Media Matters
for Women
Annual
|**CONTENTS**|||
|---|---|---|
|**Letter from the Chair**|3||
|**Legal and Administrative Information**|5||
|**Our Mission**|6||
|**Who we are**|7||
|**Our 2024 work**|8||
|**MMW in Numbers**|15||
|**Looking Forward**|17||
|**Our Charitable Objectives and Activities**|18||
|**Financial Review and Reserves**|19||
|**Statement of Trustee Responsibilities**|20||
|**Independent Examiner’s Report**|21||
|**Receipts and Payments Accounts**|22||
|**Notes**|23||
|||2|
## **Letter from the Chair**
It is a profound honour to serve as Chair of Media Matters for Women (MMW) UK. As a Sierra Leonean woman, this role is deeply personal. I know first-hand how critical access to information, education, and opportunity is for women and girls—particularly those in rural, hard-to-reach areas.
We are proud to present our 2024 Annual Report, marking over a decade of dedicated service to vulnerable women and girls in rural Sierra Leone. This past year has brought significant achievements, despite challenges such as economic instability and the loss of key personnel.
Our unwavering commitment to empowering women and girls through access to information and education has yielded tangible results. We have continued to expand our reach, deepen our impact, and strengthen our financial position. This report outlines our key accomplishments, financial performance, and strategic direction for the coming year.
MMW continues to make significant strides in bridging the digital and gender divide in ways that are transformative and lasting. A major highlight of the year was the deployment and expansion of the **DigiTruck initiative** —our mobile, solar-powered digital classroom.
The DigiTruck is more than just a vehicle; it is a symbol of our commitment to bringing connectivity, skills, and voice to underserved communities. Over the past year, the DigiTruck has:
- Trained over 300 women and girls in digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and human rights.
- Expanded into two new rural districts, reaching some of the most marginalised communities.
- Enabled young women to produce local audio stories—from climate justice to girls’ education—now broadcast via partner radio stations and Bluetooth networks.
- Forged new partnerships with local schools, health services, and community organisations to embed MMW’s impact across multiple sectors.
Our **Period Power Project** continues to provide vital information on menstrual health and hygiene. In 2024, we reached over 630 girls through interactive school sessions and community outreach events, and distributed dignity kits to those who often go without.
We have also strengthened our media and advocacy efforts. Over the past year, we produced more than **120 podcast episodes** , highlighting issues affecting girls and women in underserved communities.
One of our key focus areas this year has been in **advocacy** —bringing the stories of Sierra Leonean women and girls to the international stage. We expanded our efforts into a new region in the North-West, participated in high-level African Union engagements on ending violence against women and girls, and partnered with Afri Radio to host a two-day event raising global awareness about gender-based violence. Through these efforts, we enhanced dialogue with key community stakeholders and secured commitments from leaders to take action.
These achievements reflect the strength of our grassroots model: we train women journalists and community communicators who amplify local voices and catalase positive change from within local communities.
This work would not be possible without the dedication of our team in Sierra Leone, the continued support of our UK and US partners, and the generosity of our donors and supporters. I am especially proud that we centre girls and women not just as beneficiaries, but as **agents of change** and **leaders in their communities** .
In 2024, we further improved our financial stability through support from **Comic Relief, the Internet Society Foundation, and the Oak Foundation** . These funds enable us to sustain our staffing needs, grow our community projects, and expand our DigiTruck classrooms—further enhancing digital literacy in rural areas.
Looking ahead, our vision is ambitious: to scale the DigiTruck to more regions, deepen the impact of our storytelling, influence national conversations on gender and equality, and launch innovative new fundraising events.
I invite you to join us on this journey—because when women and girls have the tools to speak, lead, and learn, entire communities are transformed.
With gratitude,
**Algina Kamara**
Chair, UK Board Media Matters for Women
## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION**
The Trustees present their report and independently examined accounts of the charity for the period ended 31 December 2024. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements.
## **REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS**
Registered charity name Media Matters for Women UK Charity registration number 1185508 Registered Sable Lodge office Pine Walk East Horsley KT24 5AG Trustees Peta Barrett: _Appointed Chair of board 01/01/2024, resignation 02/05/2025_ Katie Faulds: _Stepped down as chair 01/01/2024 but continues as trustee_ Anthony Skinner: _resignation 01/04/2025_ Gaimin Nonyane: _resignation 25/06/2025_ Algina Delphine Kamara _- appointed 03/04/2025_ Muriel Lamin - _appointed 02/05/2025_ Annelise Simone Gates - _appointed 02/05/2025_
## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT**
The Board of Trustees consists of four Trustees who continue in office until retirement or death. New Trustees are selected by existing Trustees and are people who have specific interest in the charity and a range of skills to enhance its development. New trustees undergo an orientation to brief them of their legal obligations under charity law, the committee and decision-making process and recent financial activities of the charity.
Media Matters for Women UK is a charitable incorporated organization (CIO). It was established under a CIO Foundation Constitution which governs its activities, objectives and powers. MMW UK was registered in the United Kingdom with the UK registration number of 1185508 on 26 September 2019.
Media Matters for Women UK partners with Media Matters for Women Sierra Leone, (MMW SL) a registered NGO located in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and MMW US, a 501(c)(3) organization registered in 4 Bellevue, Washington, USA, whose mission and operations are aligned with MMW UK. MMW SL is overseen by the Board of Trustees of MMW UK.
## **Our Work in 2024**
**Access to information**
**Preventing Gender-Base d Violence**
**Sexual reproductive Health & Rights**
**Strengthening rural communities**
**Improving Women’s Economic Power**
We believe that access to reliable, trustworthy information is a fundamental human right and in many of the communities we serve, MMW podcasts are the only source of fact-based information on these topics that are regularly available to women and girls. A total number of **1200** listening sessions were conducted through 2024. Total number of podcasts produced: **Kenema Districts – 96 Bombali District - 80 Western Rural District - 27** Topics range from women’s rights to sexual reproductive health.
**Access to information**
**In 2024** , Period Power reached adolescent girls across Sierra Leone with life-saving information on menstrual health, hygiene, and body literacy. We held interactive school sessions, community outreach events, and distributed dignity kits in areas where girls are often left without resources or support.
## **Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights**
Total number: **630 girls** were reached during the period power project baseline survey.
The Period Power Project is continuing to break the taboo around menstruation and attitudes are changing, with more women seeing the practice as a hollow and costly tradition rather than a benefit of any kind.
Collaboration is key in fighting SGBV. MMW partners with like-minded local collations and works within the local power structures in order to bring changes in behaviours and attitudes, reducing the impact of harmful traditions, beliefs and practices.
## **Preventing Gender-Based Violence**
The focus of the 16 Days of Activism is to raise awareness against Gender-Based Violence across the world.
The theme for 2024 was **“UNITED VOICES, UNITED ACTION** : **Ending Violence Against Women and Girls in the Context of Climate Change!”**
MMW partnered with Afri Radio to organizing a two day event - an inter-generational dialogue and award ceremony for 10 community champions who have been supportive to promoting the work of the organisation to reach its goal of protecting women and girls from all forms of violence and an engagement with the community women in Bombali, Kenema and Western Area Rural Districts.
We were successful in 2023 through a private donor in building a bore-hole well in the Rogbom community in the rural Bombali District, improving the health and safety of women who would otherwise have to travel by foot for hours to get water. This well is still successfully running in 2024 and our plan going forward into 2025 is to build another bore-hole well in Sierra Leone to further strengthen the rural communities that we work with.
**Strengthening Rural Communities**
## **Women’s Financial Empowerment**
Achieving digital literacy is challenging due to socio-economic factors present in rural communities such as low literacy levels, poverty, absence of infrastructure and social inequalities.
MMW launched the **Digitruck Salone Project in April 2024 in partnership with Close the Gap and Africell** , providing digital literacy for rural girls and female entrepreneurs from Bombali, Kenema and Western Area Rural Districts.
The digitruck travelled round the three districts, providing digital opportunities for women and girls. **The female entrepreneurs were developing their digital skills to enhance their business knowledge and skills to improve their businesses.**
We reached **316 female students** and **31 female entrepreneurs** by the end . of the first programme
**Florence Sesay** , MMW’s Sierra Leone Executive Director, has become the second ever **Changemaker** on the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (GIWL) programme at King’s College, London. The programme aims to empower advocates and activists dedicated to advancing gender equality by providing tailored support for research projects tied to their work or local communities. This initiative recognises the pivotal role of grassroots movements in fostering genuine societal change and endeavours to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world impact.
**Change Maker – Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (GIWL)**
## **MMW by the Numbers**
- _Period Power Project_ : A total number of **630 girls** were reached during the period power project baseline survey.
- _Mamie and Omo Podcast_ : Mamie and Omo MMW produced a total of **120 episodes** .
- _Digitruck Salone Programme_ : 316 **female students and 31 female entrepreneurs**
- _Podcasts_ : The total number of podcasts produced in Kenema, Bombali District, Western Rural District was **203** .
## **Looking Ahead With Gratitude**
As we move forward into 2025, we are looking forward to completing our Digitruck Salone programme by running it in all three districts, Makeni, Waterloo and Kenema and further extending our partnership with Close The Gap and Africell, so we can impact more women and girls in Sierra Leone. We are so thankful for all of the MMW team and the work that they do to ensure that we continue to run our vital programmes, equipping the hardest-to-reach women and girls in Sierra Leone with the knowledge and skills they need to create the social change they seek. We are also grateful to all of the funders, donors and volunteers who have supported our work, enabling us to develop our programmes and reach further.
## **Objectives and Activities for the Public Benefit**
The Trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the Charity’s aims and objectives and in planning future activities and setting grant making policy for the year.
## **Our Objectives**
- (A) To advance the education of socially and economically disadvantaged women and girls in Africa (initially in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo) for the public benefit, in particular, but not exclusively by, the provision of grants, training and equipment to facilitate the dissemination in remote geographic areas of information relating to:
- women’s rights (for example, as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and subsequent United Nations conventions and declarations, and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms);
- women’s health (for example, sexual and reproductive health, family planning and gender based violence);
- financial education; and
- public or community health (for example, best practices and procedures to deal with communicable diseases such as Ebola and COVID-19).
- (B) To develop the capacity and skills of socially and economically disadvantaged women and girls in rural areas of Africa (initially in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in such a way that they are better able to identify and help meet their needs and to participate more fully in society.
## **Our Activities:**
During 2024, MMW UK supported MMW Sierra Leone, through grant funding and mentorship, on the following projects:
- Operational Expenses
- Expanding MMWs influence and advocacy in a multitude of ways
- Period Power Project – reaching circa rural 630 girls in 2024
- Digitruck Salone – providing digital literacy for girls and female entrepreneurs from Bombali, Kenema and Western Area Rural Districts
- Supporting MMW SL in successfully winning grants that will have huge impact over the years to come – i.e. Comic Relief Grant which will bring in GBP 50K per year for five years
- Media and Advocacy: Produced 120 podcasts, and undertook 1200 listening sessions – serving as a lifeline for rural women and girls giving them key information on health, education and politics.
- Continued successful activity of the bore-hole well in Rogbom
- 16 Days of Activism (building a women’s movement)
- Core support for MMW Sierra Leone operations - including Team Building and Capacity Development.
## **Financial Review**
MMW UK is grateful for the support received from individuals and foundations for the important work being done by our partners in Sierra Leone.
During 2024, we were pleased and extremely grateful to have received further significant contributions in the MMW UK arm from Oak Foundation. These funds were used to further our cause, and they have had measurable impact in broadening our reach through a number of impactful initiatives.
As at the end of 2024, we remain in a strong position financially, and look forward to using the funds to continue our efforts in 2025.
In FY 2024, MMW UK raised a total of income £39,362 (2023: £57,419).
At the end of 2024 MMW UK held £1,028 worth of funds in the MMW UK bank account (2023: £19,059).
## **Reserves Policy**
Reliant on donors and grants, the charity intends to maintain low reserves, but reserves that provide a sufficient safety net. Given the well planned timeline of collaboration between MMW UK and other MMW entities (i.e. MMW US) in relation to funding the operations of MMW SL, the UK charity reserves policy aims to have the equivalent of one month’s operating expenses (circa £4000) available at all times.’
At the end of 2024 the UK charities reserves was purposefully below that, ahead of MMW US taking over funding of MMW SL’s next project. This was a well informed decision given that there was confirmed grant funding coming into MMW UK that would comfortably take the charity back in line with the reserves policy and more, in early 2025.
## **Statement of Trustee Responsibility**
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102; The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Trustees are required to prepare accounts for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure, of the charitable company for the year.
In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
- Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- State whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
- Prepare the accounts on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operations.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable entity. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ Report.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s Trustees
**Algina Kamara** Chair, UK Board Media Matters for Women
11
28th August 2025
**Independent examiner's report on the accounts**
## **Section A Independent Examiner’s Report**
**Report to the trustees** Media Matters for Women UK **On accounts for the Charity no** 1185508 **period ended** 31[st] December 2024 **Set out on pages** 1 - 23 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the period ended 31/12/2024. **Responsibilities and** As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the **basis of report** 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 all 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 in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
- the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
- the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 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.
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.
**Signed: Date:** 24th September 2025 **Name:** Louise Alexander, ACMA **Relevant professional** Member in Practice of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants **qualification or body: Address:** 3 Upper High Street Ipswich IP1 3NE
10
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Media Matters for Women UK 1185508
Receipts and payments accounts CC16a
For the period 01/01/2024 31/12/2024
To
from
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds Last year
funds funds funds
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
Grants - 39,296 - 39,296 53,143
Donations - - - 4,199
Bank Interest 66 - 66 77
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
Sub total (Gross income for
AR) [ 66 ] 39,296 - 39,362 57,419
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
- - - -
- - - - -
Sub total - - - - -
Total receipts 66 39,296 - 39,362 57,419
A3 Payments
Transfers to Sierre Leone 1,202 53,726 - 54,928 40,054
Consultants 1,440 - 1,440 3,460
Software Subscriptions 104 - - 104 94
Bank Charges 191 - - 191 116
Travel (for Sebastian Boettcher) - - - 1,290
Computer for SL - - 382
Memberships - - - 60
Independent Examination 2023 550 - - 550 550
Events 180 - - 180 -
- - - - -
Sub total [ 3,667 ] 53,726 - 57,393 46,006
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total [ - ] - - - -
Total payments 3,667 53,726 - 57,393 46,006
Net of receipts/(payments) - 3,601 - 14,430 - - 18,031 11,413
A5 Transfers between funds - - - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 4,629 14,430 - 19,059 7,646
Cash funds this year end 1,028 - 0 - 1,028 19,059
**----- End of picture text -----**
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
30/07/2025
1
|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at**|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at**|**the end of the period**||
|---|---|---|---|
|**Categories**
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
**B1 Cash funds**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
**B5 Liabilities**
**B3 Investment assets**|Signature
Independent Examiner's fee
**Details**
**Details**
CAF Bank
**Details**
**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
**Details**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**1,028**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,028**
**-**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**
Unrestricted
**550**
**-**
**-**
**-**
Print Name|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**|
||||**-**|
||||1|
||||**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Current value**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Current value**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**When due**
**(optional)**
Date of
approval|
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
30/07/2025
2
28th August 2025
## **Notes to the Accounts – For the period ended 31 December 2024**
## **ACCOUNTING POLICIES**
## **Basis of Accounting**
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), effective 1 January 2015 and the Charities SORP (FRS 102).
## **Going concern**
The trustees have reviewed the finances for MMW UK and confirm that the charity has sufficient funds for the following 18 months and is a going concern.
## **Accounting period**
The reporting period is 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024.
## **Donated goods and services**
Donated goods and services are recognized as income when;
- The charity has entitlement over the economic benefits that flow from the donation;
- It is probably the associated economic benefits will flow to the entity; and
- Their value can be measured reliably.
Fair value is determined on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity. For example, the amount the charity would be willing to pay in the open market for such goods and services. A corresponding amount is recognized in expenditure within the relevant expense category.
## **Related Party Transactions:**
There were no Related Party Transactions in 2024.
## **Grants:**
In 2024 MMW UK received £39,296 in grants (2023: £53,143)
The grants in 2024 were from The Oak Foundation, as part of their ongoing commitment to supporting MMW.
## **Donations:**
There were no donations to MMW UK in 2024.
## **Restricted Funds:**
In 2024, there were restricted funds of £39,296. This was from Oak Foundation to provide “core support to MMW”.
In 2024, restricted funding of £39,295 was received from Oak Foundation to assist with core costs of the MMW SL programme. This grant was fully spent by the end of 2024.
28th August 2025