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2022-03-31-accounts

41( 111111: AFRICAN VISION I MALAWI 2021/22 ANNUAL REPORT

Contents

Contents
OUR PURPOSE 03
OUR VISION 04
WHERE WE WORK 05
THE FOUR PILLARS OF OUR WORK 06
IMPACT 21
LOOKING AHEAD 26
EMPLOYEE STRUCTURE 27
THE LOCAL BASED COMMITTEES (LBCs) 28
THANKS 29
FINANCIALS 30

Our Purpose

The purpose of African Vision Malawi is to work with local communities to develop long-term, sustainable solutions to the issues affecting orphans and vulnerable people in Malawi.

We do this across four key areas:

3

To see a healthy, educated and self-sufficient community in Malawi

Where we work

We have been operating since 2005 in an area 30km from Malawi’s capital city, Lilongwe. The area spans 400km[2] with a local population of 60,000. We support 28 primary schools and have just under 4,000 orphans and 300 disabled people registered with two clinics and two maternity units.

We work through 14 centres where we have a Local Based Committee (LBC) of six volunteers — in each centre — who help us identify and resolve any issues on the ground plus a total of 84 volunteers who are residents in the local area.

Due to the impact of Covid-19, we have experienced difficulties in delivering some of our programmes due to a lack of funds and restricted access to the region. Malawi was on the ‘red list’ of countries and people were not permitted to cross its borders until December 2021. Over the past year our funding levels have started to increase and Malawi’s regulations have relaxed.

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THE FOUR PILLARS OF OUR WORK

EDUCATION

HEALTH

SELF-SUFFICIENCY

ENVIRONMENT

PILLAR 1 EDUCATION

EDUCATION

Malawi has a population of approximately 19 million with 85% living in rural areas as subsistence farmers. Only 25% of children get a place in secondary school.

Our education programme accounts for approximately 65% of our overall work and follows a life cycle approach: starting from pre-school, school years, through tertiary/vocational training and onto employment.

We currently have six education projects:

With support from Feed the Children we delivered porridge to our 13 ECD centres; assisted with the construction of centres as needed; and in partnership with government colleagues provided the ECD curriculum through our identified care givers. Unfortunately, in November 2021, we were notified by Feed the Children that the feeding programme would stop. We have been looking at alternative ways to re-start it. We had 1,035 children attending our ECD centres in April 2021 and by March 2022 that number had reduced to 721 due to the withdrawal of the feeding programme.

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In January 2020 we merged Tilinanu orphanage girls into our scholarship programme. This increased our number of students by 28 (11 primary and 17 secondary). African Vision Malawi (AVM) has 37 secondary students, 19 university students, and seven young people on the waiting list for university. There are 91 scholarships in total. We are grateful to Love Support Unite (LSU) who not only sponsor the Tilinanu girls but also sponsor an additional 13 AVM scholarships.

We are working with 21 schools in Malawi and 23 schools in the UK who have partnered to learn from each other. This involves students writing to each other and sharing their experiences, culture and values. Schools in the UK fundraise for Malawi schools, and we have constructed school blocks; teachers’ houses; offices; and also purchased school uniforms for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC).

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We are working with nine primary schools where we provide girls with sanitary materials and have built washrooms to encourage girls to attend school during menstruation. Girls in the region would usually miss 2 – 3 months of education per year by staying at home during their monthly periods.

In partnership with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, we deliver English, Chichewa and basic numeracy classes to adult learners across five centres.

We offer vocational training to adult learners in non-formal skills at our training facility at Sam’s Village in north-west Lilongwe.

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d¥ r, Al• é• PILLAR 2 HEALTH

Health

In Malawi there are very basic health services. 50% of deaths of children under five years old are due to malaria. Within our catchment area of 60,000, we have just two government clinics and they are poorly resourced. In 2013, we rebuilt the maternity unit at one of the clinics. In 2019 we merged with Love Support Unite and since 2020 have taken on their programmes, which they continue to fund.

