**Welcome to Porridge and Pens Ghana’s 2021 Annual Trustee Report** ## **A welcome from our Chair of Trustees – Gregg** ## **Weaver** Being Chair of Trustees for Porridge and Pens is an honour and a privilege. We may be a small charity made up of a handful of people, but the amount achieved especially over the last year has been astonishing. The Brightlingsea Academy is growing both in size and pupil numbers and the Girl Power project goes from strength to strength with new developments happening constantly. Both are having such an impact on so many young lives as well as on their families and local community. None of this would be possible without a handful of extremely dedicated and hardworking people who spend their free time doing everything they can to help others. The pandemic has had a huge effect on all of us and has limited our fundraising opportunities greatly, requiring alternative methods of income to continue to run our vital projects. Although at times we have struggled, we try to use the people that we work with in Ghana as our inspiration. Although they have so little and struggle daily with things that we fully take for granted, they are so grateful for what they have and don’t dwell on their misfortunes but focus on the positive aspects of their primitive lives. Despite having extensive future plans and hopes for Porridge and Pens, we also regularly reflect on everything we have already achieved and are so very proud and grateful to all those who support us and continue to make our dreams for our charity, a reality. The future for Porridge and Pens is looking bright and we are confident that we can continue to build on the success of the last few years and help change the lives of even more people. Another development this year is the introduction of Porridge and Pens to the large independent school where I work as a teacher. Not only have we taken on Porridge and Pens as our main charity to support through a range of fundraising events but have also used it as a gateway to learn about other cultures and lifestyles and look forward to strengthening the relationship between my school and The Brightlingsea Academy which will hopefully benefit students at both establishments through gaining a mutual respect and understanding of each other. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who continue to work so hard for Porridge and Pens but especially to the small team of people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure our charity is as successful as it can be including my fellow trustees, project manager, founder and all the staff in Ghana who we work so closely with. ## Gregg Weaver ## Chair of Trustees ## **A message from Jemma Williams – Our Founder** In 2021 we started to see some amazing progress affecting our beneficiaries and the local communities. Over 75% of children’s mothers from the Brightlingsea Academy have found employment. In 2016 we measured this at around 30%. We are starting to have a positive effect not only on the school children but the wider community too. For me, this is a clear, sustainable, and important step forward. Although there is rapid improvement going on across our two projects, children still face many, everyday barriers and distresses at home. When children come to the Brightlingsea Academy or The Girl Power Centre, they are safe, incredibly cheerful, fulfilled, engaged and looked after, but when they go home their troubles resume. Electric, clean running water and toilets are not common amenities for the children. Still, most of our families live on less than £2 a day. The average primary school place is £180 a year. Most of the families cannot afford to pay for rent. In fact, 63% of families are squatters in uncompleted buildings around the village. To put this into perspective, many people take up to 10 years to build a home in Ghana and until the house is completed the owners do not live in them - perhaps rather obviously! The houses will often be without windows, doors, roofs and only resemble the shell of a home for many, many years or until the owner has funds to complete the building. Until the owner can afford to complete the construction of their house, they allow squatters in, otherwise known as ‘Caretakers’ to look after their houses. 63% of our children at the Brightlingsea Academy live in uncompleted buildings and are ‘caretakers’, or squatters to you and me. Our two projects (Girl Power and Brightlingsea Academy) will provide a pathway for hundreds of children to walk through. This path will lead them to a far better life than their mothers and fathers, we are sure of that. Before they reap the rewards of a better life, they must ride out their own individual storms each day. This must sometimes feel like a very long, difficult, and unpredictable path to be walking upon. I want to say thank you so very much all our volunteers, staff, donors, and our wonderful group of trustees. Over the course of 2021 we have emerged out of the rocky waters of a global Pandemic. Our projects are back on track, and we hope never to close our doors again. I’m so pleased we managed to come out the other end not just in one piece but better and stronger than before. I also want to thank our regular donors for continuing to support us each month. These funds pay for the bulk of our core project costs and without this money we couldn’t operate. Our corporate donors, Childrensalon, have also been there for Porridge and Pens, helping us remain secure during the Pandemic and now supporting our development as we go forward. Thanks to their fundraising and commitment to our aims, we have been able to do things we hoped for, sooner than we thought. I hope our trustee report gives you an insight into some of these achievements. ## J.Williams ## **How the idea behind Porridge and Pens started:** Our founder, Jemma, started Porridge and Pens Ghana from her bedroom in Brightlingsea, Essex after finishing school. Whilst spending a year in 2009 in Ghana living and teaching, she met an orphan girl called Mabel and the experience changed her life. Mabel was a 14-year-old girl who was desperately unhappy and trapped working in a form of modern-day slavery as a ‘house girl’, suffering from daily abuse. Because Mabel wasn’t paid for her work she couldn’t afford to go to school, as schools are not free in Ghana. Gender inequality is also prevalent in Kumasi and the areas in Ghana that we now work, so girls get left behind too easily, often tasked with the chores of the house. Once Jemma became a teacher in Southend and earnt money of her own, she supported Mabel through her education back in Ghana. A little money went a long way. Mabel now, is head chef for an