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Action For Sustainable Communities Foundation (ASC)
Registered Charity: 1193197
Trustees report and financial statements
For the year ending 31[st] December 2022
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Trustees’ Annual Report – 1st January 2022 to 31st December 2022
Objectives and Activities
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document.
Action for Sustainable Communities Foundation (ASC) was established in 2021 to improve the health, education and wellbeing of deprived communities.
The objects of the Action for Sustainable Communities Foundation (ASC) are to promote sustainable development for the benefit of the public in particular, but not exclusively for communities in Europe, Africa and Asia by:
(a) the preservation, conservation and the protection of the environment and the prudent use of resources.
(b) the relief of poverty and the improvement of the conditions of life in socially and economically disadvantaged communities; and
(c) the promotion of sustainable means of achieving economic growth and regeneration.
The charity will use such means as determined by its trustees including the following:
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providing or assisting in the provision of goods, services, resources, grants and technologies and equipment to enable better use of resources
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developing infrastructure and educating communities
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Funding projects that enable people to develop their communities improve their own wellbeing and economic independence in the present and for the future
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promoting public interest in and recognition of such needs in the local areas
Nothing shall authorise an application of the property of the charity for the purposes which are not charitable.
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.
1. Thitimila Secondary School Malawi
The first project ASC is funding is the Thitimila Secondary School for 200 children in the Mzimba region of Malawi, which is one of the poorest rural areas in the country and when we started the project it had no secondary schools within 10km of the local villages. It is planned that by 2025, 200 children with an equal number of boys and girls will attend the school.
History
Malawi remains one of the poorest countries in the world and has the fourth highest percentage of people living in extreme poverty in the world with 70 percent living on little more than a dollar a day. According to the Borgen Report (https://borgenproject.org) Malawi is one of the least developed countries in the world and has been ranked as one of the lowest performing nations for literacy in sub-Saharan Africa. Education is seen as one of the critical pathways to improving living conditions in the country. Across Malawi only 8 percent of children finish secondary school. The major reason is the distance to secondary school and lack of transportation or infrastructure. Secondary education only receives 10 percent of the education budget.
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In 2020 several villages began to build a classroom, but funds ran out and the building work was left at a standstill. ASC undertook a variety of fundraising events and building work was resumed in 2021 and continued into 2022 enabling the Thitimila school committee to oversee the completion of:
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A school block of two classrooms and a storeroom.
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Four teacher ’ s houses with solar electricity and water
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Pit toilets for girls and boys.
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Installation of solar powered electricity; and
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A bore hole and hand pump.
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Tree planting to replace trees felled to make the bricks.
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A detailed plan for PHASE 2 with a new classroom block, teachers houses and pit latrines.
School opening January 4[th] 2022
The school buildings were opened on 4[th] January 2022 with celebrations, singing and dancing that can be seen on the ASC website. ascfoundation.org.uk
ASC funded the cost of text books, stationary and other basic school equipment to enable the school to open for the first intake of 50 children, 25 girls and 25 boys.
Responsibility
The Malawi Ministry of Education signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ASC which states that the Ministry of Education is responsible for the maintenance, upkeep and governance of the school buildings. They are also responsible for providing and paying the teachers and overseeing the syllabus, exams and governance of the school.
Community Engagement
ASC initiated a community engagement process in 2021 and has continued this in 2022 to involve and incorporate the ideas of the community in the planning of phase 2 of the building of the school. This includes a rewilding project to protect and restore the forest around the local villages. Each village is keen to have its own tree nursery to provide new trees for reforestation.
Master Plan
ASC worked with a global engineering company to develop a detailed Master Plan for the whole school site. They gave their expertise pro bono. Details are available on request. The layout of the first school block had been determined by the existing work that the local people had started prior to ASC involvement. The next school block planned for PHASE 2 started development in 2022 but the work is planned to commence in 2023. It will use the Ministry of Education ’s approved two classroom design with an overhang shaded area to allow the pupils to hang up their coats and remove their shoes. It will be built with compressed earth blocks to minimise the carbon footprint of the new buildings.
