Starlight Oasis of Hope Hospice (SOHH) Annual Report and Accounts April 2024 - March 2025
Charity Commission Registration 1195548
1 Summary
Day Centre
In October HM Queen Masenate Mohlomi Seisso climbed onto a large digger and turned over the first sod for the construction of our Day Centre at our beautiful site in Maqhaka, a few kilometres outside Maseru. At the same time we were presented with a cheque I.860,000 LSL (equivalent to £80,870) raised by a business consortium lead by the Standard Lesotho Bank. Ground preparation and construction began in earnest in January 25. Despite significant setbacks from problems with the terrain, a firm level platform of ground was made, foundations laid and the first few levels of bricks for the whole building were in place by the end of March.
Training
We have had the generous support of Palliative Care Works (a UK charity experienced in training in a variety of resource poor settings) to deliver three face to face courses of one week to health and care professionals working in Maseru and Berea and from nurse training colleges. This has included nurses, pharmacists, doctors, social workers and pastors. Many have become champions for holistic palliative care and are already reporting increased use of morphine, one of our initial targets for improvement.
Advocacy
Our founder Me’ Malichaba Tebello Lepheane has been regularly promoting the need for and value of palliative care on radio and TV. We continue to hear many sad stories of avoidable suffering and distress in those with life limiting conditions and so many Basotho are excited about our plans for improved palliative care in the mountain kingdom. The Minister of Health has publicly stated the importance of including palliative care in the forthcoming health plan and his support for Starlight.
2 Objects
The objects of SOHH are the advancement of health in the kingdom of Lesotho for the public benefit and the relief of those in need, by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage at the discretion of the charity trustees and in particular but not exclusively:
Advancing the understanding in the general population of the need for and benefits provided by palliative care
Advancing the training of those providing care for individuals with life limiting illness
Relieving the physical, mental and social distress of those with life limiting illness and those who care for them
3. Trustees during 24-25
Chair: Paul Myres
Founder: Tebello Lepheane
Andrew Wardrop
Veronica German
Harriet Vera
4. Activities
April 2024. Ongoing advocacy using different radio stations and newspapers in Lesotho as well as the social media pages.
May 2024.
Fundraising efforts, reaching out to the corporate community for support with building materials.
Attended an event hosted by Welsh government in collaboration with Dolen Cymru Wales Lesotho Link to commemorate Lesotho 200 years as a nation. Our charity was recognized as one of the services which continues to form bonds and show solidarity between these nations. Three members of our Board met His Majesty the King of Lesotho at the same event. We continued to build networks and relationships with likeminded individuals and organisations aiming at bridging care gaps in the communities. June 2024.
Shipped donated breast prostheses from UK to Lesotho for breast cancer survivors.
July 2024.
Continued to join the global movement in making palliative care accessible to children and adults by joining webinars hosted by St Christopher’s Hospice.
August 2024. Advocating for the palliative care needs of children in Lesotho; visiting children’s wards and maternity wards in Berea Hospital as we highlighted paediatric and perinatal palliative care. We were joined by Sophie Kieffer from USA, PallCHASE member.
Met Jan Jeffrey -founder of Physiotherapy and Outreach Program (POP) Lesotho and her team, to establish a collaborative approach in improving the quality of lives for children with disabilities especially those with cerebral palsy by incorporating palliative care principles in their services.
Met the technical team-Volunteers who have assisted with the design of our hospice facility, plans how to execute the construction project. Provided teaching session for Queen Mamohato Memorial Hospital staff on palliative care and visited different wards to raise more awareness and support patients and families with palliative care needs.
Met the management of Baylor Children Medicine Foundation to explore how palliative care can be integrated in the wonderful work, they already do to deliver the comprehensive care for children with HIV/AIDS as well as supporting their caregivers. This collaboration will enable us to ensure ‘No one is left behind’ when it comes to palliative care as part of universal health coverage.
Met Christian Council of Lesotho to partner with us as we incorporate palliative care into the work with pastors and spiritual leaders across the Kingdom of Lesotho.
