## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period**
## **From 01 January 2025 To 31 December 2025**
## **Charity name: Brighter Futures Zambia**
## **Charity registration number: 1162851**
## **Objectives and Activities**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|Brighter Futures Zambia’s charitable
objects are:
**1.**
**Prevention or Relief of Poverty**
**for the Public Beneft**
The prevention or relief of poverty of
orphaned and/or otherwise vulnerable
children in Zambia (especially those
affected by HIV/AIDS) by providing or
assisting in the provision of education
and training.
**2. Advancement of Education**
For the public benefit to promote the
education (including social and physical
training) of orphaned and/or otherwise
vulnerable children in Zambia (especially
those affected by HIV/AIDS) in such ways
as the charity trustees think fit, including by:
i.awarding to such persons
scholarships, maintenance
allowances or grants tenable at any
institution of education; and
ii.providing education (including
social and physical training and
pastoral support) to children not yet
accessing primary education
through assistance to community
pre-schools.
**3.** **Relief of Those in Need**
iii.To relieve the mental sickness of
orphaned and/or otherwise
vulnerable children in Zambia|
|||(especially those affected by
HIV/AIDS) and/or their carers
suffering from bereavement or loss,
by the provision of counselling and
support for such persons.
iv.To assist in the provision of
education and training and/or
relevant support with a view to
enabling these children and their
carers to generate sustainable
incomes.|
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or
services identified in the
accounts.|Para 1.17 and
1.19|BFZ achieved their charitable objects
through the following main programme
areas:
-School sponsorship (including provision of
school fees (where required), uniform and
equipment.
-Tertiary Education sponsorship (including
provision of university/college fees,
equipment and grants towards living costs.)
-Weekly Wellbeing and youth group
programme for children and young people.
-Provision of child counselling services.
-Provision of sexual, mental and physical
health training for children and adolescents.
-Support for pre-school and primary school
education and meals.
-Community building initiatives (including
skills/knowledge training in children’s rights,
gender-based violence, child counselling
and child protection/safeguarding.)
-Income generating programmes for
caregivers (including the Good Goat,
tailoring/ craft making, group farming,
village banking initiatives.)|
|Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|BFZ trustees have had regard to guidance
issued by the Charity Commission on public
benefit as they carried out the work of the
charity and provided governance for this
work.|
## **Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
SORP reference Para 1.38 Policy on grant making Para 1.38 Policy on social investment including program related investment
||||
|---|---|---|
|Contribution made by
volunteers|Para 1.38|BFZ’s UK operations are delivered by
volunteers, whose contribution allows us to
meet our charitable objectives and ensures
our programmes achieve maximum impact.
In addition to our nine trustees BFZ
benefits from the support of regular
volunteers who support with bookkeeping,
GiftAid claims, website development and
management and fundraising initiatives.
We are grateful to all our volunteers for
donating their time, energy and expertise in
pursuit of our charitable goals.
In addition, our main partner organisation in
Zambia is run largely by volunteers.|
|Other|||
## **Achievements and Performance**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the main
achievements of the
charity, identifying the
difference the charity’s
work has made to the
circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any
wider benefits to society
as a whole.|Para 1.20|Enabling orphaned and vulnerable children to
fully access education remains the core of the
charity’s work. BFZ provided school fees
(where applicable), equipment and uniform
grants enabling 72 children to attend primary or
secondary school in 2025. Tuition was provided
for pupils in grades 7, 9 and 12 to support them
with exam preparation. Support was provided
for a small number of pupils who needed to
retake some grade 12 subjects to achieve a full
leaving certificate.
BFZ aim to reach the most vulnerable children
and ensure that no child is denied access to
education. We support a number of children
with disabilities and in 2025 ensured a child
who has never accessed education received full
support to attend a school that can meet his
needs, we enabled another child to travel to the
capital to be fitted with hearing aids, and two
young people with disabilities who have
received support through primary education are
now accessing tertiary and secondary
education.
