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ETHIOPIA
## **Charity Information**
## **Registered Address**
225-229 Seven Sisters Road London, N4 2DA
## **Trustees**
Nadine Carle-Edgar Ashley England Elsabeth Gezahegn King Holly McKenzie Gabriella Otty Jack Sharville Matthew Stockdale
## Chief Executive
Caroline Walker
## **President**
Helen Pankhurst CBE
## **Banker**
The Co-operative Bank p.l.c. P.O. Box 101, 1 Balloon Street Manchester, M60 4EP
## **Registration**
Registered charity number: 1165953
Charitable Incorporated Organisation Constitution last amended 8 May 2020
## **Contents**
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Welcome 04
About Us 06
Access to Education 10
Quality of Education 18
Children’s Wellbeing 24
Our Team 28
Special Thanks 30
Our Finances 32
Income and Expenditure 33
Financial Statements 34
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## **Welcome**
Thank you to everyone who has continued to support our work this year. The year has been a challenging one following the outbreak of conflict in northern Ethiopia in November 2020. The conflict started just as restrictions due to the global Covid-19 pandemic were being lifted. It has severely impacted some of our anticipated projects, as well as posing difficulties for our staff and the people of Ethiopia.
In April 2021, at the start of this reporting period, the conflict had significantly impacted the Tigray region and by July it had spread to areas of the Amhara region, where our team is based and much of our work takes place. The incursions brought insecurity, internal displacement, and pressure to our team and the communities we serve.
Our team responded with resilience and we continued almost all of our programmes and support in the region. Nevertheless, we were forced to put all construction projects on hold as resources were claimed by the federal armies and materials became scarce and unreliable. Some of the families we support were displaced by the conflict, or had displacement camps set up in their communities. All families and projects were affected by spiralling inflation.
We have responded directly to the impact of the conflict by increasing aid for families, purchasing food parcels, providing resources for internal displacement camps, and providing extra support for our sponsored students in Lalibela, an area occupied during the conflict, as you will read in this report.
We have also continued our usual work as far as possible, maintaining our student sponsorship support, teacher training and girls’ education programmes. We were even able to introduce improvements to some of the projects, holding our first sponsored family forums as a merged organisation and beginning a new girls’ project to develop more female-friendly school environments.
Our Ethiopian team have remained focussed and committed to delivering our projects as best they could for the children in their communities throughout unimaginable circumstances and we would like to recognise them especially this year.
April 2021 also marked the official establishment of Together We Learn Ethiopia as a local charity in Ethiopia with its own board members. Together We Learn Ethiopia remains our implementing partner and their new registration status enables us to localise more project work and access more international funding. There are currently five members on the board, each bringing valuable knowledge and experience. The Ethiopian board will support us to achieve our mission and provide direct support to the team in Ethiopia.
At the time of publishing this report, a peace deal has been reached regarding the conflict and a number of positive steps have been made towards reconciliation. We look forward with hope for lasting peace and reopening of the country. We thank everyone who supports our work to ensure Ethiopian children can continue to strive for a brighter future through education.
Caroline Walker, Chief Executive **◊** Holly McKenzie, Chair of Trustees
**4**
## **The Year in Numbers**
**92 girls received reusable period packs**
**45 teachers received training**
**60 schools linked**
**5**
## **About Us**
Our vision is for all children in Ethiopia to be able to strive for a brighter future through access to quality education.
## **Our Mission**
Our mission is to break the cycle of poverty by giving vulnerable children access to quality education. We do this by improving the quality of teaching and facilities within schools, and by working with communities to overcome obstacles, enabling children to stay in school.
## **Our Approach**
Our approach to providing access to quality education is holistic, as our experience shows us that there are many areas of need that must be addressed to enable children to make the most of education. We work closely with schools through our construction projects, teacher training and school links, to understand the problems they are facing and how we can most effectively help them.
We also work closely with the children, their families and communities, through sponsorship, after-school clubs and income generating activities, to understand the issues they face at home and how these impact their ability to attend and concentrate in school.
## **Access**
We ensure access to education through the construction of school facilities that mean more children can stay in school.
## **Quality**
We improve the quality of education through teacher training and provision of quality learning environments.
## **Wellbeing**
We enable children to flourish through after-school activities and programmes supporting their families at home.
7
## **Our Values**
## **Equal**
## **Creating opportunities**
Our work is driven by the knowledge that all children have equal potential regardless of the circumstances they are born into.
## **Respectful**
## **More than a single story**
Ethiopia is a diverse and complex country with a rich history and culture. We promote a positive and rounded image of Ethiopia while supporting its development.
## **Collaborative**
## **Together we can transform**
We support children and families to transform their lives. Engaging with communities at all stages ensures that our projects are meeting actual needs and making a difference.
## **Honest**
## **Accountable to communities**
We are transparent and open in our work. By working closely together, communities are able to hold us to account. This means supporters and funders can be confident that we continue to invest donations where they have most impact.
## **Caring**
## **Taking time to look closer**
We care about the individual lives of the children and families we serve, even if it makes things more complicated. We recognise that effective solutions aren’t 'one size fits all' and that each family is made up of individuals with varied circumstances and concerns of their own.
## **Impact driven**
## **Never too big to learn**
We have over 20 years’ experience but we have never stopped learning. Each project or activity is an opportunity for us to become more effective. We are not afraid to innovate, but don’t feel the need to reinvent the wheel if an approach is effective. We aim to have a significant and lasting impact.
**8**
## **Access to Education**
Together We Learn ensures access to education through sponsorship and girls' projects that help overcome barriers, and constructing school facilities.
## **Girls' Education**
Enabling girls to achieve at school has a ripple effect of positive change across communities and down generations. Educating girls is vital for social and economic development. Our girls’ education projects help girls overcome obstacles to staying in school so they can achieve their full potential.
## **Future Girls Creating Female-Friendly School Environments**
This year marked the beginning of our new initiative to support girls in education. Special sessions were run weekly in six schools, involving male and female students, to discuss topics that affect girls' ability to participate fully at school.
In these sessions students had the opportunity to discuss together, to develop their thinking, and to present to groups on issues such as periods, bullying, and differences in expectations for boys and girls.
Directors and teachers were included from the outset of the project, receiving training on the topics before helping to facilitate the sessions with the students.
Each month students would present the topics at
school-wide assemblies, to share the learning with other students and improve their confidence and skills. Special assemblies were also held on Menstrual Hygiene Day in May to tackle the stigma and bullying around periods in schools. Female students also received reusable period packs to the help them manage their periods comfortably.
**75% of girls said that bullying during periods was common at their school**
**92 students received reusable period packs**
**11**
## **Student Sponsorship**
Our sponsorship programme enables children from low income families to go to school. Every child should be able to go to school with food in their belly, school books in hand, and knowing that they have a safe home to come back to. Our sponsorship model is designed to directly meet the needs of families in a way that most effectively enables children to stay in education.
**12**
**482 students received sponsorship support 97 families received medical support 23 students moved from primary to secondary education**
**10 students graduated from university or training courses**
**38**
**small businesses and home improvements were funded**
**13**
## **Updating the Programme to Meet Needs**
The Covid-19 pandemic followed by the conflict in the north led to high rates of inflation across Ethiopia. This meant the cost of most basic household goods increased drastically. The families we support through sponsorship already struggle to make ends meet, so it became impossible for them to meet these higher costs.
From April 2021 we increased the amount of direct financial aid that parents and guardians receive every month. These payments are used by parents and guardians to support the household in whatever way they think is best. Families usually use the money to buy food, water and pay rent.
Sponsors also responded to the increased need by buying food parcels to help families with higher costs. In total, 107 food parcels were bought.
Family forums were held in both regions bringing together all our sponsored families. A review of the programme was also run which led us to add regular psychosocial training for the students to our package of sponsorship support, and to improve reporting systems.
## **107**
**food parcels were bought to help sponsored families with inflation**
**14**
## **Meet Amanuel**
Amanuel grew up in a rural area of Western Gondar where he lived with his family and spent his days helping to take care of their sheep. Amanuel had an aunt who lived in Gondar town and believed that education was important for children. She tried to convince Amanuel’s parents to enrol him in school, but the nearest school was far from their village and they needed Amanuel’s support with the farming.
Eventually Amanuel’s aunt managed to convince his parents to let him live with her in Gondar and start his education. Aged 8, Amanuel enrolled in school for the first time. He worked really hard and had a natural aptitude, he finished Grade one with the highest results in his class and often helped his classmates with their work.
His teachers recognised his enthusiasm and his potential, as well as his difficult living situation. His aunt lived in poverty and did not have many resources to support him with. Together We Learn (then Link Ethiopia) was working with the school to support the education of students in need and we started Amanuel’s sponsorship in 2008, providing school materials, extra-curricular support and funds to help his aunt care for him.
Amanuel continued to excel in his education and, at the age of 14, he was selected from students across 54 schools to win a Young Innovator award. He continued to live with his aunt and supported her with household chores like fetching water, cooking and washing
## **“My dream comes true now and it made me so happy to go to school.’’**
— Amanuel
clothes on top of his studies. He also took an interest in electronics and practised fixing things in his spare time.
