## **GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **ACCOUNTS**
## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
## **INDEX**
- **2 Trustees’ annual report:** 2 Reference and administrative details 3 Introduction to _Girls Not Brides_ 6 Structure, governance and management 12 _Girls Not Brides_ 2021 Impact Report 30 Plans for the future 32 Financial review **34 Independent auditor’s report 38 Statement of financial activities 39 Balance sheet 40 Statement of cash flows 41 Notes to the financial statements**
Company number: 8570751
Charity number: 1154230
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
## **REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS**
|Trustees:|Dr Anne T Gallagher (Chair) (appointed 16 September 2021)|
|---|---|
||Mabel van Oranje (Chair) (resigned 30 September 2021)|
||Ann Cotton|
||Nick Grono (resigned 30 March 2022)|
||Karin Forseke (Treasurer)|
||Georgia Arnold|
||Emma Puig De La Bellacasa|
||Rita Sarin|
||Zipporah Jean Alaroker|
||Michael Feigelson (appointed 9 April 2021)|
|Chief Executive Officer:|Dr Faith Mwangi-Powell|
|Key management personnel:|Dr Faith Mwangi-Powell, Chief Executive Officer|
||Heather Barclay, Director of Policy, Advocacy and|
||Communications (left 30 April 2022)|
||Akila Lingham, Director of Finance and Operations|
||(appointed 4 August 2021)|
||Eleanor Munif, Director of Operations (left 14 July 2021)|
||Rita Soares, Director of Partnership, Learning and Impact|
||(appointed 17 May 2021)|
|Contact address and registered office:|Seventh Floor|
||65 Leadenhall Street|
||London|
||EC3A 2AD|
||United Kingdom|
|Auditors:|Sayer Vincent LLP|
||Invicta House|
||108-114 Golden Lane|
||London|
||EC1Y 0TL|
|Bankers:|HSBC Bank plc|
||21 Kings Mall|
||London|
||W6 0QF|
|Solicitors:|Bates Wells|
||10 Queen Street Place|
||London|
||EC4R 1BE|
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**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
**TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
## **INTRODUCTION TO GIRLS NOT BRIDES**
The vision of _Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage (Girls Not Brides)_ is a world without child marriage where girls and women enjoy equal status with boys and men and are able to achieve their full potential in all aspects of their lives. We support a comprehensive approach to ending child marriage and addressing the underlying economic and social drivers of child marriage, including harmful gender and social norms that deny girls opportunities and their rights. By taking a holistic approach we not only contribute to ending child marriage, but also achieve progress across a number of global development goals including health, education and poverty reduction. Our belief is that addressing child marriage in a holistic and comprehensive manner helps create a safer world for girls and leads to benefits far beyond simply delaying the age of marriage.
## **About child marriage**
Every year, child marriage denies 12 million girls their rights to health, education, safety and control over their own lives. This is equivalent to one in five girls around the world.[1] This human rights violation occurs across cultures, countries and religions. Over 650 million women alive today were married as children, and every minute 23 more girls are married. Rooted in gender inequality and discrimination, child marriage disproportionately affects women and girls in terms of both the number of child brides and the life-long impact.
Ahead of the pandemic, we saw a decline in child marriage rates globally, but with the onset of COVID-19 experts are predicting an increase in child marriages as a consequence of a variety of factors including school closures, increased violence and domestic poverty. UNICEF estimates that we will see 10 million more child marriages by 2030[2] as a direct consequence of COVID-19, in addition to the 12 million girls already married each year.
Child brides face huge challenges. Isolated and with limited freedom, married girls often feel disempowered. They are at increased risk of dangerous complications in pregnancy and childbirth, and of domestic violence. With little access to education and economic opportunities, they and their families are more likely to live in poverty. Communities and nations also feel the impact of child marriage. Systems that undervalue the contribution and participation of girls and women limit their own possibilities for growth, stability and transformation. The World Bank and International Center for Research on Women estimate that child marriage costs economies around the world trillions of dollars. Girls affected by humanitarian contexts – including conflict, displacement and natural disasters – are more vulnerable to child marriage due to increased insecurity, greater poverty and weaker social networks.
One of the fundamental beliefs of _Girls Not Brides_ is that if we address child marriage in a holistic and comprehensive manner it is possible to empower adolescent girls and transform societies. Ending child marriage is a global commitment enshrined in Target 5.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to “eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced
> 1 For more information on child marriage prevalence rates in countries and across regions, please consult our Child Marriage Atlas, which is the only source of consolidated data on the issue of child marriage. It also highlights numbers of girls affected, the legal/policy situation in each country, and the distribution of _Girls Not Brides’_ members, National Partnerships and civil society coalitions.
> 2 UNICEF, 2021, _COVID-19: A thread to progress against child marriage._
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
marriage and female genital mutilations”. It is also necessary to achieve almost half of the SDGs, including those related to poverty, education, health and inequalities.
Child marriage is a complex issue with no single solution. We must work collectively across sectors – and from the local to global level – to change the perceptions, norms and experiences that shape and hinder girls’ lives. In 2014, _Girls Not Brides_ worked with 150 members and partners to develop our Theory of Change (which was recently refurbished), which identifies four strategies to end child marriage: working directly with girls; mobilising families and communities; providing services (including health, education and child protection); and creating and sustaining an enabling legal and policy framework.
Our members and partners work across the four key strategies outlined in the Theory of Change, and the _Girls Not Brides_ secretariat plays a distinctive catalytic role within the movement. We mobilise collective action and support at the national, regional and international levels; support member organisations to build their knowledge, skills and leadership and share their expertise; advocate for financial resources; and synthesise and disseminate learning on ending child marriage. In this role, we create a supportive environment to enable greater change. Currently the _Girls Not Brides_ partnership comprises over 1,600 members worldwide. 82% work in communities, and nearly 40% identify as youth led. Less than 12% identify as international organisations.
## **Definitions**
## Child marriage
We use the term “child marriage” to refer to all forms of child, early and forced marriage and unions where at least one party is under the age of 18. In this, we include all girls and adolescents affected by the practice – whether in formal or informal unions – and acknowledge the culturally specific understandings of childhood and development, and the complex relationship between age, consent and force.
## The _Girls Not Brides_ global partnership (the Partnership)
At the end of 2021, the _Girls Not Brides_ global partnership comprised 1,602 member organisations from 102 countries committed to working together to end child marriage and support married girls. _Girls Not Brides_ member organisations work across sectors – including health, education, human rights and humanitarian contexts – and range from small grassroots actors to large international organisations.
## The movement to end child marriage
The informal global network is comprised of civil society and grassroots organisations, national and international non-governmental organisations (INGOs), activists, academics, UN agencies, funders, governments, leaders and champions, all working towards a world without child marriage where girls can exercise their rights and reach their full potential.
## The _Girls Not Brides_ secretariat
The secretariat coordinates, rallies and supports the work of the Partnership and movement, with staff based in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. We play three broad roles in driving change: a central support and coordination body for the only global civil society partnership to end child
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
marriage; a representative of – and advocate for – civil society work to end child marriage; and a source and convenor of technical expertise and central actor in the global movement to end child marriage.
National and State Partnerships and coalitions
Many _Girls Not Brides_ member organisations have come together to accelerate progress to end child marriage in their countries by forming National and State Partnerships and coalitions.
**National and State Partnerships** are networks of _Girls Not Brides_ member organisations that believe in the power of collective action to end child marriage and ensure girls can reach their full potential. They have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the _Girls Not Brides_ secretariat to align their work with the Partnership Strategy.
**Coalitions** are networks of civil society organisations committed to addressing child marriage and working together at the national level to spearhead change. They are close allies to _Girls Not Brides_ but have not signed an MoU.
## **Abbreviations**
- FGM/C – Female genital mutilation/cutting
- GEF – Generation Equality Forum
- GTA – Gender-transformative approaches
- INGO – International non-governmental organisation
- LAC – Latin America and the Caribbean
- MoU – Memorandum of Understanding
- The CRANK – Child Marriage Research to Action Network
- UK – United Kingdom
- UN – United Nations
- WACA – West and Central Africa
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**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT**
_Girls Not Brides_ was incorporated as a company in the United Kingdom (UK) on 14 June 2013 and registered as a charity in England and Wales on 17 October 2013. It transferred its assets and activities from what was once an initiative under The Elders Foundation to the independent entity on 10 December 2013.
## **Objects**
The charity’s objects are all regarded as exclusively charitable under the laws of England and Wales including, but not limited to:
- (a) The promotion of equality and human rights (as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Subsequent United Nations Conventions and Declarations) throughout the world including but not limited to:
- raising awareness of human rights issues
- relieving need among the victims of human rights abuse
- research into and international advocacy of human rights
- providing technical advice to government and others on human rights matters
- promoting respect for human rights among individuals and corporations
- eliminating or preventing infringement of human rights
- (b) The prevention and relief of poverty
- (c) The advancement of health
- (d) The advancement of education, in particular but without limitation, by undertaking research and other educational activities and disseminating the results of that research
- (e) The relief of those in need by reason of youth and/or ill health
## **Board of Trustees**
_Girls Not Brides_ is governed by a Board of Trustees (the Trustees) who are responsible for overseeing the management of all _Girls Not Brides’_ affairs. The Trustees are selected and elected according to procedures set out in the Articles of Association. The Trustees ensure that all activities fall within the charitable objectives. The Trustees’ main responsibilities are related to administrative and financial governance, management of reserves and investments as well as guiding and overseeing strategy development and planning. In particular, the Trustees are responsible for ensuring the legal and financial compliance of _Girls Not Brides_ , including compliance with the Charity Commission’s guiding principles and charity law.
In September 2021, the Trustees approved a new Chair of the Board of Trustees, Dr Anne T. Gallagher AO, Director-General of the Commonwealth Foundation. _Girls Not Brides_ warmly welcomed Anne in the knowledge that her deep experience of and passion for raising the voices of civil society will be critical in steering our global Partnership on our pathway to zero child marriages. Anne replaced Mabel van Oranje, who had been Chair since _Girls Not Brides_ was founded. After ten
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## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
years as Chair, Mabel considered that it was appropriate to make space for fresh leadership and she will continue her work as a leader, expert and advocate on ending child marriage in a new role as Global Champion for _Girls Not Brides_ . _Girls Not Brides_ extends our heartfelt thanks to Mabel for her constant leadership and long service.
The Trustees meet regularly throughout the year and act on advice and information provided by the Chief Executive Officer and the senior management of the charity. All Trustees are provided with an individual induction covering all aspects of the _Girls Not Brides_ organisational structure and roles and responsibilities of the Trustees within the organisation, as well as Charity Commission guidance on governance, and the duties of Trustees in the UK. Trustee-specific trainings are organised to ensure that the Board remains compliant with the Charity Commission and up to date on current trends within the non-governmental sector. In 2021, we held a series of induction meetings with our Board as we welcomed a new Chair and additional Board members. Further trainings are planned for in 2022.
In 2021 the Board of Trustees agreed to set up two committees, being a Finance and Policy Committee and a Fundraising and Donor Relations Committee:
- The Finance and Policy Committee’s overall purpose is to support the Board in its fiduciary duties and make sound recommendations to the Board with regards to the strategic direction of the charity’s financial affairs. The Committee will also act as an Audit Committee, Remuneration Committee, and an Investment Committee.
