2021 ANNUAL 2022 REPORT
For the long term rehabilitation of Northern Uganda’s ex-child soldiers
Third Hope Annual Report 2021 – 2022
‘Today we are encouraged to take the waiting out of wanting, cut to the chase and get what we want right away, as though there is nothing worth waiting for…’
ARCHBISHOP JOHN SENTAMU
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EMBRACING THE UNAVOIDABLE NECESSITY OF
TIME
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espite the well-worn adage ‘time heals’, it is not time that does the healing any more than it is a measuring tape that causes a D tree to grow. Healing is growth, and growth is intrinsic to life. Healing is written into the fabric of nature – healing in the external world as well as healing in our interior world. However, the healing of wounds, like the growing of trees, takes time.
is doing deep and unseen work and we must give it time and attention to be allowed to take effect.
We know that healing the unimaginable suffering of ex-child soldiers is not in the hands of the ‘experts’, nor is it in the hands of the ex-child soldiers themselves. It is in the hands of God.
After several years of growth, where we have seen
year-on-year increase in the number of ex-child soldiers under our care, we are now entering a time of consolidation and deepening of the work.
Every mother knows that when her child falls and cuts their knee, all she can do is clean out the dirt, bring together the broken skin and protect the wound from further damage. Though she does all this in motherly love, she knows there is nothing more she can do. From here on she must trust to the healing power that is intrinsic to the tender body of her child. And that takes time. For that she has to wait.
We continue to clean out any dirt that may have got into the wound. We continue to hold the suffering and the hope together. We continue to supply the clean bandages of community, activity and security. And while we do all this, we wait. And as we wait, we continue to trust in the healing power that, from the beginning, was breathed into the core of creation, awaiting release.
The suffering that exchild soldiers have experienced has ruptured their inner world and their souls are deeply wounded. However, the healing power that is intrinsic to their God-given nature
And that is something well worth waiting for.
Third Hope Annual Report 2021 – 2022
Our trainees help to lead visitors through the tranquil gardens we are developing at The Peace Centre.
Going Deeper to Go Wider
This year, our focus has shifted from bringing in more ex-child soldiers to our programme, to widening the scope of the programme itself.
Alongside the continued activities of natural farming, trauma counselling and vocational training, we sense that our focus must now widen to include their relationship with the broader community. This shift in focus is expressed through two new initiatives which we are developing: Trees for Transformation and The Peace Centre.
Trees for Transformation is an initiative to enable our trainees to take the transformative tree-growing techniques they have learned on the Model Farm and pass them on to their neighbours in the local community. This is not an easy step for them. Much work is underway in producing the course materials and developing the support networks necessary for the trainees in this challenging new role. However, we believe the fruit of this will be well worth the work. The exchild soldiers will be empowered through the emerging of a new relationship between them and the local community and the environment will benefit from the increase in trees!
Trees for Transformation focuses primarily on the healing of the environment. The Peace Centre, however, will focus on the healing
of emotional wounds. The pain of ex-child soldiers cannot heal in a vacuum. The wounds of war exist, not only in their lives, but in the lives of the whole community of Northern Uganda. Despite nearly a decade free from violence, the people are still weighed down under the effects of the civil war.
Although much laudable work has already been carried out in the region, there are still deep invisible forces at work that continue to hinder lasting change. These are the hidden forces of unforgiveness, distrust and hatred which weave a toxic web of unresolved tensions, unexamined attitudes and unanswered questions.
It is for the purpose of addressing these hidden wounds that we are developing The Peace Centre. This will be a place where people can spend time contemplating the roots of war in their own hearts and lives. It is a place for private reflection and open dialogue. A place for remembering the past and reimagining the future.
It is our vision that The Peace Centre will become a place where the exchild soldiers can work together with the local community to begin to make sense of the suffering they have experienced. Then, through forgiveness and reconciliation, they will be strengthened to form a more open and hopeful future for everyone.
Third Hope Annual Report 2021 – 2022
A brief update for the year
The Growing Realisation of the Transformative Potential of Fruit
Fish: A Valuable Source of Income, An Invaluable Source of Nutrients
Agricultural traditions take many seasons to change. Farmers need to see results before they change long-held practices. The ex-child soldiers training with us are experiencing first-hand the transformative effect that trees can have through the thousands of trees that are growing strong on the Model Farm. Year-on-year the farm grows greener, lusher and cooler. It grows increasingly resilient to the heavy rains and the baking sun. This year was also a year of exponential fruitfulness. There are mangoes, jackfruits, avocados, oranges, lemons, bananas, cocoa beans and guavas in abundance. And the huge benefits these provide are finally beginning to sink in. Benefits, not only for income, but for family nutrition, health and general well-being.
The trainees are growing increasingly excited about the significance of planting and nurturing trees.
