ST BERNADEfTE'S THIRD WORLD GROUP CHARITY REGISTRATION NO: NIC104667 TRUSTEES REPORT 2024- 2025
St Bernadette's Third World Group clo Mary McKnight, Apartment 14, Bell Towers South, Ravenhill Road, Belfast BT6 OGR Charity Number: NIC104667 Trustees Report for the period - 1st April 2024- 31 St March 2025 Section 1: Organisation Overview and Purpose St Bernadette's Third World Group is a charity registered with the Charities Commission in Northem Ireland. St Bernadette's Third World Group adopted the written Constitution (Trust Deed) on 11th January 2016 (approved by the Charty Commission for Northern Ireland) and was formally registered on 2nd February 2016. The charity is a grant making trust which will apply its income by making grants to charities operating in Lima, Peru. In setting our objectives and planning our activity for the year the trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland's guidance on public benefit to ensure that the activities have helped to achieve the Charity's purposes and provide a benefit to our beneficiaries namely the children and young people living in impoverished areas in Lima, Peru. 1.1 St Bernadette's Third World Group Trustees Trustees are appointed on an annual basis at the Annual General Meeting. The current trustees were appointed on 11 th January 2016. Seamus Dawson stood down at the AGM in September 2019 and Peter McGettrick was appointed. Cliair 1rs P¢ili-Ic".ia fv'lc,Fl Iiii Treasurer Mrs Ma McKni Assistant Treasurer Mrs Marie Mclvor Trustee Mrs Eileen Gra Trustee Mr Peter McGettrick ht 1.2 St Bernadette's Third World Group Purpose The Charity is established to advan education, to prevent or relieve povety and to relieve the needs of children and young people living in impoverished areas (the beneficiaries) in Lima, Peru (the area of benefit) and to provide recreation facilities with the object of improving the conditions of life for the beneficiaries by making grants and providing financial assistance to charities which are established for similar purposes operating in the area of benefit. To further such other purposes that are charitable under the law of Northern Ireland as the trustees in their absolute discretion from time to time determine.
Purpose 1." Advancement of Education The benefit which flows from the advancement of education is that children who have fallen behind, are out of the state education system are given the opportunity to learn and gain an education. We have supported a project which specialises in children with learning difficulties and provides a psychologist assisted study programme to help the children overcome their emotional and learning difficulties. We aim to continue to provide the financial support to this setting and possibly others in the area. Purpose 2.. Preventing and relieving poverty All our purposes are intertwined with preventing or relieving poverty of the beneficiaries. The benefit which flows from this is that by providing food at all of the activities that the children attend, the children are nourished. By helping them come to temis with their emotional issues, the children and young people are being given a helping hand through the provision of various support. This should all help to give them a better start in life and hopefully help them find employment when they are older. We will continue to provide financial 8UPPOrt to charities in Lima that work to prevent or relieve povety. Purpose 3." Pmvision of a safe Residentlal Home The benefil which flows from relieving the needs of children and young people is that those who have been abused or mistreated receive care and attention in a safe environment which is necessary to help them overcome their experiences. We have provided financial support to a residential home for troubled and abused children which provides specialist psychological help to the young people. We aim to continue to provide financial support to this setting and possibly others like it in the area. Purpose 4.. Pn)vision of recreational facilities The benefit which flows from providing financial assistan to charities which provide recreation facilities is that the conditions of life for the beneficiaries will be improved. Children and young people will be able to participate in various recreational activities which helps them to develop new skills and benefit from social interaction with their peers in a safe and stimulating environment. We have funded a Children's centre in Lima which hosts 600 children on a daily basis where the children can participate in activities such as dan, art, study and play areas. We would anticipate continuing to provide financial assistan to this centre and any other similar project in the area. Purpose 5.. Furthersuch other charitable purposes Our fifth purpose is to further such other purposes that are charitable under the law of Northern Ireland as the trustees in their absolute discretion from time to time determine. While the main benefit will primarily focus on the first four charitable purposes, however from time-to-time trustees may make grants and financial contributions to any charrtable need they feel worthy of financial assistan. The
