## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period** **From 1/4/2023 Period start date To** ## **31/3/2024 Period end date** **Charity name: Children of Colombia** **Charity registration number: 1095987** ## **Objectives and Activities** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|**To raise funds for three recognised and**
**respected organisations providing care**
**and education for impoverished, sick**
**and disadvantaged young people in**
**Colombia.**| |Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or
services identified in the
accounts.|Para 1.17 and
1.19|**Funds have been raised by sponsorship,**
**donations**
**and**
**fundraising**
**events**
**organised by donors and by the charity.**
**These funds have been paid out to the**
**specific**
**foundations**
**supported**
**by**
**Children of Colombia which provide**
**support to disadvantaged young people**
**in line with our charity’s objectives.**| |Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|**The guidance on public benefit issued by**
**the**
**Charity**
**Commission**
**has**
**been**
**considered by the trustees. No personal**
**benefit is received by the board, as all**
**funds are used for the support of our**
**three carefully chosen foundations, with**
**whom**
**the**
**trustees**
**maintain**
**close**
**contact to monitor developments.**| **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: ||SORP reference| |---|---| |Policy on grant making|Para 1.38| |Policy on social investment|| |including program related|Para 1.38| |investment|| |Contribution made by|| |volunteers|Para 1.38| |Other|| ## **Achievements and Performance** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|**Funds were donated by a combination of**
**regular and one-off donors.**
**Children of Colombia was therefore able**
**to distribute over £45,000 to Fundacion**
**Natutama and Fundacion Social Fenix**
**over the year.**
**Children of Colombia funding continued**
**to help Fundacion Fenix to support**
**vulnerable young women by covering**
**education costs, particularly in the social**
**welfare and health care sectors. Funding**
**has also helped pay for rent, internet and**
**food to keep particularly vulnerable**
**students safe and in touch with the**
**group so that they could receive**
**essential support and mentoring and**
**continue their studies, despite the**
**challenges of their lives in Bogota.**
**After recovering from the effects of the**
**pandemic**
**and**
**floods,**
**Fundacion**
**Natutama**
**once**
**again**
**suffered**
**a**
**reduction in visitor numbers in 2023, this**
**time due to the severe drought in the**
**Amazon. The funding from Children of**
**Colombia was fortunately able to cover**
**some of the financial deficit this has**
**caused. Education programmes and**
**workshops at the centre and in local**
**schools have continued to expand, as**
**has the environmental monitoring and**
**community engagement run by the**
**Fundacion.**
**Hogares Luz y Vida continues to strive to**
**offer**
**the**
**highest**
**standards**
**of**
**professional healthcare in a cheerful,**
**happy environment. They are caring for**
**over 220 children and young people who**
**have mental and physical disabilities,**
**serious and chronic illnesses, and others**
**who have been abandoned or orphaned,**
**including some Venezuelan refugees.**
**They run three homes in Bogota and in**
**the countryside outside the city, and are**
**currently building a new, purpose-built**
**home for chronically ill youngsters in**
**Bogota. They also still provide their own**
**school for residents and nearby children**
**who cannot afford to go to state school.**
**Donations**
**have**
**gone**
**towards**
**wheelchairs, toys, beds and equipment**
**for the children.**| **All this work has been supported by the funds raised by Children of Colombia.** ## **Additional information (optional)** |You may choose to include further statements|You may choose to include further statements|where relevant about:| |---|---|---| |Achievements against
objectives set|Para 1.41|**We wanted to maintain the level of**
**support to the foundations while, which**
**we achieved. We also wanted to ensure**
**communication with each of them was**
**both active and effective, and we now**
**have even more engagement with each**
**foundation than previously, particularly**
**with regard to their future plans. In**
**particular,**
**our**
**Secretary**
**Gwyneth**
**Simmons visited all three foundations in**
**November 2023 and was able to see first-**
**hand how they were managing and talk**
**to**
**them**
**about**
**their**
**successes,**
**challenges and hopes for the future.**| |Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set|Para 1.41|**Although we did not run a specific appeal**
**this year, we continued to receive a high**
**level of donations from regular and new**
**donors. The involvement of new donors**
**this year suggests that our focus on**
**improving our social media presence**
**and**
**sharing**
**news**
**more**
**regularly**
**continues to be successful.**| |Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41|| |Other||| ## **Financial Review** |Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|**£13,423**| |---|---|---| |Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|**The charity maintains a reserve to cover**
**regular**
**costs**
**eg**
**JustGiving**
**subscriptions and website maintenance.**
**Funds are periodically distributed to the**
**three foundations supported by Children**
**of Colombia when a sufficient balance in**
**excess of this £500 has accumulated to**
**justify the transfer costs, or as requested**
**by the foundations if necessary.**
**It is the trustees’ preference to move**
**funds to the foundations as regularly as**
**possible to maximise the funds available**
**to them. Although we fully paid out the**
**cash balance brought forward from the**
**prior year in 2023-24, the level of**
**donations has happily remained high.