Congo Children Trust Annual Report 2022-23
The trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. During the year 2022-23 the trustees continued to focus on supporting fundraising by groups and individuals as well as applying for grant funding. A large number of churches and individuals continued to give generously and talks and presence at a range of events continued to raise awareness in the UK.
Congo Children Trust made both monthly maintenance grants and occasional one-off grants to the Kimbilio Project for street children in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo and to related projects in Lubumbashi.
Income
In 2022-23 income rose substantially in comparison with the previous year and expenditure was rose even further. Income grew in donations from individuals, gifts from churches and grants from a range of funders. Ongoing fundraising for buying the land for the new Day Centre for the Kimbilio Project formed a major part of this increase as did a significant donation from one church towards the cost of teachers’ salaries in the Kimbilio Primary School, which are not covered by the state.
Trading income also grew in comparison to the previous year. The trustees owe particular thanks to Ruth Allen for operating the Etsy shop and co-ordinating the volunteer sewers in the UK, along with Gill Venton. As in previous years, a great deal of hard work by volunteers and Ian Harvey, the founding Director, went into maintaining personal contact with group and individual supporters as well as applying for grants from funders.
The trustees are deeply grateful to the following trusts, companies, and funds for their generous support:
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The Morel Trust, Flow Control Systems, The Ann and Christopher Fielden Trust, Souter Charitable Trust, First Steps Enterprise, The Link Foundation, Wolverhampton Rotary, Rotary Charity Auctions and the Rozelle Trust.
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Kumi Consulting provided a significant grant.
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Substantial grants from Saidiana funded the Sewing Project and the Young Mums’ Hair Salon.
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A substantial body of regular donors continue to support the charity via standing orders, ensuring that regular income is maintained and that funds are available when required for grants for costs of food and utilities and the trustees are deeply grateful to them for their generous commitment.
In addition, the trustees owe particular thanks to the following churches:
- The congregations and church councils of St Andrew, Hadfield; St Michael and All Angels, Cosby; Wesley Methodist Church, Chester; Central Exeter Parish; St Michael, Helston; St Helen, Wheathampstead; The Church of the Good Shepherd, Romford; St Margaret, Lowestoft; St Andrew, Lowestoft; St Francis, Heartsease, Norwich; St James, Woodley; St Margaret, Whalley Range; Christ Church, West Didsbury and St Christopher, Withington; St Helen, Etwall; All Hallows, Allerton; Holy Trinity, Warrington; St Mary, Long Stratton. The Scottish Episcopal Church also provided a substantial grant.
Other funding sources of note:
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Various volunteers took part in various fairs and fundraising events in Manchester and Greenbelt Festival, adding to trading income.
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Global Giving continued to be a particularly helpful online fundraising tool in the course of the year, particularly for the Kimbilio Day Centre project, with significant match funding provided.
Expenditure
A significant proportion of expenditure, facilitated by generous donations from some of the funders listed above, was once again dedicated to the purchase of the land for the new Kimbilio Day Centre which took place in the course of the year, along with the building of a perimeter wall. Some funding continued to be received for the final stages of equipping the School.
Operational expenditure increased once again but funds were again able to absorb both this and the capital expenditure on the school project. The bulk of Congo Children Trust’s financial support continues to provide for the day to day running of the Centre Kimbilio and Maison Kimbilio; a day centre for street children as well as associated accommodation and support provision for former street children. The Kimbilio/Mapendo school also received funding for month-to-month expenses. Taking the final month of the financial year as an example, in March 2023, the Kimbilio Day Centre received 532 individual visits, many of them regular visits by the same children with an average of 48 children welcomed each day. 20 children made their first contact with the Centre, and it was possible to reunite 8 with their extended family. 29 children received medical attention. In the same month, the Kimbilio/Mapendo School recorded a total of 256 children on the roll: 15 in the infant section, 1 of whom is was living in the Kimbilio Project; 218 in the primary section 19 of whom were living in the Kimbilio Project and 36 secondary pupils of whom 8 were from the Project.
Through most of the year 2022-23 the Trust continued to have very low UK running costs at under 5% of our income and we are extremely grateful once again for the generosity of the St Margaret's Centre, Whalley Range, Manchester for giving use of office space free of charge. The Kimbilio Project UK director Ian Harvey worked two days a week on a voluntary basis, with some support donated funds specifically for his expenses. His activities involved communicating with supporters and volunteers in the UK, including emails, newsletters and online meetings and he also resumed a programme of visits to supporter churches. He also maintained regular contact with the volunteers and staff in DRC and led a visit to Lubumbashi by a group of trustees and UK based volunteers in July 2022.
Charity Name Congo Children Trust
CC16a
No (if any) 112148
Receipts and payments accounts
Period start date
Period end date
For the period from
To
4/1/2022 3/31/2023
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total funds funds funds funds
Last year
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Endowment funds |
Total funds | Last year | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | ||||||||
| A1 Receipts | ||||||||||||
| Donations | 132,490 | 132,490 | 119,721 | |||||||||
| Grants | 53,999 | 53,999 | 11,598 | |||||||||
| Grants(school) | 1,000 | 1,000 | ||||||||||
| Trading | 4,303 | 4,303 | 2,689 | |||||||||
| Bank Account interest | 27 | 27 | 6 | |||||||||
| SewingProject | - | 3,577 | ||||||||||
| Gift Aid | 3,075 | 3,075 | 6,651 | |||||||||
| Church Donations | 20,708 | 20,708 | 19,387 | |||||||||
| Church Donation(teacher salaries) | 17,000 | 17,000 | ||||||||||
| School Building | - | 24,000 | ||||||||||
| Girls House | 300 | |||||||||||
| Girls Work | - | 5,000 | ||||||||||
| Jean Bosco Funeral and Family | - | 935 | ||||||||||
| DayCentre | 50 | 50 | ||||||||||
| Donations from schools | 778 | |||||||||||
| Church Donation(YoungMums) | 100 | 100 | ||||||||||
| 214,602 | 18,150 | - | 232,752 | 194,642 | ||||||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see | ||||||||||||
| table). | ||||||||||||
| - | - | - | - | |||||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Sub total | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| **Total receipts ** | 214,602 | 18,150 | - | 232,752 | 194,642 |
| Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds |
Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds |
Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Endowment funds |
Total funds | Last year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Receipts to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | ||
| Donations | 132,490 | 132,490 | 119,721 | |||
| Grants | 53,999 | 53,999 | 11,598 | |||
| Grants(school) | 1,000 | 1,000 | ||||
| Trading | 4,303 | 4,303 | 2,689 | |||
| Bank Account interest | 27 | 27 | 6 | |||
| SewingProject | - | 3,577 | ||||
| Gift Aid | 3,075 | 17,000 50 100 18,150 |
- | 3,075 20,708 17,000 - - - 50 100 232,752 |
6,651 | |
| Church Donations | 20,708 | 19,387 | ||||
| Church Donation(teacher salaries) | ||||||
| School Building | 24,000 | |||||
| Girls House | 300 | |||||
| Girls Work | 5,000 | |||||
| Jean Bosco Funeral and Family | 935 | |||||
| DayCentre | ||||||
| Donations from schools | 778 | |||||
| Church Donation(YoungMums) | ||||||
| 214,602 | 194,642 | |||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
- - - 18,150 |
|||||
| - | - - - |
- - - |
||||
| - | - | |||||
| Sub total | - | - | ||||
| - | 232,752 | 194,642 | ||||
| A3 Payments Publicity 1,175 Subscriptions/memberships 536 Grants to DR Congo 210,631 Insurance 712 Staff and office expenses 2,251 Bank Fees 580 Strategic plan facilitation 365 Visits toDRC 8,235 Transfer to reserve account 5,000 YoungMums Teacher salaries School Buildingand furnishing SewingProject Girls House Jean Bosco Funeral and Family Tradingexpenses 436 DayCentre Payment to MaryRatter Girls Work Sub total 229,922 - - Sub total - Total payments 229,922 Net of receipts/(payments) - 15,320 A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
100 17,000 1,000 50 18,150 - - - 18,150 - |
|||||
| - | 1,175 536 210,631 712 2,251 580 365 8,235 5,000 100 17,000 1,000 - - - 436 50 - - 248,072 |
409 | ||||
| 1,927 | ||||||
| 137,771 | ||||||
| 349 | ||||||
| 4,097 | ||||||
| 386 | ||||||
| 24,000 | ||||||
| 3,577 | ||||||
| 300 | ||||||
| 935 | ||||||
| 407 | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| 250 | ||||||
| 5,000 | ||||||
| 179,408 | ||||||
| - - - |
- - - |
|||||
| - | ||||||
| - | 248,072 | 179,408 | ||||
| - | - 15,320 | 15,234 |
| A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end **Cash funds this year end ** |
- 5,000 | 5,000 | - | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57,873 | 2,578 | 60,451 | 45,218 | ||||||
| 37,553 | 7,578 | - | 45,131 | 60,452 |
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B3 Investment assets B5 Liabilities B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Details Main Account Reserve account Details Details Details Details Signature Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
to nearest £ to nearest £ 19,499 18,055 7,578 37,553 7,578 OK OK to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Print Name Mark Gant Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) |
to nearest £ Endowment funds |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| to nearest £ Endowment funds |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| When due (optional) |
|||
| Date of approval |
|||
| Mark Gant | 1/24/2024 | ||
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
| Report to the trustees/ members of On accounts for the year ended Set out on pages Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner Basis of independent examiner’s statement Independent examiner's statement |
Charity Name CONGO CHILDREN TRUST |
Charity Name CONGO CHILDREN TRUST |
Charity Name CONGO CHILDREN TRUST |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2023 | Charity no (if any) |
1121048 | |
| (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets) | |||
| 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 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the 1993 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: ● examine the accounts under section 43 of the 1993 Act, ● to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 43(7)(b) of the 1993 Act, and ● to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. 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 (other than that disclosed below *) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements: |
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to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the 1993 Act; and
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to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 1993 Act
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have not been met ; or to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
| Signed: Name: |
24 January 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Euan Menzies |
Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any):
ICAEW
Address: 24 Balcombe Road Haywards Heath West Sussex, RH16 1PF
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material problems.
Give here brief details N/A of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .