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2021-02-28-accounts

Annual Report For the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021

Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

Table of Content Page Table of Content Page
1. Reference and Administrative Details………………………...2
2. Objective and Activities……………………………………….…3
3. Achievement and Performance ……….……………………….4
3.1. Staying Connected During Lockdowns ……………....……...4 3.1. Staying Connected During Lockdowns ……………....……...4
3.2. Staying Active During Lockdowns…...………………………..4 3.2. Staying Active During Lockdowns…...………………………..4
3.3. Recovery Support ………………………………….…………..7 3.3. Recovery Support ………………………………….…………..7
4. International Achievement and Performance..………...…9 4. International Achievement and Performance..………...…9
4.1 Lasa Fever’s Awareness ……………………………………....9
4.2 Advocacy …………………………………………………….....10
4.3 COVID-19 Awareness Campaign ………………………...….10
4.4 Sexual Health and Menstrual Pad Awareness……………...12
4.5 Supporting Children Living with Disabilities …………….….12
4.6 Environmental Education…………………………………..…13
4.7 Supporting Women and Girls to Generate Income…………14
4.8 Women Empowerment Program …………………………….15
5. Financial Report…………………………………………………17 5. Financial Report…………………………………………………17
6. Independent Examiner report………………………………...19 6. Independent Examiner report………………………………...19
7. Notes to the financial statement ………………………….....20 7. Notes to the financial statement ………………………….....20
8. Volunteers and Partners Appreciation …….……………….21 8. Volunteers and Partners Appreciation …….……………….21
9. Mayor’s Award ………………………………………………….22 9. Mayor’s Award ………………………………………………….22
10. How to support us…………………………….………………..24 10. How to support us…………………………….………………..24

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

1. Reference and Administrative Details

Precious Gems

Charity registration No. 1160917

Address

Commerce House 59 Bridgeman Place Bolton BL2 1DW

Patron

Sir David Crausby

Trustees

Tony Shepherd - Chairman/Treasurer Dr O. C. Achioyamen - Founder/Director Development and Networking Susan C. Riley – Secretary/Coordinator of Kearsley Social Group

Operational team

Domina Achioyamen - Chief Executive Soeur P Mukamunana - Chair Precious Gems Rwanda Dr NosaAkpede - Director of Research Barrister Elohor Onoge - Director of Policies Barrister C. O. Eziamaka - Head legal Compliance F. J. Munyemana - Director of Operations Rwanda Sehrish Sehrish - Coordinator (Halliwell Women Group) Ann Hargreaves - Coordinator (Precious Memories) Jean Nicholson - Coordinator (Knit and Natter at the Central Library) Aisha Siyajali - Coordinator (Skills For life) Ghosia Jabeen - Coordinator (Knit and Get Fit)

Bank Santander Bridle Road Bootle, L30 4GB

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

2. Objectives and Activities

Precious Gems support women and girls who are socially and economically disadvantaged to realise and utilise their potential to meet their needs better, stay resilient, develop themselves and their communities, and improve their health and wellbeing. We achieve these using Asset Based Community Development approach.

The main activities of Precious Gems fall into the following categories:

2.1 Improving health and wellbeing

Our programmes support women and girls to improve their wellbeing. We support them in staying connected with other community members and staying active both physically and mentally while enhancing their skills and talents. Our programmes also help them to improve confidence and self-esteem and to overcome social isolation and loneliness. We also support women and girls with counselling sessions, advocacy, information and mentorship.

2.2 Economic Empowerment

Our economic empowerment programmes support women and girls in raising and increasing their income, being financially independent, and managing their finances. We help them train on skills they require to get employment or do business, focusing on their skills, talents and passions. We also support them with short courses that enrich their curriculum vitae (CV) to increase the employment opportunities that give them better income. Our team helps them in all processes such as planning, registration, and other requirements until they are ready to run independently.

2.3 Advocacy

Our team speaks on behalf of women and girls who are unable to speak for themselves. We are also committed to defending the right of women and girls who are oppressed and unable to stand for themselves to seek justice. We also hold campaigns on the right of women and girl child.

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

3. Achievement and Performance

This year has been a different and challenging one due to COVID-19. Our members met for two weeks only then the lockdown measures were introduced. Though our members were not able to meet face to face again due to social distancing measures, Precious Gems did not stop supporting members of our community. We still supported them throughout the year, observing the lockdown rules, keeping them safe and social distancing. We also helped them to stay physically and mentally active, which helped to improve their wellbeing. Most of our international activities were not affected very much because Africa was not affected by the pandemic as the rest of the world.

3.1 Supporting our Members to Stay Connected During Lockdowns

Every single person had to go in isolation due to the Coronavirus pandemic. These affected all our members. Our team made regular phone calls to all of them to keep them company, assure them, and support them. Our members appreciated phone calls, and they looked forward to them. Our team said that some members could keep them on the phone for up to one hour as they lived alone and did not have someone else to talk with. Through the phone calls, our team also identified the need of our members and supported them those who had to self-isolate due to being infected by COVID-19 or by being in contact with someone who had been infected. They supported them with Shopping or picking up their prescriptions from doctors or other personal needs.

We also created five WhatsApp groups for each group so that our members could continue to chat with each other and minimise the boredom at home. However, we could not create a group for Precious Memories Groups due to some members who live with dementia. We kept in touch with them through regular phone calls and text messages. The WhatsApp groups also helped members to support each other emotionally as members were posting the difficulties they were experiencing through COVID-19 and were comforted and advised by the other members of the groups.

3.2 Supporting our Members to Stay Active During Lockdowns

Through the WhatsApp groups, members came up with knitting and embroidering projects they wanted to do. Our team delivered projects material and collected finished items to and from each door of our members. Our team delivered finished items made by our members to Bolton hospital, care homes, and homeless charities. Through WhatsApp groups, our members encouraged others to participate in the project by posting what they worked on. The WhatsApp groups also helped motivate members to stay active because apart from the agreed projects, our members also posted what they were doing during the lockdown, including gardening, cooking , and painting . Members who did those activities posted in group about their activities

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© PreciousGems Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

and helped other members with information on how to do those activities and where to buy the materials for those

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Gems Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

As our members did exercises in our groups before lockdown, we wanted to help them continue doing those exercises in their homes. We recorded Chair based exercises and Tai Chi videos and posted them in all WhatsApp groups and our social media. Our members told us that they loved them and they would keep on trying them on their own. See some exercises we sent to our members https://youtu.be/aeMW52yedIo

We held Weekly Zumba and Tai chi exercises sessions on zoom . Our members participated in those exercises, and they said that they enjoyed them helped them do exercises that they were looking forward to doing exercises every week. Few of our members could not do virtual exercises as they did not know how to use the internet and they requested to learn how to use the computer. We are organising computer training sessions for them.

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We held weekly makeup sessions on zoom for our young women. They bought their makeup and practised watching the instructor on zoom. They were so engaged asking questions about cosmetics and different types of skincare to use depending on their skins.

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

Working in collaboration with Bolton College, we held weekly English classes on zoom beginners and intermediate level for women we support whose English is not their first language. These classes were well attended, and we will continue these classes in physical after the lockdown restrictions have been removed because many women we support did not have laptops. They had to use their phones, and sometimes they could not see what the teacher was teaching them. Others could miss classes due to a lack of internet.

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3.3 Recovery Support

Due to COVID-19, many jobs were lost and that had a financial impact on the women we support. Their mental wellbeing was affected. We also received a high number of calls from women we support who were experiencing domestic violence. Some women were afraid of leaving the abuser as they depended on them for the visa, and they felt they wouldn’t have anywhere to go. We provided them advice and information on available support for them. For those who chose to leave their abuser, we helped them to go to the refuge and we helped others to find accommodation . We also supported those women who experienced financial hardship with financial advice. We also conducted counselling sessions for women who experienced domestic violence others whose mental wellbeing was affected due to lockdown.

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

Working in collaboration with Answer cancer, we supported our members with information on cancer, and members appreciated the information. We also held a community dialogue event where we invited members of our community to have a chat on COVID-19, issues and needs in our community and planned together how to meet those needs.

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

4. International Achievement and Performance

4.1 Lasa Fever’s Awareness

Our team embarked on a massive campaign in Edo state Nigeria to raise Lassa Fever's awareness and prevention. We are passionate about the prevention of Lassa fever because of its high mortality rate, especially for pregnant women and their unborn babies. Our team worked with other health partners to construct and distribute Veronica buckets, a simple but effective tool to encourage handwashing in schools, markets, and other public areas in Edo State, Nigeria.