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Sustainability
In addition to the Malawi’s secondary school curriculum, these children are learning how to care for the environment through knowledge about the impact of climate change on their country. They and their parents are undertaking practical ways they can mitigate the problem by planting trees.
They are learning about the importance of solar and wind energy as natural sources of power for cooking, lighting powering computers etc.
ASC encourages entrepreneurial skills so the community in Malawi can help themselves and their families break out of poverty. As a result, a women’s sewing group was established which will seek funds to expand in 2023. A sustainable permaculture garden using human and animal waste is planned in PHASE 3
The installation of a bore hole providing access to clean water has been life changing for the local communities as well as for the students. Prior to this, villagers had to walk 2 km to fetch water.
2. Tea Leaf Trust Sri Lanka
AS C’s second project was to support students attending a post-school course to acquire skills and knowledge in IT, English and social/life skills, at the Tea Leaf Trust Sri Lanka.
ASC organised training modules on nutrition, personal hygiene, relationships, and ecology. Funds were given to help the poorest students attend school during the economic crisis.
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.
ASC has had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.
Contribution made by volunteers.
ASC has been fortunate to have support from friends and family but has no volunteers and has no plans to recruit volunteers.
Achievements and Performance
Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.
Thitimila Malawi in 2022, ASC successfully funded a secondary school which has enabled 100 students to receive a secondary education which provides them with the knowledge and skills and opportunities to look for better paid jobs and break out of the existing cycle of poverty that is the current situation of most of the students.
An additional 50 students will attend each year over the next 3 years to make up a total of 200 children in four different year groups. The school will give the children the knowledge and skills, they need to improve their prospects, the prospects of their family and their whole community.
Tea Leaf Trust Sri Lanka In 2022 50 students in Sri Lanka were funded by ASC so that they could complete their education despite the economic crisis in the country. Without this they would have
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been expected to find work to help their families. The children sent us videos to thank us and explain the difference it had made to their lives.
Achievements against set objectives
ASC has achieved all its set objectives in the period January-December 2022.
Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set.
The fundraising activities have been undertaken thanks to friends and family. ASC is seeking advice from fundraisers to enable us to appeal to donors who are likely to have an interest in our work as well as helping us to organise larger events that will reach the wider public.
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Financial Review for the year 1[st] January 2022- 31[st] December 2022
Financial position for the Year
Financial review
Action for Sustainable Communities Foundation is a registered charity whose objects are to promote sustainable developments for the benefit of the public in particular, but not exclusively, for communities in Europe, Africa and Asia.
We have continued to direct some 99% of our donations to charitable causes. The main beneficiaries being the Thitimila school in Malawi and the Sri Lanka Tea Leaf Fund.
Income
The charity has continued to receive support from organisations and individuals from within the UK and in particular from its trustees who have donated funds and provided services free of charge so that donations received are expended as fully as possible on the charitable work we undertake. Trustees do not take salaries or receive expenses for the work they do.
Income has been received from companies (£21.5k) and private sources (£13.4k) The fundraising activity has included: sponsored walks, marathons, concerts, a Christmas quiz and a curry night).
Expenditure
The charity has been able to direct 99% of its expenditure directly to charitable causes. In particular to the Thitimila community in Malawi to provide a classroom, teachers houses, solar power, a water supply and latrines to support the development of a secondary school to be used by the dispersed communities in the area.
Our support for this project commenced in May 2021 and it is gratifying to have achieved so much in such a short timescale. It is also amazing to see the first cohort of boys and girls commencing their education. We also contribute to the local community by providing support as the school becomes a community centre to provide educational modules on hygiene and nutrition. A workshop was held for parents and girls to develop practical vocational skills in entrepreneurial activities.
