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2024-10-31-accounts

SOUTHERN AFRICA RESOURCE CENTRE

Annual Report and Accounts, year-end 31 October 2024

Charity number 1200189 registered 26/08/22 (previously 1000003) Trustees Peninah Achieng-Kindberg (Chair) Dave Spurgeon (Secretary) Sharon Foster Caroline Pitt (Treasurer) Registered Office 17 Oldbury Court Road Bristol BS16 2HH Bankers The Co-operative Bank Independent Examiner Not required

This report for the year ending 31[st] October 2024 sits alongside the internally audited accounts for that period.

Contents

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Annual Report and Accounts, year-end 31 October 2024

1 OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

1.1 Objectives

Southern Africa Resource Centre was governed by a trust deed dated 9th June 1990 and was registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales as charity number 1000003 on 2nd August 1990, with charitable objects described as:

  1. To advance the education of the public in the South-West of England in the theory and practice of apartheid and in the field of Southern African art, history and current affairs

  2. To relieve persons in Southern Africa suffering need hardship and/or distress who by reason of their social or economic conditions are in need of assistance

Southern Africa Resource Centre was registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales as Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) number 1200189 on 26[th] August 2022.

The charitable objects were described as:

  1. For the public benefit in Southern Africa, to relieve poverty; to advance education; and to advance Southern African art, Culture and Heritage.

All the charity’s assets were transferred to the CIO.

1.2 Activities

The work of the Southern Africa Resource Centre (SARC) focuses on the work facilitated by Bristol Link with Beira (BLB). BLB promotes people-to-people networks between the cities of Bristol in the UK, and Beira in Mozambique, to empower and benefit local communities and generate links and learning between the two cities.

Our strategy focusses on the sectors of

using the mechanisms of

whilst targeting

Overseas grants have been provided on the basis of needs identified and budgeted by our partners in Beira, an award-winning NGO, ADEL Sofala. These grants for social investment go to local organizations with a track record of social responsibility through helping the community. All administration and management work in Bristol is undertaken by volunteers. Activities in Bristol aim to raise awareness in Bristol about development issues of urban sub-Saharan Africa, the coastal impact of Climate Change and global citizenship.

1.3 Public Benefit

The Trustees have observed the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. We review our aims, objectives and activities each year. This review looks at what we achieved and the outcomes of our work in the previous 12 months. The review looks at the success of each key activity

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and helps us ensure our objectives and activities remain focused on our stated purpose and charitable objects. We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aim and objectives and in planning our future activities.

2 ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

2.1 Health & Education

2.1.1 Reproductive Sexual Health for Women & Girls

SARC received a £5,000 grant from Coles Medlock Foundation, for the Associação para o Desenvolvimento Social (ADS), 6-month project “Empowerment of Women and Girls” . ADS designed the project, and ran workshops to train mentors on gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health, early pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, forced marriage, gender equality, human rights and civic engagement. The mentors then took the messages to Girls’ Clubs in the bairros and set up mini libraries, reaching 200 teenagers. The mentors were also offered further professional training and one commented “I would like to thank BLB for giving me the opportunity to learn Excel which is very important for me because it will help me progress towards a course in civil engineering”. ADEL Sofala (BLB’s non-profit partner in Beira) added in their monitoring report “it can be seen that the girls have been organising more and more meetings as a result of them being empowered to take ownership of the project”.

2.1.2 Catering Equipment and Training at Amai Mussananhi

BLB has been working with ADEL and the long-supported community group Amai Mussananhi (Women helping Women), who requested £4,000 from BLB to address issues of food insecurity through the provision of catering equipment and training for the Amai preschool. The purchase of appliances and food items last year assisted in providing a snack and lunch meal to 70 children every day.

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Annual Report and Accounts, year-end 31 October 2024

The catering training was delayed, awaiting a new dedicated kitchen constructed and financed by Amai volunteers. This has recently been completed and 20 vulnerable women have been identified to receive catering training to provide both school lunches, and snacks for sale out of hours. This will support income generating activities, benefitting them and their families. The Amai preschool can then provide improved school meals for vulnerable children, improving their welfare and providing the nourishment needed for their development. Small snack business will promote income generation for vulnerable women.

2.1.3 Resources for Bristol Schools

With the support of a MSc International Development student from University of Bath and additional volunteers, BLB has prepared “Where is our Twin” : a Learning Pack with Activity Sheets about Beira for use in schools in Bristol. This was sponsored by Lighting Up Learning, The Van Neste Foundation and Bristol International Twinning Association. £2,250 in grants allowed us to engage an educationalist, an illustrator and a graphic designer.

As well as learning about Beira, Mozambique and Sub-Saharan Africa, we hope that students and staff will be inspired to develop school links, get involved with Twinning, and benefit from the partnerships we have set up. These learning documents contribute to raising awareness in Bristol about issues of urban sub-Saharan Africa, and the coastal impact of Climate Change, and encourage global citizenship. The documents can be downloaded from the BLB website. www.bristolbeiralink.org/aboutbeira/learning-and-activity-packs/

2.1.4 Research

We have continued to elicit research projects from the universities in Bristol, and will encourage universities in Beira to take part in the initiatives of University of Bristol’s Perivoli Africa Research Centre. We also encourage Mozambicans to study in Bristol via the Chevening Scholarships.

A student from University of Bristol’s MSc in International Development has prepared a report for BLB, including a SWOT analysis of the organisation and a workplan to increase the volunteer ‘workforce’.

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To this end, BLB have engaged with University of Bristol and University of West of England volunteer hubs.

2.2 Community & Civil Society

2.2.1 Women working in Urban Agriculture

ADEL Sofala have proposed their project “Economic Resilience for Vulnerable Women in Mozambique” in conjunction with the local community association Fundissananhe. They represent vulnerable women working in urban agriculture in Vaz, on the edge of Beira’s industrial zone. This project will support 200 women in developing micro businesses and improve the economic resilience of their households. We have obtained grants totalling £5,000, and the project which includes training, mentoring and provision of horticultural goods, is due to start at the beginning of November.

2.2.2 Bristol’s Harbour Festival

860 people visited the Bristol Twin Cities tent on College Green over the weekend of Bristol’s Harbour Festival. Children made stickers of creatures representing Bristol's seven twin cities: Beira, Bordeaux, Guangzhou, Hannover, Porto, Puerto Morazan, and Tbilisi. For Beira we chose the sea turtle which can be found in the mangroves of the Sofala Bank. The green stickers were applied to the letter ‘T’, and the complete set of seven letters ‘BRISTOL’ will be on display at Twinning events and in Bristol’s City Hall.

2.2.3 Bristol’s ‘Twinning Tuesdays’

We celebrated Beira’s Dia da Cidade on 20 August, marking 117 years of Beira’s city status. At our ‘Beira Day’ , Bristol City Council hosted a free family drop in event at M-Shed, where families designed capulanas (Mozambican cloths), made sea turtle badges, watched videos of Beira dance groups, handled objects from Beira, met BLB Trustees and Bristol’s Deputy Lord Mayor. Meanwhile the Beira city flag was flying outside City Hall on College Green. 90 adults and 105 children attended the event. The trustees chatted to aspiring global citizens, young and old, about life in Beira, illustrating the challenges of urban sub-Saharan Africa and the coastal impact of Climate Change.

2.2.4 Trustee Presentations

Trustees have made presentations to Rotary Bristol Breakfast and to Unite South West with a view to increasing funding and support in kind for BLB.

2.3 Climate Change & Energy

2.3.1 Youth Leadership

BLB has been working with ADEL, and a youth group in Beira to prepare a project proposal focussing on youth leadership and environmental management with a view to applying for grants in UK.

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2.4 OCEAN

BLB supported ADEL Sofala in their application ‘Sustainable Management of Coastal and Maring Biodiversity’ for a £200,000 community grant from the Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature (OCEAN), part of the UK’s Blue Planet Fund, for a project on mangrove conservation. The bid was unsuccessful, and ADEL have requested SARC for staff training in response to points raised in the feedback.

2.5 Green Cities Infrastructure Programme

BLB made a short presentation at a ‘round table’ meeting with representatives of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) as part of their visit to Bristol City Council to look at urban and international initiatives. The visitors included staff from the Green Cities Infrastructure Programme (GCIP). Beira is one of the 3 cities in Mozambique included in this programme. BLB has maintained communication with FCDO and the managing consultants of GCIP with a view to strengthening the Bristol-Beira Link.

2.6 Culture & Sport

2.6.1 Festival of Voice

As part of “Festival of Voice” organised by St George’s Bristol, BLB facilitated Beira’s contribution to the video “Twin Cities - Singing City 2024” . We are grateful to the students at the Casa de Cultura for filming their performance of a dance song, at minute 12.10 on St George’s YouTube channel. An introduction was added to contribute to an Activity Sheet which is part of the Learning Pack BLB YouTube channel.

