## Trustees’ Annual Report 2021 

1[st] January 2021 to 31[st] December 2021 

## Fly The Phoenix 

Registered Charity #1148531 in England and Wales 

for 

## The Phoenix Projects 

www.thephoenixprojects.org 

Submitted by the Trustees 

On 14th June 2022 

**Registered Address Registered Bank** Wayside House HSBC 7 Nethergate Street 9 High Street Clare Bracknell Suffolk Berkshire CO10 8NP RG12 1DN United Kingdom United Kingdom 

## **Registered Bank** 

**Registered Bank Trustees** Santander Moli Griffin Bootle Sharon Hodgkins Merseyside Sean Risdale L30 4GB Dom Williams United Kingdom Doreen Williams 

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## **Table of Contents** 

|1.0|Executive Summary|2|
|---|---|---|
|2.0|The Phoenix Projects in Latin America|3|
|3.0|Message from the Trustees|3|
|4.0|Sustainable Income Plans|4|
|5.0|Ecuador:   review and costs|4|
|6.0|Honduras:   review and costs|7|
|7.0|Perú:   review and costs|10|
|8.0|Guatemala:   review and costs|12|
|9.0|The Phoenix Projects: review and costs|14|
|10.0|Fly The Phoenix:   review and costs|15|
|11.0|Financial Statement|16|
|12.0|Independent Examiner’s Report|17|



## **1.0 Executive Summary** 

The Phoenix Projects are a non-profit-making organisation that believes education, daily food and employment opportunities are basic human rights for those who live in extreme poverty. Since 2002 we have promoted these rights in several Latin American countries by starting new schools, supporting others and implementing small businesses within the communities to benefit the local families. We currently work in Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras and Perú. 

During the financial period between 1[st] January 2021 and 31[st] December 2021, £77,286 (£87,505 – 2020) was raised and received through our charity Fly The Phoenix. £73,293 (£87,217 – 2020) was spent on the operating costs of The Phoenix Projects including local teachers’ salaries, food and fruit, transport, educational materials, construction, Covid-19 relief programmes and implementation of sustainable income-generating plans which should benefit over 500 families in the future. These plans provide local employment and over the next five years should grow to the point where the communities themselves completely finance the projects with a target of 50% by the end of 2022. 


**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
Project<br>FTP costs 4%<br>Management<br>12%<br>Guatemala 12% Ecuador 40%<br>Perú 12%<br>Honduras 20%<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


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## **2.0 The Phoenix Projects in Latin America** 

Fly The Phoenix is the registered UK charity for The Phoenix Projects who currently work in Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras and Perú promoting full education and employment in various indigenous communities. We have previously worked with communities in Brazil, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. 

We aim to offer daily sustainable education to over 1,000 children, teenagers and adults each year in primary, secondary, college and university by providing local teachers, scholarships and implementing small family businesses from which all the children and teenagers can continue their further education. 

Local employment opportunities are created by investing in sustainable income-generating community initiatives which will help pay for the schools in the future and provide for the families’ household costs. 

## **3.0 Message from the Trustees** 

The Covid-19 pandemic continued to cause havoc in Latin America during 2021 with classrooms not re-opening in Guatemala or Perú and only staggered teaching in Ecuador and Honduras. Once again we must thank first and foremost our local teachers who found ways to teach the children with so many obstacles put in front of them. 

We must also take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported Fly The Phoenix during 2021. For the second year running we have seen a significant drop-off in donations as the economic outlook remained uncertain. We were unable to undertake charity challenges due to travel restrictions and other fundraising events were postponed. 

To put this into perspective we had raised £125,093 in the financial year to December 2019 which dropped almost 40% to £77,286 in 2021, highlighting the continuing multiple negative effects caused by the pandemic. 

That said, we are optimistic for 2022 and beyond and remain committed to our projects in the four countries where we work. Our continued investment in sustainable income plans hedges against potential further declines in donations in the long-term whilst providing local families with much needed income as rises in the price of basic products bite further. 

It is hoped that our current projects become sustainable within the next five years which will allow us to start up new sustainable projects in other communities using everything we have learned over the past twenty years. 

We, as the Board of Trustees, have approved this report and it has been signed by Dominic Williams on our behalf on 14[th] June 2022. 


Dominic Williams, Trustee 

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**4.0 Sustainable Income Plans** 


At present the projects are 100% reliant on donations, fundraising and sustainable income plans. Depending on funding we hope to invest over £75,000 ($95,000) in sustainable family incomegenerating plans in the communities over the next few years which will ultimately make all the projects self-sustainable financially whilst creating employment opportunities. 

So far over 250 families have benefitted from our sustainable income plans meaning their children’s secondary school, college and university costs can be covered in the future. We plan to increase this to over 500 families by 2022/23. 

## **5.0 Ecuador** 

In 2005 The Phoenix Projects began working in three local Kichwa-speaking indigenous schools in the communities of Huayrapungo, Muenala and Urcusiqui. In 2007 we started work in Larcacunga. All above 3000m in the Andes mountains each school had one or two teachers working across all 7 grades and little access to educational resources. Following a government overhaul of the education system in 2014, rural schools were centralized and we concentrated on the school in Urcusiqui which also included Muenala, Huayrapungo and Achupallas. 

As well as providing local teachers, daily food and fruit, educational materials and internet in the school we have built energy-efficient stoves, employed local teachers and started Plan Ironwoman aimed to improve the diets of pre-natal mothers. Sustainable plans including the purchase of cows (Plan Moo) and guinea pigs (Plan Cuy) which were started in 2009 now help cover further education costs of most of the children in the communities. In total around 200 children and teenagers can receive primary, secondary, college and University education either in the centralized school or helped by income generated from the family sustainable plans. 


Fig. 1 – Primary school graduations 

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In-classroom teaching continued a couple of days a week with three of our seven local teachers who live in the communities able to help out individually when the school was closed. Community events including Pawker Raymi (giving thanks to Pachamama – Mother Earth), Kulla Raymi, Easter Fanesca, graduations, Mother’s Day, Day of the Child, Day of the Dead and Christmas were restarted having been unable to be celebrated in 2020. Essential maintenance was undertaken when the children weren’t in class and investment in sustainable plans was made in Plan Chancho (pigs), Plan Huerto (vegetables) and Plan Pollo (chickens). We continued our Covid-19 response by purchasing hygiene products and food for the families, especially for the elderly. 

## **5.1 Ecuador costs 2021** 

||**2021**|**2020**|
|---|---|---|
|**Total costs**|**-£28,972**|**-£13,577**|
|Local teachers|-£24,113|-£11,300|
|Materials and internet|-£1,964|-£1,123|
|Food and celebrations|-£1,068|-£1,154|
|Essential products|-£827|-£0|
|Sustainable Plans|-£727|-£0|
|Maintenance and construction|-£273|-£0|



## **5.2 Ecuador forecast costs 2022** 

For the next financial year we forecast that the basic running costs for Ecuador will be £29,500 excluding investment in sustainable plans which will be undertaken. 

||**2022**|**2021**|
|---|---|---|
|**Total costs**|**-£29,500**|**-£28,972**|
|Local teachers|-£25,000|-£24,113|
|Materials and internet|-£2,000|-£1,964|
|Food and celebrations|-£1,500|-£1,068|
|Essential products|-£1,000|-£827|
|Sustainable Plans|-£tba|-£727|
|Maintenance and construction|-£tba|-£273|



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## **5.3 Ecuador sustainable plans** 

We started to introduce sustainable income-generating plans in 2009 with Plan Moo and will invest in many more during 2022/23. 


Fig. 2 – Plan Pollo (chickens) 

Plan Moo (cows) – Introduced in 2009 with families receiving a cow and the income derived from milk sales and subsequent calves' milk helping to cover secondary school, college and further education costs of the children in the communities. 

Plan Cuy (guinea pigs) – This was introduced in 2011 with the building of cuy houses and the rearing of guinea pigs for sale. The income helps with further education costs. 

Plan Ironwoman – This was started in 2012 with the aim of providing sustainable iron-rich crops for pregnant mothers to fight infant malnutrition. Investment was made in materials, tools and seeds. 

Plan Papa (potatoes) - Introduced in 2013/14 with the harvests of potatoes. It covered wages but, due to problems with the weather, the yield covered costs only. 

