ordinary hero ANNUAL REPORT '22-
HELLO FROM JANINE, COFOUNDER.
I am so delighted to share our 2022 annual report along with our vision for 2023. It’s super important to me to start by saying thank you to everyone who continues to believe in our work. Thank you. Enjoy!
Craig and I live in Gulu full time and are hands and feet on the ground here. We are investing our time and resource in the highest impact projects.
Projects that add the highest value and create a lasting, widespread change in peoples’ lives. We work diligently to ensure the highest levels of accountability. OHUK, our family non-profit was registered in 2019 with a vision to alleviate the pain and suffering associated with poverty in Northern Uganda, we live in Gulu full time.
Everything we do moves us towards our vision through the mission of bringing love, hope and a sense of belonging to the most vulnerable. Our main aim is to relieve the everyday stresses of poverty to vulnerable groups through access to education, food security, relevant life-skills training to enhance life chances and recreational activities. When we created OHUK we wanted our charity objectives to be wide reaching. You’ll see a lot of victories in our annual report, lots of stand in the gap moments and long term commitments to those we now consider our family.
We have established community and initiated programmes that integrate into peoples everyday lives. We’re here to listen and to support communities through tangible projects. We are inclusive and unique
and are investing in the highest impact projects and ready to think and move out of the box. Our strategy is to work alongside locals and leaders who know the most about the true needs, therefore, can help guide and assist us in implementing the most effective programmes. We ask first what the best way is to help, and then we take action.
Craig and I have no staff, and in the 5 years we have lived here together we have, and continue to, do what we can through our vision. We always LOVE to welcome support into our grassroots organisation. We have worked tirelessly along with 3 trustees who are based in the UK to navigate registration in Uganda, work visas, be compliant in all we do and fundraise while staying true to who we are, an ordinary couple from the UK!
CRAIG AND JANINE OVER SEE ALL THE PROGRAMS AS COUNTRY DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT.
Janine has over 15 years experience in project management from a senior role developing, implementing sales strategies and forward thinking business plans and has held varying positions in business development, people development, coaching, mentoring, mediation and training. She is know for her ability to inspire and encourage others. She describes herself as being very service orientated and between business ownership and volunteer work she’s mastered the balance between being accountable for creating impact and creating opportunities for others to grow and shine.
Craig has extensive experience within the building trade with a proven track record of providing outstanding standards and levels of service and exceeding expectations. Together they promote a fun, safe and inclusive environment to get the best out of others and personal development performance.
HERE’S SOME OF OUR SUCCESS STORIES WE KNOW YOU’LL LOVE READING ABOUT.
project intended to benefit poor families & individuals who incessantly struggle to acquire sufficient resources to meet their needs. We have applied a business sense to the programme too. Provided softer skills such as education on how to effectively market their products along with financial literacy, our goal is to improve quality of life.
One of our unique programmes has really taken off in the local communities, mainly because of its systemic approach creating a lasting change. The programme promotes inclusive development that enables women and men to unlock their own potential, sparking transformative change. It’s the organisational adrenaline! Through this programme we see a large opportunity for growth and radical opportunity to make a permanent difference quickly.
Our model means we expect a strong relationship to continue with our students benefiting from the training through an annual timeline of continued mentoring and support. Craig and I are passionate about long term sustainability. Our local leaders have initiated the project and are therefore invested in its success.
The Bakery outreach has a key objective to provide a quick income generating, sustainable, rural livelihood to support poverty reduction and strengthen communities. Our project is inclusive and designed to make an immediate difference to the quality of life. It is proven to be strengthening communities through changing attitudes to promote opportunity for all. The programme is in high demand. Mid 2022 we presented our local leaders with an idea of teaching practical, hands on cooking and baking skills along with providing basic business and financial management training for small businesses to poor families & individuals who incessantly struggle to acquire sufficient resources to meet their needs. Together with a team of skilled, local bakers we trialled a unique 5 day very interactive workshop.
