Treasurers Report

The Albanian Orphans Mission 2001

As keeper of the records from years past, I am privileged to having access to the information which show the trends and direction A.O.M. is going. It was interesting to read the comments that Adam Ridout made in his report for 1998 and 1999. In those reports, he said that for us to be effective as a force for good in Albania, there was a number of things we needed to do. The first was to be registered and recognised as a Foundation by the Albanian government. Apart from the benefits registration would bring, this would give us autonomy from other agencies and keep a healthy distance from the more wayward activities of others. (A comment made in 1995 by Mark Nyberg in reference to us working too closely with HFTW). Another comment Adam made was that there was a blinding hole in the system which taught and trained the children to become dependant on others for 14 or 15 years, then throw them to the wolves, so all the hard work done to show them the love of the Lord Jesus, to teach them about the book of James, Isaiah 58, that Christ will not turn His back on them, all that hard work being then put to such a demanding test. The third comment Adam made was that in order to be effective, we would need to cross a threshold in our fund raising so we could set down plans that would have substance, reliability, and value to those who depend so much on others, the orphans we so long to help.

The need for reliable transport to ferry children, take them on weekend visits, collect aid from store to distribution point, to ferry visitors and workers from place to place would obviously be of very great benefit, but permanent transport would need to be registered in Albania. Last year, Heather Allen championed the need to set up a fund for Adam, who is working for A.O.M. at next to nothing, and has no long term pension or benefits, an area where A.O.M. could be accused of not looking into the future with a responsible attitude.

So, how are we doing when measured up to the requirements Adam spoke of?

Registration? November 2000 saw our registration as Charity go through the Albanian courts. What benefits? Firstly, no longer will Adam or Marian have to leave the country every three months then return to get their visitors visas renewed. No longer will works project teams require invitations from other agencies to go into the country. No longer will our aid have to be specifically requested by others in order to import it through the docks. Thank you for the Advice Adam.

Mustard Seed Project? Much will be said about the needs of this project, and how it is being run, but one thing for certain is that since it started early this year, it has grown from absolute zero, to regular support to well over 30 children a week in the first month, and as other orphan children, who have no one in the world standing their corner for them, get to know that Adam and Marian are back home, the Mustard Seed is meeting serious social, emotional and spiritual needs. As Treasurer, I have a duty to them and to God to strive to ensure that the funds are there to meet the needs.

Fund Raising would, according to Adam, need to be stepped up to somewhere in the region of £40,000 per annum, in order to fund our extra activities. The year 1999 saw our funds reach £38,000 and the year 2000 our funding reached £42,800 topping his perceived threshold for the first time.

Thanks to the UN activities in the Balkans, A.O.M. was able to purchase a vehicle suitable for use in Albania at a very keen price, (with registration and Albanian plates costing nearly the price of the vehicle itself). The value of Albanian registration was put to the test early this year when it took a total of just 5 minutes to complete the entire docks procedure with no taxes or duties payable.

The Ridout Trust is a deposit account held at Lloyds TSB Bank for the express purpose of giving Adam and Marian some long term financial security. Over the years, cash has been donated specifically for them, and two people sponsor them through A.O.M. From now on, their future need not be quite so uncertain.

These have been some of the needs and desires that have been met this past year. Other major areas of spending have been:

£13,000 towards the support of children in the Tirana orphanage, paid for by our Sponsorship programme ,

£12,000 for the Renovation of the Infirmary used by a number of orphanages throughout Albania,

£ 2,800 Delivery of donated aid with a value in excess of £40,000 but cost A.O.M.

£ 1,000 For the purchase of essential supplies for the orphanage for babies in Vlore

£ 1,875 Vehicle taxes, fuel, maintenance, Tyres etc

£ 817 Newsletters, Post, Advertising and administration

Our income which we do indeed thank God for, has come from the usual sources, those being: The Sponsorship scheme which raised £9,948.51 I am sure that Heather will expand on this and I hope, the need for more sponsors.

Our General funds which raised, £13,214.00 seem to be directly proportional to the amount of effort each of us put in to tell other what A.O.M. stands for,

The Sponsored Walk, as Ian explained in his report was disappointing in the number of walkers, but still managed to raise £1,800. Certainly very much down on previous years, but perhaps the date, and other factors need to be looked at for future events. Maybe someone here tonight might volunteer to take this on.

The most unusual funds came from a legacy which the Charity Commission decided we should have part of. This part share realised over £24,000, £17,500 of which came into our account during this financial year.

Perhaps the saddest source of income was through the demise of the church at Spetisbury, the Elders of which decided that A.O.M. should benefit from the closure of their account which amounted to £2,500

Total income £42843

Total expenditure £35464

Our income for the year exceeded our expenditure by £7379 but taking into account the fact that the legacy awarded to A.O.M. was very much a one off event, we would have made a net loss of £10,000 over the year.

To meet our commitment for the year 2001 the following needs to be taken into account. Our expected spending on the Mustard Seed Project will be covered by the reduction we have made to HFTW

The Infirmary Project was, as expected, an unusually big task, and we certainly have no plans to spend such large sums on projects during the coming year

The aid requirements are changing as more and more becomes available in the shops in Albania, so we hope to run fewer but more specifically needed aid trips. A.O.M.'s van is no longer required, and has been taken off road.

With care and with a focussed effort, we should not just be able to maintain the effect we have on the lives of the children, but should be able to do even more to bring hope and joy to their lives, and I thank each of you for the part you have taken in the work of A.O.M. Please do tell others and share with them what A.O.M. is doing, and hopefully we will gain more support, sponsors for the Mustard Seed, and willing hands to help us to help the children

Please feel free to take a copy of the accounts for the year 2000 and to ask any questions either now or after you have had a time to study the details.

Neil Lovesey

Treasurer