together against poverty ANNUAL REVIEW 2019-2020 3 CONTENTS OUR VALUES Justice, justice you shall pursue We believe that extreme poverty It is our responsibility to bring greater is man-made and can be solved justice to the world in which we צדק צדק תרדף OUR VALUES PAGE 3 through action. live and share with others. Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof FROM OUR CHAIR PAGE 4 You shall love the stranger Jewish tradition teaches us to see We believe in repairing the world the world globally in ever-widening beyond national and religious אהבת את הגר FROM OUR CEO PAGE 5 ripples of responsibility. boundaries. Ahavtah et HaGer STRATEGIC IMPACT PAGE 6 Partnership Inspired by Maimonides’ definition Central to our approach overseas of charity, we believe the highest is listening to our partners, helping שותפות FINANCES PAGE 7 form of giving is to take a person into them to help themselves, their Shutafut partnership and provide a way for families and their communities. OUR RESPONSE TO COVID-19 PAGE 7 them to support themselves. STORIES FROM OVERSEAS PAGE 8 We will do and we will Building our knowledge and The cycle of learning and doing understand awareness leads us to deeper is never-ending. Jewish tradition OUR FLAGSHIP PROGRAMME: EMPOWERMENT FOR LIFE PAGE 12 commitments, which in turn drive us teaches us to firmly believe that the .to act, and act well. This action also two go hand in hand נעשה ונשמע Naaseh v’nishma drives our learning. BUILDING FUTURE LEADERS PAGE 14 OUR TZEDEK COMMUNITY PAGE 18 It is not your duty to finish the Whilst it is not within our grasp it is our responsibility to be part of to eradicate extreme poverty by an interconnected global response. work, but you are not free to ourselves, THE TZEDEK JOURNEY PAGE 20 neglect it לא עליך המלאכה לגמור ולא אתה בן-חורין להבטל ממנה Lo alecha hamelacha ligmor, v’lo atah ben chorin l’hivatel mimena 4 5 FROM OUR CHAIR FROM OUR CEO Dear Tzedek Supporters, Dear Friends, It is a great pleasure to write this note introducing our Annual Review, which celebrates our This past year has witnessed many significant moments for Tzedek. We have forged new partnerships, 2019-2020 impact and marks thirty years of Tzedek’s life-changing work launched new programmes, adapted to pandemic-related restrictions, and redoubled our commitment to combatting extreme poverty. On behalf of the trustees, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jonathan Middleburgh for his outstanding leadership as a passionate and transformative Tzedek COVID-19 has the potential to set poverty back by 30 years, with global poverty rates increasing for the first Chair. Jonathan, now Chair Emeritus, guided us through four years of expansion, which time since 1990. Our work has always been essential, but there is a renewed sense of urgency as we help our included this year’s smooth transition to a 100% partner-led programme in Northern Ghana. partners weather this storm. I want to thank you for supporting our emergency appeal, which was such an inspiring moment for me as the newest member of the Tzedek team. And yet, I also know that we are “not At Tzedek, we work by building strong partnerships with local NGOs to reduce extreme free to desist” from this work, and there is more left to do. We are lucky to have a dedicated team of partners, poverty overseas. After investing in our partnership with Ghana Developing Communities staff, trustees, and supporters to guide us towards achieving our mission. Association (GDCA) to deliver our flagship Empowerment for Life programme, we removed our ongoing professional presence in Northern Ghana this year. All our work in both Ghana Tzedek’s dual mission, which includes both the eradication of extreme poverty and engaging the British Jewish and India is now led by our local partners, in line with our values and best practices within community in this work, places Tzedek in a crucial position. This powerful approach to Jewish communal International Development. engagement and responsibility is central to our work and resonates for so many of us. This commitment to working in strategic partnership is perfectly aligned with our belief, Our impact over the past thirty years has only been possible with your support and I look forward inspired by Maimonides, that the ideal form of charity is to provide a way for them to to what’s yet to come, at a time when our collective action is more important than ever before. support themselves. We listen carefully to our partners’ expertise to help people lift themselves, their families and their communities above the extreme poverty line. More personally, I am so grateful for the kindness and enthusiasm you, our Tzedek community, have shown me as I have transitioned into this new role. To those I haven’t met yet, please be in touch to set up a time The strength of our partnerships has shone in light of the pandemic, and I am proud to talk or click here to read an interview we published in July about my background and move to Tzedek. to support Tzedek as Interim Chair after four years on the Board of Trustees. I am also So many of our alumni, former employees and previous trustees have graciously given me their time and honoured to work with Kira Blumer, who comes to Tzedek with ten years of experience in expertise. A special thank you must also go out to Dr Judith Stanton, my predecessor, whose strong the Jewish non-profit world. leadership saw us through an impressive period of growth. Thank you for joining us, Here’s to the next thirty years! Nik Kafka Kira Blumer Interim Chair CEO 6 7 VISIT OUR WEBSITE STRATEGIC IMPACT FINANCES MAKE A DONATION Our vision is to reduce extreme poverty in some of the poorest After 2018-2019’s unprecedented fundraising TOTAL INCOME: regions of the world while harnessing the engagement and success, we knew it was time to invest in our £440,044 expertise of the UK Jewish community. capacity to grow. Extreme poverty is defined by the World Bank as living on less than $1.90 a day. We did so by bringing our website and IT systems up to TOTAL EXPENDITURE: date, and by investing in a professional film featuring E4L, our flagship initiative in Ghana. Like all UK £473,087 charities, we also felt the impact of Brexit and economic HOW DO WE ACHIEVE IMPACT? WHERE DO WE WORK? uncertainty on our finances, which have been reflected in our fundraising throughout the past year. We take an integrated approach to all our We play a significant role in the sustainable work overseas and in the UK. We build strong alleviation of extreme poverty in our focus regions partnerships, deep connections and future of Northern Ghana and in four States in India: Tamil leaders to create sustainable, long-term change. Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in the South East, and West Bengal and Bihar in the North East. INCOME CHARITABLE EXPENDITURE Our development work falls within three main areas: education, leadership development and livelihoods. Simultaneously, we work with the UK Jewish 1% community to increase our own sense of global social 12% responsibility. We invest in our community by building 3% Donations & Legacies 35% International WHO DO WE WORK WITH? globally-minded future leaders through a wide range Development of educational and volunteering opportunities. Charitable Activities Programmes We work with all races, faiths and cultures, 65% Fundraising particularly women and youth, as evidence Jewish 84% shows that this has the greatest long-term GHANA Trading Activities Community impact on local communities. Education Our international work impacts non-Jewish beneficiaries while our work at home encourages an outward-facing Jewish identity. We are a dynamic intersection between the Jewish and non-Jewish worlds. OUR RESPONSE TO COVID-19 INDIA This Annual Review reports on the 2019-2020 In the UK, our education and engagement went financial year, ending before we saw a large extent virtual and we harnessed this time without overseas of COVID-19’s impact, which continues to unfold. trips to prepare for by reflecting on the needs of our community. We elevated existing programmes We have decided to include a brief summary of our and launched a new catalogue of online informal response overseas in this year’s Annual Review. The education, expanding and catering to the needs of impact of the pandemic on our development work our community’s Jewish youth while also reengaging has been very different in our two focus countries. our impressive alumni network. We will report on More can be found on the specific situations and our these programmes in next year’s Annual Review but response in India on page 11, and in Ghana on page 13. head to pages 20-21 to read about our upcoming opportunities and to join our Tzedek Journey. 8 9 VISIT OUR WEBSITE STORIES FROM OVERSEAS MAKE A DONATION Through partnerships, connections and leadership development, Case study: Nfasimdi Development Association, Northern Ghana we empower individuals and communities to drive change and lift Our partners at Nfasimdi Wumbie Alhassan was picking themselves out of extreme poverty. Development Association (NDA) shea nuts and processing small work in rural communities in amounts of butter but not Ghana to set up Village Savings earning enough to sustain her We partner with small-scale, grassroots projects in both of our focus countries to bring and Loans Associations (VSLAs) family. Since joining our VSLA, about long-lasting impact. Since 1990, Tzedek has invested £1.8 million in 144 locally led for groups of women.