Health is our second biggest programme and accounts for 25% of all our work. It also follows a life cycle approach: from supporting babies in safe maternal care; working with children and adults with disabilities; helping vulnerable adults living with HIV/Aids and chronic diseases through to the frail and elderly.

Our health programme features:

In partnership with the Ministry of Health, we support 10 mobile outreach clinics providing much needed health services to those living in rural, hard to reach areas.

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Our service identifies those living with disability

in our communities and provides referrals and access to rehabilitation services. This includes ‘vulnerable support’ for people with long term illness needing support or medication.

Bicycle ambulances provide much needed access to health care services for the acutely ill and mothers in labour.

In partnership with the Rotary Club and other sponsors, 47 boreholes have been installed and we work with the community to monitor their performance.

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In 2013 we constructed a maternity unit at M’bang’ombe Health Centre which serves the community of 25,000 people. We are working towards building a ‘Safe Motherhood Unit’ which will include nutritional training, permaculture gardens, additional space for expectant mothers and facilities for children under five.

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PILLAR 3 SELF-SUFFICIENCY

SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Sam’s Village is a self-sustaining eco-training village built on a 17-acre site in rural north-west Lilongwe (8km from Kamuzu International Airport). The construction phase is now almost complete, and our objective is to support a move away from hand-outs to creating self-sufficient training programmes.

Features of Sam’s Village include:

We offer accredited vocational training to adults in ‘non-formal’ skills.

Life skills training such as health/disability awareness, education around gender-based violence, and permaculture gardening is available.

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We offer a pre-school learning service for children between the ages of 3 – 5 in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST).

The library serves people of all ages and is utilised by community members.

The organic gardens sustain the staff, visitors . and trainees at Sam’s Village

Previously we have offered training in natural building methods and all our buildings are constructed using this method.

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'ij4.4*&': 14 PILLAR 4 ENVIRONMENT 18

ENVIRONMENT

Our fourth pillar focuses on sustainable agriculture and improving environmental practices. This includes promoting food security and impacting climate change.

Our environmental programme features:

With the support of our partner Love Support Unite, we provide this programme to vulnerable people who would otherwise struggle to produce farming outputs as a result of poverty, disability or illness. It is a roll-on programme where farm inputs are provided and then paid back over a 2-year period.

Farming near riverbeds helps people grow crops all year round and is a sustainable farming method that enables people to maintain their livelihoods. Our selection process focuses on people supporting orphans, the disabled, the elderly and those living with HIV/Aids.

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In partnership with SCOPE Malawi, we offer training in permaculture approaches to schools and households in our communities. The SKI (Seeds & Knowledge Initiative) programme supports seed multiplication and organic methods of growing, leading to food security while encouraging the use of indigenous seeds and no fertilisers.

Since 2013 we have planted 35,570 trees in our area. We plant a mix of agroforestry and fruit trees.

AVM has now trained 40 beneficiaries to grow their own ‘back garden’ near their home using permaculture techniques. The programme includes making manure, natural medicines, soap making, water management, soil management and natural pest control.

The construction of a maize mill at Bowa has provided access to milling services that were not available without significant travel.

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IMPACT 21

Education Achievements

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“In December 2021, a 29 year old woman from Kasakula Village was travelling to attend a funeral. On her way, she developed labour pains and our Bicycle Ambulance at Kaninga Centre helped her. She was taken to Kayembe Health Centre and delivered twins safely.“

Health Achievements

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Self-sufficiency Achievements

“With the income I was earning from assembling rings, I have been paying school fees for my daughter at Chikutu CDSS am also able to support my disabled child in education. I have been affording clothes and food for the family without problems and was able to buy a phone too.”

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Environmental Achievements

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LOOKING AHEAD

From the beginning, it’s been our mission to develop long-term and sustainable solutions to the issues affecting orphans and vulnerable people in Malawi and there is still much work to be done.

This year and next, we will continue to invest in and develop the projects we work on currently and we’ve identified other initiatives that we believe will make a real difference to people’s lives. This includes building a girls’ washroom at M’bang’ombe Primary School, providing a dental service at five schools, constructing an outdoor learning facility at Sam’s Village, and recruiting and training new beneficiaries for the Sustainable Farming Programme, plus much more.

