Registered charity number . 1157149 THE CONGOLESE ASSOCIATION OF MERSEYSIDE Trustee Report and Financlal Statements for the year ended 31 March 2024 Registered charity number . 1157149 THE CONGOLESE ASSOCIATION OF MERSEYSIDE Trustees. report and financial 5tatemeThts for the year ended 31 March 2024 Contents Page Legal and administrative information Tru5tees' report Independent Examiner's report Statement of financial attivities Statement of Trustees. Responsibilities Balance sheet Notes to the financial statements ReEiStered tharfty number: 1157149 THE cONG0￿E ASSOCIATION OF MERSEYSIDE Report of the Tru5tee5 for the year ended 31 Marth 2Q24 The Trustees present their report and the financlal ststements forthe year ended 31 March 2024. The financial ststements have been prepared in accordance wlth the accountlng polKies set out in note I to the accounts and comply with the charity's trust deed and the Statement of Recommended Practice. "Accounting and Reporting by Charities.. issued March 2005. The Trustees who served during the year and up to the date of thls report are Ilsted below. Legal and admlnlstrati¥e Inf￿matIOn Charity Name THE CONGOLESE ASSOaATION OF MERSEYSIDE Cl￿rIty number Company Re8istratlon Number 1157149 5801288 Office Address Sulte 4- Kingspark Business Centse 97 Stanley Road Bootle LIVERPOOL L20 7DA Registered Offlce Suite 4- Kingspad( Business Centre 97 Stanley Road Bootle L20 7DA Secretary & Operatlt)n Manager Petronelle K Moanda Management Commlttee Revjohn Baptist Mr Charles Lemba Matondo Mlss Deborah Mbosso Mi55 Vane55a Ndunguna-Ntemo Miss Eleanor Smith Accountsnts and Independent Examiner Whitheld Accounting & Integrated Services Ltd now trading as C W C Consultsnts serVi￿s Bankers Bardays Bank plc G￿at Crosby Branch 18-22 Liverpool Road UVERPOOL L23 5SF Uoyds Bank PLC 88-94 Church Street verpool LI 3HD R4istered tharlty rwmber: 1157149 THE CONGOLESE ASSOCIATION OF MERSEYSIDE Trustees, Report and Finandal Statements forthe year ended 31 Ma1th 2024 GovernSn8 Documert The Congolese Association of Merseyside is a Community hub of ions shapin8 ions. It was set up in 21))4 by 6 members of the local ￿mmUnitY (founders) out of the hardship and stre55 caused by addre55ing integration issues alone when they flrsi arrlved in the LIK. It was first re8lstered as a company limited by guarantee No. 5801288 on 29 April 2006, then later re8istered as a Charity on 21 May 2014 Number 1157149. CAM is owned and run by local residents to address the sodal dilemma of our mar8inalised cr)mrnunity (African French and Luzophone spèaker5 Refilgees. Asylum seekers and other mi8rarttsl facin8 so¢lal ex¢lu5ion due to lan8ua6e and cultural barrlers. Or8anlsatlonal Strii¢ture The organisation has ¢ontlnued to benefrt from 5 committee members wlth ¢omplementsry skills. and is stsffed by 10 multilingual volunteer5. The committee dlli8ently and 8enerously engaged wlth the project whlle drawing on thelr personal reftsgee and life experiences. Our day-to day attivities are run entirely by trained volunteers and the community champions. whlch creates a far more responslve and Enformed provision be¢ause It is led by people who have had "lived" experience5 of these issues and know how to help resolve them at the earliest possible stages. The organisation's attivities were and are still entlrely run by volunteers. Our maftagement Structure remalned unchanged. However, we have fully rejuvenated our knrd, benefittin8 from 4 new recruits includingyoung people 25-35 years olds. We are passionate about further enhancin8 the excellent service our teams provid¢ byenhancing their capacity and capablllty, to continue to run exlstSn8 setvlcÈs. and to refresh our talent pool to ensurè we remain viable and able to dellver our intended core activitles and to dovelop our income gerberation endeavours Icommunty shop. Community café) and focus our ¢fftirts to create a more sustainable fiJtU￿. Rèuultm•nt and appolntment of trust The exlstln8 trustees were inltloltyselected by the community in their Annuèl General Meetin8 on 23 October 2023. The views and recommendatlons of elders and communlty leaders were obtalned before the names of the proposed trustees were put ftjrtward to the