## **Gumboots Foundation UK**
**Registered charity no: 1123418**
**Trustees’ Annual Report 2021**
**(1st March 2020 to 28[th] February 2021)**
**Helping to educate and empower some of South Africa’s most disadvantaged children and young people**
1
## **Objectives of the charity**
**The Gumboots Foundation’s mission is to address poverty and AIDS related issues in South Africa by improving education, nutrition, employment and wellbeing.**
**Our objectives are:**
**1. To empower children through education, both formal and informal, whilst also ensuring that their basic needs are met by providing food, shelter, healthcare and recreation.**
**2. To strengthen and support local home grown projects with local leadership and to secure a sustainable long term solution.**
**3. To help strengthen local communities both through financial assistance and by fostering a mutual understanding.**
**4. To provide individuals with an opportunity to be directly involved financially and personally in community development projects.**
**5. To provide honest and informative feedback on the progress of the projects and transparency on the use of donor money.**
**6. To seek partnership rather than dependency, with the focus being to uplift all involved through building relationships between donors, Gumboots and beneficiaries.**
**Statutory Declaration**
**In arriving at these objectives the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.**
2
## **Structure, governance and management**
**Registered address:**
**1 Station Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B16 9SZ**
**Managing trustees at 28[th] February 2021 were:**
**Angela Dyer (Secretary) Graham Allibone (Treasurer)**
**Mark Escolme Karen Beard**
**Margz Green David Lightfoot**
**There were no changes to the Board of Trustees during the reporting year**
**Methods for the recruitment and appointment of new trustees are as outlined in the Essential Trustee document CC3 regulations from the UK Charity Commission.**
**Governing document:**
**The Gumboots Foundation UK is constituted as a charitable trust by way of a Trust Deed/Charity Commission Application, dated the 1[st] March 2008.**
**Decision making is via Trustee Board Meetings which are held quarterly and at least one of which is held face to face annually, save in this year when due to Covid 19 pandemic restrictions all meetings were held remotely by video link.**
**Areas of operation and main activities**
**Gumboots UK is a charity founded for the purpose of raising money in the UK for the benefit of projects operating in South Africa.**
3
## **Structure, governance and management (continued)**
**Projects operating in South Africa apply to Gumboots Foundation UK for grants. Each application is approved or rejected by the board of UK Trustees. The Board will only approve grants which fulfil the criteria and further the aims of the charity as set out in our aforementioned mission statement.**
**We have a partner organisation in South Africa, Gumboots SA, which works together with the projects below which operate either within Alexandra Township or benefit township residents who are attending educational institutions elsewhere in South Africa. These projects apply for grants from Gumboots UK via Gumboots SA:**
- **Leratong Pre-school**
- **Sigiya Sonke Youth Group**
- **Phetoho Education Project (including learners supported by The Caitlin Fund)**
- **Alexandra Youth Project (renamed Sakhimfundo during this year)**
## **Our wider network**
**Kidlinks World is our sister organisation in the USA which also supports some of the Alexandra Township projects, (in addition to other initiatives in rural parts of South Africa), whilst the Kadey Family Charitable Corporation in Canada supports the Kadey House Orphanage which is based at the same site as Leratong Preschool.**
## **Role of volunteers**
**The trustees of Gumboots Foundation UK, and the directors of Gumboots South Africa and Kidlinks USA, offer their services on an entirely unpaid basis. All three organisations are assisted by a small but dedicated group of local volunteers without whose assistance operation of the projects and fundraising would not be possible.**
## **Distribution of Grants**
**This year we distributed the sum of** **`£` 53,167 to fund the following activities:**
4
## **Leratong Pre-School Project –**
**£29,729 in grants made**
**Providing a stimulating and safe space in the heart of Alexandra Township in which children can play and learn**
**This year we gave grants of £27,281 to be spent on staff remuneration (5 teachers and 1 cook); teachers’ medical care and retirement fund; food, provisions and maintenance and internet costs**
**In 2020 the school was closed except for the last term for the 15-20 who were graduating to primary school. Numbers registered generally were down to 60 this year due to many parents being unable to afford the fees because they’d lost their job due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Strict safety measures were applied and no-one involved has contracted Covid 19.**
**The majority of the funding (£24,000) comes from Brita Filters UK who maintained their commitment to paying salaries and ensuring staff were looked after even though the school was closed.**
**We thank Brita Filters UK for their continued support for this project**
5
