Minutes:
TRUSTS FOR AFRICAN
SCHOOLS
MINUTES OF MEETING OF
TRUSTEES ON 21 SEPTEMBER 2015
Present: Ben Howland,
Will Jones, Tom Marshall-Andrews,
Gill Marshall-Andrews, Ben Taylor,
Norma Empringham (by phone)
Apologies: Lissa
Campbell, Guy Cowley, Steve James, Luke Morris,
Johnnie Morris, Tim Flower
Ben Taylor in the Chair.
1.Minutes of
meeting on 2 March 2015 were agreed.
2. Schools update
The 4 new schools have been visited on several occasions
by Stephen Kameti and trustees are being recruited. Gill has found someone to help with
registering the trusts and getting bank accounts set up. This will be paid for privately by Gill and
Bob.
All the new schools are in desperate need of practically
everything. High on the priority list
will be classrooms, dormitories, fencing and curriculum resources. Small projects such as books and resources
will be funded first in order to establish the process. Infrastructure projects will come later –
probably early in 2016.
It was agreed that we will split the roles of secretary
and treasurer for the new local trusts.
This will restrict the role of the money person to signing cheques,
transferring funds and liaising with the bank and with the TAS treasurer. It is
anticipated that this person will be chosen by TAS trustees in UK. The secretary would then be a local trustee
whose function will be to set up meetings, write minutes and prepare funding
proposals – with invaluable support from Stephen.
Madogo – still no news about the refunding of the stolen
money. Waldegrave School is interested in re-starting the partnership and may
be willing to support the request for furniture and equipment for the new
library which is still completely empty.
Loldia – Lissa has been helping with the specifications
for the new toilets for older girls.
This has now been agreed and the project is ready to go.
Eburru Primary – The CDF have agreed to partnership
funding for the first block of 3 classrooms.
There now do not seem to be any more impediments to this projects so it
is hoped that we can go ahead very soon.
3. Website
Tom reported on
the new GCN website he has designed
which could be adapted for TAS. He will
forward it to trustees for their comments shortly.
4. TESSA – Teacher Education in Sub Saharan
Africa
Joan Dickie has been up to Egerton University in Nakuru
to discuss the TESSA project. She has
been invited to become involved in the dissemination of active learning
strategies to other teacher trainers and the preparation of curriculum
materials. This is an exciting and
challenging project for the New Year and we hope that all TAS schools will wish
to become involved.
5. Annual Return
Ben T will submit this by end of October as required by
the Charity Commission.
6. Income / Expenditure analysis to date had
been prepared by Guy and was tabled with thanks to him. It shows a current balance of £26k. This year expenditure will be lower because
of the winding down of 4 ‘old’ schools and the setting up of 4 new ones. This transition process has been hampered by
a prolonged teachers’ strike in all public schools in Kenya. Next year there is likely to be a high demand
for funds from the new schools which are all extremely needy.
6. Proposals for funding
Funding was agreed for proposals totalling £ 17,964.
It is hoped that we will see some proposals for funding
of small projects for the new schools in December once the trusts have been
registered and the bank accounts set up.
Larger infrastructure projects are likely to be presented in the New
Year.
7. Tenth anniversary of TAS – one million
pounds (nearly!) into school projects.
There was a discussion about how we might celebrate this and combine it
with a fund raising opportunity.
Ben T suggested that we might use the magnificent
penthouse corner space at E and Y for a reception and invite supporters and
potential supporters – possibly in November 2016. Any ideas are most welcome.
8. AOB
Norma raised the question of succession now that a few of
us are getting on. There was a discussion about this but no actions were agreed
at this point.
Norma also mentioned a great charity Solaraid which
proves small solar lights for students thus enabling them to do homework at
home in the evenings and reducing their risk of attack whilst walking in the
dark to and from school.
8. Next meeting
Thanks to Ben T for the meeting room and refreshments at Ernst
and Young.
The next meeting
will be on Wednesday 9 December 2015 at 5pm at Ben H’s office 6 Kingley Street.
POST MEETING NOTES:
1. We
have one place to run the 2016 London Marathon if anyone is interested or knows
of anyone. We have until Feb to register a runner.
- The situation with Kimphe Langano
Primary School was not discussed.
Will visited the school in
August 2015 and now has doubts about the viability
of ongoing support as there is not a strong local team for TAS to work
with. He would like to suggest we
wean the school off TAS support which will hopefully install the
discipline they need to structure their internal arrangements. He
will separately develop income generating ideas (mill/ irrigation)
alongside to see if this is something that might be viable. This will
be on the agenda of the next meeting.
