The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024.
Zamcog is an educational non-profit charity based in Kabwe supporting the vulnerable children of Makululu compound. Zamcog is committed to empowering the most at risk children and work with local community partners to break down barriers and increase access to learning across three areas:
Primary and Secondary Schooling
Holistic Welfare
Tertiary Education
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019).
Goal 1: Improve and Expand Educational Outcomes
- Increase exam success rate
- Improve tenure and access for girls in school
- Expand the number of support students in schools
Goal 2: Increase School leaver Opportunity
- Assist students in developing career streams
- Improve arrangements for skills training
- Expand the transition programme
- Offer a scholarship programme for sponsored students
Goal 3: Develop Community Well-being
- Develop local partnerships
- Develop a sustainable living program
- Community school engagements
ZAMCOG's objectives are set in accord with our charitable objects. Each year the trustees evaluate our objectives and activities to ensure that they reflect our charitable object. In setting the charity's objectives and planning its activities the trustees have complied with the duty in section 4 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard for the Charity Commission's general guidance for the public benefit.
Zamcog’s vision is rooted in the belief that every child deserves the right to an education. As a charity, we work with other like-minded charities and initiative’s to help get students into school and to keep them there one child at a time.
Our mission is to empower students to reach their full potential and enable them to build more sustainable futures. We provide access to education, housing and welfare support to the most vulnerable children and youth in Makululu, Kabwe Zambia.
Partnerships
During the period under review, a Workshop or indaba, was held on 9th August 2024 at Urban Bliss and was organised by Early Childhood Development Action Network Zambia in partnership with Mulumbo Childhood Care and Development Foundation Lusaka. ECDANZ is a network organisation for different organisations acting in the early childhood landscape in the nation of Zambia. The network advocates for increased actions in the ECD landscape from Policy to implementation. As an action network, it has collaborated with Mulumbo Early Childhood Care and Development Foundation to conduct subnational dialogues on Childcare. The theme of the meeting was “Why Zambia should invest in Childcare".
The Child Care Indaba was held at Urban Bliss Hotel in Kabwe and was attended by representatives from Ministry of Community Development and social services, Ministry of Education, Local Government, Home affairs, CSOs, Faith based organisations, Traditional leadership and all these formed a panel for discussions around why Zambia should invest in Childcare. The objectives of the subnational dialogue were:
- To raise Awareness on Childcare
- Identify and harvest learnings from the regions in relation to childcare initiatives and practices
- Building consensus on childcare priorities and way forward.
Way forward: submissions were made on the need to have regulations around childcare in Zambia and also on the need for the policy implementation around childcare.
Further Education
Zamcog Zambia has been supporting students in further education since inception. Every year of further education, Zamcog scholarships cover tuitions, academic supplies, laptops, accommodation, transport, personal costs and starter packs for new students. Zamcog is currently sponsoring 31 students in different fields of study that is purchasing and supply, environmental health, fashion and design, Social work, physiotherapy, public health services management, hospitality and management, clinical medicine, secretarial, teaching, pharmacy, business administration, engineering, nursing, biomedicine, medicine, lab technology, agriculture, information and communication technology. 20 of our students graduated this year and we have 8 students as our 2025 cohort who will be reporting as first years in different institutions.
Zamcog Zambia through the sponsorship of Zamcog UK has been supporting students in Further Education activities since inception. Today that support has enabled many vulnerable students to attend University, College and other training programs. Zamcog scholarships cover tuitions, academic supplies, laptops, accommodation, transport, personal costs and starter packs for new students. Zamcog is currently sponsoring over 30 students in different fields of study that is purchasing and supply, environmental health, fashion and design, Social work, physiotherapy, public health services management, hospitality and management, clinical medicine, secretarial, teaching, pharmacy, business administration, engineering, nursing, biomedicine, medicine, lab technology, agriculture, information and communication technology.