international tour company. Before she was given an opportunity to start school, Mabel was incredibly unhappy. She had nothing to live for. That has changed now – that is the power of education! ## **Porridge and Pens today:** We believe every child in Ghana should have a chance to achieve happiness and financial security in their later life. This all starts with access to quality education. Our work is delivered through two long standing projects; Girl Power and The Brightlingsea Academy, which make measurable differences to over 300 lives each day. Porridge and Pens works with some of the most disadvantaged children and young adults in Ghana. We do this by providing access to free education, safe shelter and school meals so young people can create their own bright and sustainable futures, free from poverty. ||| |---|---| |**300 children and**
**young adults**|**The Brightlingsea**
**Academy Project**| ||**The Girl Power**
**Project**| ||| ## **A Snapshot of our 2021 achievements** **----- Start of picture text -----**
We purchased a taxi
and started to train
Kumai’s first female
taxi driver
Over 20 partner
schools and
universities for
our students to
attend around
Kumasi
144,000 meals
eaten at school
4 new classrooms
built and
completed at The
Brightlingsea
Academy
59,400 days in
school for our
young people
1 lifesaving
operation funded
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## **The Brightlingsea Academy 2021** Greetings from the Brightlingsea Academy Ghana A free school for children from the remote and bush area of The Assenua Village Over the past six years we have worked hard to make lots of achievements. Here is what we are most proud of: A safe space for 230 children aged 0-14 12 classrooms 6 toilets 3 cooks to help serve over 100,000 meals a year! 23 staff in total Clean, free running water for the school and village to use 13 computers and a rich I.C.T curriculum **Timeline of The Brightlingsea Academy 2016 - 2021** Our school in 2016 with four classrooms 2016 building work – four new classrooms Eight classrooms and a small library were completed in early 2017 In 2019/2020 we started building four new classrooms to the right of the main school building. They were completed in 2021 Our four new primary school classrooms were completed in 2021 and are being used by 120 children. ## **Monitoring and Impact - 2021** In 2016 we measured the employment rate of mothers to be less than 30%. With the development of the school and our free childcare we are taking steps to eradicate poverty within the school village. - 73% of mothers are now working - 94% of fathers are now working - 100% of children don’t feel hungry during the school day – 80% of children from government schools do. We know this about the children from our school: - 50% of children still do not have access to any toilet facilities at home - 50% of children do not have access to any clean water at home - 63% of families squat in uncompleted buildings 63% of families squat in uncompleted buildings. Many landowners from out of the area have started to build houses in the village but stop when their funds run dry. Our students and their families squat in these buildings until the owner returns. In most cases, families - 50 of our students are still engaged with childhood labour activities before and after school and during the weekends. These children are from the poorest families at the school and live on under £2 a day. These families eat one meal a day on non-school days. move on to live in another uncompleted building when this happens. This is known as the ‘caretaker system’. ## **The nearest school is a long walk away…** The nearest government school is over two hours walk for some of our students. We took the long walk there from Brightlingsea Academy. To access the school our pupils would need to cross six lanes of fast-moving traffic. Upon meeting the Headteacher, we learnt these things about the school: - There is no access to running water - 80% of children eat nothing during the school day because school lunch is too expensive for their family income - Children need to buy their own chairs and desks and are expected to stand if they can’t afford these - 1/70 children have the textbooks they need as they must purchase these themselves - There are no toilet facilities - There is no way to dispose of any waste and so fires are constantly burning to dispose of rubbish. This creates dangerous and unpleasant fumes - The cane is used as a frequent and normal form of punishment This continues to show us The Brightlingsea Academy remains a lifeline of education and support for the children. In the future we have hopes to build a Junior High School so our students can continue onto the next stage of their education with Porridge and Pens at The Brightlingsea Academy. ## **Free feeding scheme - 2021** With 73% of mothers able to work we have recorded 40% of parents giving back to our school feeding scheme each day. These small donations mean we can increase the size of portions and the protein too. ## **A Case Study – Moses, Age 14** Moses is one of the children at Brightlingsea Academy. He’s 14 years old and officially too old to attend the Brightlingsea Academy. His mother was also our school cook at the Academy for three years. Devastatingly, she passed away in childbirth. She leaves Moses, and his younger siblings (who also attend the Brightlingsea Academy). They are like most of our families from the school’s village and squat in a small uncompleted building. Without the Brightlingsea Academy he would not be going to school. **“The Brightlingsea Academy is my one joy. My problems at home are uncountable but at school I can eat and I can learn. I can be myself. I can be happy. Thank you for making the Brightlingsea Academy a safe place for me. I truly love it with all my heart.” – Moses – 14, with his teacher Bernice.** ## **Girl Power 2021** Greetings from The Girl Power Project - Kumasi Girl Power - A pathway to higher education for street affiliated girls We work with girls from age 5-27 and get them to school. We take away their financial barriers and support their welfare so they can complete their education. A place at a good school Strong female role 2 daily meals models **A pathway to a secure wage in the future** Resources to live in dignity Belonging and unity Safe shelter ## **Girl Power is about keeping girls in school so they can finish their education to a level that allows them to gain a career and be financially independent in their future** **----- Start of picture text -----**
Junior Senior
High High
Primary
School School
School
(JHS) (SHS)
5-11
11-15 15-18
Each year at school increases a
girl’s future wage by 10-20%.