Testimonies & tangible results.
Flora - ‘ Appreciating this programme so much because it has changed my life positively. Everyday I make donuts to sell and make a profit of 38,000ugs, enough to feed my family and send my daughter to school.
(Side note - Craig and I are always saddened to see how many children cannot attend school in our community because their families cannot afford the school fees. Every time we visit the outreach programmes there are dozens of children who are not in school. When asked why, the answer is simple - the money is not there).
In an area where economic hardship is seen at its extreme, the impact we have seen first hand is nothing short of incredible and our model is having the intended impact. We have expanded our reach in 2023 and are now on our 6th training cycle An injection of income would boost an already very successful programme. We now have an incredible blueprint for a poverty-alleviating
Next stages are to raise more finance to reach more people, this really is the most incredible program and well worth investing into. Just £500 enables 1 workshop to take place.
LITTLE HEROES.
After years of school closures, the kids are finally settled back into a school pattern, our little heroes programme continues to grow, not in numbers but in excellence as we add to our knowledge of the education system here. Our little heroes deserve the best care. Craig, I and our trusted plus one Amos have made it our mission to provide the best holistic, loving approach we can. The kids are all thriving in school and we consider this is a long term investment into their future.
“LET’S MAKE SOME CHANGES BECAUSE YOUR FUTURE IS WORTH IT”
- Craig Robinson
This year, our focus has shifted from simply asking, “How do we expand?” to instead querying, “How do we enhance this?” Embracing unconventional ideas is something we relish, blue sky thinking one day led us to the idea of a mobile library to enhance literacy.
With over 100 kids and 1 teacher per class it’s not surprising that some kids can fall behind with their reading skills. Our book club is a weekly, Saturday morning gathering to encourage reading through:
Storytelling sessions.
Organised story telling sessions where we, guests or the children read aloud to engage children in a unique way, foster a love of books and improve listening skills.
Reading Buddies.
Pairing younger and older children and having them read together.
Writing workshops.
This is to encourage children to write their own stories, a wonderful creative outlet.
Our Saturday morning gatherings have flourished into a vibrant club, all credit to you. We now have a collection of over 100 storybooks, phonics materials, and local reading materials. The joy of our meetings lies in sharing breakfast, indulging in a couple of hours of immersive reading, uniting in song, and enjoying playful activities together.
Our skateboarding community outreach program continues to flourish! We’ve introduced some positive changes: assigning leaders, expanding our volunteer force, and launching monthly competitions. We’re also immensely grateful to the Langdale UK trust for their generous donation of 20 new skateboards.
BRIDGING THE DIVIDE.
Once again, you’ve stepped in during a critical time of food price escalation. One of the local schools where we have 9 of our little heroes studying was struggling to maintain their feeding program for the 800+ students attending. A day of eleven school hours without a meal is unthinkable. Therefore, we reached an agreement with a generous lady who pledged to prepare daily meals for our children - a wholesome serving of beans, posho, and assorted local vegetables.
We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has contributed to this initiative. This unplanned expense strained our already stretched budget, but, as always, you rallied in support. We are uncertain as to when the school will be able to resume their own feeding program, so we commit to continuing to standing in the gap for the foreseeable future.
BUILDING.
Naturally, our year would not be complete without making yet another long-term, bricks-and-mortar contribution to our community. We sought to understand the pressing needs of our community health centre, and the unanimous response highlighted the requirement for a waiting area. So, we brainstormed and designed a childfriendly waiting space.
The funds for this project were generously raised as part of Janine’s milestone 50th birthday celebration. The new area has been a hit with everyone, particularly Nurse Walter, who is the lifeblood of the centre, as you can see in the accompanying photo! In addition, we have spruced up the place by painting, laying new floor tiles, and rearranging the signage. This facility caters to the healthcare needs of over 600 community members each month, in addition to providing weekly treatments for the 100+ children in the Remand Home facility. We are thrilled to announce that this health centre now ranks third in the district for its services.
