The Hands up Project
Charity Commission Report April 2023 – March 2024
April 2023 – June 2023
April saw Nick Bilbrough (HUP founder) and Ashraf Kuheil (our 2023 Scholarship winner) present at the IATEFL conference in Harrogate, and at the Hands up Project conference held in the Quaker meeting house in Harrogate. All presentations were very well received, and this was a further opportunity to present our groundbreaking research done in very large classes in Gaza in the Autumn of 2022. By clicking on the picture below you will see a blog post where some of the exciting results of that research are mentioned. https://www.handsupproject.org/blog-hup/does-hup-improve-confdenceand-enjoyment-of-english-classes
The methodology behind this research was published in this open access article. - https://drive.google.com/fle/d/1VlVfuci9j8H eORCt7IIPW2V4olJl5q8/view
Our conference also saw the announcement of the winners of our 2023 Poetry competition. This is one of the 3 winning poems.
Our regular link ups connecting children in classrooms in Gaza with our volunteers and other schools around the world continued and expanded during this period.
In June we announce the winners of our intercultural remote theatre competition.
There are three winners (shown below) Click on the images to see the videos.
The screen (Germany and Gaza)
https://youtu.be/TrHQ9dgJsRA?list=PLwTmDrk314J7KmMTBySA_ltI5WIMCvCOM
The Well (Serbia and Gaza) https://youtu.be/OjCqPfJN1pY?list=PLwTmDrk314J7KmMTBySA_ltI5WIMCvCOM
Ikkyu and the sweets (Argentina and Gaza) https://youtu.be/8migkPj4t8s
July 2023 – September 2023
In July, Nick Bilbrough, Sara Wood, Paul Dummett, Sue Piper and Ken Maharajah travel to Gaza to present at a British Council sponsored conference at a hotel in Gaza city and at the Hands up Project conference at the Islamic University in Gaza city. This is also an opportunity for lots of our volunteers in Gaza to present about the incredible work they have being doing. The conferences are attended by masses of teachers involved in the Hands up Project.
This is also an opportunity for us to present copies of our newly published book ‘Moon tell me truth’ to all the children from Gaza who entered our poetry competition and had a poem in the book.
After returning from Gaza, we begin training new volunteers for the new semester starting and arranging link ups.
October - December 2023
When the bombing of Gaza commences in October, schools are closed and our regular link ups with schools in Gaza can no longer happen. Neither can the proposed intercultural remote theatre training course for young people around the world.
We receive news of our first casualty. Fatema Saidam, a nine year old girl who used to take part in regular link up sessions and wrote the below poem (included in ‘Moon tell me truth) was killed with her entire family in an airstrike on her home on the 18[th] October. Rest in power Fatema.
In early November we get news of our second casualty. Obada Abu Oda, a fourteen year old boy (the only boy to submit a poem for our competition – see below) was killed in an airstrike on his home. Rest in power Obada.
We start receiving lots of messages from Hands up Project children and teachers in Gaza describing the appalling, catastrophic situation they are living through. We begin our podcast series sharing these stories. (click on the image below to listen to the series https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwTmDrk314J5dbTrjXs_a19q1h8dKR1S-)
In December, the Palestine museum in Bristol suggest recreating the book – ‘Moon tell me truth’ as an exhibition. The exhibition starts there in December and then tours all over the UK.
January – March 2024
Two of our teachers involved in the Hands up Project are killed during this period. Jabber Al Sawaferi was one of the teachers participating in the initial training course in 2015 which kickstarted the Hands up Project and a master storyteller. Tahani Ouda was a remote theatre specialist who directed many remote plays in her drama club in Gaza. May they rest in power.
We continue with our podcast series throughout this period and the exhibition continues to travel widely. Nick and other Hands up Project volunteers present widely about the creative work of Palestinian children through talks at universities, schools and conferences. In this period the Hands up Project drama club (Better Together) in Jabalia refugee camp is born. Hanaa Mansour runs drama in English classes for local children and they end up creating a remote play ‘It will be over soon’ (Click on the picture below to play). https://youtu.be/gTwmMGhMhRw
Around the same time Bassim, a boy who co-wrote and acted in the iconic Hands up Project remote play – ‘I can’ from 2018 (when he was just 13) decided to recreate the play with the original cast (now all 19 years old) from their tents in Rafah where they had been displaced to. The play ends with lots of Hands up project volunteers from around the world showing their solidarity for the people of Gaza during this catastrophic time. Click on the picture to see the full play. https://youtu.be/83FDETCJTkw
We Can (with subtitles wi 11 1 *) 7".011736
CC16a ~~7~~
The Hands Up Project 1170272 Receipts and payments accounts For the period 01/04/2023 To from ~~ee ee ee~~ Section A Receipts and payments
31/03/2024
Unrestricted Restricted funds funds
Endowment funds
Total funds Last year
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
| A1 Receiptseceiptsiptspts | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donations -general | 29,099 | - | 29,099 | 25,261 | |||||
| Donations - Speak UpLondon | - | - | - | ||||||
| Donations - Menter Lawen | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Donations - Shieka Maryam Khalid | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Donations - MJ Volkovitsch | 5,000 | - | - | 5,000 | 5,000 | ||||
| Donations - International House | 500 | - | - | 500 | - | ||||
| Donations - Universityof Stirling | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Donations - Greenall Florent | 12,000 | - | - | 12,000 | 12,000 | ||||
| Donations - WendyArnold | - | - | - | 1,400 | |||||
| Donations - IHB TR Centre | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Donations - Charity Checkout & Crowdfunding |
3,048 | - | - | 3,048 | - | ||||
| NEU Devon | 500 | - | - | 500 | - | ||||
| NEU Staffordshire | 1,000 | - | - | 1,000 | - | ||||
| Book Sales | 7,227 | - | - | 7,227 | 192 | ||||
| The Totnes Pulse | 500 | - | - | 500 | - | ||||
| Interest | 26 | - | - | 26 | 13 | ||||
| EUgrant | - | - | - | 7,933 | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
58,900 | - | - | 58,900 | 51,799 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). - - - - - - - - - Sub total - - - - - Total receipts 58,900 - - 58,900 51,799 ~~——————~~ |
|||||||||
| A3 Payments | |||||||||
| Bank charges | 68 | - | - | 68 | 130 | ||||
| Zoom fees | - | - | - | 74 | |||||
| Sub contract labour | 38,312 | - | - | 38,312 | 41,307 | ||||
| Wages and PAYE | - | - | - | - | |||||
| IATEFL expenses | 1,962 | - | - | 1,962 | 1,223 | ||||
| Costs re 2 trips out of Gaza | - | 16,451 | |||||||
| Balkans trips expenses | - | - | |||||||
| Food for kids and teachers | 400 | 400 | - | ||||||
| Talks / trainingexpenses | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Subsistence | - | - | - | 39 | |||||
| Office expenses | - | - | - | 958 | |||||
| Web and IT expenses | 861 | - | - | 861 | 1,184 | ||||
| Subscriptions | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Travel expenses | 3,183 | - | - | 3,183 | - | ||||
| Tablets for Palestine | - | ||||||||
| Other Palestine expenses | - | ||||||||
| Project T shirts | 1,046 | - | - | 1,046 | - | ||||
| Travel expenses | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Visas | - | - | - | ||||||
| Refugee conference expenses | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Hotels | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Professional fees | 360 | - | - | 360 | 360 | ||||
| General expenses | 166 | - | - | 166 | 210 | ||||
| Food and transport teachers | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Exchange rate variance | - 572 | - | - | - 572 | - 499 | ||||
| Take me To The Moon -printingcosts | 7,055 | - | - | 7,055 | - | ||||
| Printingandpostage - other | 332 | - | - | 332 | 343 | ||||
| Advertising | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| **Sub total ** | 53,173 | - | - | 53,173 | 61,780 |
Doc ID: a88c618c99cebe0c7b3764dee3ff4806d85abd2a
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) Mac PC - - - - Phones - - - 456 Projectors 2,791 - - 2,791 612 - - - - Sub total 2,791 - - 2,791 1,068 Total payments 55,964 - - 55,964 62,848 ~~——=====~~ |
A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) Mac PC - - - - Phones - - - 456 Projectors 2,791 - - 2,791 612 - - - - Sub total 2,791 - - 2,791 1,068 Total payments 55,964 - - 55,964 62,848 ~~——=====~~ |
|
|---|---|---|
| Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
2,936 - - 2,936 - 11,049 - - - - - 19,367 - - 19,367 30,416 22,303 - - 22,303 19,367 ~~———~~ |
- 11,049 - 30,416 19,367 |
| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | ||
| Unrestricted Restricted Endowment |
||
| Categories | funds funds funds Details |
|
| to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ |
||
| B1 Cash funds | 19,319 - - 2,724 - - 260 - - 22,303 - - CAF Bank WiseBusiness Euro account Santander account Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments ~~———~~ |
|
| OK OK OK account(s)) |
||
| Unrestricted Restricted Endowment |
||
| funds funds funds |
||
| to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ Details |
||
| B2 Other monetary assets | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~~===~~ |
|
| B3 Investment assets | Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) Current value (optional) - - - - - - Details ~~—————~~ ~~——~~ |
|
| B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) Current value (optional) General 984 - General 3,919 - General 456 - General 3,403 - Tablets Phones Details Projectors Mac PC ~~——~~ |
|
| Fund to which Amount due When due |
||
| Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B5 Liabilities |
liability relates (optional) (optional) - - - Date of approval Print Name Michael Elsemere Signature Details 05/02/2025 ~~a~~ |
|
| Doc ID: a88c618c99cebe0c7b3764dee3ff4806d85abd2a |
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
| Report to the trustees/ members of |
Charity Name The Hands Up Project |
|
|---|---|---|
| On accounts for the year | 31/3/2024 Charity no |
1170272 |
| ended | (if any) | |
| Set out on pages | 1-2 | |
| (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets) | (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets) | |
| I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above | ||
| charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended31 / 03 / 2021. | ||
| Responsibilities and | As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the | |
| basis of report | accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 | |
| (“the Act”). |
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 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 I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have
-
examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below *) which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
-
the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
-
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
-
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
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.
- Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
Signed: M R Russell Date: 4-2-25 Name: Martin Russell Relevant professional ACCA qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: Acland House
Oct 2018
1
IER
21 Victoria Park Road
Exeter
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
None
Oct 2018
2
IER