2023-06-30-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From period start date:	01.07.22
To period end date:	30.06.23

Charity name: Eco Brixs UK Charity registration number: 1184169

Objectives and Activities

	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	The preservation and protection of the environment for the public benefit, mainly but not exclusively in the Masaka region of Uganda, by support to: (a) The promotion of waste reduction, re-use, reclamation, recycling and improved waste management techniques; (b) Educating the public about environmental conservation, waste reduction and waste disposal.
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.	Para 1.17 and 1.19	The UK Charity Eco Brixs UK focuses on marketing and fundraising activities for its partner organisation, a Ugandan NGO, which is called ‘ECO BRIXS’ and is a registered NGO in Uganda with registration number 4042. It is often referred to as ‘Eco Brixs Uganda’ to distinguish it from the UK charity. The Ugandan NGO: The Ugandan entity, based in the district of Masaka in Uganda, uses the funds raised by the UK Charity to grow its recycling services and reduce pollution.

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The focus of the organisation is recycling plastic waste, as currently there are no waste management systems in Uganda, and it is estimated that 600 tonnes of plastic is disposed of each day in Uganda. Furthermore, this waste is often burnt or buried in unsafe landfills, posing a risk to both the environment and the community. The NGO’s model is based on purchasing plastic waste from the community, therefore creating job opportunities to also tackle poverty in Uganda. Once the plastic is purchased, the NGO recycles this plastic into new items of value (Eco-Products), which it can sell. This helps the NGO to generate revenue to ensure it can keep paying the community for its plastic waste. In addition to this, the NGO also focuses on: ● Disability employment ● Female empowerment ● Youth Employment ● Green education programmes for school pupils, youths and the wider population

How the UK Charity works in partnership with the Ugandan NGO: The UK charity helps facilitate this work via fundraising, which helps the NGO to contribute to the preservation and protection of the Masaka environment, as well as promote and teach environmentally-friendly behaviours to the local people.

In its fourth financial year, the UK Charity raised funds of £183,033 to support this work. Within the year, it donated £158,413 to the Ugandan NGO.

Funds were raised via:

• Grant funding (£160,751)

• Donations from members of the public (£7,157)

• Gift Aid (£705)

• Providing a consultancy service (£799)

• Sale of Carbon Credits (£2,550)

• Sale of Eco-Products (£3,172)

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● Income for Ugandan NGO (£7,900)
Note:whilst Eco Brixs UK received a further
£71,365 under the CFYE programme in Year
4, this is income for its consortium partner,
Taka Taka Solutions (see page 11 on this
report). As these funds cannot be used to
support Eco Brixs’ work and activities, this
amount has been listed in A2 & A4 as an
asset rather than gross income on Eco Brixs
UK’s accounts, reflecting the guidance in
CC16b Receipts and Payments Accounts
Introductory
Notes.
Alongside the UK charity’s direct
financial contributions to the NGO, the
UK charity also supports the Ugandan
organisation in its own fundraising
efforts, specifically by marketing the
NGOs work and achievements. This has
helped the Ugandan NGO to fundraise a
further £13,000 in donations, which have
been paid directly to that organisation.
This ‘marketing support’ has been largely
achieved by the UK charity maintaining
and developing the following:
● A website and blog
● Several social media platforms,
growing the number of followers
on each:
○ Facebook
○ Twitter
○ Instagram
○ YouTube
○ Linkedin
○ TikTok
● A monthly online newsletter
Each method above has been used to
promote the work of both organisations,
stay in touch with supporters, and
generate donations.
In Year 4, the UK charity spent £676 to
help raise funds for the organisation.

The carbon offset programme that was established in Year 3 has helped generate £2,550. This programme was set up as the plastic recycling process in Uganda creates ‘carbon savings’ when new products are created out of recycled plastic rather than using virgin plastic or other brand new materials (eg. timber). Therefore, Eco Brixs has the opportunity

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		to sell carbon credits to external organisations and individuals to help them offset their carbon impact. This service helps protect the environment and educate the public about carbon emissions, whilst also raising funds to further support the development of Eco Brixs UK and the Ugandan NGO. The consultancy service has also continued since Year 3, whereby the CEO of Eco Brixs provides advice to external organisations on how they can set up their own recycling project in Africa, replicating the model of Eco Brixs (recycling plastic whilst creating collection jobs for the community). To date, Eco Brixs has advised organisations in Nigeria, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is helping Eco Brixs UK to contribute to the protection of the environment on an international scale while helping to raise funds to further the work in Uganda.
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	Para 1.18	The trustees of the charity read the guidance when being inducted into their roles, and also refer to it when making decisions for Eco Brixs UK.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

	SORP reference
Policy on grant making	Para 1.38	The UK Charity Eco Brixs UK does not offer grants, but makes donations to the NGO entity, allowing the Ugandan organisation to develop its plastic recycling services and education programmes. The UK board authorises any payments made to the Ugandan NGO. This will take place after an agreement has been made

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between the board and the CEO on how the funds will be spent. The CEO, who is based in Uganda, is accountable for how the donated funds are spent, and reports back to the UK Trustees via email and regular bi-weekly digital conference calls. This process is outlined in the UK charity’s policy on monitoring expenditure abroad. N/A Para 1.38 Policy on social investment including program related investment None Para 1.38 Contribution made by volunteers N/A Other

Achievements and Performance

	SORP reference
Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.	Para 1.20	£158,413 Donation to the NGO The UK Charity Eco Brixs UK has generated an income of £183,033 in its fourth financial year, and donated £158,413 to the Ugandan NGO. In short, these funds were donated to the Ugandan NGO to help it maintain and expand its recycling services, and support its ability to generate its own funding, therefore helping its financial sustainability. Breakdown of the donated £158,413 and how it was fundraised: Source Amount

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Tearfund Netherlands	£63,810
Afri-Plastics Challenge Grant	£50,000
Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE)	£22,452
Income for the NGO(ie. Plastic Flake Sales by the NGO)	£7,985
Unrestricted Funds (eg. donations from the public, unrestricted grants)	£14,166
Total:	£158,413
Details of donations to the NGO and resulting impact £63,810 Donation - Tearfund Netherlands Grant Tearfund Netherlands have supported Eco Brixs with grants since 2021. These funds are designed to mainly help the Ugandan NGO develop its recycling infrastructure at its main HQ (where the plastic waste is turned into Eco-Products), develop its collection network in the surrounding area (including Lake Victoria), and support some of the organisation’s core costs. £25,306 towards the ‘Lake Victoria Clean Up’ This is the second of two payments that has helped Eco Brixs to expand to the Kalangala District and Lake Victoria, the world’s second-largest freshwater lake. Over decades, this area has become heavily polluted and is suffocating in plastic waste. Previously in Year 3, this grant had allowed Eco Brixs to expand its collection network around the shores of Lake Victoria. The first Community Buy Back Centres were added to the area and educational programmes were also run to raise awareness about the dangers of mismanaged plastic waste. In Year 4, Eco Brixs used £28,306 to continue to develop this work.

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A further 29 Community Buy Back Centres were added to the district, which brings the total up to 33 with 21 established along the lake shores and 12 established on Kalangala island. This has helped over 165 marginalised people to earn a regular income from Plastic Collection jobs in the district. A sorting facility was also added at Kalangala landfill. This facility is managed by 4 women who are contracted, full-time employees of the Ugandan NGO. This site helps to prevent plastic from being added to the landfill so it can be recycled. By the end of the year, these Community Buy Back Centres, individual plastic collectors and the sorting facility were removing 15 tonnes of plastic waste from the environment each month, ensuring it is responsibly recycled. Back at Eco Brixs HQ, this grant also helped to purchase two new large extruding machines, which allowed Eco Brixs to create larger Eco-Products. After plastic waste is broken down into small granules (called flakes) by other machinery, these machines mould the flakes into new shapes (eg. bricks, lumber, planks). One of the first products to be built using this machinery was an Eco-Product for Lake Victoria - a small fishing boat made from recycled plastic waste called the ‘Game Changer’. The boat is 17 ft long by 8ft wide and made out of planks of Eco Brixs’ plastic lumber, which means it is made from 100% recycled plastic. The boat can help to collect up to 300kg of plastic from the water per trip. Once the lumber was constructed at Eco Brixs HQ, the boat was made on the shore of Lake Victoria by local tradespeople who are experts in boat construction. It was then sold to fishermen.

The aim is for this boat to be the first of many provided to Lake Victoria, to

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continue to clean up the heavily polluted lake, raise awareness about recycling, and demonstrate how discarded trash can be given value. Furthermore, this grant helped support advocacy programmes allowing Eco Brixs to raise awareness about conservation and the dangers of mismanaged plastic waste with church communities in the region where Eco Brixs operates. Eco Brixs was able to present at 5 churches in the Ssese Islands and 60 churches in the Masaka district. This outreach helped to reach thousands of people and afterwards saw an increased level of recycling in Masaka and on the islands of Lujaabwa, Nansere, Lutoboka & Musambwa. £38,504 to expand Eco Brixs’ Recycling Capacity These funds were awarded to expand Eco Brixs HQ in Masaka (which is where the organisation turns plastic waste into new Eco-Products) and its recycling capacity. Once complete, the organisation will be able to recycle more plastic waste and create more jobs across both Masaka and the Kalangala districts, as well as have the capacity to expand its collection network across Southern Uganda. These funds were largely used to extend the factory building, so it could hold more machinery and therefore recycle more plastic waste. Within the extension, a Label Remover was also purchased and added. This helps improve Eco Brixs’ efficiency by automatically removing labels from plastic (eg. the labels from water bottles). This saves a lot of time and effort as otherwise, the labels need to be removed by hand. Therefore this benefits the Eco Brixs team at HQ, but it also helps Plastic Collectors in the field as well, as Eco Brixs no longer needs to ask them to remove the labels before selling the plastic to Eco Brixs (giving them more time to collect more plastic and earn more from the process).

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----- Start of picture text -----
||| |---|---| |This instalment also helped support the| |running costs of the Ugandan NGO,| |which is made up of 32 local Ugandan| |staff, many of whom are from| |marginalised communities including| |young people, women and people with| |disabilities.| |Overall, this total funding of £63,810 from| |Tearfund Netherlands has helped to| |reduce the amount of plastic in the area,| |create job opportunities for local people,| |and educate large sections of the| |community on the importance of good| |waste management.| |£50,000 Donation - Afri-Plastics| |Challenge Grant| |This grant was awarded to Eco Brixs UK| |by Nesta’s Afri-Plastic Challenge. The| |£50,000 was donated to the Ugandan| |NGO to fund two new programmes:| |1.|The Uganda Recycling Association| |2.|An Online Recycling Map| |The Uganda Recycling Association| |Eco Brixs established ‘The Uganda| |Recycling Association’ (TURA), which is| |Uganda’s first legally recognised union| |and independent recycling body for| |people who collect plastic to earn an| |income.| |Currently, it is made up of 564 Plastic| |Collectors, who either manage| |Community Recycling Centres and buy| |from the community, or individuals who| |simply collect plastic themselves and sell| |it to a centre. These people are the| |foundation of the recycling industry as| |they are the initial people who first collect| |it, before it reaches recycling| |organisations (like Eco Brixs) to be| |turned into new products.| |TURA is overseen by a locally elected| |Chair and Vice-Chair. Each Plastic| |Collector receives PPE equipment (e.g.| |gloves and overalls) to help keep them|

----- End of picture text -----

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safe while they collect and handle plastic waste. The association focuses on the well-being of the environment and lobbies for the rights of every Plastic Collector. For example, to ensure they receive a fair price for their plastic, improved working conditions, and avoid exploitation. It was established in response to the UN Environment Assembly's Plastic Pollution Global Treaty, which was signed in February 2022 (which Eco Brixs attended in Year 3). This means countries must now actively start programmes to recognise the informal waste sector, which includes the informal waste picker. This is why TURA has already gained the support of Uganda's National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). Eco Brixs has established this programme so its members, the very foundation of the recycling industry, have their rights strengthened, which will only help to protect the environment further, protect the wellbeing of Plastic Collectors, and ensure plastic recycling is conducted using a ‘Fair Trade’ system. Interactive Recycling Map The new interactive map allows users to explore our collection network on a digital platform. It is the first system of its kind in Uganda. Previously, there was no database or formal system to inform communities and organisations about where they can actively recycle. This means even environmentally conscious citizens were left to dispose of their plastic waste unaware of the local and convenient options available to them. This map publicly lists all TURA members, providing details and GPS locations of each Community Buy Back Centre. It allows people to easily find recycling locations across Uganda and learn everything they need to to start recycling.