PLANS FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2023.
We have successfully secured the land for the school and are now focusing on acquiring a site for the OHUK HUB, as well as gathering funds to kickstart the construction.
We would love to invite you to volunteer & be involved : It’s always a delight to share our life here and have visitors share their unique skills and talents with our community. Join us in making a significant difference, accomplishing some of your bucket-list goals, and forming lifelong friendships.
You can also sign up to make a recurring donation; We are forever grateful for support from our sponsor family. Sustainable giving in the form of a small monthly donations helps us plan ahead for the future. If you are currently unable to become a sponsor or a partner, you can still help us share our mission. We are so appreciative of those who spread the word. We aim to be transparent in all we do and a copy of our financials can be found on the Charity UK website.
We value voices from all of our supporters, team, and volunteers from all over the world and are committed to becoming the best, equitable organisation we can be.
Thank you to everyone : North Church Leeds, Powerhouse Church Maryborough, Tribes Perth, Laing Family Trust, Hunslet boys club, our trustees & all our Ordinary Hero Family.
CASTING VISION.
When Craig first visited Uganda in 2011, his mission was to build structures that would contribute to the future of our community, propel the community forward. From that year onward, he has rallied friends from across the globe to come alongside and build, collectively contributing to the growth and betterment of our community.
With every endeavour, we’ve witnessed remarkable outcomes.
The medical centre mentioned earlier is just one of those. Amidst the hurdles brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been proactive in standing in the gap with our community outreach programs. We pledge to persist in this endeavour: it is needed & more importantly wanted. However, we’ve now chosen to channel our resources towards two crucial construction projects.
The first is establishing the Ordinary Hero community HUB. Given our well recognised and appreciated presence in Gulu, it’s high time we deepen our roots here. Our goal is to enhance the accessibility of our services, extending our reach to an even broader segment of the population in need.
The second project is the construction of a school that can accomodate over 1200 children. It deeply saddens us to witness how many children do not attend school due to limited resources. This issue weighs heavily on our hearts, and we are determined to address it.
These two projects represent our most significant tasks to date. We are working diligently behind the scenes to assemble a team capable of completing them successfully. However, we need your support. We have set an ambitious target of raising £65,000 to fund both of these significant projects. We acknowledge this is a substantial sum, but as the old adage goes, “it takes a village to eat an elephant.” We’re extending an invitation to you to be a part of this endeavour and help us tackle this “elephant” collectively.
To bolster our fundraising efforts, Craig and Janine have committed to running a marathon later in 2023. We warmly welcome you to engage in fundraising activities and, just as crucially, to join us in the building projects anytime between January 2024 and December 2025.
HELP US TO LOVE WITH OPEN ARMS LIKE YOU DO.
A LOVE THAT ERASES ALL THE LINES AND SEES THE TRUTH.
OH THAT WHEN THEY LOOK IN OUR EYES THEY WOULD SEE YOU GOD, EVEN IN JUST A LITTLE SMILE, THEY WOULD FEEL THE FATHER’S LOVE.
AMEN.
