2020-12-31-accounts

HANDS AROUND THE WORLD

CHARITABLE TRUST

Annual Report and Financial Statements 2020

(A company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Charity Registration No. 1097626 Company No. 4625570

Message from the Chair of Trustees

I am privileged to introduce the Hands around the World Annual Report 2020.

In this year, which has presented us all with so many unimagined challenges, it is so encouraging to see that our partner projects have been able to continue their work in local communities and help families through the pandemic with support from HATW.

Life has looked different for everyone and this has had a significant impact on the way we have been able to function in the UK. However, our amazing team of staff, volunteers and trustees have pulled together to continue coordinating the work with our partners, flexibly responding to changes in local guidance through the pandemic despite having to work from home. This has meant we have continued to provide funding for partners to facilitate food distribution in lieu of meals during school closures, maintaining contact with children whilst they cannot attend school.

The biggest challenge has been our inability to visit projects in person - technological links to projects through Zoom or WhatsApp are not always reliable and our close partnership working style is key to our ongoing - relationship based practice.

We are so proud that the exceptional work of HATW volunteers has been formally recognised this year, through the Queen’s Award for Voluntary - - Service. We are looking forward to continuing with face to face visits as soon as pandemic restrictions allow.

Our partners’ voices come clearly through the project updates in this report – I commend it to you as a summary of our work during 2020.

Heidi Sydor Chair of Trustees

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Executive Officer's Report

Like all small charities, especially those working in international development, we were apprehensive about the funding environment during the pandemic. As life became more difficult for many people in Benin, Kenya, Zambia, Rwanda and India, we were anxious to maintain levels of support to our partner projects and respond to needs as they arose. That we managed to do this in 2020 was a remarkable achievement and thanks in large part to all our committed supporters and donors. Thank you for making it possible!

All over the world, the impact of the pandemic has been felt most acutely by those already vulnerable due to poverty. As Oliver Kirimi, Director of the Disability Community Centre in Maua, Kenya writes, “… government regulations on measures to control the spread brought forth numerous economic and social issues, including interruption and loss of learning, education exclusion, homelessness, nutrition and economic crisis, childcare challenges and increase in teenage pregnancy cases, financial cost implication to households, and sexual exploitation, among others. The effects have been more severe for the underprivileged children and their households from the poor communities.” His words are echoed across the projects.

We are only just beginning to understand the impact of the pandemic and associated school closures and restrictions, but we do know there are sad stories to tell – of school desertion, hunger, abuse, children returning to dangerous activities on the streets, sexual exploitation and early/ unplanned pregnancies. Perhaps the greatest achievement of our partners in 2020 was maintaining contact with so many of the children and families they work with, assisting where possible and making sure they returned to school when they could.

• At home, one of the challenges we faced was the move to home working due to lockdown. By January 2020, we had already begun implementing changes to improve IT systems and office processes and thanks to some incredible volunteer support and a donation of laptops, we were able to expedite these improvements and transfer to homeworking. We were quick to adapt to online meetings for staff, volunteers, trustees, and overseas partners. This has enabled us to communicate effectively and remove the need for unnecessary travel.

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One area of our work that has been negatively affected is our overseas volunteering programme, which has been suspended since March 2020. We were lucky to be able to organise two volunteer visits to Kaliyangile Vocational Training Centre and Pizz School and Support Centre in Zambia at the start of the year, but all subsequent visits had to be cancelled. Although we continue working closely with our partners through email, Zoom and WhatsApp, there is no real substitute for a visit in person.

Our UK volunteers remained active throughout the year and we successfully engaged new volunteers, some of whom were on furlough from work with time to give and skills to share, but our local Monmouth team have missed the usual community activities such as running market stalls, coffee mornings and other events. Nonetheless, we embraced new opportunities to raise funds through virtual activities such as the sponsored events for the 2.6 challenge, the virtual quiz and our online Etsy shop.

We will continue with caution, respecting restrictions and doing what we can to ensure everyone involved in the work of HATW, wherever they are in the world, stays as safe as possible. At the same time, we will stay hopeful that we might enjoy meeting up a little more over the coming year!

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About HATW

Mission Statement

To help children and young people disadvantaged through poverty or disability, or otherwise vulnerable, in partnership with locally managed - centres in Benin, Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia and India. We also support well - prepared volunteers to offer practical help, skill sharing and friendship.

Vision

To enhance educational and vocational opportunities to assist children to reach their full potential.

How we work

• We work in partnership with in country managers to realise their vision of supporting vulnerable children and alleviating poverty within their communities. This means ownership remains within the local community and we are committed to supporting our partner projects move towards sustainability.

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HATW awarded the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service

In June 2020, HATW was awarded the Queen’s Award For Voluntary Service. This is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work and is known as the MBE for volunteers.

In supporting HATW's nomination for the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, the Lord Lieutenant of Gwent, Brigadier Robert Aitken said, "This is an outstanding, focussed and well managed charity reliant on volunteering at its very best.”

This award is testament to the amazing efforts of so many people over the past 26 years and we'd like to say both thank you and congratulations to all volunteers and trustees past and present.

We hope too that this award will encourage and inspire others to come and volunteer with HATW, to discover both the difference you can make and the change it might make in you. HATW was founded on the core values and principles of volunteering. In the words of trustee and founder David Steiner,

“Personally, I have great belief in the ability of volunteers to change the world through empathy, encouragement and love.”

In February 2020, three volunteers were able to visit Pizz School in Zambia. Little did we know at the time that this might be the last visit in a long while. Here is what HATW volunteer Jenny had to say about the trip:

“I felt very humbled and truly blessed to be part of the Pizz School family. My extended families of the HATW team and Pizz school have brought much happiness to my life. In some small way, I have touched the hearts of the children, as indeed they have mine. We laughed, smiled, had fun and all the worries and unhappiness were forgotten for a while. I often say I lived every second of every day in a way I had never thought of.”

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An eco-friendly commemoration of 25 years of HATW

In 2019, we celebrated 25 years of HATW and embarked on a programme of tree planting to commemorate the occasion.

In 2020, 25 trees were planted at each of the five partner schools in Rwanda, 25 at Pizz School in Zambia and 25 at Kaliyangile Vocational Training Centre in Zambia. The planting will continue in 2021 to include Jersey, Wales, Kenya, India and Benin.

As well as marking 25 years of HATW, the trees are a gift to the environment and to communities and future generations. We hope they will be enjoyed and provide both shade and fruit in years to come.

Perhaps this initiative will also encourage more planting in future.

As climate change is set to be the greatest challenge faced by the communities we work with over the coming years, we are committed to considering environmental issues in every aspect of our work.

HATW is embarking on developing an environmental policy and action plan to commit to lessening the impact of our activities and to supporting initiatives that contribute towards a greener future.

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Responding to Covid-19 challenges

• Covid 19 restrictions and, in particular, school closures caused disruption to - - the day to day activities of our partner organisations. They had to adapt and develop new ways of maintaining contact and providing support to the children in their care. For example, they supplied food to the children in lieu of the school lunches they were missing. Food distribution also helped to maintain contact with vulnerable children and thereby support their general - well being.

Whilst Pizz school in Zambia was closed, Project Manager Killian conducted home visits and reported back, "...my findings are that most of the children are missing the lunches provided at school, studying at night is a challenge due to lack of power, children are missing the care and love from the staff at Pizz and I discovered that some children have gone back on the streets."

HATW’s school lunches programme has always been a vital component of the support provided to children at Pizz school. For many of these children the daily school lunch may be the only meal they get that day.

Of particular concern were children on antiretroviral drugs for HIV, as they need to eat regularly to take their medication.

HATW volunteer Lynda Steiner writes about one such child, “...we will call her Caroline – who had particular needs. Like her mother and brother, she is HIV positive and on medication. Mum works hard to make ends meet, but sadly can’t always provide food for her children and so, without the kindness of our supporters enabling the feeding programme, the outcome for this family appeared bleak. Fortunately, Caroline was able to obtain vital basic food from school, keeping her not only fed but also in touch with Pizz and more likely to return to her studies after the school reopened. Indeed, since the restart in late September 2020, she is now back in the classroom.”

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It wasn’t only at Pizz that food distribution became necessary. HATW and HATW Jersey supported our partners in Zambia, Kenya and Rwanda with similar programmes due to hunger resulting from the pandemic and associated difficulties. Persis Musonda, Kaliyangile Centre Director (Zambia) - writes about her experience of the Covid 19 pandemic:

“It has not been easy to live in these strange times of the pandemic. Families globally have been affected, but the situation in some communities, including ours, is dire. Poverty levels have increased as many have lost out on a source of income to provide decent meals and clothing. On a brighter note though, it is encouraging that despite these challenging and difficult times, we, through HATW support, have been able to put a smile on the faces of some families who are benefitting from the food distribution programme and the clothing. To young mothers, all hope seems lost as to how they will care for and look - after their families, but with a bag of mealie meal and some warm clothing from your donations, it is a remarkable difference that ignites new hope! We are eager and hopeful to resume training in the new workshop next year so these young people can be empowered with skills and be able to fend for themselves and sustain their families. Indeed, ‘We cannot help everyone, but everyone can help someone’ and together we can pull through this pandemic!”

Whilst these temporary measures such as food distribution have been essential to address urgent needs, our projects have not lost sight of their - long term goals of providing education and training to build sustainable livelihoods and help children reach their potential.

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The container full of donated items such as these lovely hand knits (pictured below on children at Kaliyangile), plus school shoes and uniforms, books, fabric and much more arrived in Lusaka, Zambia in August 2020 after long - Covid related, transport and customs delays. Our thanks go to everyone who knitted and donated items and to the volunteers who made this possible. Our partners distributed these items with care to vulnerable families during home visits.