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The map needs some further funding to completely finish it. Whilst Eco Brixs was a semi-finalist (securing this £50,000) it was not selected as a finalist for the Afri-Plastic award, which would have secured additional funding that would have been used to complete the map. You can view the current version at www. ugandarecyclingassociation.org/. £22,452 Donation - Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) The Challenge Fund for Youth Employment aims to create jobs for young people in Sub Saharan Africa and the Middle East. This grant was secured by submitting a joint application with the recycling organisation Taka Taka Solutions under a consortium arrangement. Under the conditions of the grant, at least one member of the consortium needed to be from the private sector, with Taka Taka Solution fulfilling this role. Furthermore, the ‘Lead Organisation’ needed to be working in Uganda, with Eco Brixs fulfilling this role. Taka Taka Solutions operates in Nairobi, Kenya and they recycle a variety of materials under their mission ‘ We give waste a second life’ . They operate a similar model to Eco Brixs Within this arrangement, both organisations have targets to fulfil to meet the grant requirements, which are reviewed by CFYE each quarter. Meeting targets subsequently triggers the release of a quarterly payment. The entire grant is for a sum of €1,061,659 (£910,458), of which 25% is allocated to Eco Brixs (the Ugandan NGO and Eco Brixs UK) and 75% is awarded to the larger organisation in the partnership, Taka Taka Solutions. The payments of the grant are spread over 9 payments, which take place

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approximately each quarter across 2023 -
2025.
Therefore based on the current budget
(and meeting each milestone target) each
organisation will receive the following
over the course of two years:
● Eco Brixs €261,252 (£224,044)
● Taka Taka Solutions €800,407
(£686,414)
This first grant payment was paid
towards the end of Year 4, with more
payments following in Year 5.
This first payment of £22,452 allowed the
Ugandan NGO to grow its core team at
Eco Brixs HQ in Masaka, which includes
the Recycling Factory that recycles
plastic waste into Eco-Products.
This allowed the Ugandan NGO to grow
from a mixture of 16 full-time and
part-time staff in 2022 to 33 full-time
employees by the end of Year 4 (June
2023).
This is helping the organisation to
recycle more plastic as it scales up its
capacity, whilst also improving its
financial management, M&E processes,
and marketing. For example, a new
Finance Manager, Office Manager,
Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, and
more factory hands have all been
recruited as a result of this payment.
Furthermore, whilst the team has grown
at HQ, Eco Brixs has been able to
maintain its target of ensuring at least
50% of its core team are PWDs (people
with disabilities), a marginalised group
who often struggled to obtain work in
Uganda.
£7,985 Donation - Income for the
NGO
This income was generated by the
Ugandan NGO recycling plastic waste
into plastic flakes, which it then sold to a
plastic manufacturer who uses the flake
to make new products. In this case, 22.5
tonnes of plastic flakes was sold to the
organisation Recyclan, which turns

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plastic flakes into recycled food packaging. As this sale generated a substantial amount of income, largely at the expense of the Ugandan NGO in terms of staff time and effort, 100% of this income was donated to the Ugandan NGO. £14,166 Donation - Unrestricted Funds The majority of these funds were donated to the Ugandan NGO using unrestricted funding from the UK charity’s reserves. £13,000 was donated to the Ugandan NGO at the end of 2022 and the start of 2023. This was largely in response to cash flow issues and was to help the NGO with general running costs whilst it waited for major grant payments to be made. Much of this income was used to replenish the NGO’s funds that it uses to buy plastic from the community, which is essential for the organisation to operate and create impact. A further £1,166 of unrestricted income was also donated to the Ugandan NGO, which was fundraised through the sale of Eco-Products, which were created using the NGO’s recycling machinery. Further Financial Support for the Ugandan NGO In addition to donations and grants, Eco Brixs UK has also supported the Ugandan NGO through the following expenditure: £20,661 - Staff Costs This expenditure has secured the services of 2 professionals who work for Eco Brixs UK on a part-time basis. Collectively, their work supports the growth of both the UK and Ugandan entity by:

