2021-01-31-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report

For period from 1[st] February 2020 to January 31[st] 2021

Charity name: Bridge of Hope Foundation

Charity registration number: 1152252

Objectives and Activities

The primary purpose of Bridge of Hope Foundation is to advance education for the public benefit of young people in developing countries as the trustees determine.

The primary objective of Bridge of Hope is to enable children to complete their secondary school education and for outstanding students to have the means to go to college or university. Priority is given to the students whom we have sponsored through secondary school. Our commitment remains to support our current students through to graduation.

As well as sponsoring individual students, Bridge of Hope continues in the direction of giving financial grants to schools with a particular focus on enabling marginalised children or those with a disability to receive an education who otherwise would be denied one.

Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.

• In this financial year being reported on, despite the pandemic, Bridge of Hope continued to realise its objectives of sponsoring secondary and tertiary education. In particular, Bridge of Hope is sponsoring the education of students in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia as well as supporting the secondary education of Tibetan refugee children in India. Due to the pandemic and school closures, the children we have been sponsoring in Zimbabwe were out of school hence there was no expenditure in Zimbabwe this year as well as reduced expenditure in Kenya and Uganda.

• Additionally, Bridge of Hope gave grants to the Asra Hawariat School in Ethiopia, Kenya Kesho School for Girls, Kenya and St Marc’s Trouin Trade school in Haiti

Organisational Structure

Bridge of Hope implements its objectives by collaborating with charitable foundations and educational institutions overseas, which help to administer the funding for the students overseas. The charity also has volunteer representatives in Haiti and Uganda who act on behalf of Bridge of Hope to monitor the sponsored students.

Guidance issued by the Charity Commission on Public Benefit.

The trustees of Bridge of Hope Foundation have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit and have taken account of this guidance when making decisions relating to the charity’s work.

Grant making policy

Bridge of Hope has a grant making policy to which the trustees refer.

Contribution made by volunteers

Bridge of Hope operates through a network of volunteers in the UK as well as in the countries where the charity has active projects. Bridge of Hope has a volunteer policy which is distributed to new volunteers for agreement and signature. There are currently no paid staff.

Achievements and Performance

In 2020, due to the global pandemic, the activities of the Bridge of Hope’s sponsorship programme were disrupted in several countries. No secondary school fees were sent to Kenya, Zimbabwe or Uganda due to the lock down. As a result of the pandemic, Bridge of Hope collaborated with its local partners on the ground in Kenya to sponsor food aid to the communities in East Pokot, Turkana and Mombassa through some of our alumni students and through our new collaboration with Kenya Kesho School for Girls.

Bridge of Hope programme activity:

Zimbabwe

In 2020 due to the school closures across Zimbabwe, after consultation with our partner organisation, the Mike Campbell Foundation in Harare, it was advised to freeze the school fee sponsorship for the 20 children under the Bridge of Hope programme till the schools re-open. This is reflected in the accounts with no expenditure in Zimbabwe in this financial year.

Ethiopia

In 2020, Bridge of Hope sent £2000 to the Asra Hawariat School in Addis Ababa for the destitute child school fund to continue supporting the school’s overheads, teachers’ salaries and fund for destitute children despite the school closure.

Kenya

Secondary school sponsorship.

The secondary school sponsorship was suspended in Kenya during the last financial year due to the lock down, reflected in the accounts of less expenditure in Kenya in the last financial year.

Bridge of Hope sent a grant to the Rotary club of Milimani to assist with their school sponsorship programme.

Bridge of Hope sent £2000 to the Kenya Kesho School for Girls for their efforts in distributing food to the local community in Mombassa due to the lock down. Bridge of Hope also sent £2000 to the Ummah Foundation to distribute to East Pokot and Turkana for food distribution during the pandemic in collaboration with Hifadhi Africa.

University sponsorship.

Bridge of Hope was able to continue supporting the college fees of James, a medical student in Kenya. James continued with his studies through online learning facilitated by the university. Bridge of Hope also sponsored James’ accommodation and monthly stipend whilst he lived in Nairobi away from his village.

Bridge of Hope continues to work in collaboration with the Ummah Foundation in Nairobi who administer the funding sent from the Bridge of Hope to the schools, colleges and universities whilst monitoring the progress of the students and where necessary paying their stipends and college accommodation fees. At this time, they also updated the Bridge of Hope on the different school closures in 2020.

Uganda

The schools in Uganda have been closed for most of the last financial year.

• Daniel is a final year university student whom Bridge of Hope sponsored through Secondary school and now studying engineering at Kyambogo University. Daniel’s college fees had been paid for the year. With the closure of the universities across Uganda, Daniel will resume his studies when lock down ends. His university fees have now been covered by the Bridge of Hope foundation until graduation.

• Esther and Ibrahim are two children in Uganda being sponsored by Bridge of Hope. Their respective schools were closed during the last financial year due to the Pandemic. Their school fees will be sponsored by a new grant from the Royal Overseas League post Pandemic going forward in the next financial year.

Haiti

The school fees for the children in Haiti were paid at the beginning of January 2020 before the lock down. The two children in Jacmel being sponsored by Bridge of Hope have been out of school due to the Pandemic for most of the last financial year. They are due to resume their studies in January 2021 and are being monitored by the Bridge of Hope representative in Haiti.

Bridge of Hope have made a commitment to St Marc’s trade school in Trouin, Haiti, to help enable secondary school children to have a vocational education. The school has been open for partial periods of the last financial year, closing due to the lock down and due to civil unrest. The grant sent from Bridge of Hope in November 2020 was returned to the Bridge of Hope due to a banking error and will be re-sent at the beginning of the next financial year.

Tibetan refugee sponsorship programme

Secondary school sponsorship:

Bridge of Hope have a commitment to 20 children’s sponsorship in Mussoorie, Northern India.

The children are monitored by the Tibet Relief Fund. Due to the Pandemic the school has been closed and the children have been learning from home and where possible through online lessons. These have been hampered due to poor internet network and lack of laptops. Bridge of Hope was asked by our partner organisation to increase our contribution to the cost of each child’s schooling from £200 to £300 per child in the last financial year. Bridge of Hope continued with the commitment to this project during the pandemic in order to pay the teacher’s salaries, books and exercise books during the lock down.

University sponsorship:

The University student studying Tibetan medicine, Tsewang will resume her studies post-pandemic with no college fees transferred in 2020.

Egypt

In 2020, Bridge of Hope was asked by the St Kyrel Trust to assist with students in Egypt who were struggling to pay their school and college fees. The charity sent a grant of £450 to the St Kyrel Trust.

Bridge of Hope continued to support children in hospital in need of educational support through the provision of ipads to enable learning in hospital. The latest ipad was kindly donated by our patron, Professor Yacoub to a young girl in hospital for over a year and out of school as a result of heart failure in need of an artificial heart at the Aswan Heart Centre.

Financial Review

The trustee board reviewed the charity’s financial position at the trustee board meetings which meet quarterly.

The income and net outgoings of resources have been reflected in the accounts of the year. During this financial year, Bridge of Hope Foundation raised a total income of £ 38,132 which includes a Gift Aid claim on donations over two and a half years. Total Expenditure was £18,001. Total Funds distributed to our overseas projects for this financial year were £16,075. This reflects a reduced expenditure due to the school closures resulting from the global pandemic. £1,926 was spent on administration and fund raising, reflecting 5% of funds spent on administration.

The charity adheres to the guidance on internal financial controls issued by the Charity Commission and reviews the financial controls check lists on a yearly basis.

Reserves Policy

Bridge of Hope Foundation holds a 2 years reserve policy to ensure that the current students being sponsored remain in school till graduation and holds £40,000 in a savings account under its reserves policy.

Sources of Funding

Principal sources of funding this year were through individual philanthropy together with a grant from the Royal Overseas League Trust. An article on the charity’s work in Haiti by the Sun newspaper resulted in a donation from News International. The annual Summer Garden party was postponed due to the pandemic. The charity submitted a claim for 2.5 years of Gift Aid and the sale of Christmas cards also raised money at the end of the year.

Independent Examiner’s report to the trustees of Bridge of Hope Foundation. (Registered charity in the UK 1152252)

I report on the accounts of the company for the year ended January 31[st] 2021

Respective Responsibilities of Trustees and examiner.

The trustees (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The 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. The charity is required by company law to prepare accrued accounts and I am qualified to undertake the examination by being a qualified member of AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians)

Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audit under company law and is eligible for independent examination, it is my responsibility to:

Examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act and Section 44(1) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 (the 2005 Act.)

To follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145 (5)(b) of the 2011 Act

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 and is in accordance with Regulation 11 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. 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 next statement.

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:

• To keep accounting records and in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006 and section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and

• To prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records, comply with the accounting requirements of the Companies Act 2006, section 44 (1) (b) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 8 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations and

• Which are consistent with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities

• Have 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

Name: Dagmawit Shitaye Date 15[th] May 2021

Relevant professional qualification or body: AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians)

Annual Accounts

Statement of Financial Activities

Donations 25,063 26,325 Gift Aid 12,128 Christmas card sales 743 126 Bank interest 198 12 Total 38,132 26,463 DISTRIBUTION OF DONATIONS Ethiopia 2,000 1,198 Kenya 7,320 12,938 Tibetan Refugee Project 6,000 4,100 Zimbabwe 3,000 Haiti 305 4,261 Egypt 450 Uganda 3,019 Total 16,075 28,516 EXPENSES Honorarium (2020/21) 1,000 Christmas cards 288 49 Bank charges 20 Website content 286 Web hosting 115 252 Postage 70 Just Giving 18 Companies House 48 Audit fee 100 200 DBS/Criminal record check 10 75

Ant-virus software 35

Miscellaneous 37 Total 1,926	677
Under/ distribution 20,131 Balance Sheet as at 31/1/2021 ASSETS£ Cash at bank 63,571 Savings Account 40,198 Fixed asset 400 Accounts receivable 407 Total Assets 104,576	<2,730> as at 31/1/2020 £ 43,638 40,000 400 84,038 83,638 400 84,038
LIABILITIES Donations retained 103,888 Charity’s equity 400 Accounts payable 288 Total Liabilities 104,576

For the year ended 31/1/2021 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476. The directors acknowledge their responsibility for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and for the preparation of accounts. The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to small companies’ regime.

Structure, Governance and Management

The governing document of Bridge of Hope is its Memorandum and Articles of Association incorporated on 6[th] January 2012 as amended by special resolution registered at Companies House on 27[th] March 2013.

The Charity is a Registered Company number 7900474

Election of Trustees

Election of trustees is based on a recommendation by a current trustee serving on the Bridge of Hope Trustee board. The recommendation is then put to the board for a vote by all current serving trustees for acceptance.

All Bridge of Hope Foundation trustees undergo DBS checks and have signed the declaration of good character form required by the Charity Commission.

Reference and Administrative details

Reference and Administrative	details
Charityname	Bridge of HopeFoundation
Other name the charity uses	Bridge of Hope
Registered charity number	1152252
Charity’s principal address	4 Brunner Rd. Ealing London W5 1BA

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

1 2 3	Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole **year **	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany)
	Robert Newell CVO	Trustee and Director
	Martin Fletcher	Trustee and Director
	Lisa Yacoub	Trustee and Director And Company Secretary

Names and addresses of advisers

ames and addresses of advisers	ames and addresses of advisers
Name Address
Katie Campbell	London
Claire Finlay	London
Sharon Hendry	London
Selam Bekele	Addis Ababa
Ayub Khalid	Nairobi

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Full name(s) Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc) Date
	Lisa Yacoub
	Company Secretary and Trustee
	29.11.21
	29.11.21