If a girl can
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## **Higher Education** **----- Start of picture text -----**
Once girls reach this level of
education, they are more
likely to secure a stable
wage.
**----- End of picture text -----**
**complete her** **higher education in Ghana the world can** **become their oyster…** - An average wage of £277 per month - Fewer children - Marry later in life - Thrive **But, its not as simple as it sounds and only 13% of girls in Ghana continue onto higher education (Including college, university or teacher training institutions).** - The average wage is £55 per month - The cost of living suggests the average person needs £240 a month to fulfil their basic living essentials - Higher chance of early marriage and low skilled working positions - The generational cycle of deprivation continues ## **Girl Power Partner Schools** Our staff work carefully and closely with teaching staff across our 21 Girl Power partner schools to track progress. They identify equipment and resources our Girl Power students need to help break down any financial barriers to their education. All the girls have frequent checks from our Girl Power staff at our partner schools to check on their school welfare and progress **----- Start of picture text -----**
Girl Power
Partner
Free feeding for our Girl
Schools and
Power students at our
Universities
partner schools
**----- End of picture text -----**
We work with several schools who have strong female leaders ## **Two meals a day** Eating one meal at school each day costs around 4 Ghana Cedi or £0.35 pence. For girls from the poorest backgrounds, this is unaffordable and means girls are more likely to get involved in child labour activities. We knock this barrier down by providing two meals at our partner schools everyday. At a recent monitoring and evaluation session we learnt that, before joining Girl Power, 80% of students who had previously attended school hadn’t eat anything all day. This was one a major reason for their previous school dropouts. Since joining Girl Power, 100% of girls feel less hungry in the daytime now – with increased levels of happiness and concentration. **“its hard to concentrate on learning and listening when your stomach continiously rumbles.” – Erica** ## **Safe shelter** 20,000 street children live in Kumasi. Our Girl Power Centre offers safe shelter to girls who do not have a safe space to live. For girls like Ophelia the Girl Power Centre is their permanent home and our centre staff take on the role of their guardians. Although they prefer to be known as Big Sisters! Our staff met Ophelia three years ago. An orphan street girl living under a plastic sheet. She was selling smoked fish and earning roughly £0.90 pence a day. Ophelia moved into the Girl Power Centre, and we registered her at senior high school. ## **The Girl Power Centre is:** - A permanent home to Girl Power street girls like Ophelia - A sanctuary for lots of the girls during the weekends - A safe and nurturing space with our centre staff - Weekend feeding when our partner schools are closed - Washing facilities - A brilliant library and I.C.T room where girls can use computers for the first time. - Extra classes in life skills and support for homework/summer studies - A place where the girls can relax and have fun ## **“I have shelter now” – Ophelia** 95% of our Girl Power students live with their relatives or friends. Their living situations are not always reliable or constant. The Girl Power Centre is there for any of the girls who need a temporary or permanent place to live. For many of the girls, their home environments are tough and stressful. The Girl Power Centre offers reprieve from distressing and uncomfortable everyday living conditions to all our students each weekend. They receive classes in life skills, support with homework and the opportunity to use computers, something they do not have in schools or at home. Most girls live in one room with up to 13 of their family members 82% of our girls wash in public loos because they have no toilet or running water at home Most of our girls don’t have their own bed, they share with up to five siblings Rooms are rented in uncompleted compound buildings, normally with no access to washing facilities ## **Girl Power students with disabilities** 0.3% of girls with a disability attend higher education in Ghana. The wage for a female with a disability in Ghana without an education can be as low as £1 a day. A single room in a compound house costs at least £7 a month, this leaves very little left over. Girl Power works to get girls with disabilities through school and into higher education. 20% of girls with disabilities are not in primary school in Ghana. ## **Miriam** Miriam is one of our talented Girl Power students. She wants to be a seamstress and wins lots of awards at her creative schoolwork. Miriam is in a lot of pain constantly because of her disability which means she struggles to walk some days. Through careful interventions we work hard to keep girls like Miriam in school. Miriam deserves the opportunity to become a seamstress in her future and we will absolutely help her get there with the power of higher education. **Medical support** **Additional resources for girls with Help getting to disabilities to work school safely from home when unwell. E.g – Provision of sewing machines.