BFZ provided financial support to four young
people to attend higher education, including two
students at universities studying medicine and
finance and two students at Nursing college.
The four students are due to complete their
studies in 2026.
BFZ ran weekly Wellbeing programmes across
seven community groups throughout 2025. Up
to thirteen children in each group attended the|
|sessions on a Saturday. Wellbeing sessions|sessions on a Saturday. Wellbeing sessions|
|---|---|
|educate children with knowledge on children’s||
|rights, early marriage, sexual health, the||
|importance of education and to promote||
|resilience and positive coping strategies.||
|Wellbeing sessions provide a space for 1:1||
|counselling and monitoring by caregivers||
|trained in child counselling. Children were||
|provided with a hot, protein rich meal at each||
|session and leaders organised games and||
|cultural activities such as sports, tug of war,||
|singing, dancing, drama, chess and other||
|traditional games (such|as nsolo). BFZ provided|
|funding to supply additional sports and games||
|materials (such as draught/ chess boards, nsolo||
|boards and footballs/netballs).||
|Recent alumni and those sponsored in Higher||
|Education by BFZ volunteered at Wellbeing||
|sessions to pass on their positive experience||
|and support leaders. Caregivers report a great||
|sense of community amongst the children and||
|young people within the|groups, with younger|
|children looking up to, and being mentored by||
|older youth. This sense|of belonging supports|
|vulnerable young people to make positive||
|choices and maintain healthy habits. Caregivers||
|report that children’s behaviour, attitude and||
|engagement with education increases through||
|regular attendance at the Wellbeing sessions.||
|Furthermore, session leaders have been able to||
|identify additional needs from contact with||
|children at Wellbeing sessions and support||
|children and their families with additional||
|support, signposting or reporting to relevant||
|authorities as appropriate.||
|Our end of year evaluation demonstrated that||
|young people taking part in our Wellbeing||
|programme reported:||
|-increased awareness and understanding of||
|issues such as teenage|pregnancy, early|
|marriage, gender-based violence and STDs.||
|- increased awareness of self-care strategies||
|and support options.||
|And they demonstrated|more confidence and|
|reduced stigma in talking about sexual health||
|and wellbeing issues.||
|A BFZ caregiver who excels in provision of||
|counselling education is designated as||
|‘Wellbeing Champion’ for the course of the||
|year. The BFZ Wellbeing Champion was||
|supported to visit each of the seven groups in||
|2025 to share effective practices and support||
|excellent leadership of the Wellbeing groups.||
|BFZ funded a full-day training in sexual health||
|and wellbeing for all adolescents supported by||
|our programmes across 4 sites on 4||
consecutive Saturdays. Trainers from the Zambian Ministry of Health and the Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia delivered the workshops, which imparted knowledge and guidance on sexual and menstrual health, early marriage, abuse, gender-based violence and substance misuse. The training educated children on developing healthy habits and how to recognise and report abuse. Children and caregivers report that they feel confident identifying and understanding how to report abuse and how to stay healthy and safe. The sessions were a success; the young people were fully engaged, they practised roleplays, poems and dances after the training to show their commitment. BFZ delivered a two-day Youth Day for 84 children and young beneficiaries of the education and Wellbeing programmes. Ahead of the day children and young people prepared dance, drama and music performances in their Wellbeing groups, which they then performed on the day. The day also included games, motivational speakers, sports and meals. Prizes were awarded to children and young people who had excelled in their education and engagement across the year. The aim of the day is to encourage and reward the children’s engagement with education. Alumni from the programme who have gone on to achieve success (this year in nursing) attended as volunteers to motivate current young beneficiaries. Zambia has very high rates of ‘early marriage’ and teenage pregnancy. The Zambia Demographic and Health Survey 2024 estimated that almost 30% of Zambian girls experience pregnancy in their teenage years. The Zambian government reported in 2022 that 31% of girls marry before the age of 18. Our Wellbeing and Education programmes and initiatives aim to prevent early marriage and pregnancy, and we have seen a significant decrease in rates amongst girls who access our programmes. In 2025 we were delighted to confirm that none of the 50+ girls who access our Wellbeing and Education programmes became pregnant or entered early marriage. Furthermore, boys in our programme report strong awareness of the negative impact of early marriage and pregnancy on both them and the girls in their communities. No boys engaged in our programmes became fathers or entered early marriage. At the beginning of 2025 BFZ commissioned