ORDINARY HERO UK
Receipts and pay
For the period 1ST JANUARY 2022 from
Section A Receipts and payments
| ORDINARY HERO UK | ORDINARY HERO UK | ORDINARY HERO UK | ORDINARY HERO UK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts andpay | ||||
| For the period from |
1ST JANUARY 2022 | |||
| Section A Receipts and payments | ||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | |||
| to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | |||
| A1 Receipts | ||||
| Donations | 14,958 | 67 | ||
| Fundraising | 964 | 443 | ||
| Sales | 1,390 | 62 | ||
| Programs | 1,026 | 14,432 | ||
| 0 | - | |||
| 0 | - | |||
| 0 | - | |||
| 0 | - | |||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | 18,338 | 15,004 | ||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
||||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| Sub total | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total receipts | 18,338 | 15,004 | ||
| A3 Payments | ||||
| Operations | 19,968 | - | ||
| Cost of Sales | 0 | - | ||
| Programs | 0 | 17,940 | ||
| 0 | - | |||
| 0 | - | |||
| 0 | - | |||
| 0 | - | |||
| 0 | - | |||
| 0 | - | |||
| Sub total | 19,968 | 17,940 | ||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
||||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| 0 | 0 | |||
| Sub total | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total payments | 19,968 | 17,940 | ||
| Net of receipts/(payments) | -1,630 |
2,936 - |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A5 Transfers between funds | 0 | - | ||
| A6 Cash funds lastyear end | 0 | - | ||
| Cash funds this year end | -1,630 |
2,936 - |
||
| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of th | ||||
| Categories | Details | |||
| B1 Cash funds | Bank account | |||
| Total |
||||
| ~~cash~~ (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
||||
| Details | ||||
| B2 Other monetary assets | ||||
| Details | ||||
| B3 Investment assets | ||||
| Details | ||||
| B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
||||
Details
B5 Liabilities
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees
Signature
Giles McVicar
CC16a
Last year to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - 41,959 0 0 41,959 -
38,635 0 38,635 3,324 - - 3,324 Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - - OK Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Current value (optional)
Current value (optional) - - - - - - - - - When due (optional) Date of approval 22/10/2023
| y | No(if any) | No(if any) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ments accounts | ||||
| To | 31ST DECEMBER | |||
| Endowment funds |
Total funds | |||
| to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | |||
| - | 15,025 | |||
| - | 1,407 | |||
| - | 1,452 | |||
| - | 15,458 | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | 33,342 | |||
| 0 | - | |||
| 0 | - | |||
| 0 | - | |||
| 0 | 33,342 | |||
| - | 19,968 | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | 17,940 | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | 37,908 | |||
| 0 | - | |||
| 0 | - | |||
| 0 | - | |||
| 0 | 37,908 | |||
| - | - | 4,566 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | 4,566 | ||
| - | 4,566 - |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | ||
| - | - | ||
| - | 4,566 - |
||
| e period | |||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | ||
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | ||
| 5,492 | 2,936 | ||
| - | - | ||
| - | - | ||
| 8,428 | |||
| Agreement Error | Agreement Error | ||
| 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 | |||
| J. A Robinson | |||
| G. D. McVicar |
- Chackllst The Dir•ctions and documentation Step done? Working papar referonce Direction 1: Check whether the ehaiity Is ettglble to hav• an independent Onmination Checked the charity audit threstM)Id apptying to the accounts to be reviewed Ch8d(ed an audit is nc ulr1 an Confimied the cha ' is eli ible for indeFendent examination Confirmed the amount of the chariws incom6 to figure sho¥ the aco)unts (including any branCtrs) arml (x)nfim)ed that income and assets are below the audit threshold or. If applicable. obtained a CXJPY of ts18tter from the Commlssion approvin an audit di ensation If the charity has one or more substdlaries confjrmed that group accx)unts arE r¥Jt If a charitable o)mpany ch&*ed that the audit exempOn ststement has been made Ef applicable. rechecked threshold (XkIaknn during the examination If the charitys income is more than £250.000 COnfinn that the examiner is a member of one of the listed bodies If applicable, infonned the trustees that the charity is not eli ible for an inde ndent examination