- The Fundraising and Donor Relations Committee’s remit is to support _Girls Not Brides_ secretariat in the development of a fundraising strategy and related principles, outreach, and sourcing and securing new funding opportunities to finance the secretariat strategic plan for 2022–2025.
The first meetings of both committees were held in early 2022, and they will continue to meet regularly throughout the year.
## **Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities**
The Trustees (who are also directors of _Girls Not Brides_ for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and UK Accounting Standards (UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP)
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent
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## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
In so far as the Trustees are aware:
- There is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditor is unaware.
- The Trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information.
The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the UK governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
The Trustees have no beneficial interest in the charity.
## **Disclosure of information to auditors**
So far as the Trustees are aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the company's auditors are unaware. The Trustees have taken all the steps that they need to as Trustees in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the company's auditors are aware of that information.
## **Auditors**
Sayer Vincent LLP have indicated their willingness to continue in office and in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act it is proposed that they be re-appointed auditors for the ensuing year.
## **Company Members**
_Girls Not Brides_ is a charitable company and its Company Members have a constitutional role, including legal responsibility to approve the Articles of Association (and any amendments) and to appoint and, if necessary, dismiss the Trustees of _Girls Not Brides_ . The term “Member” in this context has a specific legal meaning and should not be confused with the organisations working on child marriage that have joined the _Girls Not Brides_ partnership (below).
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## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
At the end of 2021, the Articles of Association were updated and the original Company Members resigned handing over their constitutional role to the existing Board of Trustees of _Girls Not Brides._
## **Members of** _**Girls Not Brides**_
The _Girls Not Brides_ secretariat supports the global partnership of member organisations. Membership is open to non-governmental organisations that endorse its mission statement and agree to its membership principles. These organisations are publicly and commonly referred to as “members” (as opposed to the Company Members described above).
Members contribute to the Partnership and engage with one another, as well as with the secretariat, in a variety of ways depending on their interests and capacity. The work and interests of members help define the strategy of _Girls Not Brides_ , and the secretariat requests feedback from them on various issues on a regular basis.
## **Secretariat**
_Girls Not Brides’_ day-to-day operations are run by its staff based in its London office, with additional individual team members based in New Delhi (India), Nairobi (Kenya) and Mexico City (Mexico). The secretariat is made up of four directorates (Communications & Influencing; Development & Outreach; Finance & Operations; and Partnership, Learning & Impact), with a Chief Executive Officer overseeing their work. The Chief Executive Officer reports to the Trustees. The Trustees delegate the day-to-day running of the organisation to the Chief Executive Officer.
## **Principal risks and uncertainties**
The organisation has developed its approach to risk management. This includes reviewing the organisational risk register, with oversight from the Board of Trustees and input from all senior staff, and updating risk management guidance for staff. _Girls Not Brides_ views risk management as a continuous process that must be considered at the forefront of all activities by all staff members.
In December 2021, the Trustees conducted the annual review of the risk register and were satisfied with the controls and procedures the secretariat had put in place. The Trustees were also satisfied with progress in monitoring and mitigating previously identified potential risks, including financial risks related to its ability to raise sufficient funds, impact of currency fluctuations and management risks.
The risk register is classified into six categories (external engagement, finance and due diligence, fundraising, governance and leadership, operational and partnership) that are further defined into specific potential risk elements. Within this, significant risks are identified and summarised. This includes the following risks and mitigation strategies:
- Losing donors or failing to raise sufficient funds, particularly due to the impact of COVID-19. This is mitigated by tracking donors’ evolving strategies, cultivating strong donor relationships, ensuring accurate forecasting and building up the operational reserve.
- Failure to comply with requirements around grants and sub-granting. This is mitigated by a detailed review of contract provisions, preparing and reviewing contract summaries, tracking
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## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
expenditure through activity codes and developing the organisational grant-making policy and process.
- Unsuitable human resources and operational policies for international context. This is mitigated by an updated approach to regional working under development in 2021.
- Safeguarding incidents in the secretariat or Partnership. This is mitigated by the organisation’s comprehensive and up-to-date safeguarding policies and processes and frequent highlighting of safeguarding as a key issue in organisational culture, communications, induction, project management, training and documents.
- Staff health and wellbeing negatively impacted by COVID-19. This is mitigated by a suite of wellbeing policies, processes and support mechanisms for staff.
## **Safeguarding and Serious Incidents**
During the year, _Girls Not Brides_ continued to step up its efforts in ensuring high standards of safeguarding, monitoring and training of all relevant persons across the globe.
The charity maintains its zero-tolerance policy towards abuse or other forms of serious misconduct and sets clear standards and expectations around members’ behaviour in our international Code of Conduct. All employees and other representatives are required to take part in both induction and recurring annual training on safeguarding and associated policies and controls (through webinars, face-to-face discussions and consultations).
The Trustees are cognisant to their obligations to report the most serious misconduct or abuse to relevant authorities in the UK and other countries of operation, in particular the formal requirements for Serious Incident Reporting to the Charity Commission for England and Wales. This obligation is understood across the broader definitions of Serious Incidents in which the Commission would have an interest. There were no Serious Incident Notifications made to the Commission during the period covered by this report.
## **Public benefit**
The Trustees’ report sets out _Girls Not Brides’_ charitable activities contributing to ending child marriage, which we have carried out in line with our charitable objects, being the promotion of equality and human rights, the prevention and relief of poverty, the advancement of health, the advancement of education and the relief of those in need by reason or youth and/or ill health. The Board has considered the issue of public benefit and are confident that _Girls Not Brides’_ activities comply with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission.
## **Fundraising**
In 2021, _Girls Not Brides_ actively fundraised from a small pool of organisations, primarily made up of governments and foundations. Activities were led by our Senior Leadership Team, Donor Engagement Team and the Chair of the Board of Trustees, drawing on other colleagues’ and Board Members’ expertise and support as needed. Activities included researching prospective government and foundation funding, a variety of communications with existing and prospective donors, and preparing concept notes, proposals and reporting for these donors. Going forwards from 2022, _Girls Not Brides’_ fundraising activities will be guided by the Fundraising and Donor Relations Committee.
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## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
During the year under review, _Girls Not Brides_ did not use professional fundraisers or commercial participators and did not actively solicit funds from the general public, including vulnerable people, for the secretariat’s work. We complied with fundraising regulation and codes in 2021 and we did not receive any complaints.
## **Remuneration policy**
In December 2021, _Girls Not Brides_ introduced a Global Pay and Benefits policy, which provided the organisation with a new framework and principles for pay and benefits for all employees, including how salaries are set, how pay increases are determined, and other pay related topics.
In line with the values of _Girls Not Brides_ , the new policy aims to provide transparency, equity, and fairness to staff following a ‘Total Reward Approach’, which includes financial and non-financial elements.
_Girls Not Brides_ is guided by the following remuneration principles:
- Competitiveness: to attract and retain outstanding individuals, while taking into account market trends in the sector.
- Fairness and equity: to ensure that the compensation process remains consistent, nondiscriminatory and reasonable, and that staff members in comparable positions can afford a similar standard of living in different geographical locations.
- Transparency: to ensure staff members have a clear understanding of the policies related to remuneration while ensuring that individual salary data remains confidential.
- Value for money: to ensure that the funds of _Girls Not Brides_ are used for their designated purpose, and that salaries reflect the size, complexity and budget of _Girls Not Brides_ .
A salary benchmarking review took place in October 2021 using market data in the charity sector. In 2022, new salary scales will provide an annual incremental step. Salary bands are approved by the Board of Trustees. The Chief Executive Officer’s salary is decided by the Board.
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## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
## **GIRLS NOT BRIDES’ 2021 IMPACT REPORT**
## **Message from the Chief Executive Officer**
When _Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage_ was founded a decade ago, child marriage was barely recognised or spoken about internationally, despite affecting hundreds of millions of girls and women around the world. We set out to build a movement to raise the profile of the issue and ensure it is reflected in global policies and development agendas. Now we are an effective, dynamic and impact-driven organisation supporting a Partnership of over 1,600 member organisations working towards a common goal: a world without child marriage where girls and women enjoy equal status with boys and men, and can reach their full potential.
The COVID-19 pandemic continued to threaten this progress over 2021, but together we kept child marriage on the national and international agenda, holding decision-makers to account for their commitments to girls’ rights. Reflecting on what we have learned over the last decade – and on the impact of the pandemic – we focused in on collective action, youth engagement, gendertransformative and intersectional approaches, and converting evidence into action.
In a challenging year, I found inspiration in our work with _Girls Not Brides_ National and State Partnerships and coalitions, which spearhead the movement at the national level. Through them we connected with regional youth, feminist and Indigenous movements, building momentum and bringing greater diversity to our collective action. We promoted youth and women’s leadership, supporting them to participate in regional and global advocacy spaces, where they directly influenced the international agenda.
On our 10th anniversary, we re-energised the global partnership with the Power to Girls campaign, calling for immediate action to end child marriage at a time when political will and financial support was being diverted to the pandemic response. By year-end we had reached over 100,000 stakeholders on social media and inspired 168 commitments to girls’ rights through our website, including from national governments, donors and civil society from Mexico to Pakistan. With member organisations, we encouraged the UN Human Rights Council to include bolder language on girls’ rights in their fifth resolution on child, early and forced marriages, building a stronger environment for long-term, sustainable change.
We continued to act as a key source of information and collective learning on child marriage. We worked with member organisations to strengthen the global evidence base, facilitate cross-regional and multi-stakeholder collaboration and shared learning, and promote evidence-based actions that prevent child marriage and support married girls. We contributed to greater coordination of global research and uptake of evidence by co-hosting the Child Marriage Research to Action Network, officially launched in 2021.
Lessons from a decade of collective experience will guide our work for the next four years, as outlined in our refreshed Partnership Strategy and new Secretariat Strategy. Our collective work is needed now more than ever and, if we accelerate our actions, I believe we can reach our shared vision of a world without child marriage.
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## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
I look forward to continuing this journey with our friends and partners around the world in 2022!
Dr Faith Mwangi-Powell, Chief Executive Officer
## **Reflections from the Chair of the Board of Trustees**
As the incoming Chair of the Board of Trustees for _Girls Not Brides_ I have been struck by its approach to addressing an issue as complex and multi-layered as child marriage. The _Girls Not Brides_ approach places those most affected – and those supporting them – at the centre. This approach is holistic and collaborative, and it values partnership as the principal tool for supporting individuals, engaging communities, and building an advocacy coalition to push for the legal changes that will make a real difference. It is an approach that has helped to build and sustain an effective, dynamic global movement to end child marriage over the last decade.
As I write this, our global community faces myriad challenges and uncertainties, and priorities for attention and resources will shift in response. In this environment, it is essential to remain steady and to stand firm. Ending child marriage is critical to the health and wellbeing of millions of girls. Our work on the issue is helping to build strong and resilient communities. It is contributing to a more just and equal world.
As _Girls Not Brides_ enters its second decade of action, we are determined to lean into the many challenges that lie ahead, working diligently and creatively to make a real difference to the lives of girls everywhere. We have sharpened our tools: we have a new Secretariat Strategy that explicitly supports member organisations learning and acting together. And we have a new Partnership Strategy that will guide that important work. Alongside the Partnership, we will leverage our collective power to keep child marriage on national, regional and international agendas.