Small-scale fish farming can be a valuable addition to the rural Ugandan farm. The Third Hope Fish Pond, which we dug last year, has produced its first harvest of tasty talapia, which have gone down very well with the trainees! Our teaching on nutrition has highlighted to the trainees how fresh fish can offer nutrients that are hard to find in their traditional diet. Fresh fish are a rich source of protein, essential fatty acids, B12, iodine, potassium and magnesium.
Digging the Fishpond cost nothing more than sweat!
Third Hope Annual Report 2021 – 2022
Vocational Training Continues to Provide Confidence and Hope
Continuing to Regreen the Landscape – One Seedling at a Time
Throughout 2021, the Vocational Workshops continued to be a popular part of the weekly programme. Skills that are learned and honed in the workshops can be applied to home-life as well as work-life.
The natural buildings, that comprise the buildings of the Model Farm, are beautiful to look at and to dwell in. However, they do require more maintenance than less sustainable methods of building. We see this as a good thing at Third Hope because all maintenance is done by the ex-child soldiers themselves, under the guidance of our construction team. This gives them valuable experience in many aspects of natural building that can be immediately applied to the renovation and upkeep of their own homes and compounds. We also encourage innovation in the techniques and practices of natural building, which are beginning to be applied to the trainees’ own compounds.
Throughout this year, the drive to plant more and more trees continues. The Third Hope Nursery, on the Model Farm, nurtures thousands of small saplings – all individually potted up – which are then distributed to the trainees during the key planting seasons.
Planting trees, by definition, requires a long-term vision for the region and it helps to underline one of our key teaching points: The longer your vision – the wiser your actions.
Seedlings from Third Hope’s Nursery are distributed to ex-child soldiers for their own farms.
Ongoing Training and Support
Around 70 ex-child soldiers have participated in the Regenerative Agriculture Course and the vocational training since 2017, their skills and experience significantly impacting and benefiting their families and the wider communities through training others in formal and informal settings. All of these trainees continue on to the graduate training to gain valuable further experience in both working and managing the farm and receive ongoing trauma counselling.
Third Hope Annual Report 2021 – 2022
A vision for lasting peace
A ten acre plot of land, about 20 minutes walk from the 27 acre Model Farm, was secured by Third Hope in 2013 and, from the beginning, a vision for a Peace Centre was born. The spark for this idea came from the then National Director of Third Hope, the late Mark Avola. Mark was one of the foremost professionals working with ex-child soldiers in Northern Uganda. Having run World Vision’s reception centre when the ex-child soldiers first came back, he wrote passionately about the need for longer-term care. It was his insights that helped form our original model of care when we began Third Hope.
lay under the surface ready to re-emerge at the first signs of unrest.
These buried wounds are what we believe The Peace Centre will help the community to deal with. It will provide an interactive exhibition, consisting of a ring of rural huts that each reflect a different aspect of war. These huts will offer visitors a place where they can give their full attention to the roots of war in their own lives. Here there is no ‘us and them’, for we all must actively address the forces within us that cause conflict if we are to pursue lasting peace.
This exhibition will take visitors on a journey of reflection leading to a quiet garden, a place for dialogue and forgiveness.
Mark also saw into the future, and would often speak and write about the buried scars that, despite the ending of the war,
Forming the ‘Tear-drops of Light’ in the House of Tears
ALREADY CONSTRUCTED
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STILL TO BE CONSTRUCTED
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House of Separation House of
Trust
Central Gardens
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House of
Forgiveness
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House of Tears
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House of
Mercy
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House of
Humility
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Third Hope Annual Report 2021 – 2022
Ex-child soldiers in The Peace Centre gardens contemplate the choice between revenge and forgiveness.
Structure, Governance and Management
Third Hope UK is a Charitable Trust governed by a trust deed. As such it is regulated by the laws affecting charitable trusts in the UK. A body of trustees governs Third Hope. There must be a minimum of three trustees serving at any time. New trustees may be suggested by any trustee and are appointed by consensus of all the current trustees.
Decisions are made at trustees’ meetings, with sub committees managing issues of specialist interest. The trustees are responsible for fund-raising and for supporting the team in Uganda, as well as ensuring that income is used to further the objectives of Third Hope Africa, as outlined in its Governing Document.
Third Hope Africa is an International NGO, registered in Uganda, which is responsible for the day-to-day running of the project in Uganda and the delivery of the programme to the trainees. It is funded by Third Hope UK and audited by the Ugandan authorities. Two UK trustees sit on the board of Third Hope Africa.
Third Hope UK is Managed by the Following Trustees:
Rose-Mary Salmon (Chair since Autumn 2015) David Salmon (since Autumn 2015) Peter Iles (since Autumn 2015) Barry Horner (since October 2020) Ntombizifikile Mkoyana (since December 2020) UK Administrator: Fiona Penny
Public Benefit Statement
Third Hope has read the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit and is satisfied that the activities outlined above clearly demonstrate that the charity is providing a benefit to the public.