**
**The funding from our donors continues**
**to be relied on but until they are**
**requested, it has been deemed better to**| |||**hold them in the UK than to transfer them**
**to Colombia due to the rate of exchange.**
**Since the year end, £32,795 has been**
**transferred to Natutama, Fenix and Luz y**
**Vida in 2024/25 to date.**| |---|---|---| |Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|**£500**| |Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|**n/a**| |Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|**n/a**| |Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|**n/a**| **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|Para 1.47|**The charity raises funds from the public,**
**who contribute chiefly via the charity’s**
**Just Giving page, or directly to the**
**charity’s bank account.**
**Supporters**
**occasionally**
**hold**
**a**
**fundraising event, the proceeds from**
**which are donated to Children of**
**Colombia. The charity itself organises**
**occasional appeals through Just Giving**
**eg the “Save the Amazon Education**
**Centre” for Natutama in 2021-22.**| |---|---|---| |Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46|| |A description of the principal
risks facingthe charity|Para 1.46|| |Other||| ## **Structure, Governance and Management** |Description of charity’s
trusts:||| |---|---|---| |Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)|
Para 1.25|**Declaration of trust**| |How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|**Trust**| |Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|**Appointed by the Board**| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction
and training of trustees|Para 1.51|| |---|---|---| |The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51|| |Relationship with any related
parties|Para 1.51|| |Other||| ## **Reference and Administrative details** |Charity name|Children of Colombia| |---|---| |Registered charity number|1095987| |Charity’s principal address|97 Kingston Road,
Oxford,
OX2 6RL| **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** |1
2
3
4
5
6|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year **|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee (ifany)**| |---|---|---|---|---| ||Ms Kate Seal|Chairman||Board of Trustees| ||Mrs Gwyneth
Simmons|Secretary/Publicity||| ||Miss Bryony
Simmons|Treasurer||| ||Mrs Francisca
Sankson|||| ||Miss Alex Raikes|||| ||Ms Antonia Bonilla
Mora|||| – Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved **Director name** Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity **Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year** ## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others** Description of the assets n/a held in this capacity Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets ## **Additional information (optional)** ## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)** **Type of Name Address** ~~ee~~ **adviser** ~~——~~ **Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)** ## **Exemptions from disclosure** Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details **n/a** ~~oe~~ **Other optional information** ~~pT~~ ## **Other optional information** ## **Declarations** **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.** **Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees** **Signature(s)** **Full name(s)** Bryony Simmons ~~a~~ **Position (eg Secretary,** Treasurer **Chair, etc)** ~~ee ee~~ **Date** 2/1/2025 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WAiES rity Namp Receipts and payments accounts CC16a Forthe perfod To 31103r2￿24 Section A Receipts and payments Unrnstrlctsd funds Restrfcted funds Endowment funds Total lund5 Lastyear 26.163 A1 Recelpts 717 15.903 Sub total(Gross income for AR) Xl.814 36.717 15.903 Sub total 117 15.903 20.814 %L165 1QO 24135 100 115 216 216 216 1&716 25.135 45.756 Subt 16.716 2Q6 24136 Plet of reCeIp￿(paYMents) . Trnn5fern bet%wn funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end 4.718 4?21 10.574 8.674 3.956 13.788 9.467 22.462 11,888 21462 tYJ0112025 CCXX R1 a¢uJurts (SS) Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted Restrlcted Endowment funds to noav•st£ Catsgories Details to Mw¢st£ Bl Cash funds a(¥) Unrestrlcted Restrict￿ Endowmont funds Detal Fund to which Cunpntvah Dotalls C(￿t10P1k￿ B3 Investment x8ets Detalls charitys ovm uso Details B5 Liabilities Sw3n￿ by one ori*fj trustees on behawofall the trustees Dale of Signature 0210112025 Independent Examiner'8 Reportto theTrustees ot Childron of Colombia This report on the f inancial statements of Children of Colombia Ithe"Charity"I for the year ended 31 March 2024 is In respect of an examination carried out in accordance with Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 Ithe"Act"l. Re$pe¢tive re$pon8ibilitie8 of the Charity andthe examiner As trustees of the Charity you are responsible for the preparation of the f inancial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Act. You consider thatthe audit requirements of section 144 of the Act does not apply. It is my r8sponslbility to issue this report on those financial statements in accordance with the terms of Section 145 of the Act. Basi8 of this report My ex8mination was carrled out In accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515llbl ol the Act. That examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Charity and a comparison of tho financial statements with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanation8 from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express 8n 8udlt opinlon on the view given by the financial statements. Independent examlner's statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: 111 whlch glves m8 reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in ac¢ordan¢e with section 130 of the Act, and to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and complywith the requirements of the Act have not been met. or 121 to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable 8 proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached. signed Name Address Liffic£ 3, ££T*TE , &LgL q QF Date 14- 2oLS