Our commitment is to work with, learn from and support those closest to the issue. Our commitment is to amplify the voices and impact of those who are doing the vital work of ensuring that girls and women – in all their diversity – can exercise their rights alongside boys and men.
Dr Anne T. Gallagher AO, Chair of the Board of Trustees
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## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
## **2021 impact at a glance**
## The Partnership has grown in size, experience and diversity
- 82 new member organisations[3]
- 42% in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and West and Central Africa (WACA, where progress to end child marriage is slowest)
- 51% community-based organisations
- 38 girl- or youth-led organisations
- 35 women-led organisations
- 37 youth-serving organisations
- 9 Indigenous organisations
- 1 new coalition
- 10 youth-led organisations in National and State Partnership governance structures
## We have facilitated shared learning and evidence-based collective action
- 64 shared learning/capacity enhancement sessions
- 1,124 participants
- 47% youth[4]
- 72% women
- 16 learning products produced/published
- 21,188 downloads of learning products
- 4 global research meetings
## We have amplified girl and member voices and accelerated engagement by decision-makers
- 25 positive stories of change published
- 1 global Power to Girls campaign launched
- 11 national Power to Girls campaigns offered financial and technical support
- 168 campaign commitments made
- 79 governments supporting child marriage in global spaces
- 18 governments demonstrating committed action
> 3 Number/percentage of member organisations in each category is based on how they self-identify in their membership application. Some identify as more than one category.
> 4 Percentages based on a sub-set of participants who self-reported age and gender.
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## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
## **Introduction to the Secretariat Objectives**
In 2021, the secretariat supported the movement to end child marriage by working to fulfil six objectives:
1. Catalysing effective civil society collective action at all levels
2. Ensuring the movement to end child marriage has the evidence, information and learning necessary to take effective action
3. Ensuring child marriage is seen as a political and social priority through direct advocacy, amplifying the voices of the Partnership and providing a platform for community-based organisations, women, girls and youth to be heard
4. Advocating for governments and other decision-makers to take action to address child marriage
5. Ensuring the movement to end child marriage has sufficient resources
6. Ensuring the secretariat is functional, effective and able to support the movement to end child marriage.
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## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
## **Progress against our Secretariat Objectives**
## **Objective 1: Catalysing collective action**
## **Key evidence**
- The Partnership has grown in size, experience and diversity
- 1,602 total member organisations in 102 countries
- 82 new member organisations[5]
- 38 new member organisations in focus regions (LAC and WACA)
- 42 community-based organisations
- 38 girl- or youth-led organisations
- 35 women-led organisations
- 37 youth-serving organisations
- 9 Indigenous organisations
- 12 National and State Partnerships and 17 coalitions
- 10 youth-led organisations in National and State Partnership governance structures
- 13 youth groups/networks/committees established with 254 youth activists[6]
Over 2021, the Partnership has grown in size, experience and diversity. We have intentionally focused on expansion in LAC, and WACA – regions where progress on child marriage has been slowest – and have increased youth and women’s participation. We worked with member organisations to share learnings, enhance capacity, connect diverse stakeholders and catalyse collective action at all levels to ensure governments deliver on commitments.
## Supporting collective action at the sub-national and national level
_Girls Not Brides_ National and State Partnerships and coalitions – as networks of organisations bringing together contextually relevant expertise, evidence and connections and speaking with one voice – are uniquely positioned to influence and advocate for local and national governments to take action. The _Girls Not Brides_ secretariat provides tailored technical assistance to coalitions based on their priority work areas and needs as defined by them, and it supports them to connect and learn from each other and broader learning in the movement.
When member organisations in the Dominican Republic started working collectively, we brought them together with focal points from Africa and Asia – where there are experienced National and State Partnerships and coalitions – to share examples of successful collective action and ways of working. They used the _Girls Not Brides_ Partnering for success toolkit to explore how to conduct collective advocacy in their context, and agreed their mission and goals, which will guide their national-level work.
> 5 Number of member organisations in each category is based on how they self-identify in their membership application. Some identify as more than one category.
> 6 Some youth activists may be counted more than once, if they participate in more than one group.
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## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
One of our priorities is to support the coalitions to be inclusive, diverse and democratically elected to strengthen their ongoing collective work. With our support, _Girls Not Brides Malawi_ , _Girls Not Brides Rajasthan_ and the Mesa a Favor de las Niñas y Adolescentes (Mesa de la Niña) – a civil society coalition in Guatemala – elected new, more inclusive leaderships. They now have youth- and women-led organisations represented in their decision-making structures.
Building on the strength of their new leadership, _Girls Not Brides Malawi_ played a key role in analysing the national budget and urging the Government of Malawi to prioritise funding for girls’ education. Following a parliamentary event backed by us in 2020 and ongoing support to engage the media, _Girls Not Brides UK_ was a driving force behind Members of Parliament (MPs) voting for a - ground breaking bill to make all forms of child marriage illegal in England and Wales.
In Uttar Pradesh, India, the state coalition – with our technical support – worked with girls to identify barriers to accessing two government schemes – on sexual and reproductive health and rights and cash transfers – that could help prevent child marriage. The coalition responded with easy-reference booklets and training with government officials on the schemes, which girls then replicated with 2,150 peers across the state. Due to this collaboration, thousands of girls are already better able to access government schemes that will reduce their risk of child marriage, and government officials have called for further awareness-raising activities that could reach millions more.
Youth engagement is essential to transforming the gendered social norms that drive child marriage, and working with National and State Partnerships and coalitions is a powerful way to scale up our joint impact. This year, we worked with 116 youth workers from 72 member organisations across four State Partnerships and coalitions in India to use stories and social media to speak with adolescents about gender, sexuality and discrimination.
Youth leaders are now using the curriculum and storytelling toolkit – which they inputted to – in their organisations and communities. They now report greater confidence and understanding to talk about these issues, which are key drivers of child marriage.
_Girls Not Brides_ National and State Partnerships and coalitions bring diverse stakeholders together and have responsibility for the safety of the communities engaged in their projects and activities, particularly the girls, adolescents and adults at risk that they interact with. In 2021, we worked with coalitions in Uttar Pradesh (India) and Nigeria to build a shared understanding of international safeguarding standards. We facilitated training and the co-creation of their own policies so they can align their national and local frameworks to these core principles.
Participants later reported greater collaboration between coalition members, improved knowledge and understanding of safeguarding, and commitment to embedding safeguarding in their work. The Uttar Pradesh coalition is now in a stronger position to consult and feed back on the state government’s draft rules for the Prevention of Child Marriage Act 2006.
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## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
## Supporting collective action at the regional and global level
Our collective work to promote girls’ representation in regional and global advocacy forums also had an impact at the regional and global level this year. Working with Indigenous[7] women’s and youth organisations is a priority for our work in LAC, as girls from Indigenous communities experience intersecting discriminations – relating to their gender, age, ethnicity, education and location – that put them at greater risk of child marriage. This year, we worked closely with Indigenous women’s and youth organisations to deepen understanding of child marriage in their communities and to promote Indigenous girls, adolescents and young women as experts in their own cultures and experiences.
To this end, we accompanied representatives from 11 organisations and collectives to organise a side event at the 14th Session of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, supporting them to prepare and deliver a joint statement to the session’s expert members. Through this process, young Indigenous women – including the adolescent girl who presented the joint statement – spoke about child marriage from their own perspectives, sharing their recommendations on how to address child marriage with their communities.
## **Impact in practice: Working with youth to transform social norms in Kenya and Tanzania**
Child marriage and female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) are both driven by gender norms linked to controlling girls’ and women’s sexuality, and maintaining social and religious norms. In some contexts – such as the cross-border Kuria community in Kenya and Tanzania – the two practices coexist, and FGM/C is linked to girls’ marriageability. Successfully addressing these issues means empowering girls, engaging families and communities, and building effective partnerships.
Building on the collaboration with _Girls Not Brides Uganda_ in 2020, we supported _Girls Not Brides Kenya_ and the Tanzania coalition (Tanzania End Child Marriage Network) – through member organisations in Migori County, Kenya (Msichana Empowerment Kenya), and Tarime District, Tanzania (Children’s Dignity Forum) – to address child marriage and FGM/C with the Kuria community. We prioritised youth engagement, gender-transformative approaches (GTA) and multistakeholder action to address gender inequality and reshape the unequal power relations that perpetuate both practices in this context.
## Promoting multi-stakeholder action
We established two youth working groups to bring together key stakeholders and opinion leaders to drive collective action, with active leadership from young women. They established communitybased structures – including child rights and protection committees – that link with relevant government ministries and respond to cases of child marriage and FGM/C.
Supported by budget advocacy trainings and advocacy meetings, this collaboration led key government officials – including the Tarime District Commissioner – to make public statements on child marriage, ward councillors to incorporate gender-responsive budgeting into their work, and
> 7 We capitalise “Indigenous” to recognise the existence of global, regional and national Indigenous rights movements. However, we also acknowledge that there is significant diversity amongst Indigenous peoples, and that they usually prefer to self-identify with their specific community name. Our aim is not to mask this diversity, but to draw on the strength of this identity to advocate for a differential approach to ending child marriage that takes ethnicity into account.
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local governments to integrate youth-inspired activities into their workplans. Transforming social norms is a long-term project, but collective, multi-stakeholder action is critical for lasting impact.
## Engaging youth to transform social norms
We trained 20 young people using the _Girls Not Brides_ Stand up, speak out! youth activism toolkit – with an additional module on GTA – who then replicated this training with a further 83 youth activists. The Migori Youth Network was established with them and other young people to foster collective action to end child marriage across the region. We also supported a digital storytelling workshop with 30 youth activists, which explored diverse forms of expression – including art, photography, drama, creative writing and story circles – for them to share and use their own experiences to advocate for an end to child marriage and FGM/C in their communities.
These activists have become a powerful, collective force for change, organising into groups to conduct door-to-door sensitisation forums and advocacy, and offering youth mentorships. They have led intergenerational and youth-focused dialogues in their communities and on local radio stations, challenging discriminatory gender norms and pushing for the long-term transformations that will ensure girls and women can enjoy the same rights as boys and men.
## **Objective 2: Sharing evidence and learning**
## **Key evidence**
- 16 learning products produced/published
- 21,188 downloads of learning products
- 64 shared learning/capacity enhancement sessions with National and State Partnerships and coalitions
- 1,124 participants
- 4 global research meetings
- 399 participants
One of our key roles as a secretariat is to facilitate knowledge exchange amongst member organisations and with practitioners, researchers, policymakers and donors to ensure they have access to – and influence over – the latest evidence and resources. This year, we built a global understanding of why and how child marriage happens, its impacts, how it links to other human rights issues, and what works to end it. As a result, we are in a stronger position to collectively advocate for investment and support that will effectively prevent child marriage and support married girls.
## Working with member organisations to put evidence into action
This year, we facilitated and supported opportunities for members to exchange learning with each other and key stakeholders. Highlights included a global convening (see impact in practice on p. 21) and a series of online learning sessions for National and State Partnerships and coalitions around the world to build cross-regional relationships and increase peer-to-peer learning.
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In Kenya, we brought member organisations together to share evidence and learning on how to address child marriage and FGM/C together in programming and advocacy. As a result, member organisations developed evidence-based collective messaging to advocate for both issues to be addressed in an integrated way. _Girls Not Brides Kenya_ developed a joint advocacy strategy to hold the Kenyan Government to account for its commitments to end child marriage and FGM/C. These outcomes will support ongoing work with the Kuria community in Kenya and Tanzania.
