## **Oromo Community in Brighton & Hove** ## **Charity no. 1192959** ## **Trustee Annual Report 2023-24** ## **Governance** The Oromo Community in Brighton and Hove was established in 2006. We became a registered charity on 4th January 2021. Our charity is run by volunteers. We hold an AGM once a year to elect our trustees. Our trustees meet once a month to oversee the work of the charity. Our work is guided by our members and we receive feedback from them at all our activities and events. We have the following policies which are reviewed every two years: Safeguarding, Equalities, Health and Safety, Conflict of Interest. ## **Our Trustees and address** Jatani Boru Dida Dechasa Hassen-Sule Fatouma Wario Wako Our registered address is: 42 Manor Way, Brighton, BN2 5EF. ## **Our Charitable Objectives** The charity’s objects are to promote social inclusion for the public benefit by working with people in Brighton, Hove and Sussex who are socially excluded on the grounds of their ethnic origin, religion, belief or creed (in par�cular, members of the Oromo community) to relieve the needs of such people and assist them to integrate into society, in par�cular by: - a. Providing a local network group that encourages and enables members of the Oromo community to par�cipate more effec�vely with the wider community; - b. Providing educa�on in the Oromo language, history and culture for children, to enable them to communicate and engage with their rela�ves and others in the Oromo community and build their - self-esteem - c. Providing recrea�onal opportuni�es to promote mental and physical wellbeing - d. Providing opportuni�es to meet and share experiences with Oromo communi�es around the UK - e. Providing opportuni�es for the wider community in Brighton, Hove and Sussex to learn about Oromo culture through a�endance at events ## **Our activities & achievements** In 2023-24: - 95 adults and 20 children came to our cultural celebration - 75 people came on our family outing - 32 children came to our weekly Saturday Club - 15 men came to the men’s wellbeing club - 17 women came to our women’s group ## **Consistent activities for every person in the community** Ever since we arrived in Brighton in 2006, we have worked hard to make sure Oromo people have somewhere they can feel understood, where we can remember and honour our connections back home, while we create a new community here in the UK. We do this by organising consistent, reliable activities every week, focused on our children but creating a space for everyone in the community. Each month, there is a meal for the whole community. The men’s and women’s wellbeing groups have developed from discussions at these community meals, and both activities are running well. We also hold two major celebration events each year - our cultural celebration in January and a summer family outing. ## **Saturday school and community meals** At our Saturday school, the children learn about Oromo language and culture, and we show them how important it is to look after each other as a community. We provide refreshments for the children every week and a shared meal for everyone once a month. All transport costs are covered. This means everyone can join in without worrying about their household budgets. This simple formula has kept our community strong for 18 years, and we are grateful for the funding that enables us to create this precious shared space. ## **Cultural celebration** In January 2024, we were pleased to welcome Mr Amin Hussen and Miss Hawwii Qananii to our cultural celebration. They both gave outstanding performances and it was a great night of music, food and dancing. ## **Wellbeing groups** Our wellbeing groups have been focusing on physical fitness and mental health this year. We paid for gym memberships for 15 men and we have been getting together for regular ‘Men’s teatime’ gatherings, which are a space to share our troubles and support each other. The women’s group has provided swimming and exercise classes for 10 women and a regular gathering for 17 women. ## **Improving wellbeing** We carried out separate surveys of both the women and the men in 2024, this showed us that 80% of women felt fitter and 85% felt less stressed as a result of our health activities. For men, 100% felt fitter and less stressed. 