In some countries, schools remained closed until the end of the year. But as some schools started to reopen, we worked with our partners to provide items - to prevent the spread of Covid 19, such as facemasks, hand sanitiser, soap and cleaning materials as well as handwashing stations and thermometers for temperature checks. We are very grateful to everyone who supported our Covid appeal and remain committed to doing whatever we can to keep everyone safe.

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Stories from the projects

Despite all the difficulties caused by school closures and the disruption to regular activities, the work continued in 2020. Our partners worked harder than ever to continue helping children in difficult circumstances. The following stories show the difference that they make.

Chez Papa Geoff (CPG), Affame, Benin

• Volunteer Project Co ordinator Nigel England writes about Chez Papa Geoff (CPG) in Benin and Marc’s story:

“CPG orphanage was completed in 2015 and ready to take the first intake of six children. Chez Papa Geoff has capacity for 24 children, but as a team we agreed to start with six and build the numbers of children up so that children and staff were not overwhelmed. The team in Affame had a list of children that had been identified as those most in need.

Visits were arranged for our team and they had a = igh we profound impact on us all. The children had a M=\ ft ) oo): ie haunted look in their eyes and were extremely quiet and shy, except for Marc; he was a very thin, angry boy who had a disabled right arm. He had very limited movement in his arm because of damage caused by Buruli ulcer. Arrangements were made for the children to move to Chez Papa Geoff. We had some discussion about the impact Marc would have and strategies to cope with his anger.

The children were accommodated, and within a short time they adjusted and formed peer groups and a pecking order. Marc was mistaken when he thought he would be the top of that pecking order, as a very bright, commanding young girl took that role. Marc’s behaviour was changed by the supportive and safe environment and by his ability to act as a big brother to the younger children. Thanks to the Chris Halsey Tribute Fund, we were able to arrange for an operation to correct Marc’s arm and he now has much better movement.

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Marc (pictured in the centre below, now at college) has done well enough in secondary school, sponsored by HATW, for him to move on to an apprenticeship in Silk Screen Printing. He continues to receive support, thanks to the Education Support Programme as well as individual sponsorship for accommodation.

The team feel that the support which Marc has been able to access has completely changed his life chances, and his ability to have a fulfilling adulthood.”

• Thankfully, the Covid 19 infection rate remained low in Benin throughout the year and in December, the children were able to enjoy a Christmas party organised by the Association Peace Love Solidarity in Porto Novo. This is about an hour and a half away, and for many of the orphaned children it was their first visit to the administrative capital of Benin. There was plenty of - dancing and drumming and, as Project Co ordinator, Dick Wheelock writes, “CPG is especially lucky, in that one of the younger children is a quite superb drummer. The other children mostly defer to him, but he always willingly moves over to let others try their hand at the tam tams.”

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There is also a farm at Chez Papa Geoff and 2020 saw a - much improved harvest with better land management systems in place. This means that there was a better range of food available to the children at the orphanage as well as a cash crop to provide income to support the project.

• The children love trips out to the fields, involving a five mile journey in the back of a truck. They enthusiastically help with any tasks needed, from collecting firewood to applying fertiliser to the plants.

New Life Centre (NLC), Sarberia, India

The New Life Centre (NLC) offers quality education for children from disadvantaged families in Sarberia, a rural area in West Bengal. Centre Director, Mr Naskar, recognises the potential of girls to become "future social reformers for this community" and strives to support girls in their education and to encourage family members to prioritise this. The girls who leave the NLC school with a good education behind them and ambitions and dreams ahead of them demonstrate the success of the project. For example, Nilima has been a pupil of the New Life Centre school for the past nine years. Centre Director, Mr Naskar reports that she is a very promising student and an excellent role model for the younger pupils. She was due to sit her Secondary Board exams this year, but exams were suspended due to lockdown. Internal school assessments took place instead and Nilima obtained 87%, scoring the top result in her year group.

Nilima comes from a poor family who are supportive of her education despite the financial challenges faced at home. She is the youngest of 5 siblings, her father is a tailor and has a little plot of land for cultivation and Nilima is sponsored through HATW’s Hand in Hand child sponsorship scheme. Nilima is ambitious and plans to become an English teacher. She would like to come back and teach at the New Life Centre when she is qualified. Mr Naskar and HATW are keen to support and encourage her to achieve her goals.

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The NLC school closed in March 2020 due to Coronavirus restrictions and they had to implement distance learning as best they could (for example, through WhatsApp for pupils who have access to a phone and with teachers marking hard copies of work set for the exam pupils). In December 2020, they were able to open the Vocational Training Centre for a small group of women and girls to train in tailoring. Despite the school closure, distance learning continued throughout the year and the NLC staff managed to support children and families in other ways.

In May 2020, cyclone Amphan hit West Bengal. The region where the New Life Centre school is situated was very badly hit. Many people in Sarberia lost their homes and livelihoods. HATW launched an appeal to offer some help for home repairs and Alindra Naskar (Founder and Director of the NLC) developed a new initiative to support local people. They offered training and materials for making bamboo fishing traps, which provided a source of food and a means to earn an income.

