**Website: www.dagbonunionuk.org Email: info@dagbonunionuk.org Address: 46 Alfred Prior House, Grantham Road, London E12 5NA** **Telephone: (+44) 02085141660 Mobile: (+44) 07949218119** 18/05/2024 Registered charity number: 1176914 ## DAGBON UNION UK (DUUK) ## Dagbon Union UK ## Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31/03/2023 Introduction: As trustees of Dagbon Union United Kingdom we are pleased to present our annual report covering the period 01 of April 2023 to 31 of March 2024.This report highlights our organization’s activities, achievements, and financial performance during this period. The Trustees present their annual report and financial statement for the year ended 31 of March 2024 and confirm they comply with the charities Act 1993 as amended by the Charities Act 2006, the trust deed and the Charities SORP 2005. Reference and Administrative information Charity Name: Dagbon Union United Kingdom Charity Registration Number: 1176914 Principal address: 46 Alfred Prior House Grantham road, London E12 5NA Board of Trustees Hardi Adam Ibrahim Wanzam A. Salam ## Bankers Santander Business Banking Operations Sunderland SR43 4FW ## Dagbon Union UK Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31/03/2023 Structure, governance and management ## Governing document To relieve poverty, promote and protect good health and to promote social inclusion for the public benefit by preventing people from becoming socially excluded, relieving the needs of those people who are socially excluded and assisting them to integrate into society. For the purpose of this clause ‘socially excluded’ means being excluded from society, or parts of society, as a result of one of more of the following factors: unemployment; financial hardship; youth or old age; ill health (physical or mental); substance abuse or dependency including alcohol and drugs; discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, disability, ethnic origin, religion, belief, creed, sexual orientation or gender re-assignment; poor educational or skills attainment; relationship and family breakdown; poor housing (that is housing that does not meet basic habitable standards; crime (either as a victim of crime or as an offender rehabilitating into society). ## Dagbon Union United Kingdom ## Organizational structure The charity trustees are responsible for the general control and management of the charity. The trustees and volunteer members give their time freely and receive no remuneration or other financial benefits. The trustees, executives and general members of the union meet monthly to deliberate on matters of concern, progress and updates required from on-going activities and pipeline events. The trustees in conjunction with executive members have set up organizers, welfare officers, and a media or public relations person to help coordinate and facilitate events undertaken for the charity. ## Recruitment and appointment of trustees The existing trustees together with council of elders and general membership all together select and vote on new trustees, chairman, executives and committee members of the charity. The criteria for nominations is that persons must proactively participate in events and functions, regular meetings attendance, payment of dues and good interpersonal skills and compassion. ## Induction and training of trustees Having been appointed onto the trustee board, guidance and training is provided by existing experienced trustees. Our charity is relatively new and small size comparatively. For this reason, new members are encouraged to be proactive in seeking guidance from existing members and from the charity commission website. ## Risk management The trustees have considered the likelihood of risk associated with crowd gatherings. For this reason, the size of the crowd is always considered when booking a venue for activities. The necessary insurance and risk mitigation are covered. ## Objectives and activities The objectives and activities ## Our aims DUUK aims to reduce poverty, promote and protect good health, and to provide the environment of social interaction. The strategy is a cross-functional engagement with all stakeholders of our community and the wider public. We aim to tap into the professional and social capital of our community through the charity for the public. Activities and Achievements: How our activities deliver public benefit DUUK carries out a wide range of activities in line with our aims and objectives. The trustees opine that these activities are benefiting not only the members of our charity but the public as a whole. Below is a summary of activities undertaken. 1.Zakat donations : We have successfully collected and distributed Zakat donations to eligible individuals and families in need, providing essential financial support to alleviate poverty and hardship within our community. Zakat is one of the tenants of our faith that all who are financially sound should offer zakat which is in proportion to a person’s earnings and means. This is to enable the levelling up of financial resources thereby creating a conducive atmosphere for poverty eradication in our community. The zakat collected is enhanced by the interest earned on the bank deposit considered as a gift from the bank, otherwise considered impermissible by the teachings of Islam ## 2.Funneral funds and Bereavement Counseling: Our charity has continued to provide financial assistance for funeral expenses and offered counseling services to support bereaved individuals and families. Sermons are given prior to the burial ceremonies, advising the living to be kind to one another, help by supporting the communities we live in. It is not uncommon in ethnic minority societies for someone to pass away unnoticed for days, weeks or months. With the help of the funeral funds gathered from membership contributions, the funeral expenses burden is alleviated at this very trying times of bereaved families. ## : 3.Marriage ceremonies DUUK is a multifaith membership charity even though majority are identified as Muslim. The Union has successfully organized wedding ceremonies for intra and interfaith marriages and not only form same ethnic background but crosscommunity. ## Outdooring ceremonies: We have facilitated outdooring ceremonies to celebrate the birth of children within our community, fostering a sense of belonging and cultural identity. ## 4.Anniversary Celebrations: Dagbon Union UK has organized anniversary celebration to commemorate significant milestones, reflecting on our journey of service and re-affirming our commitment to our mission and vision. ## : 5. Clothing and books donations Through generous donations from members, we have been able to distribute clothing and books to individuals and families in need, promoting access to education and basic necessities. ## 6.Sponsorship for Disabled kids: Our charity has provided sponsorship and support for disabled children, ensuring they have access to essential resources and opportunities for growth and development. A typical example is the disabled twins found crawling years ago while begging for handouts in the streets of Savelugu (Northern Ghana, West Africa). Thanks to DUUK. They are off the streets and are in a private school. Fees, books and clothing paid for by our charity through the contributions of monthly dues. ## 7.Damba festival and Queens Jubilee. We have organized Damba festivals and Queens jubilee to celebrate cultural diversity and promote social inclusion within our community, bringing people together through music, drumming and dancing and festivities for children. ## 8. Teaching Dagbani language to our kids born in the UK Dagbon Union UK has initiated programs to teach the indigenous Dagbani language, preserving and promoting our cultural and linguistic heritage. By default, most kids born in our community learn English as their first language. Often, they grow up unable to speak the native language of their parents and for that reason cannot communicate properly with relatives from country of origin of their parents. The on-line Dagbani class has helped a lot of kids to learn the language and History of Dagbon ## 9.Ramadan ‘Iftar’ and ‘Tafsir’ moral lectures During Ramadan, a period of reflection on our daily lives, activities and interactions with the public is observed through fasting. It is an annual refresher course we undertake for a cultural values re-engineering. Through these events, our charity facilitates community bonding and compassion, generates the spirit of togetherness and re-ignites the zeal to be charitable to the needy. Fast is broken by those who have fasted, with food generously provided by charity members and the kids brought together to bond in brotherly manner, peaceful and serene. Our learned scholars in the charity provide avenues for questions and answer sessions on matters relating to social life interactions, duties towards neighbors, good relationships with family and friends and how we become good citizens for the benefit of the public. ## 10.Dagbon Development Fund Following the long period of unrest due to conflict in Dagbon, the leaders in our community have decided to embark on developing Dagbon. All indigenes of Dagbon, home and abroad are encouraged to contribute towards regeneration of a development fund to help with development projects. e.g. the traditional chief residence, cultural hub, school and clinic. Several projects have already been mapped out such as scholarships for brilliant kids, help with agricultural projects, water and sanitation. ## 11.Regular donation of Books and clothing Our charity has on several occasions collected and organized shipment of books, toys, shoes and clothing to distribute to poor people in villages around Tamale, Ghana, West Africa. ## 12. Health promotions Occasionally the charity invites health professionals in our community and the public to give lectures on health issues prevalent in our society. We have had lectures on diabetes, women’s health and covid in the past via zoom. ## Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities The charity trustees are responsible for preparing an annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). ## Financial Performance : Our organization has maintained sound financial management practices, ensuring transparency and accountability in our operations. We have diligently managed funds to maximize impact and efficiency in delivering our charitable services. Summary: |**Dagban Union Bank Analysis for theyear ended 31 Mar-23 Current Account**|**Dagban Union Bank Analysis for theyear ended 31 Mar-23 Current Account**|**Dagban Union Bank Analysis for theyear ended 31 Mar-23 Current Account**|**Dagban Union Bank Analysis for theyear ended 31 Mar-23 Current Account**|**Dagban Union Bank Analysis for theyear ended 31 Mar-23 Current Account**|**Dagban Union Bank Analysis for theyear ended 31 Mar-23 Current Account**|||||||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |||||**Apr-22**|**May-22**|**Jun-22**|**Jul-22**|**Aug-22**|**Sep-22**|**Oct-22**|**Nov-22**|**Dec-22**|**Jan-23**|**Feb-23**|**Mar-23**|**Total**||| |**Payments**||||||||||||||||||| |Mobile Phone Direct debit|||||||16.07|16.07||||||||32.14||| |ZOOM Call|||||50|50|50|||||||||150||| |Insurance|||||||153|25|70|436.46|82.8|82.8||||850.06||| |Expenses||||334|1500|2511.07|380.4|943|4320||359.77|1830.7|300||428.39|12907.33||| |Food||||70|3010|||1800|3468.97|||||1012.86|182.4|9544.23||| |Savulugu boysand Teacher||||64.7|280|400||400|2420.15|||||||3564.85||| |Entertainment/Damba and Flight tickets||||955|500|||5618.92|2563.86|||1000||||10637.78||| |Rent for the hall and decoration of the hall||||117|96.47|149.26||80.4|7640.12|100|100|82.8|80.46|102||8548.51||| |Sub Total||||1540.7|5436.47|3110.33|599.47|8883.39|20483.1|536.46|542.57|2996.3|380.46|1114.86|610.79|**46234.9 **|**Expend**|**i 46235**| |ClosingBalance||||12399.99|12361.51|10521.18|10121.71|4062.32|244.22|**526.76**|422.79|176.49|296.03|89.17|329.18|51551.35||| |**Total**||||**13940.69 **|**17797.98 **|**13631.51 **|**10721.18 **|**12945.71 **|**20727.32**|**1063.22**|**965.36**|**3172.79**|**676.49**|**1204.03**|**939.97**|97786.25||| |**Income**||||||||||||||||||| |OpeningBalance||||3250.69|12399.99|12361.51|10521.18|10121.71|4062.32|244.22|526.76|422.79|176.49|296.03|89.17|54472.86||| |Dues||||10655|5317.99|1095|200|2224|16665|819|438.6|2750|500|963|834|**42461.59 **|**Income **|**43307**| ||||||80|165||600||||||||845||| |Grant||||||||||||||||0||| |||||||||||||||||0||**-2928**| |**Total**|**0**|**0**|**0 **|**13905.69 **|**17797.98 **|**13621.51 **|**10721.18 **|**12945.71 **|**20727.32**|**1063.22**|**965.36**|**3172.79**|**676.49**|**1259.03**|**923.17**|94920.76||| |||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||| ||0|0|0|-35|0|-10|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|55|-16.8|||| |**Surplus/loss**||||||||||||||||**-3773.31**||| |||||||||||||||||||| |**Dagban Union Bank Analysis for theyear ended 31 mar-2023 Saving Account**||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||| |||||**Apr-22**|**May-22**|**Jun-22**|**Jul-22**|**Aug-22**|**Sep-22**|**Oct-22**|**Nov-22**|**Dec-22**|**Jan-23**|**Feb-23**|**Mar-23**|**Total**||| |**Payments**||||||||||||||||||| |Welfare||||||||||||||||||| |Transfers to current account for Damba||||||||||||||||||| |Sub Total||||0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0||||**0**||| |ClosingBalance||||||||||||||||0||| |**Total**||||**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|0||| |**Income**||||||||||||||||||| |OpeningBalance||||0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0||| |interest||||||||||||||||**0**||| |Transfer from Current Acc||||||||||||||||0||| |Deposit(dues)||||||||||||||||0||| |||||||||||||||||0||| |||||||||||||||||0||| |||||||||||||||||0||| |**Total**||||**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|**0**|0||| |||||||||||||||||||| |||||0||0|||||||0|0|0|||| |||||||||||||||||||| ||Income Current Account|||329.18||||||||||||||| ||Income SavingAccount|||0||||||||||||||| |||||**329.18**||||||||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||| ## Conclusion: In conclusion, we are proud of the progress and impact achieved by Dagbon Union UK during this reporting period. None of these would have been possible without the dedication of our community chiefs and elders, chairman and executives, and above all the vast contributory efforts thrown in from all members of the union and philanthropists. As trustees, we remain committed to upholding our mission and serving our community with integrity and compassion. ## 18/05/2024 Trustees’ names: Chairman: Hardi Adam Trustee: A. Salam Trustee: Ibrahim Wanzam