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2024-04-05-annual-report

Welcome to the Moving Mountains Trustees Report 6[th] April 2023 – 5[th] April 2024

The Trustees of Moving Mountains Trust present their annual report for the year ended 5[th] April 2024, together with the accounts for the year and confirm that the latter comply with the requirements of the Charities Regulations 2008 for reporting. We also confirm that all the activities undertaken by the charity were to further its charitable purposes for the public benefit.

Contents:

1. Chairman's welcome

2. Trust details

3. Purposes of the charity and governance

4. Financial Statements

5. Review of Charitable Activities

6. Thank You

Registered as a charity by the Northern Ireland Charity Commission: NIC 100742

1. From the Chairman - Gavin Bate

Throughout the year we continued our work as usual, in both Kenya and Nepal and in July 2023 we supported a small community infrastructure and tree planting project in Borneo that was funded by the Bere Regis Scouts. Despite there being a slight increase in funding for the charity, the lasting effects of the Coronavirus pandemic were still obvious during the year but we were able to run some of our fundraising trips and although we continued to monitor spending closely to ensure that the charity survived, we felt that it was important to be positive and invest in both Kenya and Nepal and start the process of returning funding to pre-Covid levels.

We continued to concentrate on our core programmes in both Nepal and Kenya, including continuing our employment of Secondary and Primary teachers which benefits hundreds of children, and the provision of school and medical supplies in the rural Himalayan villages that have been developed by Moving Mountains Nepal over the years. We also managed to fund the renovation and development of Bupsa Primary School thanks to funding from the Rombald Group / SEO Travel. Both Tom McLoughlin, the Director of SEO Travel and Amelia Selby, Head of PR at SEO Travel, visited Nepal with myself and attended a Puja for the opening of the new classrooms.

In Kenya we continued our support of the Rescue Centre, the feeding program for the street children and a number of children’s education through their Primary, Secondary and College days. Due to the success of the Black Cats Football Club in reaching out to some of the most marginalised children in Embu, we agreed that this year was the correct time to take them to the next level and register them as an Academy, this would mean an expansion in the squads and coaches, who all gained their CAF C license coaching qualifications throughout the year.

Thanks to the continued support of King Edwards School, Concord College and Crompton House School we were able to run a number of camps in Embu over the summer of 2023 which benefitted the beneficiaries of Moving Mountains Kenya in Embu, provided much needed employment for a number of our former beneficiaries and enabled the charity to run our biennial Medical Camp and continue with our project development of Gatwe Primary School, St Monica’s School for Special Needs and the Rescue Centre.

In a time when funding was still limited it remained important to ensure the trustees in the UK continue to manage the charity through the time they spend employed by Adventure Alternative, having the staff and resources on hand ensures that as much money as possible is spent on the projects, communities and children that they were intended for.

We want to thank everyone that has been involved with and supported Moving Mountains over the years. The long term success of our programmes and projects is a reflection of that long term belief and support in what we do.

Gavin Bate, Chairman Moving Mountains, May 2024

Registered as a charity by the Northern Ireland Charity Commission: NIC 100742

2. Moving Mountains Trust

Official charity name

Moving Mountains Trust

Charity Number:

NIC 100742. We are registered as a charity by the Northern Ireland Charity Commission

Charity classifications:

the prevention or relief of poverty the advancement of education the advancement of health or the saving of lives the advancement of citizenship or community development the relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage. personal development and growth

Area of operation:

Kenya, Nepal, Borneo and Tanzania

Address and registered office:

PO Box 14, Portstewart, Northern Ireland BT55 7WS 9 Central Avenue, Portstewart, Northern Ireland BT55 7BP

Board of Trustees Chairman – Gavin Bate Secretary – Chris Little Treasurer – Andrew MacDonald Trustee – Susan Birkett Trustee – Dot King

New trustees are voted in following a proposal by any of the current Trustees which can be made at any time. We aim for a unanimous agreement before potential trustees are approached. No other individual or organisation can appoint trustees.

Governing Document:

Trust Deed

The Trust was formed on 13 March 2002 as a charity and is governed by its Trust Deed signed on 1st January 2002 and further amended on 11 May 2003 and 1 November 2005. The registration with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland happened on 12 February 2015.