Financial Review
We have no deficit on our funds at the end of the year. Our funds carried forward are £15,166.92 of which £14,194.18 are unrestricted funds.
Reserves Policy
Third Hope holds in reserve enough to cover staff allowances for three months and for any expenditure to which we have committed.
www.thirdhope.org
UK Office : 16 The Leas, North Bushey, Herts WD23 2DZ Contact: fiona@thirdhope.org
Third Hope, registered charity no. 1133419 Third Hope Africa, International NGO, no. FORR8830311NB
Third Hope Accounts February 2021 – January 2022
| Income | Donations | £41,160.26 |
|---|---|---|
| Fundraising | £14,552.02 | |
| Grants | £10,200.00 | |
| Grand Total | £65,912.28 | |
| Expenditure | ||
| Operational Costs in Uganda | £64,895.55 | |
| UK Support Office Administration | £2,530.96 | |
| Grant Applications and Administration | £1,701.07 | |
| UK Monitoringand Evaluation | £842.00 | |
| Grand Total | £69,969.58 |
Breakdown of Expenditure
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7.3%
92.7%
93
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Operational Costs in Uganda UK Support Office Costs
| Operational Costs in Uganda REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE TRAINING Trainers and Support Staff Upkeep of Model Farm Carpentry and Tailoring Workshops Welfare Maintenance of Buildings Monitoring & Evaluation ONGOING SUPPORT PROGRAMME Practical Training on the Model Farm Administrative Costs (Staff + Fees) Maintenance of Buildings Welfare Compassion, Health & Education Fund OTHER OPERATIONAL COSTS Peace Centre Development Total Operational Costs in Uganda UK Support Offce Costs UK Support Offce Administration Grant Applications and Administration UK Monitoring and Evaluation Total UK Support Offce Costs Total Expenditure |
£15,908.14 £11,347.06 £2,830.12 £2,992.10 £3,929.01 £2,672.00 £9,575.41 £8,176.41 £2,619.34 £1,994.73 £2,537.84 £313.39 £64,895.55 £2,530.96 £1,701.07 £842.00 £5,074.03 £69,969.58 |
22.8% 16.3% 4.1% 4.2% 5.6% 3.9% 13.8% 11.7% 3.8% 2.6% 3.5% 0.4% 92.7% 3.6% 2.5% 1.2% 7.3% 100% |
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Summative
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Balance Carried Forward from 20/21 Accounts £19,224.22
Total Income £65,912.28
Total Expenditure £69,969.58
Balance Carried Forward to 22/23 Accounts £15,166.92
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Restricted and Unrestricted Funds: Of the balance carried forward, £972.74 are Restricted Funds and £14,194.18 are Unrestricted Funds.
Assets: Third Hope UK is solely a fundraising arm of the work and holds no assets. Third Hope Africa, the operational arm of the organisation in Uganda, holds assets to the value of £35,270.67.
www.thirdhope.org
UK Office : 16 The Leas, North Bushey, Herts WD23 2DZ Contact: fiona@thirdhope.org
Third Hope, registered charity no. 1133419 Third Hope Africa, International NGO, no. FORR8830311NB
THIRD H PE Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Third Hope UK for the Year Ended 31 January 2022 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Third Hope UK Trust for the year ended 31st January 2022. Respective responsibllltles of trustee5 and exaffliner As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the account5 in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Art 20111.the 2011 Act'l . It is my responsibility to.. examine the accounts under sertion 145 of the 2011 Act, to follow all the applicable procedures laid down in the general Direction5 given by the Charity Commission lunder section 14515 Ilbl of the 2011 Act). and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basls of Independent exarnlner's Statement My examination was carried out in accordance with general Dirertions given by the Charity Commission. An examination include5 a review of the accountin8 records kept by the charity and a comparison of the a¢¢ounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of anv unusual items or disclosures in the account5 and seeking explanations from the Trustees concernlng any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required In an audit, and consequently no opinion is 8iven 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. Independent examlner's ststement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination 8iving me cause to believe that in any material respert: the accounting records of the trust were not kept in accordance with Section 130 of the 2011 Act. or the accounts do not accord with those accountin8 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. Signed: 4illaMP Date- 3 October 2022 Name.. Mrs Tracy Clamp FCCA Address: East End Cottage, Norton'5 Wood Lane, Clevedon, North Somerset. B5217AF Hope Afrka. Creitprt Rostowat)n". nITrS%forrnat+rt. Registered charity fof the carof chibjren ifforted tr•f armed confiirt. NGO FORR8830311NB. UK Charity 1133419