After completing college, Amanuel was allocated a place at university to study his top choice of subject, computer electronics. His sponsorship continued while he studied for four years, graduating in July 2021. After graduating he developed his skills by completing a short course on electronics maintenance, he took a small loan from the bank and set up a workshop where he now earns a living repairing electronics. He pays off his loan each month and eventually aspires to grow his business and build himself a house in his aunt’s compound.
Amanuel’s situation today is thanks to his aunt’s recognition of the importance of education for him, of his own hard work and dedication, and his sponsor’s support meant that he could stay in education and meet his potential. We want to make sure that no child misses out on the chance to because of poverty. Sponsorship helps students most at risk of dropping out due to poverty to stay in education, and achieve their full potential.
**15**
## **Sponsorship Forums Bringing Families Together**
We were pleased to be able to run our sponsorship forums again this year after a hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Sponsorship forums are held annually to bring sponsored parents and students together, share key messages and hear feedback from them about the programme and their needs.
This year was our first year holding the forums as Together We Learn, bringing together sponsored families that were previously associated with either Link Ethiopia or The Kindu Trust.
The forums were an opportunity to inform people about the merger, why it happened, and what adjustments there would be to the sponsorship programme. We also introduced the new elements such as increased direct financial aid and a new reporting system.
We took the opportunity of having all the families together to discuss certain key topics, such as child marriage, explaining the harm it causes and our duty and intention to report any cases of child marriage.
A psychosocial trainer provided information about positive parenting skills, discussing raising children through puberty, helping children stay committed to their education, and preventing early pregnancy. She emphasised the importance of giving children as much educational support as possible to help them get the most out of their schooling. The feedback from the parents about this session was particularly positive and we have now introduced psychosocial support for students as a regular part of our sponsorship support.
In Gondar the day concluded with a performance by the Kindu Klub students, which led to an outbreak of spontaneous dancing from the parents. It was a pleasure to see that the forum could provide a brief respite and moment of enjoyment at what had been a stressful time for many families due to the nearby conflict.
**16**
## **Supporting through Conflict**
The conflict in Northern Ethiopia started around November 2020. It was mainly contained within Tigray but affected some areas in the surrounding regions of Amhara and Afar. We were lucky that most our office and project sites were not directly affected, however the community in Lalibela was. Together We Learn supports 19 families in Lalibela through sponsorship and communication with all of them was cut off during the conflict. As soon as it was safe to return to the town, we took action to help the families recover and rebuild.
Lalibela was occupied by TPLF forces in August 2021. The community living there was cut off from the rest of the country and could not leave Lalibela. Banks, hospitals, schools and government services were closed. There was no electricity and no water. Residents had to give their food to occupying forces and crops were destroyed. The forces finally withdrew from Lalibela in December 2021 though the security situation remained uncertain.
By March 2022 we were working again in Lalibela and ran a campaign to support the families there who had been affected by the occupation.
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3,925
kilos of flour, wheat and teff
packs of sanitary
towels
400
business grants
19
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Using these funds we supported families in two ways: providing food parcels to address immediate survival needs; and providing grants and training to help families rebuild their lives.
Our team distributed food parcels and worked with the local social affairs office and microfinance office to support the families. With their support, we brought the families together, provided training on small business management, and established a savings cooperative. Each family was given a grant to help them establish, or re-start, a small business so that they could begin to look ahead. The families each save 100 birr (£1.70) each month through the cooperative and loan the saved funds to help each one develop their business.
During the year, we also supported families who had been displaced by the war and were living in temporary camps around Amhara with donations of flour and sanitary towels.
**17**
## **Quality of Education**
Together We Learn improves the quality of education through teacher training and by providing quality learning environments.
## **Teacher Training**
We work with teachers to help them deliver more effective lessons. In most Ethiopian classrooms, lessons are very basic with a teacher lecturing to a crowded classroom from the blackboard. In this environment, it is easy for children, especially those with little support at home or with special educational needs, to fall behind. Our teacher training projects help to build the capacity of teachers to make their lessons engaging, impactful and inclusive.
## **A Model of Rural Excellence**
We are working with Gendit School and our partner Building Futures Ethiopia to develop their school into a replicable model of excellence in rural education. This year we began our third year of working with the school and in September the school started serving Grade five students for the first time. A school is required to have a certain level of facilities in order to teach from Grade 5, having this locally meant that many children could continue to attend, rather than drop out of education or have to travel to a school outside of town.
We celebrated the new academic year and the introduction of Grade five in October at a welcome ceremony. The day was an opportunity to bring the community together and re-energise teachers, parents and pupils towards the vision for the school. Four refurbished classrooms were officially presented. The highest achieving and most improved students from the previous year received recognition and prizes.
We had planned to build a new block at the school this year, providing a classroom, library and director's office. Unfortunately, the conflict meant that construction was not possible. We continued to work with the teachers and director at the school to improve leadership, learning environments and quality of teaching.
**87% of pupils passed their end of year exams and progressed to the next grade**
We are trialling a teacher competency framework model at the school to identify areas of improvement and support teachers to target and develop their skills in a progressive and practical way. Teacher training was delivered at the start of the year, targeting the areas identified as priorities by our team and the teachers: lesson planning, student centred teaching, and creating teaching aids from available materials.
We also collaborated with leading schools in Gondar to provide mentorship to the teachers and director at the school. A director and teachers visited the school once a fortnight to observe the teaching and leadership and to work with the staff to implement training and improve teaching practice.
Following a mid-year review, more tutorials were added to the programme to provide extra support to the students. The teachers had already started delivering weekend tutorials providing general support to students who needed help catching up after Covid-19-related school closures. We added literacyfocussed tutorials in the afternoon, providing bread and fruit to attending students, to ensure adequate nutrition to study for a longer day.
**19**
## **Expanding our Early Years English Improvement Project**
For the past 10 years, our work on teacher training has mainly focussed on supporting early years teachers to improve the quality of English teaching using the phonics method. We have focussed on this area because English literacy is vital to secondary education, when all subjects are taught in English, and because we have consistently seen a significant positive impact from teaching using this method.
Pupils learn to read English from Grade one. Most teachers base their lessons on the alphabet and word memorisation. In general, lessons are traditional with teachers reading from the board. Across Ethiopia, many children end primary school unable to read in their own language, so learning a second language in a different alphabet is even more difficult.
Using the phonics method and the resources and training from Jolly Phonics, teachers are able to teach English in an engaging, effective and a memorable way, which we have seen have a dramatic impact on pupils' reading outcomes year on year.
**“Before I got the Jolly Phonics training, only a few of my students could read by the end of the year. Having had the training this year, almost all of my class students are now starting to read simple words within two months. In addition, my students who did not speak at all that are able to start saying a, a, a, a and c, c, c, c, are a living testimony of the effectiveness of this programme.’’**
- Senayit ◊ Grade one teacher, Dukem
**20**
2021 brought an expansion of the project with our first Jolly Phonics training for teachers in Oromia since 2015. We trained 24 teachers from 12 schools in Bishoftu and Dukem. At the end of the year the trained classes achieved the best results we've seen in our phonics projects. Students could read 40 new words compared to only 1 in schools not teaching phonics. Students in project schools had a reading age of 7 years and 5 months at the end of the year while students in schools not teaching phonics scored too low to compute a reading age.
In Amhara, we had planned to train lecturers in all ten Colleges of Teacher Education in the region but our work was affected by the conflict. We were able to work with three, Finite Selam, Debre Markos and Injibara where we trained seven lecturers to include the phonics method in their training for new teachers.
After four years working together on pilot projects, we were also delighted to receive the backing of the Regional Education Bureau on an expanded roll out for 2022-23, to work with 400 teachers from 200 schools across the Amhara region, our first step to training every Grade one teacher across the region.
**1,320 pupils benefitting from improved English teaching methods**
## **Kindu Klub**
The Kindu Klub is an educational club based in Gondar that provides homework support, access to learning spaces and organised play. It provides a valuable space for children who attend state schools for only half a day, where they can be in a class of over 60 pupils, and whose parents are often illiterate and unable to help with school work.
This year we received an average of 48 pupils per week at the club. Children attend in small group sessions with other children of their grade level. The youth worker arranges lessons to support their learning, provides homework support and leads games, including weekly football sessions on Fridays. The club also provides access to computers so that children can learn IT skills, and a library where they can borrow fiction and study books.
In April, our Amhara team moved the Gondar office to a new compound. Having our own compound means freedom to adapt the space to our needs. Now, as well as a room for the Kindu Klub, we have built an outdoor space that can be used as a canteen for lunch and as additional learning space in good weather.
**21**
## **School Linking**
School linking continues to be an important part of what we do, encouraging UK/US and Ethiopian schools to learn from and about each other. This year we have been moving towards a more equitable school partnership model. As such, Together We Learn has worked with a qualified teacher to create classroom resources for linked schools which reflect and engage with modern Ethiopia.
