## **FRIENDS OF MATTHEW RUSIKE CHILDREN’S HOME** ## **The Chair of the Friends’ report on the year 2025 / 2026** First of all, I must begin with a word of thanks to all the committee. The continued interest and enthusiasm of members of the committee, carrying out routine but essential tasks has meant that this year we have continued to raise money for essential provisions for the Home. We were very pleased that Annah Mwadima has come onto the committee, and that one of our members, Debbie Berrill, was able to visit the Home and see for herself the work at MRCH at Epworth, and the outreach centres at Donga, and Mzinyathi. The committee were saddened by the fact that two of MRCH houses had to close during the year, so that the present Home, which had the capacity to take100 children, now has only 61, despite a very great need for children’s care in Zimbabwe. The committee of the friends of Matthew Rusike Children’s Home have had a series of meetings and some of these have been with the principal of the Home and the Board of Management, who have been able to explain both the causes of the reduction in the numbers of children and the problems of finance which the Home has to face. However, thanks to the generosity and support of our membership and their giving of money, support was given for winter clothing and blankets for the boys and girls; financial help was given for staff salaries for one year. The friends have also provided money to buy furniture and solar panels for the new classroom block and learning materials for the new primary school. The generosity of the Morrell trust (£2000) and the Gibbs trust (£2000) will be spread over the year as a remittance to the Home. Financial Help was also given for Christmas in 2025: £1000 was given for the staff bonuses and another £1000 for children’s Christmas from general funds. We were delighted that Ben Rhydding school has supplied income for solar energy during the year as well as the Solihull Methodist Church, who provided funding for two new primary classrooms. A church in Leeds is also funding the home. One of our great sadnesses as a committee was to learn of the death of Paddy Coles, for so long a supporter and benefactor to the children’s Home. He was a founder member of the friends of Matthew Rusike. We shall miss him very much and we are so grateful for the donations to the Home that was ‘in memorial’ from his funeral. We are delighted that Matthew Rusike Children’s Home are really trying to improve the educational standards of the children, and a number of them have gone on to further education. Comment has been received by the Home about the high standards of behaviour of the children. Matthew Rusike Children’s Home has plans to build more classrooms to complete the primary school, and were hoping to fund a project manager. The projects at the Home continue to supply it with food and income, but the actual profit made is uncertain: the vagaries of drought, the possibility of theft and disease continue to affect them. I wish to express my thanks to all the churches and their members who raised money, and for the contribution from Matthew Rusike Children’s Home to our newsletter. I am grateful to those who have spoken about the work of the Home at worship and to Church groups. To speak of the work with the children, and encourage people to take the newsletter has resulted in financial support and interest in MRCH continuing its work throughout the year. We look forward to another year when, hopefully, Matthew Rusike Children’s Home will feel able to increase its capacity in children numbers and will continue to be a major part of the work of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe. Please pray for that work and please continue to support it in as many practical ways possible during the coming year. Many thanks to you, and bless you, Ed Standhaft (Revd) Chair of Friends of Matthew Rusike Children’s Home ## **FRIENDS OF MATTHEW RUSIKE CHILDREN'S HOME Charity Registered Number: 1120944 Receipts and payments accounts** |
**For theperiod from**|**01/01/2025**|**01/01/2025**|**To**|**To**|**31/12/2025**|**31/12/2025**|**Last year**
**Notes**
**to the nearest £**
**810**
**43,899**
1
**35,500**
**9,710**
2
**5,304**
**864**
**-**
**96,087**
**48,297**
**110**
**307**
**-**
**48,714**
**47,373**
**-**
**25,469**
**72,842**| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||||||| |**Section A Receipts and payments**|||||||| ||**Unrestricted funds**
**to the nearest £**
**800**
**35,011**
**1,000**
**4,838**
**6,042**
**1,063**
**-**||**Restricted funds**
**to the nearest £**
**8,685**||**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**
**800**
**43,696**
**1,000**
**4,838**
**6,042**
**1,063**
**-**||| |**Receipts**|||||||| |MembershipSubscriptions|**800**||||**800**||**810**| |Donations|**35,011**||**8,685**||**43,696**||**43,899**| |Legacy|**1,000**||||**1,000**||**35,500**| |Fundraiser events|**4,838**||||**4,838**||**9,710**| |Gift Aid|**6,042**||||**6,042**||**5,304**| |Interest|**1,063**||||**1,063**||**864**| |SundryIncome|**-**||||**-**||**-**| |**_Total Receipts_**
_(Gross income for Annual Return)_|**48,754**||**8,685**||**57,439**||**96,087**| ||**64,543**
