2023-08-31-accounts

Operation Imprezza

Annual Report For the year ending 31[st] August 2023

Charity number 1148240 Company number 8090833

Registered address

14 Elm Grove Teignmouth Devon TQ14 8SA

“Even those without hope can excel given the opportunity” As ever the school motto rings true at Imprezza Academy

Trustees: Alison Revell (resigned 27 April 23), David Dupont, Robert Cross, Christopher Hulme, Michael Anthony, Bhumika Sinha, Benjamin Bailey (resigned 6 November 23), Nicola Burgess (resigned 6 February 23), Karen Bumby (appointed 20 March 23), Anne England (appointed 20 March 23) Rev Stuart Hallam (appointed 20 March 23).

Bankers: NatWest 108 Union Street Torquay Devon TQ2 5PH

Our Aims and Objectives:

Welcome to our annual report.

Operation Imprezza raises money from donors and fund-raising activities to support the establishment of an all-age academy in Western province Kenya which provides education to those who would not otherwise be able to go to school. The students include HIV/AIDS victims and orphans. Girls are given equal access and the school accepts students from all religious and ethnic groups.

Our aims and objectives as set out in our Articles of Association are:

To advance the education and development of students attending (or who have attended) an Operation Imprezza school in Africa and to relieve them and their families who are suffering financial hardship by such charitable means as the trustees see fit in particular but not exclusively by:

a. Providing support (financial or otherwise) to students so that they can attend in particular secondary education.

b. Assisting students who require support when leaving school attend university, receive vocational training or set up a small business; and

c. Assisting them with medical, food and other appropriate aid with the aim of helping help themselves.

How our activities deliver public benefit

Imprezza Academy is a secondary school in Busia in rural Western Kenya providing education to those who cannot possibly afford to pay the fees required to progress beyond the primary level.

Secondary education is not free in Kenya for all practical purposes, whilst some costs are met by government significant costs are still incurred by parents/guardians so for poorer students such as AIDS orphans or those from a destitute family, it would normally be an impossible dream. As the school has established a reputation for high standards there are now some students who are able to pay part-fees which helps to meet the cost of the school.

Ever since the school opened in 2003 it has been fully committed to equal opportunities for all with respect to gender, ethnicity and religion creating a tolerant and progressive ethos. The Academy is licenced to offer all-age education but the focus is currently on the secondary stage.

Review of the year

There were several changes in the Trustees during the year ended 31 August 2023.

Nicky Burgess and Alison Revell stepped down during the year, and Ben Bailey stepped down after the year end in November 2023. All three will be missed, but remain in touch with us.

3 new Trustees joined us in early 2023. Karen Bumby is Head of Year and Biology at Torquay Girls Grammar School. Anne England is a retired teacher, who was brought up in Kenya, has taught at secondary level in Ethiopia and other Commonwealth countries. Rev Stuart Hallam, for 17 years a Royal Marine Chaplain, is currently a part time prison chaplain. These three bring a lot of experience to the team.

The joint Chair arrangement continued to work well between Chris and Bob, but due to family pressures Bob stepped down from joint chair in November 23. However we are delighted that Bob is staying as a Trustee. Chris Hulme is continuing as Chair.

The school founder Catherine Omanyo and her husband visited the UK in January 2023. This was an extremely useful time for us all to get together and plan face to face the development of Imprezza Academy. Imprezza has always had students with disabilities and we have prided ourselves on how well they have done. Catherine as Director of Imprezza Academy wants to develop this further, increasing knowledge and expertise. In addition, in her role as a Kenyan MP she wants to do the same nationally. Currently there is very little support available, especially in rural areas, for disabled children and their families. With this in mind, to widen her knowledge base visits to two special schools took place as well as visiting a mainstream primary school to see how they work with SEND pupils.

As usual Catherine spent 3 days teaching and talking at Torquay Girls Grammar School who have supported Imprezza since it started 20 years ago. Whilst there Catherine was also able to see how a mainstream secondary school helped SEND students. At TGGS Catherine was able to meet the new Head and hold a 20th birthday party for Imprezza. The birthday party was a great success, it was open to anyone to attend and we had a good turn out. A fantastic birthday cake had been donated which Catherine cut. There was plenty to go round!! Catherine gave a talk about her life, what it is like living in poverty and about Imprezza. We were delighted that the current Head was there, as was Sue Roberts who was the Head of TGGS when Imprezza started and after retiring became a Trustee for many years. It was from this party evening that Operation Imprezza was able to invite Anne and Stuart to join as Trustees

Another area of concern expressed by Catherine is the effect of climate change at the school. The school focuses on the environment, what can be done at the school to reduce its impact, and to ensure that all pupils and staff are fully bought into this. Electricity is solar, water is from a borehole, anything that can be recycled or re used is, agriculture is based on conservation organic methods, and everything is kept under constant review to minimise the footprint.

Catherine was also able to develop an ongoing relationship with Combe Pafford Special School in Torquay. Mike Lock their Head organised a series of fundraisers and they raised enough money by July 2023 to cover the cost of a dairy cow for Imprezza Academy.

Catherine also spoke to 3 churches, 2 rotary clubs, Devon Young Farmers and a breakfast club as well as talking to lots of others on a one-off basis. Whistlestop Cafe in Teignmouth held an open evening for supporters to meet Catherine

The new Kenya school curriculum came into force in January 2024 and preparing for this was a focus throughout 22/23. Some additional building is ongoing at the school to increase capacity to accommodate the two years of primary who became secondary in January 2024. This means there are now 6 years of secondary education rather than the previous 4. New text books are required as well for all years.

The new vehicle purchased early September 2021 continues to serve well, is reliable and has proved to be a satisfactory investment.

The school continues to develop in many areas although the numbers admitted are still affected by funds available, and since covid, spacing restrictions which whilst relaxed have remained more stringent than pre covid.

The school continues to be an integral part of the local community re-enforced by it being the base for the rural solar power electricity scheme. The school receives electricity free of charge from this scheme. The borehole continues to provide good quality water - an electric water pump has been installed, which enables water to be supplied from the borehole when power is available and stored in above ground tank storage. We are examining the other opportunities that the electricity gives as well.

There were again 320 pupils enrolled in 2022/2023 with over 300 boarding. The school seems to run consistently year on year with a waiting list of over 200 students wanting (and qualified) to join Imprezza Academy. Some students who joined this year had been waiting 2 years to join. As previously stated, funds and accommodation available dictate what can be done.

Food shortages and price increases continue to plague Imprezza, in fact Kenya generally, with both droughts and excessive rains affecting food production. We are exploring options for the school to expand its agriculture production and would like to buy additional land if funds were available. Everything is of course driven by funds availability.

The national examination results (KCSE – equivalent to UK A levels) were again very good confirming the high standard of education offered at Imprezza Academy. Naturally we are very proud of them all. These achievements by the students highlight why Imprezza Academy is vital to so many in the local communities, none of these students would have received secondary education if Imprezza had not been there for them. The results are even more amazing when the students had to contend with covid restrictions for a large part of their time at Imprezza. Exams have now returned to normal calendar timings since November 2023.

While there were no Trustee visits to the school during 2022/3, but Catherine visited the UK in January 2023 as detailed above. And in January 2024 one of our Trustees Anne England visited the school for 3 weeks. Hopefully normal visiting will now resume. The staff and in particular Rose, Catherine’s sister, have stepped up admirably covering the times when Catherine is in Parliament.

Operation Imprezza does not hold any funds on behalf of others.

The school has a long term objective of achieving self-sufficiency. However due to the droughts and then the floods that the area has experienced and more recently the impact

of Covid 19 it is not practical at present to have a target date for this. However having its own bore hole with adequate water is a big help in so many areas including irrigation. The fluctuating availability and ever increasing prices of everything including food, make sure we do not take our eye off the ball. Everyone would like to see more of our funds going into further developing the school rather than having to help with running costs and this is kept under permanent review.

Development work for additional facilities will run for the foreseeable future. Under the new curriculum there are many additional needs to meet education requirements. Apart from the obvious ones of more classrooms and dormitories because of the increase in pupils, workshops will be needed for vocational training in some areas to give one example. The agriculture project, which is ongoing, fortunately meets the requirements for one of the vocational courses. It remains a compulsory subject until last two years of school.

As previously noted we do support our students with medical needs. This is normally covered by normal running costs with an occasional need to appeal, which we had to do again this year.

The school always has a percentage of students with physical handicaps, nearly always from polio, although hopefully with the vaccination programme and elimination of polio in Kenya this problem will disappear over the years. ( Imprezza is used as one of the bases for polio vaccination of the local communities)

The school also always has some epileptic students and ones with asthma. Generally once they have been to Aga Khan hospital, often staying in for a few days, their medication is balanced and their symptoms are normally controlled, often for the first time in their lives. Imprezza still faces the challenge of being told by parents/guardians that it is a curse, been inherited by a spirit of an ancestor etc. not that it is a medical condition that can be treated. 2022 to 2023 was no different in this respect. Catherine realised from her visit to the UK that the school has had over the years quite a few students with autism, including currently. With more knowledge and sources of information available they can be helped more than in the past. A positive byproduct of Catherine’s visit.

HIV is an ongoing challenge. Imprezza Academy is based in a very high infection area and this is reflected in infection rates amongst our pupils. They are all tested once per year so the school knows their status. One of the reasons for wanting to have some dairy goats is that goat’s milk is better for people with HIV

The students and staff at Imprezza Academy are a shining example to all with their positive attitude and determination to succeed despite difficulties we can barely imagine in the UK. The exam results previously referred to and achieved year on year demonstrate clearly the quality and attitude of our teachers and the determination of

our students to succeed. They know education is their only hope of escaping the grinding poverty they see every day.

We cannot thank enough the teams in Kenya and UK and all our supporters. Their work changes lives for the better, at times it is life changing or life saving, giving opportunities to students, girls and boys, who would not have received secondary education without Imprezza Academy. Well over 2,000 students have passed through Imprezza and gone on to almost 50 different career paths. Whether statistician, engineer, bank manager, transport manager, farmer, TV children’s programme presenter, radio newsreader or small business owner the only thing the students have in common is that without Imprezza none of those students would have received secondary education. What a waste of talent that would have been both for the students themselves but also for Kenya.

Both teams work so well together, as I have said many many times, it is great fun, a pleasure and an honour to be associated with them all. The pride and sense of achievement we all have in the UK with what is achieved at Imprezza keeps us going and inspires us to do more when the difficulties arise.

Thank you all so much for all your hard work and dedication seems inadequate for what you all achieve. I write this every year, if anything I mean more each year as everyone here and Kenya rises to the challenges that arise.

Financial Review

Fundraising remains very tough, but our supporters have risen to the challenge.

We hugely appreciate the ongoing support of our regular supporters, many of whom contribute by regular giving, which has generally been sustained and in some cases increased notwithstanding the financial challenges many people are facing in current circumstances.

During 2022/23 we raised £47k (compared to £45k in 2021/22) and ended the year with funds carried forward of £13k (compared to £12k at 31[st] August 2022.)

The main sources of income continue to be

• Regular giving by our supporters

• Additional contributions from our supporters

• Funds raised from fundraising activities

• Grants received from grant making trusts

Regular giving (including the associated gift aid) provided about 45% of our income in 2022/23, with about 33% from fundraising, and the balance from one-off gifts, collection tins and other sources. There was no grant income during the year.

We organised/benefitted from a number of fundraising activities/events including 2 murder mystery/theatre dinners, a ‘Dancing through the Decades’ dinner party, 2 open air music evenings and 2 quiz nights.

We also benefitted once again from generous support from sponsored events at Torquay Girls Grammar School and income from collection boxes at the Whistlestop Café, and Ashleigh Road Post Office.

We regularly trawl through lists of grant awarding bodies and apply to such bodies where we believe our projects meet their criteria.

Structure, Governance and Management

Governing Document

The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee without share capital, incorporated on 31[st] May 2012 and re-registered as a charity on 23[rd] July 2012. The company is governed by its Articles of Association. The Directors of the company are also currently the members of the company. In the event of the company being would up members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1

Recruitment and appointment of Trustee Directors

The directors of the company are also currently the trustees of the charity. Under the Articles of Association every Director must retire from office on every fifth anniversary of his/her appointment but is eligible for re-appointment.

All directors give their time voluntarily. The Board includes members with education and business experience. In the event of particular skills being lost due to retirements, individuals are approached to offer themselves for election to the Board.

All the directors have met Catherine Omanyo, founder and principal of Imprezza Academy, and some have visited the Academy.

Chris Hulme Chair of Trustees February 2024

	Operation Imprezza (Company Limited by Guarantee)	Operation Imprezza (Company Limited by Guarantee)	Operation Imprezza (Company Limited by Guarantee)	Charity No (ifany)	1148240
	Annualaccountsforthe period
	Period start date	01/09/22	To	Period end date	31/08/23
Section A	s Statement of financial activities
Recommended categories by activity Guidance Note Incoming resources (Note 3) Income and endowments from: Donations and legacies S01 Charitable activities S02 Other trading activities S03 Investments S04 Separate material item of income S05 Other S06 S07 Resources expended (Note 6) Expenditure on: Raising funds S08 Charitable activities S09 Separate material item of expense S10 Other S11 S12 S13 Net gains/(losses) on investments S14 S15 Extraordinary items S16 S17 S18 Other gains/(losses) S19 S20 Reconciliation of funds: S21 S22 Other recognised gains/(losses): Gains and losses on revaluation of fixed assets for the charity’s own use Net movement in funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward Total Total Net income/(expenditure) before investment gains/(losses) Net income/(expenditure) Transfers between funds		Unrestricted funds Restricted income funds Endowment funds Total funds Prior year funds £ £ £ £ £ F01 F02 F03 F04 F05
		26,006	5,667	-	31,673	30,831
		-	-	-	-	-
		15,459	-	-	15,459	14,518
		49	-		49	4
		-	-	-	-	-
		-	-	-	-	-
		41,515	5,667	-	47,182	45,353
		2,330	-	-	2,330	2,998
		36,643	6,731	-	43,374	52,392
		-	-	-	-	-
		-	-	-	-	-
		38,973	6,731	-	45,704	55,390
		2,542	1,064 -	-	1,478	10,037 -
		-	-	-	-	-
		2,542	1,064 -	-	1,478	10,037 -
		-	-	-	-	-
		1,120 -	1,120	-	-	-
		-	-	-	-	-
		-	-	-	-	-
		1,421	56	-	1,478	10,037 -
		9,301	2,602	-	11,903	21,940
		10,722	2,658	-	13,381	11,903

CHARITY COMMISSION i Independent examinerfs report on the , FOR ENGLAJID A14D WALES accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Raport to the trustses OPERATION IMPREZZA On accounts for the year ended 31 AUGUST 2023 Charity no lif any) 1148240 Sot out on pages i RETURN AS PER THE AThACHED TEMPLATE I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above harity lllhe Trusl.) for the year ended 3110812023. Responsibilities and basls of report As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the acrnunts in accordance wrth the requirements of the Charrties Act 2011 ('the Aci"). I report in respect of my examination of the Trusl'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 s•ctK>n 145(5Xb} of Act. Ind6pendent I have completed my examination. I confim that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me ause to believe that in, any material respect.. the accounting records were not kept in a¢cordanLE with section 130 of the Charities Acl,. or the accounts th'd Thot accord with the accounting records., or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements on￿ming the fomi and Gontent of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement thal 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 th8 examinalw> lo which attenlion shouid drawn in thjs report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply Signed: Date: , Qi Y zo i< Name: MARK CHAMBERS Relevant professional i ASSOCIATION OF CHARTERED CERTIFIED ACCOUNTANTS qualification(sl or body lif any): Address: 50 VELWELL ROAD, EXETER, DEVON. EX4 4LD IER

Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concem (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts. directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER