Friends of St Mark’s Juba
Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts For the Period 21 May 2020 - 31 March 2021 Registered Charity Number 1189595
I. Introduction
The trustees of Friends of St Mark’s Juba (“the charity”) are pleased to present their annual report and accounts for the financial year ending 31 March 2021. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” issued in September 2015 by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in notes to the accounts and comply with the charity’s governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities published on 16 July 2014.
II. Reference and administration
The charity is known as Friends of St Mark's Juba. The trustees consider the charity to be a “small charity” under the rules of the Charity Commission of England and Wales.
Registered charity number
1189595
Registered office
50 Gloucester Terrace, London, W2 3HH, UK
Trustees
Sharie Neale, Chair David Shahata Valeria Di Nisio Jemima McDonnell Stewart MacLennan
Accountant
Additude Ltd, 9 Rhapsody Ct, Wakeman Rd, London, NW10 5DF, UK
Bankers
The Co-operative Bank pIc, PO Box 101, 1 Balloon St, Manchester, M60 4EP, UK
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III. Structure, governance and management
The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organization (“CIO”) registered as a charity on 21 May 2020. The charity was established under a Constitution which set out the objects and powers of the charity and its governance rules.
Trustees
The charity is governed by trustees who are trustees for the purpose of charity law. Apart from the first charity 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 effective administration of the CIO.
It is the intention that all new trustees will attend an induction meeting with one of the existing trustees, observing how charity objectives are achieved. Should additional specialised training be required, appropriate training arrangements will be put in place.
Trustee meetings are held regularly to review and agree areas of policy, finance, risk management and charitable donations.
Staffing
The charity has no staff at present and all its activities are managed by the trustees who are volunteers and do not receive any remuneration.
Risk management
The trustees acknowledge their responsibility for managing risk. They will regularly review the risk management process adopted and will amend procedures as and when it is deemed necessary. The principal risk faced by the charity is the source of funds, which is being mitigated by increased fundraising activities.
The trustees are solely responsible for managing fundraising and distribution of aid to ensure standards are upheld, provide stability and maintain transparency of fundraising and distribution efforts.
Trustees review all donations and funding allocations and take decisions supported by appropriate due diligence to confirm these efforts advance the objects of the charity, are devoid of onerous conditions and are not tied to illicit sources.
Moreover, the trustees are, perhaps, uniquely positioned, in that, prior to the onset of the pandemic, they made regular trips to the Republic of South Sudan to personally review and
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evaluate how allocated funds are distributed and to confirm and record proper receipt and use by intended beneficiaries.
Volunteer management
When trustees are not in South Sudan, charity funds are distributed by volunteers who reside in Juba. The distributed funds are itemised and annotated with clear guidance as to allocation, with signatures sought from beneficiaries upon delivery of funds.
Records of these transactions are retained by trustees to provide further substantiation of aid distribution compliance.
Vulnerable beneficiaries
The trustees who work with children have the required safeguarding credentials. All staff of St Mark’s school have received safeguarding training in South Sudan. Teachers and pupils are also instructed with regard to safeguarding. Pastoral care staff are in place and Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is part of the school curriculum. Teachers undergo a rigorous selection and interview process by a panel, ensuring they are fully qualified and recognised under South Sudanese and international teaching qualifications.
Public benefit
The trustees are conscious that the Charities Act 2011 emphasises the requirement that all charities of every kind must be able to demonstrate that their work is of direct benefit to the public.
The trustees believe that the activities of the charity cover a wide range of issues which are demonstrably of public benefit. In addition to this, the trustees are able to implement project visits to beneficiaries to assess efficacy of projects. The reports received from these visits further reflect the long-term impacts and public benefit of the charity.
Charity mission and objects for the public benefit
Friends of St Mark’s Juba was established to complement the ongoing efforts of The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Khartoum and the Republic of South Sudan and their work with St Mark's Orthodox School, Juba, Republic of South Sudan, helping ensure the school makes a difference in the lives of all local children and their families by providing hands on educational support.
The objects of the charity, as set out in the governing document, are:
- (1) To advance education for the public benefit in the Republic of South Sudan, in
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particular but not exclusively by:
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(a) providing grants of financial assistance to support the operation of St Mark’s Orthodox School, Juba and to assist in the provision of facilities, resources and equipment for education at the school, including the training and continuing professional development of staff;
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(b) awarding educational scholarships and bursaries;
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(c) providing grants of financial assistance to The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Khartoum and Republic of South Sudan to fund school maintenance projects, teachers’ salaries and other educational operational costs.
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(d) carrying out activities, including collaborating with other organisations and agencies, to promote the value of education within the communities in the vicinity of St Mark’s Orthodox School, Juba, to encourage the education of girls, as well as boys, in a co-educational environment and to seek to limit the effects of gender specific barriers to education.
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(2) The prevention or relief of poverty or financial hardship in the Republic of South Sudan, and in particular in the communities within the vicinity of St Mark’s Orthodox School, Juba by providing grants, items and services to individuals in need.
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(3) The preservation and protection of good health in the Republic of South Sudan, and in particular in the communities within the vicinity of St Mark’s Orthodox School, Juba, by providing access to clean drinking water supplies and providing grants of financial assistance to access medical treatment.
The trustees confirm that in carrying out the objects of the charity due regard has been paid to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission.
Grant making policy
The charity offers a range of funding for individuals and organisations, which advance the objects as set out in its Constitution and will consider giving partial or full grants to individuals or organisations for, but not limited to, the following:
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(1) To cover school fees paid to enrol pupils at St Mark’s Orthodox School, Juba.
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(2) To cover the cost of school uniforms and footwear for pupils attending the school.
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(3) To assist St Mark’s Orthodox School’s parents financially to fund medical treatment for their child, siblings or parents.
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(4) To financially assist teachers and support staff working at St Mark’s Orthodox School to pay for medical treatment, family bereavement expenses, cost of footwear and clothes, and educational training.
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(5) To financially support The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Khartoum and Republic of South Sudan to fund the school maintenance projects, teachers’ salaries and other operational costs.
IV. Review of activities undertaken and future developments
The work of Friends of St Mark's Juba, in its inaugural year as a registered charity, has continued despite the difficulties brought on by the pandemic. This has meant we have been unable to travel, in person, to Juba to carry out our work at the school. However, we have used our initiative during prior visits to build relationships with contacts on the ground, in Juba, who continue to carry out our mission and distribute our school resources and family support payments. We have continued our fundraising in the UK with the vast majority of proceeds going to the charity, not salaries, administration or similar.
Awarding educational scholarships and bursaries
We have helped pay the yearly school fees for 30 children whose parents could not afford the 50 US dollar annual fees and provided school uniforms for 800 students at the school. Many beneficiaries of the charity’s School Fees Support Programme are children who are raised by single mothers or grandmothers. Some are orphans who lost their parents in the 2012 ethnic conflict in South Sudan, others are struggling with learning difficulties or disabilities. We have also introduced a scholarship awarded annually to a good all rounder who might not continue in education due to financial difficulties.
In Juba, the annual tuition for primary school attendance varies widely, ranging from 50 US dollars to 250 US dollars per child. The school fees at St Mark’s school are the lowest in the capital. The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Khartoum and Republic of South Sudan substantially subsidise the education of each pupil at the school, however, without our support and the church’s subsidies, primary education would be out of reach for many children in the area.
Through one of our trustees, Eynesbury C of E Primary School in the UK formed a link with St Mark's in 2019. As part of their Courageous Advocacy policy they have supported the children of St Mark's by collecting stationery, writing letters and Christmas messages. They have also been collecting funds to pay for the education of pupils in Juba. The children in Eynesbury are regularly updated on life in the school and in Juba.
