What we do/FAQ

• What is Breadline Africa?
• How do you make decisions about who to support?
• How much of the money you raise goes to the projects? And how do you ensure financial accountability?
• How do you make sure money is spent as it should by the recipients? And what happens when projects go wrong?
• What countries does your support reach?
• What are the tax implications of making a donation to you?
• Should I consider giving money regularly to the same organisation, such as Breadline Africa?
• Are you not trying to do what the government should be doing?
• What are your links with churches?
• Does Breadline Africa work directly with volunteers?
• Is other assistance – such as donations of food, equipment or clothing – useful to Breadline Africa?

WHAT IS BREADLINE AFRICA?

We are an organisation that raises money to fund projects aiming to break the cycle of poverty in Southern Africa. We fund both individuals and organisations who are doing innovative and sustainable poverty alleviation work in needy areas. We believe in helping people to help themselves through, for example, job creation.

However we do consider giving emergency welfare assistance such as food in areas where children are particularly at risk, or where people such as refugees have lost everything. Children are at the heart of our work, as are other vulnerable groups such women (especially in rural areas).

Find out more about Breadline Africa.

HOW DO YOU MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT WHO TO SUPPORT?

Firstly we fund the projects referred to in the appeal mailings. All surplus funds (to what is required by those projects) are allocated to similar projects that meet our strict criteria and that we consider are most likely to succeed with their objectives.

Find out about our Container Programme and how to apply.

HOW MUCH OF THE MONEY YOU RAISE GOES TO THE PROJECTS? AND HOW DO YOU ENSURE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY?

All available net funds raised are allocated to projects after sufficient working capital has been set aside to fund the ongoing fundraising programme, administration and the monitoring of project funding.

Our books are audited annually by independent auditors (in each country that Breadline Africa operates) and we are registered in those countries so as to comply with all relevant laws.

In the UK the audited financial statements are filed (annually) with the UK Charity Commissioners. The Board of Trustees in each country also ensure financial accountability.

HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE MONEY IS SPENT AS IT SHOULD BY THE RECIPIENTS? AND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PROJECTS GO WRONG?

We have a dedicated team in Cape Town who keep in close contact with our recipients. In additional to carefully selecting projects, we monitor projects through reports and site visits, including unannounced visits. The unannounced visits are often very fruitful, as the recipients sometimes don’t have good report writing skills or don’t realise what information we value. So far, we have only had one project where we decided to withdraw funds after allocation.

WHAT COUNTRIES DOES YOUR SUPPORT REACH?

Most of the projects we support are based in South Africa although we have funded projects elsewhere in the SADEC countries (i.e. in the Southern Africa region) where there is a credible third party that is able to monitor on our behalf how the funds were utilised. See the types of projects we support.

WHAT ARE THE TAX IMPLICATIONS OF MAKING A DONATION TO YOU?

This will vary from country to country. In the UK gift aid applies whereby the charity claims 25% tax back from the tax authorities. In South Africa , we issue a tax certificate when requested by donors which can be used as a tax deduction by the donor.

SHOULD I CONSIDER GIVING MONEY REGULARLY TO THE SAME ORGANISATION, SUCH AS BREADLINE AFRICA?

If you are happy with the work that we are doing, it is a good idea to consider regular direct debit giving. Like any other organisation, development organisations operate best when there is financial stability.

ARE YOU NOT TRYING TO DO WHAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE DOING?

We try not to duplicate areas where government is funding poverty alleviation. For example, schools and hospitals are funded by government, and we are unlikely to fund schools or hospitals directly. We try to work with groups supplying supplementary services that add value to existing systems. In places where there is a total collapse of systems we will consider supplying emergency relief such as food.

WHAT ARE YOUR LINKS WITH CHURCHES?

We do not fund churches directly. However, in very poor areas, development projects are often centred around churches, which offer infrastructure and accountability, and we will fund these if they met our criteria. We monitor projects carefully to make sure that there is no bias by the organisation towards people of a certain religious group.

DOES BREADLINE AFRICA WORK DIRECTLY WITH VOLUNTEERS?

Many of our recipient development projects are started by or even run primarily by volunteers. However we do not organise volunteer placement ourselves. If you would like to work as a volunteer, we can provide you with contact details of the projects which we fund.

IS OTHER ASSISTANCE – SUCH AS DONATIONS OF FOOD, EQUIPMENT OR CLOTHING – USEFUL TO BREADLINE AFRICA?

Unfortunately, because of the high costs of storage, VAT and excise duty, large donations of food, equipment, clothing and so on are not useful. Small airmail packages that are delivered directly to the Cape Town office are always very welcome as we ensure they get directly to the most needy communities.