BLACKFRIARS OVERSEAS
AID TRUST
Fowlldtd 1984 bi Il¢mbtrn of9JO Tr*iiijli Nlsss C'ooRreR*lion
BoAr
ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS ?023
Rcgistered Charity. 288S8£

BOAT COMMirrEE
January to December 2023
Truilees (I'olinR)
Chdir CTL'rJldinL' Johnson
Chair of IIC)AI-
.Scc'ii'luii' Anna l.ucas
Pi4rii (Iqiiilu.¥) I SeLrLhtarn' until No%'L'mk'r)
Treasur¢r
TiY<i3iirer John 'lThanassoulis
/lss1 Tiyasiirer F i lomena Naire Regiular t)oiialions. Bra=jl
Rene Banares-Alcaniara
Eiliiopici (Zi=encho aiid Arekil)
7imbubi&'e uii(l Lg(Inda
Sierrd Leoiie
Mick C'onelrey
Jenifer DN'¢
IILILn Cjhosh
Peril (Limu (ind Ai'uc'iic.lii))
Annual RLPOrt, ,N'iL'ai cixiia
Uxai7da (Biilindi oiid kisyuiiiba ￿ri)he5}
Ag N4aLKeiih
RusalcLn OLkLndLn
C-ommittee Ill¢M￿r5 (non-loling)
Kaiherine Backler
I:-Ihioi)ia <.￿11.¥.￿101I ol'HopeJ: Peril (Aipiciniiipii)
-,l.li'aiiipiar, Pliilii?piiieJ
C<inieivun and In(lid (Alliii)ulli)
Ug(11?d<i (Cancer Trusl)
Julie l.)'nLh Hridson
Rinaldo C'aprolli
Nicolette Miclic15
Thoin&s N4aiinioii OPI
Auguslinc C hen OP
Autumn Roi4'<1n-I lull
Jamaica and Rifv'aiidu
liidici (Siigun<lliJ
Fi'en'one in ihe 9.-10 ciJnRre2alion has a parl lo i>lai' in keei>inR
IIOAT'% lar21' flect of projtcls afloat. l¥'i' arc i'en. Rratc.ful
for Ihe geaer0115 rcspon5CS to our app¢a15 for help and for our
comm uniti tri initiatii'e. skill an(1 h8r(1 w ()rk in
raising ftsnds in so mani. crealii'e *#i's.
Roglslornd Charfty Plo. 288585

CHAtR'S REPORT 2023
Dear Friends of BOAT.
Here in OxloTd, where Taini. daTrs can seem endless and we don'i ihink iwice aboul lo the tap
to fi I l a t¢apot. it can bc hard to imaginc a world in which safc drinking ii'arcr is a scarcL commodity.
But rcadinu) through ihc Annual Rcport. l am struck bTr liow." man}, of thc projccts siipport¥d bTr BOA I.
include as a keTr' objeclii'e ensuriiig access lo clean and pleiiliful waler.
The imporlance ol'waleT seen in Ihe 2023 Lenien Project, which foLused on raisingy tunds for a new
atcr ￿.¢11 for thc Allipalli Childrcn s C'cnlrty in Andhra Pradcsh. India. 'lThc old borc holc could no
loiiger proi'ide enougih ￿..aler lor ilie children and surrouiidiiigy con]munilv dLiring ihe drought seasorL
when teinperdlures Can reach io C. The old well also did iiol have a proper filtration sysleni. Thanks
lo thc 9:JOam ('ongrcgation's g¢n¢rosily, an in)prcssiTrc £8,iOO was raiscd io drill a n¥w boT¢ holc.
'lThis has now becn completcd, down to a dcpih of IJO m, and thc children and local cominuniry
finally haN'e access to clean and plentiful water all )'ear round.
Water is also Central to the mission of another project supported b) BOAT, Li￿1￿g Water M) anmar.
-lThis initiativc is dcdicatvd to installii)g ￿al¢r ianks in M>'anmar s dry 7.onc. By collLciing and storing
rainwater: willagers (inLludingTr children) Lan avoid daily multi-hour Irekb- to letL"h Iresh ivaler. The
time savcd has all0￿"ed thc cliildrcn to attend iiewl}'_cstablished cominuniti, schools, with life-
changing cducational bencfits. In 202J: BOAT'S doi)ation allow'cd four new 5000-gallon taiiks to bc
built. In the ￿'OrdS ok- Ihe fiounder ol-LivingT Water Myanrn￿, RoSeM<￿Y BTeen= 'Water is liLe. GiN'ing
water is gii,"ingi l jle.
BOAT also supports thc 'Smilc With Lls, Orphanagc in Sicrra Leone, which proTridcs a homc,
eduLdtion, and dLtivities t()r Lhildren ￿'hO￿e p(IrenLs hai,'v died ol-AIDS. In 2023, funds fr()m BOAT
dllowed a teLhniLian to be hired by the orphdnage to help drill a new well in Ihe most dppropridte
location. "L'he techntcian is now oTrerseeing the installation of a hand pump, which will provide a more
robust I￿ay lo punip Tr4'ater than is eurrentlv possible. Thanks to BOAT. the lives of these children and
their Ldreri hdN'e been m4ide s(ifer bj h(t%'ing <icLe%% ti) cle<￿ ￿'d(er.
Idter plays a very. dillerenl role in Bulindi in Ugiandd where Fr Sebastian oi'ersees a larg7e parish.
I lere: in ihe rain), season, stagnant water becornes a breeding ground for mosqiiitos who Iransmit
Tnalari(i. Thank% t() BOAT, Fr seb(15ti(￿ puroh(i%ed ()i.'eT 700
m()%quit() net% in 2021, w'hiLh were di%tributed to the m()%1
common viclims of this deadlTr disease. namel>. )'oung
childreTh expeclant mothers, and the elderl),. Fr Sebastian
rep()rt% that all tho%e issued Tn()%quitc) nets dre dlive and M'ell;
an()ther example of the life-￿VIng￿ work made ￿)55]hI¢ bv
BOAT.
All of BOA"r's currcnt 19 projccts in Africa. Asia. and l.atin
America conlinue io receive annual donalions 01 £4.000,
which ￿'e used noi Onl￿ lor ￿aler-relaLed iniiiaiiiies, bul also
to tacklc manN' tyFKS of h¥alth. cducational, ironniciital.
and social challcngcs. 'l-hc ania7iiig ongoing gcncrositi,- of our
supporiers in Oxford and bevond has alloi4.'ed us lo n]ainlain
Ihis leiiel ol'l'undingy aiid thereb￿ Loiilinue lo improN'e the li￿eS
of som¢ of thc world's most dcprifvcd pcoplc.
IIOA'I-'s activitics also ￿ncf1t all of us in thc 9-30am
ConnreLialioii bv opeiiingy our eyeb lo ilie dil]iculiies l.aced b} our fello¥w hlunan beingTs aroLU)d ihe
orld. In NoTrcmlKr, ￿￿'C w'crc bl¥ss¢d to l)car Fr C'lifton I larris OP tcll us abour thc chall¢ng¢s that