**110**
**238**||**8,897**||**73,441**
**110**
**238**
**-**||| |**Payments**|||||||| |Remittances to MRCH|**64,543**||**8,897**||**73,441**||**48,297**| |Bank charges|**110**||||**110**||**110**| |Other expenditure (incl printing and postage)|**238**||||**238**||**307**| |Exchange difference|||||**-**||**-**| |**_Total payments_**|**64,892**||**8,897**||**73,789**||**48,714**| |**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**Transfers between funds**
**Cash funds last year end**
**_Cash funds this year end_**|**(16,138)**
**-**
**71,240**
**55,102**||**(212)**
**-**
**1,602**
**1,390**||**(16,350)**||| ||**(16,138)**||**(212)**||**(16,350)**||**47,373**| ||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**| ||**71,240**||**1,602**||**72,842**||**25,469**| ||**55,102**||**1,390**||**56,492**||**72,842**| ## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period** |**Cash and cash equivalent funds**|Cheques received Dec not cleared in bank
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
CoOperative bankcurrent account clearedfunds
CoOperative banksavings account clearedfunds|**Unrestricted funds**
**to the nearest £**
**1,681**
**53,420**
**55,102**
OK|**Restricted funds**
**to the nearest £**| |---|---|---|---| ||||**1,390**| ||||| ||||| ||||**1,390**| ||||OK| ## **Note 1** Restricted donations received in the year included amounts donated for sponsorship of a primary school teacher's salary; towards staff salary backpay; the funding of solar geysers and sponsorship of a nurse's salary for 6 months (which will be paid in 2026) ## **Note 2** Fundraiser events included supporter led fundraising events and various church events Signed by one trustee on behalf of all the trustees Signed by Independent Examiner ||| |---|---| |Signature|Print Name| ||Mrs Nicola Phillips BSc ACA BFP - Treasurer| ||| ||Katharine Culley ACA CTA| ||| CC16a template adapted Receipts and Payments Account 1 ## **FRIENDS OF MATTHEW RUSIKE CHILDREN’S HOME INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT** for Year Ended 31 December 2025 Charity number 1120944 ## **TRUSTEES** 1 Donald John Banham Trustee 2 Mrs. Carol Anne Banham - 3 Michael Mapako Trustee - 4 David Lawson Graaff Trustee - 5 Wayne Ronald Cooper Trustee 6 Rev. Edward Charles Patrick Standhaft Chair 7 Rev. Audrey Lesley Standhaft Trustee 8 Nicola Louise Phillips Trustee 9 Deborah Jane Berrill 10 Annah Mwadiwa ## **Bank accounts** |Bank Account type|Account number|Sort code| |---|---|---| |Coop Bank Current|6586930900|089299| |Coop Bank Savings|6728933050|089299| I have conducted an independent examination of the Friends of Matthew Rusike accounts covering the period from 01 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. The purpose of this inspection was to ensure that the laid down accounting procedures and internal controls are operating as effectively and are compliant with the Charities Act (2011) standard operating and reporting procedures. The responsibility for preparing the final accounts for the charity remains with the Trustees of the Charity. Based on the income and receipts threshold set out in the Charities Act, the Trustees of the Charity have determined that a full audit of accounts is not required but that an independent examination will suffice. I have conducted the independent examination by: - ➢ Inspecting the Treasurer’s accounts recorded on Excel spreadsheet. - ➢ Following a sample of funds deposited into the bank account. ➢ Examining whether payments made were properly authorised and supporting invoices and receipts were being kept. Findings and recommendations The main points arising from this independent examination are as follows: Bank Accounts: The charity operates two bank accounts with the Coop bank. Treasurer’s record book: All receipts and payments have been recorded correctly by the Treasurer. Payments. Remittances were made to Matthew Rusike Children’s Home in Zimbabwe. The total annual amount remitted was £73,441 (sterling equivalent), including £8,897 of restricted funds. Some acknowledgements of remitted funds by the recipient, Matthew Rusike Children’s Home Zimbabwe were submitted to the independent examiner. Restricted funds are being used to support a salary. Payments are being recorded and authorised correctly. I note that expenditure exceeded income in 2025. This presumably partly reflects the large legacy received last year which increased residual funds and has left some cushion to fund payments. Katharine Culley (ACA, CTA) 7 Ford, Dartmouth, Devon Email : kate.culley@hotmail.co.uk 4 May 2026