Shared Interest Foundation Annual Review

SIF_AR13_AW_SI Foundation AR 06/01/2014 16:23 Page 2

2013 ANNUAL REVIEW

SIF_AR13_AW_SI Foundation AR 06/01/2014 16:23 Page 3

IN 2013

Shared Interest Foundation worked in 8 countries, providing support to 137 businesses.

FIND OUT HOW Welcome to Shared Interest Foundation 2 Review of the Year 4 Our work in Swaziland 6 Our work in East and West Africa 8 Our work in Rwanda 10 Financial Overview 12

SIF_AR13_AW_SI Foundation AR 06/01/2014 16:23 Page 1

OUR VISION

A world where businesses create livelihoods in disadvantaged communities

SIF_AR13_AW_SI Foundation AR 06/01/2014 16:23 Page 2

2

SHARED INTEREST FOUNDATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2013

Welcome to

SHARED INTEREST FOUNDATION Since 2004, we have been providing practical support to businesses in the developing world.

We believe that, through trade, we can change lives in really tangible ways.

We offer training to create and strengthen businesses which enables them to generate sustainable employment opportunities for their own communities.

One of our key strengths is our ability to forge new partnerships. From sole traders to internationally trading organisations, we tailor our support and encourage businesses of all levels to collaborate together in sharing knowledge, skills and opportunities.

SIF_AR13_AW_SI Foundation AR 06/01/2014 16:23 Page 3

IN 2013

We helped 53 handcraft businesses

SIF_AR13_AW_SI Foundation AR 06/01/2014 16:23 Page 4

4

SHARED INTEREST FOUNDATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2013

2013

REVIEW OF THE YEAR As Shared Interest Foundation heads towards its tenth anniversary in 2014, we can be proud that many milestone achievements have been reached in what has been a year of major progression for the charity.

Following a six-month strategic review process, we identified our key strengths and embarked upon a landmark project, working across five African countries. The new five year strategic plan centres on supporting producer communities and networks through the provision of financial capacity building. In parallel with this focus we will continue our involvement with grant-based support programmes, such as the Livelihood Security Fund.

Thanks to funding from Comic Relief, our Access to Finance project has seen us work with 94 businesses in six months.

Our Swaziland project has its main focus on the craft industry. In a country with an economy deeply affected by HIV/AIDS, we have not only created 182 jobs and registered over 20 new businesses, but have also widened the scope of our health awareness programme to include TB and diabetes.

We returned to Rwanda to see the continuing impact of our Big Lottery Fund project which concluded in 2011. Amidst the backdrop of a very challenging trading environment, it was encouraging to see our legacy live on through the survival and success of some of the co-operatives.

During almost a decade of working in Africa, we have worked with some fascinating people along the way. These people behind our projects best express the life-changing outcomes of our work and we hope you enjoy reading their stories in this latest Annual Review.

Shared Interest Chair, Kate Priestley

In 2013 we helped create 182 jobs

SIF_AR13_AW_SI Foundation AR 06/01/2014 16:23 Page 5

IN 2013

We helped 94 agricultural businesses

SIF_AR13_AW_SI Foundation AR 06/01/2014 16:23 Page 6

6

SHARED INTEREST FOUNDATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2013

Our work in

SWAZILAND Through our in-country delivery partner, SWIFT (Swaziland Fair Trade), we are currently working with 43 businesses all at different levels of development in Swaziland. Since the project began in 2010, the income of 2,553 producers has been raised by over 10%.

The development of SWIFT as a local business support organisation is also integral to the sustainability of our work in Swaziland.

As we near the end of three years of funding by Comic Relief, we are working with SWIFT to plan for its future. This project is designed to help businesses grow individually while also collaborating together. We are thrilled that many of the larger organisations are already helping, by selling products created by more fledgling businesses in their stores.

CASE STUDY | SWAZILAND | HANDCRAFTS

NOMPUMELELO DLAMINI Nompumelelo lives with her school-age daughter and her orphaned granddaughter. She also supports an orphaned boy.

Nompumelelo is an active business woman selling bags and purses, along with baby products for the local market. However, when she started her business almost two years ago, she didn’t know how to sell, or price her goods, or generally where to begin.

Initially, Nompumelelo was making school uniforms, which meant the majority of her income was

Nompumelelo now plans to expand her business

restricted to the beginning of a new school year. As a result she was struggling to survive.

Since starting her training with SWIFT she has made great progress. This is where her inspiration came from for creating products for the tourist market, which tell of her country’s heritage.

Nompumelelo is positive about the future and says that she is passing on the skills she has learnt to others in her family.

Profits have improved and she plans to expand her bag business, and employ a new staff member. She is even considering a sideline venture, raising pigs.

SIF_AR13_AW_SI Foundation AR 06/01/2014 16:23 Page 7

SINCE 2010

SWIFT has created 182 new jobs

SIF_AR13_AW_SI Foundation AR 06/01/2014 16:23 Page 8

8

SHARED INTEREST FOUNDATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2013

Our work in

EAST & WEST AFRICA In April Comic Relief granted us new funds to work on a project across five countries in East and West Africa. Our Access to Finance project examines the barriers that prevent businesses in developing countries from accessing fair finance. Tailored support is then provided to help overcome these obstacles.

Working with Fairtrade Africa, we will train co-operative managers from 150 businesses across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana and Ivory Coast over two years. Over 90 of these businesses have already received training and we look forward to building on this progress in 2014.

CASE STUDY | EAST AFRICA | COFFEE

NEMBURE FARMERS

The Nembure Farmers’ Co-operative Society is based on the fertile slopes of Mount Kenya. Producing high quality Fairtrade coffee for export, the organisation is keen to install new coffee processing equipment, which would increase productivity by 25%.

Nembure approached their Access to Finance training with this idea to expand their business, but didn’t have a business plan or strategy for how they would finance the equipment.

However, after a two-day workshop followed up by

Fairtrade Africa helps us identify farmers in need of support

training specifically tailored to their needs, Nembure worked with a mentor over three months to finalise their business plan, understand how to keep good financial records, and complete a cash flow projection for the year ahead.

The Co-operative is now in the process of preparing a loan application to help them buy the new equipment they have dreamed of to grow their business further.

It is our partnership with Fairtrade Africa that has allowed us to reach businesses like Nembure. Based in Nairobi, Fairtrade Africa helps us identify farmers who are working to Fairtrade standards but need urgent support in improving their finances. We plan to build on this partnership in the year ahead.

SIF_AR13_AW_SI Foundation AR 06/01/2014 16:23 Page 9

ACCESS TO FINANCE

We aim to train 150 businesses over 2 years

SIF_AR13_AW_SI Foundation AR 06/01/2014 16:23 Page 10

10

SHARED INTEREST FOUNDATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2013

Our work in

RWANDA Following the successful conclusion of our three-year project in 2011, we returned this year to Rwanda to see what progress had been made.

Over 1,000 jobs were created throughout the lifespan of the project and we provided training and mentoring to 50 fair trade handcraft businesses. In turn, many of these businesses doubled their income, benefitting over 9,000 people.

On our return, it was great to see some of the co-operatives still trading successfully, however we found that many continue to struggle due to tough trading conditions. Thanks to a grant from the Commonwealth Foundation, we can explore what further support is needed for those businesses that are not yet fully sustainable.

CASE STUDY | RWANDA | HANDCRAFTS

INEZA

Ineza began with one woman who could sew.

She shared these skills with friends who had been widowed due to HIV/Aids or as a result of the genocide and were looking for a way of making an income as well as building relationships.

Coming together to work on joint projects has not only enabled the women to fulfil orders but has also helped them to share their grief and move forward.

Based in the centre of Kigali, Ineza is now a fully operational co-operative of 30 staff. Using distinctive

Ineza dream of buying modern sewing machines

East African fabric, they make an entire range of products from bags and purses to toys and aprons.

Four years into the business, Ineza has steady sales, including international orders. Some of this growth is due to design and marketing training delivered through the Shared Interest Foundation project.

Ineza has made good use of this training, modifying their designs into products that are not as common in East Africa, such as laptop covers and children’s shoes.

Longer term, Ineza would like to own their own shop and dream of buying modern sewing machines for their work. Ineza President Celeste said “Knowing about fair trade has warmed my heart.”

SIF_AR13_AW_SI Foundation AR 06/01/2014 16:23 Page 11

INEZA

Making an income and building relationships

SIF_AR13_AW_SI Foundation AR 06/01/2014 16:23 Page 12

12

SHARED INTEREST FOUNDATION ANNUAL REVIEW 2013

FINANCIAL OVERVIEW Shared Interest Foundation receives grants from donor organisations such as Comic Relief which enable us to run larger projects. Our Commonwealth Foundation project commences next year. These funds account for around half of our income, with the balance coming from the generous donations of individuals and groups. Individual donations are vital as they allow us to develop and grow new projects based on robust needs analysis.

To support our activity we ran a legacy campaign in 2013 which resulted in a further 100 new pledges and we would like to express our gratitude to those individuals and families. This year we also worked with

the Fairtrade Foundation to raise our profile within universities and encourage more students to help with our fundraising campaigns.

In 2013, we received support from the following six trusts and we would like to thank them for their contribution to our achievements this year: Education Services 2010 Maidenhead Malachi Trust St. Mary’s Charity Dorema Charitable Trust Rothley Trust Tisbury Telegraph Trust

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE Year ended 30 September 2013

Donations & grants Total income Cost of fundraising Charitable activities Governance costs Total expenditure Net (deficit)/surplus Funds brought forward Funds carried forward

Year ended 30 September 2012

Unrestricted Funds £’000

Restricted Funds £’000

Total Funds £’000

Unrestricted Funds £’000

Restricted Funds £’000

Total Funds £’000

131 131 31 106 2 139 (8) 148 140

177 177 0 177 0 177 0 140 140

308 308 31 283 2 316 (8) 288 280

132 132 17 74 2 93 39 109 148

120 120 0 175 0 175 (55) 195 140

252 252 17 249 2 268 (16) 304 288

SIF_AR13_AW_SI Foundation AR 06/01/2014 16:23 Page 13

IN 2013

Over 100 new legacies were pledged

SIF_AR13_AW_SI Foundation AR 06/01/2014 16:23 Page 1

Find out how you can support our work: www.sharedinterestfoundation.com twitter.com/SharedIntFdn

Shared Interest Foundation No 2 Cathedral Square Groat Market Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1EH T: 0191 222 9129 foundation@shared-interest.com www.sharedinterestfoundation.com

Shared Interest Foundation is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England, company number 4833073 and a registered charity, number 1102375 Printed on paper from sustainable well managed sources certified by the Forest Stewardship Council