Savannah:, Trustee's Report & Financial Statements 2020-21
SAVANNAH EDUCATION TRUST REPORT & FINANCLIL STATEMENIS Vear ended 5 April 2021
Chatity name.. Savannah Educatton Tn Address: 58 Appledore Gardens Lindfield West Sussex RH16 2EU Tnjstees: Paul R2msbottom (Chair) Richard Cooper Howard Hicknian Steph¢n Ramsbottom Charlty number: 1104896 Website- NThw.savannahtrust.01
TRUSTEES, REPORT Ob eetiv¢s alld aetivitifs Governance The Savannah Education Trust is a charitable trust governed by a tnt deed dated 23 June 2004. Apart Irom the founder Trustees, any Trusiees are appointed OT reappoinled for a tenn of thre¢ y¢ars by a resolution of Trustees. The work of the Trust in Ghana is managed by Pastor Charles Karbo (who leads a small team b&sed in tAwra). and the Trust works in partnership with the local tribal leadership and district governmenL The management of our schools is through a Committec drawn from the church and the local villagc community and the ongoing cost of teaching staff is funded by the Ghanaian government through the Ghana Education Service. Ob eclive Th¢ charity's objectives are the advancement of alucation and the relief of poverty of people living in Ghan& In particular, the clwity provides an education for some of the most disadvantaged children in Upper West Region (Ghana's most impoverished region) by." building and runni Christian prinw s¢hools in rural villages which Currently have little OT no access to educatio pr()viding ¢ssential resour$ for schi>ols Nvhich are not provided by goveTnment. This includes physical resources (e.g. IK)rehole, bks) and a targed programme for teachers (a teacher training programme to ensure a st¢ady supply of qualtfied teach- ers educating every child in each village in which the TTr works. no matter how poor. whether girl or IK>y. whatever their disadvantsge or disability. tailoring. where possible. the education to suit the particular needs of children in this region. The projects are managed at the Ioc21 level by local peoplc. Savannah Edueation Trust works in close collaFM)ration Thith Ghanaian partners: th¢ Baptist churclL tb¢ local District Education Office, tribal l¢ad¢rship and parents. The schools are embedded within the Ghana Education Service (GES), who have the ongoing responsibility for teachers, wages. blC school
resources and inspecting the quality of iea¢hRng. Savannah Education Trust is full}, committed to safeguarding th¢ welfare of all children and young people with whom it comes into contacL The schools which we create and run are government schools and the immedtate responsibility for saf¢guatding therefore sits with GES. Our own staff are committed to these principles and work closely with government officials and teaching staff who have oveTall responsibility for child protection issues. Our safeguarding policy is publicly available. We have organised safeguarding conferences for our staff (and other educational staff in th¢ area). Activilies The villages ill which the charity works are in the savannah countryside clustered around th¢ market town of LaVa in Ghana's Upper West Region. Our first CbTRStian Primary school was opened in the village of Bagri during Autumn 2006 and we currently have nine schools, namely (in order of nStruCtIOn). Bagri, Gberi, Payll M¢ltolL KorL l ungan-zagkpee, Boo. Baapari and Danko-Butee. This was a y¢ar like no other in Savannah's history. At the start of the year. the Covid-19 pandemic meant that all schools across CJhana closed. While the three classes ai the JHS were reopen¢d in June, for much of the year sadly most of our ¢IroOmS w¢re silenl. It was with a great sense of excitement and thanksgiving that our schools fully reopened in January 2021 {a8ain in line with governmeni guidanc¢). W¢ are thankful that they have rc- mained oEKn subsequently, and our staff have t*en working hard io encourage pupils to re- turn to school. We were somewhat worried that. in these communities where there is not a long tradition of education and where there aT¢ many pr¢ssures to keep children away from school, many children would simply not returEL We ate ple&rf however: to report that at- tendAnce seems to be holding up well. There are now well over 2,000 pupils receiving an ed- ucation across nine villages. The pandemic h2S Put pressll on the already fragile existence in these villages. including rising living costs. During the y&4r we bav¢ endeavouTed to provide additional support where possible. This h&s included a Covid-related allowance for our statrteam. There has been much fear in the local are4 and very little PTovision for combatting the virus. We have. there- fore. also made a contribthion toward supporting local health workers with some basic facili- ties including Veronica buckets (dustbins with taps on to allow for hand-washing- a very
effective local solution to a significant problem), locally produced face masks. liquid soap and hand sanitisers. Similarly, we have provided Sary sanitary facilities for our class- rooms. Although the classrooms were not &s busy as usual, building work continued apace during the The major new work during the year was the wnsinLCtion of a new school at Danko-Buree. This 15 a hugely significant development for the tiwit>lled ComunitieS of Danko and Buree - villages to the north east of Lawra (on the road to Eremon). Th¢ communilies had already tried to start a fledgling school, althougb predominantly under and without proper teachers. Across all of the Savannah schools. there is an ongoing maintenance programme of paint- ing and of rewiring. Duting the y¢ar. the Junior High Sch(K)Is {for children aged I I to 14) were painted in the villages of Metb and Korh. A novel development for Savann2h- noted in the report last year - has been th¢ construction of a new teacher training Ydnd conference eentre in Lawra. The building will hav¢ significant benefit as a central facility for all of our teachers and headtracheTS. Life as a teachcr Én a village school can often be lonely. This will k a gathering place foT shaTin8 experiences and for more fornial learning. It will also hold resources - both digital and traditional _ to help staff. It will form an importanl element of our ambition to maintain a high standard of ¢ducation in our s¢hools and provide support to our teaching and ancillary staff. The multi-purp)se facility will also be used &s the Savannah office for out staff. In January 2021. our staff moved into the new building and in March 2021 we were able to hold our first teacher training sessio A feeding programme, providing a meal for each schoolchild each day has ken an iEn- portant part ot" our acts"vitics siuce we slarte although paused for some ot- the year due to Covid-19 restrictions. In this Tegion, children are used around the home and in the fields to help with domestic chores and farn]ing. A meal helps to acute pressure on families, and encourages them to release children from this of work. Increasingly, the Ghanaian gov- ernment is tskin8 over the responsibility of this element of our work. Lunch for childr¢n ai-
tending Junior High Schools has until now nol Ln part of the government's programme and so remains the responsibility of th¢ charity. Th¢ Trust is supporting the schools (and indeed the whole district) through a teacher train- ing programme. Many schools, particularly in nal locations, struggle to attract qualified teachers. This is compounded by the fact that many qualified teachers choose to work tn more affluent areas of CThan& The scholarships have iren givell on the underst8ndiDg thaL once training is complete(L the teacher will return to work in Lawrd Municipality. Upper West Re- gion. It is the intention that the new teacher training centre will complement this programme, not least with continuing professional development This has been a year of challenge. Yet. more than a decade after the WOTk started, the village5 in which we work are b¢ing transfornied. We r¢main acutely aware of the ongoing need. During th¢ year we therefore made the decÈsion thaL God willtng, we will start work and construd a school in a tenth village". the village of Lyssam in the north of thÉs area. Fundin The Savannah Education Trust is extremely grateful to supportas who have generously funded its work during the lasL difficult year. Without tbis suppoQ our ongoing activities would not have been possibl¢. It has been a source of much ¢ncoura8emeIit to tThteeS and the executive team during the year. We continue also to a¢knowledg¢. with gratitude, the kind voluntary help that we have received. Income in the year totalled £330,317 the majority of which was voluntary income. We find regular, pledged income through direct debits particularly helpful in planning future activities. We are also very grateful to have received a number of grants from grant-making charities during the y. We nated *t tkn Tt had mwle A a•£¢it - our major capital 1Dfr&strUe projects. We indicated that we hoped to return to break-even during financiaI year 2020-21 an(t despile the difficuli backdrop. are therefore very thankful to be able to r¢port a surplus of £111,399.
