2022-01-31-accounts

SOFTPOWER EDUCATION.COM

(A company limited by guarantee)

REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JANUARY 2022

Charity number 1098936

Company number 04638390

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°_ SOFTPOWER EDUCATION .COM

Financial Statements for the year ended 31 January 2021

Contents

Page

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"List of Acronyms

AEC	Amagezi Education Centre
DEFRA	Department for Environment, Fisheries and Rural Affairs
ICT	information and CommunicationTechnology
IT	Information Technology
IWTCF	legal WildlifeTrade Challenge Fund
KCC	Kyabirwa Children’sCentre
KSN	Kyomya Special Needs
MOU	Memorandum of Understanding
MIDGs	Millennium Development Goals
NSSF	National Social Security Fund
NGO	Non-Government Organisation
PAYE	PayAsYou Earn
PMP	Performance Management Process
PS	Primary School
SAVE	South African Volunteering Experiences
SC	Sub County
SEN	Special Educational Needs
UGX	Shillings
SPE	Soft Power Education
SPEC	Soft Power Education.com
SPH	Soft Power Health
TEFL	Teaching English as a Foreign Language
TUSC	Transporting Uganda’s Sick Children
TEL	Telephone
UK	United Kingdom
UGX	Ugandan Shillings
UN	United Nations
UPE	Universal Primary Education
URA	Uganda Revenue Authority
USA	United States ofAmerica
USL	Uganda Sign Language
UWEC	Uganda Wildlife Education Centre
VSLA	VillageSavingsandLoanAssociation

Legal and administrative information

Constitution

SoftPower Education.com is a company limited by guarantee (incorporated on 15 January 2003) and a registered charity (registered on 11 August 2003) governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association.

Charity number: 1098936 Company number: 04638390

Directors and trustees

The directors of SoftPower Education.com (“the charity” or “the company” or “SoftPower’”) are its trustees for the purpose of charity law and throughout this report are collectively referred to as the trustees. The trustees are elected by a General Meeting of the board and serve for a period of two years or more, subject to certain rotation provisions.

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

Hannah Killingly Small (Chair of Trustees)

James Warrender Bayne

Emma Oxnam

Moira Oliver

Dr Janine Dixon

Robert Johnson (appointed 7" April 2021) Natasha Rosenthall (appointed 7 April 2021)

Secretary

James Warrender Bayne

Registered Office

55 Guildhall Street

Bury St Edmunds |IP33 10F

Bankers

HSBC plc Grosvenor Court 149 Whiteladies Road Bristol BS8 2RR

Solicitors

Russell Jones & Walker Solicitors 324 Grays Inn Road London WC1X 8DH

Accountants

David Roberton & Co 84 Whiting Street Bury St Edmunds Suffolk IP33 1NZ

Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 January 2022

The trustees are pleased to present their report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year to 31% January 2022.

The legal and administrative information set out on the preceding page forms part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the Memorandum and Articles of Association and the Statement of Recommended Practice — Accounting and Reporting by Charities.

Objects of the Charity

SoftPower Education is a non-religious British registered charity working closely within the local community ofJinja, Uganda.

The objects of SoftPower are to:

• e Educate children and adults about cultures other than their own with a view to fostering mutual understanding between people of different backgrounds, and

• e Advance the education of children, mainly in the primary sector, in developing countries through the provision of teachers, equipment and the building of schools.

SoftPower’s original 7-year plan, which started in 2003 has been extended and is reviewed each year. The plan is primarily aimed at refurbishing, up to government standard, the 20 primary schools in the Jinja area. The schools are in varying states of disrepair and with the help of volunteers and donations that the charity receives it is able to build new classrooms, refurbish old ones and assist with teaching programmes.

In order to achieve this SoftPower:

• e Has funded and organised the building of two pre-schools for orphans in Southern Uganda;

• e ls funding and organising the refurbishment of a number of existing Government run primary schools in southern Uganda including the installation of water catchment tanks, building new toilet blocks and painting murals;

• e Is funding the provision of teachers, teacher training, scholastic materials and training aids for the two pre-schools;

• e Ensures that it supports the local economy by employing local building firms and labourers to undertake all building and refurbishment work;

• e Presents and promotes seminars and workshops for local people to help support them ona variety of issues including health, hygiene, women’s rights and developing new sources of income from the tourist market.

• e Provides tourists and visitors to Uganda an opportunity to work directly with local people on these local education projects; and 4.

e Operates a website that brings people, children and adults of different cultures together.

Organisation

A board of three or more trustees administers the charity.

Investment powers

SoftPower has the power to invest in such investments, securities and property as is thought fit by the trustees.

Review of activities for the year and future developments

2.7 SPE ACHIEVEMENTS

2021 and 2021 saw the entire world face unprecedented challenges. In 2020 we could not have known the severity of the pandemic, nor how long it would have such a devasting effect on the entire world. As 2020 drew to a close we were hopeful that some of the normality would return in 2021, that schools would reopen and we would be able to, once again, deliver all of our programmes. Sadly, that was not to be. However, our teams continued to support the families in our programme through food support and home learning/therapy.

Following the closure of our office in Jinja town in 2020, the Amagezi Education Centre became the home to our entire team in 2021. Whilst this move was not without its challenges, it did lead to a significant improvement in team communication, strengthened implementation of financial procedures and a shift towards a more familiar team culture in an improved environment. We restated our commitment to the continued professional development of our team and took advantage of the increase in online training opportunities.

We are immensely grateful to our team in Uganda for their adaptability, versatility and resilience throughout the year. They ensured that we continued to support our families during this unsettling time and many team members taking on roles that were not previously part of their job descriptions. We are proud to have been able to continue to pay all of our team during the various restrictions and lockdowns, enabling them to continue to support their own families through these difficult times. We successfully recruited two new trustees to our UK Board of Trustees and two new members to our Ugandan Board, bringing new skills and support to the Ugandan team. We maintained our existing partnerships with other organisations such as Transporting Uganda’s Sick Children (TUSC), Ekisa Ministries, Soft Power Health, Small Steps Foundation and Solar Light for Africa. We continued to actively participate in networking opportunities such as the Jinja Executive Network (JEN) and the Small International Development Charities Network (SIDCN),

Although sales of our knitted animals were severely hampered by the reduced visitor numbers to Uganda and the challenges in shipping items outside of Uganda, we were able to continue supporting the Kyabirwa Women’s Knitting Group with some small orders. Once again, we were able to support St Francis Hospice in Manchester with 1500 knitted chicks for their Easter fundraising campaign.

Pre-School Programme Achievements

Despite early hopes of our pre-schools being able to reopen in February 2021, ongoing COVID-19 restrictions meant that we faced another full year of closure. However, we were not perturbed by this, our team pivoted and our pre-school! teachers began home learning sessions to all of our preschool pupils. They braved heavy rains and long daily walks between houses to deliver 1,234 home-

, learning sessions to 163 children. These bi-weekly, two-hour sessions saw an average attendance of 88% and ensured that all of our children had access to some learning. Families welcomed this initiative as it was a luxury that was not afforded to the vast majority of children in rural locations.

Kyabirwa Children’s Centre welcomed a new Head Teacher, Deborah, and we sadly said goodbye to our long standing Buwenda teacher, Regina, who had been with us for more than 15 years.

With the reopening of all schools on the 10™ January 2022, we are pleased to report that we have welcomed back 168 children (84 girls and 84 boys). Following the second lockdown in the summer of 2021, we delivered food parcels with 5kgs of rice, 2kgs of sugar, 2 packs of salt and a bar of soap to 156 of our pre-school families.

Special Educational Needs Programme (SEN) Achievements Our families with children with special needs are some of the most marginalised in our communities. They already face immense daily challenges and children with disabilities often have complex medical needs. The COVIDO-19 pandemic only exacerbated this situation with many families losing their small daily income and being unable to support their families.

Despite closure for several months, we delivered therapy to 98 children through 174 clinic sessions and 89 home visits. New clients continued to be registered across all of the clinics, highlighting the continued demand for our services. We supported 89 families with food packages, containing 5kgs of posho, 5kgs of beans, 3kgs of rice, 2kgs of sugar, | pack of salt and 2 bars of soap in September 2021. An additional 8 families were supported financially and all of the families were grateful for this support.

Our Special Needs Teacher, Josephine, continued to support 13 children with home learning support during the school closures.

The residential unit at Kyomya Primary School was only able to reopen for 67 days due to COVID-19 restrictions. 20 children had returned to the unit between April and June before schools were forced to close again due the severity of the second wave that hit Uganda in June 2021.

We were delighted when schools were able to reopen on the 10 January 2022. We welcomed back 20 children and began recruitment for the remaining 4 places. Our residential unit ensures that all of the pupils are able to access education on a daily basis whilst being cared for in a secure and loving home setting.

When restrictions began to ease towards the end of 2021, we invited 9 families with children with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus to meet up where we discussed our programme and the support that we offer. Feedback from our families is a crucial element of assessing the success of our programmes. They all expressed their gratitude for our services and that we continued to support them during the challenges of the pandemic. Requests were made for more opportunities to learn new income generating activities and/or financial support for their existing businesses. We also welcomed 11 deaf youths to a meet up to discuss their challenges from the perspective of the deaf community. They expressed their frustrations over the long school closures and how information for the deaf community had been limited.

This type of feedback is an important element in informing our future programmes.

In April 2021, we partnered with BISS Bakeries to train 8 mamas of our SEN children, in setting up their own bakery business. After an intensive two-week training, 5 bakeries were successfully established. The impact of such a programme cannot be underestimated. The mamas have been empowered to be able to establish and run their own income generating business whilst having the flexibility to care for their child. The increase in household income will enable them to further support their children

s

with therapy, nutrition and medical care.

.

The ‘BISS ladies’, as they are now known, regularly provide snacks for our team meetings and training events.

Sadly, over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen an increase in the number of deaths of children with special needs. Families facing reduced income have often been unable to meet the complex needs of their children. In 2021 we continued to support families with a condolence payment to help with burial costs at such a difficult time.

School Infrastructure Programme (SIP) Achievements

Global travel restrictions continued into 2021 and with Uganda being added to the UK red list, we faced another year of volunteers being unable to visit. Our school renovation projects are predominantly funded by volunteer groups, which meant that we were unable to deliver any largescale programmes in 2021.

However, in partnership with Solar Light for Africa and the Jinja District Local Government, we installed solar lights onto 3 staff houses at Butangala Primary School, Kiiko Primary School and Kagogwa Primary School.

We replaced the solar system at the SEN residential unit at Kyomya Primary School and added light to the kitchen block, ensuring the safety of our matrons and residential students whilst cooking. It is crucial that there is light at our unit for all of our deaf students to be able to communicate through sign language in the evenings.

We installed light in classrooms at two zonal leader schools — Buyengo Primary School and Namaganga Primary School.

Our long-standing partnership with Solar Light for Africa continues to strengthen each year and we are grateful for their continued support.

Fundraising in 2021-22

The COVID19 pandemic left many charities in a difficult financial position. Community fundraising and events fundraising collapsed. This coupled with a surge in applications to trusts and foundations, who focused their attention on UK based COVID-19 response programmes, meant that fundraising for international development work to the hundreds of peopled who donated to our appeals, hosted virtual events and took on challenges.

Our Plans for 2022-2023

As a charity, we are committed to our vision of becoming Ugandan-led and we will continue to work on strengthening our Ugandan Board to achieve this. SPE will ensure that every strategic decision affecting the children and the communities it works with in Uganda, are taken with a holistic understanding of cultural norms and values. To ensure this, SPE will aim to become racially inclusive and diverse at every level of the organisational hierarchy and produce an inclusive decision-making policy which ensures stakeholder engagement and diverse voices are taken into consideration in order to achieve high quality sustainable solutions. Under the umbrella of education, SPE will aim to empower every stakeholder that affects the development of the child, like parents, local schools, local youth, government teachers and headteachers. SPE will aim to leave the communities it works with empowered enough to become self-sustainable and to take responsibility for its vulnerable members.

We are committed to adhering with all statutory obligations such as Pay As You Earn (PAYE), National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and Local Service Tax (LST). We will continue working in collaboration with the Jinja City and Jinja District and NGO Board to ensure that our activities align with the broader

, government objective, providing reports to all relevant stakeholders. We will also maintain our commitment to networking with other organisations in Jinja to offer referral pathways to our families and avoid duplication of services.

This year we will put our performance management process (PMP) back in place following a break during the uncertainty of the last two years. We will continue to emphasise the importance of continuous professional development within our team, ensuring that they feel supported and have access to all relevant training opportunities. Recruitment for a new manager for our Special Needs Programme will be a key priority to ensure the development of the SEN Programme and professional support to the SEN Team.

Our Kyabirwa Knitting Group will continue to produce high quality products to be sold both in Uganda and across the world. We will explore new products and retail opportunities, providing an income for families in the community.

As fundraising events begin to normalise, we hope to reinstate our beloved Jazz Events and explore new fundraising opportunities. With the experience of the COVID pandemic, it is crucial that we continue to be agile and ensure that we have a diverse fundraising portfolio to navigate any future disruptions and ensure SPE’s financial sustainability.

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On behalf of the Trustees.
J W Bayne /
Director
pate... [26,][ Cchobe] , [2022] ©
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Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of SoftPower Education.com

| report on the accounts of the company for the year ended 31 January 2021 which are set out on pages 10 to 15;

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The trustees (who are also the 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 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

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 2011 Act; ® follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission 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.

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:

• ° to keep accounting records in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006; and e to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records, comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities have not been met; or

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

Steph Cook

Stephen Cook MA FCA

David Roberton & Co Chartered Accountants 84 Whiting Street Bury St Edmunds Suffolk 1P33 1NZ 7] Ochrbe Lepr

SOFTPOWER EDUCATION.COM

Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 January 2022 (including income and expenditure account)

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||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Unrestricted|Restricted|Total|Total| |funds|funds|funds| |2022|2022|2022|2021| |Notes|£|£|£|£| |Incoming|resources| |Activities for generating|funds:| |T Shirt and|pottery|sales|0|0|11| |Donations|3|92,025|0|92,025|164,839| |Gift|aid|tax|reclaimed|9,392|9,392|12,807| |Fundraising|702|702|370| |Interest|received|8|8|58| |Other income|9,850|9,850|8,422| |Total|incoming|resources|111,977|O|111,977|186,507| |Less cost|of generating funds|4|1,628|1,628|1,158| |Net incoming|resources|available| |for charitable|application|110,349|QO|110,349|185,349| |Charitable|expenditure| |Direct costs of schools|project|4|111,148|O|111,148|123,341| |Support costs|of managing the|schools|project|4|4,924|4,924|4,384| |Managing and|administering|the|charity|4|5,057|5,057|5,124| |Total|charitable|expenditure/resources| |expended|121,129|O|121,129|132,849| |Movement|in|total|funds|for the|year|-| |net income for the year|-10,780|0|-10,780|52,500| |Transfer between funds|0|0| |Fund|balances|brought forward|194,388|O|194388|141,888| |Total|funds|carried forward|8|183,608|O|183,608|194,388|

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The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

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SOFTPOWER EDUCATION.COM Balance Sheet at 31 January 2022

	Notes	2022	2021
Fixed Assets		£	£
Tangible assets	6	665	2,014
Current assets
Debtors	7	9,385	12,891
Cash at bankand in hand		189,099	194,584
		198,484	207,475
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year		15,541	15,101
Netcurrent assets		182,943	192,374
Total assets less current liabilities		183,608	194,388
Creditors: amounts fallingdue after one year		-
Total assets		183,608	194,388
Funds
Unrestricted	8	183,608	194,388
Restricted	8	(e)	(0)
		183,608	194,388

These Accounts are prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small entities.

For the financial year ended 31 January 2021 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 Companies Act 2006; and no notice has been deposited under section 476. The trustees acknowledge their responsibility for ensuring that the company keeps accounting records which comply with section 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and preparing accounts which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company as at the end of the year and of its profit or loss for the financial year in accordance with the requirements of section 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006, so far as applicable to the company.

Approved by the trustees on 26October 2022 and signed on their behalf by

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James Bayne /
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Company number 04638390

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SOFTPOWER EDUCATION.COM Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 January 2022

1 Accounting policies

• The principal accounting policies adopted in the preparation ofthe financial statements are as follows:

• a Basis of accounting

• The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. 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) issued on 16 July 2014, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Practice as it applies from 1 January 2015.

b Incoming resources

• Voluntary income is received by way of donations and gifts and is included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable. Income from the sale of T shirts, sponsorships and other fund raising activities are included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable. The value of the free services provided by volunteers has not been included.

c Resources expended

• Resources expended are included in the Statement of Financial Activities on an accruals basis.

d Depreciation

• Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost of each asset over its expected useful life, which in all cases is estimated at 3 years. Individual assets costing £500 or more are capitalised at cost.

e Foreign currency

• Donations received and resources expended during the period in Uganda have been translated into sterling at the average rate of exchange for the year. Any gains or losses on exchange are included in the Statement of Financial Activities. Foreign currency balances are translated into sterling at the exchange rates prevailing on the balance sheet date. Any gains or losses on exchange are included in the Statement of Financial Activities.

• f Funds Unrestricted funds are avaiable for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.

• Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrcitions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

2 Legal status of the charity

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. The liability of each member in the event of a winding-up is limited to £1.

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SOFTPOWER EDUCATION.COM

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

		2022	2021
		£	f
3	Donations
	General donations	92,025	164,839
4	Total resourcesexpended
	Cost ofgenerating funds
	General fund-raising and marketing expenditure	1,628	1,158
	Direct cost of schools project
	Building materials and tools	139	5,875
	Project staffcosts	93,094	95,338
	Miscellaneous other direct project costs	17,915	22,128
		111,148	123,341
	Support costs ofmanagingthe schools projects
	Wagesand salaries	0	0
	Transport depreciation	1,744	1,744
	Plant and machinery depreciation	0	0
	Office equipment depreciation	1,737	1,469
	Communications and office costs	1,443	4171
		4,924	4,384
	Managementand administration ofthe charity
	Bank charges	263	294
	Othermanagement and administration costs	4,794	4,830
		5,057	5,124

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SOFTPOWER EDUCATION.COM Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

		2022	2021
		£	£
5	Staffcosts and numbers
	Staffcosts
	Salariesandwages	93,094	95,338

The average weekly number of employees {including paid volunteers) during the year, calculated on the basis of full-time equivalents, was as follows:

			2022		2021
Admin staff			3		2
Project staff			20		23
Volunteers			0		5
			23		30
Tangible fixed assets
	Plant&	Furniture	Motor	Computer	Total
	machinery	&fittings	vehicles	equipment
	£	£	£	£	£
Cost
At 1 February2021	18,836	3,156	61,883	16,222	100,097
Additions	[9]	ie)	(0)	2,132	2,132
At31January2022	18,836	3,156	61,883	18,354	102,229
Depreciation
At 1 February2021	18,836	3,156	60,138	15,953	98,083
Chargeforthe year	0		1,744	1,737	3,481
At 31January2022	18,836	3,156	61,882	17,690	101,564
Net book value
At31January2022	Q	0	1	664	665
At31January2021	[e]	[¢)	1,745	269	2,014

6 Tangible fixed assets

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SOFTPOWER EDUCATION.COM

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

7	Debtors		2022		2021
			£		£
	GiftAid receivable		9,384		7,430
	Other debtors		1		16
			9,385		7,446
8	Analysis ofnet assets betweenfunds
		Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Total
		funds	funds	funds	funds
		2022	2022	2022	2021
		£	£	£	£
	Fixed assets	665		665	2,014
	Net current assets	182,943	O	182,943	192,374
		183,608	O	183,608	194,388

8 Analysis of net assets between funds

The restricted fund related to funding received in respect of the Murchison Outreach DEFRA-IWTCF ((Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund) project.

9 Movement in funds

Movement in funds
	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total
	funds	funds	funds
	£	£	£
As at 1 February 2021	194,388	Q	194,388
Movement in the year	-10,780	0	-10,780
Transfer between funds	0	Q
Asat31January2022	183,608	QO	183,608

10 Related party transactions

Some of the expenses of the charity have been met as a donation in kind by certain of the trustees. The value of these expenses and services could not be quantified and therefore has not been included in these financial statements.

There were no other related party transactions.

No trustee received any remuneration in their capacity as trustee.

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