RESOURCE UGANDA Report of the trustees for the year ending 31st December 2020
The trustees of Resource Uganda present their annual report and accounts for the year ended 31st December 2020 and confirm they comply with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 and with the charity’s constitution.
Resource Uganda is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales, no.1170995. Registered address: 89 Boundary Road, London N22 6AS Names of trustees: Benjamin Peter Gordon Daniel James Hoyle Christopher Matthew Toller Philpot Anna Elizabeth Hogan
CHARITY STRUCTURE
Resource Uganda is formed of a core group of dedicated volunteers who believe passionately in the aims and the values of the organisation (outlined below). This group meets quarterly, often remotely, and remains in contact on an ongoing basis. During these meetings, the volunteers discuss charity priorities and activities, fundraising opportunities and finances. This approach allows for strong interactions with Ugandan partners and ensures that any decisions that are made regarding the management of the charity are informed by the views of those most committed to the mission of Resource Uganda. A General Meeting is held annually to develop the core mission and strategy of the charity, as well as undertaking regular business.
The charity trustees are selected from individuals who are involved with the charity and have demonstrated a commitment to the aims and vision of Resource Uganda. This ensures that those acting as trustees will be suitably involved in the work of the charity. In addition to this, trustees are also selected with due regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for effective administration of the charity.
OUR AIMS
Resource Uganda is based on the belief that the local church has the power to change the world. Our aim is to resource the church to do more, and to have an even greater impact.
The objects of Resource Uganda are:
- ●To advance the Christian religion in Uganda for the benefit of the public
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through providing grants to local NGOs, principally Ministry Resourcing International, enabling the organisations to provide Christian Bibles and resources to local churches, provide training on leadership and governance to churches, and setting up mutually reinforcing partnerships with these churches.
- ●To relieve poverty among women, men and children in Uganda through providing grants to local NGOs, principally Ministry Resourcing International, enabling the organisations to provide or assist in the provision of education, training and healthcare projects and all the necessary support designed to combat inequality and enable individuals to generate a sustainable income and be self-sufficient.
OUR VALUES
All of Resource Uganda’s activities are guided by our values:
God-centred
First and foremost we are God-centred. God is the reason we do what we do and He breathes purpose and direction to everything we do.
Sustainable
We want to build things that will stand the test of time, which will bear fruit into the future. We’ll always support and develop local leaders who will be there when we can't be.
Compassionate
We love and care for all people. All our projects are designed to serve the neediest with the help they so desperately need.
Local church
We believe the local church is the hope of the world and God’s plan A. We will always forge strategic partnerships with local churches.
Transparent
We are committed to being a good steward of our donors’ money and making sure every pound goes to where it’s needed the most.
COVID 19
Covid-19 has contributed to 2020 being a particularly challenging year for Resource Uganda. Many of our fundraising initiatives have been curtailed, and we have seen a marked reduction in donations throughout the period. As a result our income was more than halved compared to the previous year.
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Covid-19 has also impacted Uganda in a devastating way, leaving many people unable to work, and feed their families as a result of the lockdowns. Whilst many of our usual activities have been restricted, we have been able to work with local partners to respond to the urgent challenges this year has brought about.
ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
As has been the case for many charities this has been a challenging year for Resource Uganda as a result of Covid 19. We have however continued to strive to serve the communities in our network in Uganda. There have still been a number of achievements in Uganda, enabled through grants to our main partner, Ministry Resourcing International. These achievements included:
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●Completing building work on the Resource Uganda Centre ; this centre is built on the land purchased in 2017 and is set on the same site as Ministry Resource International’s main church, New Life Degeya. This has freed us up from renting the community centre down the road as we have done for the last 10 years. This gives us a stable location in the village that cannot be taken away and frees up our income to be spent on more programmes. Already this centre is enabling us to do even more with medical camps, kids’ work, the craft cooperative and Church Leaders’ conferences.
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●We continued our programme of support to church leaders, for whom practical and spiritual support has been even more vital as rural communities have been cut off by the pandemic. The network of partners we work with now includes over 250 churches, meaning an even greater opportunity to develop leaders across the nation.
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●During lockdown the greatest need identified was food aid. Those who live hand to mouth were unable to work during lockdown and as such struggling to feed their family. In response to our Covid appeal we were able to distribute food parcels to support 10 rural church communities, 10 church communities local to our office in Seeta, 10 further families in our local village of Kisenyi and many of the local boda boda (motorbike taxi) drivers who are young men who suddenly found themselves with no source of income and with little other option to earn.