trustees have chosen this purpose so that Ihey will not be restricted in who or what they help as different situations present themselves. They will judge each case on merit and need to recognise that it must be one of the twelve charitable purposes as outlined in the Charities Act. Section 2: St Bernadette's Third World Group Activltles In the year 1 sl April 2024 to 31 $1 March 2025 the charity raised funds in the local community, in particular St Bernadette's Parish, Belfast, primarily renewal of child sponsorships and donations. We also received donations from schools, benefactors and other charitable organisations. Sponsorship payments were collected as normal at St Bernadette's Church, Rosetta Road, Belfast. All Sponsors reiVed a renewal letter accompanied by a personal letter from Father Tony Coney, highlighting the exlIent work being carried out within The Children's Centres. Lima. He has also mentioned that further information can be obtained on their website using the following link: The Sponsors responded generously. Those who could not attend Church sent payment by cheque directly to the Treasurer which were immediately lodged into the Charity account. Section 3: Review of Charity's Financial Position In the period 1 St April 2024 to 31 sl March 2025 St Bernadette's Third World Group raised £ 32,164.61 Opening Balan.. £178,063.07 Total Income for period April 2024 to March 2025.. £32,164.61 which includes Gift Aid.. £4,241,47 Minus Expenditure - Sponsorship Mailshot Postage August 2024.. _ £350 Minus Expenditure - 1 Grant sent to Father Coney as follows: . £31.689 The closing balan was £ 178,188.68 The trustees agreed that this balan is held in the account for ongoing grant applications in the future, which the trustees deem worthy of support. 15th February 2025 Grant Application This Grant will be used for a project which will Improve the life opportunities of poor and vulnerable children, including victims of sexual psychological and physical abuse, and marginalised children on the verge of school expulsion. In turn this will improve the life opportunities of generation$ to come. The Project will be achieved through our three independent Centres by promoting and protecting the human rights of children, and breaking the vicious cycles of violence. abuse and the lack of educational opportunities leading to poverty, while also offering the children of the
local communities a safe environment where they can play, study, discover and develop their talents, and generally have the Spa to enjoy their childhood. More specifically in place is- A. A Safeguarding programme and Outreach into the community and educational centres. Preventing Sexual Abuse by.. (1) Improving child protection systems in public schools by training teachers and parents on child protection systems, policies and procedures, promoting the human rights of children, and setting up child protection teams (made up of teachers and parents) responsible for implementing the child safeguarding policy. (2) Improving children's knowledge of their rights, self-protection skills, and ability to identify situations that would put them at risk of sexual abuse by providing child- friendly capacity devebpment and workshops that teach children to recognise and report abuse, suspicious behaviour and risk situations. The Residential Home for sexually abused children. Identify & Intervene in Cases of Abuse by., (1) Identifying and reporting cases of sexual andlor serious or repeated physical abuse and providing legal accompaniment to victims. (2) Identifying and conducting family inteNentions in cases of psychological and less serious physical violence against children in the home (conduct home visits, engage parents, enforce new rules under threat of the law, provide psychological therapy to parents and train them on better ways of communicating with their child). (3) Rehabilitating child victims of abuse with a specialised, intensive residential programme for child victims of sexual abuse who have already been through the court system, and in-house psychological treatment in the Remedial School and Children's Centre for children identified as victims of psychological andlor physical abuse. (4) Preventing UnneSSary institutionalization of child victims of sexual abuse by engaging, in the Rehabilitation Centre's residential programme, the wider family of child victims of such abuse, who have bn through the court system and are destined for state orphanages. Such engagement includes identifying a family member capable and willing to care for the child, building their capacity through training and psychological sessions over the entire 1-2-year programme, conducting home visits by a social worker, and follow-up with the child following reintegration into the home. C. The Remedial School for children with learning difficulties. Improve Equity in Educational AsS and Opportunity by: (1) Improving underperforming children's comprehension in literacy and mathematics in the Remedial School's intensive 1-2-year reintegration programme (all students admitted to the programme have scores significantly below what they should be for
their grade in these core subjects, exhibit behavioural problems and are on the verge of school expulsion). (2) Improving phoneme articulation of children with speech and language problems through speech and language therapy. (3) Addressing underlying emotional problems that children express as negative behaviour. D. The Children's Day centre. Improve aCsS to, and realisation of, human rights for marginalized children and parents suffering human right violations which affect the wellbeing of their children through: (1) Providing services of support, both legal and social, in our Defence Desk. (2) Providing children with the safe SPaS they need in order to play as children. (3) Providing workshops, gymnasiums, libraries and activities for children to learn olher skills which will increase their opportunities to develop, all of which will help them lead a more balanced life with good mental health. The Grant will be spent on the upkeep of the children in the Residential Home. As they are entirely under the care and responsibility of St Bernadette's, Residential Home Project, Lima, (25 children) currently, provision is made for all their needs, including, alimentary, educational and clothing etc DECLARATION The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees, report above. Signed on behalf of the charity trustees: Signature Full Name Position Date Patricia MCFI Chair rson 17 1 Signature Full Name Position Dats ht Treasurer