In addition, donations have also been made to The Teal Leaf Fund to support their work in improving access to education in deprived areas in Sri Lanka for young men and women completing a year of post school education, coaching mentoring and entrepreneurial activities.
ASC has continued to obtain free professional advice from international architects and engineers and has supported the use of local professionals in the construction of the school thus helping to support the community in its economic sustainability by providing access to professional skills. They have been supervised in developing skills in construction and re-forestation locally. The professionals plan to trained local people in the vicinity of Thitimila school to make compressed earth bricks in 2023.
Reserves and Financial Health
The trustees do not hold any reserves, as our fixed costs are minimal. However, ASC maintains working capital to provide a source of funding to support our Malawi school project. At the year- end our available cash reserve was £20.6k.
The trustees regularly review the finances, budgets and spend against the budget of the foundation.
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Forward Strategy
The aim of the charity is to build on the foundations already put in place and to expand both our charitable income and our work in Malawi to add an additional school block with two classrooms and additional teachers ’ accommodation to expand the capacity of the school to provide access to a wider number of rural villages. To build dormitories for children from the furthermost villages or explore options for transport.
We continue to work to engage in and to develop new partnerships to enable us to meet our objectives by raising our profile and engaging with other organisations and the charity community to broaden our funding streams. In particular, we are pleased to have developed a good working relationship with the government of Malawi, with the Malawi Department of Education and its local officers. Accordingly, we agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Malawi Department of Education and this has been duly signed.
Our website has been developed by a prestigious designer Steve Edge Designs free of charge to develop a wider awareness of our work and to encourage donations from other like-minded individuals and organisations.
Structure, Governance and Management
ASC’s governing document is the Constitution dated 17 January 2021.
ASC is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) founded on 22[nd] January 2021.
Trustees are appointed by the charity trustees. 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 the effective administration of the CIO.
ASC Foundation is a charity registered in England and Wales. The charity (registered charity number 1193197) was entered on the Register of Charities on 22 January 2021. The charity is overseen by its Board of Trustees to raise funds and work in partnership with other professionals to deliver educational development projects in Malawi, Sri Lanka and other developing nations. The area of primary focus for our current work is the provision of a secondary school in the Thitimila Secondary School in a remote area of Malawi.
The trustees meet on a quarterly basis to review expenditure on its projects, set priorities, and review progress against strategic goals and key performance indicators. They provide mentoring and guidance to the local teams who lead on the development and expansion of the school.
Risk management
The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place. Measures are in place to ensure this happens on an § basis.
Reference and Administrative details
| Charityname | Action for Sustainable Communities Foundation |
|---|---|
| Other name the charityuses | ASC |
| Registered charitynumber | 1193197 |
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Charity’s principal address
St Clair Petrockstowe Okehampton Devon EX20 3QJ
Names of the charity trustees who managed the charity
| 1 2 3 4 5 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole year |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Catherine Brogan | Chair | Founding trustee | ||
| Mr Ronald Jones | Treasurer | Appointed 1stMay 2022 | Trustee | |
| Dr Newton Matupi | Founding trustee | |||
| Ms Felicity Corbyn | Founding trustee | |||
| Mr Iain Corbyn | Founding trustee |
ASC does not hold title to any property.
There are no custodian trustees holding funds on behalf of others.
Declarations
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees.
