THE SHAMBA TRUST
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR APRIL 2022 TO MARCH 2023
The trustees present the annual report for the Charity for the year ended 31 March 20223 The SHAMBA Trust is a charity registered with the Charity Commission under registration number 1149849.
Mission statement
Our mission is to promote the right of children from poor AIDS-affected households to receive an equitable foundation for lifelong learning. Our aim is to work in partnership with SHAMBA Eswatini to support communities in delivering free, high quality early childhood education for their most disadvantaged children and to improve access to other early childhood development (ECD) services.
Activities
The Trust currently focuses its work in Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, which has the highest rates of HIV and TB in the world and where 63% of the population lives below the absolute poverty line of US$1.25 per day. The activities currently carried out for the public benefit by the Charity and its main partner (SHAMBA Eswatini) include the following:
- Parenting programme , which is called the Positive Interaction of Parents with their Infants and Toddlers (PIPIT). SHAMBA Eswatini (SE) started developing this programme in 2018 because it found that many of the children starting at its community preschools, who are 3 to 5 years old, have very little nurturing care in their home environments and often face stressful family circumstances. The preschool experience helps them to be better prepared for primary school than they would otherwise have been. However, where nurturing care (including early childhood stimulation) has been lacking during the critical first three years of life, children are unlikely to reach their full potential.
The target group for the PIPIT programme is parents and other carers of children aged 0-36 months. In 2019, the programme was rolled out to all eight areas (see below) where SHAMBA SE is working with communities to provide quality preschool education to their most disadvantaged children. The roll out of the programme was initially funded with a grant from the EU.
- Preschool programme , which is focused on children from the most deprived families in the Mpolonjeni Chiefdom (near Mbabane) and in Sandleni Chiefdom in Shiselweni. These children are identified through a robust, transparent selection process, which includes the completion of application forms, household visits and assessment by a neighbourhood care point (NCP) committee.
SHAMBA Eswatini expanded its preschool programme from three preschools in 2016 to eight preschools at the end of 2019 using an EU grant. However, a review of finances and income projections in October 2020 led to a decision to look for other agencies to take over some of the preschools. An approach was made to the Challenge Ministries of Swaziland (CMS), who took over Sigengeni and Mbowane pre-schools in May 2021, and Madacaza shortly after. The headman of Ntambane had ceased to cooperate with SHAMBA and so our support for that school and community was withdrawn. Hence, we are down to only four communities and preschools: Makhwane, Maplazini, Nkoyoyo and Roma.
-
After school club programme , for primary school children in grades 1 to 2, with a focus on improving their reading and maths skills.
-
Public health , which includes nutrition, hand and oral hygiene, health education, disease prevention (including immunisation and the prevention of HIV) and promoting access to health services including the Baylor Clinic.
1
-
Child protection and safeguarding , which involves identifying cases of abuse or neglect and referral to the government’s social welfare department or the police’s child protection unit.
-
Management and skills training, which includes training preschool managers, teacher training.
The trustees always ensure that the projects we support are in line with our charitable objects and aims. Our ambitious aim is to develop the capacity of communities to harness external and local resources so as to effectively deliver the support needed to mitigate the burden of poverty and HIV/AIDS through early childhood education and development.
How we operate
The Charity delivers its charitable aims through its partners in Eswatini:
-
SHAMBA Eswatini is registered as a not-for- profit organisation under Section 17 of the Eswatini Companies Act (R7/34709). SHAMBA Swaziland has a board of directors, who are unpaid volunteers. The board of SHAMBA Eswatini submits an annual report and an annual workplan and budget to the Trustees. On approval of the documents, funds from The SHAMBA Trust are transferred to SHAMBA Eswatini to undertake the agreed work programme.
-
Other not-for-profit organisations which we work in Eswatini include Children’s Cup and Hand in Hand (Swaziland). In addition, we work in collaboration with the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office (Children’s Department) and government ministries such as education, health, local government and social welfare.
What we did
During 2022/23 The SHAMBA Trust has closely worked with and supported SHAMBA Eswatini, as our primary overseas partner. The main activity is normally fundraising but we had sufficient funds to take a break from the tedious task of submitting and following up on grant applications. We were also fortunate to receive donations of £700 from ABC Africa and £5,000 from the Farringdon Trust.
Other activities have included:
-
Continuing to raise funds through our Help Fund a Preschool Place scheme. This income used to cover the direct costs of 2 preschools plus their share of overheads but, now the overheads are shared among only 4 schools, it covers the running costs of 1.5 preschools.
-
Our co-founder Allan Low and his daughter Sarah participated in a triathlon involving a 20m open water swim, 9.5km bike ride and a 2.5km run, so raising an impressive £1,846.25.
-
Allan also wrote a book entitled “Dumb” Orphans: The Bundu Bunch Trilogy, charming stories describing the tribulations and successes of a small group of orphan children in a fictitious country identifiable as Eswatini. It received good reviews and was even promoted as Book of the Day by the Online Book Club. So far, it has raised £296.
-
Keeping an eye out for potential donors and other fundraising opportunities
-
Sending out biannual newsletters to our donors to keep them updated.
The statement of income and expenditure
This is presented as a separate document.
Trustees and portfolios
Our trustees are unpaid and have not incurred any expenses. They are responsible for setting strategy and are responsible in law for running of The SHAMBA Trust.
2
During the year there have been no changes in trustees or portfolios.
The current trustees are:
-
Jim Sweet BSc, MSc - Chairperson (first appointed August 2013)
-
Kerry Wilcox (Treasurer), BSc (Hons) (first appointed October 2018)
-
Ken Charles (Secretary) FMS, EIIE (first appointed April 2020)
-
Sheila O’Sullivan, BA, MA, MSc (first appointed August 2013)
-
Dr Ruth Bell MBBS, MPH, FFPH (first appointed August 2013)
SHAMBA-ES organisational structure
The operations of SHAMBA Eswatini are managed and implemented by a management team responsible to the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is composed of four Swazi national members and a chairperson:
-
Dr. Allan Low (chair)
-
Thembi Silombo (member, Bank executive)
-
Dr. Joy Rockley-Zwani (member, dentist0
-
Serephy Resting (member, businesswoman)
The management team currently consists of two Swazi nationals and the executive director. The members of the team are:
-
Dr Allan Low (executive director) - unpaid
-
Nhlanhla Bhembe (Financial and admin support) – salaried
-
Busisiwe Sithole (ECCE Manager/HR/Admin.) - salaried
Other SHAMBA Swaziland staff include:
five ECD officers who teach at the Bright Future Preschools
- four support workers who work with the ECD officers at the Bright Future Preschools
Charity address : 22 GAUDICK CLOSE, EASTBOURNE, BN20 7QF
Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements
The trustees are responsible for keeping accounting records which disclose, with reasonable accuracy, the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with normal accounting standards. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
In the interests of transparency and accountability to our donors we will publish this annual report and the separate financial statement on our website. The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the Charity and financial information included on the Charity’s website.
Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:
Jim Sweet, Chairman
18[th] June, 2023
3