Love Into Action (LIA)
Helping families in the Middle East care well for their profoundly disabled children
Annual Trustees Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2020
Registered charity in England and Wales number
1148630
Head office address
Penquit House Farm, Ivybridge, Devon, PL21 0LU, ENGLAND.
Trustees
Sharon + Laurence Garnett; Dan + Janet Villars; Phil Lawson; Esther Renja.
Introduction
It will be no surprise that this past year has been incredibly challenging and disruptive to the charity’s work due to the COVID‐19 pandemic. However, despite this, Love Into Action has continued supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities, their families and communities in Bethlehem and surrounding areas.
At the end of 2019, it became clear that visa applications for our team of international workers and leadership were not progressing. Therefore, the trustees are considering expanding our focus into Jordan, where our international leadership team has relocated. Planning began to close the respite care centre and olive wood workshop located at Beit Yusef and transport equipment and resources to Jordan before the surrender of the property lease in July.
In March, local curfews and movement restrictions were enforced in Palestine to slow down and limit the spread of the COVID‐19 virus, and the resulting difficulties in transportation resulted in a rationalisation of the work of LIA; however, the small local team continued working, supporting our families with food and medical parcels. Later in the year, volunteers resumed home visits, ensuring contacts and relationships were maintained, support provided and welfare maintained for our disabled friends despite the challenging circumstances faced by all. Likewise, with the closure of the olive wood project, local volunteers carried out home visits with the lads involved in this training and support.
In September, the trustees were delighted to welcome Esther Renja to the trust board.
It is currently too early to be clear on the charity’s future direction in 2021, as many uncertainties need to be fully assessed before trustees decide on the future direction and work of the charity. Opportunities for serving and supporting individuals, families, and communities affected by intellectual and physical disabilities can be seen in Palestine and Jordan.
The suffering and hardship endured by our current and future friends will have only increased due to the pandemic. Therefore, the need for urgent and practical help is more significant than ever. Spurred on by this and the generosity of our supporters, it is the vision of the trustees of Love Into Action that we continue to work to ensure that intellectually disabled children and adults are an honoured part of family and community life across the Middle East region and that they can enjoy life in all its fullness.
Phil Lawson Chair of Trustees
Projects of Love Into Action
In January 2020 we received confirmation from the Israeli authorities that there was no planned change to their visa policies meaning no internationals could be based in Bethlehem – neither old faces nor new team members. In light of this, in discussion with the Bethlehem team, it was recognised that we could no longer maintain the highest standards of care for the families we were supporting and therefore we took the painful decision to close the facilities in Bethlehem by the end of July.
It seems remarkable now how the world changed in just a few months. All our plans to end strongly in Bethlehem were swept away with the tidal waves of chaos brought on by the pandemic. But because we were already in the process of closing we have the possibility of re-emerging in Jordan, and still able to revisit our families in Bethlehem, once a calm is restored and international travel becomes possible once again. We have been battered and bruised, hugely disappointed at not being able to say goodbye well, and yet we know that we have fared so much better than many others and we will be able to resume our work at the end of this.
Beit Yusef ‐ Bethlehem
Respite Care Centre and Family Support
Although we closed in July 2020, in reality our work was dramatically reduced from March when curfews, movement restrictions and lack of transportation started to have major impacts. Our small team in Bethlehem worked hard to keep in contact by phone, using our travel exemption to drop off supplies of food and medical necessities to many of our families, and still support those in most desperate need. From July onwards we still have had some visits undertaken by volunteers, keeping relationships alive until we can get back and visit properly in 2021.
The Olive Wood Project
Training and Support for lads with special needs, and we make olive wood ornaments
In a similar way our ability to operate the olive wood project reduced greatly from March when we resorted to home visits to support our lads and their families in between the short windows when the workshop could safely and legally operate. Many significant improvements had been made to the project over the previous 18 months and we were disappointed not to see the full impact that they were likely to make – particularly enabling lads with greater disabilities to be involved, and a stronger commitment to life skills.
Love Into Action ‐ Jordan
Relocating services from Bethlehem to Jordan
It is too early to see all that is to come, but our leadership team were already based in Jordan while trying to return to Bethlehem, and so throughout 2020 have been working to see Love Into Action serving families affected by disabilities in Jordan, Bethlehem and beyond.
Trustees Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
Aims and objectives
Love Into Action is a UK charity which helps people in need. We work in the Middle East to support vulnerable individuals, families and communities. We prioritise people with the most profound intellectual disabilities and their families.
Love Into Action does this through:
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Visiting families affected by disability to befriend, encourage, support and train through modelling alternative care techniques;
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Providing regular short breaks for individuals with profound cognitive disabilities;
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Providing day care services of training and support for adults in the local neighbourhood with moderate cognitive disabilities;
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Providing disability related advice and technical assistance to other NGO’s including training of staff;
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We also help individuals and communities in the areas where we work in other ways when we are able.
