_**“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”**_ ## _**Matthew 19:26**_ **Trustees' Report and Accounts For the Year ended 31 December 2022 Charity Number 1175421** TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDING 31 December 2022 CASA MEA UK ## **C O N T E N T S** ||Page| |---|---| |CharityInformation|3| |Trustee’s report|4| |Independent Examiner’s Report|8| |Statement of Financial Activities|9| |Balance Sheet|10| |Statement of Assets and Liabilities|11| |Prepayments and Accruals|12| |Income Accruals|13| |Fund Movement Summary|14| |Trial Balance|15| 2 TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDING 31 December 2022 CASA MEA UK ## **Charity Information** |Full name|Casa Mea UK| |---|---| |CharityRegistration Number|1175421| |Address|27 Heol Ty’n-y-cae
Rhiwbina
Cardiff
CF14 6DJ| |Trustees|Miss Emma Coalter
Mrs Jenny McMillan
Dr Carwyn Shires (Secretary)
Mr Tim Toase
Mrs Kezia Toase
Mr Brian Topley (Treasurer)
Mr Paul Willis
Miss Patricia Wiltshire
Miss Maureen Wise(Chair)| |Independent Examiner|Mr Andrew Lee FCCA
53 Heol Lewis
Rhiwbina
Cardiff
CF14 6QB| |Bankers|Lloyds Bank
Business Banking
PO Box 1000
Andover
BX1 1LT| 3 TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDING 31 December 2022 CASA MEA UK ## **TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2022** The trustees have pleasure in submitting their report and accounts for the year ended 31 December 2022. The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011 and UK Generally Accepted Practice as it applies from 1 January 2015. ## **Charitable Object** **“** To meet the spiritual needs, family needs and material needs of people with any disabilities, both children and adults, in institutions and in their homes, preventing discrimination of any kind because of social background, culture, sex, religion or nationality and to promote their rights”. Casa Mea UK supports the work of Casa Mea in Moldova where this work takes place. ## **Organisational Structure and Decision-making processes** The trustees and officers met together 4 times during 2022 and all of those meetings were held virtually via zoom. Virtual meetings having begun during the covid pandemic are now likely to continue longer term as a number of trustees live in different parts of the UK. The practice of also involving one of the 4 houses in Moldova at the beginning of each meeting has also continued which provides invaluable insights and communication with each of those men and women supported by the charity during the year. They will talk about the kind of activities they have been involved in recently and highlight their prayer requests and at the end of the session a trustee will pray for those identified needs. The exchange has been mutually enjoyable and beneficial. The trustees have discussed the possibility of convening a face- to- face meeting as a group perhaps once every 2 or 3 years. It was recognised that some constitutional changes were required to deal with the matter of virtual meetings and joint chairing. Two of the trustees were able to visit the work during the year and brought back first-hand reports. In addition to those visits there is very regular telephone contact via What’s App. Anita Piroozi resigned as a trustee in April 2022 and Brian Topley stepped down from being treasurer on 31[st] December 2022. Jay Lewington will provide financial data for the annual report from January 1[st] 2023. The registered address also changed on 31[st] December 2022. ## **Impact of war in Ukraine** Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022. After Ukraine, Moldova is perhaps the most affected state, facing multiple challenges. These include greatly increased security threats; a huge influx of refugees; massive trade disruptions; economic slow-down with an inflation rate exceeding 30% in 2022 and a severe energy crisis. Moldova has connected to the EU’s power grid and sourced natural gas from the market stored in Romania and Ukraine. There have been disinformation campaigns and attempts to destabilise the country. Moldova was 4 TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDING 31 December 2022 CASA MEA UK granted EU candidate status in June 2022. Russian missiles have entered Moldovan air-space 3 times as a consequence of which one major airline has cancelled flights to Moldova. These things have been a backcloth to the trustees’ discussions during the year and have prompted a number of actions proposed by workers on the ground including the purchase of a generator for each of the houses and the acquisition of passports for most of the men and women we support. Energy costs in the houses have sky-rocketed as well as substantial increases in the cost of groceries and household items. In that context the trustees are extremely thankful to God that the charity has remained financially solvent. The trustees group represents a strong range of professional experience which includes financial, social work, management, architectural and building, carpentry, speech and language therapy, dietetics and medical expertise. During the year Tim Toase and Kezia Toase were asked to prepare to take on chairing of the trustees group from the beginning of 2023 and 2022 saw them preparing for those roles and beginning to take on some of the tasks involved. The trustees give advice on a variety of matters such as property maintenance, policy development, staff development and training, future strategy and use of available funds – all in collaboration with those managing the work in Moldova. They are all members of local churches and undertake to pray for the work regularly. Some members of the group undertake speaking engagements about the work in different churches and a prayer letter and news up-dates are distributed to several hundred people every few months. More regular news is circulated to those very committed to the work. In Moldova Liliana Golovatii is the President of Casa Mea and she is responsible directly to the Board of Trustees. She and her colleagues are responsible for the day to day running of the work and oversight of the 4 community homes run for a total of 21 adults with disabilities at different locations in the country. Visits to closed institutions have resumed during the last year. ## **Objectives and Activities** The principal purpose of the charity is the spiritual, emotional, social, physical and material well-being of adults with disabilities who have lived or are living in long stay institutions in Moldova. In order to achieve its principal objective 4 homes for such adults have been set up since 2006 to provide life-long support and as normal a life as possible within the community. The homes are named Casa Bucuriei, Casa Matei, Casa Alex and Casa Ana. Each of them is staffed by Moldovans who are employed by Fundatia Casa Mea and supported by supervision, staff meetings and training. All members of staff have a job description and terms of service. There are strong links with the local churches in the villages in which each of the houses is situated and staff are drawn from those local churches. ## **Achievements and Performance** Ann Lewington became the new committee secretary in January 2022 and her skills have undoubtedly enhanced the smooth running of our meetings. In the same month Jay Lewington began training with Brian Topley and by the end of the year Jay was providing 5 TRUSTEES’ REPORT YEAR ENDING 31 December 2022 CASA MEA UK monthly financial analysis for the trustees while Brian continued running the charity’s accounting system. Towards the end of the year it was decided that Brian would continue running the accounting system and produce the final 2022 accounts plus his report, and that from January 2023 Jay would fully assume the role of treasurer and commence running a different accounting system. A 30% increase in salaries for staff in Moldova was agreed and implemented from the end of January 2022. This was necessary to meet Moldovan Government requirements for minimum wage standards and also to keep in step with developments across the NGO sector. It was also agreed that contracts, responsibilities and job descriptions would be reviewed. Unpaid leave was regularly discussed. A new policy regarding children in the houses was formulated and implemented. Fully comprehensive insurance cover for the charity minibus was taken out together with house insurance for each of the 4 houses. Several plots of potential land for the 5[th] house were explored but for various reasons did not result in purchases. At the time of writing a further plot of land is being explored. Finances are available to purchase a plot of land and to begin the construction of the house and agreement has been reached that now is a suitable time to pursue this. The 6 women in Casa Bucuriei who have been gaining in skills and independence over the years had their staff support level reduced by mutual agreement so that they now are alone at nights when the single staff member is not on duty – this works out to 3 or 4 nights a week. This has worked very well to date. The trustees proposed that Marc Schyrr should be approached about becoming a trustee which had happened by the end of the year. Ben and Esther Smith and their 2 boys bought a house in the village of Truseni and alongside language study, Ben began to become regularly involved in the work of Casa Mea for part of each week. His role includes advising, supporting, evaluating and training. They acquired their residency permits for a year. Training sessions took place during the year for all the staff of Casa Mea. A proposal was made and accepted that 2 people from the UK which could include trustees and others with relevant experience should undertake an annual visit to the work to offer advice, evaluation and training to staff of Casa Mea. Self-assessment together with the trustee’s views would be combined into an action plan developed for the service which would be subsequently monitored. A structural framework was agreed by the trustees. A new procedure for authorising and recording financial payments within the charity was agreed in November. An English web-site for the charity was set up and new English brochures were printed and began to be distributed. 6 CASA MEA UK TRUSTEES, REPORT YEAR ENDING 31 December 2022 Flnanclal Revlew Income for the year 2022 totalled £62k from voluntary donations and Gift Aid claimed from HMRC. Thls Is less than our 2021 income which include four indDiidual, one-off donatlons totallln8 £68k for the proposed flfth house. A5 we receive no grants. and as a matter of pollcy we make no appeals, our Income Is always Ilable to fluctuation. In the General fund we brought forward £59k from 2021 and recelved income of £59k durlng 2022. Our expenditure 4vas £ICK)k making a tsalan￿ in the General fund at year end of £18k. Together with a few other mlnor fund balances our total assets at year-end were £117k. We contlnue to hold £96.3k in reserve that was given spedflcally to fund the opening of a 5th house of whlch £25k is deposited In an Investment account at Unlted Trust Bank. Expenditure durlng the year totalled £101.6k Includlng Grants to Institutions of £92.6k to Fundalia Casa Mea for salarles of our Moldovan staff and for the day-ttrday runnlng costs of our 4 houses. We made Gronts to Individu015 of £6.8k Including personal 81fts to various people in Moldova and to a missionary couple who have begun workln8 Wlth Fundalla Casa Mea In Moldova. No personal expenses were pald to trustees or any other Individual durin8 2022. 3rfan Topley CASA MEA UK TRUSTEES, REPORT YEAR ENDING 31 December 2022 INDEPENDENT EXAMINATION I, Andrew James L88, being a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (FCCA), confirm that I have carried out an independent examination of the accounts and financial system for Casa Mea UK (registered charity number 1175421). As a result of carrying out this examination, I would confirm that I have not identified any matters of con￿rn to be drawn to the attention of the Trustees or the Charity Commission. I would further confirm that l am content with the fomat of the accounts and the accounting records kept, and that these records agree with the accounts. Finally, l am also content that all of the Directions, as set out in the Charity Commission guidance entitled 'lndependent examination of charity accounts.. Directions and guidance for examiners {CC32)" have been adequately satisfied. I would also confirm that this independent examination and ￿rt￿CatIon has been provided free of charge. Signed: Andrew Lee, FCCA Date.. 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BAna 1rKJ 10.ro) 2.TT4 11¥Q *061 16.$26 93.637 1#.7•T 14 CASA MEA UK TRUSTEES, REPORT YEAR ENDING 31 December 2022 Cma UK- 1175421 Trknl b*tsnc• A¥ •1: 31 D•cwb•r 2022 e*•• I101-Gr¢&1￿ 10.IW.72 .241.00 43.13324 43223 1105- IniÈrÈ 82,620.00 1201.Grnnb 112.79 140.0 p.so) S14.0 1.431.fKI 1x6. 1>J7. LrAratLY• 1901. LWA 25.{Q1.￿) 1.107.97 70tskn 1.7•4.• Last page 15