confroni ilie coi]llMunily where one of BOAT'S benelLciaries,
the Cllrisl the King Basic Scliool in Kiiigslon. Jamaica. is
localcd. Fr c.lifton spokc moTringl} at Blackfriars about
rninistcring to thc voiing pcoplc of August -loMm: onc of
KingFslon s most deprived aiid violeiit neighbourhoods (.%Le
pholo).
Wc also rcccivcd a first-hand rcport about tlic Sugandh
C.hariiy in Neiv Delhi from Aulumn R0￿.an-HU]1, a n)eniber
olilie BOAI. C oininillee who visiled the projecl willi her sons.
This gai'c Lis ncw insights Into th¢ iinportaiit work iindcrtakcn
by Sugandh with BOAT'S support.
BOA'I'S fund-raisingj aclivities in Oxford provide wonderful
opportunili¢s for our OMI lo¢al Coininunity io gath¢r at ¢veiils
like the I larwest Auclion and oiir cafes. We are cnorniousl}'
gralcful to Ihc l)ominican con)miii)ity ai Ellackfriars for
hostiiig these eveiits atid Br Augiusline Chen l.or serving on
1he BOAT Coinlnillee. Ag MacKeiih coiilinues lo go above
aiid bcioiid b! produciiig ihc Annual Report and leading a
rncn? gang of card-makcrs who rc¢ycl¢ cards for salc on bchalf of BOAI.. Ciilli Robbins faithfiilly
includes BOAI. noliLes in the ￿'eCkI! Newsleller, Ivliile Ad￿ll Hodg7kin N'ery kiiidly served once agiain
as ilie Indepeiideiit Exanlliier ol BOAT-'s litmiices. Jenifer Dye
and .loshua l)ubin hcroicallv bring IheiT collcction of i'intage
china io our cafcs. ii.hile Yinghui C'anlro bakes thc niost
dmdzing bread. In taLt. Ying,hui'% bread.% are %ULh a %ULLess that
they merit their i)wn Separdte entrv in the BOAT aLLount%.
I would also like to thank ihe BOAT Committee for their
invaludble help and expertise. Thi% inLliides ()ur dediLated
Trea%urer. John Thanas%()ulis,' Filomena Ndve. who as
Treasurer reclaimed (iifi Aid worth over £15,000 in 2023.. and
Anna Lucas, who after so many }'ears ably chairing BOAT. very
kindly Lontinued t() %erve SeLretary until November 2023.
M), final and most heartfelt thanks go to evervone reading this
rep()rt fc)T y()ur verv generciu.% %upp()rt nt BOAT in sc) miiny
difierent wtly% (tnd t()r your ()n¥()ing belief'that by t"undingT %mall.
Ivcal initl¢itives iiround the world. M'e lan n]ake a re(il diftercnce
to the lives of others.
BOAT'S Public Benefit
All charitics, includiniy smaller ones like BOAT. arc requÈrcd lo report on the 'piiblÉc benefit, they
bring through their actiiiities and to describe how they have achieved their objectives.
Our Purpose
Under our conslitution as a regis'lered cliarity. llie purposes of BOAT are lo 'provide support for the
cl)aritable actiTrities of Christian parislies, or8anisatlOl)S OT SOCiLtiLS. Situalcd or il'orking outside
Europe, Ihe Uniied Siaies, C￿da, Australia and New Zealand. in (i) Ilie reliefof poverty.. and (li} the
advancement of education., Everyoiie attending Mass at Blackcrlarb or giviiigT to BOA'I" on a reg>ular
basis is regardcd as a mcmbcr of tl)c-I rust. 'l-hc formal .1 rustccs arc a comniittcc oftcn pcoplc. clLCtLd
each }'-car at our Annual Gcncral Meeting. A rcprcscntativc from tlie l)ominican conimunity - Ilr

Bede MulleLis froLn January 2019 unLil October 2022. willi Br Tliomas Mannion slepping in Iroin
NoTrcmbcr- also sits on thc Commitlcc. as a link to thc Priory ￿..hICh is hon)¢ to IIOA I..
The Beneflt We Brlng
IN'e IiaN'e paid due regrard 10 Ihe Charit> Coinmission's public benelil guid￿]Ce. Under our Principles
for (Jiving, updal¥d al Olir Atim in 2007. ￿.¢ ha￿¢ a ￿'¢r! clcar Scl of critcria for th¢ projccls wc
support and for asscssing thc public bcncfit thal support will bring. On thc kcy principlc tliat Mc want
OLtr fiinding reall}, lo 'm8ke a ditTerence', iwe aim lo support relalively sn)all-sealc or grass-rools
projecis will) ￿g￿LI1ar granis of £4.000 in 2022. Some lunding will be oiie-oly, parlicul<vly in the Lase
of our annual l.ci)Icn Appcal. EILii in mosi cas¥s. projccls i4.ill bc fundcd for throL ycars and ih¥n
considered for renew'al on a rolliiig basls.
W'c alwa}'s look for projccts with somc link to thc 9..)0 P'amily Mass congregation or to thc l)ominican
Order. Alihounh inosi projccls ￿'e siipport have Caiholic Icadcrship or a sirong Cailiolic coiinLclion.
11)is is noi a reqliiremeni, and we do iioi Lund any Lorin of proselyLi£ing. We n)ake bure ihai there is
rcgjiilar pcrsonal contact. partly $0 that wc can id¢ntify- prioriti¢s and i)ccds quickl!. but also so Th'¢
can bcttcr help thc Congrcgation and othcr supportCTS understand thc challcngcs facud b), thL projects
w¢ suppori. IlfL aim lo help coinmuniiics lind long-lcmi soliilioiis lo ililir i)ceds, raihcr than thorl-
lerm Li,xes. eveii if. Ironi liine 10 iiine. we do gJj¥'e inoiiey 10 help with eniergJenLy silualions. As you
read throLigli this TeporL JOU ￿,111 see thal our Projecls l-all broadly inlo three areas..
Healtb: especially priniary healib care and pre￿.el]tive niedicine:
Welfare: cspcciall}' for childrcn, pcoplL With disabilitics, rcfu8ccs: and victims of war,
poK'ertJ' and i'iolence or exploiiaiion ofany kiiid.
F.du¢ation: particularl! practical skills, won)¢i)'s cdiication, and thc provision of basic
cducational nccds for childr¥n.
We are always lookinL, for new projecls Io SLlPPOrt iK)Ih regularly and on a one-o(fbasis. Tliank you
ror pulLiiig BOAT in IoLich Kiiih so nianj. dedicated people and please keep )'OUT suggeslions for
possible new projecls comiiig in.
Geraldine A. Johnson
Cliair ofBOA T
I st May 2024

## **Brazil** 

## **São Paulo da Cruz, Calvário Church** 


important, the children receive three meals a day (breakfast, lunch and tea), with emphasis on a healthy diet and hygiene. BOAT’s 2022 donation was used to adapt the Centre facilities to improve accessibility for children with disabilities. The manager, Dona Ida Oliveira, has confirmed that the building work was completed. In 2023, as planned, the number of children increased to 127, including 28 children with special needs. In addition to the activities for children (examples shown in the photos), there are regular talks and workshops for the families who are encouraged to participate in the development of their children. 

BOAT has supported the Centre for Children São Paulo da Cruz in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, since 2005. This continues to be a worthwhile project where children aged 6 to 15 years old, from low-income families, are kept off the streets outside school hours, as schooling in Brazil is only half-a-day. In a safe enviroment the children are occupied with social, recreational and educational activities that complement the state school education. The skills learned in the Centre give them a real chance to escape poverty, some of them continuing to higher education. Most 


_Filomena Nave_ 

## **Cameroon** 

## **ARCH, Dibanda** 

The Associated Rehabilitation Centre for the Handicapped (ARCH) was founded in 1986 and provides professional rehabilitation services to people living with disabilities, with the aim of enabling them to become re-integrated into society. Some patients are disabled at birth or suffer birth trauma, others have developed disabilities or deformities because of malnourishment, disease or accidents. The centre has grown over the years. In 2023 they treated over 2,400 patients, over 20% more than in 2022, coming from the local community and hospitals located in the southwest 

4 



region of Carneroon. Children account for nearly 500/0 of all cases treated.
The a¢tiviti¢s range from consultation and tr¢atm¢nt of persons with special physical ne¢ds,
counselling families and persons living with disabilitie.8, prevention of physical def1cieneies and
deforn]ities to follow-llp and follow-through activities for physically handicapped persons who have
been rehabilitated. ARCH also promote, explain and further the rights of physically handicapped
persons through local and national campaigns.
BOAT has sUPPOrted ARCH oveT the years, providing funds to improve
the facilities at ihe hospital, increase food production used by carers and
patients and re-build their incinerator, now a modern furnace designed for
burning hazardous matcrials and gcncral hospital waste.
The new project for 2023124 aims to treat patients with disabilities and
provide general health education to people who live in rural areas and are
unable to reach the hospital due to the poor road conditions. There is an
increasing need for this activity as many families have been forced to
abandon their homes and flee into the bush to escape the hit-and-run
attack5, ambushe5 and raids that flair up from time to time. BOAT is in the
proces5 of supporting the purchase of a four-wheel drive van that can
tackle toug7h terrain. This will allow ARCH to reach these remote
communilie5 where the need is niobt acute as people with dibabilities have no support.
Rinaldo Caprolti
Ethiopia
Zizencho and Arekit
The Bethany Sisters, who are in charge of the schools at the villages of Zizencho and Arekit, send
their greetings to all BOAT'S donors.
Zizencho is a very rural village where all families depend on farn]ing. They cultivate barley, potatoes,
and false bananas. Their main food are false bananas (also known as Abyssinian bananas), which are
Ethiopia's most important root crop - the fnjits of the plant
are inedible. The roots of false bananas provide staple food
for around 20 million people in Ethiopia.
Most olth¢ famili¢s in Ziz¢n¢ho ar¢ v¢ry poor and do not hav¢
enough food, potable water, clothing, or oth¢r ¢ssential
facilities. Many children come to school on an empty
stomach, so the Bethany Sisters provide a midday meal for the
kindergarten children.
It is common for people to live in expanded families, with
unwanted Mothers and unwanted children, and this results in
rnany children livingJ with their gJrandparents who are old and
have limited opportunities to find work. Families in general
are suffering from lack of work, food. and water.
Ethiopian political problems also affect the people's day-to-
day life. On top of this, the inflation rate is very high (around 300/.), rnaking everything in the market
very expensive, and many adults have lost their jobs in the city where some of them have had to
migrate.