**Sigiya Sonke (meaning “Youth Stand Together”) Youth Dance Project – giving children and young people a purpose through dance, music and performance and offering pastoral care and guidance**
**This year 60 children and young people participated in the activities organised by Sigiya Sonke**
**We made grants totalling £4,967 which were used to pay the stipends of the two project leaders and to pay for the internet.**
**This year has proved extremely challenging for these young dancers and their families due to the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic. Many parents have lost jobs and families are short of food and the basic necessities. The project workers provide the dancers with a daily meal and a place to practise in their own backyard (whilst still managing to maintain virus protection safety measures).**
**Despite these challenges the group still managed to put on two performances – complete with masks! The show must go on!**
6
## Sigiya Sonke Youth Project **Phetoho (meaning “change”)** continued **Education Project**
**– helping children and young people maximise their opportunity to access and benefit from education**
**This year we made grants totalling £5,131**
**We helped 2 children to benefit from good quality private education provided by the United Church School in Johannesburg. We helped to meet the costs of uniforms, books, stationery, transport and packed lunches for a number of children attending state schools in Alexandra Township. We supported one child, who has lost both his parents and who was living in the safe house at Ratang Bana Project, with his school attendance. We made a small grant to provide emergency Covid 19 poverty relief for school age children known to us through various Gumboots supported projects.**
7
## **The Caitlin Fund –**
**Established in 2010 by Margz Green, a Gumboots trustee, in memory of the life and achievements of her daughter Caitlin, the fund aims to improve the lives of disadvantaged young South African women through education**
**This year the fund made grants of £1,376 which supported the attendance at Alex state schools of two young sisters, (orphaned refugees from Zimbabwe), and also paid a support allowance to a young woman, (a previous recipient of Gumboots education support), whilst she completed her teaching internship at the United Church School.**
**One of the orphaned Zimbabwean girls kitted out in her new uniform and ready for the school day!**
8
## **The Activities and Recreation Club**
**(involving children and young people drawn from the various projects supported by Gumboots UK)**
**Activities planned for this year were unable to go ahead due to Covid 19 pandemic restrictions. Funds allocated in the budget were diverted to other projects in order to carry out emergency relief work, predominantly providing free food parcels, clothing and PPE.**
9
## **Sakhimfundo (meaning “Building Education”) - formerly known as Alexandra Youth Project)**
**This year we made a grant of £14,412 to fund some of the capital costs of building Phase 1; principally shower, toilet and changing blocks and laying the concrete base for the dance floor.**
**In the last report we were very pleased to report that we had helped to buy and fence the land on which this exciting new community resource centre will be built. Phase 1 is a purpose built performing arts centre which will, amongst other things, be a home to Sigiya Sonke Youth Dance Project.**
**At the end of 2019 building work began on Phase 1 but was abruptly halted in early 2020 when the pandemic struck. However from the point where work was able to recommence remarkable progress has been made and Phase 1 is almost complete and the dance group hope to fully move in by July 2021.**
**In the meantime the newly formed Sakhimfundo Board of Directors, together with the young leaders who will in the future head up this project, have been planning for the work ahead.**
**Photos on the following page show the artist’s impression of the vision and how the building has progressed to date over the past year. It is a remarkable achievement and the centre will soon be able to provide life-changing opportunities for the youth of Alexandra Township.**
10
## **Sakhimfundo**
## **Progress to date of the Phase 1 building works**
Artist’s impression
By the beginning of 2020 the frame had gone up!
Later on in 2020 - roof on, containers in place and concrete for the performance floor laid
Early 2021 – the vision comes to life and nearly ready to move in!
11
**Statement regarding the effect of the Covid 19 pandemic on the work of our charity**
The work of all projects supported by Gumboots UK has been curtailed or affected in some way for most of this reporting year.
**The Sigiya Sonke Dance group** had already been rehearsing for some years in cramped conditions in the backyard of the Project Leader’s home whilst they await the completion of their purpose built new home (Sakhimfundo). The project leader’s household has swelled to seven during the pandemic due to them having to take in family members not able to work. This meant that although some dance practice could still take place it was with very limited numbers due to the need to keep a safe distance.
Nevertheless they still managed to cater for 60 dance students, rehearsing for 3 hours a day in small groups Monday to Saturday, and then breaking off to do their homeschooling with support lessons provided by the Sakhimfundo tutors, (in 3 shifts of no more than 7 learners at a time). A by-product of the pandemic is that due to people losing their paid work, the number of volunteers able to support this project has swelled to nine. Three of these are receiving stipends from Gumboots South Africa with a view to them becoming the core project management staff of the Sakhimfundo Centre, a role for which they are actively planning.