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Pizz school and support centre, Monze, Zambia

When Coiled first joined Pizz, he had been out of school for some time. He dropped out of school after both his parents died and he was working as a fisher boy by the Kafue River.

A local person who knew about Pizz school brought Coiled to the office in Pizz and explained his situation. In 2015, he started at Pizz school in Monze in Grade 5. He could not read or write. Amazingly, with the support of his teachers, in 2018 he sat his Grade 7 exam, passed, and successfully made it to Grade 8. He has now recently passed his Grade 9 exams at Pizz and will be sponsored through Grades 10 – 12 to complete his secondary education at a local high school.

This is a fabulous achievement considering the odds were stacked against him and demonstrates how Pizz makes a difference to young lives through access to education, encouragement and support.

In 2020, HATW’s partnership with Pizz enabled 564 children to access care, support and primary education, 95 pupils to access secondary education, three students to go to university and 12 trainee nurses to go to college.

Although we cannot support every school leaver from Pizz to go on to further education and training, we try to help where we can. Thanks to generous donations from individual sponsors and trusts, we have been able to continue supporting many Pizz school leavers through secondary education and a few on to higher education and training.

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These are the six nursing students who started their course in 2020. Unfortunately, they had to contend with distance learning during college closures, but they stuck with it and supported each other through small study groups.

Kaliyangile vocational training centre, Chismba, Zambia

Persis Musonda, Director of Kaliyangile Vocational Training Centre in Zambia, writes about Killian, a young man, aged 23:

“Killian has benefitted from the skills the Centre offers. Having dropped out of school in the ninth grade, Killian had the most basic education and dreamed of a lucrative career. He comes from a family of 10 and is the first born. His father is a local peasant farmer and many times struggles to support the family. We engaged Killian as a milker due to his passion for animals. For three years now, Killian has learnt different skills in poultry, dairy and piggery management and is one of the best millers the Centre has. In addition to learning these different skills, he is able to support his siblings with school fees on an average wage he gets from Kali. This has helped him support his father and keep the family going.”

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Although the centre was closed for students during much of 2020, work continued on the farm. Ezekiel (21 years old) joined Kali to acquire basic skills in agriculture. He completed grade 12 at Chisamba Secondary, but his parents could not afford to pay for his college fees. As a result, he decided to work for Kaliyangile as a poultry worker to save money for his college fees and to support his parents to pay school fees for his siblings.

HATW was able to support Kaliyangile with the construction of a new workshop (see below), which will provide an improved learning environment for students of tailoring and carpentry in 2021 when they are able to reopen to students.

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Disability Community Centre (DCC), Maua, Kenya

Oliver Kirimi, Director of the Disability Community Centre in Kenya, writes about Kelifa, a young boy from Kiutuine Village:

“When Kelifa was eight years old, he got injured while playing and his leg got swollen. His parents took the - injury lightly and only self treated at home with bandages and pain killers. The pain subsided, but after three months he realized he could not extend his knee joint. This made it difficult for him to walk. Due to ignorance and abject poverty, the family did not seek proper medical diagnosis or intervention.

Kelifa continued in that situation for the next three years and was considered disabled by family and community, which prompted the mother to join a disabled persons organization (DPO) at Ndoleli. It was during the outreach clinics organized by the DCC to the Ndoleli area that he was identified and referred to the Centre for further assessment. After the physical assessment, he was booked for screening and later on scheduled for corrective surgery. The surgery was successful and he was stable, and later scheduled for physical therapy after recovering fully from surgical injuries. The

physiotherapy was conducted by the DCC rehabilitation team and the mother, who was trained in basic physiotherapy skills. The physiotherapy took three months, after which Kelifa had fully recovered and was able to move and use his right knee. After attaining normal functioning, he was able to carry on with normal life and joined others in playing football. The family and community were happy to see him fully recovered. This has enabled the community where Kelifa resides to change their attitude towards any form of ailment and embrace the free orthopaedic corrective surgery offered by the DCC.”

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DCC staff were able to continue their work through community outreach – visiting children with disabilities in their own homes. Therapy was conducted at home with an emphasis on teaching parents and carers how to work with their children / the children in their care. This is Emma, who can stand now after successful physiotherapy.

Athi and Irindiro special schools (linked to DCC and HATW) were closed for most of the year. In addition to the interruption to their schooling, the food the pupils were getting while in school was hard to come by at home. The DCC distributed food, facemasks and handwash to over 200 children and families.

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Hands Around The World Jersey (HATWJ) and Rwandan partnerships, Rusizi District

Esther, a student sponsored by HATWJ, writes about her journey leading up to now, as she is about to get her Advanced Diploma in Midwifery:

“I started being sponsored by HATW from 2011. At that time I was in high school year one. I met HATW volunteers in 2010 when I was in primary six. I was always a passionate student with big dreams. I passed my national exam, got the first grades in our school and in the whole sector.