Inclusive education for children with disabilities
Most children with disabilities in South Sudan do not receive education due to financial, physical, or social barriers. We work with the school teaching staff and management to help
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facilitate access to education for these children by restructuring the school’s cultures, policies, and practices. In so doing, we helped establish an inclusive, flexible culture at St Mark’s school that not only is open to enrol children with disabilities from the Munuki school locality but also a system that provides the required support to facilitate the provision of effective education for children with disabilities.
We are delighted that our cost-effective intervention is enabling children with disabilities to receive the necessary assistance needed to acquire quality education to achieve their full potential; an opportunity they would have not received had it not been for our intervention and support.
Internet connection and wi-fi network
We equipped St Mark’s school with a wi-fi router and have been purchasing, on a monthly basis, a mobile phone 7 gigabyte data package to connect the school to the internet. We also provided senior teaching staff and the school manager with laptops and a power projector. This initiative has allowed teachers at the school to update their learning and teaching materials, and has also enabled us to communicate with the school on a regular basis via email.
Furthermore, five well-performing teachers each received a smartphone device as an incentive for helping P8 class pupils at St Mark’s achieve excellent results. This incentive not only rewarded teachers for their hard work, it also introduced them to smartphone technologies and the internet.
We have seen, first-hand, the impact of bringing information and telecommunication technologies (ICT) and the internet into the classroom and how it has been an enabling tool to improve the quality and effectiveness of teaching at St Mark’s.
Teacher recruitment programme
We initiated, funded, and oversaw a teachers’ recruitment drive at St Mark’s school, which led to the successful hiring of three new senior teaching staff and twenty qualified primary school teachers.
This recruitment drive not only helped increase the total number of qualified teachers at the school, it also helped the school maintain an adequate pupil teacher ratio of 40 pupils per teacher.
In addition, we helped draft a formal contract of employment at the school, for those newly-hired teachers, setting out and formalising terms of employment with the school.
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Fair living wage pay scheme
We have encouraged and worked with The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Khartoum and Republic of South Sudan (“Diocese”) to ensure teachers at the school receive a Fair Living Wage.
We have made a substantial commitment to helping teachers who work at the school earn enough wages to meet their needs and those of their families. The key concept of Living Wage underpins at least eight of the twelve UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a framework that also guides and coordinates our work in addressing many of the challenges we encounter during our work in South Sudan.
In 2017, the historically rampant hyperinflation rate in South Sudan reached 188%. As a result, we have worked with the Diocese to mitigate this risk and advised the Diocese to pay teachers at St Mark’s in US dollars or an amount equivalent to the US dollar market rate. Our intervention has helped teachers at the school avoid seeing the value in real terms of their limited salary fall by 10 to 20 percent every few weeks. For example, in 2021, teachers’ monthly salaries in public schools (government schools) in South Sudan had hit a rock bottom; teachers received on average an equivalent of 5 US dollars per month. As a result, many of these teachers currently take a concurrent second teaching job at faith based or private schools. In these schools teachers receive salaries in the range of 60 to 100 US dollars. However these salaries are still very low and below the cost of living.
Teachers at St Mark's are not allowed to take any other teaching jobs outside the school, but in exchange they are paid a salary higher than any other school in the area; at present, in the range of 150 to 250 US dollars depending on qualifications and experience. The Fair Living Wage Pay Scheme puts a huge financial commitment on the Diocese as the money it raises from school fees does not meet even a third of the total staff cost at the school. Our future plans include engaging with individuals and the private sector in the UK to further contribute to St Mark’s Fair Living Wage Pay Scheme.
Organisational collaboration
Over the course of its work with St Mark’s Orthodox School, the charity is fostering relationships with other organisations in the region, including: The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Khartoum and Republic of South Sudan, Girls Education in South Sudan (GESS), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP), the Department for International Development (DFID), now the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the United State Agency for International Development (USAID), to advance education and the quality of life of children and families for the public benefit in the Republic of South Sudan.
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Plans for the future
Friends of St Mark’s Juba will continue to develop the initiatives it currently supports, while expanding our engagement into efforts that address the welfare of a growing school infrastructure and student base, across the St Mark’s Nursery, Primary and High schools. These efforts will address curriculum, technology, facilities, equipment, as well as increasing the number of children we are able to support through our bursary programmes.
We are also looking at expanding our efforts into the wider community, with thanks to the invaluable and tireless efforts of our local volunteers and in cooperation with other local aid organisations.
In order to build on our current work and continue to grow, we will need to expand our base of funding, through more sophisticated social media efforts as well as recruitment of corporate, nonprofit and governmental donors.
Our first year as a charity has been a productive and rewarding one, made even more so as we see the smiles on the faces of the children and families we support through our efforts.
With thanks
The trustees are grateful to all our donors who share our vision to help children in war-ravaged South Sudan receive quality primary and secondary education. Without our donors’ support, our work would have not been possible. We would also like to express our thanks to our volunteers and our representative on the ground in South Sudan.
Brother Bernhard Hengl who has generously shared his insight on humanitarian work in African countries, gained from many years of experience working on the continent.
Mrs Saree Mading, a US-trained educator who has been helping us recruit teachers, deliver monetary support, and train teachers at the school.
Akuja de Garang MBE, Head of Girls Education in South Sudan (GESS) helped us access grants for girls at St Mark’s.
Deng Deng Hoc Yai, Minister of Education in South Sudan ensured we had new textbooks.
Maker Deng, Minister Plenipotentiary at the Embassy of the Republic of South Sudan in London for his help in organising our safe passage to work in Juba.
Last but not least, we would like to thank the former UK Ambassador to South Sudan, Chris Trott, for taking the time to meet with us in Juba, and the UKAID Head of Essential Services Team in South Sudan, Bobby Stansfiled, who visited the school and offered us advice.
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V. Financial review
The charity generated income of £10,496 on its charitable objects during the year. All the income generated was from donations, which were unrestricted. Total expenditure for the year was £4,826, the majority of which was on charitable activities. At the end of the period, the charity generated a surplus of £5,670, all of which was unrestricted. These reserves have been carried forward to the next financial year.
Reserves policy
The trustees have examined the charity’s requirements for free reserves, i.e. those funds which are not invested in fixed assets, nor designated for specific purposes nor otherwise committed. In making their assessment, trustees have taken into consideration that at the date of approval of these statements the charity does not have commitments to employees or any creditors, although this position may change. As a result, at present the costs of cessation relate only to fulfilment of Charity Commission requirements. Given the nature of the charity’s activities and its reliance on donations, the trustees, however, consider that it is prudent to maintain as far and for as long as possible a level of general funds to the sum of at least £1,000. The level of cash reserves at year-end was adequate to meet that purpose. All reserves held are unrestricted and available for furtherance of the objects of the charity.
Going concern
The trustees are mindful of their obligations to ensure that the charity is a going concern in respect of a period of at least one year from the date of approval of the financial statements. In making this assessment, the trustees have considered the impact of Covid-19 and they are satisfied that these will not affect the charity’s ability to continue its charitable activities. In view of the cash reserves and the very limited liabilities, the trustees are satisfied that the charity is a going concern.
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Statement of trustee responsibilities
The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees’ annual report and accounts in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Charity law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements 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 the income or expenditure, of the charity for that period.
In preparing these accounts, the trustees are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently
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observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP
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make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent
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prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper and adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Approved by the trustees on 30 January 2022 and signed on their behalf by:
Sharon Elizabeth Anne Neale, Chair
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Statement of Financial Activities For the Year Ended 31 March 2021
| Notes | 2021 Unrestricted funds £ |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| INCOME | |||
| Incoming resources fromgenerated funds | |||
| Donations and legacies | 2 | 10,496 | |
| Total incoming resources | 10,496 | ||
| EXPENDITURE | 3 | ||
| Expenditure on raisingfunds | - | ||
| Expenditure on charitable activities | 4,826 | ||
| Total resources expended | 4,826 | ||
| NET INCOMING RESOURCES | 5,670 | ||
| RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS | |||
| Total funds brought forward | - | ||
| TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD | 5,670 |
All incoming funds were unrestricted.
All resources derive from continuing operations. All funds are unrestricted.
All operations were continuing in the current year.
This was the first year of the operation for the charity therefore no comparisons with prior years are available.
The accompanying notes on pages 14 to 16 form an integral part of the statutory financial statements.
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Balance Sheet As at 31 March 2021
| Notes | 2021 Unrestricted funds £ |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| FIXED ASSETS | |||
| Tangible assets | - | ||
| CURRENT ASSETS | |||
| Debtors | - | ||
| Cash at bank and in hand | 6,420 | ||
| 6,420 | |||
| CREDITORS | |||
| Amounts fallingdue within oneyear | 4 | 750 | |
| NET CURRENT ASSETS | 5,670 | ||
| NET ASSETS | 5,670 | ||
| FUNDS | 5 | ||
| Unrestricted funds | 5,670 | ||
| TOTAL FUNDS | 5,670 |
For the year ended 31 March 2021 the charity was entitled to exemption under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006; and no notice has been deposited under section 476. No members have required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question. The trustees acknowledge responsibility for: i) Ensuring the company keeps accounting records which comply with section 386; and ii) Preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company as at the year-end in accordance with requirements of section 394 and 395, and which otherwise comply with requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far applicable to the company. These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.
Approved by the trustees on 30 January 2022 and signed on their behalf by:
Sharon Elizabeth Anne Neale, Chair
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Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year Ending 31 March 2021
1. Accounting policies
Accounting convention
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective April 2008), the Companies Act 2006 and the requirements of the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities.
Exemption from preparing a cash flow statement
Exemption has been taken from preparing a cash flow statement on the grounds that the Charity qualifies as a small charitable company.
Taxation
The Charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities. It is also exempt from VAT. VAT incurred on purchased goods and services is therefore unrecoverable and is included in expenditure under the cost heading to which it relates.
Income
All incoming resources are included on the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. As a result commitments to donate and to sponsor are usually accounted for on a cash received basis. In the case of donations eligible for Gift Aid, the amounts receivable from HMRC will, in principle, be accounted for in the year in which the relevant donations are recognised (if appropriate, as accrued income).
Resources expended
Expenditure is accounted for on an accrual basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. At the year end, trustees will take a view on any material items of expenditure to decide on their treatment with regards to accruals and prepayments.
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Tangible fixed assets
Assets are recognised in the balance sheet to the extent that the cost exceeds the threshold of £5,000 per acquisition.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds may be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the Trustees. Restricted funds may only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. At the present time the charity has no restricted funds.
Charitable Activities
Charitable activities are those activities which are included in the objects of the association as set out in the charity’s Constitution (and summarised in the trustees’ report).
| 2. | Donations and legacies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ||||
| Total unrestricted | ||||
| £ | ||||
| Individual donations | 10,496 | |||
| Total | 10,496 |
3. Expenditure on charitable activities
| 3. Expenditure on charitable activities |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | |||
| Total unrestricted | |||
| £ | |||
| Project expenses | 3915 | ||
| Overheads | 21 | ||
| Bank charges | 140 | ||
| Accountancyfees | 750 | ||
| Total | 4,826 |
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| 4. Creditors amounts due within oneyear |
|||
| 2021 £ |
|||
| Accruals(accountancyfee) | 750 | ||
| Total | 750 | ||
| 5. Movements in funds |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| At the start of the Year £ |
Incoming resources £ |
Outgoing resources £ |
At the end of the Year £ |
|
| Unrestricted funds | ||||
| General funds | - | 10,496 | 4,826 | 5,670 |
| Total funds | - | 10,496 | 4,826 | 5,670 |
Purposes of funds
General funds: these are available for use at the trustees' discretion in furtherance of the objects of the charity.
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