CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Trustees, Annual Report for the period 1st April 2023- 31° March 2024 Charity name: Sponsor A Gambian Teacher (SAGT) Charity registration number: 1191072 Objectives In its constitution, the object of SAGT as a charity is.. "The advancement of education for the public benefit in the Gambia, by providing grant funding to support the training of adults to become teachers, and to support teachers." Our main activities to achieve this are.. 1. To work with Headteachers in the Early Childhood Development Association (ECDAI, West Coast Region of The Gambia, to identify adults who are suitable to train as teachers, and who would not otherwise be able to finance their own training. 2. To pay the teachers, fees for teacher training courses provided by the University of The Gambia School of Education, also known as the Gambia college. 3. To give teachers a monthly living allowance (stipend) during their training. 4. To monitor the progress of teachers via the ECDA. 5. To receive donations from sponsors to enable us to carry out these activities. The trustees believe that the public benefits of SAGT, in line with Charity Commission Guidance, are.. 1. To enable adults to train as teachers, who would not otherwise be able to finance their own training. 2. To enable schools to increase the number of qualified teachers working there. 3. To improve the quality of education available, which then benefits children, families and communities more widely.
Partnership with the ECDA SAGT works in close partnership with the ECDA Committee. The charity could not operate in the way that it does, without this partnership. Leading Headteachers in the ECDA take on key tasks which must take place in The Gambia for SAGT to be effective. This also includes meeting with the university staff to discuss developmenls affecting teachers sponsored by SAGT. The partnership between SAGT trustees and the ECDA ensures that decision making about the best way to support schools and teachers is taken in The Gambia, by local people with the right knowledge and experience. SAGT aims to empower school leaders in The Gambia to take decisions and support schools and student teachers in the best way possible. Activities All sponsored teachers must meet the entrance qualifications of the University, and also go through a selection process undertaken by the ECDA, to ensure that they meet the objectives of SAGT. In all cases, teachers work within a school during their training, and attend University part time or in the school holidays. The children, the school and the wider community therefore benefits from the work of the teacher throughout their training. The ECDA maintains contact with the schools and teachers throughout their training. One important contact is the monthly meeling when teachers are given their allowance (also called a stipend) and sign for it. ECDA leaders and SAGT trustees keep in contact and information is shared about the progress ot teachers, the available funding, and planning for the next cohort of teachers. SAGT trustees monitor the budget and transfer money to the ECDA account three times a year. All payments to teachers and the college are administered by the ECDA and records are given to SAGT trustees. Achievements and Performance 5t At the 31 March 2024, SAGT was sponsoring 24 teachers. Of these.. 8 teachers are studying for the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Certificate l Diploma, 7 teacher is studying for the ECD Advanced Diploma., 1 teacher is studying for the Primary Teachers (PTCI Certificate l Diploma., 5 teachers are studying foi the PTC Advanced Diploma., 1 teacher is studying for a Higher Teaching Certificate {HTC)- 2 teachers are studying for Ihe HTC Advanced Diploma Teaching Certificate {Primaryl, 20 are women and 4 are men.
The sponsored teachers work in around 20 different schools, with each school taking children from one or more villages, so the impact of our small charity can be quite significant. Some teachers need three years of sponsorship, some two years and others only ask for sponsorship for their final year. There are a range of reasons why teachers might need only one or two years of sponsorship. They may have started the course by funding it themselves or being financed by a relative. The death of a parent or other family member, or a change in family circumstances might mean that they would be unable to complete their qualification without our support. SAGT also ensures that at least 50D/o of its sponsored teachers are women, and the figure is usually much higher. This contributes to 'Educating the Girl Child" campaign in The Gambia to promote sending girls to school. Training women teachers, and providing education for girl children, is seen as one of the best ways to reduce child marriage in The Gambia. We expect to sponsor around 10 new teachers each year, selecled by the ECDA, in addition to those we are already committed to sponsoring to complete their training. A number of teachers we sponsored to achieve basic teaching qualiifications, have later been supported to achieve more advanced qualifications. This has meant that around 130 individuals have been supported by SAGT in total, since it started in 2012. Students are now accepted onto courses at different times of the year according to the course they are on, rather than in the standard academic year. This can be complex to track, and is