The lesson themes this year have included water usage, biodiversity, the Ethiopian coffee ceremony, Christmas, and sustainable cities. Through these resources, children were encouraged to draw similarities and differences between their country and Ethiopia and teachers were challenged to expand their subject knowledge and reflect on culture and values.
Teachers value the annual shared learning activity (SLA), where pupils create learning around a shared theme and exchange it via post. This year’s theme was "My Locality" so pupils were encouraged to reflect on their immediate surroundings, be it their homes, school, town, village or, in the case of very young children, their walk to school. As inspiration, schools were provided with a list of books that teachers could share with the class as well as a teaching prompt and visual examples.
A number of schools took part in this activity although many of them reported difficulties running their usual programme due to the ongoing pandemic. Bottesford Infant School in Scunthorpe and Tokuma Elementary in Bishoftu took part for the first time, making posters for each other. There was much excitement when the packages arrived.
We sent termly newsletters to schools to keep them up-to-date with their school partnership and Together We Learn. We also celebrated and shared good practice and the latest educational research into global learning.
## **“The staff have been telling me how engaged the children were completing the SLA because it had a real purpose. We can’t wait to receive theirs back. It is so lovely to see their enthusiasm!”**
— Becki Watson ◊ link coordinator at Bottesford Infant School
**22**
## **Donkey Library**
Our donkey library programme supports rural schools who do not have their own libraries. We have three donkey libraries, two located in the Oromia region, in the rural areas surrounding Bishoftu, and one in Amhara in the Gondar Zuria zone. Each year they visit 13 rural elementary schools, supporting students from seven to 15 years old.
The objective of the donkey libraries is to encourage reading for pleasure and as a life skill. We know that access to books is strongly correlated with levels of literacy.
**“Abebe is a Grade five student. He doesn’t have books at home except his school textbook. He likes reading very much. He feels happy when he sees the donkey with books at its back. He likes reading Ethiopian folktales.”**
— Kassaye ◊ Grade one teacher
Our donkeys carry a selection of fiction and reference books to schools. During their visits the donkey librarians work with the school to organise reading sessions and to lend books to students and teachers. Together they conduct more than 400 school visits to their partner schools in a school year.
**400 school visits were made by donkey librarians**
**23**
## **Children's Wellbeing**
Together We Learn enables children to flourish through after-school activities and programmes supporting families at home.
## **Football Teams**
Together We Learn runs football projects for girls and boys in Gondar and Bishoftu. The teams offer children the opportunity to build confidence, improve their fitness and develop skills outside of the classroom.
This year was a special year for the Gondar girls’ football team as they were able to take part in their first football tournament. Previously, the nearest girls’ football tournament was in Bahir Dar, a city four hours away by car. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and conflict it wasn’t possible to participate in recent years. Happily, the ‘futsal tournament’ was introduced to Gondar meaning that our girls’ team were able to play competitive games against teams like them in their home city.
**“[Since I joined the team] I developed confidence to speak with my friends and my coach. I feel confident both at school and at home but at the beginning I was shy in both. My physical fitness is also improved. Though I am thin I am strong and healthy.”**
— Adina ◊ Member of the Gondar girls' football team
Ten new girls joined the team this year, as older members move away for university. Four members were even invited to join Gondar University’s football team.
In Bishoftu, the boys and girls teams received new uniforms and training materials. The teams also took part in local tournaments during the year.
**25**
## **Home Improvements**
As part of our mission to enable children to succeed in education, we undertake projects wherever we can to improve living environments. Adequate housing means security for the child, a safe place to live and a place to study and do homework.
Many of our sponsored families live in very basic accommodation with few, if any, basic conveniences. We facilitate the construction of new homes, improve existing homes, install taps and electricity and provide bedding and furniture.
Housing improvements directly improve the quality of life for families and the opportunities for students to study at home and therefore succeed at school. Improvements also reduce living costs and make homes healthier, safer and happier places to live.
We also help families by providing start-up funds to set up their own businesses wherever possible. This builds their capacity to generate their own income, improve their skills and self-esteem and support their families independently.
This year we began work on a significant construction project that will provide housing for eight families living in Tikil Dingay.
The land was offered to us by the government and we raised enough funds through our Christmas campaign for building to start. The compound will provide homes to single mothers with an average of four children. The women have low levels of education and do domestic work or run small businesses but have to spend 90 percent of their income on rent. This makes it impossible for them to support their families or plan for their futures.
