## **Trustees' Annual Report for the period**
||Period start date|Period start date|||Period end date||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**From**|**1**|**04**|**2024**|**To**|**31**
**03**|**2025**|
Section A Reference and administration details
**Charity name** African Village Support
**Other names charity is known by** AVS **Registered charity number (if any)** 1164318 **Charity's principal address** AVS c/o Curzon Green Solicitors 114-116 Oxford Street, High Wycombe Buckinghamshire **Postcode** HP11 2DN
**Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
|1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year**|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee(if any)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Marie Cates||||
||Stephen Cates||||
||David Cates||||
||Naomi Lumutenga||||
||Patricia Lewis||||
||Robert Green||||
||Suzannah Fullagar||||
||Alex Steele||||
||Amina West||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
**Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)**
**Name Dates acted if not for whole year**
**TAR**
1
January 2026
## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**
|**Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**|**Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**|**Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**|
|---|---|---|
|**Type of adviser**
**Name**
**Address**|||
|Financial|Jean Carless|As before.|
|Financial|Simon Carless|As before.|
||||
||||
## **Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)**
## **Section B Structure, governance and management**
## **Description of the charity’s trusts**
Type of governing document
- (eg. trust deed, constitution)
The charity is governed by a constitution.
How the charity is constituted Charitable Incorporated Organisation. (eg. trust, association, company)
Trustee selection methods Recommended and elected by the Trustees. (eg. appointed by, elected by)
## **Additional governance issues (Optional information)**
You **may choose** to include additional information, where relevant, about:
- policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
- the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
- relationship with any related parties;
- trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.
AVS is governed by a voluntary Board of Trustees who are responsible for the charity’s strategic direction, governance and financial oversight. The Trustees bring a range of skills and experience which support effective decision-making and the delivery of the charity’s objectives.
One Trustee was born in Uganda and the remaining Trustees have visited Eastern Uganda on a few occasions to work directly with the charity. This enables the Trustees to maintain a good understanding of the local context and to see first-hand the impact of funds raised in the UK. Day-to-day management of projects in Uganda is delegated to the AVS Uganda Executive Board, which works with local village representatives. AVS Uganda is registered locally as a Community Based Organisation (CBO).
- Both the UK Trustees and the AVS Uganda Executive Board serve on a voluntary basis. The Trustees maintain oversight through regular communication and reporting, ensuring that activities remain aligned with the charity’s aims and objectives.
## **Section C Objectives and activities**
The Trustees have set a fundraising objective for the UK of **£30,000 for the year** , to support the delivery of the charity’s aims and activities in Uganda.
**Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document**
In furtherance of its charitable purposes, AVS seeks to achieve its mission through the following objectives:
- to relieve poverty among vulnerable families and communities through capacity building, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihood projects;
- to promote safe motherhood and improve health outcomes within vulnerable communities;
**TAR**
2
January 2026
|**Summary of the main**
**activities undertaken for the**
**public benefit in relation to**
**these objects (include within**
**this section the statutory**
**declaration that trustees have**
**had regard to the guidance**
**issued by the Charity**
**Commission on public**
**benefit)**|•
to provide educational support to orphans and vulnerable
children;
•
to establish and maintain a functional community centre to
facilitate community-led development interventions; and
•
to nurture and promote talent among young people through
vocational education and training courses.
In setting these objectives, the Trustees have had due regard to the
Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and believe that the
activities undertaken during the year have provided clear public benefit to
the communities served.|
|---|---|
||During the year, the charity undertook the following activities in
furtherance of its charitable objectives, for the benefit of the communities
it supports:
•
**Education support**was provided through sponsorships for
approximately 15 students at secondary and tertiary levels,
enabling continued access to education for children and young
people from vulnerable backgrounds.
•
A**library facility**was maintained to provide students with a safe
and supportive environment in which to complete homework,
undertake research and engage in general study to support their
educational attainment.
•
During the year, the Trustees resolved to lease the girls’**hostel**to
St Peter Claver School, Mbale, the institution we primarily support
for educational provision. This decision was taken to ensure the
facilities were used effectively, remained well maintained, and
continued to benefit our sponsored students. The hostel now
provides safe accommodation for up to 20 female students and
teaching staff, thereby supporting safeguarding, sustainability of
the premises, and continued access to education.
