Annual Review

2013-2014
Year ending 31 August 2014

www.childreach.org.uk

Unlock a childs potential

Our Vision:
A world where all children have the opportunity to
unlock their potential in life.
What we do
We work with communities in Africa, Asia and the UK to unlock
childrens potential, empowering them to advocate for the
rights to education, protection from abuse and other issues
central to having a brighter future.
Our work will not stop until the world is a place where all
children are free to achieve their potential, and where children
are able to secure their own rights and demand what they are
entitled to.

How we do it
Children are at the centre of what we do, and we believe that
they should have decision making power over their lives.
We work with local civil society groups and our own aliate
organisations who best understand the causes consequences
and solutions for child rights violations in their communities.
We hold the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child as the basis of our partnerships with children.
This Convention has been signed by all of the governments of
the countries we work in, enabling us to persuade parents,
teachers, health workers and government ocials to abide by
its provisions and listen to children when they demand their
rights are met.

Contents
Highlights of 2013-2014

A message from our Chair

A message from our CEO

Taught, Not Trafficked

Student engagement

Our agents of change

11

India

13

Nepal

15

Tanzania

19

United Kingdom

23

Bangladesh

24

Morocco

24

Future plans

25

Rare Adventures

27

Improving standards

28

In memory of

29

Thanks to our supporters

31

Gifts in kind

31

A message from Firoz Patel,

CEO

Highlights of 2013-2014

A message from Ross Kemp

Chair of the Board of Trustees
Once again it is my privilege and pleasure to
introduce this years annual report. This has been
an
extraordinary
year
for
Childreach
International - it has been one that has been all
about partnerships and success stories.
Building on successful partnerships, Childreach International launched
the Taught, Not Trafficked campaign earlier this year in partnership
with the hard-hitting movie about child tracking, Sold, starring Gillian
Anderson, directed by Academy Award winner Jerey D. Brown,
produced by Jane Charles and with executive producer Emma
Thompson. The lm goes on general release in 2015 and has already
won awards at the London Indian Film Festival amongst others, and will
help us draw attention to this global issue.
The lm is providing a spotlight on Childreach Internationals work in this
area in Nepal and I must pay personal tribute to our CEO, Firoz Patel and
Childreach Nepal Director Dr. Tshering Lama for their own eorts and
those of their teams in bringing this campaign and movie
together.
In collaboration with the UN World Food Programme, Childreach
Tanzania has continued with its enormously successful school farming
project. School attendance rates have increased from 70% to 92% since
the programme began. Initiated following food shortages in 2010,
Childreach Tanzania has worked with schools to set up sustainable
maize farms and vegetable gardens in schools. Recent reports show
bumper harvests this year, meaning children are getting a nutritious
lunch and enjoying their education.
Our dedication to education and child rights has also been
demonstrated through our My School My Voice programme on childrens
rights and global citizenship this year. Working with schools in the UK
and partner schools in India, Nepal and Tanzania, children gain
knowledge of their rights and responsibilities and are encouraged to
discuss problems and challenges aecting their communities.
We have seen our income decline which has put pressure on our
reserves, but we continue to maintain our commitment and funding as
before. The charity has responded in a remarkable way, adding new adventures to the portfolio and working closely with Rare Adventures, a
3

social enterprise established in 2013, to provide fundraising adventures

for Childreach Internationals student, community and corporate
supporters. Rare Adventures have already proven to be a great partner,
not only successfully managing events for our participants, but as a
demonstration of their values, have also made signicant donations to
Childreach International.
Finally, we would not be here today if it was not for you. Whether you
are one of our many hundreds of participants who climb Kilimanjaro or
trek Morocco each year; our regular givers; or one of our generous
Trusts, Foundations and Corporates, we are eternally grateful for your
continued support.

Our Chair, Ross Kemp, with Dr. Tshering Lama the Director of
Childreach Nepal and Firoz Patel the CEO and Founder of
Childreach International at the launch of the
Taught, Not Trafficked campaign in Kathmandu.
4

A message from Firoz Patel

Chief Executive Officer
This year we celebrated the 25th anniversary of
the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
the Child - the most widely accepted
international
human
rights
treaty
in
history. It sets out the rights held by every child
and has been used to shape laws and systems to
improve the lives of children around the world.
Yet, as we approach the end of the Millennium Development Goals in
2015 it is clear that there is so much more to be done; the last year has
made it clearer than ever that young people are the ones to do it. For
the fifth year in a row, well over a thousand young people in the UK
completed life changing challenges to raise the funds that enable our
vibrant teams all over the world to work with children to claim not only
their own rights, but to fight for the rights of others.
Countless times this year I have been reminded of the power of young
people: from seeing our My School My Voice project become a space in
which children in the UK can advocate for their right to have a say in how
their school is run, right through to meeting the youth collective of our
Comic Relief project in India, who told me how they are successfully
reducing the number of children working in diamond factories and
getting them back in school where they belong.
One of the highlights of my year is visiting the children at the Ghona
Vocational Training Centre for the Deaf, just outside of Moshi town in
Northern Tanzania. Since I first visited Ghona five years ago it has
transformed from a small centre of around 15 deaf teenagers
studying carpentry and tailoring,
to what it is now: a selfsustaining thriving community
of more than 40 young people
working
on
their academic
studies and their practical skills
for a future career.

Firoz at the Ghona Vocational Training Centre in

Moshi, Tanzania.
5

The consequences of not

educating
children
can
be catastrophic for not only the
child
but
for
whole
communities. Research which
we undertook last year in the
central hills of Nepal highlighted

one central fact: if a child is out of

school is at much higher risk of
being trafficked into a life of forced
labour or prostitution in other
words, slavery. To shine a light on
child trafficking, we have partnered
with the Hollywood movie Sold to
form a movement of modern day
abolitionists
and
spread
the
message that no child should
be tricked into a life of abuse and
have their childhood and future
destroyed so violently.

Firoz at our Endangered Gender project in India

As I write this letter from Kathmandu, I am heartened that this change is

already taking root. With Sold as the catalyst we brought together United
Nations agencies, human rights experts, civil society, survivors
organisations, teaching associations, technology companies and
government officials in a conference focusing on how education is the
path away from the dangers of trafficking.
I hope that you read more about Taught, Not Trafficked in this report
and join our movement to keep children in school where they belong
and out of the hands of those who seek to make profit by ruining their
lives. We are going to bring this message to even more people over the
next year with the help of Solds much awaited global release. To get
regular updates on the campaign and find out where you can see this
multi-award winning film go to TaughtNotTrafficked.com and sign up to
our newsletter.
As said elsewhere in this report, the last 12 months as well as the start of
the new nancial year have proved to be tough but we are condent that
we will continue to raise the funds needed to achieve our objectives and
remain optimistic for the future.
Finally, I would like to say that in order for us to carry out our work in
Nepal and across the world we rely on the generosity, endeavour and
enthusiasm of our supporters. The last year has been another amazing
journey. I hope that you will join us for the next chapter.

Taught, Not Trafficked

In July 2o14, Childreach International in partnership with
the Hollywood movie Sold launched a campaign to prevent
trafficking in Nepal through education.
In Nepal, up to 20,000 children are trafficked out of
the country every year and are forced into the sex trade,
bonded labour and other abuse.
Through Childreach Nepals education and awareness
programmes for children and communities, we can
stop trafficking before it starts.
The high profile launch campaign at the London
Indian Film Festival kick-started our partnership with Sold to
form a movement of modern day abolitionists as well as our
appeal to support our work in Nepal.

In 2014/15 Sold will be released internationally and the

Taught, Not Trafficked programme will begin its work; keeping
children in school and our of the hands of traffickers.
5

www.TaughtNotTrafficked.com
www.TaughtNotTrafficked.com

Go to soldthemovie.com for more information about the film.

The cast and crew of Sold join Childreach International and

Childreach Nepal at the UK launch of Taught, Not Trafficked at the
London Indian Film Festival in July 2014.
6

www.TaughtNotTrafficked.com

Sunita Danuwar from our partner organisation Shakti Sumuha & Dr. Tshering Lama,
Director of Childreach Nepal, spoke at our panel discussion on how to address the
root causes of modern slavery at Kings College London in April.

Sunita, like all members of Shakti Samuha, is a survivor of child trafficking. As part
of the campaign, Sunita and other survivors will be travelling to high risk areas of
rural Nepal to raise awareness of trafficking through drama and community events.
A key part of the
campaign is to mobilise
the Nepali community
in the UK.

Volunteer fundraisers and Childreach

International staff at the Nepali Mela
at Kempton Race Course in August.

Gillian Anderson, and many

of the other cast and crew
from the film lent their
support to the Taught, Not
Trafficked campaign at
events, film screenings and
on social media throughout
the year.
In June the Nepali folk band Kutumba ambassadors for Childreach Nepal
toured the UK raising awareness about trafficking. Kutumba also visited schools
we work with as part our My School My Voice programme.

Over 1,000 students

completed overseas challenges this year!

Student Engagement
Childreach International was started by students
just 10 years ago and we are still powered by their
energy and desire to improve the lives of children
around the world while changing their own
lives at the same time.
Skills and condence for life after university
Our work with students and young people goes far beyond fundraising.
After completing volunteering opportunities or challenge events with us:
97% of students said their condence increased as a result*
73% were able to draw on their experiences in job interviews*

Internships and volunteering

We believe strongly in providing structured internship and volunteering
experiences to our most committed supporters:
This year our highest student fundraiser from the 2012-2013 year
completed a two month internship split between our
communications teams in the UK and in Tanzania.
In total, 30 students and other young people completed internships
or volunteer placements at our London oce.

Training
Over 100 students took part in our leadership and development
programmes held across the country focusing on communication and
motivational skills, as well as improving their knowledge of child rights
and wider issues around International Development.

Awards
Over 140 students from universities all over the United Kingdom came to
the annual Childreach International Student Engagement Awards 2013
(Sponsored by Travel Pack) to celebrate their hard work over the
previous year.
* Results taken from post-event surveys with participants in November 2014.
10

Our Agents

11

of Change

12

India

Children in Charge of Change

My School My Voice

With our amazing partner Shaishav we

are getting children out of
factories and back into classrooms
through the local lobbying of our child
collectives.

My School My Voice increases

childrens knowledge about their
rights and encourages them to
actively engage with issues in their
schools and communities.

13

www.childreachindia.org

Our Year in Numbers

13,608 children attended our child rights clubs, giving them the
knowledge and condence to ght for improved facilities and higher
quality education and call on the government to fully implement Indias
landmark Right to Education Act. We use a child-to-child approach to
ensure that we have the biggest possible reach across the schools we
work in.

3,542 men and women attended awareness sessions on family

planning, mother-child health and gender issues to curb sex selective
abortions.

814 children who struggle with their reading and writing received
supplementary education focusing on basic literacy and numeracy skills
through interactive classes.

329 children took part in a mock parliament with dance and drama
depicting issues such as sex selective abortion, gender discrimination, the
right to food, corporal punishment, education, and their ability to bring
about change in their school and wider community.

171 pregnant and lactating women participated in our Endangered

Gender programme to prevent sex selective abortion, improve their
access to safe birth delivery and adequate nutrition for their child.

141 out-of-school children re-enrolled in schools and were provided

with educational support to ensure they complete their education.

134 vulnerable children below the age of seven were immunised against
preventable diseases because of our local advocacy work.

105 adolescent girls and boys were taught computer skills to improve
their career prospects once they have completed their education.

35 children are attending a daily pre-school, reducing their

likelihood of entering child labour.
14

www.childreachindia.org

One Classroom at a Time

Nepal

At weekends, Childreach Nepal

mobilises friends, family and the
occasional Nepali celebrity to
renovate schools.

Beyond the book

1,800 children benetted from

our project to encourage
their engagement with science
subjects in their curriculum.

Student Volunteers

On their way to Everest Base Camp, fundraisers stop o to

redecorate classrooms with the Childreach Nepal team.
15

www.childreachnp.org

My School My Voice

66 children from ve of our child rights clubs participated in a Child Parliament

to speak out against child abuse such as child labour, corporal punishment and
child marriage.

Taught, Not Trafficked

2,323 high-risk
children will be
targeted in central
Nepal to ensure
they complete their
education and do
not fall victim to
trackers.
The project kicks
o in 2015.

