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2025-09-30-accounts

Report and Accounts of the Trustees

Financial Statements for the Year Ended 30 September 2025

Faith in Action Community Development

School pupils in front of the Isaiah School buildings, August 2025.

Contents

Charity Details Page 2 of 17
Report of the Trustees Pages 3-10 of 17
Financial Review Page 10 of 17
Structure, Governance and Management Page 11 of 17
Objectives for 2025-2026 Page 11 of 17
Independent Examiner’s Report Page 13 of 17
Receipts and Payments Page 14 of 17
Balance Sheet Page 15 of 17
Notes to the Accounts Page 16-17 of 17

Registered Charity Number: 1153485 Registered in England and Wales

Page 1 of 16

Charity Details

Name: Faith in Action Community Development Registered Charity Number: 1153485 Address: Holy Trinity Church Church Road Claygate, Esher Surrey KT10 0JP Website: faithinaction.co.uk

Trustees:

Steve Cramer (Chair) (re-appointed August 2023) Linda Morgan (re-appointed August 2023) Barry Wakefield (Treasurer) (re-appointed February 2023) Alison Bateman (appointed April 2024) Kim Cross (appointed July 2025) Lynn Hickman (appointed July 2025) Sarah Slater (resigned December 2024) Miriam Schafer (resigned July 2025) Bank: Barclays Bank plc 6 Clarence Street Kingston Upon Thames Surrey KT1 1NY Independent Examiner Brian Howells

Registered Charity Number: 1153485 Registered in England and Wales

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Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 30 September 2025

Faith in Action Community Development (FIACD) is a charitable incorporated organisation registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The trustees, who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 30 September 2025.

Background

FIACD arose from the vision of Faith Aguha. Faith was brought up in a traditional family in Katete in SW Uganda (Mwaka Cell, Kenshunga Sub County, Kiruhura District) before coming to the UK in 2002. For many years, Faith

supported through school many of the poorest children and young people in this remote area. She always had a much bigger, long-term vision in mind for her community, and through partnering with Holy Trinity Church Claygate and Christian Engineers in Development, Faith fulfilled her next ambition. ln 2014, a valley

tank was completed, and even through drought, it provides a year-round supply of clean water for the families and their cattle.

Faith Aguha with Isaiah School pupils during her visit to the FIACD projects in 2022.

During this project, FIACD registered with the Charity Commission in August 2013. FIACD expanded Faith’s educational sponsorship programme to include more disadvantaged children, and in December 2014, a simple nursery school was opened. Its name ‘Isaiah’ was taken from a verse in the book of Isaiah: ‘See I am doing a new thing… I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland’ . This verse continues to be inspirational to Faith and the charity.

Over the next four years, FIACD raised funds for and project-managed a much bigger undertaking. On 3 February 2019 the new Isaiah Nursery & Primary School opened. By June that year, 143 children were registered, enjoying a much-needed education (many for the first time). Phase 1

of the school building provided four classroom blocks with toilets, school furniture and equipment, teachers’ accommodation, a school kitchen and a water tank. Phase 2 added a caretaker’s hut, school gates, and solar panels for the school and teachers’ accommodation. Phase 3 was completed in April 2021 and included an additional classroom block with three

Registered Charity Number: 1153485 Registered in England and Wales

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new classrooms (to enable growth up to Primary 7), additional nursery and school toilets, and four teachers’ accommodation rooms.

Isaiah School has a licence certificate from Uganda’s Ministry of Education and is registered in the sole name of Faith Aguha as owner, to safeguard it for many generations to come. The school is currently led by Head Teacher Denis Muhwezi (previously head of a school in Jinja) and Chair of the School Management Committee Nelson

P7 commemoration ceremony

Nabasa. Denis manages the school reporting and budget, identifying the poorest pupils who need reduced fees. He is supported by another nine qualified teachers, who teach a wide range of subjects (including English) throughout the nursery and primary school, as well as a full-time cook and caretaker. Children follow the national syllabus, take external exams, play sport, and learn important life skills, such as cooking, science, and taking care of their health. They also attend weekly Christian services and the nursery building serves as a church on Sundays. Isaiah School’s last report from the external school inspectors (before the arrival of Covid-19 in Uganda) was ‘good’, reflecting its rising education standards. Isaiah School continues to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 restrictions that were imposed on Uganda during the pandemic, and the school roll has once again increased.