With the help of BOAT and the Jean Grove Trust, the Bethany Sisters are doing something for these villages by providing quality education. Some students who have graduated from these schools are now studying for higher degrees, some are working in the schools as teachers, and most of them have found good jobs. The picture shows Bishop Abune Musie with the Bethany Sisters at the Zizencho school. 

Sister Prashantha sends her gratitude to BOAT for its continuous help. 

_René Bañares-Alcántara_ 

## **Ethiopia** 

## **Mission of Hope, Gode** 


The Mission of Hope in Gode, Ethiopia, supports women who have been coerced or compelled into prostitution to escape the sex industry and build better lives for themselves and their children. The project, run by Sr Mary Joachim with the support of a social worker, Bethlehem, and occasional volunteers, provides these women with healthcare, childcare, and training, and helps them rebuild their sense of dignity and significance. Women who are well enough weave scarves for sale, and 

are helped to set up individual bank accounts for the proceeds. This year they exported 300 woven scarves to Austria and Poland. The project is currently supporting 27 women, 11 men, and their 47 children, but still has to turn women away every day. 

This year the project’s weekly football club, which offers local children, who are being drawn into gangs, somewhere safe to play instead, expanded into a summer programme and then an informal Sunday League. They do some training, play a match, and eat ice cream before going home at the end of the afternoon. 

As well as their weaving, the women are also being taught basic literacy, which they are enjoying: ‘There has been much joy and laughter, as well as the painstaking efforts they put into learning to write their 

6 



names,’ Sr Mary Joachim writes. ‘These women are thirsty to learn, to acquire a skill, to discover their capacities. 

After a long wait for rain, the crops flooded, and the banana plants had to be dug out of the mud. It has been possible to rescue about two-thirds of the banana crop, and everyone was delighted with the 44kg sweet potato harvest earlier in the year. A new irrigation scheme will give the other crops a better chance, now that the dry season has begun again. 

Currently the project’s most acute need is better education for the children. Schools in the area are prohibitively expensive or would not accept the children because they are not from the ‘right’ tribal group (their mothers having come from outside Gode to find work there). The children receive some teaching at the project from overseas volunteers and flourish under their attention, but it is frustrating to think how much more they could learn with professional teachers. Sr Mary Joachim is seeking retired teachers to come out to volunteer, even if only for a few months. 

Sr Mary Joachim thanks BOAT, and BOAT thanks all its supporters, ‘for all the financial help, prayers, and love given to us over this year.’ 

_Katherine Backler_ 

## **India** 

## **Allapalli, Andhra Pradesh** 

Allipalli Mary Matha Boarding Home and School is in the diocese of Eluru, in Andhra Pradesh, one of the poorest regions in India. It was established in 1989 with 15 children. Today, more than four hundred and fifty children, all orphans or destitute, are given free shelter, clothing, food, and education. The aim of the centre is to help the children build a bright future for themselves. The school also supports the inhabitants of villages close by: activities undertaken range, amongst others, from running health awareness courses, providing free health consultation and food, to running women empowerment programmes. 

The challenge in 2023 was to maintain the same level of support to the children and the local community, despite reduced donations due to the economic crisis. There is also an urgent need to boost the supply of clean water. In Andhra Pradesh the average daily temperature in the dry season ranges from 30C up to 50C on the hottest days. The Mary Matha well provides water for drinking, personal hygiene and for other uses like irrigation, but during the dry season it is insufficient to meet even the most basic needs. Even so, during times of drought, water from the well is also supplied to 

7 



the surrounding villages. A capital project is under way, supported by BOAT, to drill a new well, deep enough to ensure a constant supply of fresh water, and to fit a modern filtration system that makes the water safe to drink. When complete, it will provide a safe and secure source of life-saving drinking water for many years to come (see the section on the Lenten appeal). 

## _Rinaldo Caprotti_ 

## **India** 

## **Sugandh, New Delhi** 

Sugandh Foundation is a not-for-profit organization based in New Delhi, India. The organization was established in 2014 with the aim of helping underprivileged children, particularly those from economically weaker sections of society. Sugandh Foundation works towards the betterment of these children by providing them with education, healthcare, and other essential services. The organisation is registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. 

The Foundation has several ongoing projects aimed at improving lives. These include: 

**1.** Education: The organisation provides education to children who cannot afford to attend school. It has established several learning centres across the country where children can receive free education. The programme was attended by 1,323 students, of whom 60 also received uniforms and shoes. Seventy-two children went on to mainline school. The organisation runs a mid-day meal programme for school-going children. This programme ensures that children receive the nutritional meals that are so important for their overall health and well-being. 

**2.** Healthcare: The Foundation runs healthcare programmes for people, especially children, who do not have access to proper medical facilities. Regular health camps in slum areas provide basic healthcare services. As many as 1,910 women and men received vitamins and 


medicine from the programme last year. 

**3.** Skill development and Self Help: The Foundation also runs skill development and self-help programmes which teach skills to help people earn their living. In particular, these are aimed at helping women. Forty-two students who attended the sewing centres are now able to support their families. Twenty-five sewing machines have been handed out, and 13 women have started small businesses. Self-help groups (SHG) were introduced by India’s government to empower women at the grassroots, and 469 women have now joined a group. 

**4.** Advocacy and relief work: The foundation has supported people, especially women, to express their views and wishes, and stand up for their rights. Interest was expressed by 1,456 people, and 365 were helped to acquire government documents such as birth certificates, death certificates, 

8 



bank documents, voter ID cards, ration cards and labour cards. A further 481 people received blankets, and 45 people, who had lost their jobs due to Covid-related issues, were given rations. 

The Sugandh Foundation has made significant progress. The organisation has been able to reach out to 5,620 families in the slum area and provide them with essential services to make a significant impact. They have also provided opportunities for communities to be able to get together to celebrate Independence Day, Republic Day, Cancer Day, Tuberculosis Day and International Women’s Day, as well as a social picnic for the children and training for the staff. BOAT’s ongoing support has been vital in helping the Sugandh foundation reach these ongoing aims in providing support for these communities. 

## _Autumn Rowan Hull_ 

## **Jamaica** 

## **Christ the King Basic School, Kingston** 

Christ the King Basic School, August Town educates children aged 3 to 6. The school is located in a community centre in August Town, one of Kingston’s most violent districts. Prior to 2020, when BOAT support commenced, the school was overwhelmingly reliant on the generosity and goodwill of its wider community – one permeated by a lively and generous spirit despite threats posed 


to it by serious poverty and violence. The school undertook to provide teaching and daily meals to 40 children, at a termly charge of 6,500 JMD (£40). This raised an annual income of £4,800, which paid for the salaries of five staff-members, the overheads and food costs for the 40 children. 

BOAT’s annual contribution of £4,000 is a crucial contribution to the school’s endeavours, to the health of the children, and to the well-being of the wider community (by relieving pressures on local families). The parish in which the school is located is served by the Dominican friars and is regularly visited by the Oxford brethren, who have duly noted the school’s encouraging progress, thanks to BOAT’s contributions. The school is now able to provide twice-daily meals to its pupils and is in the process of constructing a secure playground for them. 

In 2023, BOAT contributed £10,000 towards capital expenditure. This allowed the school to install a badly-needed new roof over part of the building and to repair paving, fencing and windows. The school is grateful to BOAT and its individual members for their assistance. 

The school has further plans to develop a computer centre for pupils which could be used by members of the wider community outside school hours, who would otherwise lack computer access. The school would be grateful for help to acquire new storage-containers to prevent wildlife from interfering with school supplies and food, and filing-cabinets for school records. The school would also appreciate assistance towards the preparation and maintenance of its playground, integral as it is to the physical, mental and emotional well-being of its pupils. 