11 schools will receive school improvement programmes, teacher training and

new child friendly materials on the issue. This will be combined with community
outreach through drama and neighbourhood watch schemes.
16

www.childreachnp.org

Sport

Nepal

240 children received training from

Coaches Across Continents.

12 teachers were taught how to

use sport to deliver messages
about health and child rights.

Early Childhood Development

20 new centres for over

400 children.
40 teachers trained in teaching methods
appropriate for children under ve.

The Meera Centre

Building on last years foundations,
our student volunteers have
continued working with the local
community to construct the Meera
Centre in rural Nepal.

After it opens in 2015 we hope it will become a

model centre that can be replicated across Nepal.
17

www.meeracentre.org

Innovation

72,725 invested in new

Nepali social enterprises.

60

ideas selected to take

part in the process from over
600 applicants.

The Idea Studio was launched in July 2014 in partnership with UNICEF, creating a
platform for young people with enterprising ideas to change society by providing them
with mentoring at the Kathmandu University School of Management and funding from
investors to turn promising ideas viable businesses.

13 episodes brought the Idea Studio to the

whole of Nepal through a reality TV show.

240 children received

Information and
Communications
Technology training in
partnership with the
Microsoft Innovation
Centre Nepal and
UNICEF Nepal.
14
20

18

www.ideastudionepal.com

Tanzania
My School My Voice

7,250 children know about

their right to education and to
be safe thanks to our child
clubs at 24 schools.

Training Teachers & Improving schools

1,676 children beneted from renovated

schools, including the construction of
3 energy saving stoves and

7 classrooms.
959 students now enjoy the right to
play with new sports equipment.

46 teachers were trained how to

teach in a participatory way.

33 teachers trained on
counselling methods.
19

www.childreachtz.org

Almost half disabled

children in Tanzania
dont go to school.
But we are changing that.

50 education coordinators
in the local government
were trained on the
importance of positive
parenting for deaf children.

6,000 eggs are produced each

month by our livestock project at the
Ghona Vocational Training Centre
for the Deaf, which has 35 students.
The eggs are used to supplement
school meals in their new dinning
hall built this year. The surplus
produce is sold to generate income
and ensure the centres future.
20

www.childreachtz.org

Tanzania

Actively engaging our supporters

A key element of fundraising for our challenge events
is the opportunity to visit one of our projects.
Our fundraisers also go to our international oces so they can meet our sta,
discuss our work, learn more about issues facing children in that country.
21

www.childreachtz.org

School and Community Farming

5,912 children now have hot, healthy

lunches because of the maize and
vegetables grown at their school.

22% more children attend school.

More children attain a healthier
weight and pass exams.

22,000 people will benet from the scheme over the next three years as
part of a new partnership with United Nations World Food Programme .
22

www.childreachtz.org

United Kingdom

23

www.childreach.org.uk/MySchoolMyVoice

Bangladesh
We work in partnership with Phulki to provide
community child care centres to make sure their
children get are in a safe environment while they
go to work.

100 children regularly attended our ve centres reducing the

likelihood that they will drop out of school and increasing their
chances of getting a good education.

Morocco

Our volunteers
assisted with the
construction of two
centres for pre-primary
education, in
partnership with the
ASSAFOU Association.

The centres teach the

often neglected
Berber language and
become the heart of the
community providing
vocational training and
health courses.

24

www.childreach.org.uk/Our-Work

25

26

In 2012 Childreach Internationals board of trustees decided that

for liability reasons we should no longer run our own events.
We wanted to nd a solution that did
not involve using for prot providers.
That was why Rare Adventures,
as an independent social
enterprise, was set up to
provide charities with
high quality event
fundraising
that takes
no profit
from
publically
raised funds.
Rare Adventures won the
tender process for our
challenge event and
volunteering abroad
logistics in 2013-2014 due
to their values and
offering the best value
to our fundraisers.