“I found such joy in the village, hearing the parents say ‘we never dreamt that we would be able to walk our children to school’. These are families that don’t expect, don’t dare to dream, yet with God’s grace we were able to build them a school.” Faith Aguha, one of the founders of FIACD

Registered Charity Number: 1153485 Registered in England and Wales

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Purpose, Objectives and Performance

Purpose

The purpose of FIACD is to raise funds and provide grants for community development activities and projects in socially and economically disadvantaged communities in Uganda and nearby countries. For the last eleven years, FIACD has raised funds for and provided grants to the community of Katete. This community is remote – the nearest jobs, schools, markets and shops are two hours’ walk away, and the economy is at a subsistence level. The population comprises poor landowners, poorer tenant farmers and very poor refugees, and access to high quality education is limited.

FIACD’s belief is that high-quality, sustainable education can positively transform a child’s life, lifting them and their community out of poverty. FIACD’s focus this year was to continue to provide this sustainable, high-quality education to a greater number of the poorest children in Katete and its surrounding areas.

Objectives for 2024-2025:

  1. Continue supporting and encouraging the provision of high-quality, low-cost education in and around the Mwaka community in Uganda, with a key objective to support the poorest local children who otherwise might not attend school.

  2. Develop discussions with the Church of Uganda in relation to its potential involvement in partnering in some of the local management of the school.

  3. Broaden and expand the board of Trustees to support the charity as it moves forward and to help deepen its links with local people and communities within Claygate (Surrey) and beyond.

  4. Continue the development of the scholarship programme for secondary school students.

Achievement and Performance against Objectives

1. Continue supporting and encouraging the provision of high-quality, low-cost education in and around the Mwaka community in Uganda, with a key objective to support the poorest local children who otherwise might not attend school.

Registered Charity Number: 1153485 Registered in England and Wales

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Pupil numbers continue to grow and as of 25 February 2026, 241 pupils were registered at Isaiah School, of whom 52% were boys and 48% girls. 64 children were in the Nursery classes and 177 in the Primary classes. This compares with a school roll of 217 pupils as of 30 April 2025. The school currently has capacity to expand class sizes across all ten classes to an approximate total of 300 pupils.

The average age of the P6 pupils is 15, reflecting how long these children had to wait for an education prior to the establishment of Isaiah School. It is encouraging that the Nursery children are now of the typical age for those year groups, showing the positive impact of Isaiah Schol within the community.

Approximately 75% of pupils live within 6km of the school, in the villages of Mwaka, Kyamashara/Ekigaga and Rushenyi. The remainder of the pupils live 6km to 15km away. The number of the most local pupils has remained quite static; growth has been from the villages of between 6km and 15km away. 25% of pupils come from Kanyana, Rwabigyemano, Buwashamyre and Butemberwa. The majority of pupils walk to and from school every day; a few pupils travel to and from school by minibus organised by their parents and a small number lodge nearby to attend the school.

Teacher numbers remain stable and as of March 2026, Isaiah School had a complement of ten teachers including the Head Teacher. Three of the teachers are allocated to the nursery classes; seven to the primary school classes and the Head also teaches Primary 7. Staff salaries continue to be attractive, compared with other private schools in the area when the overall package of food, accommodation and payment during the holidays is taken into account.

Isaiah School saw another outstanding set of academic results for its Primary 7 pupils in their December 2025 national examinations in Mathematics, Social Studies, Science and English, with all 17 pupils achieving grade 1 – 2 results. These positive results should help to continue to attract new pupils to the school.