During the same period, we also hosted career guidance and counselling workshop for our students who will be going into tertiary education in 2025. The workshop was facilitated by the supervising social welfare officer with support from the admin assistances and finance
manager. Some of the issues discussed were:
Expectations: they shared what they expect from the organisation that is continued support through out there education, continuous updates and counselling.
Benefits of gaining experience whilst in school
The Importance of Staying focused whilst in university
How to overcome challenges such as peer pressure, drug & sexual abuse and adapting to the school environment.
Career Guidance
The students were also given an opportunity to share the reasons why they want to study what they have chosen. The zamcog staff then assisted them in the process of application. We also had a guest who is a registered nurse as well as an anesthesiologist by profession at Isoka general hospital gave practical examples of how things work in the hospitals for those who aspire to study medicine and nursing. He mentioned that they should be honest with themselves and not just go for the money as being a doctor or nurse is a calling.
They were encouraged and are looking forward to beginning their tertiary journey.
All the 8 students have been accepted at various institutions of learning in various disciplines of study.
Education
The education department comprises of both the primary and secondary section with a total of 347 students that is 166 boys and 181 girls in primary and secondary combined. During the period under review, students received books, pens, shoes, bags and uniforms on a need’s basis.
During the period under review, we embarked on a task of profiling all our sponsored students for records purposes. During the same period, the grade 12s, 9s and 7s wrote their exams.
The grade 12s whose wrote exams this year were 12 began on the 4th of November 2024 they were 27.
39 grade 9s who sat for internal exams and 6 who sat for external exams, We We had 40 grade 7s who sat for their exams this year.
As a way of commemorating 16 days of activism against gender based violence, the organization had its first ever girls only workshop on 29th November 2024 at Mulumbo community school. The topics of discussion were hygiene and sexual reproductive health which was led by a nurse who is also one of Zamcog Zambia’s board member. The workshop was highly interactive as the facilitator dived into body hygiene and ways in which girls can avoid bad odor and later made an emphasis that there is need for young people not to engage in elicity activities and to focus on school in order to secure their futures.
Homes
During the period under review, early in January Zamcog Zambia received an official communication from the Zamcog UK Board that the Child Care Facility was closing down due to a lack of funding. Relevant government stakeholders were engaged and consultation were made to understand the steps to be taken for children to be re-intergrated to their communities. The trustee from the Uk board led on communication to the Children and staff at the facility. The Zamcog Zambia Director, Social Welfare Officer and Resident Manager met with the parents/guardians to the children to explain the development and future expections, The Director clarified and prepared the parents to receive their children back home. The homes closed on the 26th of April 2024. Before the 24 children were re-integrated, home assessments were conducted to ensure the safety and well-being of the children as they returned to their respective homes. This exercise was led by the District Department of Social Welfare under the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services. All the necessary documents were filled and completed and discharge letters were given to complete the process. The children were given mattresses, beddings, cutlery and mosquito nets as these were the items they used whilst in the child care facility and school packages were prepared for them which contained washing powder, polish, toothpaste, bathing soap, lotion and glycerin.
Saturday school
Ever since the introduction of the Saturday school program, Zamcog Zambia has been able to enroll 15 children at Mulumbo community school who have been attended any form of education. These children are picked because of their willingness to learn and commitment during the Saturday school program. Henceforth, due to more commitment and willingness from more children, another 15 children will be enrolled at Mulumbo community school for the year 2025.
Partners
During the period under review, St Columbus College stuednts visited Mulumbo community school where the 15 sponsored children were gifted with brand new school bags as a way of encouraging them to continue working hard. Besides that, an organisation called save me today visited during the Saturday school program and took their time to interact with some of the girls and younger children and thereafter sang some welcoming songs. Save me today organisation was generous enough to give out sanitary pads as well as some clothes to the children.