** ## **What our Girl Power staff say…** “The Girl Power project has one of the most remarkable objectives in Ghana. That is to ensure the bright future of young girls through education, feeding and safe shelter. Girl Power, through its plans and policies have over 100 girls in school. They have access to free food and water, books, and other learning materials which they would otherwise not have gotten from their family. Girls who have lost their parents and do not have any safe shelter live under our safe shelter at the centre to get a peaceful atmosphere for their education and growth. Girl Power has passionate and affectionate caregivers who take care of the girls and manage daily activities at the centre. I’m so proud to be part of this”. ## **Gloria - Assistant Manager – Girl Power** “During my visit to the Girl Power Centre this year I heard one word repeatedly used to describe the Girl Power Project and that was ‘family’. I knew the girls called Claudia, ‘Big Sis’ and I knew the girls that stay at the centre think of it as home, but I hadn’t realised quite the impact the centre makes to all the girls who are able to visit. They describe it as a ‘refuge’, a ‘safe space’, ‘fun’ and a place to meet their friends in similar situations to them but the staff of Claudia, Kofi and Gloria are what make them feel like it’s one big family. One of the students said, ‘Family is the perfect description, families look out for each other, care for each other, protect each other and help build each other up.” The Girl Power Centre is more than a place to visit. It’s a refuge from troubles, it’s a place to meet friends and it’s a place to receive care, love, support, and encouragement”. **Lia – UK Project Manager – Girl Power** “For me, as the Centre Manager, I get to be the one that emotionally holds the entire program together. So, for the girls, their highs are my highs, and their lows are my lows. It has been a journey and these girls, for me, are my family. Because, for some of our girls, I feel like I’m literally their mother. I’m the legal guardian for some of them and to see them come out with such good results is a lot for me. I’m thankful and I’m grateful for that. So, for me girl power is not just provision of food, shelter, and safety it is beyond that. I don’t know how to put it, but it is a life saver and a dream come true for these girls. They never thought they would get such an opportunity and for me, it’s a nurturing ground. It’s family. I get to see the girl’s bond; the togetherness and friendship build each day. It gives me a sense of responsibility and joy at the same time. I’m happy that, aside from my very immediate family, I have another family with these girls, younger sisters. For me, Girl Power is home”. **Claudia – Centre Manager – Girl Power** **A Case Study – Blessing** **By Claudia – Girl Power Centre Manager** Blessing is an orphan, so unfortunately, she’s lost both parents. Her mother and father are dead and it is believed that they were cursed by somebody. This is a very normal belief here in Ghana. I met her when she was just loitering around, selling on the streets. Then we put her through Girl Power and got her back into school. Shortly after we lost her mother who had a small provision shop. Before her father died, he built them a small house which remains uncompleted. In front of the building her mother was selling things and she would use this money to get her daughter, Blessing, through school. She didn’t make much from the shop and Girl Power gave her some funds to help her buy some more stock and better the business. It didn’t yield as she got very sick. After Blessing’s mother passed away her grandmother moved in who has also recently died. She is now in the house with her Aunty. For Blessing, if it wasn’t for the Girl Power’s intervention she would be on the streets. I do not know what would have happened to her. She is now doing very well; she is a very smart girl. She loves the Girl Power Centre a lot. She stays at the Girl Power centre every weekend and attends school in the week. Considering the number of problems that has happened to her, she is strong. She has kept it together and she knows how to handle her emotions. She is strong willed and that has worked a lot for her. Coming to the Girl Power Centre is a relief for her. She meets with her friends who are in similar positions to her, and she can talk to them. Right now, she is in Junior High School, and she is studying very hard. Blessing is one of our smartest girls. For her, we are very hopefully she will get great results and praying there will be no more casualties in her family. Girl Power has been a home for her, a solace and we will continue to provide that comfort for her. ## **A case study – Abigail (studying for her degree in education)** **By Jemma and Lia – Girl Power UK staff** Abigail was working on the streets selling second handbags with her mother. Between them, they would earn £45 a month. Abigail’s father had a stroke and was too unwell to work and