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Trustees Annual Report 2006 - 2007
Reference and Administrative Details of the Charity, its Trustees and Advisors
This report is for the year to 31st March 2007. The Trustee Members elected for the year were:- The Medical Director who acts as Chief Executive: Dr Beryl Beynon; The Treasurer, Mrs Colette Beynon who resigned at the end of the AGM and was replaced by Mrs Julie Axup, Chairman: Dr Peter Beynon, Miss Mary Aherne, Prof. Robert Aveyard, Dr Claire Barchard, Mrs Elizabeth Everingham who resigned at the end of the AGM, Mr John Emmerson, Mr Harry Flynn, Mr Robert Horton who resigned in March 2007, Miss Margaret Ruxton, Mrs Margaret Wells. Other Officers: Secretary: Mrs Heather Saltonstall, Administrator: Mr Mike Greatorex.
The Charity benefits from professional advice as follows:-
Accountant: Mr Brian Elvidge Auditor: Messrs Smailes, Goldie & Co
Solicitor: Mr Michael Adams Transport: Road Haulage Association
Bankers: HSBC, (main bankers) Barclays (transport) and Lloyds TSB (Orchard Park Shop)
Insurers: Arranged through B.N.I.: Norwich Union, Ansvar & Royal Sun Alliance
The Registered Aims of Jacob’s Well Appeal are
a) To relieve need, hardship, sickness or distress of persons resident in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia or Africa and to assist persons in need of emergency disaster relief wherever they may be.
b) To relieve need, hardship, sickness or distress of those persons who are handicapped.
c) To promote the Christian faith.
d) To promote and support medical research and facilitate the work of researchers of which the results of such research will be made publicly available.
e) To promote and advance education and facilitate teaching.
Structure, Governance and Management
Jacob’s Well Appeal was founded in February 1982 as Jacob’s Well Polish Appeal and registered with the Charity Commission in April 1984 and is an unincorporated association.. The registered aims have been twice extended since then to those above. The governing document is the written constitution. There are up to 12 trustees, one third of whom are elected each year at the annual general meeting by the members. Election is for a period of 3 years renewable on re-election. One third retire each year. The chairman, medical director, and treasurer are appointed annually and are ex-officio trustees. The secretary is also an ex-officio trustee unless ineligible (as at present, being an employee of the charity). The trustees meet not less than 5 times in each charity year to review progress and policy. Trustees are appointed by election at the Annual General Meeting. In general when vacancies arise potential trustees are invited to stand for election from the many people in contact with the charity. They are usually people who have a particular skill or experience which will benefit the trustee body such as legal knowledge, accountancy, management, medical, caring or practical ability or a proven ability as a volunteer in the charity field. They are introduced to the role by provision of documents outlining the role and responsibilities involved, and explanation of the activities of the charity, information about its history, governance and financial functioning.
Volunteers work under the direction of the Medical Director who acts as chief executive and manages the shops whose progress is reviewed by a subcommittee appointed by the Trustees. Other subcommittees are appointed to make recommendations to the Trustees where an issue needs investigation and recommendations. Recently a subcommittee has been set up to gather information and provide guidance for volunteers. The Chairman acts as line manager for the paid employees of the Charity. A free newsletter is sent to volunteers, donors and other interested persons twice yearly to keep them in touch with current events. Any person who accepts the registered aims of the charity may become a member with the right to vote at general meetings.
Risk Management: The Risk Assessments in relation to the shops, warehouse practice, transport and office have been reviewed and new measures taken including the setting up of an alarm system with Scamp with Direct Police contact. The forklift and vehicles have been maintained according to manufacturers recommendations and subjected to Loler examinations and MoTs etc as required. All fire fighting equipment has been checked and practices held.
Staffing and Volunteers: Currently the charity employs two part time administrators and during this year also one part-time packer/driver for 6 months under the Government Job Introduction Scheme until he obtained another post. All other activity is undertaken by volunteers of whom there are approximately 60 working for between 3 hours and several days a week.
Objectives and Activities
As the registered aims above indicate Jacob's Well Appeal, which has an ecumenical Christian background, seeks to show the love of God through practical action - the "living water" of life freely offered to all people, regardless of ethnicity or religious belief or any other characteristic. The charity has been able to work successfully in the communist world of Eastern Europe in the past and with Muslim communities in Asia, including the Taliban authorities when they were in power in Afghanistan. The charity seeks to supply humanitarian aid and medical relief to the needy in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa and to help those with disabilities providing necessities which would not otherwise be available. It is able to respond to some emergency needs in areas with which it is involved, but the main aim is to continue working in needy places which are not in the headlines even when political pressures and media generated money has moved on. Medical aid and other relief supplies are sent to those in need to help overcome their problems and deficiencies in accordance with their own culture and circumstances. In general we use recycled supplies supplemented by purchases where money permits. The value of the donated goods, even though valued conservatively considerably exceeds the monetary income and expenditure of the charity which is needed for supporting logistics in collecting and distributing the aid supplies.