The effect of the pandemic on these young peoples’ parents has been catastrophic. Already struggling at poverty level, having lost their jobs they are unable to feed the children properly. Our wonderful Sigiya Sonke project leaders have been providing the dancers with a daily hot meal and clothing, despite the fact that one of the leaders is struggling with his own health needs.
It is therefore hugely gratifying to note that even in such challenging times the Sigiya Sonke project leaders have ensured that all safety and sanitisations procedures are maintained and still managed to put on two sparkling performances!
As aforementioned, progress on building Phase 1 (the performing arts building) of the **Sakhimfundo Centre** was halted for a while, but once recommenced, very good progress has been made with only electrics, plumbing and interior decorations to be completed meaning it’s looking hopeful that the Sigiya Sonke Dance project will move in by July 2021.
In the meantime, as aforementioned, Gumboots South Africa have provided stipends from October 2020 which has enabled tutoring for up to 35 learners together with preparations for the work of the new centre to commence. A good interim use of the time and space available.
Fundraising is underway to fund Phase 2 (the education centre) and negotiations to purchase building land adjacent to the Performing Arts Centre are in full swing.
Again it is due to the remarkable energy and resilience of the Directors of our partner project in South Africa that so much progress has been made in such extraordinarily difficult circumstances.
12
Not surprisingly **Leratong Pre School** had to close its doors completely for most of 2020, save for the final term when up to 20 children who were moving up to primary school in January 2021 attended. Numbers wishing to attend were down anyway due to parents losing their jobs and being unable to afford the fees. Nevertheless due to the generous support of Brita Filters UK salaries have still been paid and jobs retained. Safety was paramount and none attending contracted Covid 19 – an achievement in itself!
No stranger to adversity in life herself, our powerful and resilient Principal maintains, **“** We won’t allow anything to break the chain of love in this beautiful country. We’ve been together for 20 years with Gumboots”!
Children and young people supported by the **Phetoho Education Project** , (incorporating The Caitlin Fund), have continued to receive support throughout the pandemic.
Individual children supported by Gumboots have still attended school when allowed. Three young people are being supported, both financially and pastorally, to complete their university educations. They are all working extremely hard and determined to achieve their qualifications, (often in extraordinarily challenging personal circumstances), with a view to making a positive contribution in their communities in due course.
Whilst Gumboots UK had no plans to fund **Ratang Bana** family centre during 2020/21, (the project has become entirely self-funded or funded through donations from other sources), funds granted to the Activities and Recreations Project, ( which had to immediately cease), were diverted, with the approval of the UK Trustees, to meet emergency needs created by the pandemic. These services were delivered by Ratang Bana.
This year the centre has supported 1247 individuals, 500 of whom are orphaned children with 747 newly registered HIV children. The pandemic has created great hardship with large numbers of people queuing outside the project premises pleading for basic foodstuffs. Again our remarkable project leader and her staff and volunteers sprang into action, gathering donations of food and bundling it for distribution to individual families at great personal risk to their own health given the initial lack of PPE and the ongoing challenge of keeping people at a safe distance from each other in an overcrowded township.
Sadly as we moved into 2021 the situation has worsened in South Africa with increasing levels of infection, a ruined economy, lost jobs and severe financial hardship.
13
## **Annual Accounts**
## **The Gumboots Foundation UK**
## **Receipts and Payments Account**
**Period from 1st March 2020 to 28th February 2021**
|**INCOME**
**Personal and Corporate Income**
Unrestricted Corporate funds
Unrestricted Personal inc Gift Aid
Restricted Caitlin inc Gift Aid
Restricted Corporate Leratong
**Total Personal and Corporate**
**Events Income**
Unrestricted Fundraising events
**Total Events Income**
**Total Income**
**EXPENDITURE**
Administration costs
Event Expenses
Paid UK invoice for restricted events
**Total Expenditure**
Net amount available for Distribution
Grants distributed
**Net Cash Movement**
Cash funds at 1st March 2020
**Cash funds at**
**28/02/2021**
**Statement of assets and liabilities**
**as at**
General Fund
Caitlin Fund
Restricted Leratong
Restricted Alexander Youth Project
**Total Cash Funds**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total**
**Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
1500
0
1500
22096
0
22096
0
447
447
0
24000
24000|
|---|---|
||£23,596
£24,447
£48,043
12174
0
12174
12174
0
12174|
||**35770**
**24447**
**60217**|
||-346
0
-346
0
0
0
0
0
0|
||**-346**
**0**
**-346**|
||**35424**
**24447**
**59871**
-13379
-39788
-53167|
||22045
-15341
6704|
||11227
19397
30624
33272
4056
37328
**28/02/2021**
**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
33272
4056
0
0|
||**33272**
**4056**
**37328**|
14
## **Comments on our finances and fundraising**
At the start of the financial year 20/21 our concern was the effect that the pandemic was going to have on both our fundraising in the UK and our beneficiaries in South Africa.
However in the event, our income, at £60217 was only slightly lower than the previous year of £63,067.Our corporate income remained the same at £25,500, whilst other income including gift aid, totalled £34,717, a reduction from £37,567 last year.
Personal donations were £22,096 including gift aid and donations to the Caitlin fund were £447 including gift aid.
The Big Give Christmas Challenge matched funding event, raising £8949.
We were unable to hold the usual Christmas Craft Market fundraising event because of the Corona Virus pandemic restrictions, however some of our trustees were very inventive and turned it into an online event raising £4110, so the total from events was £12,174.
The grants to projects in South Africa are detailed in the report above and totalled £53,167 compared to £68,161 for the previous year. One of the reasons for the decrease was the Covid19 situation in South Africa where some of the planned expenditure on certain of the projects had to be curtailed and diverted to providing food and other emergency supplies for children and families in need because of the prevailing circumstances.
Cash at year end was £37,328 compared to £30,624 for the previous year.
15
## **The Trustees declare that they have approved this report.**
## **Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees.......**
**Signature(s) Full name(s)** Graham Clifford Allibone **Position held** Treasurer
**Date** 05/05/2021
**The Trustees offer their sincere thanks to all our donors, both known to us and anonymous, without whose generous and continued support our work would not be possible. We hope that this report has given you an insight into the valuable contribution you have made.**
**For further information regarding the work of our charity see our website at www.gumboots.org.uk where you can also access the 2020 editions of the twice yearly round up of news and progress produced by Gumboots SA, called “The Beat”.**
16
||Unrestricted|Restricted|Restricted|Total|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||funds
f|Funds
f||Fundsf|
|INCOME|||||
|PersonalandCorporate lncome|||||
|Unrestricted Corporate funds|1500||0|1500|
|Unrestricted Personal inc Gift Aid|22096||0|22A96|
|Restricted Caitlin inc Gift Aid|0||447|447|
|RestrictedCorporateLeratong|0|24000||24000|
|Total PersonalandCorporate|f23,596|824,447||848,043|
|Events lncome|||||
|Unrestricted Fundraising events|12174||0|12174|
|Total Events lncome|12174||0|12174|
|Totallncome|||||
|EXPENDTTURE|||||
|Administrationcosts|-346||0|-346|
|Event Expenses|0||0|0|
|PaidUK invoiceforrestricted events|0||0|n|
|Total Expenditure|||||
|NetamountavailableforDistribution|35424|24447||59871|
|Grants distributed|-1337s|-39788||-53107|
|Net Gash Movement||-15341|||
|Cashfundsat1st March 2020|11227|1|9397|34624|
|Cashfundsat|33272||4056|37328|
##
##
##
##
||Unrestricted|Restricted|Total|
|---|---|---|---|
||funds|Funds|Funds|
||€|€|€|
|INCOME||||
|PersonalandCorporate lncome||||
|UnreslrictedCorporate funds|1500|0|1500|
|UnrestrictedPersonal inc Gift Aid|22A96|0|22A96|
|Restric{ed Caitlin inc Gift Aid|0|447|447|
|RestrictedCorporateLeratong|0|2404A|24000|
|Total PersonalandCorporate|923,596|824,447|t48,A43|
|Events lncome||||
|Unrestricted Fundraising events|12174|0|12174|
|Total Events lncome|12174|0|'12174|
|Totallncome|,t .' , ,'::|.,,:.:"|sfr*,I?|
|EXPENDITURE||||
|Administrationcosts|-346|0|-346|
|Event Expenses|0|0|0|
|PaidUK invoicefor res{ridedevents|0|0|0|
|Total Expenditure|-G4e||-4&|
|NetamountavailableforDistribution|35424|24447|59871|
|Grants distributed|-13379|-39788|-53167|
|Net CashMovement|t;#4ri|-15341|6704|
|Cash fundsat1st March 2020|11227|19397|3A624|
|Cashfundsat|33272|4056|37328|
|28/A2t2021||||