In Burkina Faso, we convened National Partnership members (the Coalition Nationale contre le Mariage des Enfants au Burkina Faso, CONAMEB), traditional and religious leaders and a consultant from Niger to share learning on social norms change in child marriage programming. As a result, leaders committed to being more active in their engagement with other stakeholders. This was the first time CONAMEB and such leaders have agreed to work strategically together.
With the coalition in Niger (the Plateforme vers la Fin du Mariage des Enfants; the Niger Platform) we brought together diverse stakeholders – including humanitarian actors, government officials and representatives from the educational and child marriage sectors – for the first time to plan a collective approach to ensure girls’ access to education in humanitarian settings. They formed a working group, which will meet regularly to share workplans, identify areas for collaboration and support collective advocacy.
By facilitating youth engagement at the African Girls’ Summit – including through the African Union’s pre-Summit youth training – working on collective advocacy with the Niger Platform and organising a parallel event on girls’ education, we ensured that girls and member organisations could make powerful demands for decision-makers to take cross-sectoral actions to guarantee girls’ rights. As a result, child marriage and education were included in the Summit’s outcome statements. This process not only shows the power of collective action, but also served to strengthen it: youth activists have connected with the wider youth movement in Africa, and member organisations formed an alliance for joint advocacy in West Africa, through which they can hold decision-makers to account.
In LAC – where child marriage is not widely recognised though prevalence is high at 22% – we worked with member organisations to host two webinars to deepen understanding of the links between child marriage and two issues that are a priority for civil society in the region: adolescent pregnancy and masculinities. Through the webinars, member organisations – and particularly young women – shone a light on their work, shared learnings and recommendations, and galvanised collective advocacy for integrated responses to child marriage. Bringing community-based and youth-led organisations together with UN Agencies and INGOs also helped to link community work with the global evidence base, highlighting the importance of context and the need for an approach that accounts for the intersecting factors that put girls at risk.
## Strengthening the global evidence base
We produced and disseminated 16 learning resources in multiple languages. These case studies, briefs and longer reports summarise the latest data, evidence and learning on specific topics, reflect the expertise and experiences of member organisations, and offer actionable recommendations for policy and programming.
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Resources published this year include briefs and reports on child marriage and girl’s education, child protection, adolescent pregnancy and motherhood, FGM/C, cash transfers and modern slavery; case studies on child marriage in humanitarian settings, child marriage and FGM/C and using the media to - address FGM/C; and a Research Spotlight on gender transformative and systems approaches to ending child marriage. An additional brief developed in 2021 on intersectionality, which explores the factors that increase girls’ individual risks of child marriage, will be published in 2022.
Coordinating and promoting uptake of global child marriage research and evidence
This year – in partnership with the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage – we launched a unique mechanism for coordinating the global research agenda and promoting uptake of learning and evidence: the Child Marriage Research to Action Network (the CRANK). By year-end, the CRANK comprised over 300 researchers, practitioners and advocates from diverse organisations – including women- and youth-led organisations, universities and UN Agencies – from around the world.
The CRANK disseminated and encouraged uptake of priority child marriage research through quarterly meetings to discuss the latest evidence on priority issues – including GTAs and child marriage in humanitarian settings – and what it means for research, practice and policy. The CRANK’s first and second Research Spotlights summarised key takeaways, resources, tools and case studies with practical solutions for those working to end child marriage. The research tracker also contributed to greater coordination in child marriage research.
We also worked with UNICEF and nine other strategic partners to launch UNICEF’s Child Marriage Monitoring Mechanism (CMMM) this year. This collaborative platform will generate analysis and engage national actors to use data in their work. As a member of the Strategic Advisory Group, we will engage and represent the global partnership to ensure the CMMM integrates the perspectives of young people and civil society.
At the regional level, we hosted a workshop to reformulate the Africa Action Group to End Child Marriage to ensure it has the evidence, information and learning necessary to take effective action, and to provide a platform to highlight African research and researchers at the regional and global levels. We initiated a review of existing evidence on child marriage prevalence, drivers, consequences and interventions in Africa, identified research gaps and set priorities with member organisations, UN Agencies, research organisations and academia.
## **Impact in practice: Driving evidence-based action through shared learning with members and young people**
As we marked our 10th anniversary during the pandemic – when travel and face-to-face meetings were still restricted – we moved our series of learning convenings with National and State Partnerships, coalitions and member organisations online. Over four sessions, we discussed and shared practical examples – in four languages – of issues at the core of our work: youth engagement, sexuality and girls’ agency, movement-building, and collective action.
The sessions were co-created with member organisations and the youth engagement sessions were designed with adolescent girls and young leaders. Young people moderated and participated in the discussions, providing examples of how they organise and foster networks of girls and young women
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to advocate for their rights in Guatemala, India, Kenya, Mexico and Tanzania. By focusing on shared learning and youth engagement, we built member organisations’ and young people’s confidence to influence the global evidence base, and strengthened their leadership in the movement to end child marriage.
In all sessions, participants highlighted and shared practical solutions to enhance youth capacity and cultivate safe spaces at the national and regional level where they can share their opinions and recommendations and participate in decision-making. National and State Partnerships and coalitions have already begun making this a reality by including more young people in their governance structures (see examples on p. 17), and member organisations and partners continue to support their leadership journey at the local and national level.
We used our digital channels to share key learnings and resources with participants. We also brought youth activists together to share their thoughts on activism and campaigning to end child marriage in a blog for broad audiences around International Youth Day, broadcasting a positive vision of change to inspire action by diverse stakeholders.
## **Objective 3: Amplifying voices**
## **Key evidence**
- 25 positive stories of change shared
- 1 global Power to Girls campaign launched
- 11 national Power to Girls campaigns offered financial and technical support
- 168 campaign commitments made through our website
- Over 100,000 reached through the #PowerToGirls campaign tag
- 1 set of guidelines for ethical communications produced
We have made significant progress towards a world without child marriage over the past decade, but 12 million girls still marry every year,[8] and 10 million more are expected to marry by 2030 because of the broad impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] Raising awareness of the issue, its urgency and what is being done to address it – by amplifying girls’ and member organisations’ voices – is at the core of our work to mobilise the global partnership, build support and accelerate engagement by decision-makers at every level.
A global campaign for Power to Girls
The pandemic – and associated school closures, restrictions to movement, pressure on health services and increasing economic hardship – has put adolescent girls at increased risk of child marriage. At the same time, political will and resources have been diverted away from programming to prevent and respond to such practices.
In this context, we launched the global Power to Girls campaign calling for immediate action to end child marriage. Through it, we have engaged member organisations and partners around the world
8 UNICEF, 2021, _Child marriage database_ . 9 UNICEF, 2021, _COVID-19: A thread to progress against child marriage._
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to create spaces for girls to speak out, harness their power and realise their potential. We have also called on decision-makers to make tangible commitments to end child marriage, making the issue a political and financial priority that they can be held to account on. The campaign ran until March 2022.
Together, we have created a global and vocal network calling for action, beginning with an online festival attended by over 400 individuals and leading to the launch of five national campaigns (see impact in practice on p. 25). By year-end, we had received 168 commitments through our website, including from the governments of Mexico and Sweden, with thousands more collected by member organisations through their national campaigns.
The campaign tag #PowerToGirls was seen over 100,000 times in 2021, videos received an average of 4,300 views on social media and email engagement was well above sector benchmarks. In this campaign, we have reached far beyond our own Partnership to raise awareness and inspire action to ensure girls have the power to decide over their lives and bodies.
Amplifying girls’ and members’ voices for a positive vision of change
This year, we used our digital channels – including our newly refreshed website – to share the work being done to end child marriage, how it affects girls’ lives and what challenges we still face as a movement. In sharing these stories, we have kept member organisations and partners engaged and motivated, and we have ensured that decision-makers, governments and donors can see the impact of investing in civil society organisations working with girls to build a better future for us all.
Over 2021, we published 25 positive stories of change – that is, girl- and member-led insights, expertise and personal stories – on our website, which were visited almost 10,000 times. They focused on youth activism, intersectionality, humanitarian contexts and collective action to end child marriage. The most visited story was Celebrating the Day of the African Child, which highlighted progress on child marriage in Africa. Other blogs included the story of an Angolan organisation addressing child marriage through girl power, promoting healthy masculinities in LAC, channelling power from government to girls in India and supporting girls and women in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover.
We also shared information, stories, events and discussions on child marriage and the work being done to end it across our social media channels. Through this, we encouraged broad audiences and key stakeholders – including member organisations and donors – to join the conversation and to take action. Over 2021, our social media audience across established channels in English grew by 3.1% to a combined total of over 220,000, and engagement increased by 167.7%.
To better support our growing membership in LAC, we launched our official Spanish-language Twitter and Facebook accounts. Through them, we have raised the profile of child marriage and the work of _Girls Not Brides_ member organisations in the region, engaging activists, civil society, the media, UN agencies and governments. A Facebook group set up for member organisations now provides a space to share events, tools and experiences, and to build consensus so we can advocate for change, together.
This year, we re-launched our supporter communications through a monthly email, which provides a curated snapshot of girl- and member-led stories, evidence and campaign actions for stakeholders
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including donors, policymakers, journalists and civil society. By engaging regularly with this group we have encouraged commitments to the Power to Girls campaign and the integration of child marriage into work beyond our Partnership, building a more holistic, multi-sectoral approach to girls’ rights.
## Responsible reporting on child marriage
The media is very important for raising awareness and public pressure to end child marriage at the national, regional and global level. We work with member organisations to proactively pitch stories and respond to media requests that cover the issue in an ethical and solutions-focused way, where those affected can tell their stories safely and in their own words. This builds on our approach of promoting personal stories that illustrate the impact of, and solutions to, child marriage, and avoid sensationalist reporting of the issue.
This year, we worked closely with The Washington Post to source evidence of how COVID-19 is impacting on child marriage in West Africa. We brokered a working relationship between their bureau chief and member organisation Agir Plus and ensured safeguarding measures were in place for a press visit. As a result, The Washington Post published the story of Fatouma, a youth activist who almost married as a child, and who now advocates for girls’ education. Reader donations mean Fatouma could go back to school and is working to regain her identity papers.
We worked with the coalition in Zimbabwe (the Zimbabwe National Group to End Child Marriage) to respond to news that a girl had died in childbirth following her marriage, resulting in coverage with first-person accounts by BBC Africa Daily, CNN and on our website. We continue to work closely with the coalition in Zimbabwe to promote their stories and the Southern African Development Community Model Law on Eradicating Child Marriage and Protecting Children Already in Marriage.
Work with _Girls Not Brides UK_ led to the landmark Bill to increase the legal age of marriage being covered by The Guardian, Thomson Reuters Foundation, PA Media and the Evening Standard. We also worked with Folha de São Paulo in Brazil, building a reputation as a trusted source of information in the country with the fifth highest absolute number of child marriages in the world.[10]
This coverage raises the national and international profile of child marriage, putting pressure on governments to fulfil their commitments – too often laid aside – to end child marriage and guarantee girls’ rights. It also presented _Girls Not Brides_ member organisations, girls and young women as experts on the issue and led readers to donate to organisations working with and for girls.