Our main sources of income continue to be from donations made by the many people and groups who support us, from our 2 charity shops, and from fund raising events such as second hand book sales, car boot sales, and money raised by our volunteer fund raiser. Some grants have been received towards work with children in particular in Afghanistan. Investment income plays a lesser role depending on the amount of invested reserves.
Achievements and Performance
During this year Jacob’s Well has co-operated with the Red Crescent Society of Afghanistan, the Agency Co-ordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR) in Afghanistan, and other charities including Help - Kiev, Help of Stuttgart, the Soroptimists, Diabetes UK, the Ileostomy Association, Rotary and Inner Wheel Clubs, local Churches, Intercare, Real Aid, Halo Trust and the International Assistance Mission. We work closely with partner charities abroad, Fintana Lui Iacob (registered in Romania), Krynica Jacova (registered in Ukraine), Love and Care (registered in Bulgaria), Jacob’s Well Afghanistan (registered in Afghanistan). Jacob’s Well is a member of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations ( NCVO), and has signed up to the East Riding Compact - the local partnership agreement between public sector and voluntary & community sector organisations.
Volunteer hours in the warehouse and porta-cabin for the year 2006-7 were 6,300 and in the two charity shops in excess of 5,500. Sorting, selling, packing and listing donated goods is a major, labour intensive task. Bric-a-brac, second hand books, and some clothing is sold to raise funds but a much larger proportion is sent abroad as aid. This has not been achieved without a tremendous amount of work from volunteers both in the UK, and abroad. Our teams of warehouse workers and medicine sorters are now all volunteers. We are very grateful for the many hours of work which they put in, without which the Charity would grind to a halt. The Charity has continued to provide regular support and supervision for volunteers with additional needs in the warehouse and shop settings. This has opened doors to people who would otherwise be unable to take part in everyday life and activities. This has been beneficial for the Charity also. The Trustees sincerely thank them all for their devoted hard labour.
Romania
Special Need Day Attenders at the
Siret Day Unit
This year our truck based in Siret has delivered five containers of aid, four from our warehouse in Beverley and one from the charity “Help” of Stuttgart in Germany. The new building at the Rehabilitation Unit is now finished and so is the block paving of the courtyard. There has been a major project in the whole town to relay all the water pipes and to bring in gas pipes via the Ukraine from Russia. The work has caused chaos to almost every street and the roads are now reduced to gravel tracks. Staffing has been a major problem for the Rehabilitation and Day Centre as many staff leave Romania to take jobs in Spain, Portugal and Italy so that they can earn a living wage but they reappear after three to six months and want their jobs back. It has been difficult to recruit staff that are reliable and likely to want to stay. With Romanian salaries at around £85 to £100 a month and prices almost the same as the UK it is difficult to survive. Little progress has been made to start the house building project on our newly purchased land due mainly to shortage of staff and limited funds. However in the autumn six English bike riders, ably assisted by 17 Romanians went for a very successful sponsored bike ride from Zarnesti, near Brasov, back up to Siret. The scenery was wonderful and the two nationalities blended together very well indeed. We ended the ride with a “last supper” at the Fintana lui Jacov (Jacob’s Well) evangelical church in Calafindesti and gave thanks for a safe and happy ride. The ride raised £6000 and we are now hopeful that the work of house building may start before the end of 2007. Many thanks to all our riders and their friends, families and the many companies who sponsored them, This last winter saw the coming of our first Rehabilitation baby, David Valentin, to Valentin and Sanduta who have settled in their cottage in a nearby village. The baby is thriving and this has again started a waive of enthusiasm for marriage amongst our Rehabilitation youngsters.
Moldova
Moldova has been requesting our help and thanks to Dr Eduard, GP in Piona Telului, the Medical Director and Chairman were able to make a visit to two hospitals, Orhei and Criuleni, after the bike ride in September. The country is significantly poorer than Romania and the hospitals greatly needed our help. Both hospitals advised us not to attempt to send medicines as they said it would be impossible to get them through the border. Both needed equipment but Orhei had received some help from Holland. The greatest needs were in Criuleni where even beds were urgently needed to replace their very old ones. We have promised to try to help.