FIACD continues to provide educational sponsorship to three disadvantaged children per year in secondary school, and the number of these children has now increased to nine. It is the goal of the charity to have eighteen sponsored children (three each year for the six years of secondary school). The average sponsorship sum is £130-140 per term, per secondary school child, paying about 80% of their fees. Over time, the programme is being transitioned towards sponsoring selected Primary 7 class graduates from Isaiah School. Pupils are nominated by Head Teacher Denis Muhwezi and Chair of the School Management Committee Nelson Nabasa. As at October 2025, nine pupils were being sponsored by FIACD through secondary school. Selection was based on a combination of the child’s school performance and attendance, and their family’s inability to afford secondary school. Coleb Kansiimi, a head

Registered Charity Number: 1153485 Registered in England and Wales

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teacher from a school 16km away from Isaiah School, efficiently manages the sponsorship programme on a local level for FIACD and provides regular reports.

Isaiah School is also developing a limited self-funded feeding programme for children who travel a long way to school.

In February 2025, the Isaiah School pupils received their first ever school sports kit (in house colours) and additional sports equipment. Funding for these was split equally between the school parents and FIACD’s fundraising activities in September 2024 within Holy Trinity Church Claygate. A simple and affordable new school uniform was introduced.

New school uniform

In November 2024, three trustees travelled to the FIACD projects in Uganda, staying in a local home. They spent quality time with Head Teacher Denis Muhwezi, with every class and their class teacher and they also met with parents. Their aim was to obtain a better understanding of the current and future needs of Isaiah School, review project management and assess development possibilities and budget priorities. The trustees were impressed by Denis Muhwezi’s kind and hard-working leadership of the school, the caring relationships between staff and pupils, teachers’ motivation, pupils’ behaviour, attendance at the annual Parent Teacher Association meeting, and the good state of the school buildings.

“I was impressed by the dedication of all the teachers, who work extremely hard to help the children reach their potential and broaden their horizons. They demonstrate positive and caring relationships with the children and with one another”. Alison Bateman, trustee and retired head teacher.

2. Develop discussions with the Church of Uganda in relation to its potential involvement in partnering in some of the local management of the school.

Over the course of this year the trustees (led by Steve Cramer, Chair) have devoted a significant amount of time on developing a plan for the Church of Uganda (led by Bishop Muhozi) to partner with FIACD in more of the local management of the school. Faith Aguha then travelled to Katete for an extended visit early in 2026 and held further, fruitful talks with the Bishop. The trustees are grateful to Faith Aguha and to the Bishop for the time and thought they have invested in this process.

A draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been prepared which sets out the process by which the Church of Uganda would purchase additional land from Faith Aguha on which accommodation for boarding pupils and new premises for the nursery pupils would be built. FIACD will fund half the purchase price of the land while the Church of Uganda will fund the remaining half. The costs of the new buildings will be borne by the Church of Uganda. The

Registered Charity Number: 1153485 Registered in England and Wales

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first step in this process will be for the Church of Uganda to submit a detailed, costed and funded plan to commit irrevocably to the construction of all the buildings as set out in the MoU.

FIACD will then work with the Church of Uganda to register it as the proprietor of the existing school land, together with the existing school buildings and infrastructure. The School License, staff and all related administrative obligations will also be passed over to the Church of Uganda in compliance with the requirements of the Ministry of Education and Sports. FIACD will offer transitional support, both technical and financial, to the Church of Uganda during the transitional period of ten years.

It is proposed that the funding arrangements for the poorest pupils will change after the transfer of Isaiah School to the Church of Uganda. Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding, the Church will directly subsidise the poorest pupils; FIACD will indirectly contribute to this cost via its annual contribution to the Church of Uganda. FIACD will further commit to developing and administering, in conjunction with the Church of Uganda, two financial assistance programmes. One will be a Scholarship and Reduced Fees Fund which will assist the poorest local children; the second will be a Secondary Education Scholarship Programme, which will support up to three P7 graduates for each year of secondary school through 50% co-funding of fees in selected diocesan secondary schools. These programmes will run for a period of not less than ten years.

The Church of Uganda will commit to receiving ownership and stewardship of Isaiah School, continuing its operation as a Church-founded institution, maintaining the strong Christian ethos of the school and maintaining the physical structures and environment of the school to at least its existing standards. FIACD will be given one seat on the School Management Committee for as long as FIACD provides material or financial support to the school.