September 2024.
Continued awareness raising about palliative care as part of the campaign preparing for breast cancer month in October as well as World Hospice and Palliative Care day.
October 2024.
Sod turning event at our hospice site in Maqhaka, with local and national dignitaries lead by Her Majesty Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso as our Patron. event attended by the WHO Country rep, British High Commissioner, H.E. Harry MacDonald, Chiefs and senior health staff
Raised awareness on radio stations about World Hospice and Palliative care day.
Attended the annual conference hosted by Palliative Care Works in Oxford; we had an opportunity to share our education and training efforts in Lesotho. November 2024. 1 week of palliative care training for 1 cohort of hospital teams (Doctors, nurses, counsellors, chaplains, social workers and pharmacists) from hospitals in Maseru and Berea.
December 2024. Reached agreement for final building plans. Mobilisation of building materials and signing of contract with the construction company in preparation for the building project of the hospice facility in Maqhaka, Lesotho.
January 2025.
Ground excavation and site preparation. Construction of Phase 1 commenced.
February 2025. 2 weeks of palliative care training for 1 cohort of hospital teams (Doctors, nurses, counsellors, chaplains, social workers and pharmacists) from various hospitals in Lesotho and 1 cohort of academics from health training colleges. Foundations laid for Day Centre.
March 2025-Ongoing advocacy and awareness raising using different media houses, received donated medical equipment from Action Ireland Trust charities with the assistance of RISE International (Lesotho office) Construction of walls and drainage of site.
5. Financial report
We have bank accounts in UK with Charity Aid Foundation Bank and in Lesotho with Standard Lesotho Bank. Money is transferred from UK to Lesotho by international bank transfers.
We had an income of £9,907 in the UK from public donations, including fundraising activity and online donations. We had an income of LSL36,500 Lesotho from personal donations and received LSL 1,000,000 in corporate donations following a golf tournament in December 2023
Our expenditure was £12,147 in the UK, largely spent on travel costs to Lesotho by the PCW training team and our founder for meetings and planning. Costs also include fundraising and publicity. In Lesotho our expenditure was LSL 1,103,213 (equivalent to about £47,900). Our main expenses (LSL905,572) were associated with ground preparation at our site in Maqhaka and the start of construction of our Day Centre.
All payments require receipts and dual authorisation.
The average exchange rate during the year was between £1 = LSL23 and 24
The balance at year end showed a deficit of £7,095 in the UK (following transfer of money to our Lesotho account) and a surplus of LSL173,407 in Lesotho
860,000LSL was due to us from fundraising in Lesotho and was being held by the Lesotho Standard Bank. This is specified by the bank to be used for capital expenditure and was made available in summer 2025.
6. Plans for next year
In 2025 -26 we will complete the construction of Phase 1 of our Palliative Care Centre. This will provide a base for our community outreach team and be a centre for daycare services.
We will continue our awareness raising and advocacy work. We will train one or two cohorts of care professionals.
We will agree a Memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Health and continue to request direct support for our salary costs in 26/27. We will produce new plans for Phase 2 – training and therapy space plus an inpatient unit.