so money was tight. Their money was spent on providing things for her younger brother and sister. Abigail managed to complete Senior High School with good grades, before her father became sick, and hoped to one day become a teacher. Abigail gave up school after Senior High and was out of education for years because she couldn’t afford to pay the university fees for teacher training. While selling bags with her mother she earnt so little, Porridge and Pens worked out it would have taken her 20 years to afford her first year at university. Abigail has been enrolled at university to study Geography and after this, she will complete a one-year teacher training program with Porridge and Pens. She is well on track to become a secondary school Geography and Humanities teacher. **A case study - Bernice (studying to become a teacher) - In her words** “Through Girl Power I’m now pursuing my dreams of becoming a teacher with a degree qualification. In this regard, with my values, interests, and plans which I have possessed at an early stage in my life through my family, and the opportunities given to me through the Girl Power project I know I will be a fantastic teacher and inspire others like me in the future”. **A case study - Angela (studying to become a teacher) - In her words** “I do not want my dreams to just waste away. I have always had the passion to help my classmates with things they do not understand when they are taught. Growing up has not been easy but I still hold on to my dreams of teaching. During my vacations I used to visit a school near where I stay to help the teachers teach the children and also mark the scripts for the teachers. I want to be able to complete the training school and get a good teaching job to be able to give back to society and take care of my mother. I intend to make myself, the Girl Power Centre and my family proud of me”. **A Case Study – Hannah (studying to be a nurse)** **By Claudia and Jemma – Girl Power the UK and Ghanian team** Hannah is 19 and came to us with her sister Abigail who is 22. They came to the Girl Power Centre in need of help. Abigail needs a kidney transplant and without it only has a life prognosis of two years. Every penny of Hannah and Abigail’s mothers’ money is spent on hospital treatment for Abigail and the pot was dry for education funds. They squat in an uncompleted house without any access to toilet or washing facilities. Hannah was desperate to return to school. Her dreams were to become a nurse. She felt terrible for wanting to pursue her own dreams when her sister was, and remains, so sick. Hannah had excellent school results and wanted to go to university. She is really an excellent student but her education stopped after secondary school. Before Girl Power, she would wait and hope that she would one day get the money for school, but it never happened. Her sister’s health was always the first priority for the family’s very limited finances. Hannah is an anxious person and worries about her sister. She was also worried of the burden she would put on her mother financially if she went to university, so she stayed at home without an opportunity to further her studies. Through Girl Power, she is now in university and learning. We are very hopeful that she will do well. She doesn’t feel that burden now she is able to reside at university too. If she had waited any longer, she would have wasted her previous exam results since it’s been so long since she finished school, her exam results would have been worthless. We are thankful we have put her back in school and we are sure she will complete this with flying colours. This will be a huge fulfilment, for all of us, when she becomes a nurse. ## **A Case Study – Erica (studying for her degree)** ## **In her own words** Erica is 20 years of age and is studying at university as part of the Girl Power project. Erica is confident, self-assured, and passionate. When I first met Erica, I thought she was a new member of Girl Power staff. I then learnt she was one of our newest Girl Power students. She lives with her mum and two siblings; one is 8 and the other is 10. They live in one small room. “We have a light, and a communal tap. We wash in a bucket outside and use the public toilet when we can afford to”. “Girl Power has made schooling so easy for me. I wanted to go to school to the highest level and Girl Power is a saviour for me. Without Girl Power I would have not gone to university. No, no. It is a big no”. ## **What girls say before starting Girl Power:** - **‘Before Girl Power I would stay at home because I didn’t have the things I needed.’** - **‘I was being beaten with canes because I didn’t have specific books, class fees and practical fees.’** - **‘Each of our uniforms cost about 70 GHC and there are up to four to buy. When you don’t have it you get beaten.’** - **‘I could not pay for school fees, books, uniforms, shoes and bags.’** - **‘I had so little money for school I felt constantly very sad and ate food from my friends.’** ## **What they say now:** - **‘I have an education, less hunger and good shelter now.’** - **‘Girl Power is my supportive family; it is perfect to me. A lifesaving project which has given me a new world. It’s my joy.’** - **‘Girl Power is my family’** - **‘I have a life now that I have joined Girl Power, I was nothing before. That is sad for me to admit, my life felt worthless.’** **Provide additional spaces to girls who want to go to school** **Help girls access better Provide sanitary toilet facilities at products each month school** Our future plans… **Offer more Girl Power We would like to fund spaces to girls with a Girl Power minibus disabilities (tro tro) to get students to and from the centre in the evenings and the weekends, safely.** ## **Reference and Administrative Information:** ## **Porridge and Pens Ghana** ## **Registered Charity Number:** 1166497 **Principal Address:** Porridge and Pens Officer, 1 Chapman Close, Brightlingsea, Essex, CO70FS **Trustees** : G Weaver (Chair of Trustees), C Tibbs, J Meek, E Smith (appointed 1 May 2021), P Tibbs (appointed 1 May 2021) **UK staff:** L Smith and J Williams **Bankers** : Barclays Bank, 9 High Street, Colchester, CO1 1DA Accountants: Edmund Carr LLP, 146 New London Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 0AW ## **Charity Objectives (as stated in the constitution)** “To relieve poverty of orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children, young adults and families, by provision of such grants and donations as shall be thought fit to orphanages, schools, individuals and families in Kumasi, Ghana, to improve their conditions of life” ## **Strategic plan 2016 - 2021** The impact we aim to achieve through our five-year strategy is a reduction in extreme poverty, gender inequality and injustice in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Our projects focus on the following three priority areas: Girls Education, Equality and Safety – Girls and young women are equal and respected members of society who are safe at home, in school and in their community. Food security: Children have improved food security with access to two free school meals each day Early childhood and primary education – Children from rural Kumasi in the Ashanti region of Ghana have access to good, free early childhood education. The trustees confirm that they have paid due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit when determining the activities of the charity. With the effects of Covid-19 still working its way through Ghana and causing vulnerabilities within society and the communities we work in, we need to focus on rebuilding and strengthening our projects to ensure we can continue to keep children and their families healthy and safe and this shall be our focus over 2021 and 2022. ## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT** ## **How we work** Because our resources are so limited, we work hard to make sure our structure and management enables us to always benefit the poorest young people in Ghana. Since Porridge and Pens was established in 2016, the number of beneficiaries seeking support from one of our projects in Ghana has increased by 67%. Most of this growth has been in the past two years and only possible because trustees have invested in our charity’s organisational capacity in the UK by employing two members of staff. In 2020 the Chief Executive Officer was joined by a UK Project Manager to support the charity's efforts in Ghana. Investment in our organisational capacity has continued to support the management of charity and projects and contributed to our stable income and expenditure. We appointed two new trustees in 2021, DR Philip Tibbs and Edmund Smith. We feel both new trustees have a wealth of experience in the medical, educational and international development sectors and can support our team of trustees. Edmund and Philip Tibbs were appointed on 08/05/2021 Our entire board of trustees and key volunteers continue to make an invaluable contribution to day-to-day management of our organisation. We have some very dedicated volunteers who offer their services to the organisation on a part time, voluntary basis. Our trustees and staff continue to work hard to ensure the smooth running of the organisation. Trustees are appointed by invitation from the existing board of Trustees. A Trustee will be appointed if there is a unanimous agreement of all existing Trustees. New Trustees will be given a copy of the Charity Commission's guidance for Trustees "The Essential Trustee" (CC3) and a copy of latest accounts. ## **Risk Management** Potential risk to the charity is considered and discussed by the trustees at the start of every year and regularly kept updated on any project risks by the CEO. We use our risk management policy and seek guidance from the necessary bodies to ensure compliance and limit risk to the organisation, staff, trustee and beneficiaries. ## **Sending money to Ghana** Porridge and Pens transfers funds to Ghana in two ways. SendWave allows the recipient to receive the funds instantly by using their mobile money account. This is a very common, safe and accepted way of collecting money in Ghana. We currently use SendWave as it has very low transaction fees and has always been reliable and fast. We send money this way when there is an unexpected cost or a project needs the funds urgently and unexpectedly, in some cases. As