members attendlft8 the AGM, for confirmatlon. In selectin8 the trustees, indlvlduals who regularly attended ev￿ts, activitles, meetlngs and functions or8ani5ed by the charoty were identlfied. The process of selettion Involved consideratlon of the person's elisiblllty and competence, speclallst knowledge and skill and attit4Jde. Indixtion and Tralnlng of Trustees Fgllowin8 aPPQintment, the trustees were given details of their role and werè also provided with the poli¢ies and procedures adopted by our charity. Details of the tharlty commlssion were provided tothe trustees and they We￿ advised to go through the various pubfications of the charity tommissiion indudlng 8tsldance on charitie5 and public benefit. The trustees are aware of their responsibilitie5 under the Charitles Act. Risk Management The Management Commlttee regularly review the major risks to which the charity is exposed. And the measurestaken to manage these risks ahd to redu￿ their occurrence. A risk register has been establlshed and is updated at least annually. The Committee members are satlsfied that Systems are In place to mana8e the rfsks that have been Identlfied. Where appropriate, systems or procedures have been establlshed to mitigate the rlsks the charlty fa￿$. Polleies for Health and Safety, Safeguar&in8 and Equality and dlversity are present, to ensure compliance with the welfare of staff. volunteers, cllents and vlsitors to the centre. These procedures are perlodically reviewed to ensure that they contlnue to meet the need5 of the charty. Crlminal Records Bureau ICRBI now DBS checks are carried out for all indlvtduals workin8 wlth the thildren and vulnerable adults. Re8iStered tharlty number . 1157149 THE CONGOLESE ASSOCIATION OF MERSEYSIDE Trustees, Report and Flnanaal Statements for the year ended 31 March 2024 Alm5 & Objective5 l. Aims: Ourvision is to provide a wÈlcoming hub for displaced péople lasylum seekers, refugees and vulrterable migrants). who are febuilding their 5ives becaLtse of homelessne55 orforced M￿ratIon and support those needin8 help to setde, a£cess and partiCiP2tQ Ln their new community, fulfil theÈr ptstential and thriv￿ both in¢JNidualty and collect4¥ely. Our key aim isto deliver 5ervires and activitiesthat tarkle social problem5 around the Integratson and social cohesion of non-English speaker migrants who struggle to navigate the fflain5tream sy5tem5 due to lan8ua8e limititiorLS which often leads to long-term Issues whth acce55in8 employment and maintsinin8 health and wellbein& leèdong to high levels of poverty and social d4sadvanta￿. We work to help individuats and the communlty become better connected, etonomically se£ur4 healthier, stronger and more resilient. We striveto- create a coheslve community: make a lasting difference to beneficiaries. lives rdther than simply alleviating the symptoms or current problems: reduce isolatlon, stigma and discriminatlon- encourage or enable them to share in the lrfe of the whole community we wantto See a growing sense of humanity. within our community where people of any background can live at peace and respett for each other and make our community a better place to live and work in harmony. Objectives: 'Our goal" 15 to help more members of the community to thrive and live more fulfilled 14fe. Durlng this financlal year, our target was to engage wlth 500 individuals1350 asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable ml8rar)ts directly and 150 secondary beneficiarlesl. to gove as many people as possible attess support serylces, to help allevlate SLrfferin8 and their hardshlp and develop their resillence. Because we believe that It is Oilf S¢xlal responsibility. our common endeavour to do what we can to help the community around us, durlng difflcult times. However, followlng the outbreak of the COV1[￿19 pandemlc. the cost of living hlke, the energy crisls, and the contlnuous restrictions which have shocked and galvaniied the communty. so our serviee user's poverty increased. jobs and ineorne decreased. Indlvldual people who have used ourservices are . Females Males Young people 504 197 ioi 3. Core Services During 18 year5, we have run programmes aimed to initially help. but not exclusively non-English