Work on the compound started in February 2022 when a committee was established by the women to help with the construction process. When the compound is finished, there will be access to running water and electricity, so children can study after dark and new businesses will be possible. A shared block of toilets and showers will improve sanitation and reduce the risk of assault that girls face when they have to travel to access these facilities.
**26**
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5
received funding
to help improve their homes
9
received new beds
and bedding
5
families received business
start-up funds
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## **Playgroup**
The playgroup is a space for pre-school sponsored children to socialise and play, where they develop both by interacting with each other and with toys they often don’t have at home. The first years of a child’s life are vital to lay the foundations for learning in the future, but primary school starts at age seven in Ethiopia, and few schools have kindergartens attached for earlier learning. The Playgroup exists to provide crucial early years education, as well as support and resources for parents and guardians, who accompany their children to playgroup.
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25
parents and
guardians got peer
support
children received hot meals
35
Each week:
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**27**
Our Team
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## **Ethiopia Team**
**Elsa Kebede** Country Director
**Tatek Ezezew** Amhara General Manager
**Binalfew Alemu** Amhara Accountant and Administrator
## **Project Teams**
**Dawit Zemene Gebre Asfaw Chekula Megerssa Mersha Ayechew Admas Gebre-** Oromia Amhara Projects Kindu Klub **Egzabhier** Projects Projects Coordinator Youth Worker Playgroup Manager Manager Youth Worker
## **Sponsorship Teams**
_until July 2022_ **Marta Bekele Aster Molla Lensa Abera Sitotaw** Sponsorship Sponsorship Oromia **Ambachew** Manager Coordinator Accountant Sponsorship and Coordinator Coordinator
## **Supporting Staff**
**Selamawit Askalech Melat Getu Abebech Enanye Abebe Astatkie** Cook **Mequanent Tadele** Cashier and Cook Cleaner Cleaner and Purchaser Messenger
**Abate Taye** Guard
**Tigabu Bera Wagnew Abebe Dinku** Guard **Shumeye** Gardener Guard
## **UK Team**
**Caroline Walker** Chief Executive
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until October 2022
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**Rory Dillon** Projects Manager
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until September 2022
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from October 2022
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_until September 2022_ **Ellie Chesshire Elle Harris** Sponsorship Sponsorship Coordinator Coordinator
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Special Thanks
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## **Organisations Link Schools**
◊ All Saints Church of England Primary School, Harrogate
◊ Allan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust
- Amhara Ministry of
- Education
- Backwell School, Bristol
- Bedford Academy, Bedford
- Bramford Church of England Primary School,
- Ipswich
- The Archer Trust
- Baillie Gifford Foundation
- Building Futures Ethiopia
- Brocks Hill Primary, Oadby
- Bryn Offa Church of England Primary School,
- Owestry
- Corvallis Sister Cities
- Association
- Days for Girls UK
- Dr Challoner's Grammar School, Amersham
- Elsie Kerr Trust
- Furze Platt Junior School, Maidenhead
- Gunthorpe Church of England Primary School,
- Enable-Ed
- Ethiopiaid UK
Gunthorpe
- Holland House Infant School and Nursery,
- Eva Reckitt Trust
- The Foundation for Social
Sutton Coldfield
- Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School,
- Dartford
Improvement
- Gondar College of
- Teacher Education
- Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic
- Primary School, Leeds
- Guernsey Overseas Aid
- Hosking Charitable Trust
- Impington Village College, Cambridge
- Kenmore Park Infants and Nursery School,
- Harrow
- Jolly Futures
- Leicester Women’s
- Killinghall Church of England Primary School,
- Harrogate
Welcome
- Open Heart Big Dreams
- Fund
- Longney Church of England Primary Academy,
- Longney
- Paradigm Norton Trust
- Peter Stebbings
- Memorial Charity
- Moyles Court School, Ringwood
- Naseby Church of England Primary
- The Rhododendron Trust
School Academy, Naseby
- Small International
- Development Charity Network
- Nun Monkton Primary School, Nun Monkton
- Rhyddings Business and Enterprise School,
- Oswaldtwistle
- Souter Charitable Trust
- South Avenue Elementary, New York, USA
- St John's Church of England Primary School,
- Caterham
- Studiosus Foundation
- The Sycamore Trust
- The Tula Trust ◊ St John's Church of England Primary School,
- ◊ Tutu’s Fund for the Walsall
- Tutu’s Fund for the
- Future
- St Nicolas and St Mary Church of England
- Primary School, Shoreham-by-Sea
- TUUT Charitable Trust
- St Peter's Primary Church of England Academy,
- Stonnal
- UK Literacy Association
- The Waterloo Foundation
- Wild Frontiers Foundation ◊ Stanion Church of England Aided Primary School, Stanion
- Stratton Primary School, Stratton
- Tannery Drift First School, Royston
- Unicorn School, Richmond
## **Fundraisers**
◊ London Marathon **-** Michelle Caldeira
◊ New Forest 10k - Sarah Walker
◊ Royal Parks Half Marathon **-** Ellie Chesshire, William Davies, Rory Dillon, Tim Otty, Mark Papasavva, Daniel Perfitt, Nadia Serroukh, Akhil Shah and Gavin Walker
## **Volunteers**
- Abbey Anson
- Pete Belfield
- Nadine Carle-Edgar
- Ashley England
- Liya Getachew
- Elsabeth Gezahegn King
- Meron Haile
- Caterina Ionescu
- Priya Kara
- Holly McKenzie
- Gabriella Otty
- Jack Sharville
- Matthew Stockdale
## **Gifts In Kind**
◊ Alice Hearn: voluntary services to examine accounts
- Days for Girls - reusable period packs
- Dropbox - storage solutions
- Finsbury Park Trust - discounted
- office space
- Mailerlite - mailing service
- Salesforce - database
**31**
Our Finances
li
## **Income and Expenditure**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
*Income in this year includes funds
Grants
transferred from Link Ethiopia and
The Kindu Trust (our former entities).
