THE POTTER’S HOUSE C.B.O (COMMUNITY BASED ORGANISATION)
TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT
YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH 2022.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Name: The Potter’s House Community Based Organisation
The Potter’s House CBO
Registered Charity number: 1183023
The board of trustees: Mrs Ruth Stevens
Mr Benjamin Gill Mrs Ruth Magness Mrs Jane Dodds
Registered office: Glyn Canol, Manafon Welshpool, Powys SY21 8BS
Email: info@thepottershousecbo.com
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The Potter’s House CBO is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation Registered 17 Apr 2019
Governing document: CIO Foundation Constitution
Policies and operating decisions rest with the Trustees who meet at least four times each year to plan, oversee and monitor the support provided to activities in Kenya of The Potter’s House CBO, Njoro. Trustees are responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the Charity, all trustees are voluntary. New trustees are considered and appointed by the Board of Trustees in accordance with the constitution, taking account of their skills and experience in relation to the Charity's objectives and any areas of expertise where it is felt that recruitment would be beneficial. All trustees are Board Members of The Potter’s House CBO, Njoro, Kenya.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
As stated in the constitution, the objects of the Charity are for the public benefit, the relief of those in need, in accordance with Christian principles, by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial or other disadvantage in particular but not
exclusively by: (A) Providing items and services to families who do not have the resources, skills or capability to provide for themselves, (B) 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, (C) By providing or assisting in the provision of accommodation and care for children who are in need and/or at risk of being neglected and suffering abuse in Njoro, Nakuru County, Kenya.
The Potter’s House CBO works exclusively with The Potter’s House CBO in Njoro, Kenya, a registered Community Based Organisation. The activities supported involve, education, skills training, disability awareness and support, Christian outreach, counselling, family and community empowerment. The Potter’s House CBO acts as a partner to each activity with the day-to-day management for activities in Njoro being the responsibility of the Board Members of The Potter’s House CBO, Njoro. All Trustees are Board members.
PUBLIC BENEFIT
The charity trustees have complied with their duty in section 17(5) of the 2011 Charites Act to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers and duties. The trustees always ensure that the activities undertaken are in line with our charitable objects and aims.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
The Potter’s House CBO works exclusively with The Potter’s House CBO in Njoro, Kenya (hereby noted as TPH-N) a registered Community Based Organisation. TPH-N equip families with the knowledge and skills needed to break the cycle of extreme poverty and to be able to provide the safe, stable, and loving family home children need. TPHN receives referrals from Njoro Children’s Services, social workers, police, village Chiefs, community health volunteers, schools, and other community level individuals. TPH-N meets the immediate and basic needs of a family but also offer long–term solutions. They support and strengthen families by providing items/services and empower parents by providing training and work opportunities to become selfsufficient. TPH-N provide school fees, school uniforms and school necessities for children not accessing education because of poverty. TPH-N also facilitate disability support groups, they run parent support groups, meetings for the elderly, a workshop providing equipment for disabled children, a community food bank, provide child counselling, a project to reduce period poverty and carry out evangelistic activities.
Through the partnership with TPH-N, The Potter’s House CBO has funded the following activities in the year 2021 – 2022.
Support has been given to 220 families throughout the year, the extent of support has been dependent on both the needs of the family collectively and the individual needs of family members, support given has been emotional, spiritual, material and/or practical. The living conditions of some of the families have been improved by supporting with items such as beds, blankets, mattresses, cooking utensils, clothes and shoes. Support for school fees and school necessities has been given. For families where family members are missing meals on a regular basis because of poverty, we have supported the supply of regular food items when the provision of the community
food bank was not able and for families with room to grow vegetables, we have supported the buying of seeds. We have also given support for needed medicine or hospital treatment that was unaffordable to families. Parents have been supported in skills training and education. People living with disabilities were supported to get needed wheelchairs or other specialist equipment needed.