3. Broaden and expand the board of Trustees to support the charity as it moves forward and to help deepen its links with local people and communities within Claygate (Surrey) and beyond.

FIACD currently has a board of six trustees. In addition, three volunteers give their time and expertise to the charity. Two previous trustees resigned in the past financial year; one in December 2024 and the other in July 2025. Two new trustees were appointed in July 2025. FIACD continues to seek additional trustees.

There has been ongoing work by trustees to widen and deepen the charity’s links within the local community and beyond. There has been engagement with local schools which will continue as FIACD seeks to grow links with Isaiah School. Additionally, trustees have used their personal contacts to raise awareness of the school.

Registered Charity Number: 1153485 Registered in England and Wales

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In December 2025, all FIACD supporters received a Christmas Card and Newsletter aimed at keeping supporters up to date with developments at the charity:

Our Christmas 2025 Newsletter

4. Continue the development of the scholarship programme for secondary school students.

FIACD continues to provide educational sponsorship for three graduates of Isaiah School each year. The programme is in its third year of operation and there are currently nine children receiving support. There will eventually be eighteen sponsored children when the scheme reaches maturity (three children in each of the six years of secondary school).

Denis Muhwezi, Head Teacher, and Nelson Nabasa, Chair of the School Management Committee, nominate pupils for the scholarship programme based on a combination of the child’s school performance and attendance and their families’ (in)ability e to afford secondary school fees. Coleb Kansiimi, head teacher at a secondary school 16km away from Isaiah School, efficiently manages the sponsorship programme at a local level and provides FIACD with regular updates of sponsored pupils’ performance.

A 10-year plan is also being developed to ensure that FIACD’s scholarship and reduced fees fund continues to support poorer local children through their primary education.

Registered Charity Number: 1153485 Registered in England and Wales

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Financial Review

FIACD’s income for the year under review totalled £19,953 with an expenditure of £14,252. This resulted in a net increase in reserves of £5,701. Total expenditure decreased by 17% on the previous year. Increased spending on education sponsorship of 27% was more than offset by reductions in the school operating subsidy (as Isaiah School becomes more financially selfreliant) and in the costs of project governance and school construction. Income rose by 8%, due to increases in regular and one-off donations.

The trustees place great significance on the need to be aware of the potential risks that the charity could face. Careful consideration is given to ensuring that financial systems and controls are in place; that operational systems and income and expenditure levels of the organisation are monitored; that control is exercised over decisions taken on projects and capital costs; and that low overheads and appropriate administrative systems are in place which address the governance requirements for the organisation. FIACD places the highest regard on financial accountability and continually works towards improving its professionalism and efficiency.

FIACD is non-profit making and applies any surplus income to its purpose.

Structure, Governance and Management

FIACD was registered as a charity in August 2013 (Number: 1153485). It is governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association and is controlled by a board of trustees. The trustees are elected and their selection is based on the skills and contribution they can make to the effectiveness of the organisation. The trustees maintain overall control for the running of the charity and retain direct responsibility for the approval of projects and authorisation of payment to project partners. They take responsibility for all contracts and delegate the dayto-day responsibility to local teams.

In June 2020, the trustees agreed 5-year projections for FIACD and Isaiah School. These models help the trustees to make better informed decisions about income and expenditure.

FIACD’s Safeguarding Policy is reviewed annually on the 22 February. Isaiah School has its own Safeguarding Policy. All Isaiah School teaching and non-teaching staff are trained annually on safeguarding and sign the policy alongside their annual contracts.

The UK’s ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) certification is renewed annually on 27 April, demonstrating that FIACD’s processing of personal data complies with the GDPR requirements, in line with the accountability principle.

Registered Charity Number: 1153485 Registered in England and Wales

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The charity trustees met three times in the financial year (December 2024, May 2025 and July 2025) to review progress, approve budgets, and to consider future programmes. A considerable amount of communication occurred between the trustees outside of these meetings to progress work on the purchase of Isaiah School by the Church of Uganda. The trustees continue to be thankful for another year of volunteer assistance from Roger Marsden, Jill Marsden and Dale Todd.

