Heart for Africa: Report of the Trustees and Accounts - for the period 1 September 2022 31 August 2023
Legal and Administrative Information
Charity Name: Heart for Africa Charity registration number: 1173027 Website: www.heartforafrica.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/heartforafricauk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/heartforafricauk/ Registered office: 236 Tyntyla Road The Old Ystrad Labour Club Ystrad, Pentre Rhondda Cynon Taf CF41 7SG Trustees during the Period: Mr Lawrie Davies (Chair of Trustees) Dr Fiona Davies Mrs Lauren Smith Mr Ian Smith Bankers: Barclays Bank Accountants: Curtis Bowden & Thomas 101 Dunraven Street Tonypandy Rhondda Cynon Taf CF40 1AR
Heart for Africa is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) governed by its Constitution dated 12 May 2017. The charity may have a minimum of three and a maximum of twelve trustees. New trustees are appointed by the current trustees. In the event of Heart for Africa being wound up, the trustees have no liability to contribute to its assets and no personal responsibility for settling any debts and liabilities. This Annual Report and Accounts cover the charity’s sixth accounting period, from 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023.
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Overview
Heart for Africa came out of the hearts of several people who had visited East Africa with one of our partner charities, Sporting Marvels (UK Reg’d Charity No. 1101562), across several trips between 2005 - 2017. After Sporting Marvels’ February 2017 trip, there was a strong desire to have more of a year-round impact in Tanzania/East Africa as opposed to just ten days every two years. The trips, mostly for sixth formers (“AllStar Leaders”), see many of the young people that Sporting Marvels works with visit orphanages, schools, churches, groups, and communities linked to Sporting Marvels through longstanding partnerships. Each subsequent trip attracted an increased level of donations (in cash and kind) from the Rhondda community, and Sporting Marvels personnel felt strongly that they wished to help with the practicalities of setting up a structure more suited to making an ongoing impact, one that had a strategic focus on projects that would produce sustainable benefit. This prompted the formation of Heart for Africa, with Lawrie Davies (Managing Director of Sporting Marvels, one of Heart for Africa’s most committed monthly supporters) as the first Chair of Trustees. Lawrie’s four-year term as Chair ended in May 2021, and he was unanimously re-elected for a further three years.
Heart for Africa currently works in the city of Arusha and its surrounding communities. We have a small team of five Community Coordinators ( pictured, right ) who support the charity around their day-to-day jobs and activities; they help the trustees identify needs, and act as a liaison and an accountability mechanism between the charity and its beneficiaries. As respected and trusted leaders within their communities/groups, we support and empower them to use their leadership and influence to help us make a difference in the lives of those who look to them. Rev Stephen Owino, who leads this small team, has been a trusted friend and partner to Sporting Marvels for over 15 years. Each of our Community Coordinators is
supported with a small monthly financial gift which enables them to give some of their time each month to assisting their communities, whilst creating stronger accountability to the goals and reporting needs of the charity.
Heart for Africa’s work has two main strands:
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Promoting education of young people, through support for orphans, street children and other children and young people in need, to enable them to attend school/college, and school visits by young people on Sporting Marvels trips.
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Prevention or relief of poverty, by providing grants, items and services to individuals and communities in need with a focus on long-term sustainability/impact. These include goats, chickens, food, transport and educational materials. Heart for Africa aims to undertake one major project every 1-2 years depending on the size/impact. Potential projects are identified by our Community Coordinators and considered by the trustees, giving due regard to the likely benefits and any potential issues/risks.