I went to the best school and started my high school journey. At that time things were not good then, I was living with my aunt and she afforded to pay for the first term school fees but she couldn’t keep on paying for me as she had her own family responsibilities.

My mother and family with poor background couldn’t afford to keep me going. I started worrying, not concentrating in classes, as I had no other possibility to stay at the school next term; I suddenly started feeling depressed, hopeless and lost. The next term I went to school with no school fees and few school materials. The school head teacher allowed me to study, but I would be chased from school anytime if the school fees were not provided soon. My thoughts were always wandering in class as I expected always that I would be sent home anytime. That was until I heard that HATW was going to sponsor me, I felt really happy and that is when I stepped into doors of my dream and achievement.

I focused on my studies and finished ordinary level studies. We would go in holidays and the HATW team would give me work at the schools they were building and the money from it, I would use it for my daily needs during the holidays. I got admitted in Advanced level high school and I was super excited to be studying the combination PCB (physics, chemistry and biology) which would allow me to go into medical school, as I always had a dream of being a heath care provider. HATW lifted my spirit up and encouraged me to go for more. I ended high school with good grades and was able to get admitted in National University of Rwanda.

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For these past three years in university, I’ve been studying Midwifery. I’ve done a clinical internship in hospitals of different parts of Rwanda and that could not be possible without HATW’s support. I’ve participated in many government programs, especially youth talk shows to help in prevention of teenage pregnancies, raising family planning awareness to village families in Rwanda and reproduction teaching, as a way to give back to the community as a midwife. I have recently ended college courses and I am waiting for the midwifery license exam, to start working.

I am really glad I got this opportunity to especially thank HATW for being so generous and so considerate to empower students who were facing difficulties in their education and barriers to their future dreams. To this level I am thankful, when I was still in hopeless times, I never imagined I would make it this far. Right now, the light of hope, strength and success and a good future ahead is on my side. Thank you for helping me pursue my dream, I always did my best, knowing that I had your support and I see a big door of opportunities ahead.”

Despite being unable to arrange the annual volunteer visit to Rusizi District in Rwanda, HATWJ and partners were able to progress construction and renovation projects. HATWJ Chair Mike Haden writes:

“There were two great highlights in 2020, a very difficult year in most - respects. The first was the opening of the new two storey classroom block at Muko. A complex piece of construction as it meant building six new classrooms on existing buildings not originally designed for this. However, the lack of space to extend required an innovative solution. The new classrooms will enable a broadening range of subjects for senior students preparing for university.

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The second highlight was our annual sponsored walk across the rugged, picturesque North Coast of Jersey, a distance of 19 miles. After so many fundraising events had been cancelled this year, we were fortunate that September was a time when there was a real lull in the pandemic and 460 people joined us to make the most of a beautiful, sunny autumn day, raising a massive £16,500 for our projects in Rwanda.

As a result, we were able to commit £13,000 to completing this year’s planned project at Ryankana School – the renovation of dilapidated classrooms, which has helped to transform teaching and learning conditions – as well as providing £2,000 towards health insurance for some of the most - disadvantaged local families and contributing some much needed assistance to our head office in Monmouth.”

With the support of Jersey Overseas Aid, HATWJ were also able to construct 12 handwash stations (see photo above) at six schools in Rusizi District in Rwanda to improve hygiene facilities in the face of Covid.

Rev. Callixte Niyimpagaritse from Ryankana School describes how the pandemic affected their activities in 2020:

“ - The Covid 19 pandemic has led to a dramatic loss of human life worldwide and presents a challenge to public health, food systems and work. This has caused social disruption where many people near the school (parents, who are our partners) fall into extreme poverty, others are undernourished. Border closures with both DRC and Burundi have been preventing farmers from harvesting crops and accessing markets, selling their produce. It is in that line that our school was affected, where around 61 students did not come back to school because their families are not able to afford scholastic and other related materials. Students started businesses instead of looking for learning. Parents are not cooperating with the school as usual due to the preventive measures of the pandemic where Assembly meetings are not allowed. I can also mention that one of the areas affected is learning. This is irregular due to the school experiencing a high rate of absenteeism.”

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Looking ahead to 2021

We plan to continue working partly from home and partly from the office in Monmouth. The final step to enable flexible working is to transfer data from - our current database to cloud based software, a move we will implement in 2021 with the help of a skilled volunteer.

We will continue to follow government guidance on international travel but remain committed to facilitating overseas volunteer visits when it is safe to do so. Even once it is possible to travel more freely again, we will continue to make full use of the available technology and to develop communications both within our UK operations and with our partners abroad.

• In 2020, HATW trustees implemented a 12 month emergency strategy which, together with introducing more frequent trustee meetings, enabled us to keep a close focus on immediate issues. In 2021, we will develop a new strategy for HATW to guide us beyond the more immediate concerns of the pandemic.

