Annual Report and Accounts
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ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2017-2018 CONTENTS Welcome from the Chair and Chief Executive 3 Welcome from the Chair and Chief Executive 4 Trustees’ and Directors’ Annual Report Welcome to Practical Action’s annual report for 2017/18. I’m delighted to present to you this overview of Practical Our work directly helped 2.1 million people in their struggle Action’s work during the 12 months running up to April 25 Strategic Report for better lives in the past year. A further 4 million people 2018. You can also read our financial statements, which 28 Trustees’ Administrative Report benefited indirectly from our activities. This was achieved show our financial activity during the year. thanks to the generosity of our donors and supporters, who 34 Independent Auditor’s Report contributed £32 million to fund our vital work. In our 2016/17 report, we introduced our new strategy and 36 Financial Statements our ambition to make a positive change to the lives of 7.5 In our 2016/17 report, we highlighted the increasing million people over three years. The data in this year’s report importance of working with partners to deliver our work demonstrates that we’re on track to exceed our target. On effectively. You’ll find many examples of collaborative working page 5, you’ll find out how we measured the impact of our throughout this year’s report. On page 19 we explore our work to track its effectiveness and sustainability. Meanwhile, collaboration with UNHCR, the UN’s Refugee Agency. This stories throughout the report show the difference we make new project, supported by the IKEA Foundation, helps through the eyes of the people whose lives we help improve. long-term refugee communities in Jordan and Rwanda find practical and sustainable solutions to getting vital access to We promised further emphasis on energy work in our 2016/17 energy. Our unique experience puts us in a strong position to report, and we went on to spend £7.9 million on our energy help solve some of the problems displaced people face. access programme. You can find out more about this, and what it means to the people benefiting from it, on pages 8 Trust in charities among the UK public has declined following to 11. In line with our strategic plan, our other focus areas recent high-profile safeguarding scandals and investigations were food and agriculture, urban water and waste and disaster into forceful tactics used by some charity fundraisers. risk reduction. Focusing on where we could make the biggest We have strong policies and difference, both in the type of work board oversight in key areas we did and the geographical areas like safeguarding and data we worked in, played a big part protection. These make sure in our success. that we keep the trust of the people and communities we On a recent trip to Zimbabwe, I work with, our supporters and visited a solar energy project that our staff. You can find out has improved many lives. It has more about our approach to opened up sustainable, renewable safeguarding on page 25. energy to farms, schools, clinics and businesses. It has powered Women living in poverty often a whole community. I met my face barriers to discovering colleagues in Zimbabwe who and using the solutions and were responsible for the design knowledge that can improve their lives. This was a challenge and delivery of the project. Our Zimbabwe office is one of we identified in our 2016/17 report. This year, we’ve done our 12 offices around the world. In these offices, our staff more to integrate women’s needs and aspirations into our collaborate with communities, private sector companies, work. We’ve appointed a Global Gender Advisor based in other development organisations and governments to achieve Herma makes liners for cook stoves at a factory in Kisumu. She’s also our Nairobi office to support all countries in ensuring that lasting change. secretary of a local support network for female entrepreneurs. Both gender equality is at the forefront of our activities. And for initiatives are supported by Practical Action. the first time, we’re reporting gender pay global data for our I look forward to leading Practical Action as we continue staff on page 29. to learn from both our successes and the challenges we face. We’ll also learn from others and inspire governments, The Trustees’ and Directors’ Annual and Strategic Reports, together with Practical Action achieved so much last year through the companies, the private sector and donor organisations to work the Trustees’ Administrative Report (being the Companies Act Directors’ application of practical ingenuity, skill at working with together. All with the shared ambition of enabling people Report), comprise the Trustees’ Annual Report for the purposes of the I attended training from communities, sharing knowledge widely and informing and living in poverty to improve their lives. Charities Act 2011 and the Companies Act 2006. Practical Action and decided to inspiring wider change. My thanks to all the donors and join a network to help sell my supporters who made it possible. And my thanks to the Numbers in the Trustees’ and Directors’ Annual and Strategic Report staff whose high level of engagement and skill is evident. products. I have gone very far, I section of this document have been rounded. I’m proud to be Chair of such a valuable, effective and have a child in college through motivated organisation. what I’m doing here. I’ve gained Paul Smith Lomas Chief Executive so many skills from Practical Front cover image: Kalchi, who lives in Bajura in Nepal, tends the crops Action, I’m very happy.” growing on her farm. Our irrigation project improved the productivity of her Herma, an entrepreneur in Kisumu, Kenya land and the quality of its harvest. Helena Molyneux Chair of Trustees 2 Practical Action Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts 2017/18 Practical Action Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts 2017/18 3 CONTENTS Welcome from the Chair and Chief Executive 3 Welcome from the Chair and Chief Executive 4 Trustees’ and Directors’ Annual Report Welcome to Practical Action’s annual report for 2017/18. I’m delighted to present to you this overview of Practical Our work directly helped 2.1 million people in their struggle Action’s work during the 12 months running up to April 25 Strategic Report for better lives in the past year. A further 4 million people 2018. You can also read our financial statements, which 28 Trustees’ Administrative Report benefited indirectly from our activities. This was achieved show our financial activity during the year. thanks to the generosity of our donors and supporters, who 34 Independent Auditor’s Report contributed £32 million to fund our vital work. In our 2016/17 report, we introduced our new strategy and 36 Financial Statements our ambition to make a positive change to the lives of 7.5 In our 2016/17 report, we highlighted the increasing million people over three years. The data in this year’s report importance of working with partners to deliver our work demonstrates that we’re on track to exceed our target. On effectively. You’ll find many examples of collaborative working page 5, you’ll find out how we measured the impact of our throughout this year’s report. On page 19 we explore our work to track its effectiveness and sustainability. Meanwhile, collaboration with UNHCR, the UN’s Refugee Agency. This stories throughout the report show the difference we make new project, supported by the IKEA Foundation, helps through the eyes of the people whose lives we help improve. long-term refugee communities in Jordan and Rwanda find practical and sustainable solutions to getting vital access to We promised further emphasis on energy work in our 2016/17 energy. Our unique experience puts us in a strong position to report, and we went on to spend £7.9 million on our energy help solve some of the problems displaced people face. access programme. You can find out more about this, and what it means to the people benefiting from it, on pages 8 Trust in charities among the UK public has declined following to 11. In line with our strategic plan, our other focus areas recent high-profile safeguarding scandals and investigations were food and agriculture, urban water and waste and disaster into forceful tactics used by some charity fundraisers. risk reduction. Focusing on where we could make the biggest We have strong policies and difference, both in the type of work board oversight in key areas we did and the geographical areas like safeguarding and data we worked in, played a big part protection. These make sure in our success. that we keep the trust of the people and communities we On a recent trip to Zimbabwe, I work with, our supporters and visited a solar energy project that our staff. You can find out has improved many lives. It has more about our approach to opened up sustainable, renewable safeguarding on page 25. energy to farms, schools, clinics and businesses. It has powered Women living in poverty often a whole community. I met my face barriers to discovering colleagues in Zimbabwe who and using the solutions and were responsible for the design knowledge that can improve their lives. This was a challenge and delivery of the project. Our Zimbabwe office is one of we identified in our 2016/17 report. This year, we’ve done our 12 offices around the world. In these offices, our staff more to integrate women’s needs and aspirations into our collaborate with communities, private sector companies, work.