55% of women experience multiple health problems and 40% have diabetes/high blood pressure or both, whilst 90% of men experience regular back pain or headaches. We organise our activities so everyone gets the best out of them. For example, the women meet up and travel to the gym together. The whole group support and encourage each other to get the most out of their exercises, as it can be a difficult environment for Muslim women who need to develop their health and fitness. ## **Building cohesion** We have welcomed four new people into our community over the last year: **“My experience with swimming has changed my life as I couldn't swim before”** **“Oromo community is my company. They make me feel I am included.”** - Two young men aged 22 and 27 years, who have newly arrived in the UK, were referred to us by Social Services. - A single woman who has moved to Brighton from Bolton. - A young woman who is also new in the UK. In early 2023 we received a phone call from the foster family of a young Oromo woman (M) who had arrived in Sussex the previous year. She had been living with them in Worthing and didn’t know any other Oromo people and never heard her own language. She was feeling very low and struggling to cope so they contacted Social Services and asked about other Oromo people in the area. When we spoke to the foster family we immediately invited them to bring M along to our Saturday school. One of our women’s coordinators, Zainab, welcomed her into our group and took care of **“Since I started gym classes, my mental health is definitely better”** **“The community is what makes it special”** > [her. She made sure she felt comfortable and safe and introduced her to some of the older children who ] befriended her. That first time the foster family stayed with her. They came back the following week and dropped her off and continued to do so for the next 6 months. By this time M was a different person. She became really active in the school and in the planning for our cultural event. For many of our children, who have never been to their parents’ home country, it was amazing to have M there with them. As she began to feel more at ease, M built friendships with everyone. Zainab taught her how to catch the bus from her home in Worthing to Zainab’s home in Portslade, so they could travel to the school together every Saturday. This was all part of M building her confidence and preparing to be more independent as she would soon need to leave her foster family and live alone. ## **Our finances** Our financial year runs from 1st April to 31st March. Our Income for 2023-24 was £38,265 and our expenditure was £37,775. We ended the year with restricted reserves of £19,131 and unrestricted reserves of £3,254. We rely entirely on grant funding for our core activities and any special projects we are running. Therefore, we have never been able to build up any significant free reserves. We manage all our grants, expenditure and cashflow using the Resource Centre Grant Tracker system to ensure we use our grants for the purpose they are awarded and do not over-spend any of them. We have an Independent Examination of our accounts each year. **Thank you to all our funders - you make all this possible** Independent Examiner's report on the accounts Report to the trustees of Oromo Community in Brighton and Hove Registered Charity number 1192959 I" April 2023 to 31" March 2024 The accounts have been prepared on the Receipts and Payments basis. Respectlve responslbllltles of tru5tee5 and Independent examiner As the charit¢s trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. You consider that an audit is not required for thls year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and that an Independent examination is needed. It is my responslbility to- examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act. to follow the procedures specified in the General Dlrectlons of the Charity Commissioners (under section 14515llbl of the Act) and to State whether particular matters have come to my attention. Bas15 Of Independent Examlner's Report My examination was carried out In accordance with the General Dlrection5 8lven by the Charlty Commisslon. An examination Includes a revlew of the a¢counting records kept by the charity and comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also Includes consideratlon of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and 5eekin8 explanatlons from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedure5 undertaken do not provide all the evldence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is give