Hope and a Future Company Limited by Guarantee Directors, Annual Report (Incorporating the Directorfs Report) Year ended 31 March 2023 The dlrectors, wtto are also the directors for the purposes of company law. present their report and the unaudited financial statements of the eharlty for the year ended 31 March 2023. Reference and administrative details Registered charity name Hope and a Future Charity registration number 100154 Company registration number N1622198 Principal office and registered 7 New Street office Randalstown County Antrim BT413AF The directors Mrs C Keenan Mr W Pollock Independent examiner Dennot C 2gB Main Stroot Randalstown County Antrim BT413AB Structur8, govemanc8 and management Hope and a Future is a ¢ompany limited by guarantee and as such it does not have Sha capital. Every director being a member of the Executive Committee undertakes to contribute to the assets of the Company, in the event of the same being wound up vthile he 1$ a member, or vAthin one year after he Geases to be a member, for payment of debts and liabilities of the Company GontraGted before he ceases to be a member, and of the costs, charges and expenses of win¢Jing up, and for the adjustment of rights of the contribLrtors among themselves. such amount as may be required not exceeding £1.00. The Company is registered with HM Revenue and Customs as a charitable b¢)dy for taxation purposes IHMRC Charity Number XT79101. The Company was incorporated on 8 January 2014 and its governing instruments are the Memorandum and ArbGles of Association. The address of the Company's Registered Office, vthich is also its pnncipal address. is shoTrhn on page 1.
Hope and a Future Company Limited by Guarantee Directors. Annual Report (Incorporating the Directorfs Report) (conlinuerfj Year ended 31 March 2023 ObJeiveS and activities Hope and a Future is a small Northem Ireland charity based in Randalstown, County Antrim. The charity was initiated by local couple Kevin and Christine Keenan following a irip to the town of Shagh@menÈ in thÉ SOLrth of Ethiopia in 2006. ThÈy wÈrÈ moved by the high level of povety and the lack of education for some of the poorest childn. Many ol these children worked from as young as 5-6 years of age or made a Itving by begging on the streets. The Hope and a Future Charity vlas fomied in 2007 and is overseen by a committee of local people from Randaltstown and Antrim. The initial aim at the start wa8 to provide education for some of the poorest children in the town of Shashemene in South Ethiopia, 250 knis from Addis Ababa. From a very Small beginning of a small rented building wtlh 150 children tha charity has grown ovar the past 12 year5 to Ihe extent that in 2019 support was being provided for two schools Wlth up to 500 children. The first school was purpose built and provides education for children 8yrs to 16yrs. This school is called "School for Humanity" and currently provides education for up to 400 children. The second school is called Tesfa had around 100 children attending of age &7 year5. The decision was madÈ to c@agÉ the second school in June 201g and the children would be transferred into the first 3chool 85 places became available. From September 2019 the Charity was maintaining the School for Humanty 400 children. All Children wère provided with seh¢Xsl unrfoms and for many of the thildren it is their main item.s nf clothing. Each child receives a nourishing meal each day which greatly helps the health of the children but this also presents a Ghallenge due to increasing costs of foo(Istuffs Children also are provlded with new shoes when required ag well as medical treatment when necessary. All teachers and support staff are employed from the local area and the charity up to June 2020 were employing more than 50 50 staff as teachers, cooks, cleaners, admin, sto$ and management. In 2015 the Hope and a Futurè charTty bggan to plan towards building a Therapeuti¢ Centre for children with a Disability and a Youth Centre in Shashemene. At that time there was very little provision for children with a Disability many of these children living in isolation in their shack houses. They have no access to education, therapeutic intorventions, healthcare or opportunities for socialisation with Iheii peers. Construction of this new building was Gompleted in 2019 From 201S the Charity bÈgan to g2thÈr Disability equipment into store faciltltes connected to the Charity shop outl¢ts the aim of sending a Sea Container loaded with this equipment from N. l. into Ethiopia an(J on to the new building in Shashemene. Airangertierit wab niade foi ilie Container lo leave N. l. in September 2019. laden wth the equipment which had been gathered up over the previous years. The container arrived at rts dostination in Ethiopia in November 2019. In the years trom the beginning of the Chanty, teams of volunteers from N. Ireland have travelled to Ethiopia lo provide dI¢t support 2nd encouragement for all ongoing projects. These trips are generally 10 to 14 days duralion. There have been no trips since early 2020 mainly due to Covid and related effects on air travel and risk to personal welfare.
Hope and a Future Company Limited by Guarantee Directors. Annual Report (Incorporating the Directorfs Report) {¢ofttinuedJ Year ended 31 March 2023 Achlevements and perforniance In September 2019 the was a fomal opening of the new Youth Centre in Ethiopi8, attended by Loc81 Authority including the Mayor and also representatives from N. Ireland The Youth centre on the upper floor would provide local children with somewhere to meet and socialise. They would have access to a library and a place to study and Gomplete homework. During 2019, due to increasing expense of Maintaining the sch¢Jol vthh rising costs for food, salaries etc, there were delays in achieving full operation of the Disabilty Centre and YoLrth CÈntrÈ. At thig timÈ thè Charty commit wÈr@ looking at ways to reduce the financial burden. The financial situation intensified in March 2020 when Coronavirus came into N. Ireland bringing the first Lockdovm when our shops had to close and the main source of income ceased. By June 2020 any rcscTve financc was depleted and decision was made to teminate our finance input to the School for Humanity and to the Disability and Youth Centre. At Ihis time the Charity was stiii in Lock¢Jown with no income and no reserve finance to maintain Projects_ Letters were written to Alrthorities in Ethiopia explaining the Charity positson and giving the Projects over to their administration. Following the first Lockdo4 the Charty shops reopened in July 2020 and income began to be restored but still with limitations due to the ongoing Covid 19 Pandemi¢. In July 2020, thi8 Charity began to send finance 5UPPOrt to two smaller Schools in the same region Df Ethiopia.. The Chatity finance position remained very low during the Covid threat in the county and there was a second Lockdown from Dec 2020 til April 2021.our shops were closed for this time. Following the second Covicl lockdown our shops reopened In Aprll 2021 and began to reslore Income for Charity funds. In the months following Charity support was restored to the School for Humanity and also support continued for kn smaller schools. School for Humanty has 400 children and the othgr school each have 200 children so in total our Charrty 15 providing education for 800 Children and salaries for more than 50 staff across the three schools. Since the summer of 2021, thanks to steady InMe from our Charty shops, we have gradually increased our finance payments to the schools in Elhiopia. We also support a Deaf community of around 40 families with monthly finance as their disabilty limits their èmployment potential. We also support a communty of people whose adults have leprosy, supporting an Agriculture programme to 8.ncourage sew sufficiency in the fiJtU Thp_ npAf grnijp 2nd Loprosy gmup livÈ in thÈ 38me region 89 our schools in Ethiopia. In addrtion to our prqects in Ethiopia. the Chanty also aims to support small l¢xal needs in our local Area of N. Ireland. This includes single parent families. migrant families, people on low incomes and others with disability, addictions andlor mental heath issues. At present time the Charty may 3UPPOrt people expenencing stress due to National economic downtum. Our Charity shops have become popular goci21 IocAtions where people find fn'endship and encouragement. Our Charity shops serve mainly Randalstovm and Antrim and surrounding regions. Many of our volunteer staff speak of the personal benefit of engaging in worthwhile Vrk and escape from isolation and loneliness. We also en¢oLirage involvement of people vtho may have disabilty or mental health issues 2nd this is therapeutic for individual health
Hope and a Future Company Limited by Guarantee Directors. Annual Report (Incorporating the Directorfs Report) (cofttlnuedj Year ended 31 March 2023 Flnanclal review Both the level of activities and the year end financial position We considered satisfactory. The direGtor5 expect that InMe lo increase in the year to 31 March 2023 and this wlll be malntalned for the foreseeable future. The Statement of Financial Adivitses shows a net increase in Unrestricted Funds of £21,040 and a no change to the Resln"rted Funds. The Company had Total Charity Funds of £156,928 at 31 March 2023. Small company provislons Thi8 report has been prepared in accordance wth the provisions applicable to companies entitied to tli¢ stnall wmpanie5 exemption. The directors, annual report was approved on 14 December 2023 and signed on behalf of the board of trustees by.. Mrs C Keenan Director