We will continue supporting our current partners and assisting them to develop and adapt in response to the need and local restrictions. We hope to support some new initiatives, such as:

• Installing solar lighting for the poultry unit at Kaliyangile Vocational Training Centre

• Rebuilding the toilet block at Kaliyangile

• Constructing a well and planting a citrus orchard at Chez Papa Geoff, Benin

• Exploring opportunities for vocational training for Pizz school leavers in Monze, Zambia

• Drilling a borehole for Athi Special School, Athi Primary and the local community, Kenya

• Various initiatives to improve communications, for example installation of WIFI at CPG, provision of laptops for the Disability Community Centre in Kenya and new smart phones for our partners at Pizz

• A construction project planned by HAWJ at Nyakagoma to build three new primary classrooms

More than anything, we are hoping for brighter days ahead. We hope that through global solidarity, partnership and friendship we can help children and families in Benin, Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia and India get through these difficult times, remain in education and reach their potential.

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Financial Review

A summary of our financial performance for 2020 is set out in the Statement of Financial Activities and on the Balance Sheet on pages 31 and 32.

The Statement of Financial Activities sets out our Income and Expenditure for the year. It shows a decrease in both income and expenditure, compared with 2019, which is principally due to the suspension of our overseas volunteering - programme as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic.

• With both income and expenditure impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic it is reassuring that for the year as a whole Income exceeded expenditure by £17,308. This was made up of an increase in unrestricted funds of £9,685 and an increase in restricted funds of £7,623.

A transfer of £6,183 was made from the Project Contingency Fund (a designated fund) to Restricted Funds. This has resulted in a net increase in unrestricted funds of £3,502 and a net increase in restricted funds of £13,806.

The Balance Sheet shows the funds of the charity at 31 December 2020 with unrestricted funds of £61,736 and restricted funds of £125,459.

Our level of reserves throughout the year have allowed us to maintain planned levels of support to our partners as well as providing extra to meet the needs of the pandemic and are the result of the continued support of our committed donors.

The challenge of raising funds and adapting to new ways of working continues, but our reserves at 31 December 2020 allow us to continue our work with our partners.

Legal status

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. The - liability of each member in the event of winding up is limited to £10.

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Financial Review

Directors and trustees

The directors of the charitable company are its trustees for the purpose of charity law and throughout this report are collectively referred to as the trustees. As set out in the Articles of Association at the Annual General meeting, one third of the trustees are deemed to have been reappointed.

• The trustees serving during the year and since the year end were as follows:

Heidi Sydor – Chair Dorothy Ballantine – Treasurer Philippa Moore - Company Secretary Michael Haden - Wendy Sutton Pryce Tess Molloy Margaret Hickland David Steiner

Governing document

Hands Around the World (the “Charity”) is a company limited by guarantee, governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. It is also registered as a charity with the Charity Commission of England and Wales

Organisation

The charity aims to have a board of eight trustees who oversee the charity. In previous years, trustee meetings have taken place on a quarterly basis; these are now taking place more frequently, every six weeks. Bridget Higginson, Executive Officer of Hands Around the World, manages the charity with the - - support of a part time Operations Manager, a part time Finance and Administrative Assistant and a team of committed volunteers.

Appointment and induction of trustees

At Hands Around the World (HATW) we have an agreed role description for trustees, which sets out duties and responsibilities fitting our needs and strategy and in line with the guidelines of the Charity Commission. (There are - also specific role descriptions for Chair of Trustees and Trustee Treasurer.)

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Financial Review

Trustees agree that a suggested person be approached. The person being approached is provided with the role description, the HATW Strategy Document and relevant information about the work of HATW. The person has a meeting with the Executive Officer and/or the Chair of Trustees to go through these documents to make sure that they understand the role and are willing to offer their service. In the light of this, the Chair of Trustees makes a proposal to the trustees.

Once appointed the new trustee meets with the HATW staff including relevant volunteers to ensure that they are familiar with the work of the charity and to identify what their own specific role might be. This includes an induction to the project work of HATW.

Six months after their appointment the Chair of Trustees and/or the Executive Officer has a discussion with the new trustee to review progress. Where appropriate, the new trustee is offered the opportunity of accompanying one of the Project Coordinators on a visit to one of our overseas projects.

The induction process is completed by the end of their first year when they are invited by trustees to set out their observations, experiences, and reflections at a trustees’ meeting.

Volunteers

• The charity has a core of UK volunteers, who undertake regular and on going roles within the charity. We very much welcome this collaboration and are very fortunate to have this help and support to assist in achieving our aims and objectives.

Remuneration policy

The charity has adopted the use of National Joint Council salary scales.

Related party transactions

There were no related party transactions during the year. None of our trustees receive remuneration or other benefit from their work with the charity.

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Financial Review

Reserves policy

The reserves policy was reviewed in December 2020 as part of a regular review of financial controls and is to be maintained at a level that would allow the charity to meet its financial obligations for 3 months. Based on planned expenditure for 2021 this is equivalent to a reserve of £15,500.

This reserve is identified as a ‘Base Level Reserve’, to be used only with the direct authority of the Trustees in a formal emergency meeting convened either physically or virtually to discuss this specific action.

At 31st December 2020, the unrestricted reserves stood at £61,736 (31st December 2019, £58,234).

Plans for future periods

In 2021, HATW trustees will develop a new strategy to guide the charity. This strategy will be reflected in annual projections of income and expenditure. As with previous projections, these will be compared to our actual income and expenditure on a monthly basis and inform decisions at our regular trustee meetings.

Risk management

• • Risks are currently assessed on a project by project basis. A Project Contingency Fund is in place to assist in managing overseas project risk. Systems and procedures to manage all types of risks are reviewed regularly.

Public Benefit Statement

The trustees ensure that the activities of the charity are consistent with its charitable objects and aims. The trustees take into account public benefit as set out in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit. The trustees believe there is clear public benefit derived from the objectives and activities of the charity as set out above.

Reference and administrative details

Registered office: Ridgeway, Mitchel Troy Common, Monmouth NP25 4JB

Administrative office: 24 Church Street, Monmouth NP25 3BU

Tel: [phone] Email: [e-mail]. Website: www.hatw.org.uk

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Bankers

• Co operative Bank, Kings Valley, Yew Street, Stockport, Cheshire SK4 2JU Triodos Bank, NV Brunel House, 11 The Promenade, Bristol BS8 3NN

Independent examiner

Chewe Munkonge FCCA, MBA 7 Grovelands Road Headington Oxford OX3 8HZ

Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements

The trustees (who are also directors of Hands Around the World for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the report of the trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and the Charity SORP (FRS 102).

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which 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 income and expenditure, of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

• Select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently; Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;

• Make judgements 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; Prepare financial statements on a ‘going concern’ basis unless it is inappropriate to assume

• That the charitable company will continue in operation.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

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Statement as to disclosure to our independent examiner

In so far as the trustees are aware:

• There is no relevant independent examination information of which the charitable company’s independent examiner is unaware.

• We have taken all steps that we ought to have taken to make ourselves aware of any relevant independent examination information and to establish that the independent examiner is aware of that information.

Finally, the trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Members of the charity guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £10 to the assets of the charity in the event of winding up. The total number of such guarantees at 31 December 2020 was 8 (2019: 8).

The report of the Trustees has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the small companies’ exemption

Approved by the trustees on 6th September 2021 and signed on behalf of the Board by:

Heidi Sydor (Trustee and Chair)

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THE HANDS AROUND THE WORLD CHARITABLE TRUST Independent Examiner’s report to the Trustees

I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31st December 2020, which are set out on pages 31 to 44.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The charity’s trustees (who are also directors of the company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011, as amended by the Charities Act 2011 (Accounts and Audit) Order 2015) and that an independent examination is needed. I am qualified to undertake the examination by being a fellow member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA).

Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audit under company law and is eligible for independent examination, it is my responsibility to:

• Examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011; Follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act; and State whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations 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 no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view, and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

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Independent Examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements

2. To keep accounting records in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006; and

3. To prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the

4. Companies Act 2006 and with the methods and principles of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (FRS 102)

have not been met; or

1. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Date: 6th September 2021

Chewe Munkonge FCCA, MBA,

7 Grovelands Road, Headington, Oxford OX3 8HZ

The Hands Around the World Charitable Trust

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Statement of Financial Activities (including income and expenditure account) for the year ending 31st December 2020

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

The notes on pages 33 to 34 form part of these accounts

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The Hands Around the World Charitable Trust

Balance sheet as at 31st December 2020

For the year ending 31st December 2020, the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477(2) of the Companies Act 2006.

• The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476,

• The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts,

• These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime.

Approved by the trustees on 6th September 2021 and signed on their behalf

Heidi Sydor (Trustee and chair) Dorothy Ballantine (Trustee and treasurer)

The notes on pages 33 to 34 form part of these accounts

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The Hands Around the World Charitable Trust

Notes to the accounts for the year ending 31st December 2020

1 Accounting policies

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

a) Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: 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 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

Hands Around the World Charitable Trust meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note.

b) Preparation of the accounts on a going concern basis

The accounts have been prepared on the assumption that the charity is able to continue as a going concern, which the trustees consider appropriate having regard to - the ongoing impact of the Covid 19 pandemic, future confirmed unrestricted funding, budgets for 2021/22 and cash balances at the date of signing. The unrestricted reserves were in a net assets position of £61,736 with an unrestricted cash balance of £60,306. The trustees have reviewed the levels of unrestricted reserves as part of their annual report.

c) Income and endowments

All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) when the charity is legally entitled to the income after any performance conditions have been met, the amount can be measured reliably, and it is probable that the income will be received