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●We continued training for the Kisa women’s craft cooperative , now employing the local Reverend Esther to support the women. She has helped them to expand into different crafts including liquid soap which the women have started supplying to local boarding schools and hope to expand their market in the coming year. They also now run a savings club which has enabled them to save 2 million shillings a year which is either reinvested in supplies, or any profit split between the group at the end of the year.
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Kisa Beads continue to sell in markets all over the UK - from London to Edinburgh.
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●We grew our children’s ministry even further, meeting the needs of over 100 of the most disadvantaged children every week, creating a safe space to
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learn, play, grow, and providing a hot meal each week. The children are split into age appropriate classes learning skills specific to the challenges they face. In the covid context we have been using this centre to help children who are unable to go to school,to access learning materials via laptops, or by printing educational materials and allowing them to study in the centre.
- ●During the pandemic we have been connecting with smaller groups of members of our community and found that there is real need among a community of teenage mothers in the area where our office is based. Our team have been meeting with them weekly, encouraging them, feeding them and their children who are often malnourished, and teaching them some small business skills so they can make some money to support their families. Many of the girls we have met since starting this programme became pregnant as a result of sexual abuse and need emotional support and counselling to work through trauma, or to extract themselves from abusive relationships. In several cases of severe malnutrition or postnatal complications we have been able to provide timely medical interventions which have saved the lives of baby and mother. We currently work with 20 teenage mothers but would love to be able to provide more comprehensive support to them and their children and put them on a path to financial independence.
FINANCES
The financial statements (annexed to this report) show net incoming resources for the year of £7,622. The principal source of income is charitable donations, accounting for 54% of Resource Uganda’s income.
The total expenditure for the year amounted to £7,557. 99.4% of expenditure went directly to Uganda through grants to Ministry Resourcing International.
Resource Uganda’s Reserves Policy is to hold three months’ committed expenditure of our main partner (Ministry Resourcing International) at any one time. Resource Uganda does not hold any funds as a custodian trustee.
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RESOURCE UGANDA (1170995) Receipt and Payment Accounts
For the period 1 January - 31 December 2020
Receipts and Payments
| Receipts | Receipts | Receipts | Receipts | Receipts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted Funds To the nearest £ |
Restricted Funds To the nearest £ |
Total funds To the nearest £ |
FYE 2019 To the nearest £ |
|
| Charitable donations | £4,104 | £0 | £4,104 | £6,001 |
| Sponsored events | £0 | £0 | £0 | £4,097 |
| Trading | £79 | £0 | £79 | £1,093 |
| Grants | £2,500 | £0 | £2,500 | £3,500 |
| Gift Aid | £939 | £0 | £939 | £997 |
| Interest | £1 | £0 | £1 | £1 |
| Total receipts | £7,622 | £0 | £7,622 | £15,689 |
| Payments | ||||
| Grants to Ministry Resourcing International |
£7,510 | £0 | £14,942 | |
| Administration | £48 | £0 | £46 | |
| Trading | £0 | £0 | £0 | |
| Fundraising costs | £0 | £0 | £33 | |
| Total payments | £7,557 | £0 | £15,021 | |
| Net of receipts / payments |
£65 | £0 | £667 | |
| Transfers between funds |
£0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Cash funds last year end |
£3,159 | £0 | £3,159 | |
| Cash funds this year end |
£3,225 | £0 | £3,225 |
Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
Cash funds
| Unrestricted Funds To the nearest £ |
Restricted Funds To the nearest £ |
Total To the nearest £ |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash in bank* | £2,523 | £0 | £2,523 |
| Reserves | £701 | £0 | £701 |
| Total | £3,225 | £0 | £3,225 |
- Cash in the bank appears high at the end of the reporting period. This is due to our schedule for Grants to Uganda, where the first payment is due on 1 January each year, a day after the end of the reporting period.
Other monetary assets
Nil
Investment assets
Nil
Assets retained for the charity’s own use
Nil
Liabilities
Nil
Notes
Accounts are prepared on a receipt and payment basis.
Independent examination has not been carried out as income is below the required threshold.
For purposes of The Charitable Incorporated Organisations (General) Regulations 2012, the trustees can confirm Resource Uganda has no outstanding debts or liabilities.
Signed by Daniel Hoyle on behalf of the trustees
Date: 6 September 2021