# **ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2022** ## **RLABS UK** ## **CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1182970** Independent Examiner Beata Lee 146 Heathfield Road Southport PR8 3EW ## **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 2021 **END OF FINANCIAL YEAR** 05 April 2022 **TRUSTEES AT 5 APRIL 2022** Rene Elizabeth Parker Jonathan Mills 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**|Beata Lee| ||146 Heathfield Road| ||Southport| ||PR8 3EW| ## **RLABS UK** ## **Report of the Trustees** **For the year ended 5[th] April 2022** RLabs UK was set up with the following objectives: - a) To advance in life young adults (18-25) through: providing support and activities which develop their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society as mature and responsible individuals. - b) The promotion and advancement of community capacity building, using innovation, technology and training in the UK and abroad. - c) To advance such other exclusively charitable purposes as are compatible with the purposes referred to at a) and b) above, as the trustees in their discretion think fit. Specifically, our mission is: - to bring RLabs South Africa’s award-winning programmes to the UK to transform lives and - support youth entrepreneurs and leaders in emerging RLabs hubs across Africa, starting with Tanzania. ## **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 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** RLabs UK did not undertake any charitable activities in the UK during 2021 – 2022. ## **3. Support to RLabs Tanzania** Main achievements April 2021 – April 22: - Continued engagement of UK donors supporting RLabs Tanzania (RL Charitable Trust and Treebeard Trust with whom there are ongoing grant agreements) and a new 2-year $20,000 per annum commitment from Egmont Trust for work to support young women to start businesses, as a strategy to build their resilience to unwanted pregnancy and HIV infection. (The grant was secured through RLabs UK and is issued directly to RLabs Tanzania) - RLabs UK representative Naomi Rouse continued to support organisational capacity building for RLabs Tanzania enabling rapid scale up, increased national recognition and funding. RLabs Tanzania secured income of £225,000 within Tanzania for charitable activities in its financial year January – December 2021, a significant increase from 2019 where £12,000 of funding was secured in-country. - RLabs Tanzania significantly stepped up its delivery capacity during this period, reaching 4,173 young people with Grow Leadership training to start their own businesses (increased from 1,808 in 2020-21, and 60 in 2019-20). This includes expansion to Mbeya and Songwe Regions as an implementing partner for UNICEF’s GRREAT programme (Girls’ Reproductive Rights and Empowerment Accelerated in Tanzania). - RLabs Tanzania is gaining increasing national recognition. RLabs was awarded _**“Outstanding use of innovative and creative methods to achieve change”**_ (Runner up) in National CSO Week 2021 and secured a new partnership with Fondation Botnar to expand Grow Leadership to 1,000 young people in Tanga Region in 2022, making this the 5[th] region in RLabs’ coverage in Tanzania. 2 ## **RLABS UK** - Grow Leadership continues to create life-changing impact for young people in Tanzania: - Average income among programme participants increased from £2.74 per week at baseline to £9.51 per week after receiving training - Participants saved over £11,000 in Youth Savings and Loans Associations, which they use to grow their businesses and support their families. - **82%** of participants started new income-generating activities, **28%** secured employment and **3%** returned to studies. Vaileth is one of the young women participating in RLabs’ programme in Mbeya. She started a clothes business and has been training other young people to start businesses. _**“I did not know that five days are enough to change a person but I've seen it happening during training. Most youth encounter immediate change after the training, how they can manage their businesses and transform their lives. I am most passionate about transforming girls’ lives and therefore I feel joy seeing them being productive. They love the training so much that we often finish with more people than we started with.”**_ ## **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 sustained donor relationships but did not secure additional grants for RLabs Tanzania in the UK during 2021 – 22. Capacity building enabled RLabs Tanzania to raise additional funds within Tanzania, securing a major new grant from Fondation Botnar to scale up the programme to a new region. 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 2022 – 2023** 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 the website, social media and e-newsletters. 3 ## **RLABS UK** ## **For RLabs Tanzania, RLabs UK aims to:** - 6.1. Support RLabs Tanzania to raise £200,000 from in-country funding sources - 6.2. Support the continued growth of RLabs Tanzania programmes and income-generating enterprises - 6.3. Engage in the wider RLabs global movement through online events, such as RLabs Women networking events. ## **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: ||**Trustee Name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year **| |---|---|---|---| |1|ReneParker|Chair|April 2019–present| |2|Jonathan Mills|Secretary|May2020–present| |3|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. 4 ## **RLABS UK** ## **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: - Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; - Observe the methods and principles in the Charity SORP; - Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; - Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate 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 2023……………………….** 5 ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2022** 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 examiner’s 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. Beata Lee Date: 30[th] January 2023 6 ## **RLABS UK** ## **STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 6TH APRIL 2022** 7 **RLABS UK** ## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 5 APRIL 2022** ## **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 2023……………………** Signed on their behalf by Trustee………………… Print Name … **Rene Parker** …………………………………….. 8 **RLABS UK** ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2022** ## **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. This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements 9 ## **RLABS UK NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (continued) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2022** ## **4. 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) ## **5. 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. ## **6. 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. ## **7. 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. ## **8. DONATED GOODS, FACILITIES AND SERVICES** Independent consultant Naomi Rouse led RLabs UK on a pro bono basis. This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements