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2023-12-31-accounts

Trustees' Annual Report for the period

Period start date Period end date ~~T~~ Day01 Month01 Year2023 Day31 Month12 Year2023 o

From

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

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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
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

Trust Deed

Trust

Trustee selection methods

Appointed by existing trustees

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 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 member (Secretary) in his capacity as Head Teacher.

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 2023 the parents contributed 79% of the school running costs.

Section C Objectives and activities

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document

  1. 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)

  2. The prevention and relief of poverty in rural Tanzania, particularly Choba.

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  1. 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 according to their ability to pay.

  2. We continue to make up the shortfall in running expenses of Choba Primary and Nursery School. Expenses include the following :

  3. Salaries (including social security contributions) of 12 primary school teachers, 4 nursery school teachers, 1 office assistant, 3 part time cooks and 4 watchmen

  4. Purchase and repair of bicycles for staff and volunteers

  5. Text books, exercise books, pens and pencils, stationery

  6. • Porridge for an average over the period of 330 children every school day

  7. Breakfast and lunch for all staff

  8. Maintenance of all buildings and assets such as the bore holes and water pumps

  9. Printing and photocopying of monthly test and exam papers

  10. School trips

  11. Water and electricity

  12. Transport to school for teachers

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)

In 2023 Children of Choba made a contribution of £6,398 towards the running expenses of Choba Primary and Nursery School. We also made specific contributions of £628 for a school trip to Mkomazi National Park for Class VI, £1,542 for text books for the new syllabus (kindly donated by Rotary Club of Bradford on Avon) and £227 for medical expenses for a 7 year old who broke her arm at school and needed an operation (without assistance she would probably have not been treated). The total contribution of Children of Choba to Choba Primary and Nursery School in 2023 was therefore £8,795.

Children of Choba has funded most of the assets of this school (buildings, desks, books, water pump etc) since the charity was founded in 2010. However, since foreigners and foreign organisations cannot own land (or anything built on it) in Tanzania, Children of Choba does not own the school. We have also funded running expenses - 100% of running expenses to begin with as there were no school fees. It has always been our intention that the school would be self-sustaining one day, and we asked the parents to start contributing towards running expenses in 2014, according to their ability to pay. We have been able to increase these contributions as the parents have started to see the fruits of education, until in 2023 the parents contributed 79% of the cost of running the school. At the beginning of 2023 the trustees agreed that from then on, we would account only for specific donations Children of Choba has made to the school and not include the full expenditure of the school. The school has its own audited accounts according to the law of Tanzania, which are available to any potential donor on request.

  1. In 2023 we paid (or made a contribution towards) the school fees and boarding costs for 48 secondary school students, 21 college students and 6 university students, totalling £58,887 (2022 £39,704). The total amount of funding received in 2023 from private individuals for their respective sponsored students was £53,809, but £12,242 of this was not spent in 2023 as some of the donors pay annually in advance. However, in 2023 the fees for the whole year for sponsored secondary students studying up to

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O level were paid in December 2023. We have £32,750 of funding designated to be spent on the fees of 7 school and 5 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 (£32,750) plus £20,000 from our reserves in 2023, 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 £2,884 in 2023.

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.

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

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You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:

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 79% of the cost of running the school in 2023 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 (2023). Her responsibilities included the following: -

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 tenth during the year year as an independent community school after we passed the strict criteria for registration. In our ninth 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 74% - of our 29 students, 6 got an average of A, 22 got B and 1 C. Again, for the second year, 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 fifth intake at Choba Primary School (who graduated in 2019) sat their O levels in 2023. Three Choba graduates (2 of whom were sponsored and 1 of whom was at a government scholarship school for special talents) did outstandingly well, with 10 As, 8 As and 1 B and 6 As and 3 Bs. Two further sponsored students got Division I. Seven further students got Division II, 3 Division III and 6 Division IV. Thirteen students who graduated from Choba Primary School in 2016 sat A levels in May 2023, and 7 got Division I, 3 got Division II and 3 got Division III. Nine opted for university, where 1 is studying Medicine, 2 Accountancy, and the others various subjects including Health Information Systems, Information Technology, and Journalism. One Choba graduate of 2015 who completed her Diploma in Law in 2023 got excellent results and is now studying Law at university. However, she obtained her university place after the close of loan applications, so Children of Choba is still supporting her for 1 year. All new applicants received government loans but none of them got 100%. We continue to support Amina and Zuwena (Medicine) and Hadija (Law) who have a large shortfall. Of the other 2023 A level leavers, 1 deferred his university place, 2 are studying for diplomas and 1 chose to play football. In 2023 Children of Choba has also paid for the college education (to diploma or certificate level) of 22 Choba graduates who completed their O level studies in 2019, 2020, 2021 or 2022 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 and early years teaching. Five of these students completed their diplomas during 2023, with 2 getting First Class and 3 Upper Second Class. Three students also passed their certificates in primary education. We are now very proud to have 3 Choba graduates employed as teachers at Choba Primary School and 1 at Choba Nursery 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 D Achievements and erformance p