•
The charity supported up to 10**women’s groups**, through
financial assistance, training, livelihood development, and
agricultural and animal-rearing projects. We currently support ten
groups, each with between 12 and 40 members. With an average
of five family members per household, this means we positively
influence approximately 1,300 people each year.
•
The**Community Centre**was operated and made available for
use by local residents and organisations. The centre serves as a
focal point for community activity and provides a venue for the
delivery of many of the charity’s programmes.
•
Health-related activities were delivered to improve living
conditions, respond to health needs and enable access to medical
treatment for the**most vulnerable**individuals within the
community. This year we have supported twelve families with
various needs.
•
The charity distributed over this year we distributed over 2,000
**Mama bags**. Each bag provides basic items to help with hygiene
during the birth and immediate aftercare for both mother and child
to expectant mothers. This programme aims to encourage regular
attendance at antenatal services (at least four visits during
pregnancy), promote delivery in healthcare facilities by qualified
midwives, and support routine childhood immunisation.|
## **Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)**
**TAR**
3
January 2026
During the year, the charity’s income was generated from a combination of UK-based fundraising activities and locally generated revenue in Uganda.
Approximately **£28,000** was raised through UK fundraising activities led by the UK Trustees and a significant contribution from individual sponsors and supporters.
Income from the hire of the Community Centre facilities, including hall hire, catering facilities and the use of office services such as internet access, photocopying and typing also generated income locally which was reinvested into the centre and used for maintenance, repairs and updating facilities.
You **may choose** to include further statements, where relevant, about:
- policy on grantmaking;
- policy programme related investment;
- contribution made by volunteers.
The Trustees are committed to ensuring that funds raised are applied efficiently in support of the charity’s objectives. During the year, 99% of total funds raised were expended on charitable activities and associated governance costs. Expenditure was allocated as follows:
- Education: **49%**
- Women’s livelihood projects: **14%**
- Support for vulnerable individuals: **4%**
- Community centre and conference facilities: **2%**
- Local staff costs and governance: **30%**
- Other charges (UK service providers): **1%**
The Trustees consider this allocation of resources to be appropriate and reflective of the charity’s priorities and ongoing commitment to maximising public benefit.
Expenditure during the year was primarily focused on education and staff and local delivery costs, with the remaining funds supporting women’s empowerment initiatives, maternal health, vulnerable individuals, community facilities and governance. 1% was allocated to UK financial service and online donor portal providers fees.
## Section D Achievements and performance
**TAR**
January 2026
4
Section D Achievements and performance
**Summary of the main** The communities supported by AVS in Uganda are predominantly **achievements of the charity** subsistence farming communities, living in very challenging conditions, **during the year** often without access to running water or electricity and reliant on seasonal harvests for survival. The needs within these communities are wide-ranging; however, there is a shared understanding that quality of life can be improved through projects that empower individuals and families to achieve greater personal and economic independence. AVS focuses on enabling this empowerment through: • access to education and skills development; • improved health and wellbeing; and • targeted support for the most vulnerable members of the community.
- Despite ongoing challenges during the year, the charity was able to: • maintain staffing levels at similar costs to last year;
- • continue operating the Community Centre;
- • provide food support to the most vulnerable individuals and families;
- deliver the Mama Bag programme for most of the year; and
- • maintain communication with student sponsors, encouraging the continuation of education support.
**TAR**
January 2026
5
**Section E Financial review**
**Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves**
AVS maintains a general reserve based on the generated cash surplus to meet any fluctuations in fund raising or commitments. Subject to the box headed “Further financial review details (Optional information)” below, there are no restrictions on the reserves.
**Details of any funds materially in deficit**
There are no funds in deficit.
## **Further financial review details (Optional information)**
You **may choose** to include additional information, where relevant about:
- the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
- how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
- investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.
The charity is supported primarily by individual donors, many of whom contribute specifically towards the educational costs of sponsored students. Fundraising events are organised to supplement this income, and the charity is registered with several online fundraising platforms.