6%
The value of new income was
£132,577. Sponsorship
9%
Individual donations
8%
Gift Aid
Income 2%
Transfers from Link Ethiopia £506,170*
Schools
and The Kindu Trust
1%
74%
Transfers from Link Ethiopia and The Kindu Trust
74%
Raising funds Global Learning
7% 1%
Projects
33%
Expenditure
£208,062
Sponsorship
59%
**----- End of picture text -----**
**33**
## **Statement of Financial Activities**
||**Note**||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**||**Total**|**Prior year**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**funds (£)**|**income funds (£)**||**funds (£)**|**funds (£)**|
|**Incoming resources**|2&3|||||||
|**Income and endowments from:**||||||||
|Donations and legacies|||48,124|16,784||64,908|10,293|
|Charitable activities|||5,900|61,769||67,669|179|
|Transfers from Link Ethiopia|||195,897|177,696||373,593|-|
|and The Kindu Trust||||||||
|**Total**|||249,921|256,249||506,170|10,472|
|**Resources expended**|4|||||||
|**Expenditure on:**||||||||
|Raising funds|5||14,200|-||14,200|-|
|Charitable activities|||2,462|191,400||193,862|-|
|**Total**|||16,662|191,400||208,062|-|
|**Net income / (expenditure)**|||233,259|64,849||298,108|10,472|
|**Transfer between funds**|11|-|28,209|28,209||-|-|
|**Foreign exchange (losses) / gains**|12|-|419|-|-|419|-|
|**Net movement in funds**|||204,631|93,058||297,689|10,472|
|**Reconciliation of funds**||||||||
|Total funds brought forward|||10,293|179||10,472|-|
|**Total funds carried forward**|||214,924|93,237||308,161|10,472|
**34**
## **Balance Sheet**
||**Note**|**Total this year (£)**|**Total last year (£)**|
|---|---|---|---|
|**Fixed assets**||||
|Tangible assets|8|-|-|
|**Total fixed assets**||-|-|
|**Current assets**||||
|Debtors|9|9,696|-|
|Cash at bank and in hand||324,914|10,472|
|**Total current assets**||334,610|10,472|
|Creditors: amounts failing due within one year|10|- 26,449|-|
|Net current assets / (liabilities)||308,161|10,472|
|Total assets less current liabilities||308,161|10,472|
|**Funds of the charity**||||
|Restricted income funds|11|93,237|179|
|Unrestricted funds||214,924|10,293|
|**Total funds**||308,161|10,472|
**35**
## **Notes to the Accounts**
## **Note 1 - Basis of preparation**
The financial statements of the charitable trust, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) ‘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 (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015)’, and Financial Reporting Standard 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, modified to include the revaluation of investments. There were no related party transactions for the period.
## **Cash Flow**
A cash flow statement has not been prepared as the Trustees have taken advantage of the exemptions afforded by Financial Reporting Standard Number 1 (revised) as the charity is of similar size to a small company.
## **Corporation Tax**
The charity is exempt from taxation in respect of Corporation Tax and Capital Gains under Section 466 et seq of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 and Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that such income or gains are applied exclusively to charitable purposes.
## **Note 2 - Incoming Resources**
All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.
