- Uganda Lodge Community Projects Trustee Report April 2024 April 2025
The Uganda Lodge UK charity supports the Ruhanga Development School and McNeil Medical Centre plus vocational workshops and two small fishing villages. Since Easter 2024 our Ugandan Director Aheirwe Dennis has, with our support, achieved a great deal. Throughout covid he began planting eucalyptus trees up on the hills surrounding Uganda Lodge to provide firewood in the future for the school kitchens. Some of these trees have now been coppiced and the resulting firewood has helped lower our monthly costs. Although Denis still has to pay labour for the felling and transport to the school, it’s helping to cook up to 750 meals every day. When coppiced eucalyptus trees will grow four or five new shoots and in three or four years will provide more timbers.
In June 2024 there was a massive storm and the senior boy’s dormitory, which started life in 2005 as a chicken house, had to be demolished and rebuilt. Some supporters gave a number of substantial donations towards the new dormitory and in the rebuild he added two more rooms suitable for male teachers. It took several months for this new dormitory to be completed but it was ready for the beginning of the school year in January 2025.
Our end-of-year results were great in that 13 students gained grade one and the remaining 25 gained grade 2. Especially bearing in mind that many of these children come from uneducated peasant families, the results were fantastic.
The walls of many of the classrooms badly needed renovation. Dennis purchased papyrus matting and six classrooms have been renovated by putting this up on the walls making it easy to hang pictures and other suitable material for the students. During the school’s Christmas holidays volunteers kindly bought paint and other equipment and repainted the rest of them.
In July 2024 one volunteer talked with Dennis and they agreed that planting coffee would be a good way to help fund the school expenses for many years into the future. Coffee seedlings planted now would raise a regular income starting in three years’ time. Each box of plants needs the established grass to be broken up, holes to be dug, manure to be put into each hole and then the seedlings planted. He has, to date, planted nearly 20,000, but this is an ongoing project. This has enabled to project to give regular work to some unemployed local youngsters. Dennis built a toilet, plus some sleeping quarters for them and the plants are thriving. Volunteers have also helped with further funding and planting the coffee seedlings
Following on from this, with monetary support from a volunteer, Denis was able to employ a small local team to dig a well to ensure the plants get sufficient water in the dry seasons.
Throughout the past year we had several different students from overseas doing a months’ medical elective as part of their practical training and we also had seven Ugandan medical students spend 3 weeks using Uganda Lodge as a base for Medical Research amongst the local community. Early in 2025 we had a dentist and a doctor arrive from UK - volunteers who organised outreach clinics in three different villages which were very popular.
The Ugandan Lab Technician who we employed part-time has now completed his medical training and has moved on. We have now replaced him with a fully qualified lab technician. Thanks to donations from volunteers specifically for the medical centre, we are able to keep the clinic open 24/7 and give free treatment to all our schoolchildren plus at cost consultations and drugs to many impoverished families in the surrounding community. Other volunteers have made reusable pads for girls and gave informative talks.
Other volunteers have purchased educational materials and have organized all our library books with new shelves etc. The Nursery Classes each have a new large toy-box to help the teachers learn to encourage little ones to learn through play.
As in previous years, we have achieved a lot, but do not have enough regular income to do everything we would like at the project. We have some new trustees who we hope will be able to help with future fundraising.
| ULCP Charity Commission Final Accounts April 6th 2024 to April 5th 2025 INCOMES |
ULCP Charity Commission Final Accounts April 6th 2024 to April 5th 2025 INCOMES |
ULCP Charity Commission Final Accounts April 6th 2024 to April 5th 2025 INCOMES |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Bank Accounts | £2,803.21 | ||
| Sponsorship Gift-Aided £10,338.18 Sponsorship (Non-GiftAided) £3,959.71 Other Donations (Gift-Aided) £16,795.00 Other Donations (Non-Gift-Aided) £32,818.21 Accommodation & Safaris (Lodge) Gift Aid from HMRC £7,431.88 Refunds |
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| TOTAL INCOMES | £71,342.98 | £74,146.19 | |
| EXPENSES Transferred to Uganda (For NGO) £70,412.63 Justgiving charges Bank Charges Transferred to Ruhanga Resource Account(Lodge) |
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| TOTAL EXPENSES | £70,412.63 | ||
| Closing Bank Balances | £3,733.56 |
| Uganda Lodge Accounts April 2024 to March 202 | 5 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INCOMES | ||||||||
| UG | L Safaris/Acc | ULCP | TOTALS | **Adjustments ** | Adjustments | Total NGO Income |
||
| (For Lodge Income) |
(For Interco Trfs) |
|||||||
| Opening Bank Accounts | 2,803.21 | 2,803.21 | 2,803.21 | |||||
| Sponsorship Gif-Aided | 10,338.18 | 10,338.18 | 10,338.18 | |||||
| Sponsorship (Non-GifAided) | 3,959.71 | 3,959.71 | 3,959.71 | |||||
| Other Donatons(Gif-Aided) | 11,095.00 | 11,095.00 | 11,095.00 | |||||
| Other Donatons(Non-Gif-Aided) | 18,817.44 | 18,817.44 | 18,817.44 | |||||
| Donatons for Clinic(McNeil) | 5,500.00 | 5,500.00 | 5,500.00 | |||||
| Donatons for training restaurant(Bolton Halwa C | entre) | 1,500.00 | 1,500.00 | 1,500.00 | ||||
| Donatons for Boys Dormitory | 7,000.77 | 7,000.77 | 7,000.77 | |||||
| Donatons for cofeeplants | 5,000.00 | 5,000.00 | 5,000.00 | |||||
| Donatons for students’ morning porridge | 700.00 | 700.00 | 700.00 | |||||
| Donatons from LTHT | ||||||||
| Gif Aid from HMRC | 7,431.88 | 7,431.88 | 7,431.88 | |||||
| Gif Aid for LTHT | ||||||||
| Transfer from Lodge Account | ||||||||
| Safaris & Accommodaton for Ruhanga Resource C | entre | |||||||
| Refund from Bank | ||||||||
| TOTAL INCOMES | 71,342.98 | 71,342.98 | 71,342.98 | |||||
| EXPENSES | ||||||||
| Tfr to Ruhanga Resource Centre account(Safari & | Accommoda | t | ||||||
| Transferred to Uganda(For NGO) | 70,412.63 | 70,412.63 | 70,412.63 | |||||
| Justgiving charges | ||||||||
| Bank Charges | ||||||||
| TOTAL EXPENSES | 70,412.63 | 70,412.63 | 70,412.63 | |||||
| Closing Bank Balance | 3,733.56 | 3,733.56 | 3,733.56 |
1[st] June 2025
The Trustees of Uganda Lodge Community Projects 44 Cranwell Grove
Shepperton Middlesex TW17 0JR
Dear Sirs,
I report on the accounts of the Charity for the year ended 5[th] April 2025, which are set out on the adjoining page/s.
The Charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts and 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.
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.
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention that have not been met; and
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1) Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements : 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
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2) To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Nurallah Somani
Retired Accountant & Financial Consultant/Director Address : 2/3, 8 Kaims Terrace Livingston West Lothian EH54 7EX