## **TRIO UGANDA** ## **Annual Report & Financial Statements Year ending 31 March 2021** **Charity number: 1174365** The trustees of Trio Uganda present their report on the charity and its financial statements for the period 1[st] April 2020 to 31[st] March 2021. ## **Administrative details** ## **Trustees** Kevin Ford (Chair) Roz Gasper (Treasurer) David White ## **Registered Address** 61 Plasturton Avenue Cardiff CF11 9HL ## **Bank** Lloyds Bank Queen Street Cardiff ## **Volunteers** Jon Sait: UK coordinator Rogers Wasibi: Uganda field coordinator ## **Ugandan Partners** ## **Supported in year** Nauyo Community Action (NCA), Nauyo, Mbale Youth for a Covenant Vision (YCV), Namatala, Mbale Busiliwa Faith Junior School and Women of Hope, Bududa ## **Unsupported in year** African Rural Development Initiative (ARDI) Lwakhakha, Manafwa Namabasa Alive Empowerment Project, Namabasa, Mbale Page | 2 ## **Structure, governance & management** Trio Uganda was entered on the Charity Commission register as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 24th August 2017 under the number 1174365. The charity’s governing document is its Constitution. A copy is available on the charity’s website https://www.triouganda.org/ The minimum number of trustees is three and the maximum number is six. Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee is appointed for a term of two years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. The first trustees serve for four, three and two years. In selecting individuals for appointment, the charity trustees have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the administration of the CIO. New trustees receive induction, a copy of the Constitution & the latest annual report & financial statements. Trustees are encouraged to participate in visits to Uganda when conditions and finances allow. The trustees give their time voluntarily and received no remuneration or benefits during the period of this report. For disclosure, there is a family connection between one of the trustees and the UK voluntary Coordinator. This arrangement remains in the best interest of the charity for the time being. ## **Objectives & activities** The Objects of the charity are defined in Section 3 of its Constitution: a. The prevention or relief of poverty in Uganda by providing grants, items, and services to individuals in need and/or charities, or other organisations working to prevent or relieve poverty. b. The relief of sickness and preservation of health in Uganda for those in need by reason of poverty, infirmity, age, or disability. c. To develop the capacity and skills of the members of the socially and economically disadvantaged communities of Uganda in such a way that they are better able to identify, and help meet, their needs and to participate more fully in society. Page | 3 ## **History and structure** Trio Uganda developed from secondments in 2016 with the Wales for Africa programme, an anti-poverty initiative funded by the Welsh Government. Prior to registration, Trio Uganda worked as an informal group during two visits to Uganda, supported by Wales for Africa grants. Four partners were identified in that period. A year’s preparatory work resulted in a seamless transition to charitable work. ## **Public benefit in relation to the charity's Objects** The trustees have paid due regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit in planning activities and conducting meetings. The trustees are confident that Trio Uganda’s aims, outcomes and impact are in accordance with the regulations on public benefit. Trio Uganda’s mission is to collaborate with Ugandan partners to effect social change at the local level in pursuance of sustainable development. In the reporting period, the charity worked consistently to prevent or relieve poverty by strengthening the funding, resources, services and reach of partner organisations to improve the health, well-being and economic independence of communities and individuals. With the support of funding bodies and donors, the charity and its partners delivered improvements to nutrition, medical access, the safeguarding of orphaned and vulnerable children, and care of youth, young mothers, the elderly, and families impacted by illness and disability. Through Busiliwa School the charity continues to support forty children orphaned by recent disasters in Bududa District. Provision also included support for two university students, income generation, training, educational opportunities, and small-scale sustainable agriculture. Page | 4 ## **Local to global partnership** Trio Uganda is volunteer-led with minimal overhead and governance costs, and benefits from committed volunteer coordinators in the UK and Uganda. Trio Uganda believes that small, citizen-led Community Based Organisations rooted in their communities can effect real and sustainable local change. We trust the skills & knowledge of our grassroots partners who live and work in urban and rural areas of extreme poverty, impacted by HIV/AIDS, malaria, social and economic exclusion, food insecurity and climate threat. Grassroots organisations address complicated issues with minimal resources. They tend to work in isolation and are usually excluded from sources of funding and support that can move them forward. The work of most CBOs is ill-matched to the funding structures and outcome-led programmes of larger NGOs and government initiatives. They are not wellserved by the ‘development industry’ yet are in an ideal position to deliver what is needed. Local organisations provide incalculable support to those most in need. Volunteers and staff are ordinary citizens, subject to the same social and economic pressures as beneficiaries. They know what is needed and understand that poverty is a complex structural outcome of inequality, injustice, disenfranchisement, climate change and misappropriation. _‘On their own, these organizations are small, nimble, tenacious and inspiring. They are also fragile and burdened by the very circumstances they are fighting to transform. And their potential to change the world is worth everything we’ve got.’ Grassroots Manifesto, Global Fund for Children (2013)._ Our partner organisations exist because of the unwavering commitment of local people. The charity’s role is to increase their effectiveness and impact by securing resources to fulfil community plans and projects. Page | 5 ## **Covid-19** The year was marked by the acceleration of the pandemic in Uganda. The government took prompt measures: introducing hygiene measures, closing markets, schools and places of worship, restricting gatherings, and limiting travel. The impact on the most impoverished was immediate: fresh food became scarce, prices inflated, and day wages – the income source for the majority – collapsed, resulting in exhaustion of savings, debt, and widespread hunger. Community partners played a crucial role in protecting the local population, ensuring improved levels of hygiene, and promoting community sensitisation. Covid-19 also impacted the income of Trio Uganda: donors stopped giving, business sponsorship ceased and many grant bodies switched focus to UK organisations. Our income declined by 40% from the previous financial year, reducing our ability to support partners at a time of crisis. Thanks are due to the Noel Buxton Trust and the Welsh Government’s Wales and Africa Grant Scheme for providing prompt emergency Covid-19 support. Page | 6 ## **Nauyo Community Action - Beneficiaries in year 1,200 +** Nauyo Community Action (NCA) is a volunteer-led organisation serving the impoverished citizens of Nauyo slum, Mbale (population 20,000). In 2020, Nauyo was incorporated into the city of Mbale. NCA's diverse services include child protection, a refuge for Orphans & Vulnerable Children (OVC), outreach support to the elderly and families impacted by disability and illness, especially those impacted by HIV/AIDS, and community hygiene projects. In the reporting year, NCA worked tirelessly to improve the welfare of vulnerable children, families, the disabled and chronically sick. It also strengthened the connection between the voluntary and statutory sectors to benefit the residents of Nauyo. Two grants were delivered in the year: - Funding from the Welsh Government’s Wales and Africa Grant scheme to provide an emergency Covid-19 OVC nutrition programme - Support from ITeach (Wales) Ltd to meet educational needs Page | 7 In 2020, Strong Foundation, an active learning centre, was opened to provide educational opportunities to children excluded from school. Following the proposed closure of the OVC residential unit – in compliance with Ugandan legislation – Strong Foundation will be the sole child protection facility in the slum. The priority for the next financial year is to realign funding to meet the changing needs of the organisation. Applications are in process to support the work of Strong Foundation and strengthen community outreach, most especially protection of females, the disabled and elderly. ## **Youth for a Covenant Vision - Beneficiaries in year 400+** Youth for a Covenant Vision (YCV) is a youth-led provider of advocacy, health intervention, social care, education, recreation activities and income generation for street youth and marginalised young people in Namatala slum, Mbale (population 30,000). Many of its founders were once street youth. Qualifications include social work, accountancy, youth work and health. YCV is committed to anti-tribalism and service to all ethnicities and faiths. The age of service users ranges from under 11 to 30, plus dependent infants. Eight out of ten youth are from the minority Karamojong community. YCV worked as a street-level service until partnership with Trio Uganda established permanent premises in Namatala. The new facility allowed YCV to build on its outreach work to develop an innovative social and well-being programme that meets the complex needs of this hard to reach group. Page | 8 YCV is particularly focused on developing educational and income opportunities and safeguarding vulnerable young mothers and dependent infants. In the reporting period, partnership achievements included: - Commencement of the events management income generation project, funded by the Noel Buxton Trust in March 2020 - Roll out of creative activities funded by Didymus in March 2020 - Tailoring, hairdressing, shoemaking, bridal wear, and photography - Support from ITeach Wales (Ltd) and Just Trust for educational needs - Emergency support from the Noel Buxton Trust for young mothers to offset the economic impact of Covid-19. Covid-19 impacted YCVs activities, most especially delaying rollout of the funded income generation and creative programmes. Activities were curtailed, and the needs of youth and families increased at a time of charitable financial decline. To the credit of all at YCV, the organisation adapted to reduced income and Page | 9 suspended activities, focussing on community outreach, Covid sensitisation and mask manufacture. Basic salaries were maintained by YCV and Trio Uganda. The ‘new reality’ of Covid makes strategic planning difficult. Priorities include maintaining educational opportunities for sponsored secondary pupils, consistent funding for training activities, increased funding for the creche and relaunching of the events management enterprise. YCV is working towards a cooperative model, pooling income across all activities to reduce dependency on Trio Uganda and increase financial self-sufficiency. Events management is central to the new model. ## **Busiliwa Junior School – Beneficiaries in year 350+** Busiliwa Junior School provides primary education across all age groups. Trio Uganda helped establish the school in 2017. Ninety percent of families in Bududa live below the national poverty index. Covid-19 closed Ugandan schools, disrupting the education of children, and forcing teachers into debt. Page | 10 Trio Uganda provided funding for Covid protection to enable the school to reopen for final-year students after the first shutdown. Fortuitously, the candidates sat their exams before the education shutdown, graduating to the Secondary system. Bududa District is significantly impacted by climate change, deforestation, and soil erosion; catastrophic landslides and floods in 2019 killed over two hundred people. Statutory provision in the aftermath was grossly inadequate, leaving ongoing humanitarian assistance to underfunded community organisations. Few extended families have the resources to care for additional children and abandoned orphans are vulnerable to trafficking and sexual exploitation. With permission from the authorities, the school resettled some children with families and repurposed a building into a temporary group home forty orphans, staffed by a woman who lost her family in a flood. Conditions in the temporary house are poor, lacking adequate services and malarial protection. Teachers and children are currently constructing a permanent shelter on donated land close to the school. Trio Uganda has applied to a funder for the capital costs of completion and additional improvements to the school. Covid closure allowed the children to transfer from the overcrowded house to empty classrooms, repurposed as dormitories. The commitment of School Director David Kuloba and all the teachers is inspiring. Page | 11 Partnership achievements in the period include: - A capital grant from Open Gate to invest in school food production, in partnership with Women of Hope - Funding from the Welsh Government’s Wales and Africa Grant scheme to provide an emergency Covid-19 OVC nutrition programme - Financial support from ITeach (Wales) Ltd to improve Covid health protection, support teachers, and purchase scholastic materials - Funding from Just Trust to meet OVC material needs. ## **ARDI and Namabasa Alive Empowerment Project** Regrettably five grant applications for the projects were unsuccessful. Both projects received no support in the financial year. ## **Student support** Samuel Okwii is due to complete his degree in Mass Communication at Kampala International University. Samuel Okia continues to be supported at Gulu School of Clinical Officers. Covid disrupted their final year and will delay graduation. When places of learning closed under Covid measures, both returned to their communities and undertook activist work for Trio Uganda. Page | 12 ## **Impact** During the reporting period, partnership impact included: - Distribution of 6 grants benefitting over 1,100 individuals - Commencement of the OVC building in Bududa - 32,000+ meals funded for OVC, primary pupils and youth - 2 funded hospital admissions and medical treatments - 2 young people maintained in tertiary education - Women of Hope supported with tools and seed capital - 32 young people trained in tailoring, hairdressing, and shoemaking - 40 Bududa orphans supported with medical treatment and nutrition - Establishment of an events management business in Namatala slum ## **What our partners and beneficiaries say** “Truly, the support of Noel Buxton marked a turning point in Youth for a Covenant Vision. Our biggest problem is meeting the expectation of youth that we can stand on our feet and be the leaders of change for youth and the community. The events project has raised the sights from small-scale income generation on an individual basis to a cooperative enterprise that provides not only income but self-respect. Trio Uganda has been with us from the beginning, and we are hopeful that we can now reduce our dependency on them so that the needs of other partners can be met. Thank you to all at Noel Buxton for helping us step up to the challenges of poverty with renewed hope.” _Moses Lobong, YCV_ “Grateful thanks to the Welsh people for caring for vulnerable children and disaster orphans at our school and at Nauyo Community Action. Without the grant our children would have suffered greatly, and many would have been ill and some possibly died of disease. Thank you to Trio Uganda for access to the Wales Africa Covid grant and standing with us at a time of difficulty for both our countries.” _David Kuloba, School Director, Busiliwa_ Page | 13 ## **Funding and risks** All donations, business sponsorships and grants are distributed to partners. UK costs are met from gift aid and sundry income. In the period, three new grants were secured from a total of eighteen applications. All grants were for one-off project awards, and two were Covidspecific. Just Trust provided continued unrestricted support. The greatest problem is securing unrestricted funding to meet the range of arising demands at community level, especially medical emergencies and assistance following disasters or violence against the individual. Building monthly donations and attracting business sponsorship continues to be exceptionally difficult, and Covid-19 continues to reduce business giving. The pandemic also forced cancellation of two planned fundraising music events. The main risk is maintaining cash flow to meet monthly commitments. The impact of Covid-19 on funding relationships, donations and grant opportunities is likely to cause a significant decline in income in 2021-2022. The strategy is to rebuild diversified income through increased donations, targeted applications, new business sponsorships, and income generation by Ugandan projects. ## **Strategic objectives for 2021-22** The long-term impact of Covid is unknown but it is likely that charitable income for the next financial year will be severely reduced; grants will be harder to access and income generation opportunities in Uganda will be rare. However, the objectives of previous years still stand as greater project self-reliance is the long-term aim: - Income generation projects to reduce dependency, including joint income generation initiatives and exchanges of goods and skills - Improved alignment of health and safeguarding processes. - Community savings and health insurance schemes Page | 14 ## **Reserves policy** The trustees consider that free reserves should be a minimum of three months expenditure. Every effort will be made to set aside sufficient resources, but that is unlikely to be achievable over the next financial year. The accumulation of reserves will take time to realise as current income is fully committed each month, but the adopted reserves policy recognises the need to set aside resources when available to: - honour existing and ongoing commitments to Ugandan partners - provide funds at short notice in the event of emergencies - meet administration, fundraising and legal costs The intention to set aside three months revenue reflects the expectation that over time the charity will expand its work and commitments in Uganda, requiring additional investment for early stage projects. The required level of reserves is an integral part of the scheme’s planning, budget, and forecast cycle. Reserves will be raised from: - gift aid, bank interest and donated volunteer expenses - monies raised through fundraising activities - any other unrestricted income that becomes available ## **Safeguarding** High profile cases of serious safeguarding failures by NGOs continue to emphasise the need for overseas organisations to protect beneficiaries and staff from sexual exploitation, physical and mental abuse, and harassment. Trio Uganda is committed to the protection of all and operates a safeguarding policy that ensures all UK volunteers are DBS checked. The policy is available on the charity’s website. Page | 15 All partners collaborating with Trio Uganda have demonstrated their commitment to safeguarding and understand the need for meaningful procedures and accountability to protect those at risk. Our Ugandan partners work in communities affected by domestic violence, trafficking, child abuse and sexual exploitation. In the communities where we work, extreme incidents of ritual mutilation and child murder continue to increase. Trio Uganda and all its partners work to ensure that criminal acts are reported and investigated by statutory authorities with the expectation that such authorities will conduct their work transparently and diligently, free from corruption, collusion, bias, and political favouritism. Page | 16 **Our funders in the year** ## **Grateful thanks to all individual donors** Page | 17 ## **FINANCIAL BREAKDOWN** ## **Funds carried over: £7,005 Income £14,630 Expenditure £21,527** **----- Start of picture text -----**
INCOME
Sundry
Gift Aid 8%
1%
Donations
28%
Grants
63%
EXPENDITURE
15478.58
3422.53
883.14 1196.55
150 23.37 373.23
**----- End of picture text -----**
Page | 18 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND ANO WALES TRIO UGANDA Receipts and payments accounts CC16a the perlod from To 1.4.2￿) 31.32021 Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds Last year A1 Receipts Grants Donal￿ Grfl Aitt Sundry Busine$8 spysorsh 17N20 4.1Ql 123 4,101 123 $51 1,007 1,220 Sub total(Gross income for ARJ A2 Asset and investment sales. see table). Cash funds Sub total 7,005 6.2 1S.405 24,282 A3Pa Gryants YCV youkn wc4ec NCA oummunity EluslFwa Stwent ￿pptyt Agana vii Family r￿iCal w*xt Fundtai&Dg UK 2019-20 15A7B 15.478 1.075 1,61B 1.075 1.618 883 150 1.197 397 19) 1.197 17,277 17277 Sub totsl 15,478 27 A4 As¥et and In¥e8trnent purchase6. (see table) Sub total 1SA78 21.527 17,27Y Net of r8cwpts/lpayments) AS Trnnsfers bets¥een funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash fund$ thts yearend 73 108 7,OOS 73 7.005 CCXX R1 accounls ISS) 17111r2021 Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unre5tr1¢ted funds Restrlctsd Endowmtsnt funds to floare5t£ B1 Cash funds Uo)th Barth T￿￿5￿4￿Ur rotal cash Tu•KIs funds funds to ￿[*t£ Detrlls Fund to Details costl0￿0￿￿ onal Fund to wh*h Cwtsntvalu Dètails CO￿{*¥010n￿ B4 Assèts retalnad for the charitys own use Fynd tOT• Amourtlkn w￿￿￿ ligrwl Detsils 85 Liabiliti SbJn8d by ore or ts¥o tnthes c behaifofan the trus*es Date of al Prinl Name CCXX R2 xcourts ISSI 17111f2Q21