About Us
Structure, governance, and management
Constitution
The East Africa Children's Project (EACP) was founded in August 2009 by Pieter Lagaay as an informal initiative supporting projects in East Africa. As public interest grew, the need for a more structured approach became evident, and EACP was formally established as a charitable trust on 8 March 2010. After refining our objectives, we enacted a new Trust Deed on 20 May 2010 and successfully registered as a charity in England and Wales on 14 June 2010.
Recruitment and appointment of trustees
EACP operates under a Trust Deed, which requires a minimum of three trustees, each serving a one-year term. Trustees typically have professional work experience with expertise in education, development, economics, fundraising, communications, and finance. Trustees are re-elected annually by majority vote and receive guidance from the Charities Commission, including resources like The Essential Trustee. We also conduct annual reviews to assess and address ongoing training needs.
Governance and management
EACP is led by its trustees, who volunteer their time and are supported by a committed network of volunteers. Trustees maintain regular communication and hold monthly meetings to review and approve project funding.
We take our responsibility to donors seriously, and seek to ensure that every donation is used effectively. To safeguard EACP’s assets and maintain transparency, we:
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Conduct thorough checks on potential project partners
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Assess all funding requests for risks, feasibility, and alignment with our charitable goals
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Monitor the impact of funded initiatives
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Require partners to have appropriate Child Safeguarding Policies.
To stay connected with the communities we support, we aim to visit our projects every three years.
Objectives and activities
EACP is led by its trustees, who volunteer their time and are supported by a committed network of volunteers. Trustees maintain regular communication and hold monthly meetings to review and approve project funding.
We take our responsibility to donors seriously, and seek to ensure that every donation is used effectively. To safeguard EACP’s assets and maintain transparency, we:
-
Conduct thorough checks on potential project partners
-
Assess all funding requests for risks, feasibility, and alignment with our charitable goals
-
Monitor the impact of funded initiatives
-
Require partners to have appropriate Child Safeguarding Policies.
To stay connected with the communities we support, we aim to visit our projects every three years.
Objectives
The charitable objectives of EACP are:
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To advance the education of children and adults in East Africa for the benefit of the public through the provision of or the assistance in the provision of education, educational materials and training.
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The relief of poverty and the promotion and preservation of good health of children and adults in East Africa, through the provision of or the assistance in the provision of projects designed to improve health and welfare.
Main activities
The main activity undertaken by EACP in furtherance of these objectives is the support of projects which:
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Directly improve the health, welfare and education of disadvantaged children and their families.
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Provide training or sustainable livelihoods for young adults and women which directly or indirectly improve the health, welfare and education of disadvantaged children.