2025-04-09-accounts - Reach Bwindi

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Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 10[th] April 24 To 9[th] April 25

Charity name: REACH Bwindi

Charity registration number: 1177950

Objectives and Activities

	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	The overall charitable object of REACH Bwindi is ‘’The prevention or relief of poverty or financial hardship in South West Uganda by providing or assisting in the provision of education, training, healthcare projects and all the necessary support designed to enable individuals to generate a sustainable income and be self-sufficient.’’
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.	Para 1.17 and 1.19	As a grant making trust, we support organisations in South West Uganda working to alleviate poverty, either by providing education and training, or healthcare. The focus of our activities this year has been fundraising. In the accounting year 24-25, REACH Bwindi received£41,106. The only beneficiary in the 2024-2025 financial year was Bwindi Community Hospital. In this accounting period, we made grant donations of£42,232.directly received by our beneficiary, details are given later in this report. Also included in our CC16a report are bank interest(£58)and charges (£212). Our trustees have participated in bi-monthly meetings with their counterparts at the hospital to discuss the ongoing use of the funds, and each grant is confirmed on receipt of reports and briefings about activities undertaken. All meetings are minuted. This is in line with REACH Bwindi’s Memorandum of Understanding with Bwindi Community Hospital (updated in October 2024), as well as our financial

		controls. This provides evidence of the accountable use of the funds. This process has been set out in the charity’s grant- making procedures which were shared with the Charity Commission in 2019. Our accounts for this financial year have been subjected to an external examination, and the report is attached. Donors to REACH Bwindi are kept informed on the use of their donations, first by receiving an acknowledgement of their donation, and then via our website www.reachbwindi.com. where progress updates on projects are documented. The donors who give to the twinning project (www.reachbwindi.com/reach-bwindi- twinning-project/) receive regular updates from the communities that are benefitting. The Anchor Foundation stipulated it’s reporting requirements at the time of their grant and these are met through regular reports.
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	Para 1.18	Trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant. No trustee gained personally from the charitable activities and no harms were identified in carrying out the charitable activities.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

	SORP reference
Policy on grant making	Para 1.38	As an organisation, we receive grant applications from our main beneficiary, Bwindi Community Hospital. Grant applications are reviewed and considered by the trustees, with reference to REACH Bwindi’s charitable objectives and in line with our financial controls regulations. We fund- raise to be able to meet those grant requests. In accordance with our schedule, our grant- making policy document is due for review - this will take place in February 2026. As a charity, we have no investments, instead we plan to transfer all funds in our account to the beneficiaries once the grant- making procedures have been completed. These are set out in our Financial Controls regulations. Volunteers and Trustees are not remunerated for their time. A system exists
Policy on social investment including program related investment	Para 1.38
Contribution made by volunteers	Para 1.38
Other

for claiming reasonable expenses, though no expenses were claimed during this year. Two of our volunteers were also working in a voluntary capacity as clinicians at Bwindi Community Hospital during this accounting period. The Charity has six active volunteers. Volunteers serve to support the activities of the charity in line with the charitable objects and in support of the trustees, including in fund-raising, preparing documents and information-gathering as well as supporting financial controls.

Achievements and Performance

	SORP reference
Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.	Para 1.20	In the accounting year, 2024-25, REACH Bwindi was able to award funds as follows £7,320to support the provision of Youth Friendly Services at Bwindi Community Hospital. It is recognised that young people can find it particularly difficult to access health services, both because of lack of resources, but also because the conventional delivery of services can be off putting (such as attending a service where neighbours/ relative might see you visit).Bwindi Community Hospital offers a free Youth Friendly service where young people up to 23 can access HIV screening, contraceptive advice, sexual health screening, help and treatment for minor illness as well as psychosocial support. The project has gone from strength through the support of REACH Bwindi. Further evidence is available here https://reachbwindi.com/2024/11/10/youth- friendly-services/ £13, 297was sent to support eye care services at BCH as the hospital develops its new eye care facility, including the salary for the ophthalmic clinical officer. £500was sent in December 2024 to support family planning training. The community health team received £16,115. This was split into funding the mental health project and the Batwa Alcohol project. The Batwa are a marginalised community of pygmy people who were displaced from the

forest in Bwindi when the national park was demarcated. They are an important community in the district served by Bwindi Community Hospital, and indeed, the hospital was first established as a clinic to meet their needs. They are vulnerable when removed from their forest-dwelling way of life and often live marginal lives in settlements. Alcohol misuse is a frequent problem with personal, familial and social consequences. REACH Bwindi’s funding allowed the community team to develop an intervention to address alcohol misuse and alcohol related harm amongst Batwa communities in the district. In 2024, REACH Bwindi responded to an emergency call from the hospital to help with the replacement of pit latrines in staff accommodation which had collapsed and become unusable. Trustees considered the support of staff needs to be an appropriate use of charitable funds, recognising that the recruitment and retention of staff is central to the hospital’s ability to provide ongoing services of high quality. We made a grant of £5,000 for this purpose.

Total funds distributed: £42,232.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)	Para 1.47	This year saw the launch of the REACH Bwindi ‘’Twinning Project’’. Through this project, donors as individuals or groups (such as a GP practice or other group) are ‘’twinned’’ with a village in the catchment of Bwindi Community Hospital. In return for financial support, donors receive updates and information about the health concerns and interventions in their twinned villages. This personal connection can be attractive to donors. Monies raised this way go generally towards the activities of the community team in general. Here is more information. https://reachbwindi.com/reach-bwindi- twinning-project/ We continue to receive royalties generously donated from the publication of a book by the author, Prof Judith Carrier. Now in its 3rd edition, royalties from her book continue to be received by our charity. Our partner organisation, Jamie’s Fund, has been supporting mental health work in Rural Uganda since 2013. When their activities came to an end at the end of 2023, they passed their residual funds to REACH Bwindi to continue the support for mental

health work. £9,200 was received this way. REACH Bwindi awarded a grant of £12,000 over three years for the Batwa Alcohol project mentioned above. £5,0 00 was received for the first year of activities. The Sight4Bwindi group has raised funds to the tune of £4,000 specifically for eye care services through the Rotary Fund, Lion’s Fund and the Cheruby Trust. Individual and group donors continued to give generously in response to personal experience of the hospital, or responding to presentations. ‘’Give as you live’’ and CAF approaches increased our fundraising considerably. £3,998 was received through CAF donations in this financial year. We have no investments. Investment policy and objectives including any Para 1.46 social investment policy adopted

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter)	Para 1.25	Trust deed
How is the charity constituted? (e.g. unincorporated association, CIO)	Para 1.25	Charitable Trust
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Para 1.25	Appointed by a quorum of trustees

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees	Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees		As set out in our trust document, all new trustees and volunteers undergo an induction. We have a code of conduct for the board of trustees which all trustees have signed. A similar code of conduct for volunteers is signed by those who serve the charity in this capacity. A plan of work ensures that our policies and procedures are regularly reviewed and updated. In January 2025, our chair of trustees travelled to Bwindi and met with the hospital’s new director. Meetings were held to review the partnership, and the Memorandum of Understanding between REACH Bwindi and Bwindi Community Hospital was renewed. In 2025, we reviewed our charity’s safeguarding policy. As part of the wider reach of this work, and recognising our obligations as a charity to work with our partners on this matter, we engaged directly with Bwindi Community Hospital senior management for a review of the hospital’s safeguarding procedures and practices. Drawing on the safeguarding expertise of several Reach Bwindi trustees and volunteers, a series of meetings were held and an audit conducted of safeguarding training and good practice. Whilst much of the policy was exemplary, there were gaps in its implementation. Where these were identified, training has taken place and further audit continues to monitor performance.

		All trustees have completed the relevant DBS/Disclosure Scotland checks. We continue to adhere to the Memorandum of Understanding with Bwindi Community Hospital. We use Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), Investors in Community and Just Giving as our main fund-raising platforms. We also encourage our supporters to use ongoing fund-raising platforms such as Give as You Live.
The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works	Para 1.51	As a small charity, formal decision-making takes place at quarterly trustee meetings, whilst bimonthly liaison meetings take place between a charity representative and a member of the hospital management team, including its financial officer. Decisions are made by a quorum of trustees. Regular communication takes place between the trustees and volunteers in an informal manner between meetings. Volunteers actively participate in all meetings and contribute to decision-making where this is appropriate in line with the volunteer agreement.

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name	REACH Bwindi
Other name the charity uses	Resourcing Effective Accessible Community Healthcare in Bwindi
Registered charity number	1177950
Charity’s principal address	173 Hoole Street Sheffield S6 2WS

Names of the trustees who manage the charity

	Trustee name	Office (if any)
1	Marian Mathias	Chair
2	Andrew Dobson
3	Dr Ceri Alamsetti	Secretary
4	Dr Sarah Dinwoodie
5	Dr Holly Jane Tyson

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

There are none.