## Leading the way on ethical communications around child marriage
Cutting across all our work to amplify voices is our commitment to communicating responsibly around child marriage. This year, we worked with 50 member organisation representatives and contributors – including young women who have experienced child marriage – to produce a set of guidelines for ethical communications on the issue.
These guidelines outline – for the first time – ethical principles and good practices specifically tailored to communicating around child marriage, and they include 11 practical tools to deliver on them. In the context of the pandemic and increasing awareness of the power imbalances that can cause harm in the storytelling process, these guidelines support us all to ensure that contributors,
> 10 UNICEF, 2021, _Child marriage database._
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and particularly girls and adolescents, are safe and able to express their experiences and preferences and find the process to be a source of power.
## **Impact in practice: Collective action for Power to Girls**
As part of the Power to Girls campaign, we worked closely with member organisations around the world to adapt messaging to regional contexts and to highlight their work for girls’ rights. We also offered funding and technical support for 11 member organisations and National Partnerships, providing funding and technical expertise, to develop their own campaigns and drive national-level action. Four of these campaigns launched in 2021.
In Pakistan, Blue Veins worked with the media and religious leaders, who had not previously been engaged in the issue of child marriage, to catalyse action in favour of girls’ rights across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Through a workshop with journalists, they raised awareness of girls’ rights and the role of the media in preventing child marriage and driving public support, and they set up a media support group to promote collective action.
They also held multi-faith dialogues with religious leaders, resulting in leaders from across the region committing to promoting girls’ and women’s rights, and to working together to end child marriage for the first time. Their support is key to the future success of a working group and two Provincial Assembly committees developing child marriage legislation.
In India, Pratigya has combined community-level work in urban slums and tribal villages with statelevel advocacy to rally political and religious leaders behind girls’ rights. They have gathered over 7,000 signatures for their pledge to end child marriage, including those of ministers and government representatives. They have also used pamphlets and talks with decision-makers to raise awareness.
In LAC, member organisations have come together and found strength in collective action through the campaign. They have shared their experiences and prepared joint, contextually relevant messages that drive decision-makers to formally commit to girls’ rights. Over 20 Power to Girls commitments have already been made in the region, including by government institutions. Our new Spanish-language social media channels have been key to this engagement (see p. 23).
## **Objective 4: Advocating to decision-makers**
## **Key evidence**
- 79 governments supported child marriage in global spaces
- 18 governments demonstrated committed action
- 11 decision-makers expressed commitments
- 7 advocacy and campaign resources made available online
- 520 youth activists participated in advocacy/campaign moments with decision-makers
As a Partnership, we are stronger when we unite around a clear, practical vision for change. The secretariat works with diverse stakeholders to influence decision-makers to help make this vision a reality. Over 2021, we mobilised youth- and women-led organisations and advocated for their
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concerns – including bodily autonomy, sexual and reproductive rights, and child marriage – to be included on international and national agendas.
The Generation Equality Forum (GEF) – which marked the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action (Beijing+25) with events in Mexico and Paris – was a key arena for us to promote youth engagement and drive youth-friendly political and financial commitments to girls’ and women’s rights at the national and global level.
Our collective advocacy with youth activists and civil society through platforms such as the Adolescent Girls Investment Plan (AGIP) meant the GEF enjoyed significant youth participation and leadership – with prominence given to Indigenous and LGBTQ+ representatives – in its Action Coalitions, Youth Task Force and Core (decision-making) group. Read more on our engagement with the process in the impact in practice on p. 27.
Also on the global stage, we contributed to a strong normative environment on child marriage through the UN Human Rights Council’s fifth resolution on child, early and forced marriage. We worked with partners across governments, INGOs and civil society organisations to ensure the needs of girls at risk of child marriage, and those who are or have been married, are prioritised.
The resolution was adopted by consensus with 74 co-sponsors and broad cross-regional engagement. It maintains international pressure on UN Member States to fulfil their commitment to end child marriage within a framework of human rights, and accounting for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Collective action by civil society was instrumental in getting governments to support the resolution and adopt the strongest possible language to protect girls’ rights. Thanks to our joint advocacy, the resolution mentions girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights for the first time. It also contains strong language on girls’ right to participate in decision-making, an issue previously resisted by some Member States. By strengthening global commitments and language on child marriage, we have built a stronger environment for long-term, sustainable change.
At the national level, _Girls Not Brides Uganda_ built on the financial support and joint work begun in 2020 to develop a parliamentary motion tabled by a champion MP in 2021. Their collective advocacy led MPs to pass a motion urging the Ugandan Government to develop and enforce policies and strategies to protect girls against escalating cases of adolescent pregnancy and child marriage during the pandemic. This case illustrates the power of ongoing collective and multi-stakeholder action, which has resulted in child marriage becoming a political and social priority in Uganda.
We also continued to support _Girls Not Brides_ member organisations to advocate for government funding for work to end child marriage. In Cross River State, Nigeria – a region experiencing a humanitarian crisis – we offered financial support for the Girls’ Power Initiative to organise a threeday training on budget advocacy with government officials, local media and the Network to Curb Sexual Abuse in Girls and Women. The training resulted in official commitments for a more genderresponsive state budget, to making that budget publicly available, and to including girls and women in House Committee discussions, so that those most affected by child marriage can table issues.
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## **Impact in practice: Adolescents and young women in LAC take to the global stage**
## **Key evidence**
- 2 national-level youth summits in Mexico co-led
- 2 regional-level youth summits in LAC supported
- 210 youth activists participated
- Almost 90% of participants young women
- 13 countries in LAC represented
The GEF is a multi-stakeholder space created to celebrate progress and drive commitments and investment in girls’ and women’s rights. Working closely with partners such as the AGIP, our engagement centred around the inclusion and leadership of diverse young people – particularly adolescent girls, young women and Indigenous-led organisations – in consultations and direct dialogues with decision-makers at the GEF. Their concerns – which reflect the intersecting factors that govern girls’ risk of child marriage, including gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality and education – are now on the international agenda with greater legitimacy.
With other civil society organisations and networks – such as the Mexican Youth Syndicate for Beijing+25 and GEF, the Youth Network for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (RedLAC), and the Continental Network of Indigenous Women of the Americas (ECMIA) – we convened and supported four youth summits for activists from Mexico and 12 other countries in LAC to compile their recommendations for decision-makers at the GEF. Our involvement meant these recommendations included specific actions to address child marriage alongside the right to bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health.
These recommendations were shared with key stakeholders – including representatives from the Mexican Government, UNFPA, UNICEF and UN Women – who pledged to take them to the GEF in Paris and include them in their own commitments. We also co-created youth-friendly social media materials to raise awareness of the GEF, which reached over 58,000 people.
## **Objective 5: Securing funding for the movement**
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have an impact on the type and amount of funding available for the movement to end child marriage, and for gender equality more broadly. The secretariat plays a central role in keeping the issue on the political agenda and catalysing donor commitment. We work closely with donors, partners and member organisations to inform donors and influence priorities for the funding community, helping to ensure they respond to the needs of the movement, and of girls.
As part of our 10-year anniversary, we organised our latest annual (online) event on child marriage with the Ford Foundation. The trilingual event attracted 273 attendees, including donors, member organisations and partners from across the world. We heard from civil society and young leaders from Guatemala, India, Pakistan and Senegal, and enjoyed reflections from Mary Robinson (The Elders), Darren Walker (Ford Foundation), and Malala Yousafzai. The speakers also made commitments to our Power to Girls campaign, which was launched at the event (find out more about the campaign on p. 22).
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With the pandemic still ongoing, this was an important opportunity to convene diverse members of the community working to end child marriage to celebrate progress, assess ongoing challenges and plot a path forward, together. We continue to work with donors and partners to support their understanding of the complex work being done to end child marriage and the amount and type of funding needed to achieve real impact in girls’ lives.
_Girls Not Brides_ member organisations are at the forefront of this work, but many have limited staff bases, budgets and resources. Around 50% operate with an annual budget of less than US$50,000,[11] and the pandemic has further strained their operational capacity. We are committed to promoting investment in member organisations and support them to identify and access more – and sustainable – funding, wherever they are based.
To this end, we curated and shared over 500 funding opportunities with member organisations this year. We also partnered with GivenGain – a non-profit digital fundraising platform – to organise a webinar for member organisations to learn more about peer-to-peer and online fundraising.
The funding landscape is particularly challenging in LAC, where child marriage affects almost one in four girls but is not a recognised issue. With this in mind, we worked with member organisations to assess their fundraising knowledge and experience, then organised a workshop that responded to their needs.
The workshop included tools to identify areas for improvement and to foster creativity in fundraising. The process led to the creation of a manual with practical examples from member organisations in the region. After the workshop, member organisations reported greater capacity to fundraise in their context.
## **Objective 6: Effective secretariat**
## **Key evidence**
- 36 internal capacity enhancement sessions held
- 1 Diversity, Inclusion, Voice and Equity (DIVES) Committee launched
- 1 Language Committee launched
As a support body for the Partnership and movement, we are committed to learning and evolving alongside _Girls Not Brides_ member organisations, so we can better serve them in their work to end child marriage. To this end, we have taken actions to ensure we have an inclusive and representative structure that does not perpetuate harmful or discriminatory power dynamics, either between individuals or across borders.
In 2021, we formalised a Diversity, Inclusion, Voice and Equity (DIVES) Committee to draw on our staff’s collective expertise and promote greater diversity and inclusion across the secretariat and Partnership. The DIVES Committee draws on an intersectional approach to promote internal learning and action on racial justice, decolonising international development and social justice more
11 Based on a data set of 1,074 member organisations that reported their annual budgets to _Girls Not Brides_ .
28
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
broadly. The DIVES Committee has set out an action plan to identify and address unequal power dynamics, reform policies and practices, and ensure we are well placed to serve the Partnership.
This year, we reviewed our recruitment process to ensure increased diversity across the organisation. We also organised a Power and Privilege introductory session with all staff members, focusing on recognising existing power structures and working towards more equitable relationships and shared power.
In the context of growing youth, anti-racist and feminist movements around the world, we also formalised a Language Committee this year. Through it, we review and make recommendations for changes to our organisational language to ensure it accurately reflects our work, values and relationships, and contributes to a vibrant, diverse and inclusive movement to end child marriage.
Despite working remotely during the pandemic, we remain committed to learning together and gaining strength from the expertise of our colleagues, member organisations, partners and supporters. This year, we held eight Reflection Time sessions with external speakers presenting on topics including movement building, cash transfers, storytelling during the pandemic and increasing resources through partnership. Staff reported increased motivation following the sessions and highlighted the value of learning with diverse partners.
29
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
## **PLANS FOR THE FUTURE**
In 2021 the Trustees approved a new four-year strategy from 2022–2025. We believe that this strategy – borne out of rich and in-depth conversations with member organisations, leaders, decision-makers, experts and _Girls Not Brides_ staff – will revitalise the secretariat’s approach and strengthen our future work. It will reinforce the leadership and collective power of _Girls Not Brides_ member organisations, influence a wide range of actors in the movement at all levels and strengthen our collective learning about what works to end child marriage.
With increased emphasis on supporting _Girls Not Brides_ National and State (or sub-national) Partnerships and coalitions to lead national movements, and growth of our presence and leadership at the regional level to deliver our vision, we will accelerate all our efforts for change.
The _Girls Not Brides_ secretariat is in a unique position to support this collective movement at national, regional and global levels. For the last ten years, we have mobilised the largest global collective of stakeholders, working to end child marriage through a global partnership. The Partnership is a great asset for change and must be leveraged to deliver urgent change for girls. The new strategy responds to this urgent need for change.
Entering the second decade of our work, our focus will be to leverage and support – harder and more – this global collective working with our National Partnerships, coalitions, and members so that we can unlock their potential for impact. This agenda builds upon lessons from our members and from Uganda, where we piloted accelerator work in 2020 by providing greater support for the Ugandan National Partnership of over 80 organisations, including part-funding their coordinator and a range of their activities, which had great results. Beyond the global partnership we have also galvanised a global movement that includes other actors interested in ending child marriage at the global level.
We will deepen our relationships with this wider movement, including sectoral leaders, but with a greater focus on education as a key lever for expanding opportunities for girls and ending child marriage. We will accelerate progress by catalysing all actors – governments, leaders, civil society organisations, UN agencies and donors – to use their power to unlock change at the national level. We believe that if all these actors work together at the country level, we will accelerate progress and zero child marriage will become a reality.
In addition to the lessons above, a review of the existing evidence base and consultations with staff, partners, researchers and donors recommended that to respond to the current context and accelerate progress the movement’s focus must now deepen in the following areas:
- National and sub-national change and implementation of existing strategies to speed up tangible change in girls’ lives.
- Sectoral engagement to ensure that major initiatives in education, sexual and reproductive health, humanitarian, and other sectors integrate, address and measure for change on ending child marriage.
- Coordinated knowledge dissemination and learning that is understood and applied by practitioners.
30
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
- Sustained and increased investment, particularly as donors and partners may have fatigue after ten years of working on this issue.
- Response to the evolving aid landscape, recognising the demands for decolonisation, diversity, equity and inclusion.
However, we recognise that there is no single solution, actor or sector to end child marriage; we must all work together. Our future work will be driven by the three core principles:
1. Change has to be driven locally: we know that there are many different contexts in which child marriage occurs. Local actors are best placed to adapt and deliver change. This will be the most effective route to impacting social norms and to deliver tangible progress in ending child marriage.
2. Civil society is key to driving progress: civil society mobilisation is more effective and impactful when it is undertaken collectively, and the secretariat has a unique role to play in strengthening and supporting National Partnerships and coalitions to be effective advocates for social and political change. It is also important that National Partnerships can engage with and influence the wider ecosystem to ensure that change is multi-sectoral and impactful outside of their existing circles of influence.
3. Collective action at the national level accelerates systemic change: collective action will drive systemic change and greater impact. Through the secretariat’s work, including a formal evaluation, we have assessed and so understand the increased impact created by civil society coalitions working together at the national and state level. Strong, sustainable, selfgoverning national movements led by civil society can:
- apply pressure for hard-fought-for government commitments to be resourced, implemented and protected
- ensure that momentum builds and efforts to change social and gender norms are strengthened, and
- encourage diverse stakeholders – from families to teachers and traditional leaders – to understand the impact of the issue and ultimately guarantee that girls are heard.
These principles are underpinned by our three pillars: movement building, influencing and learning. Core to these pillars is a co-creation process and membership feedback. The ongoing co-creation work led by regional colleagues and a recent membership survey are critical to this successful collaboration process.
The effort to end child marriage does not need one organisation to take the lead; hundreds of leaders from communities all over the world working together towards shared common goals will amplify their impact and deliver change.
Four years from now, we will see that we embody the same values, vision and best practices that we espouse today, but that we are markedly different in how we do our work and deliver change.
We believe the future strategy will accelerate our progress to a world without child marriage. But it doesn’t change who we are: a global Partnership standing together to say, “let girls be girls, not brides”.
31
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
## **FINANCIAL REVIEW**
## **Income**
In 2021 _Girls Not Brides’_ income was £3,430,088 (2020: £3,362,142), of largely unrestricted income. Government grants formed more than half of the unrestricted income, with most other donors being private foundations. Restricted income was 22% of total income.
Due to the long-term nature of much of our funding, we have seen limited impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our funding. In 2021, we strategically deferred draw-downs from some grants into later years to better reflect our anticipated expenditure phasing.
In 2021, the work of _Girls Not Brides_ was made possible through the generous support of many, including:
- Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands, Social Development Department
- Nationale Postcode Loterij
- Government of Canada
- Education Out Loud (managed by Oxfam IBIS and financed by the Global Partnership for Education)
- Players of People’s Postcode Lottery
- Ford Foundation
- NoVo Foundation Fund of Tides Foundation
- Private family foundation managed by Greenwood Place
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- The Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
- The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
- United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
- Every Good Thing LLC
- Ignite Philanthropy
- Akamai Foundation
- The Kendeda Fund
- Plan International, Inc
## **Expenditure**
Expenditure on charitable activities in the year was £3,727,893 (2020: £3,514,753). This was an increase on the 2020 expenditure but still lower than planned, due to the ongoing varied and continuously changing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on _Girls Not Brides’_ work. While we included the impact of the pandemic in our budgeting, the sudden changes to restrictions in parts
32
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **TRUSTEES� ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021**
of the world meant that, as in 2020, we had to review our planned activities and find new ways to deliver work, or to delay work, and this involved significant savings. This impacted both restricted and unrestricted funding, and so we are carrying forward £211,937 restricted funding and £2,799,705 unrestricted funding into 2022.
## **Reserves policy**
The Board aims to build up a reserve equivalent to six months of committed costs and three months of planned but uncommitted costs as unrestricted free reserves, based on budget projections. The aim of this policy is to ensure that _Girls Not Brides_ meets all its obligations and contractual liabilities, and continues to operate smoothly, in case of income shortfalls or unexpected expenditures. This target amounts to £1,680,265 at 31 December 2021. Each year the Board reviews the level of reserves and the risks the reserves are held to mitigate against to ensure that the reserves kept are sufficient but not excessive.
As of 31 December 2021, unrestricted free reserves were £2,730,608 (2020: £2,969,209), which is above our reserves range due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our expenditure in 2021. We intend to spend down this balance over the next two years to bring us in line with our reserves policy.
## **Funds held as a Custodian Trustee**
In 2018, the charity received € 2,000,000 to be transferred to Capital for Good USA. The funds are being used to make sub-grants to local community organisations working at a grass roots level to tackle child marriage. This is aligned with the vision of _Girls Not Brides_ , and in this way the arrangement advances _Gi�l� N�� B�ide��_ charitable objectives.
Between 2019 and 2021, € 2,000,000 (£1,724,473) was transferred to Capital for Good USA. Throughout this period, the funds were held securely in _Girls Not Brides �_ euro bank account and tracked through the monthly bank reconciliations. At all times, the balance held as a Custodian Trustee was maintained in the bank account. This arrangement has now come to an end and as at 31 December 2021 no funds were held by _Girls Not Brides_ as a Custodian Trustee.
## **Exemptions from disclosure**
This report has been prepared in accordance with the small companies’ regime under the Companies Act 2006.
This report was approved by the Board on …………………. and signed on its behalf by **9 JUNE 2022**
……………………………………………………….
�������������������������������������������������������
33
_**INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT**_
## **TO THE MEMBERS OF** _**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**_
## **Opinion**
We have audited the financial statements of _Girls Not Brides_ (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 December 2021 which comprise the statement of financial activities, balance sheet, statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
- Give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 December 2021 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure for the year then ended
- Have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice
- Have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006
## **Basis for opinion**
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
## **Conclusions relating to going concern**
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on _Girls Not Brides'_ ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
## **Other Information**
The other information comprises the information included in the trustees’ annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do
34
**INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT**
## **TO THE MEMBERS OF GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
## **Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006**
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
- The information given in the trustees’ annual report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
- The trustees’ annual report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
## **Matters on which we are required to report by exception**
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the trustees’ annual report. We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- Adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
- The financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
- Certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
- We have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
- The directors were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies’ exemptions in preparing the trustees’ annual report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.
## **Responsibilities of trustees**
As explained more fully in the statement of trustees’ responsibilities set out in the trustees’ annual report, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going
35
**INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT**
## **TO THE MEMBERS OF**
## **GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
## **Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements**
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud are set out below.
## **Capability of the audit in detecting irregularities**
In identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, our procedures included the following:
- We enquired of management, which included obtaining and reviewing supporting documentation, concerning the charity’s policies and procedures relating to:
- Identifying, evaluating, and complying with laws and regulations and whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance;
- Detecting and responding to the risks of fraud and whether they have knowledge of any actual, suspected, or alleged fraud;
- The internal controls established to mitigate risks related to fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations.
- We inspected the minutes of meetings of those charged with governance.
- We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework that the charity operates in, focusing on those laws and regulations that had a material effect on the financial statements or that had a fundamental effect on the operations of the charity from our professional and sector experience.
- We communicated applicable laws and regulations throughout the audit team and remained alert to any indications of non-compliance throughout the audit.
- We reviewed any reports made to regulators.
- We reviewed the financial statement disclosures and tested these to supporting documentation to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
- We performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud.
36
**INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT**
## **TO THE MEMBERS OF GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
- In addressing the risk of fraud through management override of controls, we tested the appropriateness of journal entries and other adjustments, assessed whether the judgements made in making accounting estimates are indicative of a potential bias and tested significant transactions that are unusual or those outside the normal course of business.
Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission, or misrepresentation.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
## **Use of our report**
This report is made solely to the charitable company's members as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Noelia Serrano (Senior statutory auditor)
## 30 June 2022
for and on behalf of Sayer Vincent LLP, Statutory Auditor Invicta House, 108-114 Golden Lane, LONDON, EC1Y 0TL
37
## **GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
**Statement of financial activities** (incorporating an income and expenditure account)
## **For the year ended 31 December 2021**
|Unrestricted
Note
£
**Income from:**
2
2,675,965
261
2,676,226
3a
169,661
3a
1,765,249
3a
1,016,217
2,951,128
5
(274,902)
3,074,607
**2,799,705**
Investments
**Total income**
**Expenditure on:**
Donations (grants)
Raising funds
**Total expenditure**
Charitable activities
Promotion of equality and human rights
Prevention and relief of poverty
Total funds brought forward
**Net (expenditure) for the year**
**Total funds carried forward**|Unrestricted
Note
£
**Income from:**
2
2,675,965
261
2,676,226
3a
169,661
3a
1,765,249
3a
1,016,217
2,951,128
5
(274,902)
3,074,607
**2,799,705**
Investments
**Total income**
**Expenditure on:**
Donations (grants)
Raising funds
**Total expenditure**
Charitable activities
Promotion of equality and human rights
Prevention and relief of poverty
Total funds brought forward
**Net (expenditure) for the year**
**Total funds carried forward**|Restricted
£
753,862
-|**2021**
**Total**
**£**
**3,429,827**
**261**|Unrestricted
£
2,682,251
1,260|Restricted
£
678,630
-|2020
Total
£
3,360,881
1,260|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||2,676,226|753,862|**3,430,088**|2,683,511|678,630|3,362,141|
||169,661
1,765,249
1,016,217|5,596
602,722
168,448|**175,257**
**2,367,971**
**1,184,665**|205,466
1,894,485
898,365|-
384,829
131,597|205,466
2,279,314
1,029,963|
||2,951,128|776,765|**3,727,893**|2,998,317|516,426|3,514,743|
||(274,902)
3,074,607|(22,903)
234,840|**(297,805)**
**3,309,447**|(314,806)
3,389,412|162,204
72,636|(152,602)
3,462,048|
||**2,799,705**|**211,937**|**3,011,642**|3,074,607|234,840|3,309,447|
All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. Movements in funds are disclosed in Note 15a to the financial statements.
