Little Stars

FAQ

Supporters

Little Stars - Luxor Children's Trust

UK Charity Commission Registration Number 1120536 - Egyptian Charity No: Luxor 8

Frequently Asked Questions

We have tried to cover the main questions we are asked about the origin and management of Little Stars but if you have a question that is not answered below but would be of interest to Little Stars supporters then please email us at admin@littlestars-luxor.org and we will add it to the list.

1. When and why did Little Stars start?

The idea for Little Stars began in February 2007 after the present Chairman had been severely injured in a road accident in Luxor. Little Stars Luxor Children’s Trust charity was formed in May 2007 with 4 Trustees. While the Chairman was recovering from the accident she was told of a small child who had broken her arm but whose treatment was inadequate and was now suffering from gangrene. There was no funding available for the child to receive the treatment she needed and the child will either have lost her arm or her life. It was obvious that very poor families needed help not just in health matters but in a wide range of poverty associated problems. The Trust Fund was set up to help alleviate some of those problems

2. Does Little Stars repeat the work of any other children's charity in Luxor?

There are only three UK Registered charities operating in Luxor; Little Stars, Sunshine International Project and the Thebes Project. Other projects, such as Luxor4care, were started but then closed due to lack of support as has the Egyptian charity called Smile. Sunshine runs an orphanage on the East Bank and provides for the children in its care and the Thebes Project runs a small clinic also on the East Bank, neither have an outreach programme dealing with needy families. This is where Little Stars excels. Little Stars does not run any orphanages as Sunshine are doing an excellent job doing that, instead it covers areas that had previously been neglected by other UK charities as none give support to widows and abandoned wives and their children, nor do they provide clothing and improve living conditions. Little Stars is therefore unique in Luxor in the extent of its provision for needy families.

3. Where did the original funding for Little Stars come from?

Raising money for a new charity which few people know about is a very difficult task. The money paid into the bank to start the Trust Fund came from personal donations totalling several thousand pounds from the Little Stars founders. The donations covered the initial Trust Fund sum and the running costs of the charity for its first six months of operation until it was able to attract donations from supporters in its own right.

4. Are the Trustees qualified to run a Children’s Charity?

Little Stars has four Trustees all of whom are graduates, all have extensive teaching experience and three are qualified counsellors. Three of the original four Trustees are still serving. The Trustees have been subjected to either CRB checks or extensive checks by relevant security forces.

5. Who makes the decisions on the development of Little Stars?

All decisions concerning Little Stars are made and approved jointly by the Trustees. This is why Little Stars is able to have plans for the future which will outlive the Trusteeship of the majority of the serving members. Jane Nash has already expressed an interest in developing the educational side of Little Stars and is putting forward a proposal that Little Stars might eventually become more International and offer help to disadvantaged children in Detention Centres in the United Kingdom. At present Little Stars is too small to diversify as it would spread funds too thinly but this situation could change as Little Stars becomes more well known.

6. Where does your funding come from?

Little Stars has several sources of funding but unlike many charities does not use professional fund raisers. The main source of income comes from a small team of dedicated fund raisers, mainly retired people, who have a passionate interest in the welfare of under privileged children. This team works tirelessly collecting funds at football matches and in stores all with the necessary legal permits. The next largest source of income is through the sponsorship scheme which alleviates the cost of supplying food and clothing to destitute families. Grants are very important and so are individual donations for specific items.

7. Who are your major donors?

All donors who do not wish to remain anonymous are given on our Sponsors list on our website. The largest single donation came from a European Foundation and the next from the British Embassy Port Said Fund. The founders’ families are the largest overall donors to Little Stars. However, the vast majority of our donors are totally unknown to us and give small amounts but those amounts add up to a high percentage of our total donations.

8. Does Little Stars have high expenses?

Little Stars’ has a self-imposed maximum limit of 15% of donations on the level of expenses. Very few charities have expenses as low of this. This is achieved by having no expensive European staff in the UK or in Luxor. There is an immense amount of paperwork involved in running a registered charity which would account for a full-time post. However, all of this paperwork is done on an entirely volunteer basis by the present Chairman. This has allowed Little Stars to direct funds to where it is needed most.

9. What staff does Little Stars have?

Little Stars has a staff of seventeen people in Egypt, which includes 3 doctors and 4 teachers, plus Training Centre staff, a Needs Assessor,cleaners, a Centre Manager and security. All of the staff members are paid local wages at levels which reflect their level of responsibility.

10. What premises does Little Stars own?

Little Stars does not own any premises but does have long-term lease on the Distribution Centre on the East Bank and a five year least on the Clinic (2 years left to run - Dec 2011), Nursery School and Training Centre on the West Bank. When funds are available, Little Stars would like to have a purpose built centre that could combine all its activities. The premises rented are owned by various Egyptian businessmen and not by any of the Trustees or Volunteers.

11. Does Little Stars advertise?

Little Stars does not have the funds available to advertise but it does operate several websites that are optimised for Internet Search Engines. Several Egypt related websites have given links to Little Stars which brings us to the attention of more people.

