About
Governance and Safeguarding
The Biojemmss Organisation, Uganda is a faith-based, registered Non-Governmental Organisation (charity) in Uganda, working with at-risk children.
The NGO was registered as a foreign NGO in Uganda with Internal Affairs and granted approval in 2010 following a year’s registration process. It has ongoing annual submissions and renewals to retain registration which are all managed by the Ugandan Staff Team, with some oversight from the UK side. The Ugandan NGO has a diverse Trustee Board that meets quarterly and has recently recruited a new member.
Biojemmss does not operate on the system of “trust”, which is a common pitfall of charities in Uganda with international funders. NGOs have often been used as a front for corruption and the exploitation of children. Our own personal experience at inception and the reasons for it not only motivates us but illuminates the dangers of such a model. It instead has strong governance, and a high level of accountability in terms of resources, finances and safeguarding. The accounts are kept meticulously and are audited yearly by an external accountancy firm. The Ugandan staff are diligent in ensuring that funds are spent wisely and deliver maximum benefit to the families we support.
The NGO also adheres to safeguarding policies and procedures, with employees accessing additional training opportunities. The majority of our staff members have qualifications in child care and social work, and have all supplied references and police checks during the recruitment process. In 2015, Biojemmss became an approved members of Children At Risk Action Network (CRANE), a nationally credible network, with the aim of improving our exposure to other good practice, and to demonstrate our commitment to running a safe organisation.
The Biojemmss Organisation, UK is a registered charity and adheres to ongoing requirements and submissions with the charity commission. Our accounts and annual reports can be viewed on the charity commission website. The governance of Biojemmss is retained by a cross-denominational trustee board of individuals with a diverse set of experiences and expertise covering legal, safeguarding, ministry leadership, governance, and international NGOs. Biojemmss, UK is a member of Thirtyone:eight and utilises the International Safeguarding Audit Toolkit. Trustees and volunteers follow safeguarding policies and procedures, and also keep running records of their safeguarding training. Our accounts are kept by accountancy firm Wyatt & Co to ensure a high standard of compliance.