As an organisation, we have developed our Strategy Plan from 2022 – 2027 outlining our direction for the next five years and we’ve held two cluster meetings for our valued Local Based Committee members across our 14 centres to identify further issues and solutions.

We look forward to working with other organisations and ministries with expertise in our programme areas and to recruiting additional staff to support the development and implementation of our programmes including a Programmes Manager, a Senior Finance Officer, and Agriculture Manager and an M&E Officer.

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Employee Structure

African Vision Malawi has no employees in the UK and relies totally on volunteers, which includes the CEO. Through its local entity in Malawi, the Charity employs 34 staff, all of whom are Malawian nationals except the new Country Manager who is Scottish.

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The local based Communities (lbcs)

Besides the Malawi Team outlined above, we work through 14 Local Based Committees (LBC) which are each clustered around several villages and schools. One Committee is based in each of our centres within our support area. Our 84 LBC volunteers act as the voice of the communities we work in, and help to make decisions about priorities in different areas.

They also function as an accountability mechanism to ensure that projects are implemented successfully and that funds are used appropriately. Each LBC has been restructured to six members: Secretary (a teacher from a school who can speak both Chichewa and English); and one representative for each of the five areas we work in (education, healthcare, self-sufficiency, water and sanitation, orphans & vulnerable people). One of these representatives is also appointed as a Chair and members report on their specific area on a monthly basis. The records from these meetings enable us to keep track of issues and developments in the area we work in and to act upon information coming directly from the area.

We have four coordinators who monitor a number of centres:

MATTHEWS NELSON – supporting Kafutwe, Chamcholo, Masiye, Lombwa centres

WILLARD NYUNDO – supporting Kaninga, Chibwata, Chimbalu, Mundundu centres

ANNES BANDA – supporting M’khalapadzuwa, Chitsime, Namanyanga centres

BONIFACE MALEMA – supporting M’bang’ombe, Lumbadzi, M’lumbwira centres.

A bi-weekly meeting is held at Sam’s Village with AVM staff where new activities are discussed and information passed on for them to liaise with the different LBC centres.

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Without our supporters and funding through grants and trusts, we would not be able to complete our work. We sincerely thank people for continuing to fund our projects, which make such a positive impact within the community. Our particular thanks to our partners over this past year, which include Love Support Unite, Scope Malawi,

Our grateful thanks to inq. Malawi (formerly Skyband) who provide our internet at Njewa office and Sam’s Village. And finally, the many volunteers who tirelessly help both in the UK and Malawi with organising events to help us continue our work and to our Trustees in the UK and Malawi for providing their time, support and guidance.

Trustees

Nigel Palmer Chairman David Stead Treasurer Andrew Walker HR Sara Butterfield Andrew Ridley-Barker Beth Sheehan William Nyasulu (Malawi Resident) Kumbukani Kuntiya (Malawi Resident) Heather Palmer CEO Marie Brown

Country Manager (Malawi) (From May 17th 2021)

Charity Number

UK Address

Email Phone Website Malawi Office PO Box Office Physical Address

1113786

31 Upper Brighton Road, Surbiton, Surrey, KT6 6QX

info@africanvision.org.uk 020 8287 8169 https://www.africanvision.org.uk PO Box 30928, Lilongwe 3, Malawi Off Mchinji Road (behind Sol Farm), Njewa, Lilongwe, Malawi

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AFRICAN VISION MALAWI REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

The Trustees present their report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2022.

Objects of the African Vision Malawi

The African Vision Malawi was formed on 23 April 2005 in Blantyre, Malawi and formalized by the Declaration of Trust on 24 March 2006. Our Mission Statement is that we will

Our Vision is to see a healthy, educated, self-sufficient community in Malawi.

Employees

The African Vision Malawi has no employees in the UK.

Through its local entity in Malawi, the Charity employed a team of approx. 30 employees being made up entirely of Malawian Nationals.

Review of Activities

The Trust’s activities during the year are described in full in the annual report.