Ukraine
Last summer one container of aid was delivered to the Mohyla Academy in Kiev with some very useful equipment for their laboratories as well as some books for the library and clothes for distribution. There were no major problems and we hope to continue this link through our support of Krynica Jacova.
Afghanistan
Our Truck Taking Supplies to the
MCH Clinic
Over the last two years we have been experiencing many problems to get our containers of aid through the customs and delivered. The situation has deteriorated very considerably since the Afghan National Formulary was introduced in consultation with US AID. Donations to hospitals and Ministry of Public Health clinics must adhere to this. They are only permitted to have a medicine on the shelf if it is in the formulary. We as aid workers supplying medicines are not allowed through customs with any medicine that is not on this limited list. We did not manage to get hold of the formulary for about six months and the result was disastrous delay of the next container which took almost a year to release. This new formulary for the medicines has eliminated more than fifty percent of our donations and it has led to an astronomical amount of work for our doctors and pharmacist who check, list and pack the load. Then there is also the new quality control pharmaceutical department who charge hundreds of dollars for their services and cause at least another one or two months delay and all this since the coming of the Coalition from USA and UK! The result led to the closure of our MCH clinic for almost six months as we ran out of medicines while we had three containers still waiting for clearance. Even worse was the situation with the customs clearance of the insulin which we flew into Kabul. We were not permitted to collect it and it sat in the customs shed not refrigerated for almost ten days. This last year we have been helping the newly formed Diabetes Centres of Excellence set up at three hospitals in Kabul. The Maiwand Children’s Hospital has been greatly helped through a donation from the Afghan Children’s Fund which has helped us to install and keep running the data base for the clinic and to pay for some staff wages, some reagents and medicines for the clinic. The message from the west seems to be trade - not aid.
However this very poor country desperately needs aid still and could well do without the newly introduced regulations which have so reduced our ability to help the sick.. The need for medicines still remains especially outside Kabul. This year we have managed to send three containers and one air cargo of insulin. One has been in the hands of the Ministry of Health and it has been difficult to ascertain if it has been correctly distributed. The remaining two have been distributed by Dr Farid. Our Mother and Child Health (MCH) Clinic is now up and running again though it is finding some difficulties when medicine supplies are low. Our leader, Dr Farid and his wife, Dr Nasrin, work very hard to overcome the many hurdles. Roadside bombs are a problem in Kabul and security for NGOs is getting worse.. There are very many poor people who cannot afford to go to hospital and malnutrition and TB is rife. We supply medicines to the Halo Trust demining teams whose medical officers take medicines all over the country where they are working.
Pakistan
I am sad to say that there has been no change to the situation of the two stranded containers in Karachi that were sent for the earthquake release. Our hopes that the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre would be able to release them and get any remaining useful supplies to the people who still desperately need them have not been fulfilled. They have not been able to pay the large sums demanded for their release as promises that the charges would be cancelled have not been implemented. No further supplies have been sent to Pakistan itself in view of this stalemate. Containers to Afghanistan continue to be shipped via Karachi where there are difficulties and expenses but they are ultimately released. It is our policy to make regular visits to the facilities which are supported and to receive reports from those who have had supplies. There are often changes in regulations in some countries which have implications for our activities and needs change depending on the activities of other donors It is important to learn of the recipients’ current requirements and difficulties. We aim to visit the hospitals and destinations. to see whether the donations are actually in use and have not been sold or diverted. It is also gratifying to receive letters back from recipients and to learn of difficulties which they may have experienced with items received.
Financial Review
The Charity is now well settled in its new home on the of the Swinemoor Industrial Estate alongside our warehouse. Our sorting and packing is now on one site (apart from clothing which is mainly dealt with in the shops). The double stacked Portakabins have made a very adequate base, complete with ramp and toilet for the disabled at an affordable cost. In order to provide long term security the site which was originally provided free by 2 of the founders has now been transferred into a trust from which the charity will lease the land which it uses.
The total value of donated aid for the year is £ 610,910 and though this value is somewhat arbitrary as most of the goods are donated and of estimated value. The cost of transportation - usually in 13 metre shipping containers is increasingly expensive. 11 containers were sent last year and 12 smaller part loads eg insulin flown to Afghanistan. There has been a serious shortage of cash flow for our partner Romanian activities as in January 2007 the Romanian Government announced that it could no longer refund the VAT (called TVA in Romania) which is 19% of all purchases including food.. We still have twelve young people resident in the Rehabilitation Unit and a small Day Care Centre where about ten handicapped young people attend. We continue to review our methods of collection and distribution using volunteers, rail freight or shipping where this is cheaper than by road. The Mother and Child Health Clinic in Kabul is our other main ongoing commitment and it is essential to get supplies through to this clinic to enable it to stay open. Because of corruption and bureaucracy supplies are often held up for months on arrival by the authorities. Security is also an increasing problem as the crowds throng the street to get help for their sick and it needs a constant attendance by armed guards to control the crowds and keep away the bandits.