If reIpts and payments a(xx)unts have been prepared. checked that the charitYs gross income is less than £250,0 and that it is not a com If reipts and pay7nents accnunts have been pared, ched( that there is no requirement to prepare accruals aOUnts in the cha vemin d(rnent or an If applicable. infornied the trustees that the charity is not ible to e re1 tsand ments aco)unts DireGtloTt 2: Check for any confiict of Interest that prevents the examin•r from carrying out their independent examinatlon Confimied that there are no dose peT50nal renshipS with the trustees that o)mprornise indewdence Confinned as having TN) Ihe day to day Inv(4vet In tr adrninistration of the If providing other services to the charity then confiMl that all the uiteria in Direction 2 neLxsa for inde dence are met Identified that there are no cirGurnStan in the examinerfs judgment that would r&%onably lead to the ption that the examiner is not irmlependent Nlt
The Directions and documentation Step done? Worklng paper reference Consldered whether suffi(xenty skilled to out the examination and. whe rawired. o)nfimied wnbership of a listed bod If applicable, Infonned the Injstees that you are not eligible to out the inde ent examination Direction 3: Record ur Indg ondent examination File of worklrrfJ papers prepared to d(J)Jment the work underlaken (see the Direclion guidan on key workirwJ ers Eviden of a intrnent on file If issued. letter of engagernent slgned b the trustees on fi18 Documentation of ste ulred b Dlrection 1 are all done DMentation that ste uired b Dlrection 2 are all done Anal ical review documented Areas of (xJn(%rn identified and noted whether these were resolved or rf unresolved arKI signifKxnt have Induded in the examInS re Verification and vouching predureS undken and any checks made are on file roved accounts on file Co of trustees. annual report on fue Copies of infomiation relied UFM)n as part of the examinatlon are on file licable. co ies of Itten assuran . Recorded the condusions drawn as an out(xxne of the independent examination that support the examinerfs report are on flle Recorded any matters of materfal SIgn]fican about which rt must be made direct to the Commission Recorded vthether to exercise dis(xetion ar¥J reFX)rt on relevant matters direct to the Commi&8ion Dlrectlon 4: Plan urin ndent enminatlon Obtsined an understandlng of the tharitys (tx1t. objectives. organisational structure. the funds managed. its activtbes arKI accounti Planned specffic examination procajures appropriate to the circumstances of the thari Reviewed whether any areas fcf 1mwovet we advised to the trustees n the previous yearfs independent examinerfs report (or audtt report and management letter) arKI ky)ked to seerfan action tsken Considered the tlnandal rislcs identified and. where acauals acc£)unts prepared, considered vkneth8r the trustees have evtdent that Sho that the charlty Is a goiry cx)ncem Noted any implications for the examinerfs arKI rate
Tho Directions and documentation Stop done? Worklng paper referenGO Directlon 5: Check that accourrtlng records are kopt to the uired standard Checked that a(xounting records have been kept are wmplete and considered Éf the have been ke ttothe uired standard Asked the trustees about hc>w they ensure the accounting records are complete If corrections made or records (xeated durirKJ the exam1ttion. the trustee a proval for these has been so ht and obtained Asked th8 trustees rf they rried out a review of the charitys Intemal ftnancial controls in the Noted any impli(3tions for the examin*s rewrt and for se arate re rtin to the Commlsslon Direction 6: Ched( that the accounts are cons5stgnt wlth the accountln Com red the accounts with the unde accx)unb'n reths Checked some entries from the listing of transactions of income and expend5ture to vouchers such as Invoices. bank ststements. and re1 If appll¢able. nfirnl that the trustees have taken the nec8ssary steps to ensure that restricted or endowed funds are correcdy ported in the accounts If additional th8cks Ere n8Ca&Wy. the evidence was found that showed the acwunting record was u)mplete. voucher resent, arKI both supported the en in the ajxjunts Dlrection 7: Ir the a¢Unts are prepared on an accruals basis and one or more related party transactions took place th6 oxamlner must chedt If these propgty disclosed in the notes to the accouFts Checked that the disdosur8s required by the SORP have been made and are o)mplete Considered whether there are any implicxtions for the examlnerfs re and re to the Commission If receipts and payments aoxurrts prepared and a related paty transadion note vras provided, then ched(ed th8 nots for any im lications for the examinerfs Direction 8: Check the reasonableness of the slgnificant estlmates and judgments and accounting policles used In accounting for the types of fund held and in the preparation of the aOUnts Checked with the trustees that separate funds of the have been (rredlY accounted for and reported (rt in the accounts Ched(ed the reaSonataen of any signwfK2nt eslimates cr ments that have been made in reparing the acUnts