Education – We believe that the key to ending poverty is education and we have been pleased to be able to support TPH-N in funding uniforms, school admission fees, school lunches, exam fees for all the children in families referred to TPH-N who were not previously attending school due to poverty, ensuring that all school aged children in these families are now receiving education. Our support with education also extended to the funding of one parent and one young lady to attend tailoring courses.
Parents have been educated in cerebral palsy using the Getting To Know Cerebral Palsy course.
Income generation – For some of the families, the greatest need is regular income. To improve the lives of the children and reduce poverty for the family, long term solutions are needed. Parents have been supported to start up small businesses selling fruit and vegetables, tailoring, cobblers, selling porridge or selling coffee. The Parents were supplied with all the necessary equipment needed to start and mentored while establishing the business.
Parent Support Group – We have supported TPH-N to run a weekly parent support group for some of the parents that they support. The parents are taken through the Yekokeb Berhan “Better Parenting Training” course. The focus is on improving parenting knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Positive changes within the family environment and in relationships have been reported and seen. The support group also gives an opportunity to discuss and address other issues that families may be facing.
Counselling – Many children living in poverty have been exposed to some trauma during their life and so we have supported TPH-N to employ a child counsellor two days a week to counsel traumatised children weekly. TPH-N has forged good relationships with local schools and the counsellor has been able to work in the schools, counselling the children referred to TPH-N one to one, as well as taking group sessions requested by the school. These sessions have had a positive impact on the children’s mental wellbeing and on family life.
Elderly – Responding to the needs of the elderly, we have been able to support TPH-N in providing weekly meetings for those aged 70 years and over. During the meetings they come and socialise with others while enjoying a cup of chai. Meeting like this not only benefits their mental health but it also gives opportunities and pathways for further social and community integration. During the meetings TPH-N gets to know individuals and identify any needs that they may have.
Disability awareness and support – We have been able to support TPH-N facilitating Disability Support Groups. Disability groups have been formed in 4 areas within Njoro sub-county by working with community volunteers. The groups provide a fully inclusive space where the members feel accepted and equally valued. During the weekly meetings education is given on topics such as cerebral palsy, WASH, parenting and farming and business skills. Skills that lead to income generation are taught and emotional support is given. As a result of these groups many parents and carers have stopped hiding their disabled children because of the stigma they face and have
started integrating them into their communities. We have supported children into school who were not previously attending due to disability. Through these groups we have supported the supply of wheelchairs and other needed disability aids.
APT – At the start of 2022 we supported TPH-N to set up a workshop making supportive equipment such as chairs and standing frames for children with disabilities using locally sourced cardboard, paper and a flour and water paste. This technique is known as Appropriate Paper-based Technology (APT). The workshop has also benefitted local members of the community by providing jobs. The APT devices are made to fit the individual child and help the child to maintain a comfortable and functional position in either sitting or standing. This equipment helps prevent contractures, spinal deformity and can improve digestion, bowel function and maintain skin integrity. The equipment also enables the child to play and communicate with those around them, increasing both the amount and the quality of their participation in home activities, as well as increasing independence, communication and quality of life. For some children, having an APT chair has meant that they can attend school for the first time.
Cycle with Dignity – We have been pleased to support TPH-N to launch a new project called Cycle with Dignity. This project aim is to reduce period poverty by supplying girls in local schools with needed sanitary pads. The project employs local women to make the pads using locally sourced materials.
Food Bank – Many parents in Njoro struggle to feed their families and many children suffer from malnutrition as a result. TPH-N has formed a community food bank that encourages those in the community that can afford to, to donate food to be distributed to families in need.
Christmas food package – In addition to normal food support, we were able to support TPH-N giving every family referred to them a food package at Christmas.
Spiritual– Once a week TPH-N hosts a bible study for parents and the wider community. TPH-N also provides spiritual guidance to families and actively seeks to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Bible Club – During the last year we were pleased to be able to support TPH-N in providing a bible club for children. The clubs ran Tuesday – Friday during each school holiday. During the club children enjoyed games, teaching from the bible, discussion and mentoring as well as some snacks. Out of this TPH-N was able to identify children who had family challenges. Wider social issues were also addressed.
