funds 2023 (£)	Unrestricted Funds 2022 (£)	Restricted Funds 2022 (£)	Total Funds 2022 (£)
Tangible fixed assets	38,456	-	38,456	13,123	-	13,123
Current assets	3,494,489	929,133	4,423,622	2,924,242	1,810,909	4,735,151
Grants payable	(385,492)	(709,198)	(1,094,690)	(327,361)	(1,266,805)	(1,594,166)
Other current liabilities	(257,187)	-	(257,187)	(399,064)	-	(399,064)
TOTAL NET ASSETS	2,890,266	219,935	3,110,201	2,210,940	544,104	2,755,044

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Notes to the financial statements (continued) Statements year ended 31 December 2023

17. Financial commitments

At 31 December Orbis UK had annual commitments under an operating lease for premises that we occupied from June 2023:

	2023 (£)	2022 (£)
Within one year	72,638	45,213
Between one to five years	182,897	341
TOTAL	255,535	45,554

In 2023 £63,653 (2022: £118,290) was paid under an operating leases. Orbis UK had no capital commitments at the end of the year (2022: none).

18. Related parties

a. Orbis UK is an affiliate of and has a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Project Orbis International Inc, a not for profit organisation registered in New York. The MoU includes the use of the trademark and how the two organisations will work together. Patricia Moller and Siân Block served as Directors of Orbis International.

The expenditure incurred during 2023, with respect to Orbis International projects amounted to £3,140,912 (2022: £2,922,339) and covers grants payable for programmatic work in Ethiopia, Ghana, Zambia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, India, Mongolia, Nepal, the Flying Eye Hospital, and Cybersight. The outstanding balance due to Orbis International at 31st December 2023 was £1,094,690 (2022: £1,594,166, due to Orbis International).

b. Donations were received from three Trustees amounting to £6,565 (2022: five Trustees totalling £1,261). Three of these trustees ran the Great Ethiopian Run on behalf of Orbis UK, which Orbis UK paid expenses for. This was due to be repaid by those trustees in 2024. As such, £17,400 of the Other Debtors figure in Note 13 relate to these trustee expenses. Trustee Nicola Floyd is also a trustee of The Edenbeg Charitable Trust which kindly donated £15,000 in 2023 (2022: £30,000).

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

Trustees and officers

Listed below are the current and past trustees who served during the year and to the date of signing of these accounts, together with the names of the chief executive, senior management team and external advisers.

Trustees

Nick Fox Sir Dominic Asquith Larry Benjamin (resigned July 2023) Siân Block Sheraz Daya (appointed March 2023) Yvette Dunne John Ferris (appointed March 2023) Nicola Floyd Fiona Hobbs Mona Kahn Patricia Moller Sophia Pathai Darsh Shah Robert Walters (resigned July 2023)

Chief Executive and Company Secretary

Rebecca Cronin

Senior Management Team

Karl Askew (from September 2023 to January 2024) Kath Backhouse (until February 2023) Florence Branchu Colman Cawe Nilesh Pandya (from January 2024) Mark Stavers (from February 2023 to August 2023)

Registered office

42 Craven Street, London, WC2N 5NG

Auditors

Moore Kingston Smith LLP, 6th Floor, 9 Appold Street, London, EC2A 2AP

Bankers

Barclays Bank PLC, Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8DN

Solicitors

Bates Wells, 10 Queen Street Place, London, EC4R 1BE

Orbis UK Annual Report and Financial Statements 2023

“Thanks to supporters like you, I had surgery on the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital at eight years old when it came to my home in Vietnam. Now, I can play sports, see my schoolwork clearly and have confidence."

In 2023, and now as a teenager, Tien saw the Flying Eye Hospital for the first time since her life changing strabismus surgery in 2017.

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orbis.org

+44 (0)20 7608 7260

Orbis UK

42 Craven Street, London, WC2N 5NG

Registered charity no. 1061352. Company number 3303689. All photos copyright Orbis, with special thanks to: Genaye Eshetu, Geoff Oliver Bugbee and Sahos Mostafiz