Impact report for the year ended 30th September 2021
CONTENTS
A note from the Trustees 2
Our strategic work areas 3 Activities in 2020/21 4 Fundraising Project 5 Local volunteering 7 International Development conference 8 Volunteer stories & skills development 9 Governance & Committee 10 BVDA accounts 11 Notes to the financial statements 13 Going forward 15 With thanks 16
Our vision is of a global community working together to deliver sustainable positive change.
Our mission is to inspire and enable students to actively engage in sustainable international development.
Our aim is the advancement of education and the relief of poverty, sickness and distress in developing countries.
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A NOTE FROM THE TRUSTEES
For the second year running, the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruption to our planned activities in 2021. Ultimately we were again unable to go ahead with overseas volunteering. During a year when not only international travel but also student life in Bristol was limited by the pandemic, we are however proud that our student committee was able to carry out activities in Bristol.
Highlights of these local activities included the fundraising for a project organised by our partners PSD in Nepal. We also jointly hosted the SIDN conference virtually with our sister charity at Edinburgh University. Our student committee hosted a successful joint event with Student Action for Refugees (STAR). Lastly, whilst face to face interactions were restricted for much of the year, our committee did organise social activities and was able to celebrate the end to a successful year with an in-person social event. The committee’s feedback at the end of the year included the wonderful reflection that during lockdowns and disrupted studies, BVDA provided a rare opportunity for students to come together and make a positive difference.
From a strategic perspective, the trustees are indebted to this year’s committee for ensuring the continuity of BVDA and sustaining a student presence that will hopefully allow us to resume international volunteering in 2022. We also completed our first formal review of equality, diversity and inclusion amongst the volunteers, giving us valuable insights for the future.
Finally, the trustees wish to thank all those who donated their time or money to BVDA this year.
Ben Perry On behalf of the BVDA Trustees, 2020/21
OUR STRATEGIC WORK AREAS
During 2021, BVDA continued to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of our student volunteers and the beneficiaries of our partner charities and activities were adapted accordingly.
The diagram shows the key areas of focus in BVDA’s original 3-year strategic plan. The global pandemic situation meant that projects abroad were postponed and unable to go ahead, however we continued a number of activities, as well as developing new opportunities for sustainability and international development.
Financial Planning
BVDA continues to take forward its strategy of utilising excess reserves to support the charity’s aims. BVDA remained in close contact with its partners and carried out a fundraising project with long-standing partner, Partnership for Sustainable Development (PSD) in Nepal. This gave BVDA the opportunity to still be able to volunteer and support the charity’s missions locally.
Skills Development
In 2021, BVDA continued its work in supporting both student engagement and our charity partners. Experienced trustees led more grant workshops this year to provide students with new skills in funding research and bid writing. A group of students then worked on identifying a number of trusts/funds to apply to, submitting a total of 6 grant applications in the hope of supporting project partners. The information from the sessions and research has been collated to be used in future years.
Focus on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
BVDA are committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment at all times, and take a strong stance against discimination in all its forms in order to make activities fun and open for all. Over the past year, we have focused on collecting demographic data of the members and comparing this against the data of the university as a whole, to analyse how we can increase involvement and improve the experiences of underrepresented groups. The committee has written up an EDI action plan that will be implemented going forward and shared on the BVDA website to ensure accountability for maintaining a safe and inclusive environment.
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ACTIVITIES IN 2020/21
The following pages outline BVDA’s activities in 2020/21. Despite international projects being postponed this year, there were still a multitude of successes for BVDA.
BVDA continued to host successful events from previous years, but carried them out virtually instead to accommodate lockdown measures and social distancing rules at the university. This included meetings, socials and workshops being done virtually via Zoom, and also emphasised the importance of online social media to spread awareness about the charity and its work.
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FUNDRAISING PROJECT
This year, BVDA adapted our fundraising activities to the circumstances and the volunteers were able to get involved in a fundraising mini project for one of its long-standing partners.
The committee short-listed project proposals and went ahead with the Beekeeping Project in Nepal from Partnership for Sustainable Development (PSD) that aimed to support women and their families, providing them with financial independence and valuable skills for the future.
The project will involve 25 women from lower income families in Nepal being trained to become beekeepers to generate more income and opportunities for themselves and their families.
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The volunteers took advantage of being able to go on walks during the Covid restrictions, and organised a collective climb up the hills of Bristol equivalent to the height of Mount Everest (8,848m).
This was a very successful initiative, with the students raising £757 and it being matched by BVDA reserves bringing the total to £1,500. This also gave the students a way to come together, raise money and make a difference, despite Covid restrictions.
Next steps
PSD is continuing to assess the most urgent community needs, with a focus on livelihood support beyond the immediate urgent health requirements.
BVDA plans to continue supporting PSD’s work with local Nepalese communities to benefit people’s lives and livelihoods over the longer term.
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LOCAL VOLUNTEERING
While BVDA’s primary activities involve working to further international development aims with our partners, empowering students to become active citizens is a key aspect of the charity’s mission.
At the start of the academic year, BVDA teamed up with a homeless charity called Caring in Bristol, to help them write letters for their Christmas campaign, which is an extremely busy period for them.
Due to Covid restrictions, it was difficult to provide hands-on assistance for many other local charities, however BVDA will continue to explore this opportunity in the future and create strong relationships with local charities to make it a bigger part of our work. This would give students more opportunities to volunteer and create positive change throughout the year, aside from summer projects, and also creates a more inclusive environment for those who may not have the finances or ability to go abroad.
While international development volunteering is our focus at BVDA, we also want to support students to take an active role in local volunteering, supporting the wider community and their own development as responsible citizens.
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INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE
One of the charity’s key aims is ‘to provide a platform for meaningful international development discussion’ and this year, the Student International Development Network (SIDN) conference was co-hosted virtually by BVDA and EGP (Edinburgh University).
It provided an exciting opportunity to invite meaningful debate and discussion around local and international volunteering, while continuing to forge networks with other student international development groups from across the UK.
Round-table discussion Project impact evaluations Supporting local charities Fundraising Grant-writing
BVDA’s students were able to share skills gained in conducting project impact evaluations and deliver a presentation about recent experiences supporting local Bristol charities through volunteering activities. There were also talks on fundraising, grant-writing and social events, all of which produced great ideas on how to improve the society and knowledge of the resources 2 available.
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VOLUNTEER STORIES AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
BVDA continues to maintain the ‘Volunteer stories’ section on our website and provide a platform for the volunteers to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences across the year. This year, one volunteer shared her experiences with BVDA from going on a social project to Malawi to working her way up to the role of President across 4 years with the society.
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Given the ongoing pandemic, BVDA continued to focus on skills development, with a specific emphasis on grant writing. Through a workshop and ongoing individual support, BVDA delivered training on grant research and bid writing, providing students with a new skill and more ways they can get involved in supporting international partners.
Despite the work being introduced in 2020 due to BVDA’s usual volunteering abroad being postponed, it proved to be very successful and therefore continued for another year in 2020/21. Given the ongoing disruption from COVID-19 and the potential need to further adapt our activities, we will look to identify a broader range of workshops, talks and other activities going forward that will contribute to our objectives to broaden BVDA’s appeal and reach under-represented audiences.
GOVERNANCE & COMMITTEE
In 2021, the trustees and committee continued to work closely to respond to the challenges presented by the persistence of COVID-19, with regular weekly meetings and informal check-ins to share concerns and ideas, as well as any initiatives taking place.
At the start of the 2020/21 period, BVDA was governed by five registered trustees. Sarah Malina stepped down as a trustee in July 2021, following several years working with BVDA as a trustee with significant experience in charity governance and funding. Shindy Lall chaired the trustees, alongside Ben Perry, Celestine Weegenaar and Katie Tomlinson.
In July 2021, the trustees officially welcomed Vaihari Balendran to the board who worked with BVDA previously as a student. Vaihari had an initial focus on publicity, fundraising and EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) for BVDA for the upcoming year.
TRUSTEE BOARD
Shindy Lall (Chair)
Ben Perry (Vice Chair, Finance)
Celestine Weegenaar (Projects)
Katie Tomlinson (Committee Liaison, EDI)
Vaihari Balendran (Publicity, Fundraising)
Trustees are appointed by a resolution of existing trustees, of which there must be a minimum of three. All trustees serve for a term of two years and may be re-appointed for a further term at each Annual General Meeting.
BVDA is supported by a dedicated student committee, the majority of whom have remained with BVDA from the previous year despite no international projects going ahead, to ensure continuity of the society. With guidance from the trustees, the committee took the lead on activities and meetings, including publicity for any events held, fundraising initiatives, grant-writing workshops and socials.
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BVDA ACCOUNTS
The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that neither an independent review nor an audit is required for this year under sections 144(2) and 145(1) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act).
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The accounts on pages 11-12, together with the related notes on pages 13-14 were approved by the trustees on 30th July 2022 and were signed on their behalf by:
Ben Perry Finance Trustee
Vaihari Balendran Publicity and Fundraising Trustee
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 30th September 2021
Basis of accounting
The financial statements are prepared on a ‘receipts and payments’ basis.
Administrative costs include the costs associated with meetings of the trustees and committee. Neither the trustees nor the committee members receive any payment for their services to the charity.
Receipts
During the year, travel and expense costs were reimbursed to trustees and committee members totalling £86 (2020: £362).
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.
Restricted funds
Fundraising sales represent the income made from sales of charity goods.
The charity’s policy on restricted funds is to separately record donations, grants and other sources of fundraising where restrictions are imposed that are narrower than the charity’s overall objectives.
Payments
Fundraising costs represent the costs associated with the income from fundraising sales.
Project expenditure represents payments made to overseas partners to fund volunteering projects. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them. Volunteers do not receive payments for their services.
Since the 2020 projects could not go ahead, £425 held as restricted funds at 30 September 2020 was refunded to donors in the six months following year end. Of the £750 relating to volunteer deposits from previous years, £150 was refunded and the remaining balance was transferred to unrestricted funds.
No restricted funds are held at 30 September 2021.
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Taxation
BVDA is a registered charity, and as such is entitled to certain tax exemptions including receipt of Gift Aid.
BVDA is not registered for VAT and accordingly, all expenditure is recorded inclusive of any VAT incurred.
Foreign currencies
Transactions in foreign currencies are recorded at the rate incurred as part of the transaction. Bank fees incurred are recorded as direct project expenditure.
All bank accounts are held in pounds sterling.
Reserves (cash funds)
The trustees have determined that BVDA needs to retain £7,500 (2019: £7,500) in reserves to cover operational costs for one year, should we face a loss of income. Hence, BVDA continues to hold sufficient reserves to meet this requirement. Restricted funds are excluded from charity reserves.
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GOING FORWARD
Supporting partners
In 2021/22, BVDA hopes to take forward projects as planned with our partners. Uncertainty around global circumstances means there is a possibility that our support may not include in-person volunteering. The committee and trustees will work together to make plans for various eventualities, with potential collaboration including remote volunteering and raising funds for partners through local fundraising and grant-writing. We will continue to maintain regular communication with our partners to understand how we can best support the lives and livelihoods of the communities they work with and raise awareness of the importance of sustainable international development projects.
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Student engagement & longevity
Another priority for 2021/22 will be ensuring that BVDA’s activities are even more diversified. This means continuing to collect and analyse data of the members, and trial new ideas and experiences that will attract a wide range of volunteers from a variety of backgrounds. This will be boosted by continued collaborations with other societies and universities. We will evaluate our activities on a regular ongoing basis to ensure that, alongside meeting our charitable objectives, we are striving to be a charity that is inclusive and representative of all students at Bristol University, especially given the post-pandemic effects.
WITH THANKS
We truly value the relationships we have built with our project partners and were deeply saddened to have been unable to send students abroad to support some great projects this year. We are committed to resuming these project relationships as soon as we are able and in the meantime are working to provide support however we can.
With thanks to our current project partners:
Partnership for Sustainable Development (PSD) Nancholi Youth Organisation (NAYO)
With thanks to our supporters:
With additional thanks to our individual supporters and donors who donated towards students’ fundraising efforts.
BVDA would like to acknowledge the incredible support and resilience of our student committee, volunteers and trustees through another extremely difficult year.
With agreement, many of the funds raised have been held back to fund participation in projects as soon as they are able to go ahead.
Thank you for keeping BVDA strong so that future students and communities are able to benefit from amazing international development projects.
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BRISTOL VOLUNTEERS FOR DEVELOPMENT ABROAD (BVDA)
Registered charity no. 1173282 trustees@bvda.org.uk bvda.org.uk @bvda_bristol