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● Ensuring all charity funds are
accounted for and spent as agreed
with the UK Board of Trustees
● Raising funds eg. over £368,000
has been raised to date for the UK
Charity, and £223,000 for the
Ugandan NGO
● Building partnerships with
charities, businesses and
academic institutions to support
Eco Brixs’ mission. Eg.
partnerships with the global
charity Tearfund and the
international Recycling
organisations Taka Taka and
Recyclan
● Marketing Eco Brixs’ work digitally
● Providing project management
and financial skills
A proportion of these costs were covered
by the grant from Tearfund Netherlands,
which allowed Eco Brixs to expand to
Lake Victoria and grow its recycling
capacity. Whilst £63,810 of the £75,390
grant was donated to the NGO to be
spent on implementation, the remaining
£11,580 was allocated to supporting the
costs of the UK charity’s staff, who were
responsible for managing the project and
reporting.
(£8,171 of this £11,580 was spent in Year
4 and the remaining £3,409 was carried
over to Year 5.)
£359 - Financial Accountability
Eco Brixs UK spent £359 to provide the
Ugandan NGO with the accounting
software, ‘Quickbooks’. It pays a monthly
fee for this software, alongside its own
subscription for Eco Brixs UK, to save
the NGO this cost.
This helps the Ugandan NGO to
accurately manage its day-to-day
finances, as well as provide financial
information to the UK charity with
regards to accountability, especially in
relation to spending of donated funds
from Eco Brixs UK.

Increased Impact

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Through the support of the UK charity, the Ugandan NGO has been able to significantly grow its environmental, economic, and social impact over Year 4. This has helped Eco Brixs to protect the environment in Masaka, whilst helping many more beneficiaries.

Specifically over Year 4, the Ugandan NGO has been able to:

• Recycle a further 297 tonnes of plastic waste across two districts in Uganda - Masaka and Kalagala.

• Provide 3,000 vulnerable community members with the opportunity to earn income through plastic collection, many of them being people with disabilities, women and people living in poverty.

• Educate 25,000 school pupils across 53 schools on the 3 Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle), resulting in increased environmental awareness and more recycling taking place at the schools

To date, this means the Ugandan NGO has been able to remove 752 tonnes of plastic waste from the environment in Uganda. Furthermore, the community has been given access to widespread plastic recycling services which were not available in the area prior to the establishment of Eco Brixs.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Achievements against objectives set	Para 1.41
Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set	Para 1.41

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Investment performance against objectives	Para 1.41
Other

Financial Review

Financial Review
Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	Para 1.21	Eco Brixs UK is in a positive financial position at the end of Year 4, with £183,033 fundraised and £21,421 held in the bank. Of this £21,421 bank balance, £18,012 is unrestricted. Based on this, the organisation has more funds than the minimum requirement of its reserves policy - an excess of £6,012.
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	Para 1.22	The reserves policy of the charity in Year 4 requires the organisation to hold a minimum balance of £12,000 in unrestricted funds, which is the equivalent of the charity’s costs for a period of 6 months. This policy is to ensure the longevity of Eco Brixs UK so that it can continue operations and the pursuit of its charitable objectives over the long term.
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22	£18,012 of unrestricted funds was held at the end of Year 4.
Reasons for holding zero reserves	Para 1.22	N/A
Details of fund materially in deficit	Para 1.24	None
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern	Para 1.23	None

Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

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The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)	Para 1.47	The charity has generated an income of £183,033. The majority of income was generated through grants (£160,751).
Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted	Para 1.46	None
A description of the principal risks facing the charity	Para 1.46	The trustees and staff of Eco Brixs UK conducted a detailed risk review in August 2021. This analysed the principal risks facing the charity, alongside solutions to manage those risks. These risks are monitored and updated regularly as they are shared within Eco Brixs UK’s monthly management report. The key risks identified were: Managing and securing Funding Securing sufficient funding for the future is a key risk to be managed by Eco Brixs UK. This includes securing sufficient funding to: a) cover the UK charity’s core costs b) ensure the continuation and expansion of the Ugandan NGO (which is primarily how Eco Brixs UK fulfils its charitable objects) Following the review, more staff time has been dedicated to pursuing fundraising opportunities. Support and training was also given to staff on writing successful funding applications. In Year 4, two new trustees were also recruited with expertise in fundraising and marketing. In terms of managing the funds which have already been received and ensuring maximum benefit is gained from them, additional financial policies and processes were introduced in Year 3.

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• These have continued to be used, which include: ● Policies:

  • Financial Controls Policy

  • ○ Reserves Policy

• Monitoring & Verifying the End Use of Funds Abroad Policy

• ○ Trustee Expense Policy

• ● The use of the financial software Quickbooks for accountability

• The use of a detailed, formal budget outlining the upcoming year’s income and expenses, and maintaining the level of minimum reserves. A new budget is drafted each year in the final quarter of the year.

Misuse of Donated Funds As Eco Brixs UK donates the majority of its income to a separate organisation (the Ugandan NGO), there is a risk that donated funds will not be spent in Uganda as intended by the UK Board of Trustees.

This has been managed by introducing strict financial controls and the introduction of new policies in Year 3, which have continued to be used in Year 4.

These policies include:

• Financial Controls Policy

• Monitoring & Verifying the End Use of Funds Policy

• Anti-corruption Policy

• Whistleblowing Policy

• Due Diligence Policy

The trustees also maintain a constant eye on the charity’s finances and one of the trustees (the treasurer) is a qualified Chartered Accountant.

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Support has also been given to the Ugandan NGO to do the following to help support its accountability and reporting:

● Eco Brixs UK funds the online
software Quickbooks for the
Ugandan NGO’s use. This allows it
to record its transactions online
and transparently, and gives it the
capacity to easily produce reports
to demonstrate its spending and
accountability
● Develop a budget for the Ugandan
NGO, helping to plan income and
expenditure. This includes any
donations from Eco Brixs UK,
showing the amount donated, its
purpose, and how it will be spent
across an agreed timeline
The CEO of Eco Brixs UK (who is based
in Uganda) is responsible for ensuring
donated funds are spent in Uganda as
outlined by the trustees’ decisions, which
helps to significantly manage this risk.
An agreement is made between the board
and the CEO on how the funds will be
spent, prior to the transfer being made,
and then once the funds are received in
Uganda, the CEO is accountable for how
the donated funds are spent, and reports
back to the UK Trustees via email and
bi-weekly digital conference calls.
CEO leaving the organisation or
becoming incapacitated
There is a risk that the CEO and founder
of Eco Brixs UK and the Ugandan NGO
could leave the organisation in the future.
This could occur because of a long-term
break (eg. sickness) or if the founder
decides to leave their role with the
organisations. Currently, their experience
and unique set of skills make them
indispensable to both organisations, as
they cover key areas such as fundraising,
managing the recycling service in
Uganda, strategy development and
leadership, and accountability as to how
funds are spent.
To help manage this risk, there is a
long-term plan to install a COO (Chief
Operating Officer) within the Ugandan
NGO, who will work closely with the CEO

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and be able to take over the CEO’s responsibilities if required. Whilst funding for staff is currently limited in terms of recruiting a fully qualified external candidate, two senior staff of the Ugandan NGO are being gradually trained up to fulfil this role for both Eco Brixs UK and the Ugandan NGO. Furthermore, the CFYE grant has also helped reduce this risk as it allows for the Ugandan NGO to recruit specialist staff, which helps to reduce the workload of the CEO. None Other

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter)	Para 1.25	Constitution
How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO)	Para 1.25	Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Para 1.25	New trustees are recruited through a process of public advertising which includes publishing a role description and person specification. (The term for a new trustee is three years.) Then, shortlisted candidates are interviewed by the current trustees, where the candidates are assessed with regards to their skills, knowledge and experience, to ensure they have the necessary criteria to effectively administer the CIO. As the governing document describes, age is also considered (required to be above 16). For the selected candidates, a verbal and written offer is made for them to accept. If accepted, a resolution is then passed by the current trustees and the Chair (or nominated person) will update the Charity Register to reflect the appointment of the new trustee.

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Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees	Para 1.51	New trustees are provided with copies of Eco Brixs UK’s governing document and latest Annual Returns to familiarise themselves with, as outlined in the organisation’s constitution. Trustees are also asked to read the Charity Commission’s ‘The Essential Trustee: What You Need to Know, What You Need to Do’ document. Trustees are then given an induction presentation to Eco Brixs (both the UK Entity and the Ugandan NGO). This introduces the organisation’s model and financial position, and is presented by the CEO and/or current trustees. The induction is followed by an open Q&A session, where the new trustees can ask further questions if required.
The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works	Para 1.51	The UK Charity Eco Brixs UK works in partnership with the Ugandan NGO, to help protect the environment, whilst creating jobs, in the region of Masaka, Uganda. As principally a fundraising organisation for the Ugandan NGO, the trustees of the UK charity monitor the accountability of the funds donated. This is reported through the CEO, Andrew Bownds, who presents this information at quarterly board meetings and as required. The CEO is responsible for ensuring donated funds are spent in Uganda as outlined by the trustees’ decisions. As donations made from the UK entity to the Ugandan NGO are in the region of several thousand pounds (to minimise international transfer costs), and equal to a significant amount of the charity’s income, these are dual authorised by the trustees after extensive discussion with, and clear justification from, the CEO. The expenditure of these funds is monitored according to the UK charity’s policy of monitoring expenditure abroad.
	Para 1.51	None

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Relationship with any related parties None Other

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name	Eco Brixs UK
Other name the charity uses	Eco Brixs
Registered charity number	1184169
Charity’s principal address	Eco Brixs 11 Long Meadow Chesham Bucks HP5 2BN

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any)
Anthony Topham		04.10.22 - present
Kedge Martin		06.10.22 - present
Anjana Krishnan		16.11.20 - present
Martin Worster		27.10.20 - present
Nick Chapman		22.06.21 - present

– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved

Director name None

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

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Trustee name	Dates acted if not for whole year
None

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets held in this capacity	None
Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects	None
Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets	None

Additional information (optional)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of adviser Name Address
Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

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Andrew Bownds, CEO & Founder

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

None

Other optional information

None

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

	Signature(s)
	Full name(s)	Martin Worster	Nick Chapman
	Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc)	Chair	Treasurer
	Date	05.04.2024	06.04.2024

24

	Charity Name			No (if any)
	Eco Brixs UK			1184169
	Receipts and payments accounts				CC16a
	For the period from	Period start date 01.07.2022	To	Period end date 30.06.2023

	Charity Name Eco Brixs UK	Charity Name Eco Brixs UK	Charity Name Eco Brixs UK	Charity Name Eco Brixs UK	Charity Name Eco Brixs UK	No (if any) 1184169	No (if any) 1184169	No (if any) 1184169	CC16a
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ A1 Receipts			Restricted funds to the nearest £		Endowment funds to the nearest £		Total funds to the nearest £		Last year to the nearest £
Unrestricted Donations	- 19,976-		- --		- --		- 19,976-		- 43,979-
Unrestricted Donations Gift Aid	- 705-		- --		- --		- 705-		- 377-
Trading Activity: Carbon Credit Sales	- 2,550-						- 2,550-
Trading Activitiy: Consultancy	- 799-		- --		- --		- 799-		- 5,333-
Trading Activity: Eco-Product Sales	- 3,172-						- 3,172-
Moondance Foundation Grant	- --		- --		- --		- --		- 11,200-
Plasticpreneur Donation	- --		- --		- --		- --		- 5,347-
Tearfund Netherlands	- --		- 75,390-		- --		- 75,390-		- 41,090-
Tearfund UK	- --		- --		- --		- --		- 16,000-
Reimbursement of Expenses (Tearfund)	- --		- --		- --		- --		- 1,553-
Income for Ugandan NGO	- --		- 7,900-		- --		- 7,900-		- 1,127-
Plastic Action Fundraiser	- 90-		- --		- --		- 90-		- 122-
Afri-Plastic Grant	- --		- 50,000-		- --		- 50,000-
Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) Grant	- --		- 22,452-		- --		- 22,452-		- --
Sub total(Gross income for AR) - 27,292- A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).	- 27,292-		- 155,741-		- --		- 183,033-		- 126,126-
A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
Amounts received from external funders (CFYE) relating directly to a consortium partner (Taka Taka Solutions)			- 71,365-		- --		- 71,365-
	- --		- --		- --		- --		- --
Sub total	- --		- 71,365-		- --		- 71,365-		- --

