' The Peru Children s Trust (No. 1063976) Annual Report July 2020-June 2021
History
The Peru Children's Trust (PCT) was formed in 1997 to support the work of the charitable organisation, El Shaddai, in the city of Huancayo, Peru. El Shaddai was set up by Gay and Manuel Reynaga who witnessed the poverty of children and adolescents living in the shanty towns in and around Huancayo (a city in the Andes mountains). The charity initially assisted children and families affected by the ‘Sendero Luminoso’ terrorism of the 1980s and has helped over 2,000 children to date.
In 2012 a new charitable organisation, ‘Peru Children’s Trust - Huancayo’ (PCT-H), was established and assumed responsibility of the work done by El Shaddai.
Mission Statement
The focus of the Peru Children's Trust is the relief of poverty and sickness, and the advancement of education and Christian faith amongst poor, orphaned or abandoned children and adolescents. It operates in the shanty towns and deprived areas of Huancayo and surrounding villages in the Andes – an area with a population of 500,000 people. The charity employs family support workers who build and maintain close personal relationships with the children and families.
Structure & Governance
The Peru Children’s Trust is governed by a Board of Trustees in the UK. The Trustees oversee fund raising and transference of funds to its partner charity Peru Children’s Trust-Huancayo, who provide local governance and complete audit checks. Regular reports and accounts are reviewed to ensure that the money is appropriately spent. The transfer of funds to Peru is dependent on a review of the prior month’s expenses and forward looking forecast. The Trustees make the occasional visit to Peru to see first-hand the work carried out by the charity.
Objectives and Activities
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To support holistically the education of poor children and adolescents, enabling them to reach their full potential. Although education in Peru is officially ‘free’ the government covers the cost of the teachers’ salaries only; everything else such as desks, books, stationery, and uniforms must be purchased by the parents. Families struggling with poverty cannot, therefore, afford to send their children to school.
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To improve the living standards of children and adolescents in impoverished families. With care and love we can improve living conditions such as sanitation, bedding, roofing, nourishment, medical care and earning prospects, with self-help advice and small business startup schemes.
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To promote Christian teaching, family guidance and counselling. To enhance the life of the community by running Sunday school, children’s holiday weeks, pastoral visits, women’s welfare groups and Bible studies.
The objective of PCT is to encourage people to sponsor children by committing a regular sum per month towards the education and wellbeing of the child. The Trust endeavors to keep sponsors informed of their child or students' progress by regular reports and updates.
Over the last 20 years, many children have completed primary and secondary education, some have gone on to university and gained good degrees, whilst others have been coached to be entrepreneurs setting up small businesses. They could not have done this without the help of the PCT and its supporters. As well as encouraging individuals to sponsor a child, the PCT raises awareness of the work through talks and activities at church, community groups and other interested bodies. It is also active on several social media platforms. In addition to its main sponsorship model, the PCT is developing a range of funding mechanisms to empower ongoing support., such as hosting handicraft and food sales, raffles, and sporting events. The PCT in the UK works very closely with its sister charity in Peru, PCT-Huancayo.
The PCT-Huancayo employs family support workers who are responsible for visiting the children and families supported by the charity. The workers assess on a case by case basis what is required in order to enable the child to attend school and ensure they are equipped with the necessary tools. As well as school supplies, this will include roof repairs, solar panels (to provide light where there is no electricity), furniture and bedding. Not only does this drastically improve living conditions but financial and employment opportunities too, benefitting the family as a whole. Family guidance, counselling and Christian teaching are all important parts of the work that the Trust does.
The families helped by the Trust live in run down areas of Huancayo, in the shanty towns around the edge of the city, or in the villages along the valley. The housing is basic, cramped, with no proper sanitation or cooking facilities, and sometimes without doors or windows.
The children who live in these terrible conditions often cannot afford to attend school. Although education in Peru is free, children have to pay a registration fee and must wear a uniform. They also have to provide their own stationery, equipment and books, including all textbooks.
Through a sponsorship scheme the Trust provides the means for the children in each family to be educated to the end of their secondary schooling. It also often fund their housing needs by providing roofing, doors and windows, furniture, and bedding. Often the Trust workers have to work to obtain birth certificates for the children as many have not been registered at birth due to the cost and therefore are unable to access an education without identity.
In addition to the sponsorship scheme, we ensure the children can have fun. Most of the children have never celebrated their birthdays. The Trust organises bi-monthly birthday parties for the children. Christmas parties are also held each year, when the children can enjoy games, festive food and presents, with a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. Family guidance, counselling and Christian teaching to parents are an important part of our work.
Fundraising
The primary source of income for Peru Children’s Trust is through the sponsorship scheme, the funds of which go towards providing urgent relief to the children and families severely affected by poverty, and wages for the Family Support Workers. Sponsorship is driven by word of mouth and talks given by volunteers to churches and schools, as well visitors to our website.
Sponsors are also asked to make an extra contribution around Christmas time to enable the children to have a Christmas gift and a party. Funds raised through reclaimed tax, along with general gifts to the Trust, go towards any shortfall caused by cancelled sponsorship, medical emergencies, and general administration. We endeavor to ensure that most of the sponsorship money is spent on the children using very little for administration. The principal expenses are bank charges and costs associated with running the website. We also encourage everyone to contribute to the PCT via easyfundraising.org.uk.
A special emergency COVID-19 campaign was launched in 2020 that went into 2021, seeking additional contributions from sponsors to assist the most the most vulnerable families who were unable to work due to government-imposed restrictions.
We have also had a number of businesses provide direct donations to contribute to the work.