Bankers: Ulster Bank, Coleraine, Northern Ireland. Website: www.movingmountainstrust.org Email: info@movingmountainstrust.org Phone: (+44) (0)2870 831 258

Registered as a charity by the Northern Ireland Charity Commission: NIC 100742

3. Purpose of the charity

The aim of the Trust is to provide funding to NGOs in East Africa and Nepal which are called Moving Mountains Kenya and Moving Mountains Nepal and also smaller projects in Tanzania and Borneo, which carry out the remit of our charitable objectives and create lasting change in targeted areas, based on need and on the interests of the Trustees and the local stakeholders. The Trust partners with those organisations that share our objectives, values and methodologies and that fully represent the views and needs of local stakeholders.

We also engage in volunteering activities designed to promote global citizenship and teach progressive development education through practical interaction and experience under the strapline ‘personal development through international development’.

For many years we have been providing training and mentoring for volunteers and school groups, and those experiences have contributed considerably to career choices, self esteem and happiness, helping to develop grounded young people with a greater perspective of the world which we live in.

We concentrate on attracting donors and volunteer groups, and the delivery of our services in the UK to young people looking for opportunities to enhance their career opportunities

Vision

We believe that people who are educated and healthy and recognised as equal global citizens have greater opportunities. Our vision is that empowered equitable relationships will ultimately drive the evolution of development and help us move mountains for people to succeed and improve their quality of life.

Charity Objectives

(i) the provision of financial assistance, food, clothing and shelter to children and their families who are homeless or living in desperate conditions to help advance their education, relieve their poverty and promote their ambitions, hopes and dreams.

(ii) the provision of financial assistance, advice and expertise for self-help projects, schemes and rehabilitation camps for street children in order to promote practical and vocational skills, the production of food and income, good citizenship and standing in the local community, plus an increased sense of personal self-esteem and enjoyment of life.

(iii) the financial assistance and otherwise for setting up useful rural and urban community programmes which are environmentally responsible and which promote empowerment and sustainable development; this includes facilities and projects in the interests of education, social welfare, the improvement of existing conditions and the promotion of awareness to a wider audience.

(iv) the relief of sickness and the safeguarding of health by grants of money for:

(v) the development and joint maintenance of community groups in areas benefiting from all of the above whereby specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound objectives are evaluated, supervised, implemented and monitored so that the benefits can serve the community for years to come; this includes the provision of volunteers and personnel, shared management and implementation of projects, training, maintenance, advice and arbitration over problems or disputes plus assistance with accounts and records.

(vi) to advance the education of the public in global citizenship and youth development through expeditions in all areas of operation.

Registered as a charity by the Northern Ireland Charity Commission: NIC 100742

Governing Document:

Trust Deed. The Trust was formed on 13 March 2002 as a charity and is governed by its Trust Deed signed on 1st January 2002 and further amended on 11 May 2003 and 1 November 2005. The registration with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland happened on 12 February 2015.

Grant Making Analysis

Decisions on grants to Kenya, Nepal, Borneo and Tanzania are made by the Trustees. Trustees approve grants or fund projects which demonstrate public benefit within the remit of the Trust objectives and within the criteria of guidance taken from the Charity Commission. In addition the Trust actively looks for projects or programmes that show leverage through involvement and additional funding from local authorities and other organisations.

Overall the Trustees were pleased that the Trust was able to maintain grant-making in its core operations, cover overheads, maintain its underlying financial base and increase its donor base through improved communications.

Reserve Policy

The reserve policy is to provide sufficient capital to continue its grant-making programme and support future expenditure plans, and also to build up its unrestricted reserve to manage against unforeseen circumstances such as economic uncertainty. The Trustees this year agreed the figure of unrestricted reserves should be maintained at a minimum of £20,000, which represents roughly 20% of annual spend, and this policy is reviewed annually.

Going Concern

The Trusts financial position and performance has been outlined in the financial review. The Trustees have assessed projected future income, expenditure and cash flows and have analysed the strength of the Trust's reserves and its ability to withstand a material fall in incoming resources. Consideration has been given to stability and diversity of various income streams in making this assessment.

The Trustees have concluded that there is a reasonable expectation that the Trust has adequate resources to continue activities for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.

Risk Management

The Trustees are satisfied that the major risks identified in the main areas - financial, governance, operational, compliance and external – have been mitigated through proper and comprehensive planning and operational decision-making, management systems, specialist advice and holding appropriate levels of funds for residual reserves. The risk management assessment is monitored regularly by the staff and by the Trustees. The Trustees have also considered any potential conflicts of interest and the implications of the Bribery Act 2010.

Public Benefit

The Trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity’s aims and objectives and setting grant making policies. In particular, the Trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set. There will be no restrictions on future grant making through poverty, location or lack of entitlement.

Disclosure of Information

The Trustees who held office at the date of approval of this Trustees' report confirm that they have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as a Trustee to make themselves aware of any relevant financial information and to establish that the relevant authorities are aware of that information.

Conflict of Interest

The trustees confirm that there is no conflict of interest with the tour operator Adventure Alternative that supplies all the travel arrangements for groups or volunteers going to work on Moving Mountains projects, irrespective of the fact that three of the Trustees are employed by the travel company.

The charity has a clear agreement with the company to provide the trip logistics because the company is a registered tour operator with the correct bonding and insurance in place to comply with the UK Package Travel

Registered as a charity by the Northern Ireland Charity Commission: NIC 100742

Regulations and the EU Travel Directive. The company provides services at a reduced cost for the charity.

Additionally, Adventure Alternative supplies overheads and resources and staffing free of charge for the charity, in particular employee time from Christopher Little, Andrew MacDonald and Gavin Bate. This amounts to a figure in the region of £50,000 per annum as a donation in kind. The trustees do not make any personal financial gain from the charity.

Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations. In preparing the financial statements the Trustees are required to select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently, observe the methods and principles in the charities SORP (Statement of Recommended Practice), make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent, and prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue its activities.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charity's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Trust. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Trust and for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the financial information included on the charity’s website. Legislation in the UK governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Structure of Payments

Trustees meet annually to agree the areas of operation which includes ongoing programmes, new projects and potentially new locations. At this general meeting the annual amount of money for each location is agreed depending on expected donations and groups engaging in particular projects and visits.

For each area the trustees set up a budgeting cycle which is either monthly, quarterly or on a per project basis. This budget is kept online and checked by trustees before funds are sent. The items on the budget are agreed in advance with the local committees in each country. This process goes back and forth, often over several weeks until the agreement is made and the money is sent by transfer to an agreed bank account. From there the local committee manages the money and keeps the records and provides the feedback.

In Kenya, the NGO Moving Mountains Kenya is managed by a committee which distributes the money to each individual or service provider, or materials needed for the project. The money is sent every month.

In Nepal the NGO Moving Mountains Nepal is similarly managed by a committee and the money is distributed by one member who lives in the Himalayan villages and distributes the money to each individual. The money is sent every three months.

In Borneo the money is sent on a per project basis to the local village committees where it then used to purchase materials and pay individuals and suppliers.

In Tanzania the money is either sent to Moving Mountains Kenya initially and the committee there uses mpesa to distribute the money to individuals, or it is sent to Castro Kapela in Moshi who is our representative in Tanzania and he will make the relevant purchases for materials.

In all cases the UK Trustees make regular visits, at least once a year, to meet with the local committees and check on the work and ensure that the local NGO is making the correct submissions to the authorities in order to ensure their legality.

Registered as a charity by the Northern Ireland Charity Commission: NIC 100742

4. Financial Statements

Financial Review and Results

During the year the Trust raised £81,166, an increase of 6.15% from the previous year (£76,172) . Total expenditure for the year was £101,458, an increase of 21.2% from the previous year (£79,949). Therefore an increase in spending, although not in line with the increase in income, was necessary to continue to catch up with support and project investment that had previously been neglected due to the drop in income during the Covid pandemic. The unrestricted reserves at the end of the year (£32,926) were still nearly £13,000 above our unrestricted reserve target of £20,000.