In the financial year 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024, the charity received income of £74,873 (2023: £263,679) being £26,554 for Unrestricted Funds and £48,319 for Restricted Funds (£179,771 and £83,908 respectively in 2023) and total expenditure was £141,841 (2023: £322,312). For the year ended 31 December 2024 the charity had received net expenditure on Unrestricted Funds of £58,288, which decreased the carried forward sum to £39,920 (2023: £98,208).
In 2024, a total of £141,241 (£322,312 in 2023) was disbursed in support of Zamcog Zambia and in total £84,242 of Unrestricted Funds and £56,999 of Restricted Funds.
We thank all our donors for their kindness and generosity.
Restricted Funds are £5,456 at 31 December 2024 (2023: £14,136) and will be utilised for the restricted purposes for which they were given.
Reserve policy
The trustees' policy in regard to reserves is to hold specific reserves to meet obligations imposed by donors and general reserves equivalent to six months' operational expenses to support the current services.
We will continue our care home service for students shelter and support; whilst also providing support to students in transition houses (from secondary to tertiary)
Our fundraising team continues to make applications for costs of an early learning centre, an in-house training centre and for operational costs.
This charitable company is controlled by its articles of association and constitutes a private limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.
The Trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
New trustees are appointed by the company's members assembled in the Annual General Meeting. Co-opted trustees may also be appointed by serving trustees for a term of office ending at the next A.G.M.
Information is cascaded to a full trusteeship body in its regular meetings by the Company Secretary.
Risk management
The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. The trustees have in place a risk register, which is reviewed at most Board of Trustees' meetings. The principal risks relate to the need always to maintain effective financial management of the charity's assets and resources for its charitable purposes. To this end, the charity ensures at least one, appropriately qualified trustee, who fulfils on a voluntary basis the role of Treasurer.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Registered Company number
07184854 (England and Wales)
Registered Charity number
1136086
Bankers
HSBC
31 Cheque St
St Albans,
Hertfordshire
AL1 3YN
Registered office
20 Jasmine Way
Locking Castle
Weston-Super-Mare
Somerset
BS24 7JW
Company Secretary
Ms T Farquhar-Beck
Independent Examiner
Grunberg & Co Limited
Chartered Accountants
5 Technology Park
Colindeep Lane
Colindale
London
NW9 6BX
The trustees (who are also the directors of Zamcog for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which gave a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles in the Charity SORP;
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part
Each of the Trustees has confirmed that there is no information of which they are aware which is relevant to the audit, but of which the auditor is unaware. They have further confirmed that they have taken appropriate steps to identify such relevant information and to establish that the auditor is aware of such information.
The Trustee's report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Zamcog ('the Company')
I report to the Trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Zamcog for the year ended 31 December 2024.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the ’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
Robert Bean BA ACA
ICAEW
Grunberg & Co Limited
Chartered Accountants
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
The statement of financial activities also complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account under the Companies Act 2006.
Zamcog is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Wayside, Orchard Way, Berry Hill, Coleford, Gloucestershire, GL16 7AQ.
Basis of preparing the financial statement
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
There are no material uncertainties regarding the going concern of the charity.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purpose and use of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Income is recognised when the charity is legally entitled to it, after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant are recognised at the time of the donation.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
Transactions in currencies other than pounds sterling are recorded at the rates of exchange prevailing at the dates of the transactions. At each reporting end date, monetary assets and liabilities that are denominated in foreign currencies are retranslated at the rates prevailing on the reporting end date. Exchange differences are taken into account in arriving at the operating result.
Governance costs includes payments to the independent examiner of £3,726 (2023: £3,690) for independent
examination fees.
None of the Trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits during the year, nor for the year ended 31 December 2024 (2023: £nil).
There were no employees in the entity during the year under review, nor for the earlier year.
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
There were no related party transactions for the year under review (2023 - none).
The company is limited by guarantee, every member promises that if the Charity is dissolved while he or she remains a member, or within twelve months afterwards to contribute up to £1 towards the cost of dissolution of the liabilities incurred by the Charity.