Speaker migrants to settle. gain the skills. knowledge and confidence to become empowered. We developed a portFolio of innovative servi￿5 that explotts the range of skills. quality and intemal resources available to entourage, empower and enable refugees, asylum seekers and migrants to build new lives and other residents who face Ilfe challenges to overcome them. We therefore dellvered holi5tEc servlces and artlvltie5 Includlng.. Advice, Guidance & sUp￿rt (Interpretstlonnranslatlonl Educatlon & Training- Workshops Advocacy and Professional Services Community Coheslon events that promote sodal connectlon, outings and eonferences and workshops involving other stakeholders. Re¥5¢•r•d tharlty nthnber: 115n49 THE CONGOiESEAWQA7K)M OF MERSEYSIDE TrustèÈs' Remand ￿n?￿l￿1 Stst•m•nts farthe y•arended 31 Marth 2024 Akns &ObAert￿$ 3. Cuves¢Yviw1¢4nt'dl Services Activities Tarsetin8 Drop.In Infonnation - Athice- Guldance IAsybJrn 5eeker& refvgees}ar others Re51dents ￿ he Sl8nlng I￿ referrals to professionals (Immlsrat Hous1￿ Education. Health Servlcesl etc.. Advocacy Communlty and Btyond Practical Helploutreach Food and emergency essentia Hom& visltslHospltaVPri50n51 Travelsl overnlsht shelter. Ctymiurityand Beytsnd. Education & UpskilllngAthitlesl E- learnin& Financial I￿lUSIO Languages & t*gltal connecttvlty se￿lon& Induding Eiitrepreneurshlp Indudkng Commurmty coheslon. Intefartlon. networklng and lelsure actlvlUes induding Arty Dance Events. culturnl food and attires. Education IT Hub facility C&)NThunlty and Bwnd. Social integration & connections Con)mUn￿Y and Otyon4* seni¢K ￿Idertts- to Comba¢isol8￿O Ex bWon- t4* 5ervlc•sArti¥itie$ l. BroftdNew. Empr*nterrcommunltyHub - People Hub- offerlng free ServI￿S- IT basic skllls. printlrt& Scanni￿ tea / ¢offe¢, fruits 398 people attended our IT hub. 65 re8ular attendees 3 pennanent jobs ueated, 2 apprenti(e5. 5 work placement5from local unlversytle5 and colle8es 8volunteersjolned Inveased back olft￿ costs ' Greater volume of cases and a hl8h demand for servlces- increase in refugee homelessness due to further Home office asylum applicatlons backlo8 clearances Disruption to Income IStretthedlreduc￿ resour￿) to meet the raised demand ' Increased demand for ffl0￿ equipmentlrepalrs and adaptatSons- to enhance dl8ital system • Space renovation IRepair5 & Maintenancel • Equipment and furn￿ure • Rent and rate • Utllities Raised utlllty bills and erner8ency interventlon5 fees ltravel-overni8htaceommodation-clothing-food parcels hostelsfor homeless) ' More outreach and eftwement sésslons with thetsr8et8roup (those who are afferted by the cosi of Ilvin8) crlsls Nety￿rk(n8 Events and 8atherin81 day outs: We have or8anlsed 6 social events and ¢elebrdtionsthis year a5 Katewayto our entrepreneurship route to sellirEg artefacts. tradltlonal costumes and culturdl food. Over IOCQ people have attended: - 80 youn8 people attendÈd sesslons. We tooka 8roup of 25 young people,. 14- 25 to London15 days) fora football ¢ompetitionl= >£￿￿tr.h¥cr4O5ed esyntloqlstk fves . Extensive promotion of future 5ervlces IC*erfn8-Cultural food-communlty Shop-Artefarts- Tradltional costumes) E-￿saS. 124 appllcations made, in line with the cyrrent Home offi￿ transltlon to di8ftal immiaration system ReW$te(ed tharltynumlJe¢: 1157149 THE CthYGOLESE AssocwnoN OFMERSEY&DE TY¥st••s' •nd finpnclol St)ternents forth0￿rend*II3I March 2024 AJms& Oble(tt¥es The aimsotour tharityto relieve poverty orfiThandalhafdshlp am0￿¥ refugees. ￿¥1￿M seekers. ml8rants. workers. and otherfjDc￿ persons in need living In ti¥ÈrpoolOty. Rew)n by provin8Ad¥tce. Infoftnation and 6uidan¢e on hokvto access total advocaryand mainstrearn 5ervicesfor Inte￿a￿On lincludk)8 Educatio￿ Employfflent, lrnmigratitsn. Welfare. Heatth and wellbelngl,. We workto help Indi￿￿Ul1$ and families to settlÈ,toboostthelrinte8ration." Enhor￿e atcess to communrty life and f00A￿ pèrt4t4)ants char￿e10b￿lng1he1rsharet￿thèlr new communit¥ >To fulfittheirpotemial and thrive. both indivMluall,.and coljecbvely.. To brin8otsrLltyto become betttrconnected. economica￿V$Qt￿re. hea￿h￿r, stron8er. and more resili•n Afqasoti Duringthe flnan¢ial year 202312024. we have expaded our Servi￿5, broaden our reach Ilhrough drop>in. outreachl en&a8ement, advocacy service5 and educatlonl with leaming hub and development attivltles. to betterwespond to service users, needs. Our rnonitLYln8data Shows that people who recerityaccessed our 5er¥tces required more supportwith: 11 Housing aThd homelessness 5UPPOrt 21 Debtadvice. debtcollectors notice, Bailifst, kEIHEslng notlce to quit. and court summons 31 GeTheral Information. Advi￿, Guidan￿. refeiralsand %gn PO#in8S. 41 ImmlgratK)n and 5ettlemÈnt advice 51 Ikirnestii violer¢ce and crime help. Our Fla hi Pro mmes I.