2.6.2 Dance Programme at Casa de Cultura

£2,500 raised by BLB through Rotary Bristol sponsored the programme “Social Protection through the Arts” for vulnerable teenagers who use dance as a method of social support and stability away from crime. The programme was designed by the dance teacher in conjunction with a Red Cross Project Manager. The young people participate in formal dance training, as well as cultural, recreational and educational activities. Participants meet others who have already benefited from the project and stabilized their lives. They make new friendships and envisage a different future. 11 teenage girls and 1 teenage boy took part in 2023-2024. The dance teacher at Casa de Cultura reported “We are working hard and through dance, managing internal conflict. Everyone participates in decision-making with regard to acceptable behaviour in the group.” He has shown that vulnerable teenagers who attend regular dance classes and feel part of a team, can turn their lives around, become included socially, and subsequently avoid criminal and unhealthy lifestyles. Rotary Bristol have provided another £1500 to cover 12 more students for a further 3 months, whilst BLB seeks additional crowdfunding for continuation of the programme www.gofund.me/0c04a0ca

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Annual Report and Accounts, year-end 31 October 2024

3 FINANCIAL REVIEW

3.1 Financial Position

3.1.1 End of Year Balance

The end of year balance of £11,726 at 31/10/23 was just below the target figure of £12,500. The end of year balance of £14,925 at 31/10/24 includes restricted funds of £1,175, leaving a working balance of £13,500. It is anticipated that the surplus £1,300 will be used to kick-start fundraising events to celebrate 35 years of Bristol and 50 years of Mozambique Independence in 2025.

3.1.2 Income

An income of £14,610 this year included two restricted grants, one of £5,000 (Kitchen Tables Charity Trust, Eleanor Rathbone Foundation and CB &HH Taylor Trust) for ADEL Sofala’s project “Economic Resilience for Vulnerable Women in Vaz” and another £2,000 (Van Neste) for the Learning Pack. We also received income from calendar sponsorship. calendar sales, the on-going GoFundMe Crowdfunder, and various unsolicited donations.

3.1.3 Expenditure

Expenditure overseas in Beira of over £8,000 included the Vaz project, the Dance Outreach and quarterly payments to ADEL for core costs plus their Monitoring & Evaluation of BLB projects in Beira. Expenditure in Bristol included production of the Learning Pack, printing and distribution of the fundraising calendar; and minor core costs. A website specialist was engaged to complete a refresh after 3 years. All other BLB activities in Bristol have been undertaken by volunteers. This represents 70% spent on projects in Beira, Mozambique and 16% on projects in Bristol, UK.

3.2 Financial Planning and Management

3.2.1 Financial Reserves

As a voluntary organisation, we have specified minimum reserves of £12,500 at the end of each year, to include spending on:

assuming a minimum of £1,000 unrestricted donations. The end of year balance of nearly £15,000 includes approx. £1,250 restricted funds unspent on on-going projects. A surplus £1250 can thus supplement BLB activities in 2024-2025.

3.2.2 Financial Management

The Trustees aim to secure strong financial management of its finances by assessing the bi-monthly reports on the overall financial position of SARC, and the Financial Strategy for the following 12 months, both provided by the Treasurer. Whilst fundraising to cover reserves and core costs, and Crowdfunding, BLB relies primarily on grant applications for new initiatives.

3.2.3 Fundraising

SARC/BLB’s streams of fundraising undertaken by volunteers this year were:

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The trustees are working on their networks to motivate Bristol-Beira partnerships, initiate projects and unlock finance. The long-term sustainability of the charity depends on the motivation of volunteers to cover core costs as well as projects.

4 STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

4.1 Structure

4.1.1 Registration as CIO

The SARC Secretary completed the CIO registration on 26/08/2022, with the new charity number of 1200189 and the objects:

“For the public benefit in Southern Africa: to relieve poverty; to advance education; and to advance Southern African art, culture and heritage”.

The governing document of the CIO is a trust deed. The SARC Secretary made a presentation of the changes and implications at the November 2022 Trustees Meeting and has circulated a guide to Trustee duties.

4.1.2 Working Groups

The Trustees and volunteers contribute to either or both of the separate bi-monthly meetings of the Operational Working Group and the Programmes Working Group (which includes representatives of the partners overseas).

4.1.3 Policies and Procedures

We have reviewed our existing policies to align with the requirements of the CIO. These include:

In addition, we have policies for:

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4.1.4 Trustees and Volunteers

SARC was saddened by the unexpected death of Trustee, Roger James on 18[th] June 2024. He had been involved with SARC and BLB since 1990. He was a passionate internationalist and environmentalist, tirelessly campaigning, in particular on climate change and social justice. We now have 4 volunteer Trustees from diverse professions and backgrounds, who undertake the activities of SARC and BLB, with an additional 5 volunteers, including university students and teachers, who focus on BLB. BLB was particularly pleased to welcome a MSc International Business student from University of Bristol who took over the social media content, a marine consultant who contributed to the preparation of project proposals, and a University of Bristol staff member who took over volunteer management. BLB has also benefited from the activities of Bristol City Council’s International Twinning Officer. This took the pressure off the Trustees, and enabled us to move forward a number of items in particular the Learning Pack. We are also indebted to a RedCross Project manager who has volunteered to manage the Dance Programme in Beira. We are actively looking for more Trustees and volunteers through social networks and umbrella organisations, to strengthen the Working Groups and the Trustee board.

4.2 Governance

4.2.1 Participation

We have held Trustee meetings approximately every 2 months, and held two workshops including volunteers, to discuss our workplan for the coming year. The two working groups, one for Programmes and another for Operations, consisting of Trustees and volunteers, have met approximately every two months.

4.2.2 Partner Agreements

As agreed in the Memorandum of Understanding with ADEL, we have contributed to their core funding every quarter, and included them in our Programme Working Group Meetings, in addition to project related meetings. In conjunction with ADEL, we prepare and annual Strategic Development Plan. All grants made by SARC are preceded by Donation Agreements signed by both SARC and the organisation receiving the grant.

4.2.3 Monitoring and Evaluation

We complete a Monitoring and Evaluation checklist for each project, including grant applications made, grants received, and grants expended. The organisation which has received the grant are asked to provide a qualitative report with photographs, either in the format of our grant giver, or in the format of the recipient organisation.

4.3 Management

4.3.1 Work Plan

We have prepared a work plan for the years 2023-2024-2025, to prioritise actions for SARC, and the two BLB working groups. Consequently, we will be able to continue with the initiatives undertaken this year and ensure that we are a sustainable organisation.

4.3.2 Communications

The use of zoom has ensured good attendance at our regular internal meetings and workshops based in Bristol, as well as regular virtual meetings with ADEL in Beira. We have managed to increase our followers on BLB’s Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook through regular social media posts. These all contain news affecting Beira and describe the activities of BLB and our partners in Beira, and highlighting opportunities for Mozambicans sponsored by UK and Commonwealth organisations. We assemble these posts, with other relevant articles, as newsletters sent to subscribing supporters approximately every quarter.

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Annual Report and Accounts, year-end 31 October 2024

4.3.3 Umbrella organisations

We actively follow the activities and advice of relevant volunteer, charity and international development organisations. Of particular relevance are South West International Development Network (SWIDN) and Small International Development Charities Network (SIDCN).

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Statement of Trustees Responsibility

Company law requires the directors, who are also charity Trustees to prepare financial statements that give a true and fair view of the organisation's financial activities during the year and its financial position at the end of the year.

In doing so the Trustees are required to:

  1. select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

  2. make judgements and reasonable and prudent judgement;

  3. state whether applicable accounting standards and statement of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;

  4. prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the organisation will continue in operation.

The Trustees are also responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with applicable law, regulations and the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Signed on behalf of the Board of Trustees

………………………………………...

Date xx/xx/22024

Peninah Achieng-Kindberg Trustee Chair

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5 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCOME AND EXPENDITURE)

Incoming Resources
Fundraising
Grants (restricted)
Donation
Sponsorships
Total Incoming Resources
Resources Expended
Projects (UK restricted grants)
Projects (Overseas restricted grants)
Projects (Overseas)
Professional Fees
Printing, Postage and Sundries
Events
Fundraising Cost
Accountancy Fees
Bank Charges
Travel/Subsistence
Total Resources Expended
Net Surplus/Deficit for the year
Opening Funds
Closing Funds		 Total Funds £
2024
1,795
9,365
800
2650		 Total Funds £
2023
1,542
7,500
1,123
2,775
14,610 12,940
1,800
6,537
1,500
180
248
0
1,002
0
145
0		 1,030
,16,855
2,000
0
410
170
1002
0
240
87
11,412
3,198
11,726
14,924		 21,794
-8,854
20,580
11,726

(£1,175 Restricted funds at the end of the year)

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Annual Report and Accounts, year-end 31 October 2024

6 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION AS AT 31 OCTOBER 2024

Current Assets
Cash at bank
SARC Account
SARC Account (reserves)
Beira Fund
Beira Fund (reserves)
Total cash
Net Assets
Represented by
General Funds		 2024
2023
£
£
4,925
976
0
0
0
750
10,000
10,000
14,925
11,726
14,925
11,726
14,925
11,726
14,925
11,726

Signed on behalf of the Board of Trustees

Peninah Achieng-Kindberg Trustee Chair

Date xx/xx/2024

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