12. Who maintains the websites?

The Little Stars websites were run externally by a webmaster in Luxor but this arrangement proved disastrous when in 2007 he tried to extort extra money from Little Stars and pulled all the sites down when his demands were not met. The situation was rescued by Paul Leese who uploaded and ran a new website for several months without any charge. Since then it has been maintained in-house by the Chairman who also produces the newsletter. The website has received numerous commendations for attractiveness and its openness and complete transparency.

13. What is the main item of Little Stars’ expenditure?

The main item of expenditure for Little Stars is termed as Relief of Poverty. This covers the distribution of food parcels and clothing, the rebuilding or upgrading of homes, provision of beds, blankets, fridges and cookers where small children are present. Spending on houses is directed by our Needs Assessor and discussed in a monthly meeting. Health costs are also high as the clinic has three surgeries and all treatment is provided without any charge to families. Spending is also high on education which includes the Nursery School and the Training Centre as well as the payment of school fees and the purchase of school uniforms. Details of all Little Stars spending is shown on the About Us page.

14. How is expenditure controlled?

Little Stars does not have a debit card or a credit card and does not have Internet Banking. The option to have direct debits on the account has been disabled at the request of the Trustees. This means that payments and withdrawals can only be made by cheques which are carefully recorded and tracked. All cheques have to have two signatures before they are valid. Some items such as domain and Website fees are paid over the Internet and, as the charity does not have the means to make such payments, they are paid for by the Chairman.

15. What checks are made on Expenditure?

Receipts are obtained for all Little Stars’ expenditure in Egypt and in the UK. The accounts are maintained on a regular basis and at the end of the year are externally inspected and approved. When approval is received they are submitted to the Charity Commission for reference and inclusion in their website. The accounts are also shown on the Little Stars website. Additional accounts are kept in Egypt for the Egyptian Government who demands the recording of all the centre's spending. The accounts are inspected twice per year by the Social Services Inspectors.

16. If I make a donation to Little Stars can I say where it should be spent?

Many of our donors say where they want their donation directed. This is especially relevant to family sponsors who may want their donation to repair a roof or buy a new bed or cooker. Large donations have been given for specific items. We guarantee that if a request is made for where a donation is spent then the request will be honoured.

17. How do I become a family sponsor?

To become a family sponsors you need to contact us to register your interest in the scheme. You can do this by email or telephone. We will then send you details of families that need help. Once you have agreed to help a family we will send you an information pack including a standing order form and a Gift Aid form. The commitment to the family is £10.00 per month which is used to buy meat and extras for your family. We do not set up direct debits and your standing order is with your bank and can be cancelled at any time. Unfortunately managing the scheme is extremely time consuming and we are not always able to offer new families to prospective sponsors.

18. Can I have contact with my family?

You can send your family photos and messages through Little Stars and these will be delivered by our Needs Assessor. Visitors are welcome to the clinic at any time and you can visit your family if Little Stars protocol is observed. The families are very poor but they have their dignity and this must be preserved as they are not entertainment. Consequently visits must be pre-arranged and can only be made under the supervision of the Chairman or the Manager of the clinic. Visits take staff away from their jobs and cost money for transport so these costs must be borne by the visitor. Sponsors may only visit their own families and not those to whom they do not give support. Many sponsors have visited their families in the villages and found the experience to be very rewarding. Accounts of these visits are often given in our Newsletters.

19. Child Protection Policy

Little Stars is a British Registered charity and cannot ignore Child Protection Laws just because we are operating in a foreign country. Little Stars has a carefully constructed and comprehensive Child Protection Policy which was written by Charles Woods who had experience of Child Protection matters. Some charities have been accused of innocently allowing the grooming of children by those who might intend them harm and all organisations have to be extremely careful where children’s welfare is concerned. Our policy was devised to protect the children without casting doubt on the intentions of sponsors who only want to help the family. Basically, nobody (including staff) is ever allowed to have unsupervised access to a child in Little Stars care. Unfortunately, this means that some sponsors may not be able to visit their family when they are in Luxor because there is nobody available to supervise the visit and they cannot go alone. Naturally this may upset a small minority of supporters but the vast majority understand why the policy is in place and welcome the care that Little Stars takes to protect vulnerable minors. Access to families is only ever denied in the interest of a child’s safety.

20. How does Little Stars deal with negative external influences?

All charities suffer defamation and accusations of fraud usually aimed at officers of the charity and frequently totally unconnected to the activities of the charity. However, by far the majority of these accusations are baseless and vindictive, made by persons with little knowledge of the charity or by those who are misguided and would imagine that all labour is given freely, that all goods and food are bought without cost, that all transport is free and that accommodation is laid on without payment of rent - basically that here are no expenses at all ignoring the fact that people who work for a charity full-time have to earn a living. Little Stars has not escaped these accusations, made entirely by anonymous internet bullies who apparently have no regard for the beneficiaries of the charity. Our only defence is to ignore such accusations and not respond in any way to the people that make them. They are like book critics who have never written a book, or food critics that have never learned to cook.

With you we can do so much.
Without you we can do nothing.

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