OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

2021-04-05-accounts

ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2021

RLABS UK

CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1182970

Independent Examiner Ben Finn Flat 115, Spice Quay Heights, 32 Shad Thames, London SE1 2YL

RLABS UK

CONTENTS

Page 3 Legal and Administrative Information Page 4 to 10 Report of the Trustees Page 11 Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees Page 12 Statement of Receipts and Payments Page 13 Statement of Assets and Liabilities Page 14 Notes to the Accounts

RLABS UK

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

CHARITY NUMBER 1182970 START OF FINANCIAL YEAR 06 April 2020 END OF FINANCIAL YEAR 05 April 2021 TRUSTEES AT 5 APRIL 2020 Rene Elizabeth Parker Jonathan Mills Susan Maria Holzer (Resigned April 2021) Carl Wills

The existing trustees appoint any new trustees following the provisions laid out in the Charity's governing instrument.

LEGAL STATUS Charitable Incorporated Organisation Date registered 15th April 2019 GOVERNING INSTRUMENT Constitution Adopted 4th May 2018

OBJECTS

1) TO DEVELOP THE CAPACITY AND SKILLS OF THE MEMBERS OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES IN THE UK AND INTERNATIONALLY IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY ARE BETTER ABLE TO IDENTIFY, AND HELP MEET, THEIR NEEDS AND TO PARTICIPATE MORE FULLY IN SOCIETY. 2) TO ADVANCE SUCH OTHER CHARITABLE PURPOSES (ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF ENGLAND AND WALES) AS THE TRUSTEES SEE FIT FROM TIME TO TIME.

The charity operates throughout England, Tanzania and South Africa.

CORRESPONDENCE ADDRESS 2 Anglesey Road
Alverstoke
Gosport
Hants
PO12 2EQ
PRIMARY BANKERS CAF Bank Ltd
25 Kings Hill Avenue
West Mailing
Kent
ME19 4JQ
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Ben Finn
Flat 115, Spice Quay Heights
32 Shad Thames
London
SE1 2YL

RLABS UK REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2021

Report of the Trustees

For the year ended 5[th] April 2021

RLabs UK was set up with the following objectives:

Specifically, our mission is:

In the first year of operation, this was to be achieved through piloting RLabs’ Zlto digital reward programme to support marginalised groups in the UK and raising funds to support the work of RLabs Tanzania in empowering young people to be economically independent.

1. Background to RLabs South Africa, UK and Tanzania

RLabs (Reconstructed Living Labs) was started in South Africa in 2008 and has become a leader in social entrepreneurship transforming hope and economic opportunities in deprived communities. RLabs’ work in South Africa has sparked a global movement for social change, impacting 10 million people in 23 countries.

RLabs Tanzania started in 2012 as the Iringa Living Lab, set up by social entrepreneur Yusuf Ssessanga through inspiration from the joint Finnish and Tanzanian government TanzICT programme. Mentored by RLabs South Africa, the team worked voluntarily from 2014 – 2019 achieving impressive impact in helping young people create businesses.

RLabs UK was created in 2019 to bring RLabs’ model to the UK – where the need to tackle poverty and restore hope is equally urgent – and to raise funds to support the growth of RLabs Tanzania. Financial support and capacity building from RLabs UK since 2019 has enabled RLabs Tanzania to grow and unlock the full potential of the model.

2. UK Activities

During the year 2020-21 it became evident that the Zlto model was not viable to run with the current capacity available in RLabs UK. It was difficult to secure funding for staff to manage the platform, recruit and support partners. As the platform was still under development, it needed further work for the UK market. After a key partner withdrew, a decision was taken to pause the pilot for the short term, and review in the future. Useful lessons have been learned about the needs and demands of UK organisations, if using Zlto at a later date.

3. Support to RLabs Tanzania

Main achievements 2020 – 21:

3.1. Fundraising

RLabs UK continued to raise funds for RLabs Tanzania to support work to empower young people to become economically active. Grants successfully secured include:

Egmont Trust: renewed a 2-year $20,000 per annum commitment for work to support young women to start businesses and join savings groups, as a strategy to build their resilience to unwanted pregnancy and HIV infection. (The grant is issued directly to RLabs Tanzania)

4

RLABS UK REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2021

RL Charitable Trust: following successful establishment of the Maker Space provide a second grant of £8,000 to support RLabs Tanzania to develop its vocational training departments and ‘grow your business’ modules.