Rare Adventures have been pushing hard for more regulation of event
providers in this sector covering areas from the safe organisation of events
and enforcing the British Standard Code (BS8848) for organizing trips abroad,
to the governance and due diligence responsibilities regarding operators
competence to deliver these programmes.
As part of this ongoing process Rare Adventure helped co-found a working
group at BOND a body that represents some of the biggest names in
international development - bringing together charities and responsible
operators to try to define standards for the voluntary tourism sector.
27

Over the last year, we have worked together to

improve every aspect of our work
Protecting children
We conducted child protection training for all members of sta and
interns and provided further support to the Child Protection Ocers in
each of our oces to ensure that we keep children safe and take
measures to protect them from all forms of abuse.
As a member of the Keeping Children Safe Coalition we have taken steps
to ensure we continue to comply with all of their international standards.
Our global strategy from 2013 to 2016 is working towards achieving our
mission of putting childrens rights at the heart of everything we do.

Communicating about our work

We conducted media and public speaking training in Tanzania and India,
as well as video editing training in India, so our global team can better
communicate about our work.
We launched new websites for Childreach India, Childreach Tanzania and
Childreach Nepal so that they can showcase they work and acquire their
own supporters. To supplement this we have conducted donor proposal
writing and grant reporting training so that our oces can become
nancially independent within the next few years.
To further this, we have introduced Global Working Groups so that our
international team can learn from the experiences and skills across our
four oces as well as our partners.

Improving standards
We launched a project to standardise all nancial systems across our
oces by end of 2015 nancial year. Finance training and internal audits
of aliate oces were conducted to review and strengthen nancial
processes and controls.
Belbin training began in Tanzania to give a forum for sta to discuss
strengths and weaknesses and review their roles within the team.
All sta have received PRINCE2 Project Management Training so that we
work in the most productive and accountable way possible.
28

In memory of
Alex Nordquist
Alex Nordquist from Dundee University
climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with us in
August 2014, and visited Mrupanga
School in Tanzania to see the impact all
of his fundraising has had over the past
year. His Student Fundraising Manager
(2012/13) had this to say: I remember
being
struck
by
how
friendly,
approachable and full of life he was.

Sarah Groves
Sarah Groves climbed Kilimanjaro for
Childreach International in 2012, raising
more than 3,000 for our work. When
Sarah returned from her trip to Tanzania,
which included a visit to Mgungani School,
she was inspired and excited, and
resolved to spend her life working with
and for children. Tragically, Sarah died just
a year later.
Her family and friends have shown huge
strength, generosity and love in vowing to
honour her memory through setting up
The Sarah Groves Foundation. This year
we were able to welcome a group of her
family and friends to retrace her journey
by climb Mount Kilimanjaro and visiting
Mgungani School.
The visit was powerful and humbling, especially when Sarahs father,
Victor, showed a photo to the principal of Sarah beaming with a small
child from the school at her side. In a remarkable turn of events it turned
out to be his own daughter who attends the school.
For the sta who were there, it was amazing to see Sarahs friends and
family grow even more committed and devoted to the cause of
childrens education as they relived Sarahs experiences in Tanzania
exactly two years since she was there.
Sarahs contribution to changing the lives of children has been
remarkable. It is a reminder to all of us of the strength and the resolve of
young people and how they can leave their mark on the world.
29

Sarahs father, Victor, presents

the head teachers daughter
with a picture of her and Sarah
in 2012.

Sarahs friends and family plant

memorial trees at Mgungani
School.

30

Thanks to our supporters

Project Partners
Kathmandu University School of Management
Meeting Point
Shakti Samuha
Sold
Funders and Supporters
British Council
Comic Relief
Rare Adventures
Sage Publications
St. Jamess Place Foundation
The British and Foreign School Society
The Evan Cornish Foundation
The Fulmer Charitable Trust
The Lancashire Foundation
The Peter Stebbings Memorial Charity
The Philip Henman Charitable Trust
The Sarah Groves Foundation
The Souter Charitable Trust
Travel Pack
UNICEF Nepal
World Food Programme
31

We would like to thank all those who have

generously supported our work this year
through donations, fundraising or volunteering.

Gifts in Kind
This year we have received:

A grant from Google Adwords

Account management of our Google Adwords from Periscopix

Online Advertising from the London Indian Film Festival

Photography by gogaphotographylondon.com at the screening of Sold

at the London Indian Film Festival for the launch of the Taught, Not
Trafficked campaign

Total value of Gifts in Kind: 36,000

32

www.childreach.org.uk