Expenditure Policy: Expenditure covers the costs of
1. Maintaining the two charity shops, one of which is rented from the local authority and the other of which is in shared premises with a Christian Bookshop.
2. Maintaining the Office administration building where some medical supplies are sorted.
3. Maintaining the warehouse where donated goods and medical supplies are sorted, packed and despatched.
4. Maintaining the articulated truck used for collecting large items, and collecting empty containers and despatching loaded containers at appropriate terminals.
5. Paying for shipping, agents fees and transport abroad for supplies in transit.
6. Paying overheads of the Mother and Child Clinic in Kabul and where funds permit enhancing the new paediatric diabetic service.
7. Supporting development of facilities of the Rehabilitation Unit and helping trainees towards independence..
8. Where funds permit purchasing medicines and equipment for supported facilities.
Reserves Policy: The Trustees’ policy is to hold sufficient funds to provide for the projects in Romania and Afghanistan (without which the beneficiaries would be subject to considerable hardship) and to hold sufficient funds to enable the charity to run efficiently for a period of 3 months. Unrestricted reserves at the year end (31st March 2007) of £22,885 are sufficient to meet this target. The level of reserves is monitored and reviewed by the trustees twice a year in the light of past and planned expenditure.
Logistics: Containers to Poland and Romania are shipped from Hull to Gdynia and taken on by truck by road. Containers to most other destinations are taken by rail freight to Thames Port or other appropriate port, then on by sea and by truck to the final destination. Our very old seven and a half ton Leyland roadrunner van (“E” reg) was scrapped last year after many years service and has been replaced by a smaller more modern vehicle for collecting heavier items weighing over 500kg, an Isuzu 3.5 ton with tail lift. The left hand drive British registered “G reg” Scania operated from England but generally located in Romania is being replaced with an almost three year old Dutch Scania in the new financial year registered and operated in Romania by Jacob’s Well Romania. In January Romania joined the European Union and it is now much easier to drive the long way round through Hungary, Austria, Germany and Holland without slow costly border posts. The cost of the diesel is much higher however, but the insecurity and bureaucracy of Ukraine and all its penalty charges is avoided. In the meantime our “K” reg Scania tractor unit and trailer which was a gift from Weetabix, is very adequate for our needs here in the UK. The left hand drive Landrover Defender in Romania, an “H” reg., is undergoing major repairs in Ukraine. which is cheaper than Romania. It is extremely useful in the winter snow and for the many unmade tracks in Northern Romania. The Mercedes mini bus which was donated to Jacob’s Well Romania is in excellent form and it is very much appreciated by the Romanian young people. We still have our two very old vehicles in Kabul, a Nissan Vanette and a Ford Cargo flat bed which miraculously keeps going. We really do not envy the expensive white Toyota Land Cruisers and Landrovers that other NGOs have as they are much more likely to be blown up or hijacked!
Plans for the Future
We are very happy that the work of the charity now has a secure home on the Swinemoor Industrial Estate in Beverley. The site is a large one, about three acres, and the Trustees plan to take a lease on that part of the site which they are at present using from the Trust to which it belongs. It is hoped that the remainder of the site can soon be fully let as this will enable the Trust which owns it to support Jacob’s Well Appeal. A new development planned by the Trust for next year will be the Well-One Ltd Clinic, which will work to improve the health of the local community as an alternative facility to the NHS. It will be a social enterprise, not for profit venture if the Health Care Commission grants the necessary licence. It is planned to respond to new requests for help in Ghana and to develop our links in Moldova - both places with real needs. In Romania the need is to help our present young people, most of whom are working to become independent in the local community with support and to take further institutionalised young people into the Rehabilitation Unit as vacancies arise. We will continue exploring ways to help the Rehabilitation Unit towards selfsufficiency. As indicated under “Logistics” major changes in transport arrangements are about to come into effect with aid transport for Europe being based in Romania using the truck registered and operated there for which we shall pay the transport costs of aid from England which it distributes. It will also transport aid from other donors and some commercial loads. These users will pay for their usage contributing towards the overall running costs and any profits will be donated to Fintana Lui Iacob.
The Trustees would like to thank all who share the burdens of responsibility and have worked hard to make Jacob’s Well Appeal the thriving charity it is today. Everyone involved can be proud of the work which the Lord has so richly blessed and we look for His presence with us in the years ahead.
Beryl Beynon (on behalf of the Trustees)