trainers from a local CBO (Zambia Women and Girls) and from an ex Primary Head Teacher, trained in child counselling, to facilitate a threeday to 20 volunteers from 6 communities. The training focused on activities/games and methodology to aid teaching of the wellbeing principles as well as introducing a new monitoring and evaluation framework. Engagement in the training was excellent, and caregivers reported high levels of confidence to deliver Wellbeing sessions and track attendance and impact. The BFZ Coordinator conducted weekly monitoring visits to Wellbeing sessions throughout 2025 to monitor delivery and impact and to support group leaders. From May to August BFZ funded an expanded community sensitisation initiative to which community leaders and elders were invited. This consisted of four 5-day workshops held in four of the communities which host Wellbeing sessions. This initiative responded to a concern amongst the volunteers that customs and traditional attitudes in individual households and the wider communities may limit or undermine the young people’s learning of key messages and access to sexual health and children’s rights. This despite recent changes in Zambian law aimed at protecting children. The training workshops were delivered by respected local trainers and attended by local leaders. The workshops raised awareness across the community, particularly amongst respected elders who lacked up-to-date knowledge of topics and statutory laws. Community members reported an increased understanding of children’s rights and child protection pathways after attending. The BFZ Good Goat income generation scheme continued to run in 2025. The scheme provides income and sustenance for lowincome families across seven vulnerable communities. Families receive goats via the scheme according to a ’pass it down’ methodology, in which kids born through the scheme are passed on to new households identified. New beneficiaries continue to receive goats, though the number of goats passed on slowed down in 2025 due to effects from the drought, including goat theft and goats being sold. The Village Banking scheme continued to be a success across all seven groups. The scheme allows members to draw down funds for emergencies, or to kick-start businesses. BFZ provided ongoing monitoring and support for the scheme throughout 2025. Many members
reported that they needed to use funds saved through the scheme for emergency food supplies during the drought, however, they have started to save again in 2025 and expect to be able to pay out business loans again in 2026. BFZ continued to support community caregivers through a handicraft and tailoring programme in which women make and sell handmade star decorations and school uniforms. Women report that funds from these initiatives are critical in helping them meet the basic needs of their families. Some groups are experimenting in new group income generating activities, such as reed mat making to sell to local markets. BFZ’s Makangala preschool is now a Community Primary School, recognised by the Zambian department of Education. The school delivered education for 148 children between the ages of 3 and 8 years old in 2025. BFZ provided funding for 2 pre-school teachers, a caretaker and a night watchman. BFZ provided free school meals every school day to all pupils. The fruit trees and edible plants that were planted with funding from BFZ bear fruit, which supplements the children’s diets. The Zambian government assigned a government teacher to head the school in 2024 and have provided an additional teacher in 2025, which has enabled the school to open a grade two class to accommodate local demand. BFZ continue to provide two teachers so that each class has a teacher. The school now receives a small government budget which covers some essential cleaning and stationary items. In 2025 BFZ provided funding for additional learning materials and books, including teaching guides and pupil books following the new Zambian education curriculum. This has enhanced pupil’s learning, as evidenced by their strong performance in national standards. Play continues to be a focus for the school, and in 2025 BFZ funded the installation of a new school playground. The playground was designed for durability and to encourage collaborative play and includes various swings, see-saws and balancing equipment. The children love playing in the playground and teachers report that it is helping children’s physical development and ability to play with others. Attendance is excellent, aided by the school
meal programme. Families are very grateful for the feeding programme in addition to the learning that children receive. In December 2025 BFZ funded a two-week holiday programme of lessons for the preschool children who attend the school. School meals were provided during the holiday programme. This initiative helped the smallest children from vulnerable homes to maintain their nutrition and provided enriching play opportunities.
**Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|
Achievements against
objectives set|
Para 1.41||
|---|---|---|
|Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set|Para 1.41||
|Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41||
|Other|||
## **Financial Review**
|**Financial Review**|||
|---|---|---|
|Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|We started the year with a total balance in
our current accounts of £22,784.65 and
ended the year with a balance of
£26,361.51
We spent £35,955.50 during 2025 on
projects that furthered our charitable
objectives and on essential running costs.
In 2025 we raised a total of
£39,532.36
through regular and one-off donations, Gift
Aid and community fundraising.
Meaning that we had a surplus of
£3,576.85 over 2025.|
|Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|BFZ has a policy of holding reserves which
would cover our essential programme
running costs for one school term (4
months).|
|Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|£4125|
|Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22||
|Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|Trustees will monitor our financial position
and ensure that future additional projects
are funded in line with our financial
position.|
|Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|There are currently no uncertainties about
the charity’s ability to continue as a going
concern.|
## **Additional information (optional)**
## You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|
The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|
Para 1.47|
In 2025 we raised a total of
£39,532.36
through regular and one-off donations, Gift
Aid community fundraising and a very
generous grant from the Brian Murtagh
Charitable trust. For example, we continued
to run ‘The Big BFZ Trustee Challenge’,
where our trustees set themselves
sponsored challenges. We also ran a highly
successful quiz night and wine tasting
fundraiser.|
|---|---|---|
|Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46||
||||
Para 1.46 A description of the principal risks facing the charity Other
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
|Description of charity’s
trusts:|||
|---|---|---|
|Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)|Para 1.25|Trust deed dated 29 July 2012 as amended
from time to time.|
|How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|BFZ is a Trust, with individual trustees.|
|Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|Trustees are appointed by a resolution of
the existing trustees. In selecting
individuals for appointment, the Trustees
have regard to the skills, knowledge and
experience needed for the effective
administration of the charity and the Charity
Commission requirements on the selection
of fit and proper persons as trustees.|
## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|
Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction
and training of trustees|
Para 1.51|
The BFZ Chairperson and Secretary
conduct a full induction and training for new
trustees to make clear their statutory
obligations and requirements in the role of
trustee and to support their understanding
of the mission and work of BFZ and the
context and culture within which we work.|
|---|---|---|
|The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51||
|Relationship with any
related parties|Para 1.51|BFZ continued to benefit in 2025 from pro-
bono services from Travers Smith LLP,
who support BFZ on legal and
administrative matters and provide office
space for our meetings. BFZ also
benefitted from support from the Ninety
Niners agency, who supported us with
brand guidance and marketing. We thank
them for their support.|
|Other|||
## **Reference and Administrative details**
|Charity name|Brighter Futures Zambia|
|---|---|
|Other name the charity uses||
|Registered charitynumber|**1162851**|
Charity’s principal address 21 Hawthorn Gardens, Whitley Bay, NE26 3PQ
## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
|1
2
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20|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year**|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee (ifany)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Katie Lavender|Chairperson|||
||Jennie Smith||||
||AnthonyHopper||||
||Christopher
Widdison||||
||Ciara Devlin||||
||Alice Watson||||
||Kevin Chadelle||||
||Thomas Lavender||||
||Tosan Tuoyo|Secretary|||
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## – Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved
## **Director name**
Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity
**Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year**
## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others**
Description of the assets held in this capacity
Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects
Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets
## **Additional information (optional)**
## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**
**Type of Name Address adviser**
## **Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)**
## **Exemptions from disclosure**
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
## **Other optional information**
## **Declarations**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
**Signature(s)**
**Full name(s)** Katie Anne Lavender
**Position (eg Secretary,** Chairperson **Chair, etc)**
**Date** 05.08.26