## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023**
## **Legal and Administrative Details**
Accomplish Children’s Trust (ACT) CIO was incorporated on 21 March 2019. This charity took over the work and net assets of Accomplish Children’s Trust which was originally established in 2008, charity registration number 1127235.
**Principal Office:** 2 Byron Court, Balderton, Newark, NG24 3PY
**Registered Charity number:** 1182573
## **Trustees**
Dr Thomas Jackson (Chair)
Rebecca Cornish Dr Christopher Harris Christopher Acton Susan Baldock
Jessica Acton Elizabeth Bulkeley Aimee Plumptre Julia Tseayo (from August 2023) Rebecca Hibbert (from August 2023)
## **Governing Document**
The governing document is in the form of a constitution which sets out objects, what the charity can do, how it can spend its money, requirements of the trustees, how meetings must be managed, and other similar governance issues which are required of all charities. A copy of the full document is available on the Charity Commission web site or by contacting any of the trustees.
## **Charitable objects**
Accomplish Children’s Trust CIO is a UK based fund-raising body whose aim is to meet the needs of children with disability and their families in disadvantaged parts of Africa. It continues the work of the registered charity, Accomplish Children’s Trust which was established in 2008. It seeks to achieve this by following three objectives:
- The advancement of education for children with disabilities and their families.
- To enable medical relief and treatment for disabilities of all types affecting children
- and young people.
- A response based on Christian principles and social outreach to children & young
- people with disabilities and their families in any part of Africa.
The modus operandi for Accomplish to fulfil these objectives is to partner with African organisations already working around children’s disability and to provide funding grants to these bodies to support and extend their work.
## Global context
## Sustainable Development Goals
Our work contributes to delivering several UN sustainable development goals, first set out in 2015 with the ambition of achieving them by 2030. This includes goals 1-5, and goal 10 (see graphic).
The latest report 2023 showed that the UN were well behind on delivering some of these goals, with many indicators moving backward. It reports the covid-19 pandemic has caused a three-year set back in the eradication of poverty, and the largest rise in ‘between country’ inequality in three decades. Food security and the rising cost of food is creating an alarming rise in the number of people who are hungry, 391 million more than in 2022. World hunger is back to levels not seen since 2005. It reported that 1 in 6 people worldwide have experienced discrimination in some form, with those with disabilities and women being disproportionately affected[1] .
## Disability rates in Africa
The need to support those in Africa that are facing these impacts most keenly is core to Accomplish Children’s Trust mission. In Uganda, 12.4% of the population is living with a disability, with rates of disability being higher in rural areas (15%) than in urban areas (12%), and more prevalent amongst women (15%) than men (10%)[3] . In Malawi, 11.6% of the population over 5 years has a disability.
## **Explanation of the work of the charity**
Our Mission: To transform lives by improving the health, education, social and employment opportunities of children with special needs in rural Africa.
Accomplish Children’s Trust is a UK registered charity which delivers our mission through funding local partner-led projects in Africa, usually in remote regions, to deliver:
Education: funding schools, or fees for disabled students, and vocational training centres that support children with disabilities. Giving education and skills to support children to become economically independent, to contribute and feel valued within their communities.
Medical needs : delivering epilepsy clinics and medication, therapy, nutritional support, and community outreach.
Income generation : provision of farm animals and agricultural projects as an economic contribution to families supporting children with disabilities, contributing to self-sufficiency
Community support : community and social outreach work to support children and young people. Connecting them to medical services and support networks.
This is done in several ways:
- UK-based fundraising
- Awarding grants
- Strategic collaborations and
- Long-term African partnerships
In the areas we work, disability is poorly understood. It is often seen as a curse, with these children often described as being worthless. Disabled children disproportionately suffer even compared to others who live in poverty.
## **Projects supported**
Total income for the financial period has been £94,894 (compared to £83,093 in the previous year). Grants totaling £100,893 (compared to £95,849 in the previous year) have been distributed across a number of projects as detailed below.
- RAPCD (www.rapcd.org/) primary and secondary school, Uganda - £41,817 (compared to £33,146 in the previous year). This money has been used to employ primary school teachers, secondary school teachers (including one for Braille and one for computer studies), an office worker, food support and braille paper. One-off grants were also given for desks, beds, and septic tanks.
- RSNF (www.facebook.com/rwenzorispecialneedsfoundation.org/) skills training and income generation, Uganda - £20,037 (compared to £20,688 in the previous year). This money has been used to run a vocational training centre and pays for two tutors, two social workers, the director and a security guard/gardener. Rent has also been paid for the building in which the centre is located along with some help towards electricity, water and internet costs. Additionally start up equipment was provided for graduating students. We also supported feeding costs for students at the school.
- KCDC (www.kcdc.org), physiotherapy, epilepsy clinics and other community outreach, Uganda - £20,371 (compared to £19,838 in the previous year). This money is used to pay for the medical officers who deliver outreach epilepsy clinics for around 700 patients and to pay for epilepsy clinic delivery costs. Staff employed by KCDC who ACT supports include two physiotherapists, a medical officer, an outreach worker, and an occupational therapist.
- Friends of Kagando Hospital (https://friendsofkagando.co.uk/), Epilepsy medication, Uganda - £5,280 (the same amount was given in the previous year).
- Proreso School, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) - £2,160 (compared to £5,856 for the previous year) for food support, and sponsorship for school fees. Previously we have also supported salaries for teachers of the deaf and disabled children, but funding did not allow for this to happen this year.
- Heart of Mercy, Community outreach and training, Malawi – £11,227 (compared to £11,041 in the previous year). This money has been used for funding the salaries of three outreach workers and for meetings and sign language training of the parents of those looking after children with disabilities. It has also supported two project support workers and miscellaneous items such as mobile phone costs and travel costs. Currently there are 79 children and 13 young people with disabilities as part of this project. with the mums and grandmothers being the main / sole carers. Although all parents are welcome and encouraged to attend group meetings, it is the mothers who tend to attend.
Further details about the work of all these projects is given in our twice-yearly newsletter and regular prayer letters.
## In summary ACT’s impact has included:
- Enabling 346 children with disabilities to attend school during 2022-23. Over 90% of these children with disabilities had never previously been able to attend school.
- Providing over 700 children and young adults with epilepsy medication. Enabling them to attend school, work and get married
- Providing sign language training which has enabled children to communicate with their families for the first time
- Training 60 (reducing to 45 from January 2023) young adults with disabilities in vocational skills, the majority of whom are female. From previous year data we know that 90% of these students can find work after graduating.
- Self-sustaining income generating farm and pig projects for families of children with disabilities. 60% of the packages given out so far have been returns from beneficiary families donating back into the scheme
- Helping enable more than 3,500 children to receive physical and occupational therapy in the last 6 years through the work of KCDC.
- Parents repeatedly reporting that they no longer feel isolated and have been given hope.
Accomplish is run solely by volunteers. All donations go directly to the projects we support. We work with local organisations run by local people. They are best placed to not only understand the local needs, but also to be able to educate and change attitudes in the community.
## For further information
Website: https://www.accomplishtrust.org.uk
Introductory video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-_72hP4bUQ
## Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AccomplishTrust
Our priorities for the period 2024 to 2034 are detailed in our 10 year Strategy which is currently being finalized in consultation with our trustees, project leads and supporters.
Our key goals include:
Goal 1: To scale up our successful delivery models and funding to support triple the number of children and in two more African countries by 2034.
Goal 2: To work increasingly more in partnership to deliver our mission and to have presence in three partnerships influencing at national level or above by 2034.
Goal 3: To support our projects to become self-sufficient within five years of our first intervention.
For all of our goals our priority will be to support woman.
## **Organisation and sources of support**
The charity is led and managed by nine trustees who meet at least four times annually to approve grants, set policy, and to administer governance. All administration has been carried out by the trustees including making funding applications, liaising with projects in Africa, and fundraising.
ACT recognises the need for full accountability for all grants sent to our partner organisations and this is fully supported by those in receipt of these grants. We maintain strong working relationships with all our partners through regular email, video calls and written communications.
We have a volunteer network which is led by Susan Baldock (Trustee). We have received great help from numerous volunteers including Nigel Pells who does our gift aid claims, Stephanie Cole who does our bookkeeping, Angela Dorey who coordinates the thank you letters we send to donors in the UK, and Helen Dobson who is the Independent Examiner of our accounts. Volunteer Emma Wallis has also done a great deal of work for Accomplish with the website, Facebook and newsletter. There are also many others who donate and raise funds including several churches including St Olave’s, St Edward’s in York and Billericay Baptist church. Our volunteers remain a key part of our organisation and we thank them for their continued support.
## **Policies**
The trustees have considered the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit and confirm that all activities of the charity comply with this guidance.