7. Starlight Oasis of Hope Hospice Annual Statement of Accounts 2024-25 UK Accounts
Opening Balance £11,946
Income Personal Donations £7,844 Reg donations £1,980 Corporate Donations £0 Fundraising £0 Online fundraising £83 Grants from other bodies £0 Bank Interest £23 Gift Aid Reclaimed £5,122 TOTAL £15,052 Expenditure Bank charges £85 Publicity £0 Travel £2,781 Meeting costs £49 Shipping/ Transport £120 Training £8,632 Accounting £480 Transfer to Lesotho Standard Bank £10,000
TOTAL
£22,147
Balance
(deficit)
- £7,095
Balance at 1 April 2024 £11,946 Closing balance at 31 March 2025 £4,851
No Physical Assets in UK
Lesotho Accounts
Income
Donations Individual LSL 26,400 Donations Corporate LSL1,000,000 Transfers from UK CAF Bank LSL 227,300 Interest LSL 22,920 TOTAL LSL 1,276,620
Expenditure
Membership Fees LSL104 Bank Fees LSL2,641 Site and building Fees LSL8,180 Web and email LSL1,770 Training of health care workers LSL119,772 Transport of donated equipment LSL1,750 Tax on interest LSL2,247 Trustee Expenses LSL36,129 Volunteer Expenses LSL2,065 Technical Team Expenses LSL18,017 Publicity / Event LSL 4,966 Land Purchase LSL95,000 Groundwork and site preparation LSL213,520 Building materials LSL480,549 Professional Fees (construction) LSL2,000
Labour LSL89,848 Equipment LSL13,465 Other construction costs LSL11,190
TOTAL LSL 1,103,213
Balance (Surplus) LSL 173,407
Balance carried forward from 23-24 LSL 569,053
Total funds at end of Mar 25 LSL 742,460
Represented by Current Account LSL 132,094 Savings Account LSL 610,298 Cash LSL 68 ASSETS Site at Maqhaka Est value LSL 800,000
Equipment Est value LSL 10,000
Total Physical Assets in Lesotho LSL 810,000
TOTAL Assets in Lesotho LSL1,552,460 On 31 3 25 1 LSL = £0.042 . Total assets equiv to £65,203
Cash in CAF Bank £4,852
Unrestricted £ 4,852 Restricted Building £0
Total Assets of charity at 31 March 2025 equiv to £70,055
Paul Myres, Hon Treasurer for 2024/25 18 September 2025
Independently reviewed by accredited Accountant December 2025
Approved by Board of Trustees on
……………………………………………………………
Signed by Chair of Board
Signed by Current Treasurer
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Annual Financial Report October 22 – March 2024
The Trustees decided to change SOHH’s accounting year to fit in with the Lesotho Govt financial year for ease of financial planning in Lesotho. This period of accounts covering 18 months for one time only was approved by the England & Wales Charity Commission
UK Accounts
Income
Personal Donations £22,745.00 Corporate Donations. £200.00 Fundraising. £225.00 On line fundraising. £1,307.39 Grants from other bodies. £0.00 Bank Interest £39.57 Gift Aid Reclaimed £1,488.27
TOTAL
£26,005.23 Expenditure Bank charges £140.00 Publicity £58.82 Travel £1205.68 Meeting costs £48.39 Transfer to Lesotho Standard Bank £25,000.00 TOTAL
£26,452.89
Balance (deficit)
- £447.66
Opening balance at 1 October 2022 £12,394.27 Closing balance at 31 March 2024 £11,946.67
Lesotho Accounts
Income
Donations LSL 900.00 Transfers LSL 578,500.00 (Average exchange rate £1 = LSL23.14) Interest LSL 100.00 TOTAL LSL 579,500.00
Expenditure
Bank Fees. LSL 2,979.07 Site Costs LSL 4,550.00 Land Fees LSL 6,103.00 Training LSL 1,000.00 Travel LSL 834.15 Meetings LSL 412.00 Admin LSL 2,000.00 Expenses LSL 4,220.00 Website LSL 1,140.00
Publicity / Event LSL 6,550.00 TOTAL LSL 30,522.08
Balance (Surplus) LSL 548,977.92
Opening bank balance 1.10.22 LSL 20,306.80
Closing bank balance 31.3.24 LSL 569,053.72 (1Maluti = £0.042). (Equiv to £23,900.26)
ASSETS
Site at Maqhaka. Est value. LSL 275,000
Cash in Lesotho Bank
Restricted Building Costs. LSL 500,000
Unrestricted LSL 69,053.72
Total Assets in Lesotho. LSL 844,053.72 (Equiv to £35,450.26)
Cash in CAF Bank £12,394.27
Restricted Building £5,000.00
Unrestricted £7,394.27
Total Assets of charity at 31 March 2024 equivalent to £47,844.53
Paul Myres, Hon Treasurer 24 4 24
Approved by Board of Trustees on 4[th] September 2024
Independently reviewed by accredited Accountant