Trustees' Annual Report for the period
| Period start date | Period start date | Period end date | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **From ** | 01 | 01 | 2022 | To | 31 12 |
2022 |
Section A Reference and administration details
Charity name Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) 1138096 Charity's principal address 20, Horseshoe Walk
Children of Choba
Bath Postcode BA2 6DE
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole **year ** |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valerie McGivern | Chair | |||
| Stephen Walker | ||||
| Jemma Bartholomew |
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| Abraham Temu | ||||
Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)
Name Dates acted if not for whole year
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| Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) Type of adviser Name Address |
Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) Type of adviser Name Address |
Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) Type of adviser Name Address |
|---|---|---|
Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)
Section B Structure, governance and management
Description of the charity’s trusts
Type of governing document (eg. trust deed, constitution) ) How the charity is constituted (eg. trust, association, company)
- (eg. trust deed, constitution) )
Trust Deed
Trust
Appointed by existing trustees Trustee selection methods
- (eg. appointed by, elected by)
Additional governance issues (Optional information)
Children of Choba forms the Education Department of a registered You may choose to include Tanzanian Charitable Trust, Fisherfolks Charitable Development Trust additional information, where (FCDT) of which Valerie McGivern and Abraham Temu are a trustees. relevant, about: • Children of Choba works very closely with the School Committee of Choba policies and procedures adopted for the induction and English Medium Primary and Nursery School in Tanzania, of which Valerie McGivern is a member on behalf of the donors. Abraham Temu is also a training of trustees; member (Secretary) in his capacity as Head Teacher.
- the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
Both the above organisations are independent of Children of Choba.
As a foreign organisation in Tanzania, Children of Choba is not able to own Choba English Medium Primary and Nursery School. Children of Choba trustees therefore have no legal responsibility (financial or otherwise) to support the school, although we intend to do so for as long as necessary. Our aim at the outset was for the school to eventually be financially independent and we continue to work towards this. We are making good progress and in 2022 the parents contributed 77% of the school running costs.
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relationship with any related parties;
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trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.
Section C Objectives and activities
Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document
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To advance the education of the children of Choba and nearby villages by constructing, running and providing the highest standards of teaching and facilities at Choba English Medium Primary and Nursery Schools. (Choba is a hamlet of Boza village, Pangani District, Tanga Region, Tanzania, East Africa)
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The prevention and relief of poverty in rural Tanzania, particularly Choba.
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We have now completed the essential buildings at Choba Primary School and are making excellent progress at ensuring the sustainability of the schools by asking the parents to contribute to running expenses.
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We continue to make up the shortfall in running expenses of Children of Choba Primary and Nursery School. The cost of running the school during the year was £22,092 (teachers’ salaries) plus £19,864 (running expenses), a total of £41,956 (2021 £40,569). The school was financed by parental contributions (£32,394, approx. 77%), and Children of Choba (£9,562, approx. 23%). Expenses include the following :
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Salaries (including social security contributions) of 12 primary school teachers, 4 nursery school teachers, 1 office assistant, 3 part time cooks and 4 watchmen
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Purchase and repair of bicycles for staff and volunteers
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Text books, exercise books, pens and pencils, stationery
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• Porridge for an average over the period of 385 children every school day
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Breakfast and lunch for all staff
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Maintenance of all buildings and assets such as the bore holes and pumps
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• Printing and photocopying of monthly test and exam papers
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)
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School trips
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Water and electricity
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Transport to school for teachers
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In 2022 we paid (or made a contribution towards) the school fees and boarding costs for 63 secondary school students, 15 college students and 5 university students, totalling £39,704 (2021 £44,979). We have used £5,175 of designated funding (as per 2021 Notes to Accounts) to pay for a few Choba graduates to attend college and one to attend secondary school .The total amount of funding received in 2022 from private individuals for their respective sponsored students was £41,397, but £17,320 of this was not spent in 2022 as some of the donors pay annually in advance and only the fees for the first (of 2) terms were paid in December 2022. We have £24,000 of funding designated to be spent on the fees of 4 school and 6 college students whom we have undertaken to pay for out of unrestricted funds until the completion of their various courses in 1 to 6 years’ time. From now on, Children of Choba will be increasing our efforts to fund Choba graduates (who are mostly from families living below the international poverty line) to undertake vocational training in courses that will lead to employment. To this end, the trustees have decided to designate the amount above (£24,000) plus £20,000 from our reserves in 2022, to fund secondary and tertiary education of carefully selected Choba graduates for whom we have been unable to obtain individual sponsorship. The maximum paid to sponsor any one student (who is studying Medical Doctor at university) was £1,843 in 2022.
Trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit and consider all the activities we fund in Tanzania to be of public benefit.
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Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)
You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:
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policy on grantmaking;
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policy programme related investment;
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Contribution made by volunteers.
The eventual aim is for Choba Primary and Nursery School to be financed completely by parental contributions so that it can continue long after the present Children of Choba trustees. We are working gradually towards this aim, with the parents contributing 77% of the cost of running the school in 2022 compared to nothing when Children of Choba was founded in 2010. This transition is enabling us to spend more of our funding on the secondary and tertiary education of Choba graduates. However, the school will always be of supreme importance as the graduates would not obtain places at private secondary schools or colleges without the foundation they receive at Choba Primary School.
Valerie McGivern, Chair of Trustees, spent the entire period in Tanzania (2022). Her responsibilities included the following: -
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Fundraising and publicity for Children of Choba in UK
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Supervising all spending of charity money
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Ensuring that both schools comply with the Child Protection Policy of Children of Choba, a legal requirement for the sponsorship of the schools
During 2021 Valerie was required to retire in Tanzania but she is still able to fulfil the above roles as a trustee of Fisherfolks Charitable Development Trust and a member of the school committee. During this period she has obtained a small amount of restricted funding towards her living expenses – for details please refer to the Notes to Accounts.
Section D Achievements and performance
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Section D Achievements and erformance p
Summary of the main At Choba we are not just building a school, we are trying to give each achievements of the charity child the opportunity to maximise his or her potential. This was our ninth during the year year as an independent community school after we passed the strict criteria for registration. In our eighth year of having a Class 7, we have achieved excellent results again. Choba English Medium Primary School performed very well in the National Primary School Leaving Examinations, with a school average over all subjects of 76% - of our 30 students 7 got an average of A, 22 got B and 1 C. This year, for the first time, NECTA (National Examinations Council of Tanzania) did not publish positions, but we have maintained our marks (in 2021 our overall average was 75%) so it would be reasonable to assume that we maintained our position in the top 5% of Tanzanian primary schools. Our fourth intake at Choba Primary School (who graduated in 2018) sat their O levels in 2022. We are not in touch with many of the 29 (because they were not studying in Pangani District), but of the 8 who were sponsored by Children of Choba at private schools, all got Division I. 3 further students got Division II, 4 Division III and 5 Division IV. Ten founder members of Choba Primary School sat A levels in May 2022, and all of them got good enough grades to qualify for university. All 8 who were sponsored by Children of Choba are now at university, 1 studying Medicine, 1 Law, 2 Computer Engineering/Science, 1 Health Systems Management, 1 Project Planning and Management and 2 Education with Arts. They all received government loans but not all of them got 100%. We helped 5 of them financially when their loans were late arriving and continue to support Amina (Medicine) and Hadija (Law) who had a large shortfall. Children of Choba has also paid for the college education (to diploma or certificate level) of 15 Choba graduates who completed their O level studies in 2019, 2020 or 2021 but who either were not selected for A levels, or chose vocational training over A levels. They are studying subjects that we hope will make them employable – clinical medicine, animal health and production, community development, law, public administration, primary teaching, early years teaching, tour guiding and hotel management. The first sponsored student to complete her college studies is still working at a hotel in Zanzibar, and a second finished her certificate in primary education in May 2022. We immediately employed her at Choba Primary School. We continue to be very encouraged by these results particularly as the parents realise the success of the children is due to their foundation at Choba Primary and Nursery School. In addition to exam success, we are proud that our sponsored students are growing up to be hard working, responsible young people with leadership potential. Many are prefects and leaders at their schools and colleges, and at Franciscan Girls’ Secondary School 6 of their 8 head girls have been Choba graduates.
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Section E Financial review
Brief statement of the
charity’s policy on reserves
We aim to keep at least half our annual expenditure in reserve at all times.
We finished this financial year with a total of £127,166 in hand. £27,708 of this is restricted funding and £44,000 designated by the trustees for secondary and tertiary education of Choba graduates. £55,458 of unrestricted funding remains, which is 96% of our 2022 annual expenditure. However, our expenditure in 2022 was considerably lower than usual as we did not pay school fees for the second term of the following year (in this case 2023), which we usually do. The reason for this was due to the poor exchange rate at the year-end which we expect to improve during 2023.
Details of any funds materially in deficit
Nil
Further financial review details (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:
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the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
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how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
Grants were received during the year from the Cumber Family Trust (£2,000), Rotary Club of Bradford on Avon (£2,000) and Royal Commonwealth Society (Bath Branch) (£500). In addition Gift Aid of £12,525 was claimed during the year.
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Parental contributions towards the cost of running the school of £24,721 were received. Sponsorship of specific children for secondary and tertiary education totalling £41,397 was received during the year. This was entirely from individuals who are friends or contacts of the trustees. None of this was from organisations.
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investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.
Section F Other optional information
Section G Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s)
Full name(s) Valerie Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Chair etc)
McGivern
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Date TAR Mar¢h 2012
CHILDREN OF CHOBA
PERIOD 01/01/2022 TO 31/12/2022
| RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS | RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXCHANGE RATE USED - £1 = TZS2845 | |||||||||
| UNREST | RESTRIC | DESIGNA | |||||||
| UK | TANZANIA | RICTED | TED | TED | TOTAL | ||||
| FUNDS | FUNDS | FUNDS | |||||||
| Note | 10 | Note | 7 | ||||||
| Notes | £ | ||||||||
| RECEIPTS | |||||||||
| DONATIONS FOR SPONSORED STUDENTS | 2 | 41,397 | 41,397 | 41,397 | |||||
| GENERAL DONATIONS | 34,123 | 12,293 | 46,416 | 46,416 | |||||
| GRANTS | 3 | 4,500 | 2,500 | 2,000 | 4,500 | ||||
| PART FUNDING FOR VALERIE McGIVERN | 12,500 | 12,500 | 12,500 | ||||||
| TRANSFERRED TO TANZANIA | -51,810 | 51,810 | |||||||
| TOTAL | 40,710 | 64,103 | 48,916 | 55,897 | 104,813 | ||||
| PAYMENTS | |||||||||
| PARENTAL CONTRIBUTIONS | 4 | -32,394 | -32,394 | -32,394 | |||||
| TEACHERS' SALARIES | 22,092 | 22,092 | 22,092 | ||||||
| SCHOOL RUNNING EXPENSES | 5 | 19,864 | 18,752 | 1,112 | 19,864 | ||||
| NET SCHOOL OPERATING COST | 9,562 | 40,844 | -31,282 | 9,562 | |||||
| CONSTRUCTION OF SCHOOL BUILDINGS | |||||||||
| SPONSORED STUDENTS | 6,7 | 39,704 | 41,397 | -1,693 | 39,704 | ||||
| VOLUNTEERS - FLIGHTS ETC | 8 | ||||||||
| WEBSITE HOSTING | 144 | 144 | 144 | ||||||
| OFFICE EXPENSES | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| BANK CHARGES | 203 | 203 | 0 | 203 | |||||
| RESTRICTED FUNDING FOR VALERIE MCGIVERN | |||||||||
| LEGAL EXPENSES | 11 | 1,239 | 1,239 | 1,239 | |||||
| CAR EXPENSES | 11 | 1,820 | 1,820 | 1,820 | |||||
| CONTRIBUTION TO GENERAL LIVING EXPENSES | 10,11 | 4,310 | 4,310 | 4,310 | |||||
| NIC CONTRIBUTIONS | 11 | 690 | 690 | 690 | |||||
| TOTAL | 1,037 | 56,635 | 41,191 | 18,174 | -1,693 | 57,672 | |||
| NET BALANCE OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS | 39,673 | 7,468 | 7,725 | 37,723 | 1,693 | 47,141 | |||
| STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES | |||||||||
| CASH FUNDS | |||||||||
| HSBC | 112,526 | 49,832 | 18,694 | 44,000 | 112,526 | ||||
| EXIM BANK, TANGA | 3,087 | 3,087 | 3,087 | ||||||
| NMB, PANGANI | 1,514 | 1514 | 1,514 | ||||||
| CASH IN HAND | 2,539 | 2,539 | 2,539 | ||||||
| ALLOWANCE FOR VALERIE MCGIVERN C/FWD TO 2023 | 11 | 7,500 | 7500 | 7,500 | |||||
| TOTAL | 112,526 | 14,640 | 55,458 | 27,708 | 44,000 | 127,166 | |||
| LIABILITIES | |||||||||
| NONE | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 |
Children of Choba | ||
| 31stDecember 2022 | Charity no (if any) |
1138096 | |
| Accounts Attached – including Notes to the Accounts ) |
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Respective The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts.
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responsibilities of The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year
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trustees and examiner under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to:
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examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act,
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to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and
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to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
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Basis of independent My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given examiner’s statement 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.
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Independent In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention
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examiner's statement 1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements: • to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Charities Act; and
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to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Charities Act
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have not been met; or
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to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
| Signed: Name: Relevant professional qualification(s) or body Address: |
7/6/2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Martin Coles | ||
FCMA, MA(Hons) |
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| 14 Dymott Square, Hilperton, Trowbridge, Wiltshire. BA14 7RW |