ANNUAL REPORT 2024 Registered Charity no: 1099797 An unincorporated charity
WHO WE ARE
Trustees:
Andy Pilcher (Chair), Rob Owen (Vice Chair), Niki Owen, Sue Pilcher, Jane Williams, Margaret Adams, Andy Pudduck, Hayley Bowen, Dan Evans, Fi Evans, Alison Page, Terry Emmanuel, Kathryn Stewart
Jennifer Fletcher
Finance & admin support: Veronica German
Partner organisation in Uganda: Abaagala Uganda
Contact emails:
UK registered address: 23 Heatherslade Road, Southgate, Swansea, SA3 2DD Andy Pilcher - andy@careforuganda.org Website: www.careforuganda.org Jennifer Fletcher - jennifer.fletcher@careforuganda.org
WHAT WE DO
The objects of Care for Uganda are: To relieve poverty and advance the education of the people of Uganda, in particular children and young people
Delivered in partnership with: Luwero District Government & Buganda Kingdom
Areas of work:
Education - school and vocational education sponsorship Health - village health teams & motorbike ambulances
Community support & livelihoods - assistance for disadvantaged families & income generation
ACHIEVEMENTS THIS YEAR
This has been an important transition year for Care for Uganda with the retirement of founder CEO, Andy Pilcher, and the handover of this role to Jenny Fletcher. Thankfully Andy has continued his commitment to the organisation by becoming Chair of Trustees.
Over the past 20 years Care for Uganda has become a strong and well-respected organisation, both in Luwero District, Uganda, and in Wales. We will continue our impactful grassroots work and we look forward to exploring new opportunities in this next stage of our organisational development.
Key achievements this year:
Education
228 children in Luwero District were sponsored to continue their education. Only around 60% of children in Uganda complete primary level education because parents/guardians can’t afford to cover all the school-related costs. Our sponsorship support is therefore crucial to some of the most disadvantaged children and families. With our wonderful sponsors we commit to helping children finish their education up to the end of secondary school, or vocational training. We assist with school fees and uniforms and scholastic materials where possible too.
We also provided some donated educational and play resources to the schools that our sponsored children attend, such as pens, pencils, notebooks and footballs.
Health:
Our health committee, FLOW (Friends of Luwero), have continued to support 8 village health teams (around 240 volunteers in total) to promote healthy living within their communities. Village Health Teams advise on measures to reduce disease, such as improvements to hygiene and sanitation and encouraging parents to immunise their children. Refresher training was also provided to one of our VHT groups this year.
FLOW continued to fund and manage the operation of 8 motorbike ambulances, which are able to transport people from very rural areas to health centres and hospitals in emergencies. This free service is particularly prioritised for pregnant mothers in labour and sick children.
This year, thanks to a grant from the Welsh Government’s Wales and Africa programme (managed by the Wales Council for Voluntary Action), we bought 2 new additional motorbike ambulances. These new ambulances have been given to the Luwero District Government Health Office to operate and have been placed in some of the most remote, rural areas of the District.
Community support:
As in previous years we have donated some supplies to families and households in our linked community areas, including:
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Mosquito nets
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Solar lamps
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Washable, reusable sanitary pads
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Sun hats for children with albinism
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Materials for constructing basic ‘tippy taps’ – very simple, hands-free mechanisms for handwashing, made of local materials
We also undertook a larger project to help a particularly in-need family headed by a widow who is one of our Village Health Team volunteers. For several years she had been living in a very dilapidated shack with 6 children and her elderly mother next to a partially built house her husband had been unable to complete before he died.
Thanks to a number of generous supporters from south Wales and Clevedon we were able to finish the new house by providing a roof, floor, door and window frames. The family are now living much more safely and comfortably in their new home.
Livelihoods – new developments:
In February 2024 we were delighted to be awarded a women’s empowerment grant by the Welsh Government’s Wales and Africa programme. Over the next year we will be working with 8 rural women’s livelihoods groups (7 existing groups and 1 new group) in Luwero. We aim to boost their small enterprises and income levels by providing them with new equipment, such as sewing machines, catering pans, and soap making ingredients. We will also be providing some training on issues that affect women.
Thanks to a legacy gift we will also be further developing our on-site workshop building, to be used for a women’s book-making enterprise and other livelihood and training activities.
FINANCES
Reserves policy - Care for Uganda will hold a minimum of £2,500 as reserves.
Care for Uganda (UK) 1 April 2023-31 March 2024 Breakdown of Income and Expenditure
| Income | Expenditure | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsorship | ||||
| Sponsorship | £42,075.00 | Uganda staffing | £7,644.00 | |
| Sponsorshipcosts- fees and overheads Uganda | £23,173.00 | |||
| General | Other inc newsletters & software | £316.97 | ||
| Donations | £3,439.77 | Computer equipment | £2,850.78 | |
| Gift Aid(21-23) | £34,357.47 | TOTAL SPONSORSHIP | £33,984.75 | |
| Legacies | £9,904.26 | |||
| Other | £768.00 | General | ||
| UK Staff | ||||
| Grants | Salaries | £23,148.37 | ||
| FLOW | £14,429.00 | Tax and NI | £3,724.24 | |
| Women | £23,800.00 | Pensions | £1,954.48 | |
| Payroll fees | £406.28 | |||
| FLOW | ||||
| Donations | £14,829.98 | Office costs | ||
| Sales and Events | £3,183.50 | Software | £77.70 | |
| Profesional fees | £2,001.45 | |||
| Development Support Programmes | £10,709.00 | Bank charges | £110.01 | |
| Insurance | £684.09 | |||
| Buildings | £1,710.00 | Printing& stationery | £299.99 | |
| Travel | £1,187.06 | |||
| LINK Donations | £500.00 | Uganda activities | £1,787.00 | |
| TOTAL | £159,705.98 | TOTAL GENERAL | £35,380.67 | |
| FLOW | ||||
| Activities | £29,470.72 | |||
| TOTAL FLOW | £29,470.72 | |||
| Cash assets | DSP | £16,602.87 | ||
| B/f from 22-23 | £29,655.27 | TOTAL DSP | £16,602.87 | |
| Closingbalance to c/f | £71,718.89 | |||
| Buildings | £1,170.00 | |||
| Net movement | £42,063.62 | |||
| LINK donations | £500.00 | |||
| Savingspayment Uganda | £533.35 | |||
| TOTAL OUT | £117,642.36 |
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND ANO WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Raport to tho trustees Narre Care For Uganda On accounts for the year 31-03-2024 Charlty no (If any) 1099797 Set out on pages Iremefftl inth(J& 1. I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Ihe Tmsf) for year ended 31103 12024. As the (*aTity truste8s of the Trust. you are responsible for Ihe preparatr'on of the accounts in accor(lance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('Ihe Arf.) Responslblllties and basis d report l port in resped of my examination of the Trusvs a¢unts Carried out urKler section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination. I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charfty Commission under section 145(5Xb) of the Act. Independent I have compfeted my examination. I confimi that no material matters have examinerfs statement come to my att6ntion in conneclion wilh th8 examination which gives me cause to b81ieve that in. any material respect.. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with Section 130 of the Chartties Act.. or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records I have no ncernS and have come across no other matters in Gonnection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to 6nabl6 a proper understanding of the accounts to be reach8d. . Please lete the words in th8 brackets If they do not apy. Dats: Signed: Name: erLA Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: Forge Acuntancy, 6 Forge Road. Port Talbot, SA13 1 NU IER Oct 2018
Section B Disclosure Onty complete if the examiner needs lo highlight material matters of concern (see CC32. Independent examination of charity accounts.. direciions and guidance for examiners). Give hern brlef detalls of any items that the examlnérwlshos to discloso. IER Oct 2018