In conclusion, the impact of our support has been evidenced by children accessing education, parents learning new skills and generating regular income and so improving their living standards. Improved living conditions have been seen in all families. Medical conditions have been treated and have improved. There has been reduced stigma towards the disabled community, increased awareness of disability leading to less isolation for children with disabilities, quality of life has improved through receiving needed equipment and improved children’s mental health through counselling.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
At the end of the financial period the Charity had cash funds of £12,212 of which £1,360 is restricted for the purposes of supporting the Cycle With Dignity project. These were the result of a cash funds at the opening of the financial period of £7,421 then Receipts totalling £17,639 and Payments totalling £12,668 over the financial period. Once again, our principal source of funds was direct donations from individuals or churches, with the only exception being the PayPal Giving Fund.
As the work of the charity has increased so therefore has the costs, though it is encouraging to also see the local community rise to meet the challenge too, as evidenced by the establishment of a local food bank. Thankfully as the costs have increased this year so have donations, creating a sustainable work.
This has particularly been seen in the way that embarking on new projects with new projected costs, like the Cycle with Dignity, has seen people giving specifically to support them and mean that there is no loss to established needs like school fees.
Nonetheless we are seeking to take care to continue to develop awareness and in turn income through donations to ensure that in the future income keeps pace with expenditure.
----- Start of picture text -----
Charity Name No (if any)
The Potter's House C.B.O. (Community Based 1183023
Organisation)
Receipts and payments accounts
Period start date Period end
For the period To date
from
01/04/2021 31/03/2022
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total
funds funds funds funds
to the nearest to the nearest to the nearest to the
£ £ £ nearest £
A1 Receipts
Voluntary Income 14,259 3,380 - 17,639
Sub total (Gross income
for AR) 14,259 3,380 - 17,639
A2 Asset and investment
sales, (see table).
- - - -
Sub total - - - -
14,2 3,3
Total receipts 59 80 - 17,639
A3 Payments
Grants
10,390 2,000 - 12,390
Bank Charges
258 20 - 278
Sub total
10,648 2,020 - 12,668
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
- - - -
Sub total
- - - -
10,6 2,0
Total payments
48 20 - 12,668
Net of receipts/ 3,6 1,3
(payments) 11 60 - 4,971
A5 Transfers between
funds - - - -
A6 Cash funds last year 7,2
end 41 - - 7,241
Cash funds this year 10,8 1,3
end 52 60 - 12,212 ,212 212
----- End of picture text -----
----- Start of picture text -----
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Cash funds this year|10,8|1,3|
|end|52|60|-|12,212 ,212 212|
|Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the|
----- End of picture text -----
1
period
----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restrict
funds ed
Categories Details funds
to nearest £ to nearest
£
B1 Cash funds CAF
8,483 1,360
PayPal
1,542 -
GoFundMe
827 -
Total cash funds
12,212 1,360
(agree balances with receipts and payments Agreement Agreemen
account(s)) Error t Error
Unrestricted Restrict
funds ed
funds
to nearest £ to nearest
Details £
B2 Other monetary
assets - -
- -
- -
Fund to which Cost
asset belongs (optional)
Details
B3 Investment assets
-
-
-
Fund to which Cost
asset belongs (optional)
Details
B4 Assets retained for
the charity’s own use -
-
-
Fund to which Amount
liability relates due
Details (optional)
----- End of picture text -----
----- Start of picture text -----
B4 Assets retained for
the charity’s own use -
-
-
Fund to which Amount
liability relates due
Details (optional)
B5 Liabilities
-
-
-
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees Signature Print Name
----- End of picture text -----
----- Start of picture text -----
B5 Liabilities
-
-
-
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees Signature Print Name
2
----- End of picture text -----