## **Note 3 - Analysis of income**
||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|**Prior year**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Donations and legacies**|**funds (£)**|**income funds (£)**|**funds (£)**|**funds (£)**|
|Donations and gifts|22,537|16,784|39,321|293|
|Git Aid|10,990|-|10,990|-|
|General grants|14,597|-|14,597|10,000|
|**Total**|**48,124**|**16,784**|**64,908**|**10,923**|
|**Charitable activities**|||||
|Sponsorship|-|45,519|45,519|179|
|Global Learning|5,900|-|5,900|-|
|Projects|-|16,250|16,250|-|
|**Total**|**5,900**|**61,769**|**67,669**|**179**|
|**Transfers from Link Ethiopia and Kindu Trust**|||||
|Transfers from Link Ethiopia|75,051|109,333|184,384|-|
|Transfers from The Kindu Trust|120,846|68,363|189,209|-|
|**Total**|**195,897**|**177,696**|**373,593**|**-**|
|**Total**|249,921|256,249|506,170|10,472|
## **Note 4 - Resources Expended**
Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes VAT which is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates. Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities 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. Costs are split between categories based on staff time.
## **Note 5 - Raising Funds**
||**Total**
**funds (£)**|**Prior year**
**funds (£)**|
|---|---|---|
|Raising Funds|||
||||
|Events|2,855|-|
|Merchandise & other|1,560|-|
|Shared operations|3,279|-|
|**Total**
Staffing|6,506
14,200|-
-|
**36**
## **Note 6 - Employees**
Average number of full-time equivalent employees in the London office: 2 (July 2021 to March 2022). (0 in 2020-21). Number with annual remuneration of £60,000 or more: 0.
||**Total**|**Prior year**|
|---|---|---|
||**funds (£)**|**funds (£)**|
|**Employees**|||
||||
|Wages & salaries|35,967|-|
|Social security costs|2,309|-|
|Pension Contributions|619|-|
|**Total**|38,895|-|
## **Note 7 - Trustee Remuneration**
## **Note 11 - Movement in Funds**
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
The charity maintains detailed restricted funds. Unexpended balances remained in 14 restricted funds at the year end relating to different projects and sponsorships.
## **Note 12 - Foreign Exchange Calculation**
Transactions in Ethiopian Birr are translated at rates prevailing when funds are transferred to Ethiopia. Balances denominated in Ethiopian Birr are translated at the rate of exchange prevailing at the year end.
## **Declarations**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees.**
## **Signatures**
Trustees received no remuneration nor expenses.
## **Note 8 - Tangible Fixed Assets**
Purchases of under £1,000 in value are written off in the year of purchase.
## **Note 9 - Debtors & prepayments**
Amounts falling due within one year:
|Amounts falling due within one|year:||
|---|---|---|
||**Total**|**Prior year**|
||**funds (£)**|**funds (£)**|
|**Debtors**|||
||||
|Trade debtors|9,696|-|
|**Total**|9,696|-|
**Full name** Holly McKenzie **Position** Chair **Date** 29/01/2023
**Full name** Jack Sharville **Position** Treasurer **Date** 29/01/2023
## **Note 10 - Creditors**
Amounts falling due within one year:
||**Total**|**Prior year**|
|---|---|---|
||**funds (£)**|**funds (£)**|
|**Creditors**|||
||||
|Accruals|10,000|-|
|Social security|630|-|
|Deferred income|15,819|-|
|**Total**|26,449|-|
**37**
## **Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees**
I report on the accounts of Together We Learn for the year ended 31st Mar 2022, which are set out on pages 34 to 37.
## **Respective Responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner**
The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act;
- to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act, and
to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## **Basis of the Independent Examiner’s Report**
My examination was carried out in accordance with the general directions given by the Charity Commission. 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 no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the next statement.
## **Independent Examiner’s Statement**
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
- 1.which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements (i) to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act and (ii) to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met; or
- 2.to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
## **Alice Hearn ACA**
Redhill, Surrey
30 January 2023
**38**
## **Registered Address**
225-229 Seven Sisters Road, London, N4 2DA
## **Trustees**
Nadine Carle-Edgar Ashley England Elsabeth Gezahegn King Holly McKenzie Gabriella Otty Jack Sharville Matthew Stockdale
## **Chief Executive**
Caroline Walker
## **President**
Helen Pankhurst CBE
## **Banker**
The Co-operative Bank p.l.c. P.O. Box 101, 1 Balloon Street Manchester, M60 4EP
## **Registration**
Registered charity number: 1165953 Charitable Incorporated Organisation Constitution last amended 8 May 2020