_Augustine Chen OP_ 

9 



## **�������** 

## **������������������** 

## � _�������������������������������������_ ����������������������������������������� 

**Myanmar** ����������������������������������������� ����������������� ����������������������� **Living Water** ���� **Myanmar** �� ������ ����� ������� ������ � �������������������������“ _Water is life. Giving_ �� _water is giving life”._ ���� �� �������� ������Rosemary Breen, founder of����� ��������� �����������Living Water Myanmar��� �������� ����������������������Since 2017, BOAT has ��supported�������the life-giving�������� ���������������������work of Living Water ��������������������Myanmar (LWM), a grassroots initiative begun in 2011 by Rosemary Breen, which finances, ����������������������constructs, and installs water tanks in the Dry Zone of Central Myanmar. Coordinator Soya Toe and ������������������������his dedicated team work with local communities to identify areas with the most pressing water needs. ����������������������The tanks are then erected with help from local volunteers in the grounds of schools or health ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������clinics.The tanks – which belong to the community – collect rainwater during the monsoon season, ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������or water from boreholes in some cases. ��������������������� In addition to ensuring a stable source of water throughout the year, the tanks have transformed the ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������lives of local communities. People no longer have to travel several hours a day along dusty, rugged �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������paths just to fetch fresh water from the nearest rivers or streams. As a result, these tanks have freed �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������up time for communities to establish local schools and for children to attend them. ���������������������������������������������������������������������� To date, over 446 tanks have been constructed by LWM. Rosemary’s hope is ultimately to reach 500 

��������������������������������������������������������������������������������tanks. BOAT’s 2023 donation to LWM was used to construct four new 5000-gallon tanks: two tanks �������������������������������������������������������������������������������for the community of Ay Gyi, a village with a population of 1300 in the Chauk township; one tank ������������������������������������������������������������������������������for the village school of Kyaung Du, near Kyaukpadaung; and one tank for the village school of ������������������������������������������������������������������������������Kyauktan village, also in the Chauk township. ��������������������������������������� Rosemary sends her love and heartfelt gratitude to BOAT supporters: “Please thank the wonderful ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������Oxford folk who have been so generous to LWM. I hope someday you will go to see the difference ����������������������������������������������������������������������������you have made in a forgotten part of our world!” ��������������������������������������� _Julie Lynch Bridson_ 

_�����������������_ 

## **��������� Nicaragua** 

## **��������� Guadalupe** 

��������������������������������������������������������������������������With the support of BOAT, the Nicaragua Education, Culture and Arts Trust (NECAT), a UK�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������registered charity based in Oxford, has been working with its contacts in Nicaragua to provide meals ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������for school children from low-income families living in areas suffering from extreme levels of poverty. ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������The meals project has been running for over a decade. Although the project always takes the same form – the feeding of hungry children – it has moved between sites for various reasons. Its most recent base was at the NECAT ‘Learning Reinforcement Centre’ in Guadalupe. 

10 



The main project at the Centre is now early education for 2- to 5-year-olds following the Montessori method. This is a rare initiative, in a country where learning by rote is the norm. Our contact is Gioconda, who sent an interesting insight into the way the school works. 2023 saw 28 boys and girls on the roster, who were helped to establish routines, develop security, independence, concentration, coordination, order and academic learning 

in various fields. All the children persevered in school throughout the year, apart from one child whose family emigrated. The number is now up to 29, and they hope to reach 30 soon. 

They organized four enjoyable and educational trips around the high spots in the local community, to the Leon University Veterinary School, to the University Botanical Garden and to El Xólotl farm. They were also able to provide psychological care to 11 children, three with autism, one with developmental delay, one with Downs Syndrome, one with socio-emotional problems, and five in need of speech stimulation. 

They also established an alliance with Viva León Leyendo (a project that promotes a culture of reading in homes and schools, and holds weekly story hours with puppet shows, etc, in public spaces – hugely valuable in a culture that rarely sees children’s books), who paid them 29 visits in 2023. Stories focussed on moral values, good habits and the consolidation of general knowledge, especially colours, animal names, the importance of sharing, respect for others and solidarity, the importance of telling the truth and not having secrets from our parents, and respect for our bodies. And, of course, the children learned to love reading and strengthened their oratory skills, vocabulary and confidence when speaking in front of the public. 

The food programme continues to benefit the children in all sorts of ways, not just in ensuring a healthy diet, but in instilling habits of hygiene and good table manners, as well as involving the parents in the cooking rota, which promotes healthy eating at home as well. The picture shows that the children take the cooking seriously too! 

_Ag MacKeith_ 

## **Peru** 

## **Amantani** 

2023 was BOAT’s second year supporting Amantani, a project which works with young people and women artisans in Ccora and Huanoquite in the Peruvian Andes. Poverty and difficulties accessing schools have meant that most of these young people’s parent s and grandparents were unable to finish primary school. Through its ‘Pathways Programme’, Amantani is supporting the next generation to finish secondary school and go on to access further education and fair employment. This year, the Pathways Programme offered workshops and residential courses to over 250 secondary-aged students, covering topics including self-esteem, resilience, drug and alcohol use, relationships, options after leaving school, independent living, and work opportunities, as well as maths and communication. 

11 



It also supported 90 young people through tertiary education, mostly on vocational courses, offering practical support and advocacy to help them complete their courses. 25 of these students graduated this year, including three young mothers. Pictured is Yulisa at her graduation with her son; Amantani helped her stay on her Industrial Food Processing 


course even after she and her son got ill, by liaising with her, her tutor, her parents, and the educational institute’s councils to get her the practical and emotional support she needed. 


As well as its Pathways Programme, Amantani runs an Ethical Trade Project, which supports 39 women handweavers to foster their cultural traditions and maintain financial independence through their craftwork. Weavers make traditional bracelets which are sold through commercial partners including Shoezone. This year, Amantani also offered personal development workshops to its artisans, covering topics from health (including breast cancer screening) to budgeting. The workshops are given in Quechua, participants’ first language. 

_Katherine Backler_ 

## **Peru** 

## **Lima (San Benito) and Ayacucho** 

An era in BOAT’s support for the Warmi Huasi project in Lima and Ayacucho has come to an end with the retirement of Columban Father Ed O’Connell. We have been supporting this project for many years, under Ed’s inspirational leadership, but he assures us that he will continue to be closely involved with the community and the work of the project. 

Warmi Huasi provides support in the form of reading and homework clubs for children and adolescents in some of the most economically and socially challenged communities in Peru, who would otherwise be at risk of violence and bullying while their parents are at work. From its origins in the San Benito township in Lima, the project has now grown to include two towns, Lampa and Pausa, in the mountainous Ayacucho region. Just as importantly for the long-term future of these communities, the young people are encouraged and enabled to take a full part in local decisions about services and the environment they live in. 


12 



A wonderful video which you can find on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/Z876vKaSW9o?si=wtQqiTqsj4gw2UA8 describes the experience of some young “agents of change” supported by Warmi Huasi. As you can see from the photo, in Lima this has included the “reclamation” of a local park as a green space for recreation, and the creation of an organic garden for growing flowers and vegetables. 

Father Ed writes: 

“Many thanks for your support which is very important to the Warmi Huasi team and to me. But even more so to the families with whom we work and of course especially the children and adolescents in North Lima and Ayacucho. It is much appreciated. 

After the pandemic years, the work is now back at full pace with children and adolescents, their parents, community leaders, municipal officials and authorities, as well as Government sectors such as Education, Health, Women and Vulnerable People, the Judiciary and Police. In this work Warmi Huasi has gained ground in getting the public sector authorities to fulfil their statutory roles. 

As well, parents and community leaders are exercising their rightful roles as citizens, by accompanying the young people in their activities and themselves holding the authorities to account. All of this was possible because of the formation and accompaniment received by the children and adolescents from the Warmi Huasi team. This has enabled them to develop their potential as individuals and as an organisation. 

2023 has also seen my return to Britain, but nevertheless I attend by Zoom the meetings of the Executive and full Board meetings. I am contact regularly by Whatsapp with the new president of Warmi Huasi and with the Institutional Coordinator, especially with regard to the financial side, and I help with the translations of the reports and project applications. 

I plan to visit Peru next year, to celebrate my 80th birthday and to visit the project both in North Lima and in Ayacucho. I am still the link with yourselves and I forward the funding through the Columbans in Britain to the Columbans in Peru and there the funds are placed in the Warmi Huasi bank account for immediate use.” 

We wish Fr Ed a very happy retirement, and look forward to a continuing relationship with him and communities supported by Warmi Huasi. 

_Helen Ghosh_ 

## **Peru** 

## **Apostolic Vicariate of Iquitos** 

BOAT has been supporting the work of Fr Miguel Fuertes of the Apostolic Vicariate of Iquitos since 2021. That was the year when, thanks to your Lenten generosity, BOAT was able to send £7,500 to Fr Miguel to help him in his mission to ensure young people in his “parish” were provided with solarpowered radios so they could continue with their education during the Covid crisis. Fr Miguel’s “parish” is in Amazonian Northern Peru and covers an area approximately the size of Scotland, with parts only accessible by river. 

The following year, in 2022, the committee decided to support Fr Miguel’s long-standing and ongoing fight to ensure that women and girls in the vicariate are safe, honoured, and able to lead full and dignified lives. Sadly, in Peru as a whole, women and girls face horrible and frightening difficulties: violence of all kinds is rife, including domestic abuse, sexual abuse, rape, trafficking, kidnapping, and femicide. Indigenous women and girls have to deal with additional aggression and discrimination 

13 



(and it is shocking that many are yet to receive justice for the rapes and forced sterilizations carried out during the government of Alberto Fujimori). 

Fr Miguel and his team have been tackling these problems for many years. _Proyecto Mujeres Loretana_ runs workshops and discussion groups ( _see photo)_ where women and girls are taught about self-esteem, Human Rights (women’s, children’s, and indigenous people’s), women as leaders, and women in business. Engagement with the wider community is also an important part of the project: raising awareness of the problems of violence against women and intrafamilial violence, and making such violence unacceptable at a societal level. 

In addition, three lawyers are employed to give free legal advice on child maintenance payments, division of assets, protection orders, rape, assault, and other matters. In 2023, advice was given in 1,459 cases (of which 722 were new cases and 737 continuing cases). Many of the women and girls helped were referred to the legal service by local parishes and other organizations – but word of mouth is also proving an effective referrals system (with women who have received help themselves, sending other women in difficulty to the team). The photo shows a young mother at the free legal advice centre. 

Fr Miguel is a very efficient and resourceful team leader, skilled at managing all the administrative demands that such a project and such a huge parish imply. However, he is no bureaucrat: the love he feels for his flock and the sorrow he shares with the oppressed and maltreated are absolutely true and humbling. He writes of his discouragement at times but of the overriding example of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who urges him to carry on “fighting for Life”. 

“It was at the beginning of the 1990s that we started to focus more specifically on the prevention of violence against women (both in the home and in other areas of life), from childhood onwards (in some indigenous groups it was customary to hand over little girls, as young as 10, to the future husbands). We pushed for the same educational rights for girls as for boys. The setting up of the vicarial Office for Justice and Peace was key to raising awareness of and offering help to the victims of violence, by giving talks in the different parishes. 

“We have of course witnessed huge advances in the 


fight for equality for women and in the observance of women’s rights and dignity. However, it is also true to say that other social ills, afflicting women and girls in particular, have been emerging, human trafficking being one such; we are confronting this problem with determination, our aim being to help and rescue little girls and young girls from the traffickers of human beings, the traffickers of ‘human flesh’. 

“It is humanity’s lot that when mortal dangers are overcome, new ones immediately appear. Joys and defeats succeed one another – and sometimes even arrive together. We have seen many, many improvements and much progress, but we cannot lay down our arms. We have continually to renew our hope in humanity and in the work we have undertaken. It is not always easy and we sometimes feel like throwing in the towel; but the certainty that we are following the giver of life and that we must fight for Life – and a life of dignity, for everyone – along with the awareness of the many, many 

14 



people who help us… this is what gives us the strength to continue to fight the good fight (which is never the same but is always necessary).” 

_Anna Lucas_ 

## **Philippines** 

## **Midsalip, Missionary Sisters of St Columban** 

For numerous years, BOAT has supported the Subaanen Mission in Midsalip in the Philippines, under the current leadership of Sr. Winnie Apao from the Sisters of St. Columban. The Mission provides ongoing essential support to the indigenous local Subaanen people, facilitating access to education and healthcare, as well as safeguarding the ancestral lands of the Subaanen against mining operations, natural calamities, and harmful agricultural practices. 

Specifically, BOAT’s funding helps to support the seven pre-schools run by the Mission and which are all now recognized by the Department of Education. These schools are located in seven distant barrios and currently educate 207 students, using culture-based learning in the local language. BOAT funding is also used to support the Mission’s Youth Programmes, providing leadership and literacy classes for selected high school and college students from the local barrios, and youth camps to a wider group of children. The Mission also run Biodiversity and Farming Programmes to help to educate local people about sustainable farming practices, including promoting the use of natural fertilizers, composting and tree planting to avoid landslides. In addition to standing in solidarity with the local community in active protest against mining companies, the Mission also organizes interfaith celebrations for Indigenous People’s Day ( _see photo)_ , where people of all faiths come together to promote and strengthen Subaanen culture and practices. 

I share Sister Winnie’s inspiring and moving words from her Christmas letter: ‘As I am reflecting of our year 2023 journey, I could not stop praising and thanking the Lord for His great mercy and generosity to us here in Midsalip Subanen Ministry. There were many, many good things happened and abundant blessings we received. Like Mary in her pondering, “How can this be?” I also asked God, “How can I continue the ministry here in the Subanen Ministry?” In my prayer, I was inspired by what St Paul said in _Romans 15:13_ , “May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” I kept on clinging to God’s gift of Hope. This Hope enabled me to trust in Christ’s promises, to trust in the power of his love, his friendship, and divine providence. This also opened a new door for me and my companions to renew our service and commitment, especially to our most insignificant, discriminated and poor brothers and sisters. With the gift of Hope we were inspired to persevere through difficult times, pursue our dreams and goals, and had the strength and resilience to overcome challenges and setbacks. Hope enabled us to see that there is light, despite all of the darkness of poverty, landslide and other 

15 



natural calamitics, mining thrcat to our
anccstral and agricultural lands her¢ in
Midsalip and most of all th¢ diminishing
of the Subanen cultural practices and
identity. But with Hope, it contributed to
our well-being and happiness and
motivated us with positive actions by
continuing serving with our different
programmes and activities geared for the
development of our Subanen people.,
She concluded her letter by saying, 'As we
c¢l¢brate this Christmas season. w¢
continu¢ to pray for thc gift of Hop¢ to
carry us fonvard to another year of
bl¢ssing8 kmd s¢rvi¢e of lov¢ and mercy. On behalf of the Subanen Ministry I would like to express
again my sineerest gratitude for all your support and prayers to us. May the Christmas season bring
you the gift of faith, the blessing of hope, and the enduring peace ol. His love, not just tor now, but
always!, The photo above shows dancing at the Christtnas celebrations.
Julie Lynch Bridson
Rwanda
Network For Africa
Network for Africa works with communities in Rwanda, Sierra Leone and northern Uganda
devastatcd by war, particularly with th¢ survivors of conflicts long-past, forgotten onc¢ disaster rcli¢f
cfforts stoppcd. Thcy providc training in spccialiscd trauma counsclling so that survivors can navigat¢
th¢ long-t¢nn psychological cons¢qu¢nc¢s which often inhibit th¢ r¢¢ov¢ry of their ¢ommuniti¢s.
Those trained as ¢ounsellors ar¢ often th¢ms¢lv¢s survivors.
The Network's model of 'de-colonising aid, is key to its engagement with its beneficiaries. Rather
than directing everything from London, it equips it5 local partners with the 5ki115 necessary to take
charge wherever possible, especially by trainingJ counsellors. This is particularly pertinent gJiven the
charity's srnall size. The Network's role is financial rnanagJement and planningJ, reporting, (monitoring,
and evaluation), ensuring its partners are trained in and adhere to safeguarding and other policies,
fundraising for projects, and supporting local partners when requested.
BOAT'S assistance focuses on the Network's support of survivors of the Rwandan genocide. Of the
49 participants recruited to the entrepreneurship training prograrnme in Rwanda as per last year's
Report, 34 have now secured loans. In Rwanda alone, 12 new peer-counselling groups, with 300
members, are being supported in the east and south. Across its three countries, the Network's projects
have provided counselling to 1,782 people (an increase from last year's 1,286). The involvement of
beneficiaries in self-help groups has increased. members are trained in financial literacy, village
savings and loans and enterprise selection before receiving livelihoods, enabling each person to save
£49-£68 a year on averag7e. BOAT'S assistance has also contributed to the rang7e of other initiatives
undertaken, which include..
psycho-education, work_readiness training, mental health clinics,
rnaternal niental healih session5, comrnunity awareness-raisingJ sessions, drug, banks and funding
medication, and mental health clubs in schools.
16

In June, the Network will visit Burundi, which neighbours Rwanda, to assess the possibility of replicating its Rwandan projects there. It will be accompanied by Dr Shelly Evans, an American psychotherapist and volunteer for nearly 20 years. She will train an initial cohort of war survivors to become lay counsellors. Burundi is one of the areas in Africa most neglected by aid projects. It has suffered greatly from ethnic-based conflict for decades. BOAT’s support would significantly empower the Network and its partners to establish in Burundi their tried-and-tested model of peer support counsellors, group and individual counselling, support groups and savings schemes and, once beneficiaries feel able to manage their PTSD, offering them enterprise training. 

_Augustine Chen OP_ 

## **Sierra Leone** 

## **Koindu** 

2023/24 is the sixth year in which BOAT has supported this orphanage in the north-eastern Kailahun district of Sierra Leone. Founded and run by Mary Sesay, the orphanage takes in local children, many of whose parents had died from AIDS and were denied support from family or other sectors of the community because of the stigma attached to their parents’ illness. The orphanage now also takes children who have been abandoned for other reasons, and are subject to abuse or neglect in their domestic settings. Many have multiple needs, including impaired vision and hearing problems. The children’s two greatest needs at the orphanage are food and water, but Smile With Us is really the children’s ‘whole world’, where they receive nourishment, medical attention and clothing, and also academic, social and physical support. Due to its reputation, the number of children placed there continues to grow. 

Sierra Leone is a desperately poor country and abandoned or orphaned children are among the most vulnerable groups in that country. The Orphanage struggles on a daily basis to provide the basics for the children who live there, such as food and medicine. Stratospheric food prices make the Orphanage’s work very difficult. Our money makes a fundamental difference to the lives of these children. Previously our donations helped to build a well and a dining room, to furnish the dining room, and to fence off the Orphanage compound; to provide food, cutlery, and medical supplies; to pay for medical bills, uniforms, textbooks, pens, exercise books, extra lessons for those taking public exams, Monitors’ allowances, transport costs, Christmas entertainment and daily breakfast. The Orphanage emphasises education so that the children achieve well academically, including in external exams. The children have been cultivating a cassava farm since 2022. 

Our past donations enabled the Orphanage to introduce games and sport as regular features of Orphanage life to improve the children’s health and confidence. In the last year, the children have been given sports kit and T-shirts in house colours (red, yellow and green). The Orphanage staff say 

17 



sports events have contributed to making the pupils bold and assertive through competition and cooperation. The photo shows them lining up in their new sports kit 

The current challenge is to ensure that the well can reliably provide clean water. Earlier attempts to drill a well had struck impenetrable rock; and the Orphanage had insufficient funds to install a solar pump. Thanks to BOAT’s recent donations, Smile With Us has been able to engage a senior employee of the Sierra Leone Water Company (SALWACO) to assist in surveying and advising ( _see photo)_ , and further construction has continued. Good progress has been made: water is now rising through the rock into the well. The next stage, following the technician’s advice, is to install a hand pump. This is a more robust system and will be easier to maintain over the long term than a solar pump. 

BOAT’s donations in the last year totalled just over NLe 90,000 (leones). Just under 20% of that was spent on sporting activities, including the sports days and about 55% was spent on the well 


project. The remainder of the money continues to provide breakfasts and clothing for the children. We communicate with the Orphanage via a WhatsApp group and we receive information particularly from Tamba and Tim, the social workers involved with the Orphanage. Without their support, the orphanage would be in a very precarious position. Our UK link to the Smile With Us Orphanage is Penny Boreham Saban, a producer, presenter and writer, who works for the BBC World Service. Penny has longstanding links in Sierra Leone and knows the Orphanage well. 

_Jenifer Dye_ 

## **Uganda** 

## **Cancer Trust** 

All our friends at UCT express sincere and regular thanks for the continued support provided by 


BOAT to enable Liz Nabirye and the medical and volunteer team at MMPCU (Makerere and Mulago Palliative Care Unit) to continue to provide vital care to patients and their families: engaging cancer patients in their treatment and working to better outcomes. 

BOAT monies in particular enables UCT to employ nurse Liz and to provide additional support for the volunteer team. Liz is key to the project and we are delighted to report that she is now the clinical lead at MMPCU. We highlighted last year the increasing importance of the volunteer team. Whilst the team is small, we can positively report that it is becoming more skilled, indeed some of the volunteers have gone on to train specifically in social work. 

18 



To give a flavour of the work, here are some photos of volunteers with patients, sharing information, giving gifts, providing moral support. 

The key focus this year is looking at ways to support the sustainability and extension of the volunteer team, as the demand for specialist paediatric support seems to be growing, The basic costs that need to be covered are travel to different sites, airtime, and lunch, and the volunteers receive no other remuneration. 

Once again, this year the report on tangible updates on achievements through the year is powerful. There has been identification and support of 154 patients as follows: 118 patients given food and nutritional support, both adults and children, 14 patients helped with transport to travel back home after discharge for reviews, 14 patients aided with drugs and 3 patients with 


investigations including an ECHO & ECG. At Christmas-time, UCT was able to organise hampers for the most needy patients spending Christmas on the wards. The hampers included; sugar, soap, bread and a bottle of soda. 

UCT was also able to respond to requests to support the costs of urgent surgery for two people with albinism. This is needed when the skin cancer is too advanced to be treated with cryotherapy in the regular mobile skin clinics. To highlight the critical need, Advantage Africa made the following comment, underlining the difficulties faced by these very vulnerable people: ‘The dire economic situation is having a devastating impact on the lives of marginalised individuals and families in Uganda. Increasing numbers of people are missing regular skin clinics because they can’t afford public transport to reach them. Many vulnerable families affected by albinism are eating one meagre meal a day and that rates of severe depression are rising.’ 

The work and development at UCT doesn’t stop. Upcoming plans focus on training and mentorship in paediatric palliative care, with shadowing at Kawempe Home care, in Kampala, to provide more practical experience with children. Also, going forward, plans are for regular CMEs by the clinical team on ethics and boundaries, self-care management, communication skills, story writing, and bereavement support, all ongoing on a regular basis. 

To conclude it feels important to say many thanks from us at BOAT to UCT for giving us the privilege of supporting the amazing work that Liz and the team do. In addition, a huge thanks to Michael and Liz Minton who enable us to have such regular and deep insights into the work of the team in Uganda and the great need for our support. 

_Nicolette Michels_ 


## **Uganda** 

## **Church of St John the Baptist, Bulindi** 

In his report Father Sebastian describes the ravages caused by malaria among the people in this region, and particularly those in his parish. From March until June there were frequent heavy downpours which caused malaria cases in almost every home in the parish. There were 45 deaths from malaria 

19 



between January and the beginning of August, 30 were children and the others were elderly. Also 158 malaria patients were admitted to hospital, either at Masindi or Hoima, in the same period. 

In June and July there was some dry weather, but this year the rains resumed early in August. From September to December 2023, which is always the rainy season, the rains were more intense, causing floods and leaving stagnant water behind when the floods subsided. This hugely increased the mosquito population and the cases of malaria among the parishioners. In some cases, Father Sebastian himself drove the ill parishioners to the health centre at Mparangasi, three miles away. The parish covers a wide area and has 17 outlying chapels, where pastoral work is done by catechists and Father Sebastian visits to say Mass. From September to December there were 49 further deaths in the parish, of which 21 were young babies, 15 expectant mothers, and 13 elderly people. In addition, 196 parishioners were admitted to the referral hospital at Hoima due to severe malaria. 

The grant given by BOAT has been lifesaving. Father Sebastian reports that he was able to buy 707 mosquito nets, of which 200 were distributed to children, 200 to expectant mothers, and 307 to elderly men and women. All who received a net are alive and well, and very grateful to BOAT. Many have given public testimony that the malaria attacks are far fewer when mosquito nets are used. They have also been spared the expensive treatment, which they cannot afford. In hospitals and health centres the cost of treatment for malaria is now UGX 120,000 per dose, that is £24.42, an impossibly large sum. Father Sebastian writes that when he goes to say Mass in the 17 outlying chapels, he is told that 85% of his parishioners cannot afford to buy their own mosquito nets and suffer a great deal in the rainy seasons. For these more distant areas his method is to ask his catechists, who know the people well, to identify those with the greatest need among the parishioners and bring them to his office on the first Tuesday of the month, when he will supply the nets. 

It was understood by all those who benefited from the mosquito nets provided by BOAT that they should maintain them by frequent washing with Omo, and that they should be mended with needle and thread if any holes developed. Thanks to the grant from BOAT the incidence of miscarriage by expectant mothers has lessened, the number of patients travelling to hospital has been reduced, and the mortality rate from malaria has fallen. Father Sebastian looks forward to seeing the same benefit next year . 

## **Karungu Convent, Kigumba** 

Sister Clemensia started to carry out her plans for the solar project as soon as the grant arrived last year. She reports that of the three buildings in the project she decided to begin with solar panels for the Infant Jesus Nursery School, because living with paraffin lamps was dangerous for the young children, many of whom are boarders. There are 350 young children in the school and the danger of fire is ever-present. In addition, the smoke is harmful to the children’s health. The solar technician checked the project from mid-March to June 2023 to make sure everything was ready for the work. In April all the items which were to be bought in Kampala were confirmed. The solar panels ordered were new ones, not pre-used or second-hand, which is often the case in 


20 



Uganda, and they come with two heavy-duty batteries of 150AH and all accessories. Original panels are far more durable. In May all items arrived on site according to plan. In June the technician began the installation and tested everything on site as the work progressed. By the end of August 2023, the solar lighting was already working in the nursery school. This has transformed the lives of these young children and their teachers and matrons, as there is now an adequate light system throughout the whole school, and they can learn and play without danger when darkness falls. In addition, the security lighting on the exterior of the school deters thieves, a real benefit. Solar energy means there are no more paraffin expenses, which is a great saving. 

Sister Clemensia writes that they are looking forward to the next two phases of the work, when solar energy will be installed for their convent and, future installation costs permitting, for the health unit at Karungu. 

_Rosaleen Ockenden_ 

## **Zimbabwe and Uganda** 

## **African Mission** 

Most of our funding over the years has gone to Fatima mission, a Franciscan-run project in western Zimbabwe with several schools and a clinic. Though the mission's needs are great, it seems to be doing pretty well, with upgrades in the hot water system at the pastoral centre and a new television set. The group most in need are the disabled children, who in the past were often rejected by the local community. As well as housing and educating a group of disabled children, there is a large garden, seen in the photo, where they work hard growing a lot of the food that they eat, both increasing the centre's self-sufficiency and teaching the children life skills. 

The other element of African Mission's work, a hospital in Uganda, is again making progress. Dr Ray Towey, the London medic around whose work the charity was originally conceived, has been focusing on the Intensive Care Unit at St Mary's hospital in northern Uganda. Healthcare outcomes are improving in Uganda with overall life expectancy rising from 50 in 2000 to 67 in 2022, but that is still well below the average in Europe. BOAT supported the purchase of a portable anaesthesia kit which is being put to good use. The photo shows it being explained to the staff. 

The charity's biggest problem is funding. Between March 2022 and March 2023 their income went down from £47,000 to £35,000 after the loss of an important 

single donor. BOAT's annual donation continues to play an important part in African Mission's finances, and with the economic situation in the region continuing to be challenging, support will be needed for many years to come. 

_Mick Conefrey_ 

21 



## **2023 Lenten Appeal Project** 

## **Additional Water Well for the Allipalli Children’s Centre** 

The 2023 Lenten appeal is a significant capital project aimed at drilling a new well at the Allipalli Children's Centre in Andhra Pradesh, India. In the dry season, this area experiences 4 to 5 months of high ambient temperatures with little to no rainfall. Water, abundant in the rainy season, is not captured for later use, by dams or aqueducts for example. In the past the Centre got water for personal hygiene, cooking, laundry and irrigation of the crops that provide much needed food from its bore hole. However, the amount of water available is insufficient to meet even the most basic needs during the dry period. The water extracted is also shared with local villages during periods of extreme drought. The current set-up also lacks a water 

filtration system, now required by law to treat water used for human consumption. 

The money raised by the Lenten appeal has allowed the construction of a new well, over 120 metres deep, to ensure enough water is available throughout the drought period. Additionally, a modern filtration system has been installed to prevent water-related diseases with a new 15,000-litre water storage tank. 

_Rinaldo Caprotti_ 

## **Boat Christmas Cards** 

This year, these raised £895, not a huge sum, considering the many hours of work involved. But the card factory is a social occasion, and the team take comfort from the understated but effective publicity BOAT gains from our efforts. We would welcome more hands to stick the boxes, once the backs have been printed and the cards trimmed to fit. Many thanks to those who created and packaged the cards, as well as to Joshua Dubin and Jenifer Dye who generously funded the costs. _Ag MacKeith_ 

22 



## **Reserves policy and risk management** 

The Trustees’ policy is to maintain reserves of approximately £24,000. This sum is sufficient to meet emergencies by covering the outlay for the entirety of two projects. It provides a buffer so that even severe changes in our financial conditions can be cushioned for the projects that we support. 

## **Risk Management** 

In the light of the Trustees’ desire to deliver funds to good causes as expeditiously as possible, any surplus cash is held on a bank deposit until needed. The Trustees monitor the level of cash held and would review this policy if the levels of cash held were to increase significantly. 

## **Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements** 

Law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements that give a true and fair view of the state of affairs and the charity's financial activities during the year and of its financial position at the end of the year. In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to: 

- Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; 

- Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; 

- State whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed subject to any departures disclosed or explained in the financial statements; and 

- Prepare financial statements on the going-concern basis, unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue its operation. 

The Trustees are responsible for keeping accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 1993. The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity, and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. 

By order of the Trustees 

## _Signed:_ **Geraldine Johnson** 

Chair for and on behalf of the Committee of BOAT 

February 2024 

23 



## **������������������������������������������ ���������������������������������������** 

�������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ����������� 

����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������� 

����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������������������� 

����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������� 

������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������� 

�������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������� 

���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������� 

## _�������_ **����������������** 

������������� 

������������� 

## **��������������������������������������������** 

������������������������������������������������������ ���������������������������������������� �������������������� 

24 



## **Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of the Blackfriars Overseas Aid Trust (“the Charity”)** 

I report. on the accounts of the charity for the year to 31 December 2023 which are set out on the following pages 26 to 31 

## _**Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner**_ 

The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under Section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (“the 2011 Act”), and that an Independent Examination is needed. 

It is my responsibility to: 

- Examine the accounts (under Section 145 of the 2011 Act); 

- Follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act; 

- State whether particular matters have come to my attention. 

## _**Basis of independent examiner’s report**_ 

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes considerations of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts. 

## _**Independent examiner’s statement**_ 

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: 

- (1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, the Trustees have not met the requirements to ensure that: 

- proper accounting records are kept in accordance with Section 130 of the 2011 Act: and 

- accounts are prepared which agree with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act: or 

- (2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 

## _Signed:_ **Adam Hodgkin** 

5th February 2024 

25 



## **BLACKFRIARS OVERSEAS AID TRUST Balance Sheets as at 31 December 2023** 

|**Current Assets**<br>**Cash at Lloyds Bank**<br>**Net Current Assets**<br>**Total Assets**<br>**The Funds of the charity:**<br>**Restricted Income Funds**<br>**Unrestricted Income Funds**|**2023**<br>**£**<br>33,066<br>33,066<br>**£33,066**<br>-<br>33,065<br>**£33,065**|**2022**<br>**£**<br>46,015|
|---|---|---|
|||46,015|
|||**£46,015**|
|||450<br>45,564|
|||**£46,015**|



26 



## **BLACKFRIARS OVERSEAS AID TRUST** 

## **Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2023** 

|**INCOMING RESOURCES**<br>Donations<br>Events and Sales<br>Bank Interest<br>**Total Incoming Resources**<br>**RESOURCES EXPENDED**<br>**Costs of Generating Funds**<br>Fundraising<br>Charitable Activities<br>Governance Costs<br>**Total Expenditure**<br>**Net Incoming/(Outgoing)**<br>**Resources**<br>**Total Funds Brought Forward**<br>**Total Funds Carried Forward**|**Unrestricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**£**<br>71,280<br>3,750<br>-<br>75,029<br>358<br>86,945<br>225<br>87,528<br>(12,499)<br>45,564<br>£33,065|**Restricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**£**<br>8,576<br>-<br>-<br>8,576<br>-<br>9,026<br>-<br>9,026<br>(450)<br>450<br>£0|**Total**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>79,856<br>3,750<br>-<br>83,605<br>358<br>95,971<br>225<br>96,554<br>(12,949)<br>46,015<br>£33,066|**Total**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>80,563<br>2,659<br>-|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||83,222|
|||||222<br>83,455<br>255|
|||||83,932|
|||||(710)<br>46,725|
|||||£46,015|



The notes on pages 28 to 31 form part of these accounts. 

27 



# **Notes forming part of the Financial Statements for the year ended December 31 2023** 

## _**1 ACCOUNTING POLICIES**_ 

## **General** 

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP 2005) issued in 2005. 

## **Income** 

- (1) Donations and grants are included in the accounts when they are received. 

(2) Interest income is included in the accounts when it is received. 

- (3) Tax recoverable in respect of Gift Aid donations is included in the accounts when it is received. 

## **Expenditure** 

All grants to partner organisations and other expenditure is included in the accounts in the year they are paid. 

## **Unrestricted Funds** 

Unrestricted funds are donations and other incoming resources received for the objects of the charity without a specified purpose and are available as general funds. From time to time the Trustees may establish Designated Funds out of the Unrestricted Funds to meet contingencies. 

## **Restricted Funds** 

Restricted funds are to be used for specific purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure which meets these criteria is charged to the fund, together with a fair allocation of management and support costs. 

28 



## _**2 DONATIONS**_ 

|Donations received under Banker's Order (unrestricted)<br>Donations received under Banker's Order (restricted)<br>Other Donations (unrestricted)<br>Other Donations (restricted)<br>Tax Recovered under Gift Aid|**2023**<br>**2022**<br>£<br>£<br>55,934<br>56,102<br>-<br>890<br>3,750<br>2,659<br>8,576<br>7,061<br>15,346<br>16,511|
|---|---|
||**£83,605**<br>**£83,222**|



## _**3 EVENTS AND SALES**_ 

|Harvest Auction<br>Christmas café<br>Card Sales<br>Mothers' Day Café<br>Summer café<br>Donations from the 9.30 coffee team<br>Donations in memory of Anna Baidoun<br>Bread Sales|**2023**<br>**2022**<br>£<br>£<br>517<br>650<br>410<br>353<br>895<br>1,008<br>495<br>332<br>367<br>569<br>130<br>366<br>317|
|---|---|
||**£3,750**<br>**£2,659**|



## _**4 CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES**_ 

## **Grants (Unrestricted) to Overseas Projects** 

|**Grants (Unrestricted) to Overseas Projects**|||
|---|---|---|
||**2023**|**2022**|
||£|£|
|Nicaragua, Leon|4,000|4,000|
|Jamaica, Kingston School|-|-|
|Jamaica, Christ the King School|10,000|4,000|
|Uganda Cancer UK|4,000|4,000|
|Uganda Fr Sebastian|4,000|4,000|



29 



|Cameroon Arch<br>Ethiopia Jean Grove Trust<br>Uganda, Sr Clemensia<br>Philippines, Columban Sisters<br>Zimbabwe, African Mission, Dungu<br>Peru, San Benito, Br Ed O'Connell<br>India Sugandh<br>India, Operatori di Pace<br>Rwanda, Network for Africa<br>Myanmar Living Water<br>Brazil, St. Paolo<br>Ethiopia, Mission of Hope<br>South Sudan, Anaesthiology<br>Sierra Leone<br>Amantani, Peru<br>Iquitos Fr Miguel, Peru<br>**SUB-TOTAL**<br>**Grants from Restricted Funds**<br>Kenya Education<br>Lenten Appeal<br>Myanmar Living Water<br>Operatori di Pace<br>Sierra Leone<br>**TOTAL**<br>**_COSTS OF GENERATING FUNDS_**<br>Costs of Printing the Annual Report|Cameroon Arch<br>Ethiopia Jean Grove Trust<br>Uganda, Sr Clemensia<br>Philippines, Columban Sisters<br>Zimbabwe, African Mission, Dungu<br>Peru, San Benito, Br Ed O'Connell<br>India Sugandh<br>India, Operatori di Pace<br>Rwanda, Network for Africa<br>Myanmar Living Water<br>Brazil, St. Paolo<br>Ethiopia, Mission of Hope<br>South Sudan, Anaesthiology<br>Sierra Leone<br>Amantani, Peru<br>Iquitos Fr Miguel, Peru<br>**SUB-TOTAL**<br>**Grants from Restricted Funds**<br>Kenya Education<br>Lenten Appeal<br>Myanmar Living Water<br>Operatori di Pace<br>Sierra Leone<br>**TOTAL**<br>**_COSTS OF GENERATING FUNDS_**<br>Costs of Printing the Annual Report|4,075<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>2,820<br>-<br>6,050<br>2,500<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>4,000<br>**£86,945**<br>**£74,500**|
|---|---|---|
|||**2023**<br>**2022**<br>-<br>1,000<br>8,576<br>5,000<br>-<br>1,455<br>1,500<br>450<br>-<br>**£95,971**<br>**£83,455**<br>**2023**<br>**2022**<br>£<br>£<br>358<br>222<br>**£358**<br>**£222**|
||||



## _**5 COSTS OF GENERATING FUNDS**_ 

30 



## _**6 GOVERNANCE**_ 

|Bank Charges|**2023**<br>**2022**<br>£<br>£<br>225<br>255|
|---|---|
||**£225**<br>**£255**|



## _**7 TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND EXPENSES**_ 

No remuneration was paid or was payable for the year directly or indirectly out of the funds of the charity to any member of the committee or to any person known to be connected with any of them. 

## _**8 RESTRICTED FUNDS**_ 

|Balance at January 1<br>Incoming Resources<br>Expenditure<br>**Balance at December 31**|**2023**<br>**2022**<br>£<br>£<br>450<br>1,454<br>8,576<br>7,951<br>(9,026)<br>(8,955)|
|---|---|
||**£0**<br>**£450**|



## _**9 GENERAL FUNDS**_ 

|Balance at January 1<br>Incoming Resources<br>Expenditure<br>**Balance at December 31**<br>Represented by:<br>**Current Assets**|**2023**<br>**2022**<br>£<br>£<br>45,564<br>45,270<br>75,029<br>75,271<br>(87,528)<br>(74,977)|
|---|---|
||**£33,066**<br>**£45,564**|
|||
||**£33,066**<br>**£46,015**|



31 



A Standing Order for regular donations, which can be cancelled at any time,
greatly helps BOAT. We need more people to glve regularly so we can predict
over a year how much money we can send to our projects overseas.
BLACKFRIARS OVERSEAS AID TRUST (80AT)
HOW TO SET UPA STANDING ORDER
msl banks arKJ b￿ldIng 50cielies. you can set up a si8￿ng CY(Jer online or by t￿one
Attemalivety. yY)u can go Into your bank lo comwe a Standing Trder Iofm. y￿.1 need the BOAT
CC(MJrbl nurthr and Code las v￿1 a3 ￿50￿81 thntrfKab'onl.
Ben¢>fJcMry trvamg Blackfriars Overseas Ald Trust
8enefK*aryA￿t Numlw. 00087533
Bentrfjoary Sc¥1 Code. 30-9&35
Benefioary's Bank. Lloyds Bank plc, l Hlgh Stree¢ Oxford OXI 4AA.
GIFT AID DECLARATION (FOR REGULAR OR ONE￿FF DONATIONS)
8oostyourdonailon ts 80A Tby 25p ol Gm Ald ftif every£1 you don•te. al no extr• cosl lo y(w,
Just tick thls box [] Yesj I would Ilke to Gift Ald thls donatlon and any other
donatlons I make In the future or have made In the past 4 years to BOA T.
lam a UK taxpa￿￿￿ ur**wslafkl that rf IpaylBss Tax andtr Cwal Garns T•x than armmt olGfyl
PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS
Tille".
First namels)." ..................................... Sumame: ...........................................
Fknme Address:
Slgnatur•
W4••M OOAT
11 ￿pIY•r￿*￿ T•¥ i•t• r*•tr* wjwaltsx ￿l￿1<All 10 >N. m¢AI
Ploas• rnturn to." Tho Glft Ald Trg•wr•r. BIBckfrl•rn O¥•rsgaJ Ald Trust IBOAn, clo Port•r
Lodgo. Blackfriars, SL Gi195. Oxlord. OX1 3LY. Alt•rnatlwoty. you ¢•n em•ll It to."
Ix>atblackfriars@gm•il.com
IF YOU ARE HAPPY TO FOR US TO CONTACT YOU ABOUT BOAT'S ACTIVITIES.
PLEASE TICK THIS BOX D Plv4tso ￿ lh• BOAY JI tinyurf.<onlBOATOxlord fL¥ an
vl l¥m w¥ u￿. y4k4r 41nd wur ngtts ￿ reswcL of Ihat data.

Blackfriars Oversea5 Aid Trust
RL%Yl%tL'￿%l ChJril!' Nc). 2&{￿￿43
c/0 Blackfriars Priory
64 St Giles
Oxford OXI 3LY
tinyurl.ronrf150A'IOxfonl