2021-06-30-accounts - Helping The Burmese Delta

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Helplng The Burniese Delta Annual Report 2020 - 21 HELPING THE BURMESE DELTA

Table of Contents

Helping The Burmese Delta Annual Report 2020 - 21 ............................................................................... 1 Helping The Burmese Delta .............................................................................................................. 4 Education .................................................................................................................................. 5 Health ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Objectives ...................................................................................................................................... 5 Education .................................................................................................................................. 8 Healthcare training ..................................................................................................................... 8 Our Team ....................................................................................................................................... 8 Financial Review ............................................................................................................................. 9 The Year Ahead .............................................................................................................................. 9 Key Policies .................................................................................................................................... 9

A message from the Founders

We’re pleased to introduce our Report for the year July 2020 – June 2021, although this was a very mixed time for us.

COVID-19 has continued to affect Myanmar, but the Junta’s voiding of the February election results, leading to the Civil Disobedience Movement, and the formation of the National Unity Government, has had deep effects.

The relative isolation of our High School has shielded it from the worst of the unrest.

May Tha-Hla

Jon Wilkinson

Helping The Burmese Delta

We were formed in the aftermath of the catastrophic Cyclone Nargis, which devastated the Delta of the Irrawaddy River in 2008, and our strategy has developed since that time. We began by distributing emergency aid, but soon realised that the areas in which we were working, suffered from enduring poverty and great deprivation.

As a small charity, we needed to specialise, and we decided to focus geographically on an especially remote district (the Yay Kyaw Toe Village Tract), which was virtually ignored by the previous military government, and other NGOs, alike. This was an area with many small villages, no roads, no healthcare, its schools largely destroyed by the storm, severe shortages of clean water, and very few livelihood options other than paddy farming. In 2014, we opened another area in the North of the Delta in Thar Paung township, again extremely poor, but also subject to severe flooding.

Education

Our core activity remains Education . We started by rebuilding Primary Schools destroyed by Nargis, and in 2013 built and opened an almost unique Social High School which for the first time gave poor local children the chance to complete their school education and qualify for University and Training Colleges. We also run scholarship programmes both for the academically best performers, and for the especially needy.

When we build a primary school, and the village supplies 3 acres of land, and labour to assist our carpenters, it can apply to the local authority to be adopted. All of our schools have been successful, and then receive at least one qualified teacher. The building becomes the property of the school.

Health

Even now, there are no doctors or hospitals within several hours’ travel, and the villagers are too poor to afford the boat fares. The only possible solution was to train suitable villagers as health workers. We have adapted training solutions widely used in the developing world, and have carried out general paramedic programmes, and training of Traditional Birth Attendants. These have been given by a combination of local doctors and nurses, and midwives from the UK.

As mentioned above, many health problems arise from the lack of clean water, and great ignorance about hygiene. We therefore instituted a programme to drill tube wells for the villages, and where needed, storage for rain water from the monsoon season.

Objectives

Our formal objectives are:

“To relieve poverty and sickness, to preserve and protect health, and to advance education, among the people of Myanmar who are in need.”

We approach these through focusing on the three areas described above. They are not distinct. For instance, if parents earn more money, they are better able to keep their children in school. Better health enables parents to work more. We picture this as follows:

Impact

Total people helped since 2008: Over 70,000

Education

Health

Livelihoods

Review of the year 2020 - 2021

The last year has been one of great heartbreak in Myanmar, as the twin calamities of COVID-19 and the military coup ravaged the country. Much of the country has joined in a Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), which saw civil servants, doctors, lawyers and, importantly for us, teachers and medical staff withdraw their cooperation from the government. This lead not only to the closure of these types of operation, but also a military reprisal which has seen extensive violence meted out across the country. In the Delta region, there has, mercifully, been less violence than in some other parts of the country, especially the North and in Yangon, for which HTBD must be grateful. However, teachers have been afraid to attend schools, lest they be associated either with the military - and attacked by the resistance, or with the CDM - and attacked by the military. Schoolchildren and their parents have been similarly frightened. Amidst all this disruption, the government has also been closing schools and limiting movement due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the country.

HTBD have sought to remain steadfast friends and supporters to our communities in the Delta region in whatever way HTBD are able, although what HTBD have been able to achieve this year seems paltry in comparison to happier times.

Education

Supporting our teachers – HTBD do not have the funds to provide full furlough payments as in other countries, but HTBD have tried to help our teachers to keep their heads above water (and food on their plates) by paying a portion of their salaries, despite the lack of income from school fees and our tremendous donors this year. At the start of the period, HTBD were able to provide 40% of salary, but this has since been reduced. Our headmaster, U Kyaw Seya, has been growing vegetables and selling them to raise funds and to help feed some teachers and pupils, too.

Supporting our pupils

When the schools have been closed due to the coup, rather than the pandemic, HTBD have managed to run some ad-hoc reading group classes in the street and HTBD have supplemented this with online training, to prepare some of our older pupils for office jobs. HTBD have also distributed books received from UNICEF to our current pupils and have sent additional books from other donors to the villages where HTBD have in the past built schools.

Preparing for re-opening – Whilst the schools have been shut, HTBD have stepped up the maintenance of the High School.

Healthcare training

Since the start of the coup on 1[st] February 2021, healthcare staff have been targeted by the military and their supporters and doctors and nurses have been served with arrest warrants for providing life-saving healthcare to protestors. In these circumstances, and with travel both tightly restricted and dangerous, HTBD have deemed it too hazardous to continue our work training traditional birth attendants, but HTBD hope to be able to resume this when things are calmer.

Our Team

This consists of:

U Phyo Hlaing Bwa, Country Director

U Kyaw Zeya, Education Officer

U Aung Chan Myae Hlaing, Health Officer

There are no paid staff in the UK.

Financial Review

In the 2020 - 2021 year we received total income of £42,922 (2019 – 20 £27,674), and our expenditure was £36,817 (2019 – 20 £51,867). At the end of the 2020 -2021 year our cash funds totalled £55,638.

Reserves Policy

We retain an operational reserve of unrestricted funds in order to mitigate risks defined in the Risk Register, and the amount of this is reviewed annually. Our target for this is currently £40,000.

There are other restricted funds which are not part of the policy, but which refer to those dedicated to specific projects (for instance building a school or drilling wells). These are carried forward until the completion of the project.

The Year Ahead

The intensity of the violence engendered by the coup appears to be lessening somewhat, but the country appears to be becoming more united against the military, which suggests that real peace still remains distant. Many thousands of people languish in detention unjustly and at least 1,200 have been killed by the coup perpetrators. HTBD see no near-term end to this situation. Since the end of the period under review, Russia has invaded Ukraine and the military rulers of Myanmar have supported the aggressors, further isolating the country.

These challenges have decimated the economy and the need of Myanmar people for our support is greater than ever.

Key Policies

Risk management

There are a multitude of potential risks in operating in remote areas in a country like Myanmar, and we believe the best protection against these is to work with reliable partners who are regularly supervised. We phase funding against agreed detailed budgets, and always inspect the work. All timber is purchased from official sources. Wherever possible payments are made by direct bank transfer. In 2016 – 17 we developed a formal risk register. Each risk is reviewed annually by the Board.

lThh•rnnt r6xk Mitiffmtion Gov•rnanc• rlskx Lack of succession lannin Potential negligence claims against trustees The charity has taken appropriate insurance poIIcieS. The charity ha5 little spare c45h and Spends anv excess over policy reserves annuallv. The charity has been successful in raising funds via events such as The Big GNe each year. even durin8 limes of iurmoil in Myanmaf. Excessive accumulation of capttal/reserve5 Insuflicient Teserves / account5 tallin8 below policy reserves Operatlonal rlsks Maintain robust rules. especially for Hiah School boarders. Train staff lindudin8 teachers and wardèns). Ensure children have atcÈss to independent reporting of i5sue5_ Inadequate SafeBuarding of children Loss of Headmaster at Ye Kyaw Toe Thè Trust has Succèssfully chan8Èd Sènior staff in Myanmar previous and telieves that the appèal of the cause still remains suficient to attract good people there_ Losln8 Myanwnar Director Insufficient admin support in UK Porential lack of Eeacher5 for Hi8h Schooll5) Headmaster is constantly recrusting. Charity pays hardship allowances for rernote area workin8. Fln•nclal rlsk Forex variance Monitor exchange rate movements and convert monies whèn advanta Èous. Inflation in cost of salaries and other wtern5 lead5 to deterioraiion of seryices the charity is able to provide. Loss of income/donoT base reduction Error in docuwnefhtation dealin8 Wwth payments/receipts Insufficient understandin8 of Myanwnar by banks lea<Jing to account closure External risk Turbulent economic/ political enyironrnent Ensurin8 Safety of staff and vi51tors Our reserves polcy should enable the charity to maintain its servTrce levels. Continued marketin attivity to raise funds. Receipts requested on donation transfers Frequent communications wwrh the banks. The chariry continues to alternative solutions. copy from report The charity obeys all government orders to close on medical grounds and has provided protective equipment to sraff and children durin8 the COVIO pandemic. This has enabled activity to ontinue_ Pandemic and/or natural disaster in Myanrnar Loss of auditor and no candidatÈs to rèplace them The Board of Trustees have a series of alternative tandTrdatès ablè to audit thÈ actounts. Compliance risks The Trustees keep abreast of changes in Myanmar le8islation and relav 518nificant iterns to the Board for noting or action. Breakin81 falling foul of local laws / re8ulations Emer8in8 risks Famine induced by interruptions to supply chains fTom war and pestilence. Global recession reduces donors. ability to support the charity. The Delta region is remote within Myanmar and able to provide much of its own food. Fund raisin8. marketin8 and PR. The charity was started to respond to the impact of Cyclone Nargis and the tsoard believe that the neèd for its work Will incrèasè as climate Èvénts become more f requent. DonoTS are also likely to respond well to climate-Telated request5 for funding. Clirnate ¢han8e 10

Fundraising

We aim to do all our fundraising in a respectful manner. We never share contact details with third parties, and communicate very largely electronically, and with limited frequency. We do not contact people from cold lists. We implemented the changes required by GDPR.

Our funds have been raised through various sources.

We have built a database of individuals, many existing personal and business contacts of the founders, and progressively many more donors and friends who have come into contact through the website, events, and word-of-mouth.

In addition to these many individual supporters, the following are current or past Corporate, Trust, Governmental, and other organisational supporters.

Acumen Amazon Papyrus Australian Embassy, Yangon Bonamy Finch Building Schools for Burma Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Trust Educational Empowerment Incite Just Trust Kantar	Laura Case Trust

We have raised funds through the holding of Burmese Food, Crafts, and Entertainment Fairs in London and Oxford.

We have enjoyed the proceeds of sponsored activities, such as marathons, triathlons, and climbing the Three Peaks and Kilimanjaro.

We have participated in The Big Give’s matched funding challenge each year from 2009, and also received a grant from The Funding Network.

Governance and Management

Helping The Burmese Delta is constituted as a Trust, with the deed dated 24[th] June 2008. It is registered with the Charity Commission (no. 1124774). The first Trustees were the two founders of the charity, Jonathan

Wilkinson and May Tha-Hla, and Roger Banks, a retired senior businessman with extensive experience of Asia. Roger Banks resigned from the Board on December 28[th] , 2018.

The Board was stable throughout the 2020 – 21 year, and comprised:

Sally Macdonald, Jeremy Ogden, May Tha-Hla, Nyein Torley and Jon Wilkinson

The Trustees meet at least three times a year and are in regular phone/email communication in between. The founders visit Myanmar to inspect the projects and plan new ones, at least twice a year, but usually in practice make three or four trips. We exert a high degree of control. May Tha-Hla, who is bi-lingual and bicultural, visits all projects personally, and a local senior lawyer, under our instructions, controls funds in Myanmar. Our objective is to be the most efficient and effective charity possible. The founders handle the day-to-day management of the charity. They work closely with a number of volunteers in the UK who assist particularly with fundraising, PR, and design.

Registration in Myanmar

We have officially registered a local charity in Myanmar, under the name Pyin Nyar Tha Hla Social Welfare Organisation. Pyin Nyar means ‘education’. This can receive donations from foreign organisations for projects. There is a local Board which manages its affairs under our guidance. Further details of PNTH are available on request.

Thanks

The Trustees would like to thank the many people who have given their time and efforts to help in our work. We would particularly mention:

The staff of HTBD Myanmar/Pyin Nyar Tha Hla for so successfully managing our projects
Daw Tin Ohnmar Tun for acting as Chair of Pyin Nyar Tha Hla
www.34sp.com for hosting the website gratis
Ma Aye Mon Thu, Ko Khin Maung Htay, and others for their help with fundraising

Declaration

The Trustees have approved this Report and Accounts on November 11[th] , 2022.

Jon Wilkinson

Chair of the Trustees

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Helping The Burmese Delta

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 30th June 2021 which are set out on pages 14 to 15.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Christy Lau FCCA CTA DChA Slade & Cooper Limited, Chartered Certified Accountants Beehive Mill, Jersey Street Ancoats Manchester, M4 6JG

November 23[rd] , 2022

Helping the Burmese Delta Receipts and Payments Accounts for the year ended 30 June 2021

Receipts Donations Donations - UK Individuals and Corporate Donations - Overseas Corporate Donations - Overseas Other Income tax repayments Investment interest Grant income Bank interest Total receipts Payments Direct Education Health Livelyhoods Myanmar Salaries & Costs Support Fund Raising Travel Insurance Trustees Liability Finance Bank Fees Currency Exchange Difference Total payments Net receipts / (payments) for the year Bank and cash balances at start of year Bank and cash balances at end of year	2021 £ 24,772 2,700 1,467 13,730 253 - - 42,922 2021 16,717 2,589 - 16,186 35,492 - - 596 596 394 333 727 36,815 6,107 49,531 55,638	2020 £ 30,212 - - - 1,460 - (4,000) 2 27,674 2020 35,666 1,722 72 12,683 50,143 239 745 568 1,552 172 - 172 51,867 (24,193) 73,724 49,531

Helping the Burmese Delta Statement of Assets and Liabilities for the year ended 30 June 2021

Note 2021 £ Bank and cash balances 55,638 Investment assets Manchester Building Society (Restricted fund) 1,523 One Savings Bank (Restricted fund) 2,827 4,350	2020 £ 49,531
	465 2,576
	3,041

Notes

The investment assets were given to the charity so that the interest can be used to fund
a) an annual scholarship for children from the delta region to attend the Ye Kyaw Toe high school. The income from them is restricted for this use. However, during the period of closure due to COVID and the coup, the income has, with agreement with the donor, been used to benefit the school, its staff and pupils by whatever means has been possible in these extraordinary times.

b)

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011. As a lower-income charity under section 133 of the 2011 Act, the trustees have elected to prepare the charity's financial statements using the Receipts & Payments basis.

Approved by the trustees on November 11th, 2022 and signed on their behalf by:

May Tha-Hla (Trustee)