Annual Report 2014-15

Annual Report 2014-15 www.almizantrust.org.uk PO Box 2488, Watford, WD18 1YL Registered Charity No. 1135752 and Registered Company No. 7228603 Al-Mizan Charitable Trust 2014-15 Annual Report and Accounts Contents Legal Information 3 Administrative Information 3 About Us 4 Report from the Chair 5 Report from the Director 6 General Welfare Fund – Grant-MaKing Statistics 7 General Welfare Fund – Case Studies 13 Ramadan Food Parcels 16 Winter Warmer PacKs 16 Mother & Baby Kits 17 Sufra NW London 17 Acknowledgements 18 2 Al-Mizan Charitable Trust 2014-15 Annual Report and Accounts Legal Information Al-Mizan Charitable Trust is governed by a Memorandum & Articles of Association, which was adopted on 1 January 2010. The organisation was incorporated on 20 April 2010 and registered with the Charity Commission on 29 April 2010. The organisation’s objects are charitable and are outlined in its governing document as follows: “The provision of goods, services and grants of money for any charitable purpose or purposes connected with or relating to the advancement of education, the relief of poverty, need or hardship, the preservation of health and other purposes which are charitable according to the laws of England and Wales, among the peoples of the United Kingdom mainly but not exclusively.” The Trustees of the Charity are also Directors of the Company. They are legally responsible for the organisation, and govern its strategic direction. Administrative Information Address: PO Box 2488, Watford, WD18 1YL Website: www.almizantrust.org.uK Email Address: [email protected] Twitter: @AlMizanTrust FacebooK: fb.com/almizantrust Instagram: @almizantrust YouTube: youtube.com/almizantrust Board of Trustees Mohamed Mishal Chair (Appointed 26 July 2014) Ali Orr Chair (Resigned 26 July 2014) Amir Rizwan Treasurer Rukaiya Jeraj Trustee Musa Naqvi Trustee Fatema Zehra Trustee Dr Masuma Rahim Trustee Karim Farrag Trustee (Resigned 26 July 2014) Sarfaraz Hussain Trustee (Resigned 26 July 2014) Management Committee Ali Khimji Director (Appointed 6 January 2015) Mohammed Mamdani Director (Resigned 6 January 2015) Abbas Dhalla Finance Officer Murtaza Mohamedali Project Manager Ali Jawad Marketing Officer (Resigned 31 August 2014) 3 Al-Mizan Charitable Trust 2014-15 Annual Report and Accounts About Us Al-Mizan Charitable Trust is a grant-funder that supports disadvantaged people and deprived communities across the UK, regardless of their faith or cultural bacKground. Whilst the UK’s welfare system sustains those living at the margins of society, it offers little in the way of confronting the multiple barriers of disadvantage, which perpetuates the vicious cycle of poverty. Our main area of work involves providing grants and interest-free loans (up to £500) to people living in poverty in the UK, which cover the costs of education and vocational training, employment and enterprise, medical and mobility, household items, and subsistence. Vision To breaK the vicious cycle of poverty in the UK. Mission To challenge poverty, disadvantage, and inequality at all levels of British society. Values Accountability – We consider every donation, both large and small, to be a pact between us and the donor, which is based on trust and a mutual responsibility to those in need. We scrutinise every expense to ensure that your donation is spent wisely in combating disadvantage, deprivation, and poverty. Compassion – We provide the best possible support to everyone that approaches us, in order to help them breaK out of the cycle of poverty. Effective – We work with our beneficiaries to identify the appropriate type of support we can offer them, which will ensure that we can maKe a lasting impression on people’s lives. Equality & Fairness – We value the diversity of all humanKind and we pledge to ensure that our policies and procedures do not discriminate on any grounds. We invest in the betterment of all society, irrespective of creed, culture, or personal circumstances. Respect – We recognise that asKing for help is not easy and we promise to treat you with respect throughout any interaction. We are committed to providing a fair and confidential service to everyone that approaches us for support. Aims and Objectives 1. To promote and campaign for social justice, in all its forms, across the UK; 2. To deliver a fair and accountable system of grant-giving, based on individual need and circumstances; 3. To respond effectively to changing social, economic, and political trends in the UK by directing funds towards the most deprived individuals and, where appropriate, with creativity and innovation; 4. To adhere to all recognised good practice models and quality standard measures; 5. To develop a culture of sustainable and responsible charitable giving, ensuring the rights of both the donor and the beneficiary. 4 Al-Mizan Charitable Trust 2014-15 Annual Report and Accounts Report from the Chair When we first considered the establishment of Al-Mizan Charitable Trust, two features of the organisation stood out above all else. The first was that this was an organisation set up to exclusively help those struggling families in the UK who were undergoing financial hardship and the second was that the financial support would be offered to anyone in the UK, regardless of their faith or cultural background. Five years on, it’s heartwarming to see that the British Muslim community has responded positively to the worK of Al-Mizan Charitable Trust and that the donations to support our work are increasing every year. Each year this worK seems to get increasingly difficult. Not only are we facing an increase in funding applications from worthy beneficiaries, it appears that politicians are trying to score brownie points by demonising the poor and destroying the welfare state. The media offer tacit support by regularly highlighting cases of benefit recipients having large families or being dependent on drugs or alcohol, when research shows that these claimants are in the minority. In fact, no politician has ever been able to give a decent response to the question of why two-thirds of children growing up in poverty live in a household where at least one person works – so much for worK being a guaranteed route out of poverty. The irony of most charitable worK is that we aim to change the status quo to such a degree that we remove the need for our organisation. Unfortunately, with Al-Mizan Charitable Trust, I can see no end in sight. We will continue to do as much as we can to help the most vulnerable people in our society, through your generous support. This year has seen the departure of two individuals from the organisation, who both played crucial and pivotal roles in the set-up and development of Al-Mizan Charitable Trust. In July 2014, Ali Orr stepped down as Chair to pursue other opportunities, and in January 2015, Mohammed Mamdani left his post as Director to taKe on a full-time role at Sufra NW London. Under Ali’s strategic guidance, Al-Mizan Charitable Trust grew from strength to strength and has now become an established organisation within the British Muslim community. Without Mohammed’s vision, commitment, and dedication, there would not have been an Al-Mizan Charitable Trust for me to be writing to you about. I am indebted to both Ali and Mohammed in laying a strong foundation for the organisation and I hope that many of our donors and supporters will join us in taKing Al-Mizan Charitable Trust to new heights over the coming years. Mohamed Mishal Chair 5 Al-Mizan Charitable Trust 2014-15 Annual Report and Accounts Report from the Director I often find it quite difficult to summarise the worK of Al-Mizan Charitable Trust in a few sentences. Whilst we have a general remit of supporting people living in poverty in the UK, we have always maintained a flexible Grants Policy to offer the support that people have identified that they need, as we understand that everyone has their own story and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to this work. Some of our funded applications include a digital camera for an ex-offender, a lifeguarding qualification for a male victim of domestic violence, removal costs for a teacher with a history of depression, and a surgical training course for a Middle Eastern refugee. Underlying all the applications we fund is some form of poverty, disadvantage or inequality that prevents these people from maintaining a dignified existence in society and positively engaging in the community. During the last year, we supported 201 families through our grant-maKing programme and disbursed over £46,000. Through our seasonal campaigns, we distributed 500 food parcels during Ramadan to poor families across the UK, 300 Winter Warmer PacKs to homeless people during the cold winter months, and 100 Mother & Baby Kits to new mothers who cannot afford essential baby items. Our main priority this coming year will be to implement an extensive monitoring and evaluation frameworK across our grant-maKing programme and seasonal campaigns. This is to ensure that we can prove the effectiveness and necessity of our worK, as well as allowing us to maKe changes to improve our approach. I would liKe to thanK Abbas Dhalla, our Finance Officer, for his diligent approach to managing our finances, and Murtaza Mohamedali, our Project Manager, for his support across our programmes and campaigns. I would liKe to express my gratitude to the Trustees of Al-Mizan Charitable Trust for their strategic guidance and oversight. I would also liKe to thanK Mohammed Mamdani for his determination in creating this organisation, which has helped over 650 families with small grants and over 2,000 families through our seasonal campaigns. Mohammed has been a close friend and mentor for many years and I continue to be inspired by him.

Load more