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d) Gift aid

Incoming resources from tax reclaims are included in the statement of financial activities on a receipts basis.

e) Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of the charity. Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity that the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose (refer to note 8). Restricted funds are donations, which the donor has specified, are to be solely used for particular areas of the charity’s work.

f) Expenditure

All expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to that expenditure, it is probable that settlement is required and the amount can be measured reliably. All costs are allocated to the applicable expenditure heading that aggregate similar costs to that category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated on a basis consistent with the use of resources, with staff costs allocated on the basis of time spent. Other support costs are allocated based on the spread of staff costs.

g) Raising funds

These are costs incurred in attracting voluntary income, including grant applications.

h) Support costs

Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support costs include back office costs, finance, personnel, payroll and governance costs (refer to note 11) which support the charity’s activities.

i) Governance costs

These include the costs attributable to the charity's compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements and any costs associated with the strategic management of the charity’s activities.

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j) Corporation Taxation

• The charity is exempt from tax on income and on gains under sections 466 493 of the - Corporation Tax Act 2010 (CTA 2010) and sections 521 536 of the Income Tax Act 2007 (ITA 2007) to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.

k ) Fixed assets

The charity has no fixed assets. The criteria used in defining a fixed asset is equipment or furniture costing in excess of £1,500 and with a life expectancy in excess of 3 years.

l ) Debtors

Debtors are amounts due to the charity in the ordinary course of business.

m) Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand comprise bank deposits that are instantly accessible.

n) Creditors

Creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers.

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2 Income from donations and legacies

The charity benefits greatly from the involvement and enthusiastic support of its many volunteers, details of which are given in our annual report. In accordance with FRS 102 and the Charities SORP (FRS 102), the economic contribution of general volunteers is not recognised in the accounts.

Following the closure of our office during lockdown the charity received a gift in kind from R J and E M Liddell in the form of a rent rebate. In 2020 this totalled £1,125 and is included in Unrestricted Donations.

3 Income from charitable activities

4 Income from other trading activities

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5 Investment Income

6 Costs ofraising funds

7 Expenditure on charitable actives

8 Project contingency fund

At 31st December 2020, £6,183 had been spent from the Project Contingency fund on overseas projects; in order to show how much direct spend had been made on these projects overall, at the point of spend, it is added to restricted funds spend for completeness.

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9 Donations and analysis of movements in restricted funds

Restricted Donations

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Analysis of movements in restricted funds

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10 Restricted funds

10 Restricted funds
Name of restricted fund	Description, nature and purpose of fund
1.Kenya - DCC	Disability Community Centre and Athi and
	Irindiro special schools helping children
	with disabilities access education, health
	and welfare.
2.Zambia - Maluba PIZZ	School and support centre principally for
	orphaned children – support for education
	and welfare, including school lunches.
3.Zambia - Kaliyangile	Training centre for young people –
	supporting the centre in helping young
	people develop vocational skills.
4. Zambia - University fees	Support for university fees.
5. Benin	A small orphanage with agricultural project
	attached, for income generation, and an
	education support programme to sponsor
	children through secondary and further
	education or apprenticeships
6. Rwanda - Rusizi	Supporting construction projects,
	renovation, and other developments at
	schools in Rusizi.
7. Uganda - Zumbo	Secondary school fees support
8. India - Sarberia	New Life Centre school - school and
	support centre for disadvantaged children.
9. Child Sponsorship scheme	Sponsorship scheme in Zambia, Kenya,
	India, Benin and Uganda supporting access
	to education and training.

10. Lunch box fund Fund supports school lunches and/or food parcels for children and families in Zambia and Kenya.

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11.Chris Halsey Tribute Fund

Fund to help children and young people, met in the course of our own work, who need surgery or medication otherwise unavailable, or other items such as as wheelchair or appliance.

12.Niall fund for student support Fund supports children to access secondary schooling by meeting fees and other costs.

13 Nursing student support Fund to support students through nursing training.

11 Analysis of Governance and support costs

Support costs, including governance costs, have been allocated as shown below:

Support costs have been allocated to the activities of the charity.

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Apportionment of governance and support costs

Governance costs

Governance costs include indirect costs for trustees' meetings, there were no charges for independent examination.

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12 Trustees' renumeration and expenses

No trustees have received any remuneration from the charity during the year. There were no reimbursed expenses paid during the year (2019: £739).

13 Staff costs

No employees had employee benefits in excess of £60,000.

14 Staff numbers

• During 2020 there were three part time staff (2019: four part time staff).

15 Taxation

No tax was charged in the year (2019: £nil). As disclosed in the accounting policies, the company is a registered charity and is, therefore, exempt from taxation.

16 Unrestricted funds

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We are very grateful to the organisations and individuals who have donated so generously to our General Fund during the year.

The following organisations donated £1,000+ to our General Fund during the year:

Jersey Partners

The Martin Laing Foundation D G Albright Charitable Trust

Analysis of movements in unrestricted funds

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