The Directions and dmentIOn Step done? Working paper reference Where accruals a(xx>unts are PTepared. Ched that the accounting EM)Ilcies lOpted consistent wilh the SORP and area nate to the acbvitjes of the cha Where accruals accounts are prepared. checked that the accounts were oi Noted any implications for the examinerfs repK>rt and for separate reportin to the Commissi Direction 9: The examiner must ched( whether the trustees have consldarod the financial clrcumstsnces of the charlty at the end of tha rw)rtlng wlod an if the accounts arn prepared on an accruals basis. chqck whether the trustees have made an assessmont of the charws Positlon as a golng concern when aPPrnng tho accounts Asked the trust8es whether they expect the tharity to be able to settle cxtstanding 1rbv01, bills and G(xnmitm8nts as atKI vthen they fall due Asked the Iwstees atxjut the reserv8s SCY arwj the adequa of the level of reserves held 41 A[t Where a(xxuals acxJ)unts are wepared. checked that the trustees, have made an assessment of going c1)nM and thal their assessment Is reasonable given the infomiation avallabje Where accwals acxx)unts are prepared, checked that the SORP'S disdosures about going concsn have been made Noted arry implications for the exatninerfs rep(xt and for separate reporb'ng to the Commission Direction 10: Check the fomi and COTrtent of the accounts Where receipts and payments accA)unts have been prepared. checked that the tharity (an lawtully prewe suth acwunts. that all the accounting statements are present and that the funds of the charity are correctly identttied Where arnals accounts are prepared. thec that they com with the SORP and a licable accountin standard If the charity is a company. ched(ed that the accounts also com with the a I1ble company Jaw uirements Noted any implicalions for the examiner's rerI and for separate re rtin to the Commission Direction 11: klentify items from the analylical roview of tho accounts that need to be followed up for further explanation or evidence Carried out an an I review Nl Nl l
The Dlrectlons and documentation step done? Working paper reference FollovAng the analytical review. sdected matertal items in the ac(x)unts for further analK)n or su evKlen If the accounts o)uld be materially misstated, additional checks were undertaken and the examiner is salisfjed that the item(s) identrfied were SatIsfnIY exp]ainwJ and cxNr• induded in the accounts Noted any implicalions for the examinefs report and for se rate re rtin to the Q)mmission Direction 12: Compare the trustees. annual report with the accounts Checked that any fUre for reserves quoted in the trustees. annual re ort is not materia inconsistent wtth the accounts Compared the trustees, annual report with Ihe accounts any material inconsisten Noted any impllcations for the examinerfs reFK)rt and for se arate repK)rttn to the Commissi Dlrectlon 13: Write aThl sign the independ•nt examlnatlon ReviebvBd the condusK)ns from the in endent examination Considered whether the examination has identified a fflatter of contsm that should be reported in the examinerfs re Checked that the examinerfs re covers all of the matters uired If relying on the w(Yk of olhers in UndtskIng the Independent examination. the examiner is fulty satisfied with their wcyk and that work has been full documented ned and datj the examinerfs report Reported matters of material sIgnffir dIt to the Commission Exercised discretion and reptsd relevant matters direct to the Commisslon 26/,,12D 22
Michael E Mullender 10 Birchwood Avenue Leeds LS17 8PL 26th October 2023 Indepandgnt Examination of Charity Accounts Ordinary Hero UK- Charity Number 1182592 I have completed my examinalh?n ofthe xcounts of Ordinary Hero UK for the year ending 31st DecEmber 2022. 1 confimi that no matsrial matters have come to my attents'on in connection the examination which gives me Cau to believe that in any material respect the accounting records were not kept in accordance with the Charitses Ad. I confimi that I have no cOnM$ and have f))me acJoss no other matters in connection ¥th the examinatic lo which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understsnding of the accounts to be reached. Michael Mullender