Review of Financial Position

a) Asset cover for funds

The Trust’s liquid assets are held as short-term bank deposits. The current level of funding is sufficient to complete the intended projects and other planned expenditures. All expenditure decisions are taken based on the known amounts available at the time.

b) Reserves Policy and Risk Management

The Trust reviews its reserves and risk policies as part of the Trust’s operational management.

c) Malawi Structure

The Trust is registered in Malawi as an International NGO and with CONGOMA, thus formalizing our legal status in the Country. The Trust has assets in Malawi, comprising 12 acres of land, Sam’s Village Residential Training Centre buildings and equipment to support the operations, along with 4 bank accounts in Lilongwe controlled by the Country Manager. Buildings, equipment, furniture and fittings have been expensed at the time of purchase in the UK accounts.

d) Funding Sources

Fund transfers from the UK to Malawi are made on an as-needed basis, generally each month, and are made up of mainly regular Income from Donations coupled with proceeds from fundraising events throughout the year. The building phase of Sam’s Village has been funded by extra donations from various sources but the majority is from the support of one main benefactor.

e) Restricted Funds

The Trust recognizes that the costs of shutting down operations in Malawi are extremely low approximately £5,000 and aims to keep balances above this level wherever possible; trustees would make good any shortfall should it be necessary. In recognition of specific requests by donors, a restricted fund is maintained for Education, Health, Water and Sanitation, Self Sufficiency projects and Sam’s Village. Such projects are not commenced without the presence of sufficient funding to meet budgeted expenditures.

Nigel Palmer Chairman African Vision Malawi

David Stead Treasurer African Vision Malawi

AFRICAN VISION MALAWI

Independent Examiner's report on the accounts 2021-22

The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

My examination was carried out in accordance with 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 the 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.

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 130 of the Charities Act; and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act 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.

Signed:

Date: 12/12/2022

Andy Eagles,ACMA. AIMS Accountants for Business, Twitchen, Odiham Rd, Riseley, Berks RG7 1SD

Andy Eagles ACMA

Twitchen, Odiham Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 1SD T: 0118 988 8707 | M: 07908 401559 | E: andy.eagles@aims.co.uk | W: www.aims.co.uk

AIMS is a national association of independent accountancy practices operating under licence granted by AIMS Partnership Ltd. Eagles Accountancy Ltd t/a AIMS Accountants for Business, registered in England and Wales, No: 07762384. Registered office as above.

AFRICAN VISION MALAWI STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES RESPONSIBILITIES

Law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the Trustees to prepare accounts for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the charities financial activities during the year and of its financial position at the end of the year (unless the charity is entitled to prepare accounts on the alternative receipts and payments basis).

In preparing accounts giving a true and fair view, the Trustees should follow best practices and:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy the financial position of the charity and which enable them to ensure that the accounts comply with the applicable law. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

AFRICAN VISION MALAWI

Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities

For the year ended 31 March 2022

Notes
Incoming Resources
Donations & Fund Raising Activities
1
Gift Aid
2
Grants
3
Legacies
4
Bank Interest
Total Incoming Resources
Less cost of generating funds & fund raising
Net Incoming Resources
Resources Expended
Education Projects
5
Health/Orphan Care Projects
Self Sufficiency Projects
Water & Sanitation Projects
Other Projects
Sam's Village Project
6
Malawi Project Management
Malawi Travel and Vehicle Expenses
Malawi Administration
UK Administration
Total Resources Expended
Net Incoming Resources
Fund Balances @ 31/3/21
Transfers From Unrestricted to Restricted Funds
Fund Balances @ 31/3/22
Notes (For clarification)
Unrestricted Funds
7
Restricted Funds:-
Education
Healthcare
Self Sufficiency
Sam's Village
Water & Sanitation
Total Funds		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Total 2022
Total 2021
Funds
Funds

£
£
£
£
105,638
124,878
230,516
154,979
37,038
0
37,038
19,196
0
0
0
29,799
61,131
0
61,131
42,171
42
0
42
25
203,849
124,878
328,727
246,170
3,133
0
3,133
1,375
200,716
124,878
325,594
244,795
0
79,837
79,837
50,024
0
12,984
12,984
10,762
0
15,562
15,562
11,516
0
101
101
115
0
0
0
0
0
42,977
42,977
86,430
44,773
0
44,773
44,334
12,460
0
12,460
14,960
27,729
0
27,729
32,336
2,001
0
2,001
559
86,963
151,461
238,424
251,036
113,753
-26,583
87,170
-6,241
59,910
27,530
87,440
93,681
-33,208
33,208
0
0
140,455
34,155
174,610
87,440
£
£
£
£
140,454
0
140,454
59,910
0
9,212
9,212
0
0
9,731
9,731
10,808
0
4,115
4,115
5,554
0
0
0
0
0
11,098
11,098
11,168
140,454
34,156
174,610
87,440

AFRICAN VISION MALAWI Balance Sheet at 31 March 2022

Current Assets
8
Cash at Bank
Accounts Receivable
Accounts payable
Net Assets
Funds
9
Restricted Funds
Unrestricted Fund
Total Funds		 Total 2022
Total 2021
£
£
149,240
87,440
26,570
0
-1,200
0
174,610
87,440
34,156
27530
140,454
59910
174610
87440

Notes to Accounts for the Year ended 31 March 2022:

Statement of compliance

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the second edition of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice issued in October 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.

Basis of preparation

African Vision Malawi meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts.

Going concern

The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

Accounting Policies

The Accounts have been prepared under the Income and Expenditure basis, moving from Receipts and Payments basis in prior years.

Accounting Estimates and prior Year Adjustments

There has been no adjustments made in the year with prior year Gift Aid received in this financial year.

Income and endowments

Voluntary income including donations, gifts, legacies and grants that provide core funding or are of a general nature is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured with sufficient reliability.

Donations and legacies

Donations and legacies are recognised on a receivable basis when receipt is probable and the amount can be reliably measured.

Grants receivable

Grants are recognised when the charity has an entitlement to the funds and any conditions linked to the grants have been met. Where performance conditions are attached to the grant and are yet to be met, the income is recognised as a liability and included on the balance sheet as deferred income to be released.

Expenditure

All expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to that expenditure, it is probable 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.

Raising funds

These are costs incurred in attracting voluntary income and those incurred in trading activities that raise funds.

Charitable activities

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them.

Government grants

Government grants are recognised based on the accrual model and are measured at the fair value of the asset received or receivable.

Trade debtors

Trade debtors are amounts due from fund raising and donations to the charity.

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash comprises cash held in Current and Reserve accounts, with no Investment accounts opened.

Taxation

The charity is a registered charity and is therefore exempt from taxation.

Financial Performance Notes:

  1. Growth in donations and fund raising with the cessation of 'covid lockdowns' and the increase in fund raising activities.

  2. Gift Aid based on receipts and receivables included in accounts going forward, which is different to prior years.

  3. No Grants received in the year with the major programmes fininshing in prior year.

  4. Legacies increased by receipt of large Will donations compared to prior years.

  5. Education spending increased due to provision for extra students from absorbed charity programmes, with activity levels increased after restrictions from prior years. Fees for both school and University students again saw large increases from prior year.

  6. Sams Village training programmes saw reduced costs as the large 3 year programme came to an end, along with reduced construction.

  7. As previously noted, funds specifically donated or raised for a defined purpose are maintained in a restricted account, with extra funding from unrestricted donations used to support expenditure.

8. The yearend restricted fund balances by category were:
· Education
· Health
· Water/Sanitation
· Self-sufficiency
· Sam’s Village
· Total Restricted Funds held
Unrestricted funds held at yearend are:
9. Current Assets include provisions for both receivables and payables, summarised a
Cash held
Receivables
Gift Aid receipts due
Fund raising receipts due
Payables
Fund raising receipts paid in advance
Current Assets - Total		 £9,212
£9,731
£11,098
£4,115
£0
£34,156
£140,454
s:
£149,240
£25,661
£909
-£1,200
£174,610