as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fairf view and the report Is limited to those matters laid out in the statement below. Independent Examlnerfs Report In connection wlth my examinatlon, no matter ha5 come to my attention 111 whlch gives me reasonable cause to belleve that in any materlal respect the requirements {al to keep accounting records in accordance wlth section 130 of the Act- and Ibl to prepare accounts whlch accord with the accountin8 records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Act have not been met; or {21 to whlch, In my opinion, attentlon should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Mireille Shimoda Resource Centre 6 Tilbury Place Brlghton BN2 OGY Date: 2. January 2025 Oromo Community in Brighton and Hove Accounts year ended 31st March 2024 Registered charity: Charity correspondent: 1192959 Elias Tuffa 42 Manor Way Brighton BN2 5EF These accounts have been prepawed on the Recelpts and Payments basls from Information and explanatlon5 supplled by the charlty. Mireille Shlmoda Resource Centre 6 Tilbury Place Bri8hton BN2 OGY Date., 13th September 2024 These accounts have been approved by the Trustees of the charity. Slgned by one or ttvo Trustees on behalf of all the Trustees Date Zl Pagelof4 ## **Orama Community in Brighton and Hove** ## **Statement of Financial Activities year ended 31st March 2024** |**Statement of Financial Activities year ended 31st March 2024**|| |---|---| |**Restricted**
**Unrestricted**
**2024**
**Receipts**
Grants, donations & legacies
36,000
2,265
38,265
Other income|
**Restricted**
**Unrestricted**
**2023**
26,703
26,703| |**Total Receipts**
**36,000**
**2,265**
**38,265**|**26,703**
**26,703**| |**Payments**
Expendtture on charitable activities
36,054
1,721
37,775|35,593
261
35,854| |**Total Payments**
**36,054**
**1,721**
**37,775**
**35,593**
**261**
**35,854**|| |Net payments for the year
(54)
544
491
Transfers between funds
(447)
447
Funds at 1st April 2023
19,632
2,263
21,895|(8,890)
{261)
{9,151)
(2,155)
2,155
30,677
369
31,046| |**Balance of funds at 31st March 2024**
**19,131**
**3,254**
**22,386**|**19,632**
**2,263**
**21,895**| NB some additions may vary by+/- £1 due to rounding Page 2 of4 Oromo Community In 8ri8hton and Hove Recelpts Ind P•ymen¢s A￿DU￿t yt•r ended 31¥t Mirrtt 2024 RK•lpts Children in Need Awards for￿1 5u5sey CLYnrnunlty Fuund•tl Bwton énd Council IRe5bUenc• Fyndl East Briihton Tntsi. lu￿￿11 kbt wths¢rfshlp DoDatknns iomj io. 10,5 20.C 9.340 1265 l265 aank interest Tot•1 *•¢•l 1&703 26.705 P•ym•nts ChlldrÈn's Lan8oaie school- Lliildren's bus l•fes Chikarth's ￿ngU31C Khool. Idutt5' bus hres Chlklren's Lawa8e Schl￿1. t•xh•i'5 lee5 Chiklren'5 L4rfva8e Sch￿1. ielr•shmrn15 (￿k*ren'5 Lawuay school. d•55room niiterl•ls Chlklren's Lawuè8tschool. ¥dunt••r•xp•nvs Chlldreo'5 Lan1uaqe5t￿1- vehut h+rt Children's Lan8u•v ¥hool- spon¥ ¢04ch Iq Chll¢Jren's Lan8uay Khool- ￿ntIne & publlclty Graduatlon- Ic4Jd & drlnk DB5 & safe8￿ardIn0 1,552 2,175 1,320 1.552 2.175 lJ20 2344 165 875 4.481 L507 1.96Z LX17 2321 2.321 165 855 5,875 540 30 350 855 5.875 4.481 555 240 559 140 350 869 3,885 1.906 650 1,932 L275 Women'5 prol¢ct- 5wlmmln8 •nd s•wSni Women's pioj¢¢i- •wrclir clajsei WDmen'5 project. t*•tlrnE club M•n's wol*ct-8yrn m•rnberihlp ind swlmmlnl da5S•5 Men's prtsjEcI- leaiimtclub Commtttee adrnlD Iprlntl￿ pl*h•. It•tweryl Commltw• •xwns Commlttee ￿￿etIn1 txo•n5*S Inwrante COMMU￿ty rrv4 c￿lIUral evEht Outlni Eld celebratlon5 8ank char8es Mlscellaneous Tot•1 P 1.448 1,310 2,885 1,906 650 1,310 804 1.932 1,275 L630 67 1.630 67 923 Jio 2.922 4,290 2,269 796 165 432 310 419 4.29) 3,3 796 L2 4,289 1,216 4.289 2,216 1,12S 12 ndttw• 2S6 JIA Lni 37.775 35ts93 Net receipts (payrntn￿I forih• y••r Transfer be￿t￿n fuhd5 Funds at Ist&Drll 2023 491 11,8901 111551 30.677 14471 19,631 U7 2,155 2,263 I1￿5 31,046 of fvJnd5 Jlst lfj•rth 2021 19.131 3,2$4 22,386 19,63Z 2,263 2U95 N8 somÈ•ddttlons miyv•ry *+l- £1 duE to roundini Pole 3oF4 Oromo Community in Brighton and Hove Statement of Assets and Liabllltles at 31st March 2024 Monetary Assets Natwest account Cash in hand 22,385 Balance of funds held at 31st March 2024 22,385 Liabilities None Breakdown ol lunds at 31st March 2024 Restrlcted funds Awards for All 2024-26 Children In Need Year 3 East Brlghton Trust (for football tournamenl recelved 20211221 Unrestrlcted funds General fund 14,887 3,743 500 3,255 Total 22,385 NB some addltlons may vary by +l- £1 due to rounding Page4of4