2023-09-30-accounts

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DARA BASCARA TRUST TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

The Trustees of the Dara Bascara Trust present their annual report for the financial period from 01 October 2022 to 30 September 2023 and confirm they comply with the guidelines set forth by the Charity Commission along with other applicable laws and regulations.

July 2024

DARA BASCARA TRUST Trustees’ Annual Report

I.	Legal and Administrative Information.......................................................................................... 2
	A. Overview........................................................................................................................ 2
	B. Charitable Objects........................................................................................................... 2
	C. Public Benefit................................................................................................................. 2
	D. Strategy.......................................................................................................................... 3
	E. Vision............................................................................................................................. 4
II.	Report of the Management Committee........................................................................................ 6
	A. Activities........................................................................................................................ 6
	B. Risk Management........................................................................................................... 6
III.	Finances............................................................................................................................... 7
	A. Overview........................................................................................................................ 7
	B. Statement of Financial Activities...................................................................................... 7
	C. Balance Sheet ........................................................................................................................... 7

DARA BASCARA TRUST

Trustees’ Annual Report

I. Legal and Administrative Information

A. Overview

Charity Name: Dara Bascara Trust Charity Registration Number: 1196985 Date of Registration: 07 December 2021 Governing Document: CIO – Foundation Constitution Registered Office: Frogmore House, Ormond Place Cheltenham GL50 1JD United Kingdom Phone: 02081445184 Email: darabascaratrust@gmail.com Trustees: Ryssa Magee Chair Susan Cueva *Other trusteeship: Kanlungan Filipino Consortium Dr. Noemi Magnani Linda Vololona Colney

B. Charitable Objects

The Dara Bascara Trust (the “Charity”) was established in 2021 by friends and colleagues in honour of the late Dr. Rachelle Bascara to carry on her humanitarian work.

The Charitable Objects of the of the Charity are:

“The Charitable Objects of the Dara Bascara Trust reflect the humanitarian work of Dr. Rachelle Bascara (“Dara”) during her life, with a particular focus on her homeland, the Philippines. The mission of the Dara Bascara Trust is the prevention and/or relief of poverty by (i) providing or assisting in the provision of items and other necessary support designed to enable individuals to generate a sustainable income and be selfsufficient; (ii) undertaking relief projects during a crisis and/or natural disaster; and (iii) pursuing such other activities that fulfil the Charitable Objects of the Dara Bascara Trust.”

The Charity’s mission, following Dr. Bascara’s example not only in what it does but also in how it does it, is to achieve the greatest positive impact among those in need utilizing the fewest resources in an effective and responsible manner. This summary business plan outlines the main elements of how the Charity seeks to achieve its Charitable Objects.

C. Public Benefit

The Charity aims to benefit the poorest and most disadvantaged individuals and communities in the Philippines. It aims to benefit those who lack even the most basic essentials to sustain life, and it aims to aid communities in the wake of a natural disaster or an emergency. It also seeks to benefit the most vulnerable members of poor communities such as but not limited to children and women.

DARA BASCARA TRUST

Trustees’ Annual Report

The Philippines is a developing country of over 100 million people with more than 16% of the population living below the poverty line according to the latest publicly available statistics and other reputable sources.[1][2]

The Philippines and the UK have strong bilateral ties that rest on people. There are over 200,000 Filipinos living and working in the UK, many of them have acquired British citizenship and contributing to the fabric of British society. They work in a variety of sectors, such as information technology, engineering, aviation, education, and hospitality. Meanwhile, around 17,000 British citizens live permanently in the Philippines.[3] Moreover, there are 200 Filipino community associations / charities in the UK registered with the Philippine Embassy.[4]

The Filipino community is growing significantly worldwide, positively influencing economic and social relationships between the Philippines and destination countries. To date, more than 10 million Filipinos, or about 10 percent of the population, are working and/or living abroad.[5]

D. Strategy

The Charity is established primarily to prevent and relieve poverty in the Philippines.

Fundamental to the success of the Charity in achieving its purpose is having a deep understanding of the scale, scope, and nature of needs from multiple perspectives, ranging from studies conducted by multinational organizations and NGOs to local knowledge of the affected communities.

In order to better identify specific beneficiaries and their charitable needs, the trustees consult relevant studies and research and develop a robust plan for each initiative that includes active participation of community stakeholders in decision-making.

The Charity identifies its beneficiaries and their charitable needs through the following criteria:

(i) Examining publicly available information, research studies of local and international experts, including works of other organisations, and the historical and actual experiences of the trustees
(ii) Conducting interviews and using the testimonies of community stakeholders

Specifically, as examples of the above, the trustees regularly review local and international studies on identifying and responding to charitable needs of Indigenous Peoples (IP) in the Philippines and monitor news and official reports on natural disasters / crises in the country.

In the Philippines, the IP communities remain among the poorest and most disadvantaged peoples. Because they have retained their traditional pre-colonial culture and practices, they were subjected to discrimination and few opportunities for major economic activities, education, or political

1 "Population, total – Philippines," The World Bank, accessed November 5, 2021,

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?end=2020&locations=PH&start=1960&view=chart

2 Borgen Project. 2020. "Combating Poverty in The Philippines". The Borgen Project . https://borgenproject.org/tag/poverty-in-thephilippines/.

3 GOV.PH. 2015. "Philippine-British Bilateral Relations". Londonpe.Dfa.Gov.Ph. https://londonpe.dfa.gov.ph/bilateral-relations.

4 GOV.PH. 2019. "Filipino Community Organisations". Londonpe.Dfa.Gov.Ph. https://londonpe.dfa.gov.ph/com-events/filipino-communityorganisations.