Signature:
Full name: Dr Catherine Brogan
Position: Chair
Signature:
Full name: Ronald Jones
Position: Trustee
Date: 13th October 2023
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| Action for Sustainable Communities Foundation | Action for Sustainable Communities Foundation | Action for Sustainable Communities Foundation | 1193197 | 1193197 | 1193197 | CC16a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For the period from |
01/01/2022 Period start date |
To | 31/12/2022 Period end date |
||||
| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 16,500 1,250 - - - - 17,750 - - - 17,750 16,179 60 11 240 29 - - - 16,519 - - - 16,519 1,231 - - 1,231 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ 5,000 3,773 7,022 1,383 - - - - 17,178 - - - 17,178 11,678 5,500 - - - - - - - 17,178 - - - 17,178 - 0 - - - 0 |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Total funds to the nearest £ 21,500 3,773 7,022 2,633 - - - - 34,928 - - - 34,928 27,857 5,500 60 11 240 29 - - - 33,697 - - - 33,697 1,231 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
||
| Companydonations | 16,500 | - | |||||
| Public donations | - | ||||||
| Go fund me | - | ||||||
| Gift Aid | 1,250 | - | |||||
| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
17,750 | - | |||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
|||||||
| - | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| Sub total | - | - | |||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
|||||||
| - | |||||||
| Thitmilla school Malawiproject | 16,179 | - | |||||
| Tea Leaf donation | - | ||||||
| Bank charges | 60 | - | |||||
| Paypal charges | 11 | - | |||||
| Fundraisingexpenses | 240 | - | |||||
| Misc. | 29 | - | |||||
| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| **Sub total ** | 16,519 | - | |||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
|||||||
| - | |||||||
| - | |||||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | |||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
|||||||
| - | |||||||
| 1,231 | - 0 | - | 1,231 |
- | |||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 1,231 | - 0 | - | 1,231 | - |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
1
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
Signature Details Details Total cash funds Details (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) HSBC Paypal Debtor - Gift Aid Details Details |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 16,935 - 3,642 - - - 20,577 - Agreement Error OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 1,595 - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name Dr Catherine BroganMr Ron Jones |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| When due (optional) |
|||
| Date of approval |
|||
Dr Catherine Brogan |
12/10/2023 |
||
Mr Ron Jones |
13/10/2023 |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
2
CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
Independent examiner's report on the
accounts
Section A
Independeni Examinèr's Report
Report to the tni81oe8
Actlon for Su8t4lnable Communlties Foundatlon
On accounts for the y•ar
ended
31111)ecemb8r 2022
Charlty no
(If any}
1193197
Sot out on pago8
1and2
I report ID the truslee8 on my axamination of the accounts of the above
charity ("the Trust.) lor the year end&d 3111 December 2022.
Re•pon8lbllltle8 and
basls of roport
As the charity'6 Iruslees, you are responsible for the preparation of the
accounts In a¢¢ordan¢e wÈth Ihe roquirements of the ChariiiB8 Acl 2011
("Ihe A¢l'l,
I report In regpect of my examlnatlon of the Tru31's account8 C8rried out
under gection 145 of the 2011 Acl and in carrying out my examination, I
have followed all the appllcable Direcllon8 givon by the Charlty Commi8Jlon
under 8ectl¢)n 145lb) ol Ihe Ad.
Independont I hav• rnPted my •xamlnatlon. I conflm that no material matter8 have
examlnerf8 atatsment come to my attention In connection with the examlnation which give8 me
cause lo believe Ihat In, 8ny material resped.,
the accounting records wer8 nol kept In accordance wth 8ecllon 130
of the Ch8rrties Acl.. or
Iha accounts did not accord with Ihe accountlng records,. or
the account8 did not cornply with Ihe applicable requirement$
concerning the fomi and content ol accounts set out In the Charrtles
(Arxounls and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any reqLsiremenl
that the accounts give a 'truB and fair, view which 18 not a matter
considered as part of an inderAndenl examlnallon.
I have ng concems 8nd have come auosB no other matters In connection
'. with Ihe examination to which attention should be drawn in this report In
order to enable a proper underntanding ol the a¢¢ounts lo be reached.
Date:
Slgn•d:
Nome:
Chrislopher Jam89 Tempest Vano
Relevant profe581on•l
quallfi¢•tlan(8} or body
(ff any>:
F•llow of the Inslltute of Chartered Accountants In England and Wale8
(R•tlrnd)
Addross:
Summer8 Cottage. DSnlon. Aylesbury, BuckSngham8hlre. HP17 8UG
IER
Oct 2018