## **Hear Their Roar** ## **Trustees’ Annual Report** **Related period:** 01/04/2021 to 31/03/2022 **Charity registration number:** 1188513 ## **Trustees:** Matthew Longmate Chair Rebecca Tanner Trustee Sue Longmate Trustee **Bankers:** Metro Bank, 45 Market Square, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP20 2SP ## **Purpose and Aims** To preserve and protect the physical and mental health of children and young people who have been subject to abuse resident in Sierra Leone, by the provision of support and training to the children and young people, the parents, carers, teachers and community members who have responsibility for the children and young people. ## **Our Work Supporting Children and Young People** There is a demonstrable parity between the needs of children and young people within social care and education systems whether in the UK or Africa; unfortunately, there is also demonstrable evidence that the same gaps exist in terms of the strong connections between those receiving these services and those providing them. Connections are the key to success of any form of meaningful intervention in a young person’s life. Through many years of involvement in the education, health and social care systems in the UK we have developed a broad understanding of symptoms that arise from the challenges that exist between those with the potential to make positive changes in a child’s life and those children who are systematically failed; those ultimately left to drift to the fringes of society. The key recurrent theme we see is a lack of meaningful connection – a theme that is core to our vision: _**“ We want to develop meaningful connections between children and young people and the societal structures that they live within; reconnection built on mutuality of ” respect, active listening and inclusion**_ ## **Our Core Objectives** To help meet this vision we have set out a series of objectives to help steer and guide To support peer charities To develop the capacity and organisations in the and skills of members of advancement of mental, disadvantaged physical and moral communities capabilities for children and young people To promote the rights set out in the UNCRC in communities with whom we work There is a real and avoidable deficit in the support of children and young people in Africa despite growing inward aid and investment in the third sector. Much resource is focussed towards management of symptoms of social deprivation whilst the next generation are not adequately being engaged with to realise substantive, long-term transformation in patterns and behaviours that underlie their situation. ## **How We Do This** We have focussed on three key programmes where we feel our experiences and capabilities can be leveraged to create the greatest impact in the communities with whom we work. These support the promotion of the UNCRC Article 19 which is our focus. ## **1. Supporting: Emotional Wellbeing in Disadvantaged Communities** Through our projects in this area it has been clear there is a breakdown of relationships and communication between children and young people and their communities leading to a deficit in emotional connections which is being played out in abusive expression. Through this programme we undertake sessions with all sections of the community to help transform their view of communication and relationships. We find our support is heard and understood and, with the communities underlying desire for change, we are able to make relationships grow. This demonstrably leads to less abusive consequences, be that corporal punishment or the neglect which stems from giving in to circumstance. ## **2. Engaging: Children and Young People with Social Care Needs** Children and young people have unexpressed thoughts and feelings which play out in challenging behaviours. They are living with adults who are not able to correctly parent or look after them. This is damaging and, in many cases, abusive. We connect with children and young people in the first instance by using play, the underlying principle of UNCRC article 31, then moving into workshops focusing on understanding their emotions and ability to communicate. This becomes much more powerful in combination with work in the area of emotional wellbeing of the community as it feeds on the improvement in relationship and communication with the adults. Children and young people who have been through our projects feel better equipped emotionally to understand and cope with the challenges of life. ## **3. Empowering: Non-Violent Resistance and Tools to Support Change** Corporal punishment, escalatory relationships and communication, lack of human connection between adults and children and young people can be abusive and damaging but is normalised within the community. We advocate the use of NVR as it empowers adults to take control of an escalating situation in a way that is not harmful to the child. It reduces escalation, it strengthens relationships, builds communication and has practical tools to manage children and young people’s challenging behaviour. As NVR becomes an effective and embedded cultural norm abusive and disconnected relationship diminishes as a result. This impact is seen as a reduction in harm to children and young people and improvement in emotional wellbeing for all in the society. ## **Delivering Public Benefit** We have focussed on the three key programmes described above where we feel our experiences and capabilities can be leveraged to create the greatest benefit for those receiving our services. Our objects limit the services we provide to those individuals in Sierra Leone who are children and young people themselves or are in a position to impact the lives of children and young people in that area. We spend time with large groups in schools and the local communities providing training, education, support and advice with an aim to embedding a new, more sympathetic, approach to the care of children within communities where traditional familial and community support is lacking. Our principal source of funding is from charitable donation from the public and corporate donors. Our volunteers also are required to raise funds to support their travel and lodgings costs which form the predominance of the costs associated with our projects in Sierra Leone. Our reserves are maintained in order to support cashflow over the course of the year so that we are able to provide our services and projects as the need arises without a delay for a significant donation drive prior to being able to agree to support a client. ## **Achievements and Performance** 2019 was a successful year for the delivery of projects in Sierra Leone by Hear Their Roar, a summary of which are provided below. ## **Emotional Wellbeing in Disadvantaged Communities** 2019 - Street Child; 18 social workers at Street Child Kenema office 2019 - Street Child; 20 teachers at St John’s Secondary School 2019 - Street Child; 25 teachers at Ansurul Islamic Secondary School 2019 - Street Child; 30 teachers at Ahmadiyya Islamic Secondary School 2019 - Street Child; 9 foster carers at the carer support group ## **Children and Young People with Social Care Needs** 2019 - Street Child; 40 teenage mothers at the teens support group 2019 - Street Child; 250 teenagers at St John’s Secondary School 2019 - Street Child; 500 children and teens in various workshops 2021 with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, has meant that we have not been able to travel to Sierra Leone and as such we have not had the opportunity to undertake any projects. We have tried as best we can to maintain good lines of communications with those we have trained and supported in the past by phone and through social media. During 2021 UK lockdowns Hear Their Roar facilitated: - Facebook Live videos for children, teaching singing, dancing - Facebook Live videos teaching Emotional Intelligence (recognizing, understanding, labelling, expressing, and regulating) anger, frustration, sadness, worry, fear, shame and guilt. - Facebook live videos for adults covering topics relevant to coping with life during the pandemic. - These videos were watched by our communities in Sierra Leone as well as in the UK. - We set up a WhatsApp group and a Facebook group specifically for adults we have worked with in Sierra Leone so we can continue communication over the covid-19 period. It has been incredibly sad over the course of the year to hear about the tragic impact of the pandemic in the communities we have spent so much time with and even more so when we have heard about the loss of individuals we have worked alongside. In 2022 we are looking to be able to recommence our projects and visits. ## **Financial Review** ## **Structure, Governance and Management** Hear Their Roar is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charities Commission on the 12[th] March 2020. There is a minimum requirement for 3 trustees and a maximum allowable number of 10 trustees. Every trustee must be appointed for a term of three years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO. **Declarations** The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed for and on behalf of the Trustees: ## **Signature** **Full Name** Matthew Longmate **Position** Chair **Date** 27/01/2023