Read Lesley's Blog
Who we are
How we got started is a well documented story but if you’d like to read about it CLICK HERE
Setting up and running the charity
After much research in the latter part of 2004 the infant trust was registered as a charity in April 2005. We submit annual accounts for both Companies House and the Charities Commission.
We started with three trustees and have now expanded to 6, all very experienced in health, training or business and two who have very close personal links with South Africa. Lesley Rudd, as founder, is both Chief Executive and Treasurer.
Our trustees take various roles:
- Liz Williams – visits SA and all our projects about once a year….. she self funds her trips.
- Linda McQuaid – keeps a keen eye on all the governance issues, she is raises funds through running the London marathon and making connections with the footballing world.
- Lindsay Mann – is involved in the strategy and fundraising at a corporate level and is setting out to link into her huge network of South African friends.
- Mike Brunt – has knowledge of the issues in SA as he currently works there with the Trevor Huddleston Foundation and the Elton John Foundation, he has particular expertise in training.
- Jane MacKay –is a Child Protection specialist with experience as national Chair for Serious Untoward Incidents, sits on the UK General Medical Council and helps with our future planning.
- Les Skipper – ex of the BBC and a media / communications specialist helps with all our publications, the blog/Twitter/Facebook and our public face.
- Gay Jennions needs a mention here because although not technically a trustee she does all the work for the website, keeps it updated and regularly rewrites all the technical stuff. Immense stuff.
With this help it all means that we can spend 97% of all your donations on our project work with partners in South Africa.
Our project work
Following initial visits and setting about raising some funds we were clear that, above all, we must work in partnership with local South African organisations to enable sustainable change; and training as well as supporting safe havens for the vulnerable children, funding research and community awareness are the most vital things – we do give grants, but they are very small and only one-off.
Initially we were determined to keep away from the whole HIV/AIDs bandwagon but it is blindingly obvious that HIV/AIDS has a huge impact and makes thousands and thousands of small children extremely vulnerable once they have no biological parent. It also rapidly transpired that communities, and women in particular, feel very disempowered and although they see terrible things going on around them they don’t know what to do, or who to turn to. Evidence from our many training programmes now show us just what women [and men] who have skills and knowledge can, together do to change things. It is one of the most amazing things to see and to be part of.
In 2011 - 2012 we have streamlined to 12 major projects because we know now these are the ones that have the most impact on breaking the cycle of abuse. Most are with existing partners, some are very small projects and, although we must keep in touch with small grassroots projects, we are moving to larger more extensive projects as we have assurances of more funds and we know where the successes are.
We believe that one of the real factors of our success so far has been the very personal connection and growing relationship with the organisations we partner; this enables us to visit, to see, to watch, to listen, to think and to work together with our friends to undertake new work that is vital in protecting children both in the short and the long-term.
We have, up to now, concentrated our work mainly in the north of the country to consolidate our partnerships; because of good developing relationships with local services we next will expand to the Cape area.
Governance
We have a properly constituted Board with regular meetings, a set agenda including finances, projects, fundraising, and publicity actions. We have a set of policies that are highlighted here on the website and we record everything, have robust and noted debates and our trustees keep a weather eye on activities, projects, fundraising, income, and expenditure.
As a Board we meet every three-four months and the meeting in July is our AGM where we sign off the accounts and reappoint any trustees whose time is due –we reappointed the original three trustees in September 2008 then again in 2011.
We have three very highly valued Patrons – Baroness Joan Walmsley, Dr Chai Patel and Lord John Lee.
Funds & Fundraising
From the outset funding has been made available through a single donor for my travel through restricted donations specifically for my travel. This has enabled the building of crucial relationships and planning of projects with our partners in SA, and is absolutely critical to our growing success.
We gratefully receive funds from all over the place and have a very treasured relationship with Bright Future Trust [ http://www.bright-future.org.uk ] and the faith and support shown to us by one of our Patrons, Dr Chai Patel; apart from this other philanthropic organisations have been very supportive.
Our band of donors who regularly support us, fundraise for us, or set-up standing orders grows all the time and we are endlessly grateful for the faith placed in us by these generous people.
Publicising our work in the UK
We publish an annual newsletter and an annual report both in print and circulate them through Royal Mail. They are well received and, to date has more than covered their costs through the additional funds attracted. In October 2008 we were shortlisted for Guardian Small Charity of the year; unfortunately we didn’t win but to be shortlisted from over 600 charities was a real boost for us.
We have a blog and are on Twitter – these can be accessed from the top of this page – and have a presence on Facebook.
Who does the work?
Apart now from a paid book keeper, an accountant who does the financial sections of the annual report, a fundraising / organisational development specialist who acts as our mentor, we pay no salaries, all the work is done pro-bono.