Forward Africa Education Trust
Annual Report 2023
Charity registered in England & Wales No. 1176583
REGISTERED ADDRESS The Friends Meeting House 150 Church Road Watford WD17 4QB
TRUSTEES
Stephen Kaim-Caudle (Chair) Hilary Robinson Megan Kaim-Caudle David McCabe Daniel Nteziyaremye
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Debby Metcalf FCA 22 Trowlock Ave Teddington TW11 9QT
BANKERS Barclays Bank PLC 32 Bridge St Banbury OX16 5PN
Report of Trustees
The Trustees present their report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ending 31[st] December 2023.
Structure, Governance and Management
The charity was constituted by deed of Trust and registered by the Charity Commission under number 1176583 on 9th January 2018. The charity has five Trustees. The Trustees have personal knowledge of Rwanda having worked there and have visited regularly to monitor and evaluate the work and performance of the charity. One of our trustees lives in Rwanda. A key aspect of the Trustee’s role is to mentor and support our local partner and students.
The Trust is managed by its Chair on an unpaid voluntary basis. The policies and operating decisions of the charity rest with the Trustees who meet regularly, either face-to-face or on Zoom, to monitor the activities of the charity. The Trustees set the budgets and make major decisions. The Trustees have a local partner in Rwanda who carry out delegated responsibilities per the partnership agreement.
The Trustees have regard to the Charity Commission's public benefit guidance in exercising any powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant. There are no employed staff and none of the trustees receive any remuneration.
Ex-students during their hospital internship, and students at school and on a workshop trip
Objectives and Activities
The charity’s objective is to advance and promote the education and training of disadvantaged children in Rwanda. The charity furthers its charitable purposes for the public benefit by providing the funding and support necessary to enable underprivileged children to complete their secondary school education and graduate at Senior 6. We arrange life-skill workshops as well as peer mentoring. We transfer funds to meet school fees and program costs three times a year. All financial transactions are channelled through our local partner, except the mentorship programme which is funded directly.
The charity works with children whose families are from financial categories 1 and 2 (defined by the government as extremely poor and poor). Typically, our children are
orphans, ex-street children or from mother-led families. We have a bias toward selecting girls to join our programmes.
The trustees believe that education is key to advancement for individuals, families, and communities and that our proactive and supportive approach is a powerful engine for change.
The charity’s appointed local partner administers in-country activities comprising scheme promotion, completion of sponsorship forms, school visits, home visits and the administration of school fees, school materials and student travel expenses. The local partner has a dedicated bank account for the receipt and distribution of funds. Money is transferred on a termly basis.
School materials assembled and distributed for a new term, September 2023
In-Country Administration and Field Operations
The charity works in close partnership with the Rwandan Yearly Meeting (RYM/EEAR) also known as Quakers, or the Religious Society of Friends. They act as our local partner and provide many of the added value services that benefit our students.
The trustees believe that with the financial stability the charity provides, coupled with a ‘hands-on’ approach to mentoring and continuous monitoring and support, our students can achieve good educational outcomes and enhance their life chances.
Advancing Educational and Training for Disadvantaged School Students
In 2023 18 children were sponsored, 10 girls and 8 boys aged 16 to 20, and 4 ex-students given help to pursue their university courses. The criteria for selecting schools were based on the quality of education provided, the subject combinations offered, and the logistics of student travel. Schools were in Kigali districts Gisozi, Kicukiro and Gasabo, Kabuga, Rwamagana, Kagitumba, and Cyanika.
In April 2023 we held our third workshop attended by 28 current and ex-school students. The key modules covered peace and conflict resolution, self-awareness, and employability skills.
Working in partnership with the Friends Career Center, a social enterprise within the Quaker Church in Rwanda, eight students received mentorship and advice. This programme has resulted in students taking up university courses in hospitality and tourism, biotechnology, nursing, law, and business studies.
Risk Statement
The Trustees have reviewed the risks to which a small charity operating in a developing country is exposed. These risks include:
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Risk Mitigation Level
Financial loss/fraud We compare bank receipts for school fees and other Medium
approved expenditures against the budget and review
bank statements from the dedicated account our local
partner holds on our behalf. Procedures were tightened
up at a local partner level during the year following an
issue identified through this control
Safeguarding issues We have developed a safeguarding policy which is Low
available on our website
Data Protection Adherence to our data protection policy Low
breach
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Appropriate procedures are in place to identify, monitor and review risks regularly.
Financial Review
Donations of £33,045 were received in the year (2022: £17,187).
£18,962 of FAET funds were spent in the year supporting 15 secondary school students, aiding 3 university students, and funding our third student workshop (2022: £20,196).
Reserves at the end of the year totalled £39,868 (2022: £25,867) of which £nil were restricted for specific purposes (2022: £3,300). Total reserves were all held as cash, of which £35,276 was held in a deposit account (2022: £18,019).
Reserves Policy
The Trustee have a policy of ensuring that there are sufficient funds to enable existing students to finish their education or mentorship. Our reserves policy reflects this commitment.
Investment Policy
The Trust does not intend to hold any long-term investments. Funds not required to meet immediate programme activities are deposited in bank savings accounts.
Plans for Future Periods
The Trust wishes to continue with its present student sponsorships. The Trustees will continue to closely monitor the effectiveness of its local partner and provide support and guidance to both our partner and students.
We will continue to seek ways to determine how best to structure local partner visits to students, capture their effectiveness and adapt them for the further benefit of our students.
For students completing their final year at school, Senior 6, we have started and will continue to develop mechanisms for helping them find employment, internships, vocational training or continue their studies at university.
We plan to hold further three-day workshops for all students covering peace and conflict resolution and employability skills.
The trustees intend to continue to seek external funding.
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustee’s report above.
Signed on behalf of the Charity’s trustees by
Steve Kaim-Caudle Chair
Date approved: 16 August 2024
Forward Africa Education Trust: Receipts & Payments account
| Donations Interest received Total receipts Programme costs: Student school fees & associated costs Student mentorship programme Student workshops Project management in Rwanda Monitoring & programme visits by UK trustees UK costs: Website Bank charges Total payments Net (payments)/receipts Cash funds at start of year Cash funds at end of year Analysis of cash funds: Current account Deposit account |
2023 2022 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total funds Total funds £ £ £ £ 32,545 500 33,045 17,187 257 - 257 33 |
|---|---|
| 32,802 500 33,302 17,220 |
|
| 9,750 500 10,250 14,972 386 2,300 2,686 1,731 3,050 1,000 4,050 2,000 1,976 - 1,976 1,493 - - - 1,935 260 - 260 204 79 - 79 - |
|
| 15,501 3,800 19,301 22,335 |
|
| 17,301 (3,300) 14,001 (5,115) |
|
| 22,567 3,300 25,867 30,982 |
|
| 39,868 - 39,868 25,867 |
|
| 4,592 - 4,592 7,848 35,276 - 35,276 18,019 |
|
| 39,868 - 39,868 25,867 |
Gift Aid owing at the year-end totalled £75 and will be included as income in the 2024 Receipts & Payments account (2021 £163).
The 2022 comparatives exclude Acting as Agent receipts and payments totalling £1,500 to facilitate the payment of a third-party grant to one of our local partners. There were no Acting as Agent receipts or payments in 2023.
The Trustees declare that they have approved the Receipts & Payments account above.
Signed on behalf of the Charity’s trustees by
Steve Kaim-Caudle Chair
Date approved: 16 August 2024
Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Forward Africa Education Trust I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Forward Africa Education Trust (‘the Trust)’ for the year ended 31 December 2023.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
-
accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
the accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed:
Date: 16 August 2024
Debby Metcalf FCA 22 Trowlock Ave Teddington TW11 9QT