￿￿￿￿O0￿- Provisio￿ of easy access multSlÈngual Information, translatlon, interpretation, on-call supporL to indivldua15 and familles newly arrived and long livln8 residents based on initial assessment and tailored help soon after. Adv1￿ Guldance sl8npostln£ services indudinggeneral adminlstratlve tasks such as completing immigration fom)s, applicatlon for housin￿educatIon supporL tornmnicatlon ￿th malnstream services (Job Centre, CV. GP, hospital, Education, Benefit checks.-.etc...l includinggettirtrg peopleto emer8enc¥ protectlon aThd acce55to crrtlcal Safety. cae .￿Ja￿lc2L-_ Imrni8rati¢N-Housln8- Malnstream. Welacilltate acee5S to professlonals and e*ernal a8encles to cllents provldingtranslatlon and Interpretstlon in langiaa8és cllents understand bètter, and responslve to thelr needs. We use Professlonals includlng Independent Advocates, Solidtors, Counsellors, LlfestyieAdvisors, Wellbeingcoxhes. Therapists, Support wothe¥s, Trauma speciallsts, ￿fe coaches, Assessor 3. Pr to residents. Wesupported a rlslrtg number of domesticvlolence and homeless provldlnithem wlth essential dnwn8 from lemer8efiLyfood parcel. utllity: heatin& electrldty and travel costs, emergency a¢¢ornmodauon. items of clothing and beddin& rehou5ingthe homeless. We continued the provision and deliveryfood and essential supplies (Food par￿ls- Ener8y voucherslcare p4ckn8e and homee5senti315 dellvEryto farnilies stnJ8814ng with costsof livi h-Vt5tt to prLsoners, the slcks in hospttals homes, dellverlngessenttsl neCesS￿e5 4. Education & Lifelon learnin We haveopenned a new IThub. innovated with more repairs and touchs. atquired ecessaryequipment renewed old furniture. The equipment Itaptops. computersdesktop& printerlscannersl have strenghteneil our capacity and capability to deliver Dlgltsl Connettivity services. Ihis rnore needed services to the comrnunity ènd combat digital divide within ourreeion. The tr Hub continues to deliver Basicski115- Skillsfor work. Financial Capabillty. and Digital Inclusiofj sessions. and 5 new volunteers- havejoined and 4 jobs created. 398 dI￿rt benèficiaries have visited D¥r IT￿￿tre and 65 are regular attendeès. The new Hub offers Language classes IESOLI 2 hoursl i days perweek, Digtal Inclusior& 2 ses51oDs2 hours perweek th experlenced teachers from Hygbaird ColleÈe AJ50 onllne safety, identifylngweb totsls e.& comparlsoTr sttes fordeals on ￿l11t￿. Insurance, shoptyn& b3nkill& Soclalisin8: and referralswhere to Eet atfvice on money issue& hl am: devotedto supporting would-tse entrepreneurs from dÉsadvantsged 8roups In need5 Prartlcal support tallored totheir needs and wants Icomrnunity café, cakes, ¢ultural foods, Barber shop* InclurJln83rtl crafts and do8 groomlngl tloft P Ralse proflle of IT Hub- enhance learnin8 activities Di8ital skills/En8lish lan8uage > Strengthen our referral system wlth Key partners and Mainstream services > Develop our Social Enterprlse program- Preparing to grow and succeed in Income generation.. "Community Pub- Café & Catering Seryl¢e- Community Shop" os o new-look Immigration Advire Authority, or IAA nextyeor)." to become t7 reguluted orgunisotffon for the pmv&sion of immtigrotion sernces. on own right. The Management would like to thank once again our fundets and supporters fortheir much appreciated and valuable support without who. the Management would not be able to continue to doliver its much needed seNi¢es to the Community. Forthe Congolese Assoclatlon of Merseysidè Chorle5 Motondo Lembo Dir THE£ONGOLESEAssoaATIONOF MEASEYSIDE TNstaes' Reportand ffin•rt¢lal Ststem*nts forth•y•ar•nd¢d JI March 2024 The oVer•llflm¥N￿{È*￿)X01seI tu h¢lp y¥ •¢hle¥e¢uT8O￿%Ior th•perlod *relrom Trysts •nd F￿n4￿¢% Natlonal LOtt￿Y8nd DMotivn% The surplJs fvrtheyearcarrf¢dforward15 £8.219. Thewlnopal sotsr¢es tsf fvndln8for our ¢￿ aretr*y4nT5frorn our kwdonoT5 below, thotwe$4lute¥ndshout abwtthelr trust and $upporrto our wot DONL)Rs C1tlzenAd￿Ce Llverpool LCVS-Communltylmpart Fund The Henry Smtth Charlty Member5hlpcontribuUon& Donaiions LI￿d5 bank Foundatlon The Nadonal Lottery Communlty Fund Comlc Ret￿l- Ground Work Cook Foundation Nlthertands vo￿ UKSPF IEVE l. Dro uELort-30hlw 1 52- 1560hours ￿￿￿￿gUa1 Inform4t1¢)￿ Athfite and GuldarKe tonewly arrtvedandlonR lI￿r￿8 restdts￿. 