# **Company Registration Number 1921508 Charity Number 292403**
**FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)**
## **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
## **31 MARCH 2024**
**GOLDWINS**
Chartered Accountants 75 Maygrove Road, West Hampstead, London NW6 2EG
**FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024**
|**CONTENTS**|**PAGE**|
|---|---|
|Trustees' Annual Report|3-28|
|Independent Auditor's Report|29-31|
|Statement of Financial Activities|32|
|Balance Sheet|33|
|Statement of Cash Flows|34|
|Notes to the Financial Statements|35-44|
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**FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)**
## **REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS**
The Foundation for Women's Health, Research and Development (FORWARD) presents the report of its Board of Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2024.
## **Charity registration number:** 292403
## **Company registration number:** 01921508
**Registered office:** Suite 4.8 Chandelier Building 8 Scrubs Lane London NW10 6RB **Email** : forward@forwarduk.org.uk **Website** : www.forwarduk.org.uk
## **THE TRUSTEES AS AT 31 MARCH 2024**
Dr Titilola Banjoko Chair Dr Lisa Smith Treasurer Joy Fraser-Amosun Ali Sakaria Aniesha Obuobie Kadra Abdinasir Vanessa Thomas Appointed May 2023 Julia Klein Resigned June 2023 Sarah McDonald Resigned June 2023 **Senior Management Team** Naana Otoo-Oyortey MBE Executive Director Toks Okeniyi Head of UK Programmes Mary Otuko UK Programme Manager Amy Abdelshahid Head of Evidence & Knowledge Management Fosdicka Crankson Finance & Operations Consultant Negar Zaman Head of Business Development and Strategy
## **Bankers**
Unity Trust Bank, 9 Brindley Place, Birmingham B1 2HB NatWest, Strand Branch, P.O. Box 414, 38 Strand, London WC2H 5JB
## **Accountant**
Goldwins, 75 Maygrove Road, West Hampstead, London NW6 2EG
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**FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT**
## **1. Introduction**
The Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Women's Health Research and Development (FORWARD) presents its annual report and audited financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024.
This report from the Board of Trustees complies with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, and FORWARD's Memorandum and Articles of Association. It also aligns with the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) required of charities when preparing their financial accounts, according to the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
## **1.1 Objects and Mission Statement**
FORWARD's charitable objects are set out in its Memorandum of Association to guide the organisation's work. The organisation's strategy and objectives are developed and shaped within this framework. FORWARD's charitable objects are as follows:
(A) To promote good health and human rights, and to empower children and women, particularly African girls and women, wherever they reside.
(B) To eliminate gender-based discriminatory practices, including violence against women and girls, and to relieve the suffering of African children and women caused by those practices and compounded by poverty, ill health or distress, or arising from culture, tradition, public policy or legislation.
## **1.2 FORWARD's Vision and Mission**
## **Our Vision**
We want to see African women and girls everywhere live in dignity, be healthy and thrive.
## **Our Mission**
We are the pioneering organisation led by and for African women, working to end violence against African women and girls. We work to end child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), domestic and sexual violence, and associated harms.
We work to transform responses to violence against African women and girls through the delivery of specialist support services, partnerships and community interventions.
At FORWARD, we focus on amplifying the voices and lived experiences of African women and girls to make positive change. We provide culturally appropriate, and traumainformed support on the ground by bringing together partner organisations and communities, fostering skills and knowledge, and nurturing resilient leaders.
We work strategically with decision-makers and practitioners to conduct community research, build partnerships and create opportunities for gender justice and social transformation.
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**FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT**
## **Our Strategic “E” Goals**
We exist to enable African women and girls to achieve gender equality and the fundamental human rights that they deserve. In the past year, we have reviewed FORWARD's strategic goals, taking account of the changing environment in which, we operate. This has led us to adopt six new “E” goals to guide our work from 2024 to 2027:
**Goal 1** - **Engage Decision-Makers** - We will enable African women and girls to use their agency and lived experience to influence policy and funding decisions on abuse and gender equality.
**Goal 2** – **Educate Professionals** - We will enable frontline agencies and schools to become culturally competent, and embed inclusive and equitable responses that safeguard’s everyone’s right to thrive.
**Goal 3** - **Expand Partnerships** - We will strengthen existing and new partnerships, and young women-led organisations, enabling them to deliver transformative change for African women and girls.
**Goal 4** – **Elevate Young Women Leaders** - We will nurture resilient young women leaders to drive social change movements in their communities and beyond.
**Goal 5** - **Empower Communities** - We will support communities in tackling violence against women and girls, through capacity building, access to holistic support and wellbeing services.
**Goal 6 (Organisational/Internal)** - **Enhance Resilience** - We will strengthen FORWARD’s financial resilience, programme effectiveness, impact and learning.
## **2. How We Work**
## **2.1. What drives our work**
Global crises, political conflicts and regional instability have meant that progress in combatting violence against women and girls (VAWG) has been significantly impacted. The UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 on Gender Equality sets 2030 as the global target for achieving gender equality for women and girls, including ending VAWG. Yet, worldwide, 736 million women alive today are still estimated to have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence or both at least once in their lives (UN Women, 2023).
VAWG is defined by the UN as ‘violence that is directed against a woman because she is a woman, or violence that affects women disproportionately’. At FORWARD, our work centres on tackling multiple forms of VAWG, particularly female genital mutilation (FGM) child marriage and domestic and sexual abuse. A 2024 UNICEF report shows that over 230 million women and girls worldwide have undergone female genital mutilation. This is higher than the previous statistic, released in 2022, which estimated that 200 million women and girls globally had undergone FGM. On the issue of child marriage, the evidence shows that 640 million girls and women were married before they reached 18 years of age UNICEF, 2023).
Early sexual initiation, sexual violence and child marriage results in child motherhood. Although globally, there has been a reduction in child mothers, Africa still has higher rates of births to 15-to-19-year-olds. World Health Organisation data in 2023 showed a total number of 6,114,000 births to African girls aged 19 or younger.
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**FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT**
## **2.2. How we deliver on our strategic goals**
In setting out our annual work programme, FORWARD adheres to Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit. The Board of Trustees ensures that the organisation's objectives and activities contribute to its charitable objectives and aims.
FORWARD delivers its operations from our offices in London and undertakes widereaching partnership work in the UK, Europe and Africa. We value our partnerships, as they are central to our work, building long-term relationships with our implementing partners on the ground - notably by providing them with sub-grants, technical support, connections and resources. Our partnerships enable us to reach a greater number of vulnerable and at-risk girls and women, and on a greater scale. They also help us to build up local capacity and thus to ensure the sustainability of our programme outcomes, while at the same time enabling us to make the best use of local knowledge. Their valuable insights regularly inform all of our work.
In the past year we have revised the organisational delivery structure and defined four operational work streams:
- **Business Development and Strategy** - this new work stream is in line with our new strategic goal to strengthen organisational resilience. It focuses on supporting our business development processes, our fundraising and our advocacy work, as well as the monitoring and evaluation of all business processes and programme delivery.
- **Programmes and Support Services** - the unit responsible for our specialist community support services, youth engagement and partnership working. This year, FORWARD’s community programme was active in 25 London boroughs, engaging with new partners in London and continuing to support a long-term partner in Bristol. In addition, we also carried out partnership work in four African countries.
- **Technical Training and Commissioning Services** - a newly revamped team that consolidates all the training programmes provided by FORWARD, to strengthen their impact, while also seeking access to unrestricted funding through commissioned training and research services.
- **Central Operations Office** - provides general organisational support to all teams and ensures that they have the relevant human, administrative, financial and resource capacity to deliver effective programmes. Additionally, the team has oversight over our organisational policies and provides governance support.
## **2.3. Our programme activities**
FORWARD is a “by and for”, African women-led organisation. Our operational programme areas develop and deliver best-practice responses to multiple forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG). The core pillars underpinning our programme work – which sits alongside FORWARD’s other more systemic interventions, such as policy advocacy, training of frontline professionals and research - including prevention, protection through safeguarding, provision of support services and partnership development. FORWARD delivers this concrete work in the field in the UK, Africa and Europe, often working through local partners and collaborative programmes. We adopt a rights-based and trauma-informed approach during the delivery of all our specialist services and training offerings. The table below outlines in more detail how we deliver our programme activities.
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**FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT**
## **How we deliver our work**
## **Specialist Support and Advice**
We provide sign-posting, referrals and specialist advice, both by telephone and face-to-face. We also deliver one-to-one and group counselling and psychotherapy services to women affected by various forms of abuse and trauma; these are available in multiple community languages.
## **Community Outreach and Engagement**
## **Training Development and Consultancy**
We engage with local We deliver accredited and communities, faith leaders tailored training and groups of men, programmes to key providing safe spaces and professionals & community resources to support women changemakers, to discussions around the enable them to respond issues related to FGM and appropriately to the needs other forms of VAWG, and of Black and minoritised to train community women & girls. We also members in advocacy provide family around FGM and other psychosocial education, forms of VAWG. commissioned by courts and Social Services.
|**Specialist Support and**
**Advice**
We provide sign-posting,
referrals and specialist
advice, both by telephone
and face-to-face. We also
deliver one-to-one and
group counselling and
psychotherapy services to
women affected by various
forms of abuse and
trauma; these are
available in multiple
community languages.|**Community Outreach**
**and Engagement**
We engage with local
communities, faith leaders
and groups of men,
providing safe spaces and
resources to support
discussions around the
issues related to FGM and
other forms of VAWG, and
to train community
members in advocacy
around FGM and other
forms of VAWG.|**Training Development**
**and Consultancy**
We deliver accredited and
tailored training
programmes to key
professionals & community
women changemakers, to
enable them to respond
appropriately to the needs
of Black and minoritised
women & girls. We also
provide family
psychosocial education,
commissioned by courts
and Social Services.|
|---|---|---|
|**Partnerships**
We build strategic
partnerships with women-
focused organisations and
other partners and offer
them capacity-building
and financial support, as
well as technical advice,
advocacy and
campaigning, research,
network building,
monitoring and evaluation.|**Policy and Advocacy**
We engage with policy-
makers and decision-
makers at local and
national levels, to
influence their policy
choices by sharing key
research insights, and to
inform policy development
with the lived experiences
of women from Black and
minoritised communities.|**Participatory Research**
We conduct participatory
research, contributing to
the valuable and still
nascent body of evidence
that can help to shape
better programmes and
policies that seek to
address multiple forms of
violence against Black and
ethnic minority women
and girls.|
|**Young Women’s**
**Leadership**
We run feminist leadership
training programmes for
young women from Black
and minoritised
communities, building up
their knowledge of VAWG,
self-confidence and
leadership skills, and
providing sub-grants and
mentors to spur on their
social action initiatives.|**Young Women’s**
**Advisory Council**
This external group of
young women leaders
provides FORWARD with
advice and guidance, and
co-delivers our youth hub
activities. The YWAC helps
us to ensure that
FORWARD’s work is
informed by the needs and
lived experiences of young
women of colour.|**Community Advisory**
**Group**
This external group of
diaspora community
members also gives
FORWARD valuable
strategic advice, guidance,
technical support and
insights regarding the
effective planning,
implementation and
review of our community
projects.|
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**FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT**
## **2.4. Who benefits from our services?**
FORWARD is an African women-led, “by and for” organisation, delivering services to women and girls from African, Black and minoritised communities. That said, we also partner with other organisations sharing our values, to ensure that all vulnerable women, especially those from different backgrounds, can access the specialist services that we provide.
In the UK, our community programme benefits black and minoritised girls and women of African heritage as well as from Arab and Middle Eastern communities. We also work with asylum seekers, refugees and migrant women. We engage with key stakeholders through our work, including statutory professionals, community organisations and the general public.
In Africa, our work benefits marginalised girls and young women in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Gambia. Our programmes specifically target those most affected by – or at risk of – child marriage, sexual abuse, teenage pregnancy and FGM. In addition, other beneficiaries of our work in these countries include adult women and men (including parents), young men and boys, and community leaders; we operate through schools and local communities to reach them.
## **2.5. Public Benefit**
The Board of Trustees has referred to the guidance provided by the Charity Commission regarding public benefit in reviewing the charity's aims and objectives and in planning its activities and services. The Trustees ensure that FORWARD's programme activities contribute to the organisation's aims and objectives and that they benefit the public. The Trustees also strive to identify risks and potential harm to the organisation's operations and programmes in good time, and to ensure that these are minimised and do not hamper the public benefit of its activities.
## **3. Achievements and Performance in the Year**
FORWARD's work enables African women and girls to gain vital skills, develop greater self-confidence and access the support they need. Our training and outreach programmes aim to build their resilience, improve their well-being and develop their leadership capacity to transform their lives. We work at multiple levels, engaging women, community members and our local partners, building on all their vital insights to inform and shape policy and practice.
We are committed to evidence-based programming; we therefore assess the performance and outcomes of our work in multiple ways. This includes regular monitoring, risk management, assessment of progress targets and evaluation, and then using this learning to adjust our programmes. We use various quantitative, qualitative and participatory methods to monitor the delivery of our activities, and to evaluate their outcomes, including periodically engaging independent external consultants to assess our work.
The programme achievements presented here represent the outcomes of the final year of FORWARD’s previous strategic plan, which ran from 2020 until 2024 and was structured around five strategic goals (differing somewhat from our six new “E” goals, C.f. Page 5 above).
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**FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT**
## **3.1 Strategic Goal 1: Influence the policy agenda on violence against African women and girls**
The outcome focuses on increasing engagement with policymakers to recognise new, holistic policy approaches based on prevention, protection, prosecution and service provision in relation to VAWG, with a particular focus on the issues of FGM, sexual violence and child marriage.
## **Increased engagement of key communities and policy makers to ensure holistic approaches to tackling FGM**
In the past year, FORWARD has been part of a new advocacy initiative on FGM. ACERSUK is a project advocating for **A** ccess to **C** litoral **R** econstruction and **E** motional **S** upport for FGM survivors within a research framework, which aims to build the evidence for FGM reconstructive services and advocate for its commissioning in the UK. The collective meets once a month and includes FGM survivors/women with lived experience; health care professionals and representatives from charities who support females living with FGM.
This new and exciting policy initiative aims to establish a national FGM reconstructive Centre of Excellence that integrates psychosexual assessments, psychotherapy and other treatment alternatives alongside the option of surgical reconstruction. A parliamentary petition forms part of the advocacy action. This initiative is a direct response to the lack of reconstructive services in the UK. The UK was instrumental in the establishment of specialist FGM services in Europe, but now, women are increasingly travelling abroad from the UK to access these services in continental Europe, which can be costly and unregulated.
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**FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT**
## **London Violence Against Women and Girls Consortium (LVAWGC)**
As part of our joint advocacy work with strategic partners, we have made some policy gains with the London Violence Against Women and Girls Consortium (LVAWGC). This alliance has 27 members and was set up 13 years ago in response to competitive commissioning processes run by public-sector funders.
The partnership has succeeded in shaping funding allocation to the sector, and other joint advocacy work in London. Currently the consortium delivers over £8million worth of services pan-London, to over 30,000 women and girls, and it has developed considerable influence across London, within London Borough Councils, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, and the Greater London Authority (MOPAC).
The consortium has secured additional funds for its members’ work through the Mayor’s Grassroots fund, the Tier 1 duty and London Council’s No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) partnership (both relate to visa conditions that define migrants’ and asylum seekers’ access to benefits in the UK). The consortium has also won new funding to support its advocacy for the improved provision of safe and suitable accommodation to women and children experiencing violence. This work will tackle issues around gatekeeping and the speed of assessments of cases, allowing a more timely and appropriate implementation of Section 17 (protection of vulnerable children and their families by local authorities under the Children’s Act 1989).
## **3.2. Strategic Goal 2: cascading evidence-based interventions, models of good practice and social norm change**
This goal is accomplished through the improved design and implementation of our programmes, the generation and use of robust evidence to inform our decision-making, and the strengthening of the capacity of the partner organisations we collaborate with. By focusing on these areas, we aim to ensure that our efforts are more effective, sustainable, and responsive to the needs of the communities we serve. These efforts are highlighted below:
## **Completion of Research Projects and Evidence Generation**
We have set in motion a number of ground-breaking research initiatives which will help share our learning and shape policy **.** The next reports to be completed will be published in the coming year include the following:
- Diaspora Changemakers in the Global Movement to End Female Genital Mutilation: Amplifying Their Voices, Experiences, and Impact
- Bridge-Builders for Communities and Services: Showcasing Community Champions' Journeys & Voices in London & Bristol
- Sexual harassment and assault in London public spaces
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**FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT**
## **Development of an E-Learning Offering on FGM**
In the past year we have worked on developing an e-learning platform to enhance our training offer for professionals on FGM. This is a new endeavour that should enable us to improve our learning management systems and help to generate new income. The platform, which will be accessed through FORWARD’s website, forms part of our new strategy to increase our learning offerings for professionals.
## **Embarking with Q-SEED Founding Leaders to Tackle the Criminal Justice System**
**Q-SEED** is a collaboration between FORWARD and Black Men 4 Change supported by mainstream organisations Change Grow Live (CGL) and Clinks, with funding from Barrow Cadbury and the Lloyds Bank Foundation. The project aims to kindle fundamental reform of the criminal justice system through transformative leadership and policy engagement.
This 24-month pilot project seeks to redress the power disparity between establishment actors who hold the majority of funding resources, and members of marginalised Black and Global Majority communities who often lack a voice, but can be seen as among the best-informed experts by virtue of their experience and training, and are often bestplaced to deliver transformative services for racialised communities. **Q-SEED** consists of three distinct pillars: personal development, systems thinking and organisational development. 16 leaders have been recruited to be part of this pilot project.
## **3.3. Strategic Goal 3: nurturing young women to become resilient leaders and change-makers**
This goal centres on empowering young women leaders who choose to take up activism, to transform their lives and support their peers. In so doing, we also focus on cultivating a strong sisterhood between these young change-makers and thus building a vibrant movement. Our programmes for young women are designed to foster their resilience, technical skills and soft skills, ensuring that they are fully equipped to be powerful and effective change-makers. The main achievements over this past year in this area are outlined below.
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**FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT**
## **Strengthening the capacity of young women’s organisations**
We supported 4 young women’s organisations in 2023-24, based in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and the UK, providing them with organisational development support through our **FAST model** . This streamlined model focuses our efforts on funding support, accompaniment through mentoring and continuity of relationships, and sustained technical support.
In Sierra Leone, we worked with two local consultants to strengthen the financial systems, governance, communication and fundraising capacities of the Girl to Girl Empowerment Network (G2G).
## **Spotlight on Mary Stevens, Programme Coordinator of the Girl-to-Girl Empowerment Network (G2G)**
_“Since the inception of G2G, FORWARD has provided [us with] access to funding from trusts, foundations and individual donors, mentorship and technical support, and linked us to new opportunities. This has helped G2G to grow from four community networks to 10 networks, [now with a total of] 450 members aged 10-35. FORWARD has guided us in proposal writing and organisational capacity-building, including governance, finance and strategy. FORWARD has been instrumental in our securing a 6-year grant from Comic Relief._
_“Our partnership with FORWARD has helped us to understand the value of organisational development. The development of our systems, staff development, key policies and processes through their sustained technical support has provided a foundation for us to improve our performance and expand our work. We [have also] gained from other new partnerships that FORWARD facilitated._
_“One of my greatest achievements has been in my leadership journey, in leading the team through major organizational change to a fully functioning young women-led organisation - and FORWARD has played a very important role in my leadership journey by providing capacity-building training to enhance my skills and confidence especially.”_
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**FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT**
In Tanzania, meanwhile, our technical support enhanced the profile and organisational systems of WEEDO.
## **The insights and learning gained from partnership with FORWARD: a narrative shared by Rehema Konza, Director of WEEDO**
_“WEEDO has grown significantly because of this partnership, [as] we realised that there were several areas we needed to improve, from operational efficiency to policy development. The expert guidance we received helped us understand that integrating new practices would better equip us to support our community and align with standards. Furthermore, we learned that this partnership was not just about receiving support but about strengthening our commitment to serving our community. FORWARD’s dedication to helping us grow from a small organization to one with higher capacity has been instrumental in expanding our reach._
_“I personally want to thank Ms. Naana for helping me see the value of capacity-building. Before, I had not given it much attention, but after the assessment, I realised that it was necessary for the growth of WEEDO. She just made me so confident with my work and the community I serve. FORWARD has helped us build a culture of continuous learning and adaptation. This led to more creativity, stronger teamwork and new funding._
_“Through training and mentorship, we gained tools to prioritise [our] long-term goals, align them with our organisational mission, and make informed decisions. This has strengthened our leadership in guiding the organisation with a clear vision and a strategic direction, ensuring that every action taken contributes to the broader impact we aim to achieve. Secondly, FORWARD’s focus on inclusive practices helped us to transform our leadership style. We learned the importance of incorporating diverse perspectives, empowering staff at all levels, and fostering open communication within the organization. This shift has cultivated a culture of shared ownership, where team members feel valued and actively contribute to our growth, leading to more effective and cohesive leadership.”_
## **Building young women leaders**
Young women from black and minoritised communities are often inhibited from taking up leadership opportunities by multiple barriers within their environment, as well as personal issues. At FORWARD, our goal of nurturing young women leaders aims to enable them to acquire core leadership skills, including communication, decision-making and confidence-building, empowering them to play a critical role in transforming VAWG and rights of women and girls.
The **TuWezeshe Akina Dada programme** - meaning "empowering our sisters" in Swahili - consists of five key pillars: feminist leadership training; social action; mentoring; sisterhood development; and activism. The feminist leadership training component covers topics such as human rights, feminist principles, leadership development, VAWG, sexual and reproductive health, social action and self-care. This immersive programme builds the confidence and leadership skills needed for these young trailblazers to lead advocacy efforts against VAWG.
In the past year, we trained 10 young women in the Tuwezeshe Young Women’s Leadership programme and have supported them do their social action with the support of 6 mentors. We have also continued to support 9 fellows from the previous cohort,
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**FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (LIMITED BY GUARANTEE) TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT**
assisting them in the execution of their social action projects. Past Tuwezeshe fellows can access further support by taking up a Tuwezeshe challenge to develop a social action that will amplify change at scale. Afua Nkansah-Asamoah’s story below highlights her TuWezeshe experience.
## **TuWezeshe Spotlight: Afua Nkansah–Asamoah’s Journey**
As a participant in the TuWezeshe Leadership Programme in England in 2019, Afua Nkansah-Asamoah launched “The Young Fem Alliance” as her Social Action Project. This initiative focuses on addressing gender power imbalances and building alliances with young men to help them understand how their identities and actions impact the women around them.
_“The TuWezeshe Leadership Programme - unlike any other I had previously attended - emphasised [my] understanding of myself as a woman, in addition to addressing certain cultural perceptions I had as part of my heritage culture. Through intensive workshops and mentorship sessions, I was able to unpack some of these perceptions, rising above certain mindsets [that I had] held previously, as part of primary socialisation.”_
Afua shared how the TuWezeshe Programme connected her leadership skills with her African heritage, empowering her to confront gender-specific societal challenges. Through mentorship and workshops, she gained confidence and advocacy skills, while the sisterhood network offered her a transformative support system.
Her advice to new participants is simple: _"Leadership is a journey. Believe in your potential, seek out mentors and never underestimate the power of your voice. Stay committed to your vision and let your passion drive you forward."_
## **3.4. Strategic Goal 4: educating and enabling key professionals and African communities to lead change**
This goal focuses on enhancing the knowledge and capacity of frontline professionals to effectively respond to and protect women and girls from harm. Additionally, it encompasses the essential work of educating African communities and women about their rights, safeguarding practices, and access to support and wellbeing services. By partnering with statutory professionals across key sectors such as healthcare, education, law enforcement, social services, and the non-profit sector, we strive to ensure that those on the front lines are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and confidence necessary to protect vulnerable women and girls.
## **Building the capacity and knowledge of key professionals**
In 2023-24, a total of 631 key professionals were trained across sectors: healthcare
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providers, education professionals, police officers, social workers and other frontline workers. We are now starting to see our training numbers pick up again from the COVID pandemic, when they had dwindled.
Our accredited programmes provide sector-specific knowledge, and access to practical tips to enable professionals make meaningful changes in their day-to-day response to black and minoritised women affected by VAWG. Our training services are tailored to meet the needs of the different sectors, providing practical tools that help professionals to identify, prevent and respond better to multiple forms of VAWG, including FGM and other harmful practices. In this vein, FORWARD’s training offerings are enhanced through collaboration with key stakeholders, including the Mayor of London’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) **,** local authorities and frontline organisations such as the Refugee Council.
FORWARD has been an OCN-accredited training service for the past 10 years. OCN is a reputed educational qualification awarding body, based in London. This recognition allows us to provide accredited training to hundreds of key professionals each year, as well as OCN-endorsed certificates for our Community Champions Health Advocates Training. This past year, as part of our goal to revamp our training offer, we worked towards upgrading the OCN accreditation, conducting the required self-assessment and upgrading our policies – with success: FORWARD is now recognised as an OCN London Centre. This new OCN accreditation enhances the credibility of our training courses and qualifications, as it provides a framework for quality assurance, ensuring that our programmes meet relevant sector standards.
## **FORWARD’s Community Outreach and Stakeholder engagement**
At FORWARD, we recognise that the complex challenges faced by women and girls affected by violence differ across the communities we serve. That’s why our **PanLondon services** aim to reach as many women as possible throughout London, ensuring that survivors — regardless of their location — have access to the critical support they need. Our goal is to provide culturally sensitive, tailored services to migrant and Africanheritage women who often face harmful practices like FGM, breast ironing, 'honour'based abuse, and forced or child marriage. Through partnerships with local councils and organisations, we extend our services across 13 London boroughs.
Over the past year, 2557 community members participated in our community outreach activities. This includes coffee mornings, workshops, awareness and education sessions, outreach and stakeholder events, and represents a more than 50% increase from last year. Six of our eight current sessional workers and community staff have come through FORWARD’s community champions training programme.
**Support and advice:** In the last year we have received more support requests, with a greater number of complex cases, including requests from migrants/asylum seekers with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). The support services provided include counselling, floating support services concerning welfare and immigration, as well as signposting to accommodation support services. We worked with 23 partners to answer these requests, including NHS services and local authorities.
**Delivering Pan-London Services: ASCENT project** , which forms a part of the London VAWG Consortium. Through ASCENT, we collaborate with all partners including, AWRC, IMECE, LAWRS, WGN, SBS, Al Aman (DVIP), Ashiana, and IKWRO[1] to provide specialist
1 These are: the Asian Women’s Resource Centre (AWRC); the IMECE Women’s Centre; the Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS), the Women and Girls Network (WGN), Southall Black Sisters (SBS), Al Aman
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services and referrals that address both domestic and sexual violence. This coordinated approach ensures that women across London can access services that meet their specific needs, but also enables all partner organisations’ services to be more holistic.
## **Partnership Spotlight on Refugee Women of Bristol (RWOB)**
RWoB is a multi-ethnic, multi-faith organisation that targets the diverse needs of refugee women in Bristol; it is governed by women from the refugee and asylum-seeking community. In addition, they succeed in providing services to various disenfranchised groups over and above the generic category of ‘refugee’: they routinely reach cohorts of women that other service providers are unable to attain.
Below, Layla Ismail, the Development Manager of RWoB, gives feedback about their experience of working with FORWARD to deliver their programmes in Bristol. This has now been a 15-year partnership:
_“FORWARD is RWoB’s biggest and most strategic partner and ally. The shared values and approach enhance our working relationship and ensure [that] service designs and approaches are collaborative. Access to funding over the years [through FORWARD has] helped RWoB to grow and sustain our income and resources._
_Our current “Mend the Gap - phase two” project with FORWARD continuously engages and strengthens our community engagement in Bristol and surrounding areas. We share training, events and expertise in delivering this unique project in Bristol, [which] continues to empower refugee and asylumseeking women to raise their voices and influence local services._
_Our partnership’s impact is evidenced in the growth of some of our staff,_
(Arabic-speaking service within the Domestic Violence Intervention Project, DVIP), the Ashiana Network and the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO).
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_trustees, and volunteers who have been part of FORWARD’s Community Development Project and gained from the Community Champions Training. [FORWARD have] transformed our organisation's existence and embedded their work in a community engagement approach that meets the needs of our target communities. “_
## **3.5. Strategic Goal 5: strengthening organisational capacity, resilience and impact**
This goal has served as the foundation that allows us to deliver effectively on our mission to help end multiple forms of violence against African women and girls (VAWG) through specialist services, supporting partnerships and community interventions that reflect their complex, diverse needs and lived experiences.
Here, we focus on the suitability and efficiency of our internal, organisation-wide systems, the capacity and wellbeing of our excellent staff team, and our organisation’s financial sustainability, as well as our important efforts to demonstrate and share the impact of all our work. We highlight our progress and achievements in each of these areas below.
## **Increased staff capacity and skills to deliver effective and impactful programmes**
Effective recruitment and staff training are important for our staff’s capacity to deliver our programmes. In this reporting year, all FORWARD programme staff members had the opportunity to attend external specialist trainings as well as an internal training course on mental health awareness. We successfully recruited a new senior member to our leadership team, who brings in new skills in strategic business development. This will help us to improve our business processes and the growth mindset within the team. We have also adopted a new organisational organogram that will better meet the growing needs of the organisation.
Additionally, in the past year, we have continued to prepare our staff and policies towards our aspired Investors in People accreditation. To this end, we notably conducted a survey with staff, which has identified key areas needing to be addressed around management and staff support.
## **Strategic planning process**
We dedicated our two annual staff Away Days this past year to the conception of our new strategic plan. We also engaged an external organisational development consultancy firm who worked with us over a six-month period to develop the new plan. This process involved a number of consultations with staff, trustees and selected stakeholders, including funders and key partners. The feedback has informed the development of our new strategic plan 2024-27.
During the discussions from staff on the work of FORWARD- a programme staff stated as follows: _“People know us now, they believe in what we do, they trust us. It makes me proud.” – FORWARD team member._
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The consultants’ report on the stakeholder consultations notably highlighted a key finding that “ FORWARD occupies a ‘middle space’”, where our potential impact and reach is stifled by larger and more prominent organisations. They further went on to ask at the away day: “How can FORWARD balance moving beyond this ‘stuck in the middle’ situation (for instance, through greater promotion and by targeting different funding partnerships) without sacrificing the authenticity of their community-focused approach?”