A small proportion of the charity’s funding is received from charitable trusts that support smaller registered charities. Funds received from trusts are applied strictly in accordance with the specific purposes for which they are awarded, ensuring that restricted income is used solely to meet the relevant charitable objectives. As these funds are restricted, they are not included within the charity’s free reserves.
## **Section F Other optional information**
As the sustainability of the Community Centre continues to strengthen and its use grows across both the public and private sectors, the AVS Uganda Executive Board undertook research to assess the need for associated accommodation for visitors to the centre and the wider town of Muyembe.
As a result of this work, it is the charity’s intention to develop an accommodation block providing up to ten en-suite rooms on the same site as the community centre, keeping it separate from the girls hostel and therefore accessible by all visitors, to be operated on a small-scale hotel basis. The Trustees anticipate that approximately 80% of the cost of this development will be met through locally generated funds, with the remaining funding to be secured through other charitable income sources.
This development is intended to secure the long-term financial sustainability of the Community Centre, create local employment opportunities, and enable the AVS Uganda chapter to further develop programmes aligned with the charity’s mission.
Through this initiative, AVS aims to continue improving—through sustainable and sustained support—the quality of life of people living in the villages of Bulambuli District, Eastern Uganda.
## **Section G Declaration**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
**Signature(s)**
## RJ Green
Amina West **Full name(s)** Robert James Green **Position (eg Secretary, Chair,** Trustee Trustee **etc)**
**TAR**
6
January 2026
Date
30 January 2026
TAR
January 2026
|**African Village Support**||**1164318**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Receipts and payments accounts**||||**CC16a**|
|01/04/2024
Period start date
**For the period**
**from**|**To**|31/03/2025
Period end date|||
|**Section A Receipts and payments**|**Section A Receipts and payments**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**A1 Receipts**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**22,124**
**-**
**4,234**
**3**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**26,361**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**26,361**
**23,954**
**324**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**24,278**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**24,278**
**2,083**
**-**
**27,658**
**29,741**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**
**22,124**
**-**
**4,234**
**3**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**26,361**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**26,361**
**23,954**
**324**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**24,278**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**24,278**
**2,083**|**Last year**
**to the nearest £**|
|Donations/grants|**22,124**||**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**||**24,308**|
|Income tax -gift aid|**-**|||||
|Fund-raisingevents|**4,234**||||**-**|
|Sundryreceipts|**3**||||**2**|
||**-**||||**-**|
||**-**||||**-**|
||**-**||||**-**|
||**-**||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for_
_AR)_|
**26,361**||||**24,310**|
|||||||
|**A2 Asset and investment sales,**
**(see table).**||||||
||**-**||**-**
**-**
**-**|||
||**-**||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**|**-**||||**-**|
|**_Total receipts_**
**A3 Payments**||||||
||||**-**||**24,310**|
|||||||
|
Direct support forprojects in Uganda|**23,954**||**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**||**30,014**|
|Indirect support costs|**324**||||**378**|
||**-**||||**-**|
||**-**||||**-**|
||**-**||||**-**|
||**-**||||**-**|
||**-**||||**-**|
||**-**||||**-**|
||**-**||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_ **|**24,278**||||**30,392**|
|||||||
|**A4 Asset and investment**
**purchases (see table)**||||||
|**,**|**-**||**-**
**-**
**-**|||
||**-**|||||
|**_Sub total_ **|**-**||||**-**|
|**_Total payments_**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
**_Cash funds this year end_**||||||
||||**-**||**30,392**|
|||||||
||**2,083**||
**-**||**- 6,082**|
||**-**||**-**
**-**|**-**
**27,658**|**-**|
||**27,658**||||**33,740**|
||**29,741**||
**-**|**29,741**|**27,658**|
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
22/02/2026
1
|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at**|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at**|**the end of the period**||
|---|---|---|---|
|**Categories**
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
**B1 Cash funds**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
**B5 Liabilities**
**B3 Investment assets**|Signature
**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
**Details**
RJ Green
A West|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**27,658**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**27,658**
**-**
Agreement Error
OK
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
Print Name
A West
R Green|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||OK|
||||**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**When due**
**(optional)**|
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||||Date of
approval|
||A West|A West|25/02/2026|
||RJ Green|R Green|25/02/2026|
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
22/02/2026
2