38
## **GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **Balance sheet**
Company no. 8570751
## **As at 31 December 2021**
|Note
**£**
**Fixed assets:**
10
**Current assets:**
11
**149,938**
**3,440,110**
**3,590,048**
**Liabilities:**
12
**(647,503)**
14a
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
**Net current assets**
Cash at bank and in hand
Tangible assets
**Net assets**
Debtors
**The funds of the charity:**
Restricted income funds
Total unrestricted funds
**Total charity funds**|Note
**£**
**Fixed assets:**
10
**Current assets:**
11
**149,938**
**3,440,110**
**3,590,048**
**Liabilities:**
12
**(647,503)**
14a
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
**Net current assets**
Cash at bank and in hand
Tangible assets
**Net assets**
Debtors
**The funds of the charity:**
Restricted income funds
Total unrestricted funds
**Total charity funds**|**2021**
**£**
**69,097**|£
209,811
4,049,947|2020
£
105,398|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**69,097**
**2,942,545**||105,398
3,204,049|
||**3,590,048**
**(647,503)**||4,259,758
(1,055,709)||
||||||
|||**3,011,642**||3,309,447|
|||**211,937**
**2,799,705**||234,840
3,074,607|
|||**3,011,642**||3,309,447|
Approved by the trustees on
> **9 JUNE 2022** and signed on their behalf by
������������������������ ���������������������� ��������
39
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **Statement of cash flows**
|**For theyear ended 31 December 2021**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Note
**Cash flows from operating activities**
Net (expenditure) for the reporting period
(as per the statement of financial activities)
Depreciation charges
10
Loss on the disposal of fixed assets
Decrease in debtors
11
Decrease in creditors
12
**Net cash provided by operating activities**
Payments for property and equipment
**Analysis of cash and cash equivalents and of net debt**
Current accounts
Deposit accounts
**Total cash and cash equivalents**
**Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year**
**Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year**
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the
year
**Net cash used in investing activities**
**Cash flows from investing activities**|**£**
**£**
**(297,805)**
**53,471**
**-**
**59,873**
**(408,206)**
**(592,667)**
**(17,170)**
**(17,170)**
**(609,837)**
**4,049,947**
**3,440,110**
At 1 January
2021
Cash flows
£
£
1,266,570
(410,096)
2,783,377
(199,741)
4,049,947
(609,837)
**2021**||£
£
(152,602)
62,757
136
4,214
(864,932)
(950,427)
(20,885)
(20,885)
(971,312)
5,021,260
4,049,947
Other non-
cash
changes
**At 31**
**December**
**2021**
£
**£**
-
**856,474**
-
**2,583,636**
-
**3,440,110**
2020||
|||**(592,667)**
**(17,170)**||(950,427)
(20,885)|
||At 1 January
2021
£
1,266,570
2,783,377||Other non-
cash
changes
£
-
-||
|||**(609,837)**
**4,049,947**||(971,312)
5,021,260|
|||**3,440,110**||4,049,947|
|||Cash flows
£
(410,096)
(199,741)||**At 31**
**December**
**2021**
**£**
**856,474**
**2,583,636**|
||4,049,947|(609,837)|-|**3,440,110**|
Of the cash balances held, £nil (2020: £445,088) is held by the charity as Custodian Trustee and is not available for use by the charity.
40
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 December 2021**
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **a) Statutory information**
_Girls Not Brides_ is a charitable company limited by guarantee and is incorporated in England and Wales (company number: 8570751; charity number: 1154230).
The registered office address is Seventh Floor, 65 Leadenhall Street, London EC3A 2AD.
## **b) Basis of preparation**
Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy or note.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland Charities SORP (FRS 102) including update bulletin 2, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Charities Act 2011 and Companies Act 2016.
## **c) Public benefit entity**
The charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.
## **d) Presentational and functional currencies**
The accounts are presented in sterling. The functional currencies of the charity are sterling, US dollar and euro. The accounts are presented in sterling since that is the currency in which the charity conducts most of its activities. No amounts have been rounded.
## **e) Going concern**
There are no material uncertainties that cast significant doubt upon the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern. This assessment includes a consideration of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on _Girls Not Brides._
## **f) Income**
Income is included in the Statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:
- Voluntary income is received by way of grants, donations and gifts and is included in full in the Statement of financial activities when receivable. Grants, where entitlement is not conditional on the delivery of a specific performance by the charity, are recognised when the charity becomes unconditionally entitled to the grant.
- Any income received where the donor has specified that it is to be expended in a future accounting period is included within creditors as deferred income.
- Investment income is included when receivable.
41
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 December 2021**
## **1 Accounting policies (continued)**
## **g) Fund accounting**
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the Trustees for particular purposes.
## **h) Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT**
Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT that cannot be fully recovered, and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates:
- Costs of generating funds comprise the costs associated with attracting donations and grants.
- Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them. These are split in accordance with the project codes used in the charity’s accounting system.
- Support costs consist of the charity’s administration budget heading. Support costs are allocated equally between the charity’s two charitable activities.
- Governance costs are the costs associated with the governance arrangements of the charity. These costs are associated with constitutional and statutory requirements and include any costs associated with the strategic management of the charity’s activities.
## **i) Operating leases**
Rentals payable under operating leases are charged in the income and expenditure account on a straight line basis over the lease term.
## **j) Tangible fixed assets**
Tangible fixed assets are capitalised at cost and are depreciated over their useful economic lives.
Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write down the cost of each asset to its estimated residual value over its expected useful life. The depreciation rates in use are as follows:
- Computers and software
- Furniture and equipment
- Leasehold improvements
over 3 years over 3 to 5 years over length of lease
Fixed assets with a value less than £1,000 are not capitalised.
## **k) Debtors**
Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.
## **l) Cash at bank and in hand**
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash in hand and call deposits, and other short-term highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to a known amount of cash and are subject to an insignificant risk of change in value.
42
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 December 2021**
## **1 Accounting policies (continued)**
## **m) Creditors and provisions**
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers. Accounts payable are classified as current liabilities if the charitable company does not have an unconditional right, at the end of the reporting period, to defer settlement of the creditor for at least 12 months after the reporting date. If there is an unconditional right to defer settlement for at least 12 months after the reporting date, they are presented as non-current liabilities.
Trade creditors are recognised at the transaction price.
Provisions are recognised when the company has an obligation at the reporting date as a result of a past event, it is probable that the company will be required to settle that obligation and a reliable estimate can be made of the amount of the obligation.
## **n) Pensions**
The company operates a defined contribution scheme for the benefit of its employees. The costs of contributions are charged to the Statement of financial activities in the year in which they are payable.
## **o) Foreign currencies**
Transactions in foreign currencies are recorded at the rate as at the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities are re-translated at the rate of exchange ruling at the balance sheet date. Any differences are taken to the Statement of financial activities.
## **2 Income from donations (grants)**
|Government grants
Other grants and donations|Unrestricted
£
1,638,243
1,037,722|£
-
753,862
Restricted|**2021**
**Total**
**£**
**1,638,243**
**1,791,584**|Unrestricted
£
1,332,519
1,349,733|2020
Total
£
£
-
1,332,519
678,630
2,028,363
678,630
3,360,881
Restricted|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||2,675,965|753,862|**3,429,827**|2,682,251||
43
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 December 2021**
|**3a**
Raising
funds
£
Staff costs (Note 6)
114,689
Premises costs (rent, utilities)
-
Travel and workshops / meetings
-
Consultancy
3,792
Grants
-
Professional fees
-
IT and communications
-
Office and other
3,509
121,990
Support costs
50,966
Governance costs
2,301
**Total expenditure 2021**
**175,257**
Total expenditure 2020
**205,466**
**Analysis of expenditure (current year)**|Charitable activities|Charitable activities|Governance
costs
£
-
-
576
33,717
-
13,620
-
1,041
48,954
-
(48,954)
**-**
**-**|Support
costs
£
596,491
133,565
34
42,353
-
64,481
116,271
130,894
1,084,089
(1,084,089)
-
**-**
**-**|**2021**
**Total**
**£**
**1,944,391**
**138,537**
**38,019**
**745,771**
**352,642**
**78,101**
**182,485**
**247,948**
3,727,893
**-**
**-**
**3,727,893**|2020 Total
£
1,719,083
249,215
73,302
659,218
367,938
28,911
206,503
210,573|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Human
rights
£
858,513
2,486
26,223
490,187
334,398
-
38,398
77,879
1,828,083
516,562
23,326
**2,367,971**
**2,279,314**|Relief of
poverty
£
374,699
2,486
11,187
175,721
18,244
-
27,815
34,625
644,777
516,562
23,326
**1,184,665**
**1,029,963**|||||
|||||||3,514,743
-
-|
|||||||3,514,743|
44
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 December 2021**
## **3b Analysis of expenditure (prior year)**
|**Analysis of expenditure (prior year)**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Staff costs (Note 6)
Premises costs (rent, utilities)
Travel and workshops / meetings
Consultancy
Grants
Professional fees
IT and communications
Office and other
Support costs
Governance costs
**Total expenditure 2020**|Raising
funds
£
140,413
-
455
-
-
-
162
1,882
142,913
61,899
655
**205,466**|Charitable activities||Governance
costs
£
-
-
73
-
-
9,840
-
1,283
11,196
-
(11,196)
**-**|Support
costs
**2020**
**Total**
£
**£**
474,283
**1,719,083**
235,401
**249,215**
3,785
**73,302**
50,797
**659,218**
51,164
**367,938**
19,071
**28,911**
83,224
**206,503**
141,130
**210,573**
1,058,855
3,514,743
(1,058,855)
**-**
-
**-**
**-**
**3,514,743**|
|||Human
rights
£
831,777
6,907
57,835
473,623
296,547
-
62,436
46,440
1,775,565
498,478
5,271
**2,279,314**|Relief of
poverty
£
272,610
6,907
11,152
134,798
20,228
-
60,681
19,838
526,213
498,478
5,271
**1,029,963**|||
45
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
**For the year ended 31 December 2021**
## **4 Grant making**
|Voix de Femmes, Burkina Faso
SongES Niger
Plan International USA
Children's Dignity Forum, Tanzania
Msichana Empowerment Kuria, Kenya
At the end of the year
**Cost**
Joy for Children Uganda
VOW for Girls, USA
Other small grants|Grants to
institutions
£
66,588
50,189
50,189
44,243
29,745
5,817
-
105,872|**2021**
**£**
**66,588**
**50,189**
**50,189**
**44,243**
**29,745**
**5,817**
**-**
**105,872**|2020
£
-
12,172
-
-
-
184,685
51,164
119,917|
|---|---|---|---|
||352,642|**352,642**|367,938|
During the year _Girls Not Brides_ paid grants to Plan International USA totalling £66,588 from restricted funding. During the year _Girls Not Brides_ paid grants to Children's Dignity Forum totalling £50,189 from restricted funding.
During the year _Girls Not Brides_ paid grants to Msichana Empowerment Kuria totalling £50,189 from restricted funding.