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Heart for Africa raises money through individual and organisational donations, sponsorship, events, and grant applications. It is grateful for ongoing support from Sporting Marvels and our partner church, Dream Centre Wales, also based in Rhondda. Many young people associated with Sporting Marvels, Dream Centre Wales and Rhondda Netball (with which Heart for Africa shares office premises) have supported Heart for Africa through sponsored events and filling change collection boxes. A few local businesses such as newsagents, fish & chip shops, pubs etc, also support us by placing change collection boxes on their counters. Primary school fundraising in Sporting Marvels’ partner schools takes place annually, linked to the Sporting Marvels lesson which features Heart for Africa, with the pupils being encouraged to ‘run/walk a mile for Africa’ and bring in a £1 donation - a few individuals/schools have gone further by seeking sponsorship or running a small event such as a tabletop sale. The 2023 activity raised a similar amount in total to the previous year, and our fundraising income was supplemented by money from cash collection boxes and calendar sales. No grant funding has been received in the year under review; although several applications were made to support educational expenditure, none were successful. The trustees feel that future grant funding applications should be focused on projects rather than ongoing educational fees for some of the young people Heart for Africa has looked to support through its partner orphanages.
Regular monthly income from standing orders and recurring card payments has slightly increased from last year, mainly due to additional Sporting Marvels personnel signing up as regular givers. However, fewer large one-off donations were made, so the income from ‘Individual donations and standing orders’ shows an overall decrease of 17%. The trustees have determined that a major effort will be made at the time of the next Tanzania trip, scheduled for February 2024, to attract new regular givers, and a number of sponsored activities are also being planned prior to the trip.
Despite the lack of grant income, the surplus from the £10,000 of unrestricted funding received in the previous financial year (2021/22), coupled with the smaller amounts raised from individual donations and fundraising, has enabled Heart for Africa to cover core needs in Tanzania and the monthly gifts to our Community Coordinators throughout the year under review, as well as our commitments toward educational needs. We have also been able to arrange for the husband of one of the women involved in our current project to receive a prosthetic leg, through the charity Legs4Africa which recycles prosthetics. Heart for Africa will cover the associated clinic and accommodation costs for the leg fitting, which is due to take place in October 2023.
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Achievements and Performance
Heart for Africa’s main achievements throughout the year were as follows:
1.) Heart for Africa’s 2021/22 major project ‘Empowering Women in Muriet’ continues, working with Moriah Women’s Group under the leadership of our Community Coordinator Mary Owino. The five women who were initially supported in their small businesses, and the three who joined the project during 2021/22, are returning 30% of their business profits into the group fund, which has enabled a further four women to be supported to start small businesses. A wider range of businesses is now being supported - they include chicken and pig rearing; crop farming; the sale of food crops (rice, maize, fruit, vegetables), flour, and cooking oils; and a small restaurant. Although some of the women have faced challenges, Mary’s excellent leadership and advice and the supportive group environment has helped them to surmount these and continue in business. During the year under review, the group was also able to finance the building of a simple house for a local pastor, his wife and ten children, who had been evicted from their rented accommodation. They also paid for a Maasai girl (Toto) to attend boarding school - Toto had fled from an arranged marriage to a much older man and been taken in by a local family, but they were exploiting her as a domestic servant and not letting her attend school. Toto was very happy to be able to continue her education in a safe environment.
2.) The community hall / church built for the village of Mateves (our previous project) continues to be wellused by the community, with our Community Coordinator Pastor Mary Massawe leading Sunday services and other meetings there. An official opening ceremony is planned for the time of our 2024 Tanzania trip.
3.) The charity has continued to sponsor two primary school children, Anjela and Dennis (left) supported by Green Path for Community Success (GP-COSU), the NGO run by Elirehema Wegard who served as one of our
Community Coordinators for 3 years. New Paradiso Orphanage’s
Cornelius Andrew (right, with Mary Owino, at his Form Four graduation) , whom we have supported through secondary school, passed his national (GCSE-equivalent) examination with the highest possible grade and intends to apply for college, to study a medical technician course.
Of the four young women from Bethlehem Center for Children we have supported, one (Dorcas) is nearing the end of her college course, with excellent results. The other three have had to drop out of school/college due to becoming pregnant, but all would like to continue their education when the time is right. Heart for Africa is prepared to continue their support. The charity also continued to support Purity and Melchizedek, the motherless daughter and son of a pastor well known to Steve Owino, on their diploma courses; Purity
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has successfully passed all her courses and will graduate in November 2023, while Melchizedek is required to resit one examination before he can enter his final diploma year.
A total of £1,840 was given in educational support during the year under review.
4.) Heart for Africa’s sister charity Sporting Marvels uses Heart for Africa in their primary school lessons as an example of how we can help others less fortunate than ourselves. An annual fundraising activity was again organised around this lesson, with children running/walking a mile for Heart for Africa and being asked to bring in £1 or some small change as a donation. Some pupils went beyond this by raising sponsorship, while some schools also made donations and/or organised additional fundraising activities. The total raised was similar to the previous year, just over £800 - for 2024 it is planned to hold
the activity slightly earlier in the year to avoid clashes with school trips and other activities which led to some schools declining to take part.
5.) Heart for Africa produced a 2023 calendar, using photographs from previous Tanzania trips. This was given free to regular supporters and Rhondda schools, and sold to others to raise funds.
Personnel and Operations
Heart for Africa has two part-part-time members of staff to ensure the charity remains active and committed to achieving its aims and raising the requisite level of funds. Dr Fiona Davies (Operations Manager, unpaid) works approximately one day per fortnight and is responsible for grant applications & reports, liaison with Community Coordinators and beneficiaries in Tanzania, and oversight of administration and finance. She continues to perform this role at no cost to the charity as part of her commitment as a trustee of the charity. Liam Jones supports her as Fundraising Coordinator, responsible for shop collection boxes and for organising local fundraising and sponsored events (an average of 1-2 hours per week). He was paid £75 per month during the year under review. Responsibility for social media is shared between Fiona & Liam.
Heart for Africa can also call on many volunteers from Sporting Marvels, and some of the school pupils they work with, to support local events and promote the charity and its activities within their own social circles. All trustees also play an active voluntary role in the running of the charity.
Premises
Since its formation, Heart for Africa has received free office space where required as a gesture of goodwill from its sister charity Sporting Marvels.
Public Benefit
The trustees confirm that they have referred to the Charity Commission’s guidance on Public Benefit when setting and reviewing the charity’s aims, objectives, and strategy. The trustees are satisfied that the charity meets the public benefit requirement through its activities.
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Payments to Trustees
No trustee has received any payment in cash or kind from the charity and all trustees are themselves regular monthly donors.
Reserves
The charity’s core costs are primarily the support of one part-part-time member of staff (£75pm) and support payments to our Community Coordinators in Arusha, as well as a monthly liability insurance payment. At the financial year end on 31 August 2023, reserves were equivalent to four months core costs.
Financial Review
The financial position of the charity at 31 August 2023 and at the date of this report is considered satisfactory. Income was severely reduced compared to the previous year due to the absence of grant income; the charity will continue to make grant applications for core costs and educational costs, but will also be discussing future possible projects with the Tanzania team - many trusts and foundations prefer to donate toward specific projects than toward core or ongoing costs. The charity aims to increase regular donations further through increasing knowledge of the charity and its work among both new and previous participants on Sporting Marvels trips, and plans awareness-increasing social media activity linked to the next Tanzania trip and associated fundraising activities.
The trustees consider that the charity is able to continue to operate as a going concern. The trustees’ annual report was approved on 3[rd] June 2024 and signed on behalf of the Board of Trustees by:
Lawrie R. Davies, LLB Chair of Trustees 3 June 2024
Dr Fiona M Davies Trustee & Unpaid Operations Manager 3 June 2024
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CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Roport Report to the trusteosl members of Chd'ily N3vie Heart for Africa On accounts ft>r the year ended 31 August 2023 Charty no Irf any) 1173027 Set out on paggs IreD)etDiEr lo Irlude Ihe page numb8rs cTrl ?ddilional sh¢elsl I report to the trusteès on my examination of th8 accounts of the above charity (tha Trust.) for th8 year ended 3110812023. Responsibilities and As th8 thartty Irust88s of the Trust. you are responsible for th8 preparation basis of report of the accounts In accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 fthe Acr). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of th8 2011 Ad and in carying out my examinalion, I have followed the applicable Diroctions gtven by the Charity Commlssion unifer section 145(5){b) of the ACL I have completed my examinatton. I conffirm that no material matt&rs have ome to my attention (QÈ4eFIkaR-tke1Tr'} in connection with the examination which gNes m8 cause to believe that in. any material r8speGL accounting records w8re not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or th8 accounts do not aGcr)rd Vth the accounting records Independent examinerfs statement I hav8 no concems and have come across no other matt8rs in ¢onnedion with the examination to which attention should be drawn in or(ler to 8nable a proper understanding of Ihe accx)unts to be reach8d. ' Please delete thg words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: Date: 29 May 2024 Namo: Stophen John Smith Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any).. ACCA Address: Curtis Bowden & Thomas 101 Dunraven Street Tonypandy CF40 1AR IER October 2018
Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs lo highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts.. direction5 and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER October 2018
CHARITY COMM15510N FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Heart for Africa No Ilf any) Recel ts and ents accounts CC16a For tho perlod from P&riod $18d c.alE. To Poriorf end date 31.PJJ23 01-Sep-22 Section A Receipts and payments Unrestrlcted Endowment funds nds fo th ngwgst £ nq•t£ toth• raT#¥l£ Restrl¢ted Total funds Last year b)th• n8aMst£ tothe nqaréBt£ A1 Ro1 ts Donated Fvnd8'.- Individal donalbns and standing Nder& un 2.308 8nfjt1è8 on00rshlp Fvndralglng ar4Troits Ald Inlemal tran8fe 451 3,518 19.864 1.170 041 1,170 4Y 1,046 8Y4 ross inGomp or AR) 7,637 7.7 2ts,004 an 80• tablè nyè m•n 7,637 A3Pa nt$ $1811¢0918 Indudlng 8dr(1tbSrte Charitabl¢ gift8 Flnance char Offi¢pcosls Evonlwsls Inkmal Iransfern 720 $45 241 18,135 241 855 1,014 Sub total 10,763 1Q,765 21,2M A4 Asset and Invèstmènt Sub total 10.765 10,765 21,284 Nét of rK8lpt(payrn0nts) A5 Transfers b•tW8èn funds A6 C#sh fvnd& lasl year end Cash funds th1$ year end 3.128 3,128 4,810 62 2,634 2,637 5,765 CCXX R1 account$ ISSI . 2910512D24
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unre$tri¢ted funds Restricted fund8 to n•¥ost£ Endowment furbds eatagori8S Dotalls to neargst e B1 Cash funds Bank 8¢¢(th6 Tolal cash funds 1834 •)wd(•)I OK OK R&strfet8d funds to nreSt£ Ok Endowmont funds to rar•st£ funds Detalls Pt0h6 aÈ•tb•liJ Detalls Cost loptlonall v•lu• Fur towhlth Cmnlvalue lonal Dètalls costlopdonall B4 Asuts rttalned for the charitys own use Fund to rlat•s ourf DetaFIs BS Llabllltles Gned by one ortD twstee8 on behaKofall the trustees Swatu Prlnt Name Dale of oval riotrJfv hHp.se Dhvrss CCYX R2 accounts ISSI 2910512024
Income 2022/23 GiftAid 8.4% Indwidual donations& standin8 orders Fundraisir 30.2% 15.3% Donations Irorn partner charitie5 46.1% Expenditure 2022/23 Eveni cosis Office costs 7.9% siaff costs including admin I websiie 6.7% Finance Charges 2.2% Chariiable xpenditure education 17.1% Charitoble expenditure other donations & suppon 62.3%