Treebeard Trust: awarded RLabs UK £25,000 to support the construction of RLabs Tanzania’s training centre in Mbutu, Kigamboni. The project generated interested from the Permaculture Design Company to support the design of the building and training for young people from RLabs in sustainable construction and permaculture techniques, including composting and making lime from (dead) coral rock which is widely available in the area. PDC is an international company working on the prestigious Fumba Town development in Zanzibar, so this is a valuable opportunity for RLabs. Work is ongoing in 2022.

3.2. Capacity Building for scale

RLabs UK representative Naomi Rouse continued to support the team in all aspects of organisational development, including fundraising, monitoring and evaluation and strategic planning. RLabs Tanzania significantly stepped up its delivery capacity during this period.

In a 12-month period, the team trained 1,808 young people in its flagship Grow Leadership programme which gives young people the confidence and skills to identify business opportunities around them and resources they can use to get started. This was a significant increase on previous years, and the team developed systems for scale, including a delivery model to take the training out to different locations to make it accessible for young people, and curriculum for training trainers.

*Young people trained in entrepreneurship and growth mindset, from 2020 to January 2021.

Young people are a very disenfranchised group. The Grow Leadership programme is specifically designed to reach young people who have finished education and don’t know what to do next.

RLabs attracted young people with a wide range of educational levels - from incomplete primary education, up to degree level. The largest group are Lower Secondary School / Form IV leavers, but a significant proportion (nearly a third) have only primary education.

At baseline, 80% of participants had a weekly income below the national poverty line of 12,333TSH per week. Our target is to have 80% of participants achieving an income above the national poverty line, within six months of joining the Grow Leadership programme.

5

RLABS UK REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2021

In November 2020, RLabs Tanzania signed a contract with UNICEF to scale up Grow Leadership to 10,500 adolescent girls (age 15 – 19) who are out of school in Mbeya and Songwe regions by March 2023.

Kristiina Lahde, Social Innovation Advisor to the Human Development Innovation Fund, who has seen RLabs’ growth since the beginning endorsed Rlabs’ growth:

“One of the key strengths of the organisation has always been the culture – openness and positive attitude to learning. What had changed was the level of professionalism. RLabs Iringa had grown from an information movement to a serious organisation with programmes and structure. I truly believe their process and approach is one of the most impactful I’ve witnessed.”

“RLabs was the star performer from HDIF’s Institutional Capacity Building Programme” Auson Komwihangilo, HDIF Senior Grants and Finance Manager

Young women attending an RLabs Women event to promote their businesses and confidence: 76% of RLabs’ participants are women.

6

RLABS UK REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2021

3.3. Programme Impact

Grow Leadership helps young people start and improve their businesses. In 2020:

55% Of participants started a new incomegenerating activity

49% Of participants improved an existing income-generating activity

18% Of participants secured new employment 13% Of participants returned to studies

In 2020, RLabs introduced Youth Savings and Loans Associations to enhance the impact of Grow Leadership. By March 2021, key results were:

Savings
Groups		 20 Members 360
(83% female)
Total saved 14,685,000
TSH		 Average savings per
member		 40,790 TSH
(£14)

On average, participants reported more than doubling their weekly income from baseline to midline, from 5,000 TSH Per week (£1.52) to 12, 000 (£3.66) at midline as a result of the Grow leadership training. The key priority for RLabs Tanzania in 2021 is accelerating the growth of young people’s businesses and income through additional training.

While men earnt on average nearly twice as much as women at baseline, the gender gap closed slightly for the midline data with men earning 1.6 times more. Women’s average increased by a factor of 2.4 from baseline, while men’s increased by 1.6.

While at baseline, only a quarter of participants (29%) were earning over 10,000/= (£3.05) per week, this increased to nearly half (49%) of participants at midline.

Increased confidence, and making savings were the most mentioned benefits of the programme. One participant commented: “For me there are huge achievements. Even speaking was a problem for me. If I needed to ask my family for money, I would even go outside and send a message. My family are very happy, they say I have changed a lot. Now I walk to training so I can put the bus fare into my savings.”

7

RLABS UK

Two young women who benefited from the Grow Leadership training share their experiences:

Nassim (27)

“I used to believe that after I finish my education I will be able to find a job so I started doing a small business just to pass the time waiting to be employed. I didn’t really enjoy what I was doing.

“I was really excited to hear about the training. I really wanted to learn more especially on the Business model session where I finally realized that what I was doing before wasn’t adding any value to my business. The training has improved my life by adding value to my business.

