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← Good Health Africa

2023-12-31-accounts

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

GOOD HEALTH AFRICA [GoHA] Trustees Annual Report 2023

Contents

Background / Context………………………………………………………………….3 Foreword: Message from the Chair of Good Health Africa UK…………………6 GoHA Key Achievements in 2023…………………………………………………….7 PART 1: GOAL AREAS………………………………………………………………… ….8 Goal Area 1: EDUCATION…………………………………………………………...9 Goal Area 2: HEALTH FACILITIES [Clinic etc.] ………………………………….10 Goal Area 3: CLEAN WATER FOR DRINKING & HOUSEHOLD PURPOSES….11 Goal Area 4: DEVELOPING THE COMMUNITY FOR SUSTAINABILITY………..12 Goal Area 5: LOOKING AHEAD: CURRICULUM CHANGES | CAPITAL PROJECTS…13 PART 2: STRATEGIC REPORT……………………………………………………………14 Approach and Aims……………………………………………………………….15 Vision………………………………………………………………………………….15 Summary of Outcomes in 2023………………………………………………….16 Activities & Achievements in 2023………………………………………………18 1) Education…………………………………………………………………..18 2) Health Facilities (Clinic, etc.) …………………………………………..26 3) Clean Water for Drinking and Household Purposes………………..27 4) Developing the Community for Sustainability……………………….28 PART 3: FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES………………………………………………………. 32 Financial Activities……………………………………………………………….…33 Balance Sheet………………………………………………………………………34 Contact page………………………………………………………………………….35 Table of Figures: Figure 1: Sports Team……………………………………………………..25 Figure 2: School Water Tank………………………………………….…27 Figure 3: Teachers, Workers, and Pupils panting maize……………28 Figure 4: Sukuma Wiki for use in the school…………………………..29 Figure 5: Onions for school use………………………………………….29 Figure 6: Maize crop harvested and used by the school………….30 Figure 7: Prison visit by the Good Health Africa team gifting Soap and other well-being items………………………..….30 Figure 8: Garden at Kakamega prison nurtured by the women...30 Figure 9: DRCS pupils and staff at the camp meeting…………..…31

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

Defeating poverty IN THE RURAL COMMUNITY of Western Kenya Kenya, Africa

POPULATION : 56.2 million [⬆️2.2%; ranked 7[th] most populated country in Africa; rated Grade D quality]

CAPITAL: Nairobi, Kenya

OFFICIAL LANGUAGES : Swahili and English CURRENCY : Kenya Shilling (KSH)

British Pound to Kenyan Shilling Spot Exchange Rates for 2023 vs 2022:

EXCHANGE RATE CATEGORY GBP🇬🇧
2023		 USD🇺🇸
2023		 XCD🇲🇸🇦🇬
2023		 VS GBP🇬🇧
2024		 USD🇺🇸
2024		 XCD🇲🇸🇦
🇬2024
BEST EXCHANGE RATE 200.3969
KSH on
30/12/2023
157.2974
KSH on
30/12/2023
58.2025
KSH on
30/12/2023		 VS 207.79
KSH on
25//1/2024
163.9849
KSH on
4/2/2024		 60.6796
KSH on
04/2/2024
AVERAGE EXCHANGE RATE 174.0495 139.8279 51.7389 VS 174.907 137.6128 50.933
WORST EXCHANGE RATE 147.2182
KSH on
05/1/2023		 123.3806
KSH on
2/1/2023		 45.6648
KSH on
2/1/2023		 VS 158.448
KSH on
13/4/2024
127.1304
KSH on
13/7/2024		 47.0418
KSH on
13/7/2024
Source:https://www.exchangerates.org.uk/GBP-KES-spot-exchange-rates-history-2023.html https://www.exchangerates.o rg.uk/GBP-KE S-spo t-exchange-rates-histo ry-2024.html

Note: Before COVID-19 pandemic £1 = ~KSH142; US$1 = ~KSH109; EC$1=~KSH40

DID YOU KNOW?