Reserves and lu TteeS have r¢viewed the charity's need for reserves in line with the guidance issued by the Charity Commission. Thc reserves are held for three puryK)ses. Firs¢ Tnths d¢em it prudent to hold conting¢ncy funds to cover the costs of the future maintenance of schools and &%sociai¢d buildings. Secondly) as outlined above, w¢ intend to expand the work into further villages (anQ for the year in question, a projert to build a new school in Lyss8h). The speed of expansion into new villages will be dictated to a considerable extrnt by availability of funds, particularly as fimding is also needed to continue the work in ¢xisting villages. Thirdly, as well as th¢se planned aDd tential capital projects, th¢ charity conttnues to have considerable ongoing Costs, particularly for the feeding and teacher training programmes. We are very conscious that the annual re¢urrent costs ar¢ incr¢&sing year by year, not le&st as the schools reach pupil capacity. It is helpfi to hold at least one year's worth of the charity's core costs (i.e. staff and core prOaMmes) tn reserve. Th¢ key project planned for the next financial year (2021-22), if the Lord will. is the con- struction of a new schi)ol in Lyssah. This will be our tenth school. We also hope to Construct a Junior l.ligh School at the site of our existing school in Baapari. The Trustees have nominally designated £50.000 from the reserves towards these future capital costs. On 5 April 2021 the charity held r¢s¢rv¢s (net of the funds nominally designated for capital projects) of £282,315. Approved by Trustees aod signed on their bebalf Date.. 31 December 2021
Independent examiner's report to the trnstees I report on the accounts of the Trusi for the year ended 5 April 2021, which are set out on pages Ioto 16. Respeclive respo{bilitieS oItrlees and examiner The charity's trust¢¢s ar¢ r¢sponsiblc for the prepardtion of th¢ accounts. The charity's trSteeS 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 ind¢pendent examination is needed. It is my r¢sponsibility to: ¢xamin¢ the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 ACL to follow the procedures laid do in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act" and to statc whether particular matters bave com¢ to my attentio B(tsis of iphlependent examiners reporl My examination was carried out in accordance with th¢ general directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a Lomparison of the accounts present with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and secking explanations from you a5 trustees conccrning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be rquired in an audit and consequently no opinioll is given &$ to whetheT the accounts present a and fair Vie and the Tewrt is limited to those matters Set oul in the statement below. Independent ¢xamin¢r's statement In connection with my examinatio no mattcr has come io my allention: (l) which gives m¢ reasonable cause to believ¢ that in any material rcspect thc followin¥ reauirementq have not been met.. to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act. and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 A or
(2) to which, in my opinion. attention should be drawn in order to ¢nabl¢ a proper understanding of the accounts to be reach. Name.. Relevant professional qualification or bod).: h L Pi L r Ctr¥ Addres5.' CLL ts) Tr VIFt R-r
SAVANNAH F.DUCATION TRUST Ststemeot of Fln*nci41 Activities for th¢ year ended 5 April 2021 (Including Income and Expenditure Aethunl) Unr¢strictaJ Restrict 2021 2020 Total Totgl Funds (£) Funds (£) Note Fun(Ls Funds Volunl(3ry income Donations Direct debit contributions Gift aid Legacies 234.841 76,751 18.664 234.841 76,751 18,664 153,217 69,945 15,652 330,256 330,256 238,814 Oiher income Interest received 61 61 509 Tots] incoming resour¢c5 330317 330.317 239,323 Resozffces Expended Cost of Genernting Funds Newsletters and circulars 2.852 2,852 D1ct ChaTithble Erpendirure Building projects Pupil feeding programme Tea¢her tsining scholarshlps Tnsport Building maint¢nance 102.204 7.592 20,150 5.870 6.162 141978 102,204 7.592 20,150 5,870 201,561 43,712 23.697 20,022 141,978 319,130 Suppori Costs Trip to Ghana Admin- Ghana {incl. all stafFing) Admin - UK Depr¢ciatton Exchange difference 2.365 59,504 4.290 7,446 2.848 74.088 59.504 4,290 7,446 2,848 74,088 55,695 4,006 6.107 1,915 66,258 lot21 resources expended 218.918 218.918 387 874 Net inwrne / (expenditure) for the yekr 111.399 111.399 (148,551) Total funds bmught forward Total funds carri¢d forward 220.916 332.315 220,916 332.315 369.467 220.916 io