2.￿-1￿migratIOn-H￿IjSin1-￿aInstre8M Iohlm x12 o 1205essi We ha¥e5iSn PDSted-rnade muhiple refetTr15ts profe55fjO￿ 5ervl 3. ￿L[￿￿h-￿stt￿V￿oner& the5icks bn hLtsPitaLs. hm bound Ind4vidua14 delfveftTrgesseThtial nece5sibe510 residents. 8h/weekx 52= 416 hours We have denvtseil 116 EnerBV ¥oucheT5 IGas&dectr￿tytO￿Oe￿ts wrth£49edthTotsi worth EX684 E-vlsas: 124appl¢3tlon5m*ln fiffte￿th thÈcurrent Home offitrtransityontor the year ended 31 March 2024 Statement of Trustees, R*5ponsibllllles: The charlty trustees are responsible for preparlng an annual report and finandal ststements in accordance with applicable law and UK A¢counting Standards. The law appllcable to thartties in England and Wales requires the charity trustees to prepare financial statements for each year which glve a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charlty and of the incoming resources and appllcation of resources of the charty forthat period. In preparin8the financial statements, the the trustees are required to- select suitsble a¢countln8 policles and then apF4y them consistently: observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP: make judgements and estlmates that are prudentr, state whether appllcable accountin8 Standards have been followed, subject tts any material departures disdosed and explalned in the financial statsments; prepare the financial statements on the goin6 concern basis unle55 It Is inappropriate to presume that the charity wlll continue in business The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accountlng records that disdose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial posttton of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the flnancial ststements Comply with the Charltles Act 1993, the Charity IAccounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provislon of the trust deed. Theyare also responsible for safe8uarding the a￿ts of the charity and hence tsking reasonable steps for the prevention and detettion of fraud and other irregularlties. The trustees for the purposes of charity law who served duringthe year and up to the date of thts report are set out on Page l of the trustees reporL Approved by the trusteès and signed on its behalf by: Charles Matondo Lemba Trustee Date: 17112/2024. Registered charity nurnber . 1157149 THE CONGOLESE ASSOCIATION OF MERSEYSIDE Balance Sheet as at 31 Marth 2024 2024 2023 Note5 Flxed assets Tangible assets 9,458 9.458 Current assets Cash at bank and in hand 20.182 14,493 •dltors: •m¢)unts fallin8 due wlthin one year 16,9341 Net current (li¥blhtles)latsets 13.248 14,493 Net assets 22,706 14,493 Income funds Unrestricted funds,. b/fd Restricted funds 3.541 10,952 blfd 3.541 1,877 Surplu5/Deficlt for the year 8,213 9,075 Total rhailty funds 22,706 14A93 Appmved by the trustees on 1711212024... and signed on their behalf bv: Charles Matondo Lemba Yru5tse Reglstered charity number . 1157149 THE CONGOLESE ASSOCIATION OF MERSEYSIDE Notes to the Financial Stat•nent$ for the year ended 31 Marth 2024 l. Trustees None of the trustees lor any persons Connected wlth them) recelved any remuneration during the year and none of them wa5 reimbursed expenses. 2. Tanglble fixed assets There are fixed assets of £11,233 showing a depreuation of £1.685 and a net book value ot £9,458. 2024 2023 3. Creditor&' amounts falling due wlthin one y 20Z4 2023 Other creditor5 Accruals 6,934 4. Restrirted funds The income fvnds of the charlty include restrfcted funds ¢omprislng There were no restrirted fwid$ durfn8 the yeay were Balance at Incomlng Resources l Aprll 2023 resources expended 100.897 Transfers .31 March 2024 Balance at 100.897 100,897