Other optional information

Our schedule of Meetings between April 2024 and March 2025 took place with the following participants

Owesiga Barnabas (OB) Twongyeirwe Enok Byaruhanga (TEB) Amara Eliad Nuwagaba (AE) Nkuhe Derrick (ND) Dr Charlotte Aguti Ongom (CA) Kuule Yusufu (KY) Jasper Keburentia (JK) Andrew Dobson (AD) Sarah Dinwoodie (SD) Marian Mathias known as Marian Davis for this record (MD) Ceri Alamsetti known as Ceri Gallivan for this record (CG or CA) Holly Tyson (HT) Eva Strauss (ES) Cynthia Omara (CO) Margaret Reeves (MR) Leo Coyle (LC) Frances Wardle(FW) Timothy Martin (TM) Johanna Thonning (JT) Aaron Peterson (AP)

Trustee meetings take place quarterly, and meetings between REACH trustees and our colleagues in Uganda take place monthly or bimonthly.

Date	Type	Location	Present
12.4.24	liaison	BCH/ Zoom	OB, AD, MD
14.6.24	liaison	BCH/ Zoom	OB, AD, MD
21.9.24	liaison	BCH/ Zoom	OB, AD, MD, JT, AP, AD
23.10.2 4	liaison	BCH/ Zoom	OB, KY, ND, AD, MD
20.11.2 4	liaison	BCH/ Zoom	KY, ND, AD, AO, MD, AP, JD
16.1.25	liaison	BCH/ Zoom	ON, KY, JT, AP, AE, SD, AN, ND, AC, CO, EN
15.3.25	liaison	BCH/ Zoom	OB, ND, JK, AD, MD, JT.
20.4.24	Trustees/Vols	zoom	MD, AD, SD, TM, CO, ES, HT, FW
20.7.24	Trustees/Vols	Zoom	AD, AD,MR, MD, CO, LC, HT
15.10.2 4	Trustees/Vols	In person	SD, CA, AD, MD, HT, CO, ES, LC, JT, AP
4.1.25	Trustees/Vols	Zoom	SD, MD, AD, TM, AP, MR, JT, HT, FW

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:

Signature
Full name	Marian Mathias
Position	Chair of Trustees
Date	01.12.2025

REACH Bwindi 1177950 Receipts and payments accounts For the period 10-Apr-24 09-Apr-25 To from

CC16a

Section A Receipts and payments

A1 Receipts	Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 41,106 58 3 - - - - - 41,167 - - - 41,167 42,232 - 212 - - - - - - 42,444 - - - 42,444 - 1,277 - 21,357 20,080	Restricted funds to the nearest £	Endowment funds to the nearest £	Total funds to the nearest £	Last year to the nearest £
Donations	41,106	- - - - - - - - -	- - - - - - - - -	41,106 58 3 - - - - - 41,167	23,853
Bank intererest	58				100
Bank refund	3				-
	-				-
	-				-
	-				-
	-				-
	-				- 23,953
*Sub total*(Gross income for AR)	41,167

A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
	-	- - -	- - -	- - -
	-				- -
*Sub total*	-
*Total receipts* A3 Payments
		-	-	41,167	23,953

Grantspaid	42,232	- - - - - - - - - -	- - - - - - - - - -	42,232 - 212 - - - - - - 42,444	26,159
Collection costs	-				135
Bank charges	212				100
	-				-
	-				-
	-				-
	-				-
	-				-
	-				- 26,394
*Sub total*	42,444

A4 Asset and investment ~~purchases (see table)~~
~~,~~	-	- - -	- - -	- - -
	-				-
*Sub total*	-
*Total payments* *Net of receipts/(payments)* A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end **Cash funds this year end **				42,444
		-	-		26,394

	- 1,277	- - -	- - -	- 1,277 - 21,357 20,080	- 2,441
	-				-
	21,357				23,798
	20,080	-	-		21,357

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

10/12/2025

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
Categories B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B3 Investment assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees	Details *Total cash funds* (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details Details Details Details Signature	Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 20,080 - - - - - 20,080 - OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name	Endowment funds to nearest £
			-
			-
			-
			-
			OK
			Endowment funds to nearest £
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			Current value (optional)
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			Current value (optional)
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
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			When due (optional)






			Date of approval

CCXX R2 accounts (SS)

10/12/2025

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Charity Name REACH BWINDI	Charity Name REACH BWINDI	Charity Name REACH BWINDI

9 April 2025	Charity no (if any)	1177950

My report is set out on thispage 1 (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 09/ 04 / 2025 .
Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report 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 the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.

Signed: Date: Name: Kudzanai Joni Relevant professional FCCA qualification(s) or body Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (if any): Address: 33 Marne Way, Radstone Fields Brackley, Northamptonshire NN13 6HQ

Page 1

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

Page 2