soon as the money is sent from the UK Porridge and Pens account it is with the recipient in a matter of minutes. This is one of the ways we rely on getting funds for our projects. The second way is via Transferwise. It is cheaper to send funds using Transferwise than through our bank, Barclays. It can take a lot longer to send funds this way, however the exchange rate is usually a little better on this platform. We try to send larger amounts of money using Transferwise so we benefit from a higher exchange rate. We plan to use this platform as sometimes funds can take up to a week to arrive in Ghana. ## **Partners in Ghana** Porridge and Pens works carefully with selected partners to fulfil the aims of our projects. Both The Brightlingsea Academy and The Girl Power Project are well established and have been operating since 2016. The Brightlingsea Academy is a registered school with the Ghanaian Education Authority and was established by Jemma Williams and Ben Antwi in 2016 as the Co-Founders. Porridge and Pens continues to support the school with grants and is a major stakeholder within the ventures and activities of the school. Porridge and Pens second major project Is the Girl Power Project. This was established in 2016 and is a registered NGO in Ghana. The Porridge and Pens management team are also the management team for the Girl Power NGO in Ghana. We work with many other Ghanaian organisations as part of our Girl Power Project. We frequently take referrals from orphanages and schools who are registered and established in Ghana. ## **Financial Review** The accounts show that £132,642 was received in the year (2020: £135,499). Payments totalled £133,667 (2020: £69,431), with grants of £104,154 made to support the Brightlingsea and Girl Power projects. Total funds held by the Charity at 31 December 2021 were £95,677, of which £22,720 were restricted, £10,000 designated and £62,957 unrestricted. Funds have been carefully saved in 2021 to fund an additional 5 classrooms in 2022. The classrooms will be used as a Junior High School at The Brightlingsea Academy and will enable 250 children to remain at the school between the ages of 11-14. Funds will also be spent on a school minibus as we face constant threats from floods caused by the rainy seasons. It often means many of our most remote children cannot safely get to school. We will also purchase some Girl Power Centre land of our own. This is so the charity can avoid paying increasing rates of rent in the city center of Kumasi. Therefore, funds have been saved to allow for important points of progress and development across both of our projects in Ghana. ## **Reserves policy** Porridge and Pens aims to hold general unrestricted reserves of £45,000. This amount is reviewed every 3 months by trustees. This amount is deemed sufficient to support projects, two staff in the UK and 28 Ghanaian staff, and all our activities supporting beneficiaries, for six months should no other source of funding be available. Trustees feel it is especially important at this uncertain time to have the funds to safeguard our projects for six months at a time. The annual report was approved by the Trustees of the charity on 17 June 2022 and signed on their behalf by: G Weaver – Chair of Trustees # **PORRIDGE AND PENS GHANA RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2021** **Registered Charity Number 1166497** EDMUND CARR LLP Chartered Accountants 146 New London Road Chelmsford Essex CM2 0AW ## **PORRIDGE AND PENS GHANA** ## **YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021** ## **CONTENTS** **----- Start of picture text -----**
||| |---|---| |Independent examiner's report|1| |Receipts & payments|2| |Statement of assets & liabilities|3| **----- End of picture text -----**
## **PORRIDGE AND PENS GHANA** ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES** ## **YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021** I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2021, which are set out on pages 2 and 3. ## **Responsibilities and basis of report** As the charity's trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act'). I report in respect of my examination of the charity's accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. ## **Independent examiner’s statement** I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. ## **Colin Barker FCA** Edmund Carr LLP 146 New London Road Chelmsford CM2 0AW 1 ## **PORRIDGE AND PENS GHANA** ## **RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS** ## **YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021** **----- Start of picture text -----**
Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Funds Funds Funds Funds
2021 2020
£ £ £ £
RECEIPTS
Donations and gift aid 49,443 30,697 80,140 104,992
-
Fundraising 1,102 1,102 13,774
Grants 5,100 46,300 51,400 15,740
Sundry income - - - 993
TOTAL RECEIPTS 55,645 76,997 132,642 135,499
PAYMENTS
Grants - Brightlingsea School 17,676 53,367 71,043 31,546
Grants - Girl Power 919 32,192 33,111 22,059
18,595 85,559 104,154 53,605
-
Staff wages 22,919 22,919 9,230
Computer equipment 479 - 479 1,254
-
Fundraising costs (marathon entry) 1,658 1,658 1,400
Just giving commission 216 - 216 180
Trustees expenses:
Travel and subsistence costs - - - -
Indemnity insurance 434 - 434 434
General and administration expenses 26 - 26 82
Printing, postage & stationery 275 - 275 144
IT software and consumables 437 - 437 316
Staff training and travel - - - 366
Bank/Paypal fees 606 - 606 682
Marketing costs 6 - 6 259
-
Accountancy and payroll costs 2,457 2,457 1,479
TOTAL PAYMENTS 48,108 85,559 133,667 69,431
NET RECEIPTS/(PAYMENTS) 7,537 (8,562) (1,025) 66,068
Transfers between funds (508) 508 - -
Cash funds brought forward 65,928 30,774 96,702 30,634
Cash funds carried forward 72,957 22,720 95,677 96,702
**----- End of picture text -----**
2 ## **PORRIDGE AND PENS GHANA** ## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES** ## **At 31st December 2021** |Unrestricted cash funds
**Note 1**
Designated cash funds
**Note 2**
Restricted cash funds
**Note 3**
**Total assets**
Creditors and accruals
**Total liabilities**|**2021**
**£**
62,957
10,000
22,720
95,677
1,200
1,200|**2020**
**£**
55,928
10,000
30,774
96,702
1,248
1,248| |---|---|---| Approved by the trustees on ….................. and signed on their behalf by: …........................... **G Weaver** Chair of Trustees ## **Note 1** Unrestricted funds include funds to be spent on project expansion and development in 2022, including a school minibus and 5 additional classrooms. ## **Note 2** The Trustees have designated £10,000 towards setting up a catering enterprise in Ghana as part of the Girl Power Project. ## **Note 3** Restricted funds relate to money raised in 2021 to be spent in 2022 on the Girl Power Project and Brightlingsea School. 3 # **PORRIDGE AND PENS GHANA RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2021** **Registered Charity Number 1166497** EDMUND CARR LLP Chartered Accountants 146 New London Road Chelmsford Essex CM2 0AW ## **PORRIDGE AND PENS GHANA** ## **YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021** ## **CONTENTS** **----- Start of picture text -----**
||| |---|---| |Independent examiner's report|1| |Receipts & payments|2| |Statement of assets & liabilities|3| **----- End of picture text -----**
## **PORRIDGE AND PENS GHANA** ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES** ## **YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021** I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2021, which are set out on pages 2 and 3. ## **Responsibilities and basis of report** As the charity's trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act'). I report in respect of my examination of the charity's accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. ## **Independent examiner’s statement** I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. ## **Colin Barker FCA** Edmund Carr LLP 146 New London Road Chelmsford CM2 0AW 1 ## **PORRIDGE AND PENS GHANA** ## **RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS** ## **YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021** **----- Start of picture text -----**
Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Funds Funds Funds Funds
2021 2020
£ £ £ £
RECEIPTS
Donations and gift aid 49,443 30,697 80,140 104,992
-
Fundraising 1,102 1,102 13,774
Grants 5,100 46,300 51,400 15,740
Sundry income - - - 993
TOTAL RECEIPTS 55,645 76,997 132,642 135,499
PAYMENTS
Grants - Brightlingsea School 17,676 53,367 71,043 31,546
Grants - Girl Power 919 32,192 33,111 22,059
18,595 85,559 104,154 53,605
-
Staff wages 22,919 22,919 9,230
Computer equipment 479 - 479 1,254
-
Fundraising costs (marathon entry) 1,658 1,658 1,400
Just giving commission 216 - 216 180
Trustees expenses:
Travel and subsistence costs - - - -
Indemnity insurance 434 - 434 434
General and administration expenses 26 - 26 82
Printing, postage & stationery 275 - 275 144
IT software and consumables 437 - 437 316
Staff training and travel - - - 366
Bank/Paypal fees 606 - 606 682
Marketing costs 6 - 6 259
-
Accountancy and payroll costs 2,457 2,457 1,479
TOTAL PAYMENTS 48,108 85,559 133,667 69,431
NET RECEIPTS/(PAYMENTS) 7,537 (8,562) (1,025) 66,068
Transfers between funds (508) 508 - -
Cash funds brought forward 65,928 30,774 96,702 30,634
Cash funds carried forward 72,957 22,720 95,677 96,702
**----- End of picture text -----**
2 ## **PORRIDGE AND PENS GHANA** ## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES** ## **At 31st December 2021** |Unrestricted cash funds
**Note 1**
Designated cash funds
**Note 2**
Restricted cash funds
**Note 3**
**Total assets**
Creditors and accruals
**Total liabilities**|**2021**
**£**
62,957
10,000
22,720
95,677
1,200
1,200|**2020**
**£**
55,928
10,000
30,774
96,702
1,248
1,248| |---|---|---| Approved by the trustees on ….................. and signed on their behalf by: …........................... **G Weaver** Chair of Trustees ## **Note 1** Unrestricted funds include funds to be spent on project expansion and development in 2022, including a school minibus and 5 additional classrooms. ## **Note 2** The Trustees have designated £10,000 towards setting up a catering enterprise in Ghana as part of the Girl Power Project. ## **Note 3** Restricted funds relate to money raised in 2021 to be spent in 2022 on the Girl Power Project and Brightlingsea School. 3