Achievements and Performance
Many of the normal scheduled activities were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result the team had to adjust to new emergency measures. Peru has been particularly hard hit through the pandemic and experienced the highest death-toll per capita during this difficult period, despite having severe restrictions imposed. As a result of this, many of the families were unable to work. For many, the daily challenge is very real, either work or starve! Government aid and income support was late coming and was limited. Facing this desperate choice and to prevent infection by breaking lockdown restrictions, PCT provided multiple emergency food deliveries and PPE aid. This has enabled them to survive without needing to put themselves in harm’s way.
Limiting the spread of the virus amongst the poor and vulnerable was a clear goal as the death rate, even among the rich and political elite due to no oxygen or respirators in hospitals, is a stark reminder that prevention is better than cure. If there is no provision for the rich how will the poor survive? To date, the Trust has not lost any lives amongst the supported families. This emergency support was possible due to the increased contributions from the sponsors.
During the pandemic education suffered immensely. Schools closed due to lockdown restrictions and resorted to home schooling through an online platform and a radio channel. Most homes do not have computers, radios, internet access or electricity. PCT launched a solar panel project providing energy to homes, enabling the children to access education and maintain contact during the period of lockdown.
Future developments
It is becoming clear that the sponsorship model of fundraising is changing. As such, the Trustees have been exploring new ways to raise funds, such as collaborating with other charities doing work in Peru and increasing our profile amongst new channels of communication to encourage donations.
Public Benefit Requirement
The Trustees have complied with the duty in Section 17(5) of the Charities Act 2011 to have regard to the guidance published by the Charity Commission concerning the public benefit requirement. Approval: Due to the coronavirus outbreak all approvals have been given remotely via email or internet.
PCT Trustees and Personnel
The PCT Trustees are as follows:
Mr. David Reynaga (acting Chair) Mr. Andres Reynaga Mrs. Gillian Coe Mr. Carlos Troncoso Miss. Catherine Hennessy Mr. Jeremy Nordbert
The PCT Treasurer is Mrs. Janet Booker.
The PCT Auditor/Examiner is Mr. Robert Warren.
David Reynaga April 2022
THE PERU CHILDREN'S TRUST Registered Charity No. 0163976
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT Year Ended 30th June 2021 UK
| 30.6.21 30.6.20 £ £ £ £ RECEIPTS Donations: Sponsorship of Children 39,686 40,335 General Gifts 6,354 11,430 Salaries 2,720 2,945 Total Receipts 48,760 54,710 PAYMENTS Funds transferred to Peru 42,717 58,432 Bank Charges 140 132 Expenses 4 3 Total Payments 42,861 58,567 Net Deficit/ Receipts for period 5,899 3,857 - Bank Accounts Bank current account balance b/f 19,191 30,048 Bank savings account balance b/f 7,008 26,199 Bank current account balance c/f 25,150 19,191 Bank savings account balance c/f 7,028 7,008 Total Assets 32,178 26,199 STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILTIES at 30TH JUNE 2021 30.6.21 30.6.20 £ £ ASSETS 32,178 26,199 32,178 26,199 |
30.6.20 £ 40,335 11,430 2,945 |
£ 54,710 |
|---|---|---|
| 58,432 132 3 |
||
| 58,567 | ||
| 26,199 |
THE PERU CHILDREN'S TRUST
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT Year ended 30th June 2021 PERU
| RECEIPTS Funds transferred to Peru by the Trust Less difference due to exchange (estimated) |
30.6.21 £ £ 42,717 2,000 40,717 |
30.6.20 £ £ 58,432 5,496 52,936 |
|---|---|---|
PAYMENTS
| Child Support General projects Salaries Deficit/Surplus for year Funds held in Peru (01/07/21) Surplus for year (as above) Surplus foryear |
18,876 8,951 12,705 |
40,532 185 4,563 185 4,748 |
25,874 12,022 17,340 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55,236 | ||||
| 2,300 - 5,283 2,300 - |
||||
| 2,983 |
I report on the a¢c¢urrts of theTrustkYtheyw ended 30kn 202L thlch e set on tathed pa8e. A5 the charl5 trustee5 you are re5rM)nsible forthe preparation of the acnts.. you considerthat the au(tht requlrement sectlon 43{21 of the Chartttes Act 1933 ItheArtI does not appty. It 15 my re5prmsibility to slate. cffi the basis of ProdureS speafied In the Genwal D1sdrXres gi¥en by the Chary o)mmissioners undèr sectl¢n 43171{b) oftheA¢L whether partiojlar m¢ets (yjme to my teThtiorL commi5sioner& An examinalion Ind a re%ryew of the ac¢ountir¥ record5 kept by the tharity and a Comparison of the acc(nts presented Withthoserecth. It4sokKlude5consideratlon dany uNsual itefns or dlsdosures In the ¥counts and seeklng expla11¢$ fn)m as trustees ConMIng any 5uth mattets. The proCedUS undertaken do not provKle all the lden that TAYJukl be requred in an audm and c(Mwuenty I do not express an awlit ¢pinlon on the view8rrtn ty the accounts. In connertlon with my eXamknath of the UK statement no rnater has cometo nry attention: to keep accounting records in accordan Tith sertion 41 of the ACL. and to prnpare &t¢unts TNIMth accord with the accounti re(onts •)d to have not been meL' or 21 to which, in my opinion, attentlon shwld be drawt in OTdEr to enaL* a proper understandin8 of th(e accounts to be reached. 31 but in respertto the Peru¥kn ststementl have been See the actountir¥ rectyth. R W•rr•n Ik>wCmft Thlcket 61 M•ldenh• 414-/kn%L SL6 4LW