Kenya is a member of the African Union which was established to promote the unity and solidarity of African countries, defend state sovereignty, eradicate colonialism, promote international cooperation, and coordinate and harmonise Member States’ policies. (https://www.nti.org/education-center/treaties-and-regimes/african-union-au/)

It promotes Agenda 2063: ‘ The Africa We Want ’ defining it as Africa’s blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future (see the African Union’s innovative video entitled ‘What Is Agenda 2063? on its YouTube channel https://youtu.be/T_-YcUVdP7w and or visit www.au.int noting its seven aspirations in the diagram below:

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

Good Health Africa contributes to the Agenda 2063 via its sustainable investment in key infrastructure, improved agriculture practices and better management of natural resources, providing access to quality education and health via the Donald Romeo Community School for which it has governance. The school is based in Museno, Khayega, of the Kakamega District (population: 69,502) in Western Kenya, East Africa assisting on average 359 students annually (increased from 330 last year).

Students at the Donald Romeo Community School are potential future enablers of the Agenda 2063 aspiration (https://youtu.be/GYZGBd6rEb0), goals (https://youtu.be/YAEQNwEcfcc) flagship projects https://youtu.be/M6ah5h0iXb0 and National Development Priorities (https://youtu.be/Fr_EMAWo5X0 ).

The map outlined below illustrates the location of the area served in Kenya in the context of its international geographical location as a guide to donors and individuals or institutions wishing to ship items there.

Adapted: Google Images, 2021)

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

The testimony of a Kenyan who had gone to school naked due to abject poverty, haunted Elizabeth Romeo so much that she went to Kenya to see conditions for herself. What she saw moved her to start a small-scale, health ministry for children, which grew into the Donald Romeo Community School (previously called the Donald Romeo Academy), a primary school, in one of the poorest parts of Western Kenya via Good Health for Africa company, which later changed to operate as a chartered incorporated institution (CIO) via the registered charity number 1177283 and was renamed Good Health Africa.

It is a major undertaking and the Donald Romeo Community School (DRCS) under the governance of Good Health Africa aims to contribute to the reduction of poverty in the adjoining community.

With the assistance of individuals and partnering organisations, we aim to make a positive impact for generations to come, as well as to produce citizens capable of independent thought, who are committed to family and encouraged to contribute positively to their community. Participation in the school choir, clubs, after-school programs, enterprising activities, pathfinders, and various zoom events, allow students to develop vital skills to become successful in society. Vacation Bible school and summer camps also teach skills such as, financial literacy and maths. Our supporters help us work with partner organisations to provide much needed health services to elementary and middle-school-aged children. Most of all the whole program aims to foster values such as integrity, mutual respect, solidarity and teamwork, courage, compassion, and care for the environment.

Good Health Africa is also mindful that the General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in September 2015, that includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which were built on the principle of “ leaving no one behind ”, emphasising a holistic approach to achieving sustainable development for all. DRCS provides support that looks at the whole person to promote their physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being.

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

An attitude of gratitude

Somehow, 2023 seemed to call for the counting of blessings as I looked back, around me and ahead.

Looking back

Twenty years earlier, on 3 August 2003, the first building housing the Donald Romeo Community School was completed and dedicated to the service of God and man. It was the concrete actualisation of impossible dreams: through old and new friendships, obstacles and bridges, painstaking planning and divine serendipity - not to mention thousands of handmade bricks fashioned and put in place by dozens of willing and generous hands. Nothing short of a miracle!

Looking around me

in 2023 I coul ~~d s~~ ee evidence of that enduring miracle:

● The ongoing privilege that we at DRCS have of sharing water with villagers and meals “on heels“ to the elderly (free of cost), as well as comfort to the bereaved through our school choirs.

● The high performance of our students in the national KCPE exams (1[st] place in the Kakamega district for English and 2[nd] for Swahili) despite some lingering effects of lost teaching hours in the pandemic years.

● The successful launch, against all odds, of the Junior Secondary section.

● An agriculture programme which continues to produce more than three quarters of the food served twice a day from the school kitchen.

