BASIS
Charity Number 101365 Registered Charity no. XR 28526
AGM 1st February, 2024 Annual Report
Basis Purpose
The relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage and the 'relief of poverty' in Romania.
Goals:
To provide consultancy, moral support, funding and training to ASIS (Association for Support for Social Integration) - an NGO in Bucharest.
Our primary purpose is to support ASIS deliver services to homeless and marginalized families, adults and young people in Bucharest and environs. ASIS's work includes a street outreach service, family support services (centre and home-based), early intervention programmes in schools and a community development project among a Roma community. To achieve its purposes ASIS works in partnership with the statutory sector agencies including Social Services and Probation.
Committee members:
Dougie Tyler, Chairperson and Treasurer Denise Bailie, Secretary Greg Kelly Michael Murray Judith Atwell
Annual Report
The BASIS committee has met 5 times during this year - twice on zoom to facilitate meetings with the director, Luciana, and then with the management board in Romania. BASIS have secured the use of premises in Belfast for meetings which will make face-to-face meetings more straightforward. We are grateful to Barnardo's for this support. Normally we make a visit to ASIS during the year. Unfortunately this did not happen in 2023 due to a family bereavement.
The zoom meeting between BASIS and the ASIS management board took place on Thursday, 23rd November. This had been seen as a necessary step given the change in dynamic in terms of overall support for ASIS following the withdrawal of funding by the American Fund for Charities. In short, BASIS wanted to clarify the role, if any, which ASIS wanted BASIS to have going forward. It was a useful meeting in so far as it established that the ASIS board are keen for BASIS to remain involved. The nature of that involvement is likely to evolve and will have as its primary focus support for Luciana in her complex and demanding roles as director, team motivator and fundraiser. It was agreed that there should be more direct communication between ASIS and BASIS, including BASIS sharing its annual report and making the board aware if it is taking on specific tasks vis-a-vis the work that ASIS is doing. ASIS will also alert BASIS to any significant developments.
2023 was a significant year for the ASIS board too because it saw the membership of the Board reduce to 3 members - a step which had to be negotiated on a legal basis but leaves the board greater flexibility in terms of meeting and carrying out its functions. The board agreed to consider what changes they might make to internal communication, for example requesting more regular updates from Luciana and inviting Luciana to attend some of the board meetings.
During the year Luciana approached BASIS with a request for support in applying for funding from a UK Trust - the Britford Bridge Trust. This was significant in terms of giving more 'concrete' meaning to what BASIS might do. There was some activity with people identified in both ASIS and BASIS to follow up on exactly what this trust could provide and how services might be delivered on the ground. In the event the decision was not to proceed this year due to a lack of support from potential benefitting agencies (schools in impoverished areas of Romania) for the initiative. Nevertheless it was an example of how BASIS could provide support and we may approach this Trust again.
At the beginning of the year BASIS provided support to an ASIS staff member who attended a conference in Norway to learn about initiatives there to work with an ethnic minority (Sami). It was hoped that this staff member would return to ASIS with useful learning relevant to ASIS' role with the Roma population. Unfortunately the staff member left ASIS shortly after the trip.
Dougie Tyler (chairperson) 1st February, 2024