Objectives for 2025 -2026

  1. Continue supporting and encouraging the provision of high-quality, low-cost education in and around the Mwaka community in Uganda, with a key objective to support the poorest local children who otherwise might not attend school.

  2. Continue discussions with the Church of Uganda in relation to its potential involvement in partnering in some of the local management of the school.

  3. Broaden and expand the board of Trustees to support the charity as it moves forward and to help deepen its links with local people and communities within Claygate (Surrey) and beyond.

  4. Continue the development of the scholarship programme for secondary school students.

Signed on behalf of the Trustees Board

Signed: Date: 10 July 2026

Steve Cramer, Chair

Registered Charity Number: 1153485 Registered in England and Wales

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Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees Board of Faith in Action Community Development

Registered Charity Number: 1153485 Registered in England and Wales

Page 12 of 16

Receipts and Payments

For the Year Ended 30 September 2025

Note
Receipts
Grants
2
Donations
Total Receipts
Payments
Education Sponsorship
School Construction
School Operating Subsidy
Project Governance
Total Payments
Net Surplus for the Period
Funds
Balance Brought Forward
at 1 October
Net Surplus for the Period
Balance at 30 September		 2025
2025
2025
2024
£
£
£
£

General
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total
Funds
Total
Funds
6,784
0
6,784
6,898
13,169
0
13,169
11,523
19,953
0
19,953
18,421

5,266
0
5,266
4,131
0
0
0
2,938
7,303
0
7,303
8,100
1,683
0
1,683
2,054
14,252
0
14,252
17,223

5,701
0
5,701
1,198
14,281
200
14,481
13,283
5,701
0
5,701
1,198

19,982
200
20,182
14,481

Registered Charity Number: 1153485 Registered in England and Wales

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Balance Sheet

As at 30 September 2025

Current Assets
Cash at Bank and In Hand
Net Assets
Funds
Restricted Funds
General Funds
Balance of Funds at
Period End		 2025
2024
£
£
20,182
14,481
20,182
14,481
200
200
19,982
14,281
20,182
14,481

Approved on behalf of the Trustees Board

Signed: Date: 10 July 2026

Steve Cramer, Chair

Registered Charity Number: 1153485 Registered in England and Wales

Page 14 of 16

Notes to the Accounts

1 Accounting Policies

Accounting Convention

The financial statements are prepared on a receipts and payment basis, under the historical cost convention. This is consistent with Charity Commission Guidelines whereby CIOs with income less than £250,000 can prepare receipts and payments accounts.

Fixed Assets

At 30 September 2025, FIACD had no fixed assets. The policy is:

Income Recognition

Grant income is recognised upon receipt, provided that any conditions for receipt have been met. Any unexpended grant is carried forward in reserves. If any grant unexpended has been provided for a restricted purpose, any balance remaining is carried forward as a restricted fund.

Restricted Gifts

Restricted gifts are only used for the purpose for which they were given. If a restricted gift is unused for its nominated purpose, it will be returned to the donor or permission sought for an alternative use.

2 Grant Income

Holy Trinity Church
Claygate
Nias Wheatley Trust
Other
 2025
General
funds
Restricted
Total funds
funds
£
6,784
0
6,784
0
0
0
0
0
0
6,784
0
6,784		 2024
Total funds
£
6,898
0
0
6,898

Registered Charity Number: 1153485 Registered in England and Wales

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3 Project Governance

In-person project governance saw a reduction in the financial year 2025, as there was no trustee visit to Isaiah School this year. However, good communication was maintained with the Head Teacher and with the Chair of the School Management Committee. Faith Aguha visited the School in 2025 and FIACD made a financial contribution towards this trip.

4 Related Parties

One trustee is also a trustee of the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Claygate (Holy Trinity Church Claygate). This charity donated £6,784 during this financial year.

Registered Charity Number: 1153485 Registered in England and Wales

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