“I was also really amazed to see so many other young women entrepreneurs explaining about their businesses with so much confidence during our RLabs women events. I now started a new business of selling eggs from my own hens, I am also currently attending the Grow Next Level sessions to help grow my business by distributing my products on a larger scale. I never used to have a system of keeping records of my expenditures but after the training I finally learnt how to keep track of my expenditures.”

Stumai Mahenge (26)

“When I came to the training I felt like I was part of something. Everyone was kind and they saw me as one of them.

“The training helped me become more confident. Because of my condition (cerebral palsy), I thought I could never do anything that everyone else was doing. I used to make baskets but I could never find any customers. I was never brave enough to go and look for them and pitch my business to them.

“Now I don’t see myself differently because of my condition. I know that I can do things like anyone else. I have become more confident to go look for customers and tell them what I do. I realized that there are many women out there who are interested in my products and are willing to support me. I taught another young woman from RLabs Grow how to make the baskets, and she’s been able to make money too.

8

RLABS UK

4. Statement in relation to public benefit

The trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. The activities to enhance the opportunity for marginalised people in the UK and Tanzania to participate in society are of public benefit in the reduction of poverty, and building community capacity.

5. Financial Review

RLabs UK was successful in directly raising funds for RLabs Tanzania in the UK, as well as building the capacity of RLabs Tanzania to raise funds within Tanzania, securing a major new grant from UNICEF to scale up the programme.

RLabs UK has so far been unsuccessful in raising funds to support the Zlto pilot in the UK as described above.

RLabs UK does not currently have any paid staff or overhead costs, so we have not held reserves. Funds designated for RLabs Tanzania are transferred to Tanzania with a small percentage retained to cover account charges.

6.Objectives for 2021 – 2022

UK-based work will continue to be on hold for the coming year, except for plans to build a network of RLabs UK champions in the UK and communicate regularly through website, social media and e-newsletters.

For RLabs Tanzania, RLabs UK aims to:

7. Structure, Governance and Management

RLabs UK was registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in April 2019. RLabs UK is governed by board of

trustees with the following members:

1
2
3
4		 Trustee name Office (if any) Dates acted if not for
wholeyear
Susan Holzer Chair April 2019 – April 2021
Rene Parker Chair April 2019 - present
Jonathan Mills Secretary May 2020 – present
Carl Wills Member April 2021 - present

8. Partners

We are delighted to secured continued support for RLabs Tanzania in our second year of operation, and particularly thank UK-based funders Egmont Trust, Treebeard Trust, and RL Charitable Trust for sharing our vision and believing in the potential of the Tanzania team and model.

9

RLABS UK

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2021

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES RESPONSIBILITIES

The trustees are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which gives a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:

presume that the charitable company will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets for the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees' report

above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) …………………………………………………. Full Name ……Rene Parker…………………………..

Position (e.g. Secretary / Chair etc) …Chair………………………….

Date …30[th] January 2022……………………….

10

RLABS UK

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2021

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charitable company for the year 5th April 2021

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity Trustees, who are also directors for the purposes of company law, are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act').

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity's accounts carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act'). In carrying out my examination I have followed the directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiners statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no 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 Company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. the accounts do not comply with the requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair view' which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

  4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

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.

Ben Finn

Date: 29[th] March 2021

11

RLABS UK

STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2021

Notes
RECEIPTS :
Donations & Legacies
Gift Aid reclaimed
2
PAYMENTS:
Costs of Charitable Activities
3a
Governance costs
3b
TOTAL PAYMENTS
NET RECEIPTS / (PAYMENTS)
Transfers between funds
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS
RECONCILATION OF FUNDS:
Total Funds Brought forward
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD		 Unrestricted Restricted
Total
Total
Funds
£
Funds
£
05/04/21
£
05/04/20
£
1,347
33,000
34,347
33,953
2,219
2,219
-
3,566
33,000
36,566
33,953
3,207
23,009
26,216
28,440
300
300
5,247
3,507
23,009
26,516
33,687
266
-
-
59
9991
-
-
257
9
266
-
316
10,000
10,316
266

The notes on pages 13 form part of these financial statements.

