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2023-07-31-accounts

Footwork UK

Annual Report

01/08/2022 - 31/07/2023

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Reference and Administratve Details

Charity Name: FOOTWORK UK
Charity Number: 1197231
Address: Brighton & Sussex Medical School, University of
Sussex, Falmer, BRIGHTON, BN1 9PX
Trustees: Dr Asrat Mengiste Mergia
Dr Lucinda Claire Fuller
Professor Gail Davey OBE
Grethe Lykou Petersen
Nancy Lee
Melanie Anning
Delegaton: Certain administratve and communicatons tasks are
delegated to Tom Barker, Michael Edmonds, Alice
Ellis and Esther Garibay.
Organisatons: Brighton & Sussex Medical School provided
infrastructure support such as internet calls.
Propertes: There are no propertes held by the charity at this
tme.

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Structure, governance and management.

Footwork UK is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) whose only voting members are its Trustees. The CIO is governed by the Constitution dated 13[th] December 2021.

The Trustees named above are inception Trustees. Footwork UK will seek additional Trustees and a Chair of Trustees according to Terms of Reference dated 9[th] January 2023. One additional Trustee, James Maughan, has been identified and will be added. Footwork UK does not currently have any employees.

Financial Report

During the period reported, Footwork UK was awarded income by IZUMI Foundation, but this was not transferred within the reporting period due to delays in setting up a UK bank account (see below). All activities were performed by the Trustees without payments being made. Neither Footwork UK nor Trustees act as custodians for any funds.

Exemptons from disclosure

There are no Exemptions from disclosure at this time.

The Objects of the CIO

To relieve sickness and advance the good health of those affected by podoconiosis and other skin-related Neglected Tropical Diseases in Africa, Asia and Latin America, or in any other part of the world where such a disease occurs, in particular but not exclusively by:

a. bringing together national, regional and global actors to strengthen coordination, collaboration and mutual learning;

b. supporting more endemic country governments and non-government organisations to develop NTD Master Plans and long-term health strategies, enabling better access to, and integration of, care;

c. harnessing evidence-based advocacy to accelerate the adoption and scale-up of interventions for treatment and prevention; and

d. providing education and training to reduce stigma and address the social and economic impacts of the disease.

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Actvites.

Footwork UK was formed to bring together national, regional and global actors to strengthen coordination and mutual learning; support endemic country governments to develop Neglected Tropical Disease Master Plans, enabling better access to, and integration of, care for people affected by podoconiosis; harness evidence-based advocacy to accelerate the adoption and scale-up of interventions for treatment and prevention; and provide education and training to reduce stigma.

Achievements and performance.

In the year September 2022 to August 2023, our main activity was preparation of a proposal for funding to IZUMI Foundation, a Japanese foundation based in Boston, US. The proposal was for a 3-year project with total funding $249,000. This was submitted in January 2023, and we heard this was successful in April 2023. The proposal is entitled “Building a sustainable future for podoconiosis elimination” and has three main objectives –

  1. To improve the quality of care through training of health professionals in northern Ethiopia and Rwanda;

  2. To improve the social determinants of health by increasing the ability of the poorest patients to treat themselves and prevent disease in their families by introducing hygiene-based income generation activities in northern Ethiopia;

  3. To ensure sustainability of these activities by identifying new funders and supporting endemic governments to develop podo technical working groups.

Funding for the first two objectives (to be carried out in Ethiopia and Rwanda, total budget over three years, $129,000), will run through Footwork International’s host, Social Good Foundation. Funding for the third objective (to strengthen infrastructure in the UK) will qrun through the Footwork UK bank account, with total funding over three years of $120,000.

Following acquisition of this funding, agreements were signed between Social Good Foundation and our Ethiopian and Rwandan partners (National Podoconiosis Action Network, International Orthodox Christian Charities, both in June and Heart & Sole Africa, in July). Transfers of the first tranche of funding to cover Year 1 activities were made in July 2023, and activities commenced in both countries.

The third objective first required setting up a bank account in the UK. Footwork UK trustees assessed several options, and selected Lloyds Bank. The process of opening a Treasurers Account was protracted and was not completed within this reporting period, but eventually was successful in November 2023. Activities for the third objective, specifically the recruitment of a Resource Mobilisation and Strategy Manager, were therefore delayed into the subsequent reporting period.

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Board Meetings were held in November 2022, March 2023 and July 2023. The following activities were conducted –

Fundraising

Governance

Trustee Actons

Prof Gail Davey was appointed Chair of the WHO Skin-NTD Operational Research Working Group in April 2023 and liaised with country partners over delivery of the IZUMI project. Dr Asrat Mengiste Mergia was Chair of the LF/Podo Disease-Specific Group of the Neglected Tropical Disease NGO Network (NNN htps://www.ntd-ngonetwork.org/about/nnnstructure/disease-specifc-groups), a global network of more than 80 NGOs working on conditions like podoconiosis. Dr L Claire Fuller remained Chair of the International Foundation for Dermatology (IFD, www.ifd.org) and on the board of the International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS) (www.ilds.org). In these roles, she contributes to WHO work on the Skin-related Neglected Tropical Diseases. Melanie Anning continued to promote news about podoconiosis. James Maughan, Grethe Lykou Petersen and Nancy Lee have identified fundraising opportunities and reviewed the proposal submitted to IZUMI Foundation.

The public benefits of these actions have been i) to equip global actors including WHO and NNN to support training of healthcare workers on prevention and treatment of podoconiosis; ii) to support delivery of care to people and communities affected by podoconiosis in endemic countries; iii) to initiate conversations with funders aimed at securing future funding; (iv) to identify other fundraising opportunities and events; and (v) to create an infrastructure enabling future resource mobilisation in the UK.

The trustees therefore confirm that they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charities Commission in exercising their powers.

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