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 tn￿t 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, b￿ks) and a targe￿d 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. b￿lC 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 LaV￿a 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 ¢I￿roOmS 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 Com￿unitieS 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 Met￿b 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 L￿n 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 n￿al 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 tTh￿teeS 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 T￿￿t had mwle A a•£¢it -
our major capital 1Dfr&strU￿e 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
T￿￿teeS 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 prO￿aMmes) 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 oItr￿lees and examiner
The charity's trust¢¢s ar¢ r¢sponsiblc for the prepardtion of th¢ accounts. The charity's
tr￿SteeS 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
D1￿ct ChaTithble Erpendirure
Building projects
Pupil feeding programme
Tea¢her tsining scholarshlps
T￿nsport
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 f￿all¢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 IM￿Sed 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 tha1￿5, 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¢ 0￿ra(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 fi￿d$.
Interest r￿e1ved (£$)
2021
61
2020
509
UK accounts
Ghanaian account
61
509
Building projects (£s)
2021
2020
7,994
0￿111 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 r￿ed 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 fwevtr￿ek 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 a￿OUnt
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