5 Maruja M.B. Asis, “The Philippines: Beyond Labor Migration, Toward Development and (Possibly) Return,” Migration Information Source, July 12, 2017, https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/philippines-beyond-labor-migration-toward-development-and-possibly-return

DARA BASCARA TRUST

Trustees’ Annual Report

participation.[6] As a result, they have been resistant to development and information, thus have been driven to geographically isolated disadvantaged areas with no adequate and accessible basic services.

A study shows that public schools are either inaccessible or non-existent in IP communities. IP groups live in the mountains and isolated rural areas.[7] Thus, education interventions become necessary in these areas. One form of intervention is the provision of school supplies in order to support entry to schools.[8]

In terms of climate, the Philippines is among the most disaster-prone countries in the world. At least 60% of its total land area and close to 74% of its population are exposed to multiple natural hazards, including typhoons, earthquakes, floods, storm surges, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and landslides.[9] The poorest often suffer the most serious consequences of disasters and the losses of livelihoods, as the coping strategies in the Philippines include reducing spending on education, medicine, and nutrient-rich food. At the household level, poverty is one the most important factors determining vulnerability, which is reflected in the access to basic services and resources, location of housing, yearly earnings, education, safety, and so on.[10]

Part of the process of identifying specific charitable needs is engagement with the victims of poverty themselves, through an evaluation and monitoring process. For example, volunteers may collect basic socio-economic information through surveys after presenting the project to affected persons. The following criteria may be used to identify the neediest individuals, families, and/or communities in terms of housing conditions, income, family size and composition, health condition, and access to social networks. A final interview could be conducted to complete the selection process.

On the basis of these criteria as well as the judgment and experience of the trustees, the Charity seeks to identify specific charitable needs and determine who the organisation should help in fulfillment of its Charitable Objects.

E. Vision

The long-term goal of the Charity is to have a measurable and meaningful positive impact on the communities most affected by poverty in the Philippines while operating an economically sustainable and well-governed organisation.

We measure the tangible positive impact of our activities through the Theory of Change:

First, we identify the desired long-term goal, that is, lifting the poor out of poverty.
Second, we identify some preconditions and basic assumptions to achieve the long-term goal:

6 "Community Organizing for Indigenous People in the Philippines," published June 29, 2021,

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.24.21259509v1.full

7 "The Indigenous World 2021: Philippines," IWGIA, published March 18, 2021, https://www.iwgia.org/en/philippines/4243-iw-2021philippines.html

8 Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples (ECIP) (2014). Indigenous Peoples Education: From Alienation to Rootedness. Pasig City: Department of Education, Indigenous Peoples’ Education Office.

9 Building a Resilient Recovery," The World Bank, accessed November 5, 2021,

https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/34899/Philippines-Economic-Update-Building-a-Resilient-Recovery.pdf 10 "Disaster Risk Reduction in the Philippines," UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, accessed November 5, 2021, https://www.unisdr.org/files/68265_682308philippinesdrmstatusreport.pdf

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Trustees’ Annual Report

The poor must have access to education. We assume that the provision of school supplies to children belonging to indigenous groups in the Philippines, for instance, would enable them to attend school.
The poor must have access to employment. We assume that by providing emergency relief to victims of natural disaster or crisis, including food supplies, cooking sets, bedding, tools, and materials, we enable them to go back to work, earn a sustainable income, and become self-sufficient.
The poor must be involved in community decision-making. We assume that providing essential supplies and basic necessities to the poor would improve their living conditions and would allow them to become active participants in shaping society and their future.
Third, we develop indicators (population and threshold) to measure the implementation and effectiveness of the initiative.

For example, indicators may include:

Outcome 1: Access to education Indicator: School enrolment Population: IP elementary students Threshold: Remain in school until elementary graduation Outcome 2: Access to employment Indicator: Employment Population: Victims of natural disaster / crisis Threshold: Remain in job at least X months and earn a minimum wage Outcome 3: Participation in decision-making Indicator: Attendance Population: IP communities Threshold: Missing more than three meetings

Finally, we identify interventions to demonstrate how our work is going to change the community. One to three years after the first project, the organisation shall have mechanisms for data collection and evaluation to provide an overview of the outcome and to inform stakeholders. A successful Theory of Change requires effective coordination among non-profit organizations, administrations, local authorities, businesses, and civil societies.

We will continue promote compassion and altruism through public awareness campaign and raising funds for poor communities. We will continue to identify and benefit the most vulnerable members of poor communities. We will continue to monitor the situation in the Philippines.

DARA BASCARA TRUST Trustees’ Annual Report

II. Report of the Management Committee

A. Activities

The Charity is actively coordinating with other organizations to plan future projects.

B. Risk Management

The Charity has established a Risk Management Plan which provides a framework and policy for how risk will be managed within the organisation. The Risk Management Plan is based on the guidelines provided by the Charity Commission for England and Wales as well as other applicable laws and regulations.

The Risk Management Plan addresses risks across the following categories: governance, operational risk, finance risk, environmental and external risk, as well as compliance risk.

The Trustees have given consideration to the major risks to which the Charity is exposed and managed such risks through following the risk management procedure: risk identification; risk assessment; risk response planning; risk monitoring, controlling, and reporting, pursuant to the Risk Management Plan.

DARA BASCARA TRUST

Trustees’ Annual Report

III. Finances

A. Overview

The Charity has not sourced nor used any funds to date.

B. Statement of Financial Activities

The Charity has not sourced nor used any funds to date.

C. Balance Sheet

The Charity has not sourced nor used any funds to date.

OpenCharities

Table of Contents

I. Legal and Administrative Information

B. Charitable Objects

C. Public Benefit

D. Strategy

E. Vision

II. Report of the Management Committee

III. Finances