Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (1187516) ## **Trustees’ Annual Report & Statement of Financial Activity** for the Year Ended 31st December 2021 **Unity is Strength Email: info@unityisstrength.org.uk https://unityisstrength.org.uk/** 1 ## **Contents** |**Section**|**Page**| |---|---| |1. Reference and Administration Details|3| |2. Structure, Governance and Management|3| |3. Activities|5| |4. Achievements and Performance|7| |5. Financial Review|8| 2 ## **Trustees Annual Report & Statement of Financial Activity for the Year Ended 31st December 2021** **__________________________________________________________________________** ## **1. Reference and Administration Details** ## **1.1. Charity Name & Registration** ## **Unity is Strength** The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registration number 1187516. Registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales on 22nd January 2020. The charity is registered with HM Revenue & Customs. ## **1.2 Charity details** Registered address: Pollardine Farm, Gatten, Pontesbury, Shropshire, SY5 0SJ Email: info@unityisstrength.org.uk Website: https://unityisstrength.org.uk/ ## **1.3 Trustees** The Trustees who served the charity in this period are: Elizabeth Ann Hulton-Harrop (Chair) Jane Elizabeth Yair Hulton-Harrop Thomas Hugh Hulton-Harrop ## **1.4 Names of Advisors & Senior Members of Staff** None ## **1.5 Bank** CAF Bank, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ. ## **2. Structure, Governance and Management** ## **2.1 Type of governing document** Constitution – based on the Charity Commission’s model governing document for Foundation Charitable Incorporated Organisations, _ie:_ where the Trustees are the only Members of the charity. 3 ## **2.2. Charitable Objects** As defined in Unity is Strength’s Constitution (governing document), the charity’s objects (“objects”) are: ‘to advance education, relieve sickness and poverty and to otherwise provide for the charitable needs of orphans at St. Paul KAASO (Kabira Adult Attention & School for Orphans), Uganda in particular by providing grants, items and services to KAASO.’ ## **2.3 Organisational structure** The charity trustees are responsible for the governance and management of the charity. The trustees give their time freely and receive no remuneration or other benefits. The trustees regularly discuss the running of the charity and formally meet on an annual basis. They are responsible for all decisions taken in relation to running the charity. To assist the smooth running of the charity, the trustees set up a sub-committee to oversee certain aspects of the charity’s work. The Chair sits on the sub-committee alongside the two Founders and Directors of St Paul KAASO, Uganda, and the KAASO Volunteer Coordinator. The sub-committee oversees the delivery of the projects in Uganda and submits regular reports to the trustees. ## **2.3 Trustee selection methods** There must be at least three charity trustees. There is no maximum number of charity trustees that may be appointed to the CIO. In accordance with the Constitution, Trustees are appointed or re-appointed for a one-year term by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. In appointing Trustees due consideration is given to ensuring that the Trustees have, between them, the skills and experience necessary to manage the charity effectively and in accordance with charity law as laid down in Clause 10 (2) of the Constitution. ## **2.4 Induction and training of trustees** Following appointment, trustees are introduced to their new role and given copies of the following documents: - The charity’s Constitution - CC3 The Essential Trustee: What you need to know - Relevant policies This ensures new trustees are aware of the scope of their responsibilities under the Charities Act. Initially, new trustees work with an existing trustee assisting on particular activities and 4 projects run by the charity. After satisfactory feedback from existing trustees, they may be given the task of leading a particular activity or project, reporting progress at trustee meetings. ## **2.5 Risk Management** The Trustees have assessed the risks the charity faces and have drawn up a Risk Log which identifies the major risks by likelihood of occurrence, severity of impact, control procedure, retained risk, monitoring process, and responsibility. The trustees review the Risk Log annually. The trustees are satisfied that systems are in place, or arrangements are in hand, to manage the risks that have been identified. ## **2.6 Other** The trustees spent considerable time in the first year of Unity is Strength’s operation to establish good governance. As well as developing a risk management framework as mentioned above, the trustees put policies and practices in place for safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries, managing volunteers, handling complaints, recording and managing conflicting interests, agreeing a reserves policy, and protecting beneficiary, supporter and trustee personal data. These policies were reviewed, updated (where necessary) and approved by trustees in February 2022. ## **3. Activities** ## **3.1 Statutory Declaration** The Trustees of Unity is Strength confirm that they have paid due regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit in deciding what activities the charity should undertake. ## **3.2 How our activities deliver public benefit** The charity carries out a range of activities in pursuance of its charitable aims. The trustees consider that these activities, summarised below, provide benefit for the needs of orphans at St. Paul KAASO (Kabira Adult Attention & School for Orphans), Uganda. ## **3.3 Provision of grants for:** **Solar batteries -** When Unity is Strength was first established, the sub-committee (as defined in section 2.3) requested funds for solar batteries at KAASO. The current batteries had been in place for 6 years and were due to be replaced. The batteries store energy generated from the solar panels, which is then used to provide light in the school, as well as to charge electrical equipment such as radios (used between the staff), laptops, and phones. 5 **Pit latrine construction -** Support was urgently needed in May 2021 when the existing latrine for the boys’ dormitories collapsed. The trustees sought to understand why this had happened with the aim of providing funds to rebuild a more robust construction that would not collapse again in the future. In conversations with the Founders & Directors of KAASO, the trustees found that the school had been advised to use a chemical called DX4 to empty the pit latrine when it reached capacity, however this had led to it giving way. The only other facility the boys could use was outside of the school boundary, which they were not allowed to go to during the night due to safety concerns. The Founder and Director of St Paul KAASO, Dominic Mukwaya, recorded this short video to explain the gravity of the problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSWdBA-yy9Y. The funds provided covered the costs of the following materials: blocks, sand, roofing poles and nails, iron sheets, cement, vent pipe, and labour. **COVID-19 projects -** At the beginning of June 2021, Uganda re-entered a national lockdown as COVID cases were rapidly rising. All schools had to close again, which made an already difficult situation more challenging. The greatest difficulty KAASO faced was how they were going to retain the teachers and staff members with no money coming in to pay them. In light of this, Unity is Strength set up a COVID Relief Fund to partly cover direct costs, such as food and essential items for the staff members and teachers, but mainly to provide seed funds for KAASO to set up their own income-generating projects. The projects included piggery and goat keeping, poultry, brick-making, nursery beds for coffee and eucalyptus seedlings, and crop farming for fruits. The impact of these projects has been significant. Please visit our website at - - https://unityisstrength.org.uk/our impact 2021 to read about the difference these projects have made. While the piggery project got off to a great start, sadly Kabira and the wider area were hit with an outbreak of swine flu, which saw many of the animals needing to be put down. The trustees have reviewed this situation with the Founders and Directors of KAASO, Dominic and Rose Mukwaya, and are currently in the process of undertaking a Feasibility Study to identify measures that can be put in place to reduce the risk of damage from external forces and safeguard any further donations that may be allocated to this project. **General maintenance -** In November 2021 there was finally news that schools in Uganda would reopen in January 2022. Over the two-year closure, the buildings and infrastructure had inevitably deteriorated and the sub-committee was keen for some essential works to be undertaken to prepare for the students’ return. Examples of this work included repairs to the front school perimeter wall, the water drainage system, and the water tanks and gutters. 6 ## **4. Achievements and Performance** **Captain Tom 100 Challenge -** We took part in the Captain Tom 100 Challenge, raising £545. The Captain Tom 100 challenge is an event set up to celebrate the generosity of spirit, and the hope and joy Captain Sir Tom Moore brought to millions. To participate, you have to think of a challenge based around the number 100 and complete it between Friday 30 April and Monday 3 May. In the UK, we chose to skip 100 times as trustee Lizzie Hulton-Harrop remembers this as a popular activity when she stayed at KAASO. The students, staff and teachers at KAASO also took part. Here’s Dominic Mukwaya, Founder & Director of KAASO, introducing their Challenge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCcePc9GKKs. **Northbourne Park School -** We would like to take this opportunity to thank Northbourne Park School who helped to promote our COVID Relief Fund over June/July 2021, raising £3,581 (excluding Gift Aid). We were also very grateful to receive a donation of £320 to support KAASO with the reopening work in November/December 2021. Trustee Lizzie Hulton-Harrop visited Northbourne Park in November 2021 to give an assembly on KAASO. **New website -** We revamped our website to make it more user-friendly, simplify our donation journeys, and include more information on the background of Unity is Strength. **Impact stories -** We are delighted to be working with Sarah Begg, Impact and Evidence Advisor at Practical Action. Sarah volunteers for Unity is Strength, working closely with Dominic Mukwaya to document the impact our work is having. To read the impact stories, please visit - https://unityisstrength.org.uk/our impact **The Grail Society -** We were over the moon to receive our first grant, awarded by the Grail Society for our Piggery project. **Newsletter -** We write a newsletter which goes out to our supporters roughly once a month. To see the past issues, please follow this link https://bit.ly/3JZPh3a 7 ## **5. Financial Review** At the end of the financial period, the charity’s position was positive with £4,185 in the bank account. This figure is much higher than our reserves (section 5.1) because of the funds raised over the Christmas period. These were transferred to KAASO in early 2022 and will be shown in our report and accounts for year-end 2022. The pie charts show the breakdown of our income for the financial year 2021. 8 Please note that while funds were raised for bunk beds in 2021, these were not distributed to KAASO until January 2022 when the campaign closed. 9 The following table shows our total expenditure for the year ending 2021. We decided not to use a pie chart to display these figures as the non-transfer expenditure is so low, it is hard to interpret on a pie chart. |**Expenditure category**|**Amount in GBP**| |---|---| |Transfers to KAASO|16,000| |Transfer fees|150| |Bank account fees|96| |Currency charges|12| |Donation processing fees|97| The difference between the restricted income raised (£8,287) and the restricted income sent (£4,962) is £3,325, which breaks down as follows: - £1,002 - COVID funds due to be sent in 2022 when needed. - £435 - Gift Aid claimed on the donation for the solar batteries. This additional amount is not yet needed by KAASO. - £1,757 - Bunk bed funds due to be send in 2022 when campaign closed. - £131 - Classroom materials and food funds that came in after transfer in December 2021 sent. These will be transferred in January 2022. The difference between the general funds raised (£12,079) and the general funds sent (£11,038) is £1,041, which breaks down as follows: - £355 – Fees for transfer, bank account, donation processing and currency charges. - £686 – Free reserves. At year-end 2020, there was £174 remaining in the bank, so: £174 + £686 + £3,325 = £4,185 ## **5.1 Reserves Policy** The reserves policy seeks to balance spending the maximum amount of income raised as soon as possible after receipt with maintaining the minimum level of reserves to ensure uninterrupted operation and provide time to adjust to a change in financial circumstances. An assessment of the financial impact of risk events on reserves is estimated at 1% of total cash income for this reporting period (January-December 2021). Our only committed expenditure is our monthly bank account fee, which equates to £24 over a three-month period. The Trustees feel it is important to safeguard some additional unrestricted funds to cover unexpected costs, such as increased transaction fees. 1% of our total cash income for 2021 is 10 approximately £200. This is the minimum amount that we aim to keep in our account over each three-month period. As can be seen from the Financial Review on page 10, there is £686 available as free reserves. ## **5.2 Details of any funds materially in deficit** The Charity has no funds which are materially in deficit. ## **5.3 Principal funding sources** Fundraising comes from a range of sources, such as individual recurring donations, individual one-off donations, school fundraisers at Northbourne Park School, fundraisers run by the trustees, and grant-funding. ## **5.4 Plans for future period** The Trustees aim to develop the following two streams in 2022: grant-funding and individual recurring donations. This will be achieved by researching appropriate grant-makers and creating a strategy to reach a wider audience of potential donors. ## **5.5. Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities** The trustees for the purposes of charity law who served during the year and up to the date of this report are set out on page 3. Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by: Elizabeth Hulton-Harrop (Chair) 26th April 2022 11 **Charity Name Unity is Strength** **No (if any) 1187516** ## **Receipts and payments accounts** Period start date Period end date **To** 1/1/2021 12/31/2021 **For the period from** ## **Section A Receipts and payments** **Unrestricted funds** **Restricted Endowment funds funds** **Total funds** **----- Start of picture text -----**
to the nearest
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
£
A1 Receipts
Donations 9,390 6,378 - 15,768
Fundraising events 545 320 - 865
Grants - 1,000 - 1,000
Voluntary receipts (Gift Aid) 2,144 589 - 2,733
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
12,079 8,287 - 20,366
Sub total (Gross income for AR)
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total - - - -
Total receipts 12,079 8,287 - 20,366
A3 Payments
Bank charges 96 - - 96
International transfer fee 150 - - 150
Donations processing fee 109 - - 109
Grant - General donations 11,038 - - 11,038
Grant - Restricted donations - 4,962 - 4,962
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total [ 11,393 ] 4,962 - 16,355
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total [ - ] - - -
Total payments 11,393 4,962 - 16,355
Net of receipts/(payments) 686 3,325 - 4,011
A5 Transfers between funds - - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 143 31 174
Cash funds this year end 829 3,356 - 4,185
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period** ||||**Unrestricted**||**Restricted**| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |**Categories**|**Details**||**funds**||**funds**| |**B1 Cash funds**|CAF Bank|**_Total cash funds_**|**to nearest £**
**829**
**-**
**-**
**829**|


|**to nearest £**
**3,356**
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**-**
**3,356**| ||(agree|balances with receipts and payments
account(s))|OK|OK|| ||||**Unrestricted**||**Restricted**| ||||**funds**||**funds**| |**B2 Other monetary assets**|**Details**||**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|




|**to nearest £**
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**-**
**-**
**-**
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**-**| |**B3 Investment assets**|**Details**||**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**|**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|| |**B4 Assets retained for the**|**Details**||**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**|**Cost (optional)**
**-**|| |**charity’s own use**||||






|**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**| |**B5 Liabilities**|**Details**||**Fund to which**
**liability relates**|



|**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**| |Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees||Signature|Print|Name|| ||E A Hulton-Harrop||Elizabeth Ann|Hulton-Harrop|| **----- Start of picture text -----**
CC16a
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **Last year** **to the nearest £** **3,032 - - - - - - - 3,032** **3,032** **15 20 23 1,330 1,470 - - - - 2,858** **2,858 174 - - 174** ## **Endowment funds** **to nearest £ - - - -** OK **Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Current value (optional) - - - - - Current value (optional)** **When due (optional)** Date of approval 26.04.22