for the Period Ended 31 December 2024
| Directors report | |
| Profit and loss | |
| Balance sheet | |
| Additional notes | |
| Balance sheet notes | |
| Community Interest Report |
Directors' report period ended
The directors present their report with the financial statements of the company for the period ended 31 December 2024
Principal activities of the company
Additional information
Small companies provision statement This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions relating to companies subject to the small companies regime within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006
Directors
The directors shown below have held office during the whole of the period from
1 January 2024
to
31 December 2024
The above report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions in part 15 of the Companies Act 2006
This report was approved by the board of directors on
And signed on behalf of the board by:
Name:
Status: Director
for the Period Ended
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
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£ |
£ |
| Turnover: |
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| Cost of sales: |
(
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(
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| Gross profit(or loss): |
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| Administrative expenses: |
(
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(
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| Operating profit(or loss): |
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( |
| Interest payable and similar charges: |
(
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| Profit(or loss) before tax: |
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( |
| Profit(or loss) for the financial year: |
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( |
As at
| Notes | 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|
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£ |
£ |
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| Fixed assets | |||
| Tangible assets: | 3 |
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| Total fixed assets: |
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| Current assets | |||
| Stocks: | 4 |
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| Debtors: | 5 |
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| Cash at bank and in hand: |
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| Total current assets: |
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| Creditors: amounts falling due within one year: | 6 |
(
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(
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| Net current assets (liabilities): |
( |
( |
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| Total assets less current liabilities: |
( |
( |
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| Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year: | 7 |
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(
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| Provision for liabilities: |
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(
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| Total net assets (liabilities): |
( |
( |
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| Capital and reserves | |||
| Called up share capital: |
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| Share premium account: |
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| Other reserves: |
( |
( |
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| Total Shareholders' funds: |
( |
( |
The notes form part of these financial statements
This report was approved by the board of directors on
and signed on behalf of the board by:
Name:
Status: Director
The notes form part of these financial statements
for the Period Ended 31 December 2024
Basis of measurement and preparation
Turnover policy
Tangible fixed assets depreciation policy
Other accounting policies
for the Period Ended 31 December 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average number of employees during the period |
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for the Period Ended 31 December 2024
| Land & buildings | Plant & machinery | Fixtures & fittings | Office equipment | Motor vehicles | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ |
| At 1 January 2024 |
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| At 31 December 2024 |
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| At 1 January 2024 |
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| On disposals | ||||||
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| At 31 December 2024 |
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| At 31 December 2024 |
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| At 31 December 2023 |
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for the Period Ended 31 December 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Stocks |
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| Total |
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for the Period Ended 31 December 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Other debtors |
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| Total |
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for the Period Ended 31 December 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Trade creditors |
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| Taxation and social security |
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| Accruals and deferred income |
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| Other creditors |
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| Total |
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for the Period Ended 31 December 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Other creditors |
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| Total |
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Smiling Through Light (STL) focuses on clean energy access. We work with a network of local women in Sierra Leone to provide clean, reliable and sustainable energy through the sales and distribution of solar products, focusing on the last mile. Igniting Potential Through Solar: We continued to fulfil on our mission to provide women,girls and their communities access to clean energy, create jobs and income opportunities, and lift them out of poverty. During the financial year 2024, STL benefitted the community in the following ways: Product access and sales: Commenced deployment of the new PAYGO products. Sales restarted in May 2024 with 40 units sold from the new consignment. STL has managed to maintain low default rates (0%) on PAYGO repayments, improving customer affordability and STL’s cashflow. Recognition and awards: STL was named a 60 Decibels Top Energy Performer 2024 for Customer Effort Score (customer service), generating sector visibility. Subsequently recognised again as a Top Performer in a new category, announced at the GOGLA Global Off-Grid Solar Forum. Community benefit: STL opened a new hub in Port Loko, creating jobs and extending rural communities access to clean energy products. The organisation further identified Buya Romende as the next expansion territory, laying groundwork for 2025 when the hub was opened. Capacity building: Staff trained with USAID West Africa Energy Programme on productive use of energy, ESG essentials and investment readiness. Further training supported the strengthening of financial management systems within the organisation. Strategic development: funding was secured from strategic backers, helping STL to invest in inventory and logistics, as well as securing unrestricted support for operations. The impact of the funds supported STL to recruit new sales agents and staff to increase the organisation’s reach and impact.
STL’s stakeholders include: Internal: staff members, female sales agents, directors, and advisory board. Connected: distributors, solar manufacturers, funders, and community members. External: government, NGOs, international bodies, investors, media, and civil society. Consultations during 2024 included: Advisory Board: held multiple board meetings (March and October 2024) to review financial health, sales, operations, HR and fundraising. Strategy Session: In November 2024, we held a strategic session to develop plans for 2025-2030 with a focus on the future direction and strategy of STL focusing on future plans, changes within the sector and key strategic priorities. Community consultations: customers engaged through focus groups discussions, impact stories and feedback via the PAYGO platform and direct sales agent interactions. Funders: in-person field visit by its philanthropic funders to meet staff and customers, review impact and operations. Stakeholder Engagement: STL held a webinar entitled ‘Empowering Women Through Financial Inclusion: The Impactful Role of PAYGo Solar Models.addressed the knowledge gaps regarding gender equity in PAYGo systems, emphasising the role of funders in advancing financial inclusion. It explored strategies to support a just energy transition by observing energy access from a gender lens, providing an overview of financial inclusion in Africa, identifying barriers to women's financial inclusion, and discussing the social and economic impacts of PAYGo Solar models. Sector engagement: STL continued to perform an advocacy role and featured at international events including the FCDO Transforming Energy Access Forum (Kigali), meeting with our manufacturers (The Netherlands), the Global Off-Grid Solar Forum & Expo (Nairobi), and continued involvement with networks such as Power Africa, SEforALL and the sector’s body GOGLA. Actions taken included adopting new financial systems based on funder feedback, enhancing customer care practices in response to 60 Decibels benchmarking, and tailoring sales training based on advisory board input. Actions taken included adopting new financial systems based on funder feedback, enhancing customer care practices in response to 60 Decibels benchmarking, and tailoring sales training based on advisory board input.
No remuneration was received
No transfer of assets other than for full consideration
This report was approved by the board of directors on
29 September 2025
And signed on behalf of the board by:
Name: Alexandros Christopher Germanis and Mariama Kamara
Status: Director