● The return of Camp Meetings, with their lively singing, talent shows, family life sessions, Bible study and baptisms - a highlight of the year for many in the community, and much missed in the three preceding years.

as New Life Assembly – Hackney branch under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Ruthlyn Bradshaw, Praise and Fellowship Christian Centre led by Pastor Ambrose, Hyland House SDA school and Antigua’s SDA school. The full impact of their faithful giving will, I believe, never be fully known this side of heaven.

Looking ahead

2023 thus saw us beginning to return to pre-pandemic normalcy, but certainly not to a stultifying nostalgia. It saw the GoHADRCS team enthusiastically laying sober plans (diversifying fundraising, overhauling and updating DRCS administration, returning to regular prison visits, a new bus / van, building a new kitchen, completing the new dorm facilities...) and dreaming big dreams (reinstating remedial classes for teenage mothers, pioneering night classes for unschooled cow boys and cow girls, initiating a vigorous anti-jiggers programme, creating a community library open to all, opening a primary health care clinic...).

An impressive list. Unrealistic, some might say, and they may have a point. But of this much I am sure: with God and the teams of dedicated persons I am blessed to collaborate with, all things are possible.

● The constancy, despite economically difficult times, of a few regular donors such

SPONSOR | DONATE

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

GOOD HEALTH AFRICA – UK

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT AND ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

One of the foundational goals of the Donald Romeo Community School (DRCS) is that every child become a go getter. Each child is encouraged to memorise the ‘Go Getter’ poem which reads as follows:

The go-getter goes until he gets what he goes for, The go-getter works until he gets what he hopes for, He fixes a goal and resolves when he sets it, That the way to the prize is to go until he gets it.

(Author Unknown)

The above poem helps each student to pursue their own personal SMART goals with a heightened sense of determination. Frequent recitation helps to keep them focused.

Go getter results are illustrated on page 18 of this report.

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

Whole health and well-being is encouraged for every student and is aimed at all aspects of their school experience:

It is our hope that these values which are already impacting the area immediately around the school will continue to influence the wider community.

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

The Donald Romeo Community School will continue to provide free access to water saving the community money and helping them maintain good hygiene.

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

Long term

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

LOOKING AHEAD CURRICULUM & PROGRAM CHANGES

  1. Further development of Junior Secondary school implemented in January 2023

  2. Literacy programme for the community inclusive of cowboys and girls

  3. Bags of Love for prisoners from Donald Romeo Community School in Sewing project

  4. Bags of Love Back to School project for needy students

  5. Eradicating jiggers in the future

  6. Two-way student exchange program

  7. Black history month initiative

  8. Integration of the Pathfinders program with the national curriculum

  9. Introduction of practical trades into the curriculum

  10. Restarting remedial program for teen mothers

LOOKING AHEAD CAPITAL PROJECTS

SPONSOR | DONATE via https://www.goodhealthafrica.com

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

STRATEGIC REPORT

This section of the Trustees’ Annual Report provides the information required by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

APPROACH AND AIMS

Good Health Africa UK is a registered charity that raises funds to meet its objectives regarding development work in Kenya and the United Kingdom. Good Health Africa aims to contribute to the reduction of poverty in Kenya, currently the central local government area of focus which may be expanded at a later date. People who can benefit are children ages 4 – 13 years, so who were born and reside in Africa.

This work is done in partnership with twinning schools and individuals located in the United Kingdom, the Caribbean, or the United States of America.

Good Health Africa works with families, Kakamega local communities, partners, and the government in Kenya to help every DRCS pupil realize their full potential.

VISION

Our vision is to help to relieve poverty in Africa with our current focus on Kenya.

MISSION

The Board of Directors in the United Kingdom governs and raises finance to support the vision of Good Health Africa. We partner with organisations and individuals in Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, the United States and the United Kingdom to accomplish our objectives/goals which are mainly to provide:

People who can benefit are children ages 4 – 15 years.

Kakamega county is currently the central local government area of focus at this time.

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

SUMMARY OF OUTCOMES IN 2023

1. RESOURCES TO MEET THE MISSION :

In 2023, Good Health Africa UK received a total of £14,391 (£383 less than in 2022) in donations to help meet its goals.

This total sum was achieved through the generous support of our many individual supporters and partners, particularly:

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

2. TWINNING SCHOOLS

Technical difficulties and conflicting timetable rendered the Reading Project not feasible. Social exchange was established with the New Bethel Seventh Day Adventist School in Antigua.

PROMOTION

The pandemic restricted promotions but a virtual concert was undertaken that raised awareness about the project yielding a few hundred pounds. The 2[nd] Annual GoHA Black History month 5K Step Challenge Run/Walk which had been scheduled for October 2022 was postponed to April 2023. The walk, which was championed by 87 year old founder Sarah Jane Elizabeth Romeo and the enthusiastic Hyland House Primary School students, yielded £2,875.94 from sponsors. Overall, the event served to sensitize more persons to become engaged with the project.

There were no gifts left to Good Health Africa UK in wills. However, continued promotions may someday achieve that goal.

3. VOLUNTEERS | PARTNERSHIPS

Good Health Africa has benefitted significantly from contributions of volunteers too numerous to mention and is grateful to all. The continued support of its bankers Barclays Bank PLC is significant. Also, the committed support of The New Life Assembly – Hackney branch under the leadership of Rev. Dr Ruthlyn Bradshaw as well as the Praise and Fellowship Christian Centre under the leadership of Pastor Ambrose and the Tottenham 7[th] Day Baptist Church is deeply appreciated. In kind (non-monetary) support was provided by Shiloh Pentecostal Church via use of their office space.

Staff and students of the Antigua Seventh Day Adventist church that consistently raise funds via its annual Good Health Africa Day are key to the sustainability of the project.

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2023

1. EDUCATION

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE SOCIAL CONTEXT

The students of DRCS came from a variety of backgrounds. The school’s reputation as being among the best in the area, was a major motivation for many families. Moreover, because of its strong commitment to Christian values, many Christian parents sacrificed a lot to send their children to DRCS.

However, some parents were still genuinely unable to pay fees due to poverty and economic hardship worsened by inflation. An average of 50 students received help from a sponsorship programme offering significantly reduced fees or free schooling.

EXAM RESULTS

2023 KCPE EXAM RESULTS

A total of 31 DRCS students sat the exam. The top student was JOY IMESI with a total of 373 marks out of 500 . The lowest-scoring student scored 196 marks out of 500. The school had an average mean score of 306.06 with subject performance as follows:

ENGLISH KISWAHILI MATHS SCIENCE SOCIAL STUDIES
/ RE		 CLASS
MEAN
SUBJECT MEAN
SCORES		 66.13 64.37 56.52 58.45 60.16 306.06
POSITION 1 2 5 4 3

The mean score of the school fell by 3.47 points compared to the previous year. This was mainly due to transfer of pupils from other schools based on the previous system to competence-based curriculum (CBC) which obliged the school to receive pupils from other schools who were below average as compared to our own. A squeezed education calendar also impacted the drop as teachers had less time with the learners.

TOP THREE CANDIDATES:

----- Start of picture text -----
POSITION STUDENT NAME MARKS out of 500
1st PLACE JOY IMESI 373
2nd PLACE CHRISPINE WAMBUGU 372
3 [rd] PLACE LAMECK MUSHILA 362
----- End of picture text -----

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

SUBJECT PERFORMANCE

POSITION SUBJECT MARKS TEACHER
1st PLACE ENGLISH 66.13 FREDRICK MISANGO
2nd PLACE KISWAHILI 64.81 GEORGE SHISAKHA
3rd PLACE SOCIAL STUDIES/C.R.E 60.16 BETTY MULANDA
4th PLACE SCIENCE 58.45 ALLAN MMBOYI
5th PLACE MATHEMATICS 56.52 ALLAN MBOYI

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

OUTLINE OF SCHOOL DAY

SCHOOL DAY for day scholars started at 7am and ended at 5:30pm

SCHOOL DAY for students in the DORMS of Donald Romeo Community School programs started at 5am for boarders and ended at 9:30pm.

TIMOF
DAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY		 TIMOF
DAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY		 TIMOF
DAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
5am – MORNING MORNING Teachers MORNING MORNING
6:20am PREPS PREPS assisting the PREPS PREPS
with Teachers assisting
learners
the learners
7:30am – ASSEMBLY CLASS PRAYERS CLASS Pastor led ASSEMBLY
8am [Devotions] PRAYERS in Pastoral
Program
[Devotions]

instruction
8am – NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL
3:20pm LESSONS LESSONS[end of LESSONS[end LESSONS LESSONS
[end of school school day for lower of school day for [end of school [end of
day for lower classes] lower classes] day for lower school day
classes] classes] at 1pm for
SABBATH
preparation]
3:20pm – SABBATH
GAMES

4pm		 Preparation
4pm – 5pm REMEDIAL REMEDIAL REMEDIAL Q SABBATH
LESSONS LESSONS LESSONS LESSONS Preparation
[UPPER [UPPER classes [UPPER classes [UPPER classes
classes ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY
4pm – SABBATH
DEBATES

5:30pm		 Preparation
BOARDERS
5:30pm – PERSONAL PERSONAL PERSONAL PERSONAL
PERSONAL HYGIENE
6:00pm HYGIENE HYGIENE HYGIENE HYGIENE
6:00-6:30pm SUPPER SUPPER SUPPER SUPPER SUPPER
6:30-6:50pm DEVOTION DEVOTION DEVOTION DEVOTION DEVOTION
LESSON LESSON LESSON LESSON
7:00-8:15pm LESSON LEARNING
LEARNING LEARNING LEARNING LEARNING
READ & READ &
8:15pm- READ & REVISE READ & REVISE READ & REVISE
REVISE REVISE
9:30pm NOTES NOTES NOTES
NOTES NOTES

1:20PM – 1:50PM – We have Bible reading and memory verse memorisation every Thursday.

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

BOARDERS weekend is scheduled as follows:

----- Start of picture text -----
TIME OFDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
6:50am – BREAKFAST BREAKFAST
7:20am
8am – 1pm CHURCH LESSONS
1pm – 2pm LUNCH LUNCH
2pm – 4pm BIBLE DISCUSSION LESSONS i.e. Junior Sec & Class 8
4pm – 6pm REST REST
5:30pm – PERSONAL CLEANING PERSONAL CLEANING
6:00pm
6:00- SUPPER SUPPER
6:30pm
6:30- DEVOTION DEVOTION
6:50pm
7:00-8pm LESSON LESSON
----- End of picture text -----

BOOKS

With the new curriculum still under implementation, books are only provided by the government to all public schools hence it remained a challenge for the school to carry out the book harvesting session. We were compelled to purchase the basic course books. We also advised parents to support where possible and some parents of former students volunteered to donate books left by their children.

THE DEBATING CLUB [Thursdays]

The DEBATING club was organised basically for classes four up to eight in order to boost expression, confidence, language use, talent discovery, and information update, etc.

The weekly mjadala (debates) in Swahili and English were maintained within the school. However, the inter school debates, had to give way to more pressing priorities - continuing post-pandemic adjustments, and the challenges of adapting to the new CBC (Competency-based Curriculum), which has many learning areas; but plans were made for resuming them in 2024.

CONTACT WITH OTHER SCHOOLS

DRCS maintained its commitment to broadening students’ horizons through contact with schools in other countries. Despite some technical challenges, DRCS pupils participated in a book-reading exercise via Zoom with children from Hyland House School (London, England).

DRCS also maintained good relations with the SDA school in Antigua.

DRCS also maintained contact with the neighbouring primary school (Museno Primary School). A friendly Football match between Museno Primary School and Donald Romeo Primary School took place in the first term of 2023. On this occasion Museno Primary School won.

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

SAFEGUARDING

CARE AND DISCIPLINE

DRCS is dedicated to providing students with good care and spiritual nurture. The Board affirmed the school’s repudiation of corporal punishment, and insisted that teachers work on alternative ways of handling cases of indiscipline.

The Guidance and Counselling Committee is comprised of:

  1. School Chaplain – Chairperson

  2. Deputy Headteacher – Secretary

  3. Senior Teacher – Member

  4. Teacher representative from a lower-class

  5. One member from support staff.

The main role of the Guidance and Counselling Committee is to encourage students not only to comply with school rules, but to also develop positive behaviour that will help them become good citizens. No safeguarding incidents were reported in 2023.

To that end, they ensured that students with serious disciplinary problems were correctly guided and persuaded to change their behaviour.

Teachers were asked to collaborate closely with parents and guardians in this regard, although some of the latter found the concept of home-school cooperation for discipline difficult to grasp.

GENERAL VIGILANCE

The school’s security officers ensured that each visitor who entered the school had a clear purpose, and loitering on the compound was strictly prohibited. Those who purchased milk were required to wait at the gate (waiting bay) and were not allowed to enter the school compound.

There was an average of 53 pupils in boarding - 16 girls and 37 boys. The age range was as follows:

AGE 4-9 10-14 15-17
TOTAL 6 47 0

The usual regulations were strictly followed. Boarders were not allowed to have contact with anyone around the school fence. They were also required to seek permission to speak to anyone new to the school.

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

Boarders were only allowed to access phones through the boarding master or mistress. The fact that the school has only two computers had the advantage of making student access easier to monitor. Mostly, they served to project musical programs and films on Friday evenings.

The school allowed parents to contact or visit boarders once per week. All calls were made through the boarding master or mistress.

ENTERPRISE ACTIVITIES

The enterprise activities for the year involved the following:

  1. Milk sale

  2. Banana and vegetable sales were hindered by acute drought

  3. School canteen managed by Pathfinders (see next page)

PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION

The PTA, headed by its new chair, Maximilla Munandi, pursued its efforts to encourage positive collaboration between parents and teachers. The PTA is comprised of one parent representative from each class - from the Play Group to Class 8.

The PTA’s role is mainly to help the school create a bond between parents and teachers. It also serves as a forum for parents to discuss problems and work on solutions.

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

PATHFINDERS

Most pathfindering events had to be suspended, due to prolonged absences of the chaplain who had been the main driver of these activities.

Pathfinders is a club that involves all pupils split into various levels as follows:

  1. Eager Beavers [on average 3 years]

  2. Adventurers [4-7 years]

  3. Pathfinders [8-13 years]

  4. Ambassadors [14-17 years]

The club ran small businesses in school for the sale of stationery and baked bread for tea. By the end of the year, the club had raised around 30,000 Kenya shillings which was used to support the Church yearly camp meeting.

They were also involved in gardening of green vegetables which were sold to members of staff.

The Pathfinder Club was proud to be able to contribute monies they earned through their business enterprise towards the expenses of the Camp Meeting.

The choir was used as a means of reaching out to the community in funerals whenever a neighbour of the school died. Its activities, especially marching and singing have encouraged many of the community children to attend and participate. The choir was headed by teacher Joseph Andaye.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

The usual VBS programme was replaced by a much-appreciated camp-out (more details in section 4).

We had thirty children boarding in school for the same with over seventy from the community attending as day scholars. All these were eventually awarded with certificates. The climax was induction and campfire.

CHOIR AND COMMUNITY

The school had two choirs. The first choir consisted mainly of teachers and other staff members who rehearsed for ten minutes each school day before classes, and on Thursday evenings.

The second choir consisted of students and one teacher. Morning assemblies offered them daily opportunities to practise.

The choir performed for parents whenever an occasion presented itself in the school. The choir also sang in funerals whenever a member of the school community and or the general community was bereaved.

SEWING

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

The School’s policy is that every pupil is expected to learn basic sewing skills and be able to carry out minor repairs. With the new curriculum where Home Science is a compulsory subject, tailoring is now one of the key subjects offered in school. The challenge the school is facing is the lack of a skilled trainer and a dedicated room for sewing activities.

SPORTS DAY

A DRCS team participated in Athletics events and managed to reach the county level. This led to the idea of a serious school team starting from the next academic year, with Teacher Loice Amati in charge of coordinating the activities.

We also hoped to be able to afford, next time, sports uniforms which would further boost morale and promote the school.

Figure 1: Sports team

2. HEALTH FACILITIES (CLINIC, ETC.)

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

HEALTH CARE WITHIN THE SCHOOL

The cleaners ensured that the school was kept clean, and students were asked to cooperate with them by leaving their classrooms tidy at the end of the day. In a further effort to improve hygiene, teachers always encouraged the pupils to wash their hands frequently.

School toilets were checked regularly, and this helped to keep them clean. However, note was taken of the need to plan and implement a programme of repairs, maintenance, and replacements.

Malaria was not a major challenge, as the school ensured that students in the boarding section slept under treated mosquito nets.

The annual deworming campaign was carried out as usual, in collaboration with the Health Department. It was noted that its effectiveness would be increased if it could be done on a twice-yearly basis, but that this would require additional funding.

3. CLEAN WATER FOR DRINKING & HOUSEHOLD

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

PURPOSES

Members of the community continue to have free 24-hour access to water from a spring on Donald Romeo Community School (D.R.C.S) property. Without this access they would have to buy water or travel far to get it.

As agreed, the school saw to the proper use and maintenance of the free water point which the local Water Authority had repaired and rendered safer and more hygenic in 2022.

It is our wish to drill a borehole that can serve the school and community. Meanwhile, the school has installed a 3000-litre tank, which is currently in use, though insufficient.

Figure 2: School Water Tank

The current water tank is small compared to the school population. Therefore, the capacity would be served by a larger water tank ~ 3,000 litres or two more of the same size.

4. DEVELOPING THE COMMUNITY FOR

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

SUSTAINABILITY

AGRICULTURE SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Due to hailstorms affecting the crop at the flowering stage, the school harvested only 37 bags of maize - a forty per cent drop compared to the production of the previous year.

Adverse weather conditions also prevented the planting of onions, tomatoes, and beans. We decided that if such problems persist, the school will have to consider acquiring one or more greenhouses to help protect key crops from unpredictable weather conditions.

Nonetheless, the major part of the food eaten at DRCS came from the shamba (school garden/farm) with the shortfall coming from purchases.

Teachers and students continued the tradition of working together in the shamba during the maize harvest. However, it became apparent that efforts would have to be made in the future to convince parents who did not want their children to “get their hands dirty,” of the pedagogical, social and health benefits to be derived from such activities.

Figure 3: Teachers, Workers, and pupils planting Maize

OTHER PROJECTS

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

The school also engaged in fish farming and raising cows. Unfortunately, due to a lack of adequate personnel to ensure the security and proper management of the ponds, fish was raised for use at the school, but not enough for sale.

On the other hand, extra personnel helped with milking. Surpluses (especially in the holiday periods) were sold.

There was an idea of planting vegetables for sale to generate more income but due to population increase, the produce was only used by the school.

Figure 4: Sukuma Wiki for use in the school

Figure 5: Onions for school use

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

Figure 3: Maize crop harvested and used by the school

PRISON MINISTRY

The director, her daughter Valerie and the school Chaplain visited Kakamega Prison where they donated milk, soap, and undergarments for the inmates. There were approximately 1,000 male prisoners who are very lice infected and 100 women with their children four years and under.

Figure 7: Prison visit by the Good Health Africa team gifting soap and other well-being items

The women are taught back yard gardening (see illustration of garden below):

Figure 8: Garden at Kakamega prison nurtured by the women

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

CAMP MEETING

The school hosted the yearly August Church camp meeting, which ran from 20 - 27 August 2023.

Camp Meeting ran from 20 to 27 August. The highlight was the baptism of 33 persons, including several pupils.

The main activities were:

The camp generated a lot of positive feedback indicating that it was a source of encouragement both to the school and to the local Church. Parents contributed to the Camp via funding and participation in activities, and this helped to promote a spirit of togetherness.

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

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GOOD HEALTH AFRICA - United Kingdom Board of Trustees Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no. 1177283 Registered (England & Wales)

CHARITY # 1177283

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