The reserves policy is to hold adequate funds in a savings account that can be used in a
situation where the charity is unable to raise adequate funding to committed projects and so it becomes necessary to inform them that funding will stop. The reserves can then be used to help the project reduce its reliance on ACT, or close services, in a managed way, over a period of at least one school term. The savings account currently holds £19,196 and our aim is to increase this to £30,000 by the end of 2024.
No other assets are held for other charities.
We use the following criteria for making grants:
- Grants will be awarded to African based charities or organisations
- Grants will be awarded to charities that share the objectives of Accomplish in addressing well-being, social, medical and educational needs of children with disability
- Grants will be awarded to charities or organisations that can demonstrate good governance and financial accountability
- Grants will be awarded within the constraints of the Accomplish fund availability
- Grants will be awarded to charities or organisations that can demonstrate appropriate child protection practices
- Grants may be awarded for capital expenditure, but in such cases demonstration of longer-term sustainability of these awards will be requested
- Grants will not be awarded to organisations that are opposed to the Christian ethos of the Accomplish charity
- Grants will not be awarded to organisations which themselves mainly distribute grants to other organisations.
- Accomplish will recognise that the term ‘child’ in Africa can refer to anybody up to the age of 25
## **Trustees’ approval and signature**
This report has been approved by the trustees at their meeting on 11 January 2024.
**Tom Jackson Christopher Acton Chair Treasurer**
**1182573**
**Accomplish Children's Trust CIO**
## **Receipts and payments accounts**
**For the period** 1/07/2022 **To** 30/06/2023 **from**
## **Section A Receipts and payments**
|**Receipts**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**|**Total funds**
**2023**
**to the nearest £**|**Total funds**
**2022**
**to the nearest £**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||**-**|-|
|Donations & Grants|59,295|35,417||**94,712**|83,060|
|Bank Interest|182|-||**182**|33|
|||||**-**|-|
|||||**-**|-|
|||||**-**|-|
|||||**-**|-|
|||||**-**|-|
|||||**-**|-|
|||||**-**|-|
|**_Sub total_**|59,477|35,417||**94,894**|**83,093**|
|**Asset and investment sales, etc.**
**_Total receipts_**
**Payments**||||||
||**-**|**-**||**-**|**-**|
||**59,477**|||||
|||**35,417**||**94,894**|**83,093**|
|||||||
|Grants to RAPCD|28,564|13,253||**41,817**|33,146|
|||||**-**|-|
|Grant to RSNF|5,582|14,455||**20,037**|20,688|
|Grant to KCDC|18,617|1,754||**20,371**|19,838|
|Grant to DRC Nyankunde|1,800|360||**2,160**|5,856|
|FOK (epilepsy medication)|1,600|3,680||**5,280**|5,280|
|Heart of Mercy|10,199|1,028||**11,227**|11,041|
|||||**-**|-|
|Bank charges (UK)|78|-||**78**|46|
|Bank charges (Uganda)||||**-**|-|
|Fundraising events||||**-**|651|
|Charitable costs||||**-**|-|
|||||**-**|-|
|||||**-**|-|
|||||**-**|-|
|Other|540|-||**540**|748|
|**_Sub total_**|**66,981**|**34,530**||**101,511**|**97,294**|
|**Asset and investment**
**purchases, etc.**
**_Total payments_**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**Transfers between funds**
**Cash funds last year end**
**_Cash funds this year end_**||**34,530**
**887**
**(887)**
**-**
**(0)**|**-**|**-**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**66,981**|**34,530**|**101,511**|**97,294**|
||||||
||**(7,504)**|**887**|**(6,617)**|**(14,201)**|
||**887**
**31,855**||**-**
**31,855**|**-**
**46,056**|
||**25,238**|**(0)**|**25,238**|**31,855**|
## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Unrestricted Restricted Total funds
funds funds
30/6/23 30/6/23 30/6/23
to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £
Cash funds Business account 19,196 - 19,196
Community account 6,042 6,042
Virginmoney savings account - -
Total cash funds 25,238 - 25,238
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s)) OK OK OK
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees Signature Print Name app Date of roval
Thomas Jackson
Chris Acton
Page 1
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **Independent examiner’s report to the Trustees of Accomplish Children’s Trust CIO**
I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of Accomplish Children’s Trust CIO (the Trust) for the period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 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:
1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
2. 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.
Name: Helen M Dobson ACA
Address: 129a The Mount York YO24 1DU
Date: 11 January 2024