Chairman’s Annual Report for 2024/2025
The past year has undoubtedly been the most challenging year yet for The Meserani Project, but it has also been the most exciting and rewarding year. The new Meserani Secondary School opened back in January 2023, but over the past year the school has developed an identity and an enviable reputation in the area, due to the quality of the buildings and infrastructure that have been provided by The Meserani Project, and the technology that has been provided and installed by the group of Virgin Media/O2 employees and their supporters, who spent two weeks at the school in January.
The charity continues to make a significant impact in terms of its aims and objectives, and has continued to expand its impact on the Meserani community through the number of students progressing to further and higher education. By the end of 2025 there will have been 308 young people who have been supported throughout various stages of their education.
We are particularly proud that three of our university students are actually on a five year course at medical school training to be doctors, and one student is on a five year course at medical school training to be a radiologist.
Work on compiling a data base on which of our previously sponsored students were actually in employment began in July this year. Although this is a time consuming process, and much work has yet to be done, initial findings are very positive and reassuring.
It is pleasing to report that the charity is still able to function successfully without taking any expenses at all out of money raised, generated or donated, meaning that the charity continues to give true value for money. All decisions made regarding spending the money are still only done following consultation with, and approval of, our indigenous advisors in Tanzania (our ‘committee’), meaning that all funding goes exactly where it is needed most. Throughout the past year there were a number of issues for which the advice of the committee in Tanzania was invaluable.
The arrangements for sending money to Tanzania, from the charity bank account in the U.K., via a Revolut Bank account, to the account in Tanzania held by the Meserani Ward Councillor Loth Naparana, is now well established, and monitoring of this continues to be extremely
rigorous. The charity has made significant savings by using the Revolut bank to send money to Tanzania – the bank charges per transaction are fixed at about $3.30 and their foreign exchange rates were significantly better than those used by Barclays Bank – in the financial year 2024/2025 the charity saved in the region of £75.00 using this method.
The Meserani Project has completed the building and furnishing of the two dormitories at the new Meserani Secondary School, and has started on the building of two more dormitories, due to be completed by the end of 2025, ready for the third intake of pupils in January 2026. A toilet block for the two dormitories is also being funded, and is also due to be completed by the end of 2025.
An impressive dining/assembly hall for the school, which includes a kitchen and food storage rooms, was finally completed this year. The Meserani Project funded the building, and also the resourcing and furnishing of the building. We have also funded the building of a storage building for firewood, with changing rooms and toilets for the kitchen staff.
The ‘sponsorship bundles’ initiative to support the new Meserani Secondary School has proved very successful, providing books, trees, bunk beds and feminine hygiene packs. There are also options for supporters to fund individual pupil sponsorships.
Group trips to Tanzania to support the charity continue to be organised, with the support offered by the Chairman of the charity. Another group of employees from Virgin Media/O2, with supporters from allied companies, are due to spend two weeks supporting the charity in January next year, focussing on developing technology facilities at the Meserani Secondary School.
Statistics
We have supported 308 young people throughout various stages of their education.
286 pupils have attended one of seven secondary schools that we have links with.
105 students have started their two years of A’ Level studies.
65 students have started Certificate and Diploma Courses at College or University.
69 students have started their three year Degree courses at university. Fourteen classrooms have now been built and furnished for four primary schools.
Further to ensuring that these young people have an education, we have also:
Built and furnished 14 classrooms in four primary schools. Provided 41 water tanks for 6 schools and a clinic.
Provided a dormitory for a girls’ boarding school. Provided solar power for two schools and a clinic.
Provided water harvesting systems for a primary school, a secondary school and a clinic.
Renovated four teachers’ homes at a primary school. Provided beds for 116 pupils at two secondary boarding schools. Provided 80 desks and chairs for a boys’ secondary school. Provided 70 desks and chairs for a primary school.
Provided laptops and projectors for a Vocational Training Centre. Provided laptops and projectors for an Adult Learning Centre. Provided whiteboards for three secondary schools and a Vocational Training Centre.
Planted 1,460 trees in two primary schools and two secondary schools. Provided a photocopier, printer, generator and TV/Video player for three schools.
