OUR CONSTITUTION
Article 1: NAME OF THE ORGANISATION
The name of the organisation shall be Children’s Education Trust Uganda, henceforward referred to as CETU.
Article 2: AIMS & OBJECTIVES
The principle aim of CETU shall be to promote education for disadvantaged children throughout Uganda.
CETU shall achieve this through the establishment of a not-for-profit, secondary boarding school for orphans and those whose parents cannot afford school fees. The goals of the school are:
Ø To provide a high quality education, focusing on child-centred teaching methods
Ø To run the school on a not-for-profit basis for the purpose of educating those disadvantaged children who could not otherwise attend school
Ø To charge no fees, except where a parent/guardian can contribute a small amount
Ø To look after all children in the school’s care and to provide them with adequate nutrition, living space and medical facilities
Ø To produce well-rounded individuals who have had a chance to participate in a variety of extra-curricular activities
Ø To treat all students and staff with respect and dignity
Following the successful establishment of this school, CETU may pursue other education initiatives to further its principle aim.
Article 3: EXECUTIVE
The CETU Executive shall consist of no less than 4 members and no more than 7 members. There shall be four official standing roles in CETU:
- Chairperson
- Treasurer
- Fundraising representative
- GVN representative
As well as these positions, there may be no more than two additional executives who will act in a supervisory capacity. The first four members of the Executive will be appointed by the Founders of CETU after which any appointment to CETU must be agreed unanimously by the four named Executive positions. At least two of the Executive must reside in Uganda and no more than two of the named Executive positions may be held by citizens of other countries.
In addition, there shall be one rolling Executive position for a Volunteering Representative. They shall be chosen by all volunteers residing in Uganda and serve on CETU for as long as their stay at the School. All members, but excluding the Volunteer Representative, shall have full voting powers.
Article 4: FUNCTIONS OF THE EXECUTIVE
The Executive of CETU shall at all times ensure that the principle aim of CETU is upheld and that the School run by CETU achieves its goals.
The Executive shall be responsible for deciding the future direction of the School, including, but not limited to:
Ø Approving running cost spend
Ø Deciding increases in running costs
Ø Authorising additional spend
Ø Overseeing the Headmaster and staff
Ø Approving additional construction or expansion
Ø Approving any increase in pupil numbers
The Headmaster of the School shall be directly responsible for the day-to-day management of the School and has complete jurisdiction over academic, pastoral and staffing matters, except when an issue is brought directly before the Executive.
The Executive shall also be responsible for approving new methods of fundraising and shall be held accountable for the allocation of all monies raised from all sources.
Article 5: DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE
Chairperson
The Chairperson shall chair every meeting of CETU, or elect an acting Chairperson in their absence. The Chairperson is responsible for notifying all members of the Executive about the meeting and preparing an agenda.
Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be responsible for keeping all accounts and producing all budgets as set out in Article 7.
Fundraising Representative
The Fundraising Representative shall be responsible for overseeing the funds of CETU for the school on behalf of individual donors, in particular, for those donations sponsoring children at the School. They shall be responsible for ensuring that any funds raised are spent in the spirit in which they were donated. The Fundraising Representative shall report on all methods used to collect money at each meeting of the Executive.
GVN Representative
The GVN Representative shall represent the GVN Foundation and/or the Global Volunteer Network that sponsors the activities of CETU. They shall be responsible for reporting to their organisation about the progress of the school and ensuring their funding is spent correctly.
Volunteering Representative
The Volunteering Representative shall be a rolling position and this person shall be nominated by all volunteers present at the School in any particular month. This representative shall have no formal voting powers, but shall be able to offer advice and feedback to the Executive.
Article 6: APPOINTMENT & RESIGNATION
The initial four members of the Executive shall be appointed by the Founding Members of CETU. Hereafter any additional member shall be appointed by the existing Executive subject to unanimous approval.
Each Executive member shall be in position for two years (hereafter referred to as “a term”). The first term shall begin on adoption of the constitution. Each member may have an unlimited number of terms, but must be re-appointed unanimously by the other Executive members.
If a member of the Executive wishes to resign, they shall send a letter to that effect to the Chairperson with thirty day’s notice. A vote of no confidence can be called by any member of the Executive about another’s conduct, but a vote must be unanimous before a member must resign.
Article 7: MANAGEMENT OF FINANCES
CETU shall raise its funds for the school through three principle methods: donor organisations, individual donations and a volunteering programme. The financial year of the school shall run from 1st January to 31st December of each year.
CETU shall have its own bank account in the name of ‘CETU – Springs of Hope High School’. There shall be four signatories for the account (the Chairperson, the Treasurer, the Fundraising Representative, the GVN Representative) and two signatures shall be needed for any withdrawal of funds.
The Treasurer shall be responsible for producing an annual budget as well as a budget for each term. The annual budget must be completed and sent to all members of the Executive no later than one month before the start of the financial year. The budget for each term must be completed and sent to all members of the Executive no later than two weeks before the new term begins.
The Treasurer shall also be responsible for keeping the accounts of the school and sharing these with the members of the Executive at each quarterly meeting. The Treasurer shall also send a headline account and a copy of the monthly bank statement to the Fundraising Representative and GVN Representative on 1st of every month. These accounts shall be audited independently at the end of every school year.
Running costs for the school (defined as wages, bills and food expenditure) shall be set by the Executive and reviewed at every meeting. Any increase in running costs must be approved by three-quarters of the Executive (excluding the Volunteering Representative). All bills (including wages) will be settled on the same day every month, as decided by the Treasurer.
The Headmaster of the school shall have USh300 000 to spend on miscellaneous items every months (for example, office supplies) and must account for any spent at each meeting. Any expenditure of more than
USh300 000 must be approved by the Executive in advance. No more than USh100 000 shall be kept as petty cash on the school premises.
Additional funds raised (over an above running costs) shall be used to purchase additional equipment for the school or for the expansion (primarily construction) of the school as agreed by the Executive.
Article 8: MEETINGS
The Executive shall meet quarterly and the Chairperson will give notice of each meeting of not less than seven days. The Executive may, however, meet at any other time, but with no fewer than three of its members. The Chairperson shall determine the agenda of the meeting and issue this seven days in advance. Written (including emailed) comments can be sent to the meeting if a member of the Executive cannot attend the meeting. Where possible, a member of the Executive will telephone into the meeting if they are not able to appear in person.
Each matter on the agenda shall be discussed at the meeting. Decisions can only be taken if every member of the Executive has had a chance to comment on the matter and a majority of the Executive agree with the decision. Quarterly accounts shall be produced by the Treasurer for each meeting. Brief minutes shall be kept at each meeting by the person requested to do so by the Chairperson.
Article 9: AMMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION
The constitution shall only be altered with the consent of the whole Executive unanimously.
Article 10: DISSOLUTION
CETU shall only be dissolved with the consent of the whole Executive unanimously. | 