During the year _Girls Not Brides_ paid grants to Voix De Femmes totalling £44,243 from restricted funding. During the year _Girls Not Brides_ paid grants to SongES Niger totalling £29,745 from restricted funding. During the year _Girls Not Brides_ paid a grant to Joy for Children Uganda totalling £5,187 from restricted funding.
During the year _Girls Not Brides_ made a number small grants to member organisations, with an average value of approximately £5,000.
46
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
**For the year ended 31 December 2021**
## **5 Net (expenditure) for the year**
|This is stated after charging:|||
|---|---|---|
||**2021**|2020|
||**£**|£|
|Depreciation|**53,471**|62,892|
|Loss or profit on disposal of fixed assets|**-**|135|
|Operating lease rentals payable:|||
|Property|**76,241**|210,025|
|Auditor's remuneration (excluding VAT):|||
|Audit|**9,100**|8,700|
|Other services|**5,545**|-|
|Foreign exchange gains or losses|**728**|4,713|
47
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 December 2021**
## **6 Analysis of staff costs, Trustee remuneration and expenses, and the cost of key management personnel**
Staff costs were as follows:
|Staff costs were as follows:|||
|---|---|---|
|Salaries and wages
Redundancy and termination costs
Social security costs
Employer’s contribution to defined contribution pension schemes
Other forms of employee benefits (medical, life and travel insurance)
Relocation|**2021**
**£**
**1,471,926**
**78,185**
**186,977**
**156,843**
**48,711**
**1,750**|2020
£
1,360,455
-
157,240
134,087
67,301
-|
||**1,944,391**|1,719,083|
_Girls Not Brides_ makes contributions to a defined contribution scheme. The amount of contributions due to the scheme at the year ended 31 December was £nil. (2020: £nil).
Retirement benefits were accruing to one Trustee, Mabel van Oranje, Chair of Trustees (2020: 1) under a money purchase pension scheme, however that Trustee left _Girls Not Brides_ during 2021.
The number of employees whose remuneration for the year fell within the following bands was:
||**2021**|2020|
|---|---|---|
||**No.**|No.|
|£60,001 - £70,000|**2**|-|
|£70,001 - £80,000|**1**|4|
|£80,001 - £90,000|**-**|-|
|£90,001 - £100,000|**-**|-|
|£100,001 - £110,000|**-**|-|
|£110,001 - £120,000|**-**|-|
|£120,001 - £130,000|**1**|1|
The total employee benefits (including pension contributions and employer's national insurance) of the key management personnel were £389,784 (2020: £423,373). In 2021 the Chief Executive Officer and the three directors were responsible for planning, directing and controlling the activities of the charity.
Mabel van Oranje, Chair of Trustees until September 2021, received remuneration of £62,126 (2020: £75,869) in the year, as permitted by the charitable company’s Articles of Association. The charitable company also paid pension contributions of £5,810 (2020: £7,080) and reimbursed or paid on her behalf travelling, accommodation and office expenses of £2,487 (2020: £3,841).
_Girls Not Brides_ paid £nil (2020: £nil) on behalf of other Trustees for expenses related to our activities. Remuneration to the Chair and payments to Trustees are permitted by the Charity’s Articles of Association.
48
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 December 2021**
## **7 Staff numbers**
The average number of employees (head count based on number of staff employed) during the year was 32 (2020: 30).
|The Executive
Learning & Partnership Team
Africa Team
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
Policy and Advocacy Team
Communications Team
Finance and Operations Team|**2021**
**No.**
**4**
**5**
**8**
**9**
**5**
**1**|2020
No.
4
4
6
8
7
1|
|---|---|---|
||**32**|30|
## **8 Related party transactions**
Related party transactions: during the year there were no related party transactions.
## **9 Taxation**
The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes.
## **10 Tangible fixed assets**
|**Tangible fixed assets**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Cost**
At the end of the year
**Net book value**
At the end of the year
At the start of the year
Charge for the year
**Depreciation**
At the start of the year
**At the end of the year**
At the start of the year
Additions in year
Disposals in year
Eliminated on disposal|Short
leasehold
improveme
£
106,514
-
-|Computer &
software
£
124,685
17,170
(22,321)|Furniture &
equipment
£
61,256
-
-|**Total**
**£**
**292,455**
**17,170**
**(22,321)**|
||106,514|119,534|61,256|**287,304**|
||55,311
20,459
-|92,833
22,406
(22,321)|38,913
10,606
-|**187,057**
**53,471**
**(22,321)**|
||75,770|92,918|49,519|**218,207**|
||30,744|26,616|11,737|**69,097**|
||51,203|31,852|22,343|105,398|
All of the above assets are used for charitable purposes.
49
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 December 2021**
## **11 Debtors**
|**Debtors**|||
|---|---|---|
|Prepayments
Other debtors|**2021**
**£**
**81,873**
**68,064**|2020
£
102,918
106,893|
||**149,937**|209,811|
## **12 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**
|Taxation and social security
Funds held as agent (see below)
Other creditors
Deferred income (Note 13)
Trade creditors|**2021**
**£**
**153,326**
**46,041**
**-**
**297,859**
**150,277**|2020
£
60,169
43,673
445,088
256,779
250,000|
|---|---|---|
||**647,503**|1,055,709|
## **Funds held as agent**
In 2018, the charity received €2,000,000 to be transferred to Capital for Good USA. In the year £445,088 (2020: £824,130) was transferred and £nil (2020: £445,088) is included in creditors at the year end. The final transfer was made in June 2021.
## **13 Deferred income**
Movements in deferred income during the year are as follows:
|Balance at the beginning of the year
Amount released to income in the year
Amount deferred in the year
**Balance at the end of the year**|**2021**
**£**
**250,000**
**(250,000)**
**150,277**|2020
£
322,814
(322,814)
250,000|
|---|---|---|
||**150,277**|250,000|
Deferred income represents grants received where the donor has specified this is to fund 2022 expenditure. This will be released to income in the 2022 accounts.
50
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 December 2021**
## **14a Analysis of net assets between funds (current year)**
|**Net assets at 31 December 2020**
Tangible fixed assets
Net current assets
**Analysis of net assets between funds (prior year)**
Tangible fixed assets
Net current assets
**Net assets at 31 December 2021**|General
unrestricted
£
69,097
2,730,608|Restricted
£
-
211,937|**Total funds**
**£**
**69,097**
**2,942,545**|
|---|---|---|---|
||**2,799,705**|**211,937**|**3,011,642**|
||General
unrestricted
£
105,398
2,969,209|Restricted
£
-
234,840|**Total funds**
**£**
**105,398**
**3,204,049**|
||**3,074,607**|**234,840**|**3,309,447**|
## **14b Analysis of net assets between funds (prior year)**
## **15a Movements in funds (current year)**
|**Movements in funds (current year)**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Plan International, Inc
UNFPA
**Total restricted funds**
**General funds**
Ignite Philanthropy
Skoll Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Players of People's Postcode Lottery
Education Out Loud
**Total funds**
**Restricted funds:**|At 1 January
2021
£
7,466
-
199,407
16,347
-
11,620
-|Income &
gains
£
-
29,143
144,998
250,000
274,981
-
54,741|Expenditure
& losses
£
(7,466)
(29,143)
(263,306)
(195,300)
(215,190)
(11,620)
(54,741)|Transfers
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-|**At 31**
**December**
**2021**
**£**
**-**
**-**
**81,099**
**71,047**
**59,791**
**-**
**-**|
||234,840|753,862|(776,765)|-|**211,937**|
||3,074,607|2,676,226|(2,951,128)|-|**2,799,705**|
||3,309,447|3,430,088|(3,727,893)|-|**3,011,642**|
The narrative to explain the purpose of each fund is given at the foot of the note below.
51
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 December 2021**
## **15b Movements in funds (prior year)**
|**Movements in funds (prior year)**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Plan International, Inc
**Total restricted funds**
**General funds**
Skoll Foundation
VOW for Girls, USA
Players of People's Postcode Lottery
Education Out Loud
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Ignite Philanthropy
**Restricted funds:**
**Total funds**|At 1 January
2020
£
12,384
36,048
24,204
-
-
-
-|Income &
gains
£
7,466
-
(7,350)
389,951
250,000
22,431
16,131|Expenditure
& losses
£
(12,384)
(36,048)
(16,854)
(190,544)
(233,653)
(22,431)
(4,511)|Transfers
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-|**At 31**
**December**
**2020**
**£**
**7,466**
**-**
**-**
**199,407**
**16,347**
**-**
**11,620**|
||72,636|678,630|(516,426)|-|**234,840**|
||3,389,412|2,683,511|(2,998,317)|-|**3,074,607**|
||3,462,048|3,362,142|(3,514,743)|-|**3,309,447**|
## **Purposes of restricted funds**
In 2020 the Skoll Foundation awarded _Girls Not Brides_ a grant of $10,000 (£7,466) towards supporting victims of Typhoon Vamco, and Hurricanes Iota and Eta. This grant was fully expensed in 2021.
In 2021 _Girls Not Brides_ received a grant of $40,278 (£29,143) from the New Venture Fund through Ignite Philanthropy: Inspiring the End to Violence Against Girls and Boys. The grant was fully expensed in 2021.
In 2020, _Girls Not Brides_ received a grant of $499,976 (£389,951) from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for supporting evidence for advocacy in the child marriage movement. £190,544 was expensed in 2020, and £199,407 was expensed in 2021. In 2021 _Girls Not Brides_ received an additional grant of $199,846 (£144,998) from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to provide project support to the Adolescent Girls Investment Plan (AGIP). £63,899 was expensed in 2021, and £81,099 is carried forward into 2022.
In 2019, _Girls Not Brides_ received a grant of £250,000 from the players of the People's Postcode Lottery for accelerating progress to end child marriage in Uganda. £233,653 was expensed in 2020, and £16,347 was expensed in 2021. In 2020 _Girls Not Brides_ received a second grant of £250,000 from the players of the People's Postcode Lottery for accelerating progress to end child marriage in Kenya and Tanzania. £178,953 was expensed in 2021 and £71,047 is carried forward into 2022.
In 2021, _Girls Not Brides_ received a grant of $378,624 (£274,981) from Education Out Loud for strengthening collective action to end child marriage, keep girls in school and advance gender equality in West Africa. £215,190 was expensed in 2021, and £59,791 is carried forward into 2022.
In 2020, _Girls Not Brides_ received a grant of $20,000 (£16,131) from Plan International, Inc for the purposes of implementing various activities as part the Adolescent Girl Investment Plan (AGIP). £4,511 was expensed in 2020, and £11,620 was expensed 2021.
In 2021 UNFPA awarded _Girls Not Brides_ a grant of £54,741 for the Child Marriage Action to Research Network. The grant was fully expensed in 2021.
52
**GIRLS NOT BRIDES: THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP TO END CHILD MARRIAGE**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 December 2021**
## **16 Operating lease commitments payable as a lessee**
Total amount payable in respect of non-cancellable operating leases:
|Total amount payable in respect of non-cancellable operating leases:|||
|---|---|---|
|Two to five years
Less than one year
One to two years|**2021**
**£**
**127,673**
**148,932**
**283,169**|2020
£
123,269
1,995
-|
||**559,774**|125,264|
In May 2021 _Girls Not Brides_ signed a new operating lease committing to pay £557,781 over a five year period.
53