# **Fourah Bay College Alumni Association, United Kingdom (FBC AA UK) Trustees Report For Year Ending 31[st] March 2021** Charity Report of the trustees for the year ending 31[st] March 2021. The Trustees of Fourah Bay College Alumni Association, United Kingdom (FBC AA UK) present their accounts for the year ended 31[st] March 2021 and confirm they comply with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011, the trust deed and the Charities SORP (FRS 102). ## **Brief History of Fourah Bay College** Since the founding of the University of Timbuktu in the Malian empire in the late 16th and early 17th century, the founding of Fourah Bay College in 1827 was the fulcrum of Freetown, Sierra Leone’s description as the ‘Athens of West Africa/Africa’ and it was the next significant development of this type in the region in the 19th century. The UNESCO’s website states that Fourah Bay College is the first institution of higher learning in the region since the collapse of the University of Timbuktu. ## **Our Structure** Fourah Bay College Alumni Association, United Kingdom (FBC AA UK) was launched in November 2017 at the House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA under the sponsorship and auspices of the Right Honourable James Cleverly MP for Braintree and currently the UK Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa and a former Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party. It became a registered UK Charity on the 15th June 2020. As a Charity, we aim to advance the equality of education to all students at FBC (USL), by providing aid in various ways which is clearly set out in our charity objects clause and governance document. As a result of its registration, the charity is managed by a Board of Trustees. The Board meets regularly to plan and implement fund raising programmes and activities, discuss activities for implementation to meet our strategic goals and monitor the outcomes and progress of programmes and activities. Our enlarged Executive and Establishment comprises of five committees for the delivery of strategic aims and objectives These committees are: - Governance - Finance and Bid-Writing - Communications and Public Relations - External Relations - including a UK scope and Global Alumni - External Relations in Sierra Leone - will include a focus of building - relationships in Sierra Leone. Our stakeholders comprise of The Executive Administration (The University Senate); Lecturers and Tutors, The Student Body and Sierra Leone based alumni. ## **Risk management** The Trustees have in place a system of control for the authorisation, payment and monitoring of programmes and activities. ## **Our Vision** To facilitate the advancement of education at Fourah Bay College as a beacon of tertiary learning while supporting the student population, executive administration, lecturers and faculties through relationship building with global alumni and all stakeholders. ## **Our Objective** To advance the education of all students at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone in Freetown in Sierra Leone, by providing assistance in various ways on the basis of equality of opportunity, with mutual respect and positive encouragement in order to develop their full potential and contribute to their academic, professional and personal development and the community as a whole. To relieve students of poverty and financial hardship by providing financial support in the form of assistance packages and scholarships where necessary. To improve the quality of education at Fourah Bay College by providing teaching and learning resources and a safe teaching and learning environment for students in Sierra Leone. ## **General Summary** After registration with the Charity Commission, the organisation undertook a full strategic review of the organisation and prepared a rolling five-year strategic plan. This plan will continue to give a clear direction for the future and increase our activities and programmes. ## **Review of activities and achievements** During the financial year under review (our first financial year), the Charity raised total incoming resources of £2750.59. We incurred expenses of £350 for the shipment of books to Fourah Bay College. Due to the Co-vid 19 pandemic and the subsequent Lockdown, the organisation had to suspend all face-to-face fundraising activities and programmes planned for the first 3 months in 2021. ## **Future Plans** Our immediate future plan is the Library Project. Our Library Project Lead and External Relations Lead (Sierra Leone) will hold discussions with Reverend Oliver Louis Harding, Chief Librarian to provide an archiving and storage mechanism and a structured approach to storing and displaying current and historical papers for preservation and accessibility. We plan to implement a shelf construction to store the Library’s collection of newspapers and provide a computerised storage facility. A tablet will be purchased and donated to the FBC Executive Administration to support the transfer of data (newspapers) to available computers as a form of archiving ensuring the protection and retrieval of this vital source of information in future years as and when required from the library as a resource unit. Our medium term plans include the provision of Teaching and Learning resources such as PA system, Lecture room projectors, Whiteboards, etc to enhance quality education and the provision of computers and printers. ## **Thank you to our donors and members** FBC AA UK relies heavily on funding from donors, members and fundraising activities. We wish to thank all our donors and the entire membership of the organisation for their generous donations and subscription respectfully. Our membership currently stands at over 50 and continues to grow from strength to strength. ## **Charity Trustees** Mr Magnus Nathaniel Cole Ms Fatumata Gassama Mr Bamikole Roberts Chairman Executive Secretary Treasurer and Bid-Writing Lead Ms Madonna Sandra Coward Organising Secretary Mr Rowland Gordon Mr Mohammed Sadiku Dabo ## **Contact Details** ## **Address:** Flat 16 Sarnesfield House Pencraig Way London SE15 1ND **Phone:** 07754105594 **Email:** fbcukaa@gmail.com **Charity Registration Number: 1189939** ## **Bankers: Cooperative Bank** **Trustee: Bamikole Roberts** **Date: 23[rd] January 2022** |**Fourah Bay College Alumni Association**||| |---|---|---| |**Financial Statement**||| |**Financial year ending 31st March 2021**||| ||**2020/21**|**2020/21**| |**Incoming Resources**||| |Engineers for Change|1610.59|| |Subscription|1140.00|| |**Total Incoming Resources**||**2750.59**| |**Resources Expended**||| |**Direct Expenses**||| |Shippment of Books to Sierra Leone|350.00|| |**Total Direct Expenses**|350.00|| |**Admin & Management Expenses**|0|| |**Total Admin & Management Expenses**|0|| |**Total Expenses**||**350.00**| |**Excess Income / Expenses**||**2400.59**| |**Opening Balance**||**0**| |**Closing Fund Balance**||**2400.59**| |**Balance Sheet as at 31st March 2021**||| |**Fixed Assets Net Book Value**||0| |**Current Assets**||| |Bank - Current Account||2400.59| |**Current Liabilities**||0| |**Total Assets**||2400.59| |**Represented by:**||| |**General Fund Balance**||2400.59| ## **Statement of Trustees Responsibilities** The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with Charities Commission and the Statement of Recommended Practice in the United Kingdom. The law applicable to charities in England and Wales, the Charities Act 1993, Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed requires 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 and expenditure, of the charity for that period. In preparing those financial statements, trustees are required to: - Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently - Observe the methods and principles in the Charity SORP - Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent - Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is - inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business. 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. ## **Trustee: Bamikole Roberts** **Date: 23[rd] January 2022**