12

RLABS UK

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 5 APRIL 2021

Fixed Assets
Current assets
Debtors
Cash at Bank
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Net current assets
Total assets less current liabilities
Net assets
The funds of the charity
Unrestricted income funds
Restricted Income funds
Total Funds
LIABILTIES
Independent Examiner's Fee		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
£
£
-
-		 05/04/21
Total
05/04/20
Total
£
£
-
-
-
-
266
-
-
316
10,000
316
10,000		 10,316
**266- **
-
-
-
-
316
10,000		 10,316
266
316
10,000		 10,316
-
316
10,000		 10,316
-
316
-
-
10,000		 -
-
316
10,000		 10,316
266
05/04/21
05/04/20
Total
Total
£
£300
300

TRUSTEES RESPONSIBILITIES IN RELATION TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Charity Law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which comply with the regulations set out in the Charities Act 2011. The Trustees have elected to take advantage of the provisions that apply to small charities and have prepared a Receipts and Payments Account and Statement of Assets and Liabilities which are set out on pages 13 to 14

Approved by the Trustees on …… 30[th] January 2022……………………

Signed on their behalf by Trustee………………… Print Name … Rene Parker ……………………………………..

13

RLABS UK

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2021

1. BASIS OF ACCOUNTING

The accounts have been prepared under the “Receipts and Payments” basis as prescribed by the Charity Commissioners and they meet the appropriate legal requirements.

2. RECEIPTS
Note
Donations
RL Charitable Trust
Treebeard Trust
Unrestricted donations
Gift Aid
Open Gate
NR
3. PAYMENTS
Note
a) Charitable Activities
Expenses related to RLabs UK:-
Support to Zito pilot organisations
Bank Charges
Costs incurred in UK for RLabs Tanzania:-
Grow Leadership
Youth Café
Staff
Computers
Website
Software
Grants & Donations transferred to RLabs Tanzania:-
Maker Space Equipment (from RL Charitable Trust)
Tree Nursery (from Open Gate Trust)
Treebeard Trust
Computer donations (from Crowdfunder)
b) Governance costs (related to RLabs UK)
Independent Examiner Fee
Legal & Professional fees
Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
05/04/2021
Total
£
£
£
-
8,000
8,000
-
25,000
25,000
1,347
-
1,347
2,219
2,219
-
-
3,566
33,000
36,566
Unrestricted
Restricted
05/04/2020


Funds
Funds
Total
£
£
£
-
60
9
69
-
1,822
-
1,822
-
-
1,028
-
1,028
240
-
240
58
-
58
-
-
23,000
23,000
-		 05/04/2020
Total
£
8,000
15,000
2,453
2,500
6,000
33,953
05/04/2019
Total
£
150
41
220
655
833
509
130
0
7,950
2,500
13,850
1,600
28,438
5,247
5,247
3,207
23,009
26,216
300-
-
300
-
3,507
23,009
26,516

This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements

14

RLABS UK NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2021

4. RESTRICTED FUNDS

Main fund Balance
Balance
18-Apr-19
Income
Expenditure
Transfers
05-Apr-20
£
£
£
£
£
9
33,000
23,009
-
10,000
-
33,000
23,009
-
10,000

Note: funds from RL Charitable Trust received in March 2021 were transferred to Tanzania in April 2021, falling in the next accounting year period.

5. PAYMENTS TO TRUSTEES

No payments were made to trustees or any persons connected with them during this financial period. No other material transaction took place between the organisation and a trustee or any person connected with them. (2019/20 - None)

6. RISK ASSESSMENT

The Trustees actively review the major risks which the charity faces on a regular basis and believe that maintaining the free reserves stated, combined with the annual review of the controls over key financial systems carried out on an annual basis will provide sufficient resources in the event of adverse conditions. The Trustees have also examined other operational and business risks which they face and confirm that they have established systems to mitigate the significant risks.

7. RESERVES POLICY

The Trustees have considered the level of reserves they wish to retain, appropriate to the charity's needs. This is based on the charity's size and the level of financial commitments held. The trustees aim to ensure the charity will be able to continue to fulfil its charitable objectives even if there is a temporary shortfall in income or unexpected expenditure. The Trustees will endeavour not to set aside funds unnecessarily.

8. PUBLIC BENEFIT

The Charity acknowledges its requirement to demonstrate clearly that it must have charitable purposes or ‘aims’ that are for the public benefit. Details of how the charity has achieved this are provided in the trustees report. The trustees confirm that they have paid due regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit before deciding what activities the charity should undertake.

9. DONATED GOODS, FACILITIES AND SERVICES

Independent consultant Naomi Rouse led RLabs UK on a pro bono basis.

Second hand computers were donated to RLabs, and the cost of refurbishment covered by a grant in Tanzania from the Human Development Innovation Fund.

This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements