Minutes:
TRUSTS FOR AFRICAN SCHOOLS
MEETING OF TRUSTEES ON 1 MARCH 2010.
Present:
Norma Empringham, Ben Howland, Will Jones, Gill Marshall-Andrews
Apologies:
Lissa Campbell, Heather Flint, Tim Flower, Johnnie Morris, Tom Marshall-Andrews, Luke Morris
1. Equity Bank
The meeting was called specifically to discuss the Equity Bank proposal to scale up TAS’ activities in Kenya via a partnership with Equity Group Foundation, the charitable arm of the bank. Their proposal was discussed at length along with Tom’s idea of what a new website for the joint programme might look like.
All present were agreed that we should proceed to develop the project with caution. It is vital that we don’t get into the position of being responsible for funds we do not have the capacity to monitor.
The basic idea would be that EGF would use its existing DEACs (District Education Advisory Committees) to choose a primary and a secondary school in each district in which Equity have a branch – 83 of them – and establish and support trusts in the chosen schools. TAS’ contribution would be to train DEACS and trustees, and to monitor the operation of the trusts. This would mean that TAS would be a sort of training and monitoring consultancy, receiving around 5% of the funds received by EGF from a large donor.
At meetings with DfID in Nairobi, Johnnie and I – and more recently Kate Hargreaves the Asako Trust secretary – have floated the idea that they should funnel some of the frozen aid money into schools via EGF thus bypassing the Min of Education which is being investigated for corruption. (Post meeting note: Gill attended a meeting in London with the Permanent Secretary for which the CEO of Equity flew over on 12 March. The TAS / EGF project was only mentioned briefly but the PS was interested in Equity’s charitable activities to date so maybe the seed has been sown).
2. Funding proposals
Several funding proposals were agreed:
Eburru – 3 teachers for 6 months £2700
- contribution to one new classroom £1700
- one bursary for a particularly gifted student received as a ring fenced donation £300
Mivukoni – Fencing £600
- Remedial / revision programme £900
3. Next meeting will be at 6pm on Monday 26 April 2010 at Tim’s office
Harbourwest, Berkeley Square House on the East side of Berkeley Square.