Out of the total funding of £100,326 given to charitable causes during the year the breakdown of expenditures across the different countries and remits was as follows: 47.3% to Kenya, 48.7% to Nepal and 4% to Borneo . Cash funds at the end of year were £40,452 a decrease of 33.4% from the previous year.

The core costs of the Trust were covered by donations in kind from Adventure Alternative once again, enabling us to devote 98.9% of our funds to charitable purposes , with just 1.1% to administrative overheads like banking and fundraising platform charges and to promotional fundraising activities.

Our main funding continues to come from volunteers and visiting groups promoted through Adventure Alternative, plus a number of dedicated monthly standing orders and annual support from long standing supporting organisations .

The Trustees have continued to focus on creating sustainable income streams and three primary objectives for income generation:

Furthermore, the Trustees continue to ensure expenditure and grants are monitored regularly and are in line with approved budgetary controls, with use of cloud services for live sharing of information and VoIP technology to provide free communication.

We are unusual in that three of the trustees maintain a daily contact with the regional offices and work voluntarily to help with the running of the charity. Their input has been consistent now for well over a decade and it is their knowledge and analysis which has enabled the charity to work efficiently and flexibly.

Approved by the Board of Trustees and signed on its behalf by,

Gavin Bate – Chairman

Registered as a charity by the Northern Ireland Charity Commission: NIC 100742

Receipts and Payments

Balance Sheet

Registered as a charity by the Northern Ireland Charity Commission: NIC 100742

Restricted Donations to Kenya

Restricted Funds to Nepal

Restricted Funds to Tanzania

Restricted Funds to Borneo

Adventure Alternative - donation in kind:

Donations in kind included office space, telephone, stationery, postage and travel expenses as well as 25% of the time of three full-time members of staff in the Adventure Alternative UK office, amounting to an estimated total of £50,000 per annum.

Categories for Expenditure

Registered as a charity by the Northern Ireland Charity Commission: NIC 100742

5. Review of Charitable Activities

Moving Mountains in East Africa (Kenya & Tanzania)

Providing long term support has always been our main ethos and has been the single differentiating factor that over many years has enabled so many of our beneficiaries to achieve true social mobility and to ensure their own families never have to experience the same level of poverty they experienced. We are one of the very few charity’s to provide support for children that extends from primary school level all the way through to university or college for those that achieve the grades. We also provide business opportunities and employment with the travel company Adventure Alternative for many of the beneficiaries, who often use their seasonal employment with us to collect enough savings to pay for ‘big ticket’ costs like school fees. This also keeps everyone together as a ‘family’ and ensures that everyone helps one another and stays in touch.

We have also employed staff in the long term, including people to run the rescue centre, the Black Cats Football Programme and also people to manage the projects and programmes. We’re very lucky now to have such a great team of honest, dedicated people who have been involved for so many years and are much loved by the beneficiaries. Some of our oldest members like Francis Kioni, is still very much the ‘elder’ of the family and always on hand to dispense wisdom and advice. Gilbert in Embu is a powerhouse of energy and integrity and some of his fundraising exploits like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya one after the other or cycling from the summit of Mt Kenya to the Indian Ocean, have raised a lot of much needed funds and raised the profile of the charity. It’s great that the staff like Sammy Githinji who coaches the Black Cats, Lilian who manages the Rescue Centre, and the volunteers from Adventure Alternative Kenya like Joseph Mungai and Eva Muronji give their time and commitment freely and honestly to keep the NGO working so well. We trustees in the UK love working with them.

Apart from our normal expenditures maintaining the Embu Rescue Centre and the Black Cats Football Academy and adult literacy classes, along with the expenses for staff who provide counselling and services to our beneficiaries, we had a number of one-off projects / activities which included the following

Employment;

Our biggest commitment financially is to maintain our local staff in specific roles within the charity, including our Project coordinator (Kioni), and Volunteer coordinator (Gilbert). In Embu we employ Rescue Centre Cook / Carer (Lilian), Sports Coaches (Sammy, Oti and Janet – Black Cats), Ignatius Nyaga (adult literacy teacher) & ECD teacher in Solio (Hannah Munyori). In Tanzania we employ an ECD teacher (Mrs Vida Kingo) at Ng’aroni Primary on the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. Our aim is to slowly increase this team because our evidence shows how beneficial it is to have ambassadors of the charity.

Embu Street Children Rescue Centre;

The Embu Rescue Centre for Street Children continues to provide hot meals every day for over one hundred vulnerable children from the slum communities and local street children and the Black Cats sports and music clubs continued to thrive. The children from the local secondary schools who cannot afford to buy lunch themselves now also come to visit and it’s clear that the community round the centre is an important part of the town and also has successfully reduced the number of children living rough on the streets by more than half. We also provided the kids their annual Christmas Party at the Rescue Centre.

Registered as a charity by the Northern Ireland Charity Commission: NIC 100742

Concord College Kenya Expedition;

In June 2023 a team of 24 students and 4 teachers from Concord College in Shropshire teamed up with Moving Mountains Kenya to run a Medical Camp in the slum areas of Embu. Aside from their work with the local Doctors, Nurses and Medical staff, the team helped to renovate the Psychiatric Ward at Embu Level 5 Referral Hospital and found the time to renovate 4 x classes at St Monica’s Special School where they also put in new windows at the dormitories there.

King Edward’s School Kenya Expedition;

In July 2023 a team of 36 students and 6 teachers from King Edwards School in Bath travelled to Kenya for an expedition which combined a Moving Mountains development camp with a trek to the summit of Mt Kenya and overland safari. During their camp they helped build a sheltered walkway for the classes at Gatwe Primary School and renovated a number of the classes too. They also helped to renovate 8 x classes at St Monica’s Special School in Embu and repaired the fence at the Rescue Centre.

Registered as a charity by the Northern Ireland Charity Commission: NIC 100742

Crompton House School Kenya Expedition;

In the summer of 2023 a team of 7 students and 2 teachers from Crompton House School in Oldham travelled to Kenya for an expedition which gave the opportunity for seven Moving Mountains Kenya beneficiaries to join them for a camp, safari and summit climb on Mt Kenya. This works really well as a personal goal for our beneficiaries in Kenya as the ones who work hard and either excel or show impressive improvements know that there is a good chance of being selected for the trip of a lifetime.

Moving Mountains in Nepal

Aside from our usual financial commitment In Nepal to teachers and health workers, we were fortunate enough to obtain the funding from the Rombald Group / SEO Travel to rebuild the classes at Bupsa Primary School, which were badly damaged during the earthquake and aftershocks that occurred in 2015. Both Tom McLoughlin and Amelia Selby from SEO Travel and Gavin Bate, the Chairperson of Moving Mountains UK visited the school during the Puja to celebrate the opening of the classrooms.

The village provided all the labour for the project which doesn’t just benefit the children that attend the school but the whole community in this part of the world well off the beaten track.

Registered as a charity by the Northern Ireland Charity Commission: NIC 100742

6. Thank You

All of the trustees, staff and beneficiaries of Moving Mountains would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our donors and supporters around the world. Your support and commitment have again ensured that we were able to continue to achieve our objectives as a charity, benefiting disadvantaged children, young people, families and communities and working towards long-term development outcomes and strategies.

In particular we would like to thank the following:

So many donors have continued their support of Moving Mountains for so many years , and their monthly donations have kept the backbone of the charity together, enabling us to continue supporting our programmes for so long and genuinely making such a difference to our beneficiaries, some of whom are now adults and have their own children. In Nepal the money for the teachers has not been temporary or transient, but has enabled them to pursue a lifelong vocation in teaching. It is without doubt one of the most humbling recognitions that so many people keep supporting Moving Mountains because they understand that real change is slow and organic and incremental, and it takes place over generations.

The trustees would like to share this report with everyone in celebration of what has been achieved, not just during this financial year but since Moving Mountains started back in 2002. The name Moving Mountains refers to the challenge that faces so many people each day of their lives, and sadly for so many children that struggle is never truly resolved, we hope our work goes a long way to making positive change in the lives of all the children and communities that benefit from our work.

Registered as a charity by the Northern Ireland Charity Commission: NIC 100742