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

4.2 Advocacy

Our team in Nigeria also supported sexually abused girls with advocacy. Due to the lack of finance to pay for solicitors, these girls were affected mentally and ridiculed in their community. Some of them had to leave their schools because of shame. When they reported their case to the authority, their abuser paid bribes to court to dismiss their case. Precious Gems supported the abused girls with paid solicitors and counselling sessions and helped them return to school.

4.3 COVID-19 Awareness Campaign

Precious Gems Nigeria team did awareness of COVID-19 in the Esan region of Edo State Nigeria. Our team engaged local tailors' services to manufacture free reusable facemasks distributed to thousands of people . We also hired local artisans to construct Veronica buckets for handwashing due to lack of running water. They were used to demonstrate safe handwashing to members of the public. These buckets were also installed in strategic places so that members of the public could utilise them. Our team has visited key community stakeholders like the various kings in their palaces, the security agencies, faith groups, markets, and commercial transporters . Participants were taught safe handwashing, spotting symptoms of the disease, and referring themselves to or their loved ones for further medical attention.

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

Some of the Campaign findings were presented at the European health week EUPHA hosted by MUCH University of Manchester. Please find a link to the - - - - - presentation: https://medium.com/european public health week 2020/community work-in-edostatenigeria-including-the-impact-of-covid-19-in-the-local-community265ff379e396

The University of Manchester supported the research element of this Campaign by making funding available to help our team to be able to carry out knowledge, attitude and Practice research about COVID-19 in Edo state, Nigeria. It is believed that the papers generated from this piece of research will further support future funding for the university and also benefit Precious Gems.

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

4.4 Sexual Health and Menstrual Pad Awareness

Precious Gems working in collaboration with the Pink Box Initiative in Tanzania held a series of sexual health and menstrual awareness in schools designed to create awareness of menstrual hygiene and break the stigma associated with menstruation and create awareness of sexual abuse and who to talk to.

4.5 Supporting Children Living with Disabilities

Our team in Tanzania supported children living with disabilities with materials for them and also organised training for them. We are currently working to make this a regular project because these children need a lot of support. Unlike Western society with a support system for children living with disabilities, in Africa, such a level of support does not exist. So, there is dependence on support from charities like Precious Gems

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917 (e) Gems

4.6 Environmental Education

Precious Gems has partnered with the We Do GREEN and Eco 250 initiative and organised the environmental education and conservation activity at Buringa TVET, Muhanga District, Rwanda. With the main objective to promote environmental and climate stewardship among the next generation, among others. The students planted 100 agroforestry trees to sequester GHG emissions, prevent soil erosion, and achieve multiple ecological and socio-economic benefits. Students were introduced and had opportunities to share more ideas, including climate change, environment protection, sustainable lifestyle, gender equity, and the role of STEM education towards green entrepreneurship in their environment club.

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

4.7 Supporting Women and Girls to Generate Income

Working in collaboration with EgaGift Trust in Zimbabwe , we supported women with capital to help them use their skills to generate income . They used the money to buy corn and prepared corn into snacks (roasted maise) and sold those snacks to increase their capital to hire land. They have been able to lease land, and they planted vegetables, and they are raising income into those vegetables to take care of themselves and their families

In Rwanda, we supported women and girls to generate income by providing them jobs to work in the Precious Gems pineapple farming Project located at Ngoma and Rwamagana districts. Women can generate income to support themselves, their families and be able to pay for health insurance. We also supported women with capital to hire land and buy seeds for them and provided them watering machines, and they created cooperatives and will be using their farming skills to plant cash crops.

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

In rural villages in the Northern region of Ghana, we supported women and girls with training and small capital to help them raise income . They brought materials to create basked and hats and bought the fabric to make leather shoes. They sold them to local markets and to visiting tourists, which helped them meet their financial needs and their families needs.

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

4.8 Women Empowerment Program

Precious Gems, in collaboration with Unveil In Grace Counselling and Training Centre, funded and organised The Above Rubies women empowerment program that will focus on:

Leadership, Economic Development, Gender Equality, Career Path Choices, Sex and Relationships.

The first session was leadership, and a hundred women and young girls attended the session. The program centred on empowering women to make their own choices, lead, and work on providing a level playing field for the girl child. We looked at the definition of leadership concerning women empowerment, the role of women, the need for women empowerment, the Advantages of leading and participating, understanding the different types of empowerment, including social, P political, economic, educational, psychological empowerment. Also, the Seven key ways to empower women globally was unravelled.

The Speaker used the case study of the female leader Deborah, a judge and a strong force to reckon with. She was a value-adding woman. Men deferred to Deborah because of what she represented and brought to the table.

Also, used the newly appointed WTO President, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and several other female leaders. She was able to make everyone see from her analysis of the case studies that glass ceilings shatter in the presence of a woman who is empowered, bold and ready.

The Annual Report was approved by the board of trustees Date: 26/10/2021

T Shepherd

Chair and Trustee On behalf of trustees

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@ cosGems Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

5. Financial Report the Year Ended 28 February 2021

Donations
SSCS
TOTAL INCOME (A)		 SSCS
37,885.00		 SSS Of
35,144.00)
1,500.00 3,000.00
Sessional workers fees pao £0.00
: 1935
a
International Programme FW 30,000.00
TOTALEXPENDITURE 37,215.00 35,135.00)
a

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

FIXED ASSETS
Tangible Fixed Assets
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors
Cash in Hand and at Bank		 2021 672 2021
672		 1200
0		 2020 10000 2020
14317.64		 600
4317.64
Creditors: Amount
fallingdue within oneyear		 400 0
Net Current Assets 272 14317.64
Net Assets 1472 4917.64
Accumalated Funds
Unrestricted
12278.42
-17215.11
Restricted
-10806.42
22132.75
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1472 4917.64

The financial report was approved by the board of trustees Date: 26/10/2021

T Shepherd

Chair and Trustee On behalf of trustees

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

6. Independent Examiner Report

Basis of independent examiner’s report:

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters.

The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.

Independent examiner’s statement:

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

31/08/2021

Ms. Elyse Bassagal Accountant AAT Let’s Bloom Together Suite 20 St James’s House M6 5FW SALFORD

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

7. Note to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended

28[th] February 2021

1. Basis of Preparation of Financial Statements

The Financial statements are prepared under the historic cost convention and include the results of the Charity’s operations which are described in the Trustee’s Report and all of which are continuing.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the statement of recommended practice for Charity Accounts:

Grants for immediate expenditure are accounted for when they become receivable. Grants received for specific purposes are treated as restricted funds.

Grants restricted to future accounting periods are deferred and recognised in those periods.

2. Statement of Trustees Responsibilities

The standard constitution of the Charity requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs and of the surplus or deficit for the period. In preparing these financial statements the trustees are required to:-

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity.

They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Charity acknowledges receipt of grants from:

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

8. Volunteers and Partners Appreciation

The board of trustees would like to thank volunteers of Precious Gems both in the United Kingdom and Africa. You have sacrificed your time in helping Precious Gems to continue making a positive impact in our community. Your caring heart, compassion and support have transformed many lives. Even the pandemic did not stop you from supporting members of the community. You are our heroes.

We would like to thank partners who worked with Precious Gems in supporting our communities. Your partnership and collaboration helped us to deliver more and the best services to members of the community. We appreciate your support, and we are looking forward to continuing working with you.

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Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

9. Mayor’s Award

We were delighted to receive recognition from the Mayor of Bolton for continuing our services to the community during the pandemic. A massive thank you to all our staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly during the pandemic, supporting members of the community.

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Precious Gems Annual Report for Ihe Year Ended February 2021 Charity No. 1160917 Certificate of recognition This certificate is to recognise the wonderful work your organisation and staff have done to save lives, keep people safe and stop the spread of Covid-19. On behalf of the people of Bolton I thank you for your selflessness. commitment and sheèr determination to go above and beyond in this crisis. I commend you and offer my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude for everything you have done. Your work now and in the future will benefit generations to come and will not be forgotten. Mayor of Bolton Councillor Linda Thomas June 2020 23

Annual Report for the Year Ended 28[th] February 2021 Charity No. 1160917

10. How to Support Us

Make a Donation

We rely on your support to keep improving people’s wellbeing. Any donation, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated

Volunteer for us

We rely on volunteers to run our community groups. We wouldn’t have been where we are without the help of volunteers. Any time you can spare for us, even if it is one hour a week, will go a long way

Partner with us

As precious Gems, we believe in partnership and collaboration. We could do a project together You could raise donations for us

For any more information on how you can get involved, please contact us on

Precious Gems Commerce House 59 Bridgeman Place Bolton BL2 1DW

+447963500069

enquiry@preciousgems.org.uk

Visit our website on www.preciousgems.org.uk Facebook www.facebook.com/preciousgems2013

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