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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 unrestricted reserve at all times.

We finished this financial year with a total of £141,126 in hand. £37,224 of this is restricted funding and £52,750 designated by the trustees for secondary and tertiary education of Choba graduates. £51,152 of unrestricted funding remains, which is 67% of our 2023 annual expenditure of £75,603.

Details of any funds materially in deficit

Nil

Further financial review details (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:

Grants were received during the year from the Rotary Club of Bradford on Avon (£1,000 restricted to the purchase of text books) and Royal Commonwealth Society (Bath Branch) (£500 unrestricted). In addition Gift Aid of £10,708 was claimed during the year.

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) McGivern Full name(s) Valerie Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Chair etc) Date 18/4/2024

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CHILDREN OF CHOBA

PERIOD 01/01/2023 TO 31/12/23

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS EXCHANGE RATE USED 1GBP=TZS 3000

UK TANZANIA **UNRESTRICTED ** RESTRICTED DESIGNATED TOTAL
FUNDS FUNDS FUNDS
Note 9 Note 6
Notes £
RECEIPTS
DONATIONS FOR SPONSORED STUDENTS 5 49,679 4,130 53,809 53,809
GENERAL DONATIONS 15,422 7,846 23,268 23,268
GRANTS 3 1,500 500 1,000 1,500
FUNDING FOR VALERIE McGIVERN COSTS 9,10 12,500 12,500 12,500
TRANSFERRED TO TANZANIA -120,000 120,000
TOTAL -40,899 131,976 23,768 67,309 91,077
PAYMENTS
DONATIONS TO CHOBA PRIMARY AND NURSERY SCHOOL
CONTRIBUTION TO GENERAL SCHOOL RUNNING EXPENSES 6,398 6,398 6,398
SAFARI TO MKOMAZI NATIONAL PARK 628 628 628
TEXT BOOKS 9 1,542 1,542 1,542
MEDICAL EXPENSES DUE TO ACCIDENT AT SCHOOL 227 227 227
8,795 7,253 1,542 8,795
CONSTRUCTION OF SCHOOL BUILDINGS
SPONSORED STUDENTS 5 58,887 58,887 58,887
VOLUNTEERS - FLIGHTS ETC 7
WEBSITE HOSTING 163 163 163
OFFICE EXPENSES 8 0 0 0 0
BANK CHARGES 258 258 0 258
RESTRICTED FUNDING FOR VALERIE MCGIVERN 10
LAPTOP 300 300 300
ESSENTIAL REPAIRS TO ACCOMMODATION 3,322 3,322 3,322
CAR EXPENSES 1,187 1,187 1,187
CONTRIBUTION TO LIVING EXPENSES 2,691 2,691 2,691
NIC CONTRIBUTIONS
TOTAL 421 75,182 7,674 67,929 0 75,603
NET BALANCE OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS -41,320 56,794 16,094 -620 15,474
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
CASH FUNDS
HSBC 71,206 6,482 24,724 40,000 71,206
EXIM BANK TANGA TZS 68,680 43,430 12,500 12,750 68,680
EXIM BANK TANGA GBP 399 399 399
CASH IN HAND 841 841 841
TOTAL 71,206 69,920 51,152 37,224 52,750 141,126
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
Respective
responsibilities of
trustees and examiner		 Children of Choba
31stDecember 2023 Charity no
(if any)		 1138096
Accounts Attached – including Notes to the Accounts
The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts.
The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year
under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that
an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:

Date: 23/04/2024 Signed: Name: Martin Coles Relevant professional FCMA, MA(Hons) qualification(s) or body

Address: 14 Dymott Square, Hilperton, Trowbridge, Wiltshire. BA14 7RW