Friends of Reach Outs Hivaids Africa Initiative Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

FORO Impact Report for Tax Authorities 2024 In 2024 Rays of Hope Hospice Jinja (RHHJ) launched its 20242028 strategic plan to enhance cancer prevention, early detection, and patient care. A key focus is expanding services to underserved areas in Busoga and neighboring districts. The support provided by Friends of Reach Out (FORO) has been crucial in making these initiatives possible and bringing essential healthcare to the most vulnerable populations. Program Activities and Services Supported by FORO FOROs financial backing has significantly bolstered RHHJs ability to provide critical healthcare services. Through tax-exempt donations, FORO has enabled RHHJ to expand its clinical care services, train health workers, and improve community health through education and outreach. Specifically, FOROs support has enabled RHHJ to: 1. Expand Holistic Palliative Care and Treatment: In 2024, RHHJ served 1,301 patients, 611 of whom were newly enrolled. The services providedsuch as pain management, psychosocial support, and the distribution of essential items like food and mattresseshave helped improve the dignity and quality of life for patients living with cancer, advanced HIV/AIDS, and other life-limiting illnesses. FOROs funding has been used to cover medical supplies, transportation, and essential home care services to the absolute poor people with life-limiting diseases such as cancer and severe HIV/AIDS. 2. Financial Support for Cancer Treatment: In a country where many individuals cannot afford cancer treatments, FOROs contributions have made it possible for RHHJ to support the costs of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, and investigations for 244 patients in 2024 who otherwise would ne be able to access the treatment they need and ensuring that vulnerable individuals have access to life-saving treatment. 3. HPV Vaccination and Cancer Prevention: Despite the availability of free HPV vaccines since 2017, uptake has remained low. FOROs support helped RHHJ launch a successful pilot program in Buikwe District and expand it to Buyende District. In 2024, 9,478 girls were vaccinated across 39 schools. This effort has a direct impact on reducing future cases of cervical cancer, aligning with national public health goals. 4. Screening and Early Detection: Thanks to FOROs financial support, RHHJ exceeded its 2024 screening target, reaching 3,253 women for cervical cancer screenings and 2,023 for breast cancer screenings. Over 6% of women screened positive for precancerous lesions or suspected cancer, demonstrating the importance of early detection in saving lives. FORO assisted in supporting 67 outreach screening events, contributing to the increased capacity of RHHJ to detect and treat cancer early. Health Worker Training and Capacity Building A significant portion of FOROs funding has gone into training health workers and engaging communities to improve knowledge and capacity in managing palliative care and cancer prevention. This includes: Training 1,400 Health Workers: FORO support for 19 Continuing Medical Education (CME) sessions for health workers throughout Busoga Region, equipping them with the knowledge and tools necessary for palliative care, cancer detection, and treatment. This has led to a measurable increase in referrals for palliative care services and has improved the overall standard of care provided in health facilities. Community Sensitization: With FOROs assistance, RHHJ has conducted various community engagement activities, such as sensitization meetings, radio programs, and outreach screenings. These initiatives have helped raise awareness about cancer prevention, palliative care, and the importance of early detection, leading to increased demand for services from local communities. Impact on Local Economies and Communities Additionally, FORO has supported school fees for 120 primary school children, many of whom are sick themselves, but now strong enough to go to school or are children of sick patients who can no lo

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 99.6%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 97.4%; rating input score 97
• Fundraising efficiency: $155.32 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
  • Requires narrative reports: Limited
  • Conducts field audits: Limited
  • May suspend future funding: Limited
  • Requires financial reports: Limited
  • Conducts site visits: Limited
  • Requires grant agreements: Limited
  • May require repayment: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Fail
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -2.2%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.68; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 19.1% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 17.6% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings