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## **Wakisa Ministries Trust** **Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023** **Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (105801)** 1 ## **Wakisa Ministries Trust** **Trusties’ Report for the Year ended 31[st] December 2023** ## **Public address** Wakisa Ministries, Po Box 804, Dundonald, Belfast, BT16 1WZ ## **CHARITY TRUSTEES** Mr. Fred Hand (Chairman) Miss Valerie Duff Mrs. Sharon Moore ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER** Miss May McMullan 20 Highgrove Drive Ballyclare BT39 9XH ## **BANKERS** Ulster Bank Limited Connswater Branch Arches Retail Park Belfast BT5 4AF 2 ## **SOLICITORS** Gaston Graham 73 Holywood Road Belfast BT4 3BA ## **Charitable purposes** The objects of Wakisa Ministries are the relief of poverty, the advancement of education and the advancement of the Christian faith in Uganda (Africa) and the promotion of charitable purposes. ## **Public benefits** 1. The relief of poverty in Uganda (Africa). 2. The advancement of education in Uganda (Africa). 3. The advancement of Christian Faith in Uganda (Africa). 4. The promotion of charitable purposes The direct benefits which flow from: - - (1) The relief of poverty are the improved living conditions and reduced levels of distress among this very marginalized group i.e., Young pregnant girls who are supported, physically, emotionally, psychologically, and mentally. The benefits are evidenced through feedback from the young girls themselves and local community and statutory services that value and recommend the person-centred approach used. This Purpose does not give rise to any harm. The direct benefits which flow from: - - (2) The advancement of Education are the promotion of knowledge and understanding and the individual development of the beneficiaries both staff and pupils empowering and enabling them to make healthier lifestyle choices particularly around the issue of sexual health. These benefits are evidenced by feedback from the local schools and churches involved in the education programme each year and include both formal and informal feedback from pupils and staff, which are reported annually. This Purpose does not give rise to any harm. The direct benefits which flow from: - - (3) The advancement of Christian Faith includes the raising of awareness and understanding of Christianity. The Christian ethos encourages individuals to live healthier lifestyles and improves their overall wellbeing. The benefits are demonstrated through feedback from service users and local voluntary, statutory and community organisations. This feedback is highlighted in regular newsletters, case studies, and talks in local churches and at fund raising events. This Purpose does not give rise to any harm. 3 The direct benefits which flow from: - (4) The promotion of charitable purposes are the provision of education, financial assistance, medical assistance, accommodation and counselling for young expectant mothers, orphans, families and individuals in need in Uganda (Africa). These benefits are also highlighted in purposes 1,2&3 as described above. These benefits are evidenced using the formal and informal feedback mechanisms described in purposes 1,2 & 3. ## **Wakisa Ministries Trust** Waakisa Ministries is a non-denominational Christian Charity, which aims to: - *Provide care and support for young vulnerable girls who are pregnant and alone. *Deliver health education programmes to local schools and churches. Working in our centre in Uganda we have a team of trained Ugandan staff who provide a safe environment for girls and their babies. During their stay at the centre each girl receives care support appropriate to their individual needs. Personal development plans provide the girls with the opportunity to develop life skills and undertake training programmes to enable them to provide for themselves and their babies in the future. The hope is that each girl will eventually return to their community and live independently with support from local Christians. Based at the centre a team of staff and volunteers also plan and deliver health education programmes in primary, post primary schools and churches with over 1000 young people accessing the programme on a weekly basis. ## **ACHIEVEMENTS.** Wakisa Ministries has since its inception continued to offer crisis support to pregnant teens and teen mothers. By the end of 202 **3** , approximately 900 girls have been given crisis support and over 660 babies have been born. The year 2023 started with an increase in the number of girls. During the year over eighty girls attended the Centre. The additional hairdressing salon and craft training building continues to provide enhanced training facilities. The Centre has continued to admit pregnant teenage girls for crisis support. Fifty four additional girls between the ages of fourteen years to nineteen years were admitted to the Centre in the year 2023 During 2023 we continued resettling girls with their families. However, there are some girls that have been difficult to resettle because of their circumstances and total rejection by family. Both psychosocial and psychological support is continually given to the girls for the purposes of rehabilitation and to address the challenges they may face. Individual and general counseling and guidance is ongoing for all girls especially for the more complex cases. 4 THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION IN UGANDA - The Centre has continued to equip the girls with skills in tailoring, hairdressing, liquid soap making, life skills and craft making. ## NURSERY SCHOOL In 2015, the Centre started a Nursery school with the purpose of providing Early Years education for the children in the community and those of our beneficiaries who have been difficult to resettle with their families or have been totally rejected. Children between the ages of three to six (3-6) years attend the school to learn and pay a subsidized fee and the Centre provides all the teaching resources, toys and one meal every day. We started with twenty children in the year 2015 and the number has increased to over (60) by the end of 2019. The children are taught the Ugandan curriculum and offered an opportunity to develop Christian values, we pray to God who is our only source of provision. The teachers have received early childhood development training and are doing a wonderful job in the nursery. We have received very positive feedbacks from the primary schools were our pupil’s progress to. The school is employs of 3 teachers and one support staff member who work in the school five days a week and have the weekend off. The ministry started the construction of a New Primary School in September 2023 to provide further education for the children between the ages of six and thirteen. ## OUTREACHES The projects coordinator and volunteers continue to deliver outreach programmes in schools and churches in 2023. 5 ## RELIEF OF POVERTY IN UGANDA Wakisa Ministries Centre is not only involved in ensuring that the pregnant young girls deliver their babies safely but also make sure that the girls will be able to look after their babies. They are provided with parenting skills classes after the birth of their baby. The Centre has continued to provide training in tailoring and hairdressing in order to empower the girls and their families economically. This has helped to improve on the standards of living in the homes of the girls that have gone through Wakisa Ministries Centre. In addition to skills training, girls were provided with start-up resources to help them to get started in the business world. This has enabled the girls to earn an income in order to look after their babies and also improve the standards of living in their homes. The Centre continues to give family support in the form of financial help monthly to a number of families caring for babies who were born at Wakisa Ministries Centre after their young mothers passed away. ## THE ADVANCEMENT OF CHRISTIAN FAITH IN UGANDA. Wakisa Ministries Centre is Christian based, and we maintain our statement of faith that we believe and trust God’s word for guidance and the standards of our ministry. We believe and trust God for His providence. We do not discriminate who comes to the centre in terms of religion or ethnicity, but we share the word and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. Morning and evening devotions are held daily to share the word of God among the girls and staff. These are not compulsory for the girls. However, we feel this faith-based approach helps the girls by providing some moral and ethical standards for their lives, which they will automatically pass on to the communities where they will live and work. ## **MEDICAL SUPPORT** We partner with Kisubi hospital in providing medical services to our girls. We want the best medical services available for the Teen mothers and their unborn children. Most of the girls deliver by Caesarean Section because of their age and physical structure. 6 We also run a clinic within the Centre, which provides appropriate medication as and when required. The qualified Midwife administers these. So, stocking the home clinic sufficiently with basic drugs becomes difficult. ## **VOLUNTEERS** The Trustees wish to acknowledge their deep appreciation of those who give freely of their time to further the work of Wakisa Ministries in Northern Ireland and Uganda ## **Approval** This report was approved by the Trusties and signed on their behalf. Fred Hand Date: - 18th September 2024 Chairman Valerie Duff Date: - 18th September 2024 Trustee 7