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In case you hadn’t heard,Feed theMinds is 50!
GROWTHANDSUCCESS
Weare taking every chance to celebrate,givethanks,have
fun,lookback on our achievementsandplan for the
future.Wearedelighted that somanypeople havebenefitted
fromourwork;indeedmillions of people have had their
livestransformed through education.
You can read someexamples of our approach and our
recentsuccesses in these pages.But that is only part of the
story;weshall continue to grow in reach and impact and you
canbepartof that.Wewant our next big birthday to be an
evengreatercause for celebration;for all of us,our partners,our
supportersand everyonewhobenefits fromour education programmes.Our
ambition is to grow, focussed on the power of grassroots
education in order to tackle challenges
thatmanymarginalisedpeople face.Aswe are reminded in Jesus’parable
of the sower,seedswhich fall on good soil yield a cropmany times
greater thanthat whichwere sown.That is what education through Feed
theMindsdoes year by year.
ANNUAL REVIEW 2013/2014
Feed theMinds at 50:Looking back, forging ahead 50
Our visionAworld inwhich all people everywhere havethe
opportunity to live life in all its fullness.
Feed theMindsPark Place12 Lawn LaneLondonSW81UDUnited
Kingdom
Feed theMinds is a charity registered in England andWales
(291333) and in Scotland (SC041999)
Design:www.iandunndesign.co.uk |Text: Lorna Fray |Photos: Feed
theMindsChristine ElliottActingChairFeed theMinds
Telephone: 08451 21 21 02International:+44 (0)20 7582 3535Email:
[email protected]:www.feedtheminds.org
@FeedtheMinds
Feed theMinds
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INTRODUCTION
Feed theMinds helpsmarginalisedpeople to transform their lives
throughcommunity-led education projects.In 1964webegan as
anArchbishop’s
appeal to improve adult education indeveloping countries. In
2013/14, asweturned 50,we ran 36 projects in 15countries –
benefitingmore than 100,000people across theGlobal
South.Andwecontinue to grow.Our projects combine literacywith
practical skills and knowledge to helppeople overcomeproblems
such asinsecure livelihoods,poor health ordifficulties accessing
their rights.Wework in partnershipwith grassroots
organisations of all faiths and none.Wecombine their first-hand
knowledge ofthe problems communities facewith oureducation and
project planning expertise.This ensures that our projects are
tailored,cost-effective and sustainable – securinglasting
benefits.
Growing fromgrassroots
Eachproject is unique,but each includesliteracy training and
falls into one offive categories:
Health education, including nutrition,hygiene, reproductive
health andHIV& AIDS.
Work skills, strengthening sustainablelivelihoods by teaching
trade,agriculturalor business skills.
Civic education, enabling people toaccess their rights and
participate indecision-making.
Peacebuilding, by reducing prejudiceand promoting positive
solutions.
Practical theological education,building the capacity of
churches of alldenominations to further communitydevelopment.
Feed theMindsis launched asa campaign forChristian Literacy.
The firstpublishingpartnership is bornwith Uzima Pressin
Kenya.
Feed theMinds joinsother organisationsto form the JointAction
forChristianLiteratureOverseas(JACLO)with theslogan Feed
theMinds.
EUROLIT is set upto support educationin Eastern Europe.
TheOverseas BookService takes off.
Feed theMindscelebrates its30thAnniversary.
Word Feastawarenesscampaign islaunched.
Feed theMindsprovidesmoneyfor braille Christianresources in
thePhilippines.
Feed theMindsfunds the firstSudanese PrayerBook ‘Buk Zomi
Ro’.
‘Cycle for Sight’raises £10,000for two schoolsfor the blind.
A partnerorganisation,LEF,wins a
KenyanGovernmentLiteracyAward.
Current Director,JosephineCarlsson,appointed.
Research Paperon FemaleGenitalMutilationpracticesin Kenya is
launchedat theHouse ofCommons.
Our supporters inSalisbury host abook sale – almost50 years
after thefirst one inYork.
War Horse authorMichaelMorpurgohosts a Radio 4appeal.
Feed theMindslaunches 50thAnniversaryUnlocking
PotentialCampaignwith areceptionwith theArchbishop of York.
1964 1967 1973 1979 1980s 1994 1995 1997
2000 2004 2005 2007 2011 2012 2014 2014
U ima
Feed the Minds 50 years
03 Feed theMinds |Annual Review 2013/2014
q
05
CONTENTS05 Introduction:Growing from grassroots06 Health
education: Lifesaving learning08 Civic education: Land of our
mothers10 Peacebuilding: Integrating outsiders in South
Sudan12Vocational Training:One problem, several solutions14
Practical theological education:Equality through e-learning16
Overseas Book Service:Decades of support to all denominations18
Financial summary: Sustained growth20 Conclusion:What’s in a
number?
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‘‘Wewill be using themanuals tocontinue educatingmembersof our
community at gatheringsand in the churches.Mamfe[city] women always
look onus fromEyangntui as fools butthis time it is
different.’’CATHERINE,A LITERACY LEARNERANDMOTHEROF SEVEN.
The 4,300 residents of Eyangntui inCameroon facemultiple
challenges.The village is remote and impoverished,with no
runningwater or health facilities.Only a tenth of households
includesomeonewho is literate.Malaria is rife, and is the leading
cause
of death amongpregnant women andchildren under
five.TB,HIV&AIDS andeven cholera also blight Eyangntui.But Feed
theMinds andAbangAshu
Academy’s health education projecthas begun to transform the
villagers’wellbeing.Childhoodmalaria hasdecreased as, families now
sleep undermosquito nets to prevent the disease.Pregnant women
nowget tested for HIVand receive counselling if required.Theyalso
knowhow to preventTB and choleraby boiling drinkingwater,
regularhandwashing and improving sanitation.Thanks to our project,
60 villagers
can now read andwrite, increasing theirself-respect and future
prospects.As theybecome healthier,Eyangntui’s childrenare attending
schoolmore regularly, sothey should face fewer challenges thantheir
parents.
We achieved all this by teaching literacyand health education
classes, alongsideweekly community awareness initiativesand home
visits to pregnant women.Wetrained two community literacy
teachersand produced accessible educationmanuals to ensure that the
positive healthmessages continue to spread in Eyangntui–
unlikemalaria.
Lifesaving learning
‘‘I have learned to be a communitychangemaker, to
fightmalariaand other diseases that threatenour community. I went
for thecelebration of InternationalWomen’s Day inMamfe [city]and
spoke onmaternal andchild health.’’EMILIA,A LITERACY
LEARNERANDMOTHEROF FOUR.
HEALTHEDUCATION
Strengthening our partners
Feed theMinds andAbangAshuAcademy have been partners
since2009.Our collaborations havestrengthened the
organisation’sproject planning andmanagementskills.We’ve also
increased its abilityto produce timely reports, a keyfactor in
effectivemonitoringand evaluation and in attractingexternal
funding.
Feed theMinds |Annual Review 2013/2014 07
HEALTHEDUCATION
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In Rwanda,subsistence agriculture iscommon and access to land is
vital.Marginalisedpeople,particularlywidows or singlemothers,often
havetheir land seizedby relatives orneighbours.Thosewith little
educationor knowledge of their rights struggle toreclaim their
land,leading to extremepoverty,malnutrition and
forcedmigration.Feed theMinds andHuman Rights First
RwandaAssociation’s (HRFRA) ambitious,long-termproject is
solving this problemin 506 southern Rwandan villages inseveral
ways.
Land of ourmothers
CIVICEDUCATIONCIVICEDUCATION
We’re raising community awareness ofland rights through
radiomessages andposters.We’re training 1,500 paralegaladvisers
andworkingwith 300 lawstudents to support women andmen toregister
their land titles and pursue theirrights.To underpin these
activities,we’relobbying the government to ensure itsnewproperty
laws are enforced locally.This is already showing dramatic
results.
The 900 paralegals trained so far haveresolvedmore than 10,000
land ownership,eviction or inheritance cases –
largelythroughmediation rather than formalhearings.This
enablesmarginalisedpeople,primarily female-headedhouseholds, to
earn a secure incometo support themselves.
‘‘I now have trust and respectfrom the community,whocome
tomewith problemsand I can help them.’’GAUDENCE HEARDOUR RADIO
ADVERTSANDTRAINEDASAPARALEGALTOHELPOTHERWOMEN.
SHEHASRESOLVED52CASES SOFAR.
‘‘Nowmy life has changed.I have security for the future[and] the
opportunity to earn an income.Now I cannotbe evicted, and canplan
for the future ofmychildren.’’Fortunée, a widowedmother of fourwas
a subsistence farmerwhose relatives repeatedly tried to seize her
land.We helpedher gain legal title to the land,enabling her to
raise a small loanto buy a goat, chickens and seeds. This has
improved the familydiet and income,enabling Fortunée to fund her
children’seducation and health insurance.
08 Feed theMinds |Annual Review 2013/2014
Strengthening our partners
This collaboration,HRFRA’s largestproject to date,has helped
theorganisation hone its projectmanagement andmonitoring
skills.Wealso advisedHRFRA how to produceeffective, accessible
informationmaterials. Furthermore, this project hasgiven 300 law
students valuableworkexperience to further their careers.
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30 years of conflict displaced 740,000people in South Sudan,and
the recenthostilities has again forced over amillionpeople to leave
their homes.The countryalso hosts around 230,000 refugees fromarmed
conflict across the region.Thishas led to poverty,insecurity and
furtherconflict – and literacy rates as lowas 20%.Feed theMinds’
three-year project in
five counties of Western Equitoria aimsto overcome tensions
andbuild peace.We’re doing this in partnershipwith thegovernment,
Sudan EvangelicalMission(SEM) and several other
grassrootsorganisations.We’ve trained 75 facilitators and
established 23 learning centres to hostliteracy,mediation and
conflict resolutionclasses.So far, 1,265 people haveattended our
classes,building their abilityto resolve domestic and
communitytensions peacefully.Whilemost learnersare displaced
people, some are prison,police andmilitary staff – helping tospread
trust and understanding betweendisplaced people and authority
figures.
Integrating outsidersin South Sudan
PEACEBUILDING
‘‘Education is a right for all.NowI knowmy rights – everybodyhas
his/her own rights andnobodywill
preventmefromeducation.’’JAMES,ONEOFOUR LITERACY
STUDENTS.
More than110 learners are now involvedin peacebuilding and
communitydevelopment.These activities includebecoming ‘democracy
champions’,mediating between groups of farmers,tackling conflicts
amongyoungpeople andjoining local health orwater committees.The
impact of this project goes beyond
our classrooms.We’re feeding into thegovernment’s new adult
literacy policyand have trained staff and students atKotobi
Institute of Education on teachingadult literacy, a topic not
covered in theteacher training curriculum.We’ve alsoshared our
government-endorsededucation and rights toolkit with otherNGOs and
are translating it for use inother regions of South Sudan.
Strengthening our partners
This project enabled SEM to build thecapacity of other
community-basedorganisations, notably by strengtheningits workshop
planning and facilitationskills. Based on our belief in the valueof
‘South-South’ learning (organisationsfrom theGlobal South sharing
skills),we arranged for SEM to gain newinsights fromour Kenyan
partner,Peacebuilding,Healing andReconciliation Program.
10 Feed theMinds |Annual Review 2013/2014
‘‘Themid-termevaluationsuggests that the acquiredconflict
resolution skills haveenabled SEM staff, facilitatorsand learners
to resolve conflictsat the family, community andorganisational
levels.’’EXTERNALPROJECTEVALUATION.
PEACEBUILDING
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Secure livelihoods are the key toimproving independence
andwellbeing.Feed theMinds ran severalwork skills projects in
Uganda in2013/14,adoptingdifferent approachesin different
context.In Nakisunga,we’re running a long-term
programmewithGlobal LinkOrganisation(GLO).So far,we’ve trained
1,079 peoplein literacy and sustainablework skills,such as
ecotourism andbicycle repairs.This has directly increased local
earningsby 13.4million Ugandan shillings (around£3,000).To ensure
ongoing impact,we’reestablishing 10 training centres in the
area.
VOCATIONALTRAINING VOCATIONALTRAINING
In rural Nabbaale, 86%ofworkingage people lackwork skills.We
andTACrusade are training 120marginalisedpeople, including
teenagemothers, tosupport themselves by acquiring literacyand
IT,hairdressing or carpentry skills.To help them intowork,we’ve
alsoarrangedmentoring andworkplacements for trainees.And
inWakiso,we and Friends of Canon
Gideon Foundation (FOCAGIFO) trained96 orphans and vulnerable
youth in literacyand life skills aswell as trades.Alongsidethis,we
established a youth developmentassociation that has a savings club
anda small poultry business.To ensure lastingbenefits for the
people of Wakiso,wealso trained three social workers inliteracy
teaching.