Provided and furnished all four dormitories at the Meserani Secondary School.
Provided and furnished a dining/assembly hall & kitchens at the Meserani Secondary School.
Provided a third toilet block at the Meserani Secondary School. Provided extensive water harvesting systems at the Meserani Secondary School.
Installed laptop/projector/screen systems for teachers in every classroom at the Meserani Secondary School.
Provided solar power at the Meserani Secondary School. Provided full office and reprographic equipment at the Meserani Secondary School.
Resourced the ICT classroom at the Meserani Secondary School. Provided external security lighting at the Meserani Secondary School.
Financial situation
There was an income of £47,262.55 over the financial year 2024/2025 and expenditure of £127,010.49 There was a balance of £130,947.38 from the previous financial year. The balance at the end of the year 2024/2025 was £51,199.44
The balance on 6/11/25 was £24,841.50 – the difference between this and the balance at the end of the 2023/2024 financial year is because of
the ongoing building costs for the dining/assembly hall and dormitories at the new Meserani Secondary School.
We have £2,640 in reserve, which is money paid in advance for sponsorship bundles (bunk beds, trees and period pants). This leaves an amount of £22,201.50
The relatively healthy balance of £22,201.50 will be used before the end of 2025 to fulfil our commitment to complete the building of the final two dormitories at the Meserani Secondary School (£10,723 needed) and the building of the toilet block for these dormitories (£3,058 needed). A further £9,091 will also be needed by the end of 2025 if we are to pay for the bunk beds for the two dormitories, although we are currently seeking sponsorship for as many of these as possible.
By the end of 2025 the charity will have no funds available to further support the Meserani Secondary School, apart from the money raised at two events - on 8 and 15 November. Future fundraising events and donations will be vital to fund our ongoing support of the school.
P.G. Swan 6/11/25
The Meserani Project Account Summary 2024-25
| Balance 5 April 2024 | 130,947.38 |
|---|---|
| Deposits 5 April 2024 - 4 April 2025 | |
| Funds Raised | 3,954.20 |
| Book Bundles | 1,865.00 |
| Pupil Sponsorship (Annual) | 4,197.00 |
| Tree Planting | 2,155.00 |
| Bed Bundles | 1,125.00 |
| Period Pants Bundles | 3,497.00 |
| Secondary School | 5,355.91 |
| Sponsor money paid in advance | 5,124.24 |
| School Sponsorship | 12,425.60 |
| Random Donations | 497.00 |
| Gift Aid | 5,197.00 |
| Book Sales | 1,869.50 |
| Total | 47,262.55 |
| Withdrawals | |
| Period Pants | 6192.2 |
| New School Build | 109,338.98 |
| Ebay purchases | 21.69 |
| Money exchange – funds to take to Tanzania | 11,329.35 |
| Watering cans | 74.92 |
| Computer Leads | 53.35 |
| Total | 127,010.49 |
| Summary | |
| Balance 5 April 2024 | 130,947.39 |
| Deposits 2024-25 | 47,262.55 |
| Withdrawals 2024-25 | 127.010.49 |
| Balance 4 April 2025 | 51,199.44 |
Diane Swan Treasurer 21/10/2025
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
| Report to the trustees/ | THE MESERANI PROJECT | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| members of | ||||
| On accounts for the year | 31/03/25 | Charity no | 1136570 | |
| ended | (if any) | |||
| Set out on pages | 1 to 2 | |||
| (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets) | (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets) |
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/03/2025.
Responsibilities and As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the basis of report accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 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 I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
-
the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
-
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
-
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
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.
==> picture [89 x 9] intentionally omitted <==
----- Start of picture text -----
Date: 23/12/25
----- End of picture text -----
Signed: a Name: Stuart Fallowfield
Relevant professional qualification(s) or body
1
Oct 2018
IER
(if any):
Address: 5 Thringarth Close, Eaglescliffe, Stockton-on-tees, TS16 0SG
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the There are no matters of concern that I wish to disclose. examiner wishes to disclose .
2
Oct 2018
IER