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

20/04/2024

1

Total receipts A3 Payments	- 27,292-		- 227,106-		- --		- 254,398-		- 126,126-
Core Costs	- 14,013-		- 8,171-		- --		- 22,184-		- 18,498-
Fundraising Costs	- 676-		- --		- --		- 676-		- 2,298-
Donation to Ugandan NGO: Moondance Foundation Grant	- --		- --		- --		- --		- 11,200-
Donation to Ugandan NGO: Plasticpreneur Donation	- --		- --		- --		- --		- 5,347-
Donation to Ugandan NGO: Tearfund Netherlands	- --		- 63,810-		- --		- 63,810-		- 34,440-
Donation to Ugandan NGO: Tearfund UK	- --		- --		- --		- --		- 16,000-
Donation to Ugandan NGO: Unrestricted	- 14,166-		- --		- --		- 14,166-		- 33,704-
Donation to Ugandan NGO: Income for Ugandan NGO	- --		- 7,985-		- --		- 7,985-		- 2,215-
Donation to Ugandan NGO: Afri-Plastics	- --		- 50,000-		- --		- 50,000-		- --
G Donation to Ugandan NGO: CFYE Grant	- --		- 22,452-		- --		- 22,452-		- --
**Sub total **	- 28,854-		- 152,418-		- --		- 181,273-		- 123,701-
A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table)
Amounts repaid to a consortium partner (Taka Taka Solutions), due from external funders (CFYE)			- 71,365-		- --		- 71,365-
	- --		- --		- --		- --
Sub total Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end **Cash funds this year end **	- --		- 71,365-		- --		- 71,365-
	- 28,854-		- 223,783-		- --		- 252,637-		- 123,701-
	- 1,562-		- 3,323-		- --		- 1,761-		- 2,425-
	- --		- --		- --		- --		- --
	- 19,575-		- 86-		- --		- 19,660-		- 17,235-
	- 18,012-		- 3,409-		- --		- 21,421-		- 19,660-

CCXX R2 accounts (SS)

20/04/2024

2

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

Categories B1 Cash funds	Details	Details	Unrestricted funds to nearest £	Unrestricted funds to nearest £	Restricted funds to nearest £	Restricted funds to nearest £	Endowment funds to nearest £
	Cash at Bank		- 18,012-		- 3,409-		- --
			- --		- --		- --
			- --		- --		- --
B2 Other monetary assets B3 Investment assets	Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account (s)) Details Details Details		- 18,012-		- 3,409-		- --
							OK
			Unrestricted funds to nearest £ - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which asset belongs		Restricted funds to nearest £ - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- Cost (optional) - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- Cost (optional)		Endowment funds to nearest £
							- --
							- --
							- --
							- --
							- --
							- --
							Current value (optional)
							- --
							- --
							- --
							- --
							- --
							Current value (optional)

CCXX R3 accounts (SS)

20/04/2024

3

B4 Assets retained for the						-	--		-	--
charity’s own use						-	--		-	--
						-	--		-	--
						-	--		-	--
						-	--		-	--
						-	--		-	--
						-	--		-	--
						-	--		-	--
						-	--		-	--
				Fund to which		Amount due				When due
	Details			liability relates		(optional)				(optional)
B5 Liabilities						-	--
						-	--
						-	--
						-	--
						-	--
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees		Signature		Print	Name				Date of approval
				Martin	Worster				09.04.2024
				Nick Chapman
									06.04.2024

CCXX R4 accounts (SS)

20/04/2024

4

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ Eco Brixs UK members of On accounts for the year 30[th] June 2023 Charity no 1184169 ended (if any) Set out on pages

• I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 30 / 06 / 2023 .

• Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report 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 the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

• accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or

• the accounts do not accord with the accounting records

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

• Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.

Date: 12[th] April 2024 Signed: Name: Nicholas Lugg Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: 9 Darfield Avenue Sheffield S20 6SU

1

October 2018

IER

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

2

October 2018

IER