Risk management
The Trustees consider risks to the charity as part of their regular reviews of the work and have acted to mitigate these risks which include:
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Financial – the trustees are committed to promoting the essential work of the charity to cover the increasing costs associated with the expansion of the work;
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Leadership – the trustees have a long term plan in development to train and equip national staff to manage the projects of LIA and to be able to take over the management from UK staff;
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War / civil disturbance – the projects of LIA are based in a troubled region of the world and trustees are working to provide necessary resources to limit risks to staff and those receiving residential care, in the event of major incidents.
Safeguarding of vulnerable people
The charity has continued to develop its safeguarding policy during the previous year in line with international standards for NGO’s.
- No safeguarding concerns have been raised during the year relating to the work or staff of LIA.
Serious Incidents
The trustees regard an incident as serious if it is within the control of the charity, or its workers, and has resulted or could result in a significant loss of funds or a significant risk to a charity's property, work, beneficiaries or reputation.
- No serious incidents have been brought to the attention of the trustees during the year.
Employee Information
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No employees of LIA received a salary greater than £60,000;
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No trustee received remuneration for their involvement with Love Into Action.
The charity’s policy on reserves
It is LIA policy to maintain unrestricted reserves sufficient to cover normal day to day spending for a period of at least three months, for emergency situations which arise from time to time.
Summary of the main achievements during 2020
During an exceptional year when it was necessary to shut down our infrastructure in Bethlehem, we nonetheless continued to offer support to some of the most disadvantaged families throughout the West Bank until the end of July 2020, safeguarded the charities assets, and began the transfer of services to Jordan so that a new work could emerge there.
Work to be undertaken during 2021
Immense challenges are ahead for the charity as it seeks to re‐establish itself in Jordan, alongside continuing to visit families in Bethlehem from time to time. This work will include:
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Developing a new, long term strategy so that we work cohesively as we establish ourselves in Jordan;
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Undertake a review of our Trust Deed to ensure we can have the greatest impact to people in need;
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Continue the work of registration with the Jordanian authorities and find a first home for opening a centre in Jordan;
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Sell our vehicles from Bethlehem and transfer our equipment to Jordan to protect these assets for future use;
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Build relationships in Jordan ready for the opening of a new centre;
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Continue visits to Bethlehem, developing a new style of working not reliant on paid staff or physical infrastructure based there;
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Rebuild a team of national and international workers to take on the challenge that lays ahead;
All of the above so that we can serve some of those in greatest need, and in particular helping families in the Middle East to care well for their profoundly intellectually disabled children.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
Date: 09 October 2021
Laurence Garnett International Director
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Love Into Action
I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31 December 2020, which are set out on page 7 of the annual report.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner:
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 2011 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 2011 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 2011 Act; and
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to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent examiner's report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the general directions given 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 you as 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.
Independent examiner's statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
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to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and
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to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have
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not been met; or
(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed: C Pittas Date: 09/10/2021 Address: 58 Endeavour Court, Plymouth, England
Receipt & Payments Account for the year ended 31 December 2020
Notes to the accounts
Receipts & payments accounts
Receipts and payments accounts are statements that summarise the movement of cash into and out of the organisation during the financial year. In this context “cash” includes cash equivalents, for example, bank accounts where cash can be readily withdrawn to pay for debts as they become due.
Audit requirements
In addition to the Independent Examination of the accounts included in this annual report, the accounts of Love Into Action are subject to a separate and full audit in the Palestinian Territories. No fee was paid for the Independent Examination.
Restricted Funds
During 2019 and 2020 no restricted funds were donated to, or held by, the charity.
| 2019 £ 68,534.68 £ 6,412.26 £ 1,454.20 £ 76,401.14 £ 1,410.18 £ 51,691.66 £ 4,077.89 £ 18,975.67 £ 6,981.92 £ 5,915.82 £ 1,160.93 £ 648.07 £ 90,862.14 £ 45,165.49 £ 30,704.49 ‐£ 14,461.00 |
2020 £ 59,764.58 Donations £ 3,063.26 Sales £ 21.46 Other £ 62,849.30 Total Income £ 279.84 Governance £ 42,143.58 Employees £ 2,603.19 Manufacturing £ 1,120.84 Premises £ 11,313.27 Project £ 4,012.19 Transport £ 638.19 Raising Awareness ‐£ 903.36 Exchange Gain / Loss £ 61,207.74 Total Expenses £ 30,704.49 Bank and Cash at Year Start £ 32,346.05 Bank and Cash at Year End £ 1,641.56 |
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These accounts are accepted on behalf of the charity by:
Signed Date: 28/10/2021 Dan Villars , Treasurer
Contact Information
Mailing Address:
UK: Penquit House Farm Ivybridge, Devon, PL21 0LU, ENGLAND Phone: UK: (+44) 01752 546725
Email: office@loveintoaction.org