Key areas that were agreed and integrated into FORWARD’s new strategic plan included the following:
- **Addressing organisational competency and capability** - these emerged as a clear area of both concern and opportunity for the team. Strengthening our competency, capability (and by extension capacity) has therefore been adopted as a key strategic focus for the upcoming strategy.
- **Continuing the work of prioritisation of external engagement** - there was a shared conviction that we still need to refine the focus and positioning of our programmes, and correspondingly some of our work with external partners. This must include ‘right-sizing’ the level of effort in each programme to ensure it corresponds to the existing, available capacity. Moreover, FORWARD may need to be stricter in its prioritisation of partnerships and programmes, focusing on partners that add the most value to FORWARD’s mission and work and programmes that align most our vision, goals and values.
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## **3.6. Partnerships**
Partnerships and strategic collaborations are central to FORWARD’s approach to programming. Over the past year, we have worked with a diverse range of organisations and networks within the women’s rights and specialist VAWG sectors. Our efforts have notably also included ongoing collaborations with statutory partners as well as building alliances with frontline organisations, supporting advocacy campaigns and engaging in policy development. In delivering our community programmes, meanwhile, we have continued to collaborate with various community-based organisations across the UK, Europe, and Africa, ensuring that our initiatives remain grounded in local expertise and that they can have a broad, meaningful impact.
## **FORWARD’s FAST Support Model with Delivery Partners**
Our commitment to partnership-working recognises that the partners with whom we work possess unique strengths and expertise and strengths – including their understanding of the local context and of the nuances of the social norms we seek to tackle, as well as these partners’ courage to stand up to the patriarchy which perpetuates VAWG. In general, therefore, FORWARD has for long now adopted the approach of prioritising the organisational development partners, providing tailor-made support with this that responds to the specific needs of each partner organisation.
FORWARD currently works with five delivery partners: two in the UK and three in Africa, where our FAST support model has been effectively implemented for over 10 years now. FORWARD has helped to seed, develop, and scale up our local partners’ interventions to make VAWG history. Rooted in the values of collaboration and partnership, the FAST model emphasises several key components, notably **f** unding support, ongoing **a** ccompaniment and **s** ustained **t** echnical assistance. These elements work together to empower our partners and enhance the impact of our collective efforts. In the words of our Executive Director Naana Otoo-Oyortey: _“…we have constant open communication with partners. Daily emails, advice sharing. We play a nurturing and mentoring role – it takes a lot of time and energy. This is true in all aspects of our work with partners – fundraising, events, training, etc.”_
## **Collaborative Partners and Networks of FORWARD**
Our collaborative approach allows us to pursue our strategic goal of building capacity in partner organisations and fostering alliances between African diaspora women's organisations. Above and beyond programme delivery, these partnerships also continue to be a primary channel for our advocacy and campaigning activities, both nationally and internationally.
FORWARD is an active member of the following networks and partnerships:
- End FGM European Network (based in Brussels)
- End Violence Against Women (EVAW)
- Faith and VAWG Coalition
- Girls Not Brides UK (co-chair)
- Gender and Development Network (GADN)
- MOPAC Harmful Practices Forum (at the London Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime)
- UK Home Office Stakeholders Group
- ASCENT (with London Councils)
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- Pan-London VAWG forums (some working specifically with BME women):
- Tri-Borough Harmful Practices operational group
- Harmful Practices Working Group SW London Boroughs
- Haringey VAWG CCR group
- Haringey VAWG and BAMER community forum
- Lambeth VAWG
- Bexley DA operational forum
- Islington's BAMER forum
- Croydon's FGM stakeholders meeting
- Brent VAWG forum
- Merton DA forum
## **3.7. External factors affecting our work**
VAWG remains a growing and endemic problem in the UK. The Shadow Report submitted to the Istanbul Convention, which was endorsed by 58 VAWG specialist sector organisations, highlighted the continued toll of VAWG on the sector. One in four women experience domestic abuse in their lifetimes. What is more, data from the Office for National Statistics found that in 2023, reported sexual offences were at the highest level recorded since records began. This also includes sexual abuse, and harassment in public spaces, schools as well as online. Often this data is not disaggregated, making it challenging to identify the extent of abuse within black and minority communities. While the data may be due to an increase in confidence to report, the stark reality is that many cases of abuse especially among migrant communities go unreported due to fear of reporting, stigma and lack of understanding of reporting processes.
The continuous lack of attention to broader VAWG in policy development affects the scale and effectiveness of intervention responses. Current policy responses do not reflect the whole-society approach needed to effectively end VAWG in our view, particularly prevention work within communities is an urgent missing link within the UK as focus of policy is more on survivor support. Furthermore, the government’s hostile immigration policies continue to be a major barrier to migrant women’s access to full support and protection from the public sector. For the second year in a row, we are seeing an increased demand for our services, especially from women with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF), who usually have more complex and multi-layered challenges in addition to VAWG.
Mainstream services fail to meet the intersectional and complex needs of Black and minority (B&M) communities. For this reason, a need for culturally appropriate, specialist B&M services (which are also gender-specific and trauma-sensitive) is reflected in government policy on VAWG; this means that our services are more in demand in these times. For example, many women face immense cultural pressure from their families to remain in abusive marriages due to 'honour' stigma, regressive ideas around 'shame' and control over women's lives. We also regularly observe a link between faith and women’s experience of VAWG. Correspondingly, a study conducted by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner's Office (2022) on migrant victims of abuse found that support from B&M specialist VAWG organisations was the preferred option for migrant women.
Funding remains a major external factor that impacts on our work. A 2023 report by Rosa UK (a grant-giving organisation) found that ‘by and for’ organisations (like FORWARD and some of its partners) are six times more likely not to receive any statutory funding than other types of specialist organisations working on VAWG or domestic abuse. They were also far more likely to be delivering support without any dedicated funding, or have been forced to cease services due to lack of funds.
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The funding crisis in the VAWG sector continues to adversely impact the sector. A new study conducted in Bristol in 2023 found that the challenges in funding for B&M community organisations, along with certain adverse policies on safeguarding in clinical settings, was resulting in women losing trust in services. Many of the women surveyed in the study lacked awareness of existing specialist services and had unmet health needs, including sexual counselling. The study called for awareness-raising in communities and improved access to specialist services. (University of Bristol, 2023).
Access to housing services and to the criminal justice system also remain barriers that impact our capacity to deliver support to vulnerable women, particularly in cases where they are facing homelessness or seeking justice for cases of abuse. One of the factors at play is the enforcement of safeguarding policies, which is often stigmatising and discriminatory. In addition, the crisis in the criminal justice system impacts differently on black and minoritised women. The Casey Review on the Met Police, published during this reporting year, laid bare police misogyny, racism, homophobia and ableism. The Review’s authors concluded that women and girls were being failed by the broken institutional systems, and that these needed radical reforms.
FORWARD continues to respond to these external factors affecting our work with all our strength and conviction: by working strategically with communities, engaging community advocates, using research to create evidence, and collaborating in advocacy coalitions at national and local levels, both in the execution of campaigns and in the exploration of partnership/consortium-based funding opportunities.
## **4. Financial Review**
## **4.1. Overview of income and fundraising activities**
FORWARD's financial objectives seek to ensure sound financial management and reporting, as well as planning for and mitigating any strategic and operational risks. Our leadership team, including the Board of Trustees and Senior Management oversees and manages the budget for the year and maintains diligent financial record-keeping on all expenditures and reserves. This joint objective is monitored quarterly by the Trustees, through the management accounts and the finance committee's work.
FORWARD's income over the year ended 31[st] March 2024 amounted to £703,082, compared with £1,081,645 in the year ended 31[st] March 2023. The total expenditure was £871,507 from 31[st] March 2024, compared with £871,134 in the previous year. The total unrestricted funds carried forward on 31[st] March 2024 totalled £574,661, of which £368,474 were general funds and £206,187 were designated funds, while our restricted funds carried forward on 31[st] March 2024 amounted to £40,637.
FORWARD continues to make progress in increasing the diversity of our funding sources, despite the challenging economic climate. In the past year, we revised our organisational delivery structure and defined four operational workstreams two of which now include the Business Development and Strategy team - this new workstream is in line with our new strategic goal to strengthen organisational resilience, to focus on supporting our business development processes, our fundraising and our advocacy work, as well as the monitoring and evaluation of all business processes and programme delivery. The other workstream is our Technical Training and Commissioning Services - a newly revamped team that consolidates all the training programmes provided by FORWARD, to strengthen our impact, whilst also seeking access to unrestricted funding through commissioned training and research services. We have also successfully recruited a new Digital Communications Officer and are confident that this will further expand our reach on social media, harnessing our engagement with newer audiences and potential donors.
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## **4.2. Reserves policy and going concern**
FORWARD's reserves are based on unrestricted, general funds that are set aside to ensure our long-term ability to meet the charity's objectives and to ensure the continued operation of our programmes. The reserves policy makes provision for unforeseen obligations and emergency situations, taking into consideration key risks to our organisation as outlined in our risk register.
The Operating Reserve is intended to provide an unrestricted source of funds for unplanned situations, such as a sudden increase in expenses, unbudgeted expenses, an unanticipated loss of funding, or unsecured core expenses. Operating Reserves are not intended to replace a permanent loss of funds or to eliminate an ongoing budget gap. It is the intention of FORWARD for its Emergency Operating Reserves (EOR), when used, to be replenished within a reasonably short period of time. These reserve funds are designated funds set aside by the Board for the purposes detailed above.
The minimum amount to be designated as our Operating Reserve is set at a sum sufficient to maintain ongoing operations and programmes for one year. FORWARD's current reserves policy aims to allocate up to 50 % of its annual budget expenditure as its emergency operating reserves. The Trustees have also agreed that in addition, this minimum level of the EOR at any time should be equivalent to up to six months' operating costs. This figure will be calculated and reviewed annually by the Board of Trustees in relation to internal and external circumstances.
The current reserve level is based on general funds not allocated for programmes and includes income from donations, training services, bank interest and Gift Aid. The total amount of the Operating Reserves is calculated annually, based on the annual audit report, and approved by the Board of Trustees.
FORWARD remains a going concern. The Board of Trustees have assessed the organisation and are assured that FORWARD has adequate resources and staff to continue to operate for the foreseeable future. It consequently adopts the going-concern basis in preparing this report.
## **4.3. Grant-making and fundraising**
FORWARD's trustees see sub-granting as an essential component of the organisation's charitable operations. This is predominantly the case for our charitable projects in Africa, but also our partnership work in the UK. This year, we provided sub-grants to four partners in the UK. We also supported the establishment on an affiliate partner in Ghana, with the aim to scale up our young women’s leadership programme globally. This approach to sub-granting has become a strategic lifeline for the smaller organisations that we nurture and support; it enables them to access funds and grow their income as many do not have internal fundraising expertise.
The majority of our charitable work in Africa is carried out through sub-grants to our local partners. These partners are selected in line with our strategy of working with girls and young women. Partners are required to re-apply for their grant on an annual basis; the renewal of the grants is subject to contract-specific performance measures and financial adherence. All partners sign a Memorandum of Agreement in addition to a grant agreement and a financial grant agreement, detailing roles and responsibilities and outlining the grant conditions. FORWARD's staff conduct regular monitoring, including site visits, and provide our partners with technical support and capacity development.
Fundraising is the responsibility of FORWARD's senior staff members and is led by the
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Executive Director. In addition, this past year we have successfully recruited a new role, the Head of Business Development and Strategy, who brings in new skills on business development processes and will help to identify new areas for growing our income. In this reporting period, we also worked with an intern and an external fundraising consultant to support our fundraising activities.
Our fundraising work includes writing funding applications, working through partnerships to bid for contracts and commissioned work, and undertaking fundraising campaigns that target the general public. In addition, we are very grateful to our numerous individual donations and legacies who provide our unrestricted funding. Our individual donors generally provide us with monthly direct debits, while additionally, we also receive oneoff donations through our website donation page.
We have experienced challenges in the past in recruiting senior fundraising staff, as these roles are often not funded under programme funding. This can be seen more broadly as a barrier to building organisational resilience within the women's VAWG sector. Furthermore, the sector is also continuing to face cuts in funding, due to some funders’ changes in focus as well as the impacts of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
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## **5. Our Future Plans**
Our plans for the 2024-25 financial year focus on strengthening our internal processes and systems and operationalising our new strategic plan by developing targets and business plans to support its effective implementation. The cost-of-living crisis is continuing to impact service users too, especially women with NRPF. We believe that for this reason, the increase in the numbers of service users that we have started to see will continue; we have to build up our resilience to meet this increased demand for support.
We will continue to prioritise our staffing and human resources development, particularly staff capacity, staff resilience and well-being, as well as to consolidate our programme evidence and learning. Staff capacity and wellbeing were identified in our staff Away Day as areas that needed attention. Additionally, the survey conducted with staff as part of our preparations for our Investors in People accreditation indicated that nearly 50% of staff felt they had heavy workloads and that staffing levels needed urgent attention. In this area, further management training will also form a major part of our future plans, to ensure that staff wellbeing and workload management are adequately addressed. We have developed a new staff organogram in line with the changes in our new strategic plan, to ensure that we have the relevant skillsets and programmes to support the plan’s implementation and plan to recruit to address skills gaps within FORWARD.
We will implement new community programmes on VAWG with our partners and improve our data management to ensure better tracking of processes. This will include working with external learning partners to help build our capacity. We will work more closely with partners to scale up the community champions programme and share the learning from this innovative programme with our sector. We will also scale up our collaboration with Pan-London partners and build on the partnership with NHS services around community women’s health. We will strengthen work on faith and VAWG, as a neglected major issue for our service users who come from faith-based communities.
Our plans for our schools and young women's leadership are ambitious. We will scale up our bespoke TuWezeshe young women's leadership programme, investing in new women’s organisations and young women in Africa and UK, including our new university ambassadors programme. This will include planning the leadership training with our associate partner in Ghana, TuWezeshe Global. We will call on the leadership alumni, strengthening sisterhood and movement building through regular convening events and developing new partnerships. We will also strengthen resource development and better sharing of learning of the impact of the Tuwezeshe Programme in the UK and Africa.
On the research front, we will work towards completion of research activities that we have initiated on sexual violence and FGM. In Africa, we will build on the evidence work on child mothers' access to education, to help generate evidence on this neglected policy and development challenge. We also plan to increase our research capacity by rebuilding the team and exploring opportunities for scaling up partnerships with academics.
Finally, with the changing funding landscape, including reduced UK development funding and our related strategy of shifting funding to southern partners, we will firm up our Africa base and identify new funding partnerships. We are keen to further develop our staff capacity by recruiting new fundraising staff, and working with external consultants to identify new funding opportunities and models of working for our UK and Africa work.
With the change of government, we have new opportunities for advocacy work to shape the VAWG sector in the UK as well as strengthen our Diaspora role in development. We will continue work with our VAWG sector partners and networks in the UK and Europe and strengthen our new partnership work with the criminal justice system.
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## **6. Structure, governance and management**
FORWARD was established in 1983 and registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales in August 1985 as a charity with registration number 292403. FORWARD is also incorporated as a charitable company limited by guarantee (Company No. 01921508), governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association; its incorporation came into force on 11[th] June 1985.
## **6.1. The Board of Trustees**
In accordance with the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Board of Trustees have the responsibility to oversee the business of the organisation. The minimum number of trustees on the Board - also known as directors - is five; the maximum number is fifteen members. We currently have seven Board members. Two members resigned in the year and the board is currently identifying two new board members.
In line with the Articles of Association, the Board should be comprised of individuals with knowledge of the socio-economic factors faced by BME women and girls. It should be made up of three-fifths (i.e. 60 percent) of members of African descent and have at least a 75 percent representation of women. This ensures the effective participation in decision-making by those who are most affected by the issues that FORWARD works on.
The Board of Trustees meet four times a year. Nine Trustees served on the board in this reporting year (including the member with observer status). FORWARD's trustees can co-opt new board members during the year, where needed, to fill vacancies or to meet any skills deficit identified by the Board. There are currently two honorary officers on the Board; the Chair and the Treasurer. All the Trustees are full members of FORWARD. The Board of Trustees' work is governed by the seven principles of the Charity Governance Code. This includes organisational purpose, leadership, decision-making, risk and control through the monitoring of financial and operational systems, and annual planning, risk analysis and risk management. The Board ensures that FORWARD complies with all relevant financial policies, regulations and good practices, and conducts an annual review of its work.
The Board now has three functioning sub-committees: Finance and Human Resources; Fundraising and Communications; and a new committee, Strategy and Governance, which will ensue that the board fulfils its legal, ethical, and functional responsibilities in relation to the overall mission and vision of the organisation. The Finance Committee provides oversight on financial and risk management matters, while the Fundraising and Communications committee oversees visibility and digital funding matters.
A skills audit of its members is conducted annually by the Board. For skill areas that are identified as needing further expertise, a selection process is started to identify potential new candidates, using advertisements and charity trustee recruitment organisations. The board is currently seeking to recruit an additional male member of the board.
New trustees are required to serve for a period of up to a year in an observer status. The induction training for new trustees addresses their legal obligations under charity and company law, the Charity Commission's guidance on the meaning of public benefit, and in general the duties and responsibilities of the Board. This induction process includes the provision of relevant statutory documents and reports, including copies of the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, its latest finance and annual reports, and an overview of current trustee roles.
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## **6.2. Organisational management, staffing and volunteers**
The Executive Director is appointed by the Board of Trustees to manage FORWARD's operations efficiently. The Executive Director holds delegated authority from the Board to manage operational matters, including finance, employment and programme planning and execution. This role is performed with the support of the Senior Management Team (SMT); together, they are responsible for the implementation of the organisation's strategic plan and for realising FORWARD's mission and vision. The salaries of the Executive Director, Senior Management Team and members of staff are reviewed annually by the Board of Trustees. Provided that the necessary funding is available, the Board normally raises them in accordance with the annual change in average earnings within the Charity Sector.
19 members of staff worked with FORWARD in this reporting year, comprising 14 parttime and five full-time employees. In the past year, five staff members left FORWARD; this included two senior staff members. Seven new employees joined the team. Our staff retention rate has continued to improve in the past two years, and we intend to ensure that our human resources processes and management support provide an increasingly enabling environment for our staff.
We have been successful in continuing to recruit community champions, permitting them to transition to staff members and sessional workers. Additionally, over the course of the year, three interns and five volunteers supported the organisation with a wide range of tasks. FORWARD recruits new volunteers and interns through adverts published on our website and through recommendations from stakeholders and community advocates. We continue to improve our on-boarding procedures to ensure all new staff members are adequately supported and to facilitate their settling in at FORWARD.
We have adopted a new organisational structure that is made up of four revamped areas: Programmes and Support Services - covering the community, youth, and Africa work; Business Development & Strategy - made up of business development, fundraising, communication, and monitoring and evaluation; Technical, Training and Commissioning Services - which oversees our training and commissioned work; and the Central Operations Offices, who support our overall operations, administration, finance and human resources.
## **6.3. Related party transactions**
In our operations over the past year, there were no related party transactions to disclose as at the end of March 2024.
## **6.4. Risk management**
The Board of Trustees undertake a periodic analysis of the major risks that the organisation faces, or is exposed to, in line with FORWARD's risk management policy and risk register. This risk analysis is reviewed twice a year during Board meetings. The analysis includes:
- The six-monthly review of FORWARD's risk matrix and the principal risks; the Board of Director's reports to each board meeting, which also include a review of key risks to the organisation.
- The development of appropriate policies, procedures and actions to mitigate any risks identified (including programme risk areas, which are reviewed every quarter).
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- The development of procedures, plans and actions to minimise, mitigate and manage potential and identified risks to the organisation.
The principal risks that faced FORWARD this past year included financial risk, governance risks, operational risks and risks pertaining to the ongoing cost of living crisis. The charity's Treasurer and the Board's Finance and Human Resources Committee are together tasked with regularly reviewing the financial risks to which FORWARD could be exposed while we conduct our work, both internally and externally. Oversight of the risk register more generally is delegated by the Trustees to the Executive Director, who is tasked with reporting on it to the Board on a regular basis.
Over the year, the main risk areas identified remained the changes in UK government policy and in the broader funding landscape, with cuts in public spending affecting the VAWG sector and the terms of government contracts presenting challenges, notably regarding pre-financing and the late payment of grants. The cost-of-living crisis is impacting adversely on our support clients and also poses additional challenges. Similarly, the shifting policy focus of the Domestic Abuse Act, hostile immigration policies and the changing public environment for migrants has also been especially challenging for FORWARD, as we now see more service users faced with complex needs in addition to VAWG. Providing holistic services requires more staff time and active collaboration due to these individuals’ multiple needs. We continue to collect further evidence in support of our approach and to engage with policy-makers on this matter.
As a further element of our approach to effective risk management, external consultants are contracted to undertake end–of-project evaluations for every project, focussing on the choice of programme areas, project outcomes, value-for-money and budgetary considerations. We have also started to work with external learning partners on some of our projects, who provide on-going support to enhance the effective monitoring and evaluation of our work. The external consultants' reports confirm our adherence to financially sound practices, in line with SORP guidelines, and ensure transparency and scrutiny.
Finally, we continue to monitor the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on staff well-being; FORWARD continues to prioritise this risk area. We have put in place a policy on safety measures to protect staff and volunteers, which better supports staff working remotely and helps us to provide staff and volunteers with ongoing support, including well-being supervision and flexible working, as well as professional training.
We are working with our programme managers to improve their management practices, which includes improved staff supervision and staff appraisals. These efforts are being further supported through our human resources audit recommendations and processes, and the preparatory processes towards the Investors in People accreditation, which provides global standards for improving staff management, support and performance.
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## **RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TRUSTEES**
The Board of Trustees is responsible for preparing the Trustees' Annual Report, the Chairman's Statement and the financial statements, in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.
Company law requires the Board of Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Accordingly, the Trustees have prepared the financial statements in compliance with the United Kingdom's Generally Accepted Accounting Practice and the law applicable to charities in England and Wales. The financial statements are required by law to provide a true and fair view of FORWARD's financial situation, including incoming resources and the application of these resources by the charity.
In preparing these 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; and
- Prepare the financial statements on a going-concern basis, unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The Board of Trustees is responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy, at any time, the financial position of the charity and for ensuring that the annual financial statements comply with the Companies Act of 2006. The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the charity's assets and, hence, for taking reasonable steps to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities.
## **The Board of Trustees**
The members of the Board of Trustees are FORWARD's directors for the purposes of company law and its trustees for the purposes of charity law, serving during the past financial year and up to the date of this report, as set out on page 3.
In accordance with company law, as the company's directors, we certify that: So far as we are aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the company's auditors are unaware, and that, as the directors of the company, we have taken all the steps that we ought to have taken in order to make ourselves aware of any relevant auditor information and to establish that the charity's auditors are aware of that information.
## **Auditors**
Goldwins Chartered Accountants were-re-appointed as the charitable company's auditors.
Approved by the Board of Trustees and Signed on its behalf by:
**----- Start of picture text -----**
..........................................
**----- End of picture text -----**
.......................................... Trustee- Dr Lisa Smith
30 November 2024
28
## **INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)**
## **Opinion**
We have audited the financial statements of the Foundation for Women's Health Research & Development for the year ended 31 March 2024, which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the statement of cash flows and the related notes. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is the applicable law and the United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102: The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
## **Opinion on financial statements**
In our opinion the financial statements:
- give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company's affairs as at 31 March 2024 and of its income and expenditure for the year then ended;
- have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
- have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
## **Basis for opinion**
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the section of our report entitled Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements. We are independent of the Charity, in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRCʼs Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
## **Conclusions relating to going concern**
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate. Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue. Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to the going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
## **Other information**
The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, to consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material
29
## **INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)**
misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
## **Opinion on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006**
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
- the information given in the trustees' report (incorporating the directors' report) for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
- the trustees' report (incorporating the directors' report) has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
## **Matters on which we are required to report by exception**
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the Charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Trustees' Annual Report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters, where the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- adequate accounting records have not been kept or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
- the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
- certain disclosures of trustees' remuneration specified by law are not made; or
- we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
## **Responsibilities of the trustees**
As explained more fully in the Trustees' Responsibilities Statement, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give an accurate and fair view and for such internal control as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the Charity's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to the going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting, unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the Charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
## **Our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements**
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements in their entirety are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance. However, it is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with the ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our
30
## **INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)**
procedures can detect irregularities, including fraud, is set out below.
In identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, our procedures included the following:
- We enquired of management, which included obtaining and reviewing supporting documentation, concerning the charity's policies and procedures relating to:
- Identifying, evaluating, and complying with laws and regulations, and whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance;
- Detecting and responding to the risks of fraud and whether they had knowledge of any actual, suspected, or alleged fraud;
- The internal controls that are established to mitigate fraud risks or noncompliance with laws and regulations.
-
- We inspected the minutes of meetings of those charged with governance.
- We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework that the charity operates in, focussing on those laws and regulations that had a material effect on the financial statements or that had a fundamental effect on the operations of the charity from our professional and sector experience.
- We reviewed the financial statement disclosures and tested these against supporting documentation to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
- We performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud.
- In addressing the risk of fraud through management overriding of controls, we tested the appropriateness of journal entries and other adjustments, assessed whether the judgements made in establishing accounting estimates were indicative of a potential bias, and tested significant unusual transactions or those outside the normal course of business.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council's website at
www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
## **Use of our report**
This report is made solely to the charitable company's members as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity's members those matters that we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity's members as a body for our audit work, this report, or the opinions we have formed.
……………………………….
9 December 2024
**Anthony Epton (Senior Statutory Auditor) for and on behalf of Goldwins Limited Statutory Auditor Chartered Accountants 75 Maygrove Road West Hampstead London NW6 2EG**
31
Foundation For Women's Health Research And Development (Limited By Guarantee)
Statement of Financial Activities Ilncorporating An Income and Expenditure Account}
For the ear ended 31 March 2024
2024
2023
Unrestricted Restricted
funds
funds Total funds Total fund5
Note
Income from..
Donations and legacies
Charitable acrivities..
Africa programme
Community programme
Youth programme
Public education, training & other
Other trading activities
Investments
Other
77,594
15,000
92.594
111,838
27,978
474,896
80,400
27.978
477,896
80.400
16.562
327,295
591,877
40,000
7,500
3,000
16,562
7,652
7.652
3,129
Total income
104,808
598,274
703.082 1,081,645
Expenditure on-
Raising funds
Charitable activities
Africa programme
Community programme
Youth programme
Other
1,254
1.254
8,182
85,709
6,700
106,397
507,267
75,734
192.105
513.966
75,734
88.448
184,940
640,000
34,196
3,816
88,448
Total expenditure
Net income l (expenditure) before net
gains / (losses) on investments
182,110
689,397
871.507
871,134
177,302)
191,1231 1168.425)
210,511
Net gains l (losses) on investments
Net income l (expenditurel for the year
177,302)
191,1231 1168.425)
210,511
Transfers between funds
14.6341
4,634
Net income l (expenditurel before other
recognised gains and losses
181.9361
186.4891 1168.425)
210,511
Net movement in funds
181,9361
186,4891 1168.425)
210,511
Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought forward
656,597
127,126
783.723
573,212
Total funds carried fOard
574,661
40,637
615.298
783,723
All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses
other than those stated above. Movements In funds are disclosed in Note 18 to the financial statements.
32
Foundatlon For Women's Health Research And Development (Llmlted By Guarantee)
Balance Sheet
Company no. 1921508
As at 31 March 2024
2024
2023
Note
Fixed assets..
Tangible assets
6,494
12,409
6,494
12,409
Current assets-
Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
83.185
604.439
112,264
752,274
687.624
864.538
Liabilities..
Creditors.. amounts falling due within one year 14
78.820
93,224
Net current assets
608,804
771,314
Total assets less current liabilities
615,298
783.723
Creditors.. amounts falling due after one year
Net assets
615,298
783,723
Total net assets
615,298
783.723
The funds of the charity..
Restricted income funds
Unrestricted income fund5'.
Designated funds
General funds
40,637
127,126
206.187
368.474
209,969
446,628
Total unrestricted f unds
574,661
656,597
Total charity funds
615,298
783.723
The fi nancial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small
companies under Partl 5 of the Companies Act 2006.
Approved by the trustees on 30 November 2024
and signed on their behalf bv
Dr Lisa Smith
Treasurer
33
Foundation For Women's Health Research And Development (Limited By Guarantee)
Statement of Cash Flows
For the year ended 31 March 2024
Note
2024
2023
Cash flows from operating activities
Net cash provided by l (used in) operating
1142.942)
194.141)
Cash flows from investing activities..
Dividends, interest and rents from investments
Proceeds from the sale of fixed assets
Purchase of fixed asset5
Proieed5 from Sale of investments
Purchase of investments
14,8931
19,6961
Net cash provlded by l (used In) Investlng
14.893)
19.696)
Net cash provlded by l (used In) flnanclng
activities
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year
1147.835)
1103,837)
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the
year
Change in cash and cash equivalents due to
exchange rate movements
752.274
856,111
Cash and cash equlvalenis ai ihe end of the year
20
604,439
752,274
34
Foundation For Women's Health Research And Development (Limited By Guarantee)
Notes ro the Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024
l Accounting policies
al Basls of preparation
The financial sthtements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities".
Siatemeni of Recommended Practice applicable to chariiies preparing their accounts in accordance with the
Financial Reporting Srandard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS 102 effective l January 20151
(Charitie5 SORP FRS 1021 and the Companies Act 2006.
The charitable company meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are
initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unle55 Otherwise stated in the relevant accounting
policy or note.
bl Going concern
The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charitable company's ability to
continue as a going concern. The trustees do not consider that there are any sources of estimation
uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying
amounts of assets and liabilities within the nexr reponing period.
cl Income
Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to
the income have been met. it 15 probable that the income will be received and that the amount can be
measured reliably.
Income from government and other grants, whether 'capital' grants or 'revenue' granrs, is recognised when
the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it
15 probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.
For legacies, enritlement is taken as the earlier of rhe date on which either.. the charity is aware that probate
has been granted, the estate has been finalised and notification has been made by the executorlsl to the
chariiy thai a disiribuiion will be made, or when a disiribuiion is received from the esiaie. Receipi of a legacy,
in whole or In part, Is only considered probable when the amount can be measured reliably and the charity has
been Notified of the executor's intention to make a distribution. Where legacies have been Notified to the
charity, or the chariry is aware of the granring of probate. and the criteria for income recognition have not
been met, then the legacy is a treated as a contingent a55et and disclosed if material.
Income received in advance of the provision of a specified service is deferred until the criteria for income
recognirion are mer.
dl Donatlons of glfts. seNlces and facllltles
Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control
over the iiem or received the service, any conditions associaied wilh the donation have been mei, the receipt
of economic benefit from the use by the charity of the Item is probable and that economic benefit can be
measured reliably. In accordance with the Charitie5 SORP IFRS 1021, volunteer time 15 not recogni5ed so refer
to the trusrees. annual report for more informarion about their contribution.
On receipt, donated gift5, professional services and donated facilitie5 are recognised on the basis of the value
of the gift to the charity which is the amount the chariry would have been willing to pay to obrain services or
facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market." a corresponding amount is then recogni5ed in
expenditure in the period of receipi.
el Interest receivable
Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the
charity", this is normally upon notification of the Interest paid or payable by the bank.
35
Foundation For Women's Health Research And Development (Limited By Guarantee)
Notes ro the Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024
l Accounting policies Icontinuedl
f) Fund accountlng
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.
Unrestricted funds are donations and other incoming resources received or generated for the charitable
purposes.
Designated funds are unrestricred funds earmarked by the trustees for particular purposes.
gl Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party,
it is probable thar settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure is classified under the following activity heading5'.
Costs of raising funds relate to the costs incurred by the charitable company in inducing third parties to
make voluntary contributions to It, as well as the cost of any activities with a fundraising purpose
Expenditure on charitable activities includes the costs of delivering services, undertaken to further the
purposes of the chariiy and their associated support Costs.
Other expenditure represenrs those items not falling into any orher heading
Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure wa5 incurred.
h) Allocatlon of support costs
Resources expended are allocared to rhe particular activity where the cost relares directly to that activity.
However, the c05t of overall direction and administration of each activity, comprising the salary and overhead
costs of the cenrral function. is apporrioned on the basis which are an estimate, based on staff rime, of the
amount attributable to each activity.
Where information about the aims, objectives and projetts of the charity is provided to potential beneficiaries,
the costs associaied wilh this publiciiy are allocated to charirable expendiiure.
Where such information about the aims, objectives and projects of the charity is also provided to potential
donors, attivity cost5 are apportioned between fundraising and charitable activitie5 Oll the basi5 of area of
literarure occupied by each activity.
il Operatlng leases
Rental charges are charged on a straight line basis over the term of the lease.
Jl Tanglble flxed assets
Items of equipment are capitalised where the purchase price exceeds £600. Depreciation costs are allocared to
activitie5 on the basis of the use of the related a55ets in those activities. Asset5 are reviewed for impairment if
circumstances indicate their carrying value may exceed their net realisable value and value in use.
Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write down the cost of each asset to irs estimared residual value
over its expected useful life. The depreciation rates in use are as follows".
Websire development
Over 3 years
Computer equipment
33.33% straight line
Fixtures, fittings and equipment
25% straight line
k} Debtors
Trade and other debtors are recogni5ed at the 5ettlerllent amount due after any trade discount offered.
Prepayments are valued at rhe amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.
36
Foundation For Women's Health Research And Development (Limited By Guarantee)
Notes ro the Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024
l Accounting policles Icontinuedl
11 Cash at bank and In hand
Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly IiqLJid investments with a short maturity of
three months or le55 from the dale of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account. Cash balances
exclude any funds held on behalf of service users.
ml Creditors and provisions
Creditor5 and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event
that will probably resulr in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligarion
can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditor5 and provi5ion5 are normally recognised at their settlement
amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.
n) Financial instruments
The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial
in5trument5. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently
measured ar their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at
amortised cost using the effeitive interest method.
ol Pensions
The charity operate5 Stakeholder pension Scheme.
2 Detabled comparatives for the statement of financlal actlvlties (Prlor year-20231
2023
Toral
Unrestricted
Restricted
Income from=
Donations and legacies
Charitable activities..
Africa programme
Community programme
Youth programme
Public education. training & other
Other trading activities
Investments
Other
96,838
15.000
111,838
188,662
2,250
138.633
589,627
40,000
327,295
591,877
40,000
7.500
3,129
7,500
3,129
Total Income
Expenditure on..
Raising funds
Charitable activitie5'.
Africa programme
Community programme
Youth programme
Other
298,385
783.260
1.081,645
8,182
8,182
76,629
28,678
108.311
611.322
34.196
184.940
640,000
34,196
3,816
3,816
Total expenditure
117,305
753,829
871,134
Net Income l expen(Jlture
Transfers between fuNd5
181,080
11,4521
29.43 1
1,452
210.511
Net movement in funds
Total funds brought forward
179,628
476,969
30,883
96,243
210,511
573,212
Total fund5 carried forward
656,597
127,126
783,723
37
Foundation For Women's Health Research And Development (Limited By Guarantee)
Notes ro the Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024
3 Income from donations and legacies
2024 total
Total
2023
Total
Unrestricted
Restricted
Donation5
Legacie5
Gaskell & Wilkinson
Gift Aid
40,05 5
28,803
40,055
28,803
15.000
8.736
88,047
15,000
15,000
8,791
8,736
77,594
15,000
92,594
111,838
4 Income from investments
2024
Total
2023
Toral
Unrestricted
Resrricted
Investment income
7.652
7,652
3.129
7,652
7.652
3,129
5 Income from charitable activities
2024
Total
2023
Toral
Unrestricted
Restricted
Africa Programme
Comic Relief - Manda 2
Children's Dignity Forum- Haki Ya Binti Phase 2
Schwab Charitable Fund
Community programme
London Councils
National Lottery Community Fund
GLA-Ascent NRPF
GLA-Refuge - NRPF
Greenwich Council
London Borough of Ealing
Lloyd5 Bank Foundation
MOPAC - Prevention & Action EHP
National Lorrery-coronavirus Community Supporr Fund
The London Community Foundaiion
Comic RelieflDCMS Fund
Comic Relief MOJ Fund
Tudor Trust
Royal Marsden Partners RMP
BME Healih Forum
Youth programme
Barrow Cadbury Trust
Dr Martens Foundarion
London Councils-AVA Schs
February Foundaiion
WRC End Harmful Practices
Publlc e(Jucatlon & tralnlng
London Councils - Prevention
Imperial College
Charityworks - Kickstart
Training, consultanry and event
Total iniome from charitable activities
25,000
2,978
25,000
2,978
108,700
29.933
188,662
48,130
180,236
48,604
78,073
48,130
180,236
48.604
78.073
48,131
124,305
49,013
78,073
39,000
39,000
39,000
2,250
40.853
40,853
40.853
58,286
111,966
40,000
40.000
500
2,500
40,000
soo
2,SOO
50,000
50,000
20,000
20,000
15,300
10,000
5,100
15,300
i 0,000
5.100
1.128
15,434
15,434
7,500
19,562
583.274
602,836
966,672
38
Foundatlon For Women's Health Research And Development ILlmlted By Guarantee)
Notes to the Financial Statements
For the
ar ended 31 March 2024
6 Analysls of expenditure
Charitable Activities
Cost of
raising Africa
Community Youth
funds Programme Programme Programme
Support
costs 2024 Total
2023
Total
Staff costs (Note 81
Direct project C05t
Partnership and networking
Consultant and research fee5
Monitoring and evaluation
Campaigning and advocacy
Training outreach & event
Publication and media
Travelling and subsistence
Support Cost
Organisational development
Membership & Sub5cription5
Accounting and professional
Rent, utilitie5 and rale5
Printing and stationery
Insurance
Capital costsitr
Fundraising and rnarketing
Depreciation
Audit fee5
Capacity Building costs
Sundry
Governance costs
Bank charges
71.648
313,971
37.965 82,072
505.656
442.381
47.584
15,843
14.900
4,240
2.881
5,353
7.337
36,546
21,536
2,354
21.125
35
105,255
37,414
17,254
4,240
71.162
14,463
10,257
152.213
7,243
25,356
56,423
4,221
1,755
11.858
1,261
128
75,246
12,090
9.759
3,628
1,037
8.373
13,020
1,570
21,393
1,758
794
48,256
4,783
3,654
6.431
2,586
10,502
5,500
26.862
1,392
1.436
47,915
5.227
3,595
9,449
17,097
9,786
4,300
188
794
1,865
10,300
32,815
4,697
1,500
5,431
932
10,502
5,000
3,276
86
2,154
1.000
400
1.254
1,000
15001
12,7901
12,7901
2,006
933
4,001
421
443
872
821
1,254
192,105
513,966
75,734 88,448
871.507
871,134
Total expenditure 2024
1,254
192,105
513,966
75,734 88,448
871,507
Of the total expenditure, £182,11 O was unrestricted 12023-. £117,305) and £689.397 was restricied 12023.- £753,829).
Analysis of expenditure Iprior yearl
Charltable Acrivltles
Cost of
raising Africa
Community Youth
funds Programme Programme Programme
Support
costs
2023 Total
Staff costs (Note 81
Dlrect projea cost
Partnership and networking
Consultant and research fees
Monitoring and evaluaiion
Campaigning and advocacy
Training outreach & event
Publicaiion and media
Travelling and sub515tence
Support cost
Organisational development
Membership & Subscriptions
Accounting and professional
58,086
355.909
28,386
442,381
68,787
6,715
9,465
83.426
528
15.891
2,211
72.266
6,928
1,457
152,213
7,243
25,356
1,789
75,246
12,090
9,759
5,162
8,297
6,129
20.733
1,392
26,862
1,392
1,436
47,915
5,227
3,595
9,449
17,097
9,786
4,300
326
9,082
32,017
5.212
3,595
7.449
3,000
3,816
Printing and srationery
Insurance
Capital c05tsllT
Fundraising and marketing
Depreciatio
Audit fees
Capacity Building cost5
Oflice moving Costs
Governance costs
Bank charges
2,000
6,500
8.182
1,000
9.786
3,000
1,300
1,900
4,001
421
443
4,001
421
443
8,182
184,940
640,001
34,195
3,816
871,134
Total expenditure 2023
8,182
184,940
640,001
34,195
3,816
39
Foundation For Women's Health Research And Development ILimited By Guarantee)
Notes to the Flnanclal Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024
7 Net incoming resource5 for the year
This 15 Stated after charging I crediting.
2024
2023
Depreciation
Operating lease rental5-.
Property
Auditors, rernuneration lexcluding VAn".
Audit
I O.S02
9,786
22.272
22,272
4.200
4,000
8 Analysis of staff costs, trustee rernuneration and expenses, and the cost of key management personnel
Staff costs were as follows".
2024
2023
Salaries and wages
Social Security C05t5
Employer's contribution to defined contribution pension schemes
Freelance 51affs
Other staffs costs
399.975
30.412
10,469
54.900
9.900
355,463
27,833
9,226
41,093
8,766
505,656
442,381
No employee earned more than £60,000 during the year12023'. nill.
The total employee benefits including pension and national insurance contributions of the key management personnel
were £66,855 12023". £63,059).
The charity trustees were not paid or received any other benefits from employment with the charity in the year12023-.
£nill. No charity trustee received payment for profe55ional or other Services Supplied to the charitv12023.- £nill.
9 Staff numbers
The average number of employees (head count based on number of staff employed) durlng the Year was as follows.
2024
2023
No.
Charitable activities..
Africa programme
Community programme
Youth programme
Support
12.0
19.0
19.0
l O Related party transactlons
There are no related party transaction5 10 disclose for 202412023.. none).
There are no donations from related parties which are outside the norrnal course of busine55 and no restricted donations
frorn related partie5.
I l Taxation
The charitable cornpany 15 exernpt frorn corporation tax a5 all it5 income is charitable and is applied for charitable
purposes.
40
Foundation For Women's Health Research And Development ILimited By Guarantee)
Notes to the Flnanclal Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024
12 Tanglble fixed assets
Web51te
Development
Computer
Fixtures
Equipment and fittings
Total
Cost
At Ihe start of the year
Additions in year
60.090
68.026
4,893
159,867
4,893
At rhe end of the year
60,090
72,919
164.760
Depreciation
At the start of the year
Charge for the year
60,090
55,617
10,808
147,458
10,808
Ar Ihe end of the year
Net book value
At the end of the year
60,090
66,425
1 $8,266
6,494
6,494
At the start of the year
12.409
12.409
All of the above a55et5 are used for charitable purposes.
13 Debtors
2024
2023
Trade debrors
Other debtors
Prepayments
78.167
806
4.212
107,544
759
3,961
83,185
12,264
14 Credltors.. amounts falllng due wirhln one year
2024
2023
Trade creditors
Other creditors
Accrua15
Deferred income
16,370
17,270
50
30,904
45,000
32.450
30.000
78,820
93.224
I S Deferred income
Deferred grant Income comprises NHS Partners
Cancer Awarene55 £10,000 and Tudor Trust £20,000.
2024
2023
Balance at Ihe beginning of the year
Amount released to income In the year
Amount deferred in the year
45.000
145,0001
30.000
338,321
1338,3211
45,000
Balance ai the end of the year
30.000
45,000
16 Penslon scheme
The charity operate5 Stakeholder pension 5£herne and ha5 no pension liability as at Ihe year end.
41
Foundation For Women's Health Research And Development ILimited By Guarantee)
Notes to the Flnanclal Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024
17 Analysis of net assets between funds
General
unre51ricied
Deslgnated
Restricted Toral fund5
Tangible fixed assets
Nei current a55et5
6,494
361,980
6,494
608,804
206,187
40.637
Net assets at the end of the year
368,474
206,187
40,637
615,298
18 Movements Sn funds
At the start
of the year
At the end
of the year
Income Expenditure
Transfers
Re5tricred funds..
Africa Programme
Comic Relief - Manda 2
Children's Dignity Forum- Haki Ya Binti Phase 2
Gaskell & Wilkinson
Communlty programme
London Councils
National Lotrery Community Fund- Mend the Gap I
National Lottery Comrnunity Fund- Mend the Gap 2
GLA-Ascent NRPF
GLA-Refuge
NRPF
London Borough of Ealing
MOPAC - Prevention & Action EHP
MOPAC - VAWG Grassroots
Comic Relief MOI Fund
Tudor Trust
Youth programme
Barrow Cadbury Trust
Dr Martens Foundation
London Counci15-AVA Sch5
February Foundation
WRC End Harmful Practice5
50.719
25.000
2,978
15.000
175.7191
852
156
48.130
69.868
110,368
48.604
78,073
39,000
40.853
148.1301
173,6361
184,2681
155,7721
1100,2701
148,1401
148,4131
16701
17,9681
140,0001
8.624
14.8561
26.100
4,067
22,197
9,140
7,560
670
7,968
40,000
50,000
139,5301
12,4161
118,6881
110,0001
15,1001
1689,3971
10.470
2,416
3,388
15,300
i 0.000
5,100
Total restrlcted funds
127,126
598,274
4,634
40,637
Unrestricted funds..
Designated funds..
Capacity Building Fund
Fixed Asset designated Funds
Total designated funds
200,000
9,969
200,000
6,187
13,7821
209,969
13,7821
206,187
General funds
446,628
104,808
18521
368.474
Total unrestrlcted funds
656,597
104,808
14,6341
574,661
Total fund5
783,723
703,082
1871,5071
615,298
Purposes of deslgnated funds
Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular purposes stated as above.
Purposes of restrScted funds
Incorne, which 15 received for specific projects, as
for example
grant5, donation5 and earned incorne
Is accounred
for a5 re51ricted funds. If projeci funds are projeited to be overspent, we take action early to reduce expenditure andlor
raise more funds to cover the potential shortfall. If we continue to project and incur an unavoidable overspend, a transfer
is made from unrestricted funds. The balances on restricted funds arise from income received for specific projects on
whlch some expendlture is still to be incurred in the comlng flnancial year. Each of the projects Is described In more
detail below
42
Foundation For Women's Health Research And Development ILimited By Guarantee)
Notes to the Flnanclal Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024
Movements Sn funds Icontlnuedl
Purposes of restrlcred funds
Africa Programme. The Afrlca Diaspora Advocacy & Pollcy Team IADAwfi programme contlnues to play a key role In the
work of FORWARD. It bridges UK and Africa programmes, providing opportunities for the diaspora to have a voice in
development conversations. ADAPT operate5 through local partners in Africa and through collaborations in the UK.
Cornmunity Programme". Wornen from FGM affected communities are leader5 and advocate5 among their own
communities. FORWARD'5 VISIOn 15 to 5uppori communities ro say no to FGM and end all forrns of violence against
wornen and gids and to take the lead in campaigning again51 FGM, child marriage and all forms dome51ic and sexual
violence and d15crimination - enabling African women and girls to have the digniry, health, and equality they deserve.
Youth Programme". FORWARD'S youth team provides FGM awareness sessions in primary and secondary schools,
college5. Other higher education in5titution5 and universities nationwide. Through the Tuwezeshe Leadership
Programme. FORWARD seek5 to nurture young women ro become resilient leaders and changeMaker5 to drivelinspire
Social change in their communities and beyond and in taking action on VAWG and right5 of African & rninority ethnic
girls and young women.
19 Reconclllatlon of net Income I lexpendlturel to net cash flow from operating actlvltles
2024
2023
Net Income I lexpenditurel for the reporting period
las per the statement of financial actiwtiesl
Depreciation charges
Ilncreaselldecrease in debtors
IncreasÈlldecreasel In creditors
1168,4251
10.808
29.079
114,4041
9,173
116,4291
1297,3961
Net cash provlded by I (used operatlng actl¥Atles
1142,9421
20 Analysls of cash and cash equlvalents
At l April
2023
Other
At31
changes March 2024
Cash flows
Cash in hand
752,274
1147,8351
604.439
Totsl cash and cash equlvalents
752,274
1147,8351
604.439
21 Operating lease tornmitrnents
Total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases are a5 follows.
Proper
Equipment
2024
2024
2023
2023
Less than one year
One to five years
19,256
49,880
18,560
9,280
69.136
27.840
The charity ha5 secured three years property lease effected frorn l October 2024.
22 Legal status of the charlty
The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no Share Capital. The liabiliiy of each member in the event of
winding up 15 limited to £1.
43
Foundation For Women's Health Research And Development ILimited By Guarantee)
Notes to the Flnanclal Statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024
23 a. Summary analysls of assets and liabilifjes by funds of previous reporting perlod 120231
General Designated
Restricted Toral funds
Tangible fixed a55et5
Net current assets
12,409
434,219
12,409
771,314
209,969
127,126
Net assets at the end of the year
446,628
209,969
27,126
783,723
b. DetaSls of movement In funds durlng the preou$ reportln9 perlod 120231
Incoming
resources &
gains
Outgoing
resources &
losses
At the 5rart
of the year
At the end
of the year
Transfers
Re5tricred funds..
Africa Programme
Wallace Global Fund
Comic Relief - Manda 2
Children'5 Dignity Forum- Haki Ya Binti Phase 2
Gaskell & Wilkinson
Community programme
London Councils
National Lottery Community Fund
GLA-Ascent NRPF
GLA-Refuge
NRPF
London Borough of Ealing
MOPAC - Prevention & Action EHP
MOPAC - VAWG Gra55roots
Comic RelieflDCMS Fund
Comic Relief MOJ Fund
Tudor Trust
Youth prograrnrne
Dr Martens Foundation
London Counci15-AVA Schs
3,384
5,207
13,3841
173,1881
118,2421
113,4971
108,700
29,933
15,000
50,719
11,347)
156
48,131
24,305
49.013
78,073
39.000
40,853
58.286
111,966
148,1311
1126,4501
137,7781
155,8761
138,3811
133,2931
162.5351
1132,6511
129,1841
147,0431
10,769
8,624
22,197
9,140
7,560
8.521
3.579
20,685
28,402
7,043
670
782
40,000
20,000
20,000
117,5841
116,6121
2,416
3.388
Total restrlcted funds
96,243
783,260
1753,8291
1,452
127.126
Unrestricted funds..
Designated funds..
Capacity Building Fund
Fixed Asset designated Funds
200,000
200,000
9,969
11,4521
Total designated funds
11,4521
209,969
General funds
265,548
298,385
1117,3051
446,628
Total unrestrlcted funds
476,969
298,385
1117,3051
11,4521
656,597
Totsl funds
573,212
1.081,645
1871,1341
783,723
44