Plan Huerto (vegetable gardens) - Started in 2013 with the aim to provide regular food for school meals and the community. 

Plan Pollo (chickens) - Introduced in Muenala in 2015 with the sales of eggs being shared between the communities for further education costs. The old classrooms were used after centralization of the schools. 

Plan Chancho (pigs) - Introduced in 2021 by purchasing young pigs to fatten up and sell after six months with profits shared between reinvestment and family costs. 

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**6.0 Honduras** 


The Phoenix Projects began in Honduras in 2004 working on water projects providing running water to rural Ch’orti’ communities in the Copán area. Since then we have started education projects in San Rafael in 2006 and Barbasco in 2010. In 2008 we started the Phoenix Secondary School and College paying for local teachers’ salaries and daily transport as well as materials allowing teenagers and adults from nine surrounding communities, many walking over two hours each way, to receive secondary and college education graduating in “Rural Social Enterprise”. 

We have undertaken extensive construction at both schools including roofing, toilets and kitchens as well as completing an energy efficient stove project for families in the community. 

In total almost 250 children, teenagers and adults currently have the opportunity to receive official education in primary, secondary, college and University levels through our secondary school and college as well as the many sustainable plans we have implemented over the past several years. 


Fig. 3 – Classroom teaching restarts 

The Covid-19 pandemic continued to impact our work though staggered classes resumed during the year. Investment continued in sustainable plans with a centralized Plan Huerto (vegetables) being created. As part of the college curriculum the students are taught different agricultural techniques which they can then share with the families in the communities. These families can then create their own vegetable gardens to generate income to cover education costs of their own children and other essential products. With opportunities for primary and secondary school education now more available through the state system and increased support from other organisations we will concentrate on college education in the future. 

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## **6.1 Honduras costs 2021** 

||**2021**|**2020**|
|---|---|---|
|**Total costs**|**-£14,974**|**-£44,276**|
|Local teachers|-£12,710|-£32,252|
|Sustainable income plans|-£1,364|-£6,992|
|Student transport|-£900|-£1,507|
|Construction|-£0|-£2,308|
|Classroom materials|-£0|-£1,154|
|Celebrations|-£0|-£64|



## **6.2 Honduras forecast costs 2022** 

For the next financial year we forecast that the basic running costs covered by Fly The Phoenix for Honduras will be £21,000. Other costs will be covered by income derived by the communities themselves through sustainable plans. 

||**2022**|**2021**|
|---|---|---|
|**Total costs**|**-£21,000**|**-£14,974**|
|Local teachers|-£20,000|-£12,710|
|Student transport|-£1,000|-£900|
|Sustainable income plans|-£tba|-£1,364|



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**6.3 Honduras sustainable plans** 


We have been investing in sustainable income plans since 2011. 


Fig. 4 – Centralized Plan Huerto 

These include: 

Plan Café - This was launched in 2011 by planting thousands of coffee bushes on land in San Rafael and Barbasco. Income from the coffee harvest helps cover some of the costs of the Phoenix College including the annual graduation. The number of bushes was doubled during 2017. 

Plan Negocio (small business) - The purchase of an industrial stove in 2013 to start a cooked-food business for the students of the Phoenix college. The food is sold in Copán. 

Plan Huerto (vegetable gardens) - Various crops were introduced in 2015 in the homes of the college students and the income generated from these was shared between the school, the families and reinvestment in future crops. Investment was made in the centralized school scheme in 2021. 

Plan Tilapia (fish) – Introduced in 2015 with two more pools constructed in 2016 and 2020. The fish are farmed and sold locally with income being shared between the school, the community members who worked on the plan and reinvestment into the next batch of fish. 

Plan Pollo (chickens) – Plan Pollo was started in 2015. 

Plan Reforestation – Each year planting thousands of trees in areas at risk from erosion, especially farmland, due to previous excessive deforestation. 

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**7.0 Perú** 


The Phoenix Projects began work in Perú in both kindergarten and primary schools in the Quechua and Aymara-speaking desert communities of Triunfo and Maldonado in Sachaca on the outskirts of Arequipa in 2006 and later in Chiguata, Chivay and Machahuaya. Since then we have employed local teachers and cooks so the children could have one hot meal a day as well as fresh fruit. We have built extra classrooms, energy-efficient stoves and kitchens in the schools, awarded materials scholarships for further education and communal water tanks due to the scarcity of water. In 2013 the government became more proactive with food programmes and teachers so our work is now concentrated in Maldonado. In total 50 children receive primary school education. 


Fig. 5 – The school remained closed during 2021 

Schools remained closed during 2021 with the local teachers visiting the families when they could to hand out homework. We purchased individual text workbooks for the children to follow as well as essential products for the families. Classes are due to re-open in 2022. 

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## **7.1 Perú running costs 2021** 

||**2021**|**2020**|
|---|---|---|
|**Total costs**|**-£9,047**|**-£7,252**|
|Local teachers|-£7,618|-£4,869|
|Essential products|-£909|-£0|
|Classroom materials|-£520|-£350|
|Charity Challenge costs|-£0|-£1,938|
|Daily fruit and gas|-£0|-£74|
|Celebrations|-£0|-£21|



## **7.2 Perú forecast costs 2022** 

For the next financial year we forecast that the basic running costs for Perú will be £9,250 excluding investment in sustainable plans. 

||**2022**|**2021**|
|---|---|---|
|**Total costs**|**-£9,250**|**-£9,047**|
|Local teachers|-£7,000|-£7,618|
|Daily fruit and gas|-£1,000|-£0|
|Events and celebrations|-£750|-£0|
|Classroom materials|-£500|-£520|
|Essential products|-£tba|-£909|



We also plan to start investing in sustainable income plans. 

## **7.3 Perú sustainable plans** 

Due to the geography of the region where we work (altitude desert) sustainable agricultural plans are difficult, however we plan to trial Plan Huerto (vegetables) and Plan Negocio (business) with textiles during 2022. 

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**8.0 Guatemala** 


The Phoenix Projects began in Kaqchikel-speaking communities in Chimaltenango and Sacatepéquez in 2002. Since then we have built schools for children to receive primary education, invested heavily in sustainable income plans (see below), provided daily food and fruit as well as educational materials. We have also constructed energy efficient stoves to help reduce in-house air pollution, provided materials to rebuild homes and food supplies after natural disasters including Hurricanes Stan and Agatha, donated fertilizer for family crops, provided food and fruit-trees to the elderly population, reforested tens of thousands of trees and awarded hundreds of scholarships for further education. Now that primary school is freely available through the state system we are concentrating on secondary, college and university education with particular attention to students with serious underlying health issues and those living in severe poverty. Over 250 children and teenagers now have the opportunity to continue their education through the scholarships we provide as well as from the income generated from the sustainable plans we have implemented over the past several years. 


Fig. 6 – Graduation 

Classes remained closed throughout 2021 so our scholarship students had to work from their homes in seven different communities, making regular visits to the central school to receive and hand in homework. Our local teacher also provided one-on-one help when possible. The sewing business for single teen mothers continued and we continued to provide essential products including food and solar lighting to enable students to study after dark. Trees were also planted as part of the 2021 Appeal. 

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## **8.1 Guatemala costs 2021** 

||**2021**|**2020**|
|---|---|---|
|**Total costs**|**-£8,744**|**-£8,517**|
|Education & scholarships|-£5,909|-£2,933|
|Essential products|-£2,273|-£1,080|
|Sustainable income plans|-£562|-£4,503|



## **8.2 Guatemala forecast costs 2022** 

For the next financial year we forecast that the basic running costs covered by Fly The Phoenix for Guatemala will be £9,000 with more investment in sustainable plans and increasing the number of scholarships to one hundred students from several communities around the lake. 

||**2022**|**2021**|
|---|---|---|
|**Total costs**|**-£9,000**|**-£8,744**|
|Education & scholarships|-£9,000|-£5,909|
|Essential products|-£tba|-£2,273|
|Sustainable income plans|-£tba|-£562|



## **8.3 Guatemala Sustainable Plans** 

Over the past few years we have introduced many sustainable plans which have provided extra income for the local families and the schools. 


Fig. 7 – Reforestation 

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These include: 

Plan Moo – The purchase of cows started in 2013 with the income from milk staying with the family as well as the initial cow after two calves. The first calf is passed onto another family to continue the process and the second calf is sold with proceeds going towards covering school costs. 

Plan Costura - The purchase of large weaving looms for "cortes" (the indigenous traditional dresses) and investing in training for the women in 2015. The cortes are sold locally with the proceeds being shared between the women and the schools. This plan was increased in 2019 with the purchase of sewing machines. 

Plan Nixtamal – The purchase of machines in 2013 that grind basic maize into the dough needed to make tortillas. Income is shared between the family and the projects. The first two machines have now been handed over to the families to sustain their own future as was initially agreed. 

Plan Pollo (chickens) – Started in 2015 with the investment in breeding infrastructure, pens, feed and chickens with the income from the sales of meat and eggs (after costs for feed) being shared between the family and the schools. 

Plan Huerto (vegetable gardens) – The investment in seeds, fertilizers, fencing and tools for small family gardens and on a larger scale with tomatoes and green beans from 2012. 

Plan Reforestation – Started in 2002 working with a women's group in Chimaltenango funding a tree nursery producing and planting 25,000 trees a year. The plan has now been handed over to the women as they have found their own clients. This was reintroduced in 2021 at Lake Atitlán. 

**9.0 The Phoenix Projects Management costs 2021** 

||**2021**|**2020**|
|---|---|---|
|**Total costs**|**-£8,700**|**-£10,740**|
|Management costs|-£7,500|-£7,500|
|Transport costs|-£1,200|-£3,240|



Over the next few years we plan to spend more time in each of our countries to improve management and implementation of sustainable plans which will increase management costs through transport costs. We will be planting trees to off-set this extra travel’s carbon footprint. 

14 



**9.1 The Phoenix Projects Management costs 2022** 


For the next financial year we forecast that the management costs of The Phoenix Projects will be £9,000. 

||**2022**|**2021**|
|---|---|---|
|**Total costs**|**-£9,000**|**-£8,700**|
|Management costs|-£7,500|-£7,500|
|Transport costs|-£1,500|-£1,200|



## **10.0 Fly The Phoenix costs 2021** 

||**2021**|**2020**|
|---|---|---|
|**Total costs**|**-£2,856**|**-£2,855**|
|Communications and media|-£1,750|-£1,750|
|Bank transfer charges|-£1,106|-£1,105|



Fly The Phoenix is run voluntarily by founders Dom and Doreen Williams. 

## **10.1 Fly The Phoenix costs 2022** 

For the next financial year we forecast that the basic running costs for Fly The Phoenix will be £3,000. Fly The Phoenix will continue to be run voluntarily. 

||**2022**|**2021**|
|---|---|---|
|**Total costs**|**-£3,000**|**-£2,856**|
|Communications and media|-£1,750|-£1,750|
|Bank transfer charges|-£1,250|-£1,106|



15 



**11.0 Financial Statement** 


## **From 1[st] January 2021 to 31[st] December 2021** 

||**2021**|**2020**|
|---|---|---|
|**Opening Balance**|**£7,921.00**|**£7,633.00**|
|**Restricted funds**|**£76,148.00**|**£79,848.00**|
|**Unrestricted funds**|**£1,138.00**|**£7,657.00**|
|**Total funds received1 **|**£77,286.00**|**£87,505.00**|
|**Total expenditure**|**-£73,293.00**|**-£87,217.00**|
|Ecuador|-£28,972.00|-£13,577.00|
|Honduras|-£14,974.00|-£44,276.00|
|Perú|-£9,047.00|-£7,252.00|
|Guatemala|-£8,744.00|-£8,517.00|
|Project Management|-£8,700.00|-£10,740.00|
|Communications and media|-£1,750.00|-£1,750.00|
|International Bank Charges|-£1,106.00|-£1,105.00|
|Assets|£0.00|£0.00|
|Liabilities|£0.00|£0.00|
|**Net Balance**|**£11,914.00**|**£7,921.00**|



1Includes Gift Aid 

The net balance is for payments due in January each year. 

We, as the Board of Trustees, approved this financial statement on 14[th] June 2022 and it has been signed by Dominic Williams on our behalf. 


Dominic Williams 

Trustee 

16 



12.0
Independent Examiner's Report
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