being well-managed by the ECDA Committee. They maintain contact with the University and ensure that the varying timescales are met, selecting students at the appropriate tiTnes. The trustees thank all sponsors for their very generous support, some over many years, to enable SAGT to make a massive difference to the lives of teachers, children, schools and the communities they serve. We know that the chance for young people to train and qualify as teachers is truly life-changing. The children they teach are often the first generation in their family to go to school. Every person and every school has a story to tell. Financial Review During the financial year 2023-2024, SAGT Spent a total of £9,710, all on charitable activities to enab5e teachers to be trained. This breaks down as: Monthly living allowance (stipend) for all teachers in training 5,770 60/0 College fees paid for all sponsored students 3,640 ECDA- to reimburse travel and other expenses incurred in visiting students 300 TOTAL 9710 100%
In 2023-24 SAGT received donations amounting to £7,475 We brought forward £19,623 from the previous financial year, 2022-2023 We carried foward £17,387 to the next financial year, 2024-25. A Statement of Financial Activities is available summarising this. SAGT'S donations come mainly from individuals who know about the charity and are committed to supporting teachers in The Gambia. General fund-raising activities are rarely undertaken. On the advice of the financial auditor. the trustees have agreed a ReseNes Policy. This is.. to maintain a balance in the account that would enable SAGT to complete its existing commitments to teachers who have started training., to retain a small reserve for contingencies., to allocate reserves over and above that to train and support teachers,. to review this policy annually. Structure, Governance and Management SAGT is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) whose only voting members are its charity Irustees. It has a constitution based on the Foundation model constitution provided by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. There is a Partnership Agreement between the ECDA and SAGT setting out key tasks undertaken by each. SAGT is also a member of Hub Cymru Africa, which supports charities working across Africa and Wales. With their advice SAGT has adopted a Code of Conduct, and a Safeguarding Policy. Reference and Administrative details Sponsor A Gambian Teacher {SAGT) operales from.. Fron Grove Bodfari Denbighshire Wales LL16 4DE Tel.. 07944 075569 info onsora ambianteacher.or onsora ambianteacher.or
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity Trustee name Office lif any) Date appointed Chair Terni of appointsnent 4 years 4 years 4 years 4 years 4 years Nigel Hamshere Susan Lewis 01105122 Secretary Founder September 2023 August 2020 October 2021 stephen Lewis Peter Lewis David Lewis October 2021 Declarations The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees, report above. Signed on behalf of the chari 's trustees Signature{sl Full name{sl Nigel Hamshere Susan Lewis Position Chair Date
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES SiJorisoi a GainbiAI., TEsAiI)f.,, i,h¢.li1y No Annual accounts for the period Period start date Period et dale 01.04.2023 To 31 03.2024 Section A statement of financial activities Re8tricted income fund¥ Recommended categoriès by activity Unrestricted funds Endowment funds Prior year funds Total funds Incoming resources (Note 31 Income and endowrnents from.. Donation5 dnd legachPS F01 F02 F03 F04 F05 soi 7.475 7,475 19.623 S02 other tr3d1ry actNrtie5 Inv&simenl$ S03 S04 Separate malerB4 rtem of S05 Oltter Total Resources expended (Note 61 S07 7.475 7,475 19.623 Expenditure on.. Raisiffj funds Charrtable activrtie5 so> 9.710 9,710 Separate rt8t6nal ofeynse S10 Olh8r S11 rotal S12 9.710 9,710 Net incomellexpenditure) before investment galnslllossesl S13 2,235 2,235 19,623 Net gainslllossesl on Inveslmenls S14 Net incomellexpenditurel Extraordinary items Transfers beeen funds other recognised gainslllossesl: S15 2,235 2,235 19,623 sis S17 Gain5 and losses on reVaal of filed 888els for the thaTty's (Mryl U8e SIB Other gain{loSSes1 Net movement in funds S19 S20 2,235 2,235 19,623 Reconciliation of funds.- Total funds brought forward S21 19623 17.388 Total funds carried fonvard S22 2,235
Section B Balance sheet Restricted income fund5 Unrestricted funds Endowment Total this funds year Total last year Fixed assets Intangible as3ets Tangible assets Heritage assets Investments F01 F02 F03 F04 F05 (Note 151 (Note 141 {NotÈ 16) (Note 171 Total fixed assets B05 BOI B02 803 B04 Current assets Stocks (Note 181 Debtors (Note 191 Investments (Note 17.41 Cash at bank and in hand (Note 24) 809 Total curnt assets B10 807 17,388 17,388 17,388 17,388 19.623 19,623 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (Note 20) B11 Net current assets/(liabilities) B12 17,388 17,388 19,623 Total assets less Cuent liabilities B13 17,388 17,388 19,623 Creditors: amounts falling due after one year (Note 20} Provisions for liabilities 14 Bl5 Total net assets or liabilities Funds of the Charity Endowment funds (Note 27) Restricted income funds (Note 271 Unrestricted funds 16 17,388 17,388 19,623 817 B18 B19 Revaluation reserve B20 Total funds B21 17,388 19,623 Signed by one or trustees on behaf of all the trustees Dale of approval ddlmmlyyyy Signature Print Name 25 CC17a IEx¢ell 0510112025