‘‘ The project has helpedmebecome literate inmanydifferent
aspects. I havelearned tomanage a profitabletree nursery,where I
earn60,000 Ugandan shillings[about £14] permonth. I nowsupportmy
children to goto school.’’MAGALITA, A MOTHER OF
EIGHTWHOPARTICIPATED IN WORK SKILLSTRAININGRUN BY US AND GLO.
Strengthening our partners
Our partnershipwith FOCAGIFOprovided the organisationwith
usefulskills and contacts for the future.Weenabled staff to
integrate literacyteachingwithwork skills training,withgreat
success, and strengthened theirwebsite building skills.We
alsofacilitated networking opportunitieswith the UgandanMinistry of
Healthand otherNGOs.
‘‘I trained inmotorcycle repairing.The projectmade a big
difference[and has] givenme hope.Mywork givesmegoodmoney.I am
financially literate now andwill sharemy skills throughtraining
other youth.’’JOHN,WHOPARTICIPATED
INWORKSKILLSTRAININGRUNBYUSANDGLO.
One problem,several solutions
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Across southernAfrica,poverty andlow levels of education
contribute toa high incidence of violence
againstwomen.WithTheological EducationbyExtension Zambia
andpartners inMalawi andTanzania,Feed theMindshas equipped 130
church andcommunity leaders to tackle thisissue in practical and
innovativeways.First,we developed and launched a
simple e-learning platform,a cheapand accessibleway to share
learningresources.Thenwegave the 130 leadersin-depth training in
gender justice issues,through contextual Bible study andspecially
devisedmaterials, aswell ascommunication and IT skills.We
alsotaught them towrite and upload their ownmaterials to share
knowledgewith others.These leaders have already taught
around 500 others across southernAfricaways of tackling
gender-based violence.In time,we expect that number to
riseconsiderably.
Strengthening our partners
The very purpose of this project isstrengthening the capacity of
churchand lay leaders to support theircommunities.Bringing together
severalpartner organisations on this innovativeprojectmeanswe have
all learneduseful skills and gained helpful insightsfromeach other
– Feed theMindsincluded.
‘‘I learned how to use theplatform andwrite e-learningmaterials
– an excellent way toreach out to people.Thiswillenable people to
study at theirown pace. I intend to put whatI have learned to good
use.’’Since attending ourworkshops,GILBERTCHIRWA FROMTHE
LUTHERANEVANGELICALCHURCH IN ZAMBIA hasdevelopedane-learning course
onChristianethics andmade it available to church
leadersacrossAfrica via our platform.
PRACTICALTHEOLOGICALEDUCATION
‘‘Many of thewomenwithwhom Iwork experience
gender-basedviolence,but their response is just to be strong and
pray. I learnedthat gender-based violence has to be rejected and
howhuman rightsorganisations and the police can help.We [TheDiocese
ofTanga]plan to run seminars to teachwomen about gender issues.We
arealso starting to empowerwomen economically, aswomen
aremorevulnerable to violencewhen they are financially
dependent.’’JOYCEMHANDO,CHURCHCOORDINATOR,TANZANIA.
j14 Feed theMinds |Annual Review 2013/2014 Feed theMinds |Annual
Review 2013/2014 15
Equality throughe-learning
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OVERSEASBOOKSERVICE
Decades of supportto all denominations
OVERSEASBOOKSERVICE
Fifty years ago,webegan as aChristianappeal to providebooks to
enhanceadult literacy in developing countries.Most of ourwork now
involves hands-oneducation projects,but ourOverseasBook Service
remains to this day.Through the service,we regularly
support 200 theological colleges aroundtheworld.This helps equip
churchleaders of all denominations to supportmarginalised people
and promoteeducation,peace andwellbeing.
Wedo this in a practical way,bydistributing high-quality
theological booksto religious colleges in theGlobal South,enhancing
their libraries and learning.Each college requests titles
fromourcatalogue of donated books, and receivesup to 50 books a
year – for free.With the help of volunteers and donors,
our reach has grown over time. In 2013/14,we sent 3,125 books to
125 colleges in29 countries. In the short term, this willassist
7,000 current theological students.In the long term, it will
benefit manymorestudents, church leaders – and of
coursemarginalised people.
16 Feed theMinds |Annual Review 2013/2014 17
3,125BOOKS
125COLLEGES
29COUNTRIES
7,000STUDENTS
wqwqwqwqqwqwqwqwwqwqwqwqqwqwqwqw
‘we regularly support200 theological collegesaround
theworld.’
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FINANCIALSUMMARY
18 Feed theMinds |Annual Review 2013/2014 Feed theMinds |Annual
Review 2013/2014 19
Sustained growth
During the year,wegrew in impact,efficiency andprofile.We
continued tomove towards our goal of becoming a£1.5million
organisation,and increasedour incomeby 15%.Thiswas a fittingstart
to our 50th anniversary year.It alsomarked aprogression in our
upwardincome trend,enabling us to invest
inmoreprogrammeactivities.We improved our cost of generating
funds by 1.6%, to 9.5%of total expenditure.And our charitable
activity grewby£150,530, accounting for an additional2.2% (86.5%)
of our total expenditure.Our Education forChange programme
ran 36 projects in 15 countries during2013/14, comparedwith 34
in 2012/13.More than half (55%) of these projectsaremulti-year
initiatives,progressingtowards our aim ofmaking all ourgrassroots
education projects long-term.
2013/2014was the first year of Feed theMinds’three-year
strategy,which focuses on growth.
A key objective for the yearwas toshare our expertise and raise
our profile.We reported impact, sharedbest practiceand actively
participated in networks,strengthening our profile and
expertreputation.We contributed to an all-partyparliamentary group
and presented atseveral conferences.We also sharedguidelines for
cross-organisationallearningwithmore than 50NGOsfollowing a series
of workshops.This strong performance positions us
well for sustained growth and ongoingimprovements in the quality
and scaleof our impact.Hundreds of thousands ofpeople in theGlobal
Southwill benefitfrom this growth in our education
andknowledge-sharing activities.Thousandsof supporters,partners,
staff and volunteersshould be proud of the collectiveachievements
of our first 50 years.
This is a summary of Feed theMinds’ financial activities,
extracted from the auditedaccounts for the year ended 30April
2014.
INCOME2013/2014
EXPENDITURE2013/2014
‘This strong performancepositions uswell forsustained
growth.’
EXPENDITURE 2013/2014 £ %
Charitable activity 761,339 86
Fundraising 83,560 10
Governance 35,046 4
TOTAL 879,945
INCOME 2013/2014 £ %
Grants receivable 825,590 84
Donations 127,534 13
Legacies: 31,126 3
Other incoming resources 3,287 0
Investment income 409 0(interest)
TOTAL 987,946
FINANCIALSUMMARY
Copies of the full Annual Report andAccountsare available
fromour head office (see backcover for contact details).
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JosephineCarlssonDirectorFeed theMinds
CONCLUSION
What’s in a number?“50 is a just a number”is a popularphrase
thatwomen aroundmyage useto downplay thismilestonebirthday.But I
like to think about it as almost20,000 days – amuch larger
number.I’m convinced that Feed theMinds has
contributed to building life-changing newskills forwomen andmen
on each of its20,000 days. It’s happening today, throughprojects in
Pakistan,Sierra Leone andEgypt and inmany other countries too.It’s
happening through our support topractical theological education in
200institutions across theworld.This fillsmewith pride,but also
inspiresme to continuegrowing Feed theMinds’ reach in thecoming
days.
What we do reallymatters, every day.Thanks to ourwork,mothers in
Pakistanaremore able to look after their own healthand that of
their babies.Parents in poorEgyptian communities can help
theirchildrenwith schoolwork.Farmers inSierra Leone (above) can
negotiate fairand better prices at themarket. Indigenouspeople in
Nepal have the confidence tomake their voices heard.Church
leaderscan link Bible passageswithways toreduce community
violence.The list ofour life-transforming achievements islong – and
growing.
The growth and successes highlightedin these pages are only
possiblebecause Feed the Minds enjoys thesupport of many
individuals, groupsand organisations.
Thank you all for helping us make aworld of difference through
education.
‘Farmers in Sierra Leonecan negotiate fair and betterprices at
themarket.’
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