SAVANNAH EDUCATION TRUST Balance Sheet as at 5 April 2021 Note 2021 Fixed a&8ets Tangible assets 2020 43.230 10.445 Current assets Cash and bank balan¢es 289,085 210,471 Creditors- amounts failing du¢ within one year Net Current a&gets 289,085 210.471 Total &gs¢ts eurren¢ liabilities 332.315 220,916 Tbe funds of the charity Restricted funds unrestrict fimds 332,315 220,916 Total Charity funds 332315 220.916 li
NOTES FORMtNG PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMEKtS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5APRIL2021 Accounting policies a) Basis of preparation The fall¢la1 statements comply with the Statcment of Recommended Practice Accounting and Reporting by Clmrities" (SORP 2005), the Charities Act 2011 and applicable UK accounting standards. using the following a(rounting policies.. b) Incoming resources Voluntary incon]e including donation& legacies and grants are r¢cognised on receipt. Income is only def¢rred when th¢ donor specifies that the grant or donation must only be used in tUre accounting periods or the donor has IMSed Conditions which must be met before the charity has unconditional ¢ntitl¢menL c) Volunteers and donated services and facTrlities The value of serYi¢¢s provided by volunteers is nol incorporated into these fmancial statements. We acknowledge. with grateful tha15, the significant contribution made by volunteers (both in the UK and Ghana). d) Resources expend Liabilitics are rccognised as resources expended if there is a legal or constrnctive obligation committing the charity to the expenditure. The irrecoverable amount of VAT is included in thc expense to yb1¢h it rclatr5. e) Depreciation During 2011-12 it was decided that depreciation should be provided to write off the cost, less estimated residual value4 of asse over their expwted useful lives, Depreciation is CUlated on a straight-line b&sis & 25 % per aDll The charity does noi capitalise items with a cost below £500. g) School buildings and related a&%ets School buildings and related equipment a not capitslised in the financial statements as they are not considered to hav¢ any rdi5able value by the clmrity. In the event that the Lharity was not able to tillu¢ 0ra(10n¥ the intrnrion would be tor them to 12
continue as government schools and with the same goven]ance structure (albeit not supported by the programmes provided by th¢ charity). h) Funds structure The charity has bistorically had a small number of r¢strictcd inGom¢ funds to account ror situations where a donation has been specified for a particular purwse. All other funds are unrestricted income fid$. Interest re1ved (£$) 2021 61 2020 509 UK accounts Ghanaian account 61 509 Building projects (£s) 2021 2020 7,994 0111 KG Korh KG Tungan-zagkpee Conference centre Baapari Mettoh JHS Korh JHS Danko.Bur¢e Electricity Improvements 13.425 45.273 81,276 46,586 24,267 24,944 1,811 55.106 14 2.213 856 102,204 201,561 13
Ghana Admin expenses (£s) 2021 2020 6,972 7,320 52,532 48.375 59.504 55.695 Admin Staff costs UK Admin expenses l£sl UK Admin 2021 162 812 455 1.245 1,616 4.2 Bank charges Website Admin Consultancv CAF fees 659 453 1.215 1,299 Tangible red assets Fixed assets are sthted at cost less accumulated depreciatio The new pick up h&s been given a residual va]ue of £1.500. The Kia truck has been given a residual value of £1.500. The old tipper truck was Kritten off in an 2¢cident during the year. A new tipper truck was purchased. which will bc dcpreclated over future years. 14
New pitk up fwevtrek Kmtn N¢wfJpp¢T TOTAL C0#6.4.2020 16.125 2t.*Y7 11283 49J15 Additiotss 40231 40231 | COK 5.42021 16.125 21J)7 11283 40231 89J46 DepreeiatsDD 14,625 16.918 7J37 38370 6.41020 twteciario cbar8e foryr 1447 twecwtiott 5.4.2021 14.625 21907 46J16 Writtendown 1.500 V4lue 10.445 5.4.2020 Writitn d(w 1,500 V8lu¢ 1.499 40331 43230 5.4.2021 15
C&sh and bank baIaDces 2021 2020 COIF deposit account UK current aOUnt Lloyds savings accounts C&C bond Cash at bank and in hand in Ghana Cash in transit to Ohana 11.026 11.018 35.803 31,811 229,303 164.256 12.953 3,386 289,072 210.471 16