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APARU wins UK’s Charity Governance Awards 2024

APARU, a charity supporting the Argentine community in the UK and back in Argentina, has won an award granted to charities working across the UK. APARU was one of six winners in the UK Charity Governance Awards 2024, which were announced during a live ceremony in London on 30 May. The winning charities each took home a prize of a £5,000 unrestricted grant.

APARU, a charity run entirely by trustees and volunteers, won the award in the category ‘Improving Impact in Small Charities (0-3 paid staff)’.

The award reflects APARU’s organisational transformation over the past few years, as the charity shifted its strategy to refocus resources towards local initiatives following a consultation process with UK stakeholders. This process led to strengthening relationships within the migrant community, ultimately bolstering support for APARU’s sponsored projects - all focused on improving living conditions for vulnerable groups in Argentina that remain the charity’s priority. This shift resulted in a substantial increase in the number of local beneficiaries (from 92 in 2022, to 555 in 2023), as well as an increased flow of volunteers working on the charity’s fundraising and networking initiatives.

As a result of its fundraising efforts in 2022-2023, APARU was able to cover medical care for almost 500 children of vulnerable communities in Northern Argentina, and provide newly-installed sanitation facilities for 12 families that lacked access to basic hygiene infrastructure at home in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires.

In an unanimous decision, judges granted this award highlighting that they were “very impressed by how APARU changed strategy and adapted its governance.”

APARU’s chair Nahuel Saluzzio, received the award on behalf of the organisation. “What sets APARU apart is that everything we do, absolutely everything, is done by our trustees and volunteers. We don’t have any paid staff, so it’s a huge effort… This award is a testament to all those hours of work donated by trustees and volunteers.”

“This is the first time in our 22-year history that we have received external recognition of this magnitude. I’m sure this award will inspire us to go even further,” he added.

The Charity Governance Awards are organised by The Clothworkers Company in partnership with NPC, ProspectUs and Reech Volunteering. The awards are an exciting not-for-profit initiative created to celebrate outstanding governance and trusteeship in charities across the UK.

Jocelyn Stuart-Grumbar, clerk to The Clothworkers’ Company, said: “A huge congratulations to APARU and all our brilliant winners, and to everyone who made it onto the shortlist.”

“Around two-thirds of our shortlist were small charities with under 30 employees – an even greater showing than last year – which demonstrates what incredible things can be achieved when you have outstanding trustees on board and harness those talents in innovative ways. I hope the whole sector will be inspired by the great work our winners, and nominees, have achieved.”

Each winner received a £5,000 cash prize as an unrestricted grant, with all runners-up receiving a prize of £1,000. All the winners and shortlisted charities were also rewarded with a paid one-year membership of the Association of Chairs for their board, and a place on a Cause4 Trustee Leadership Programme for a new member of their board.

The ceremony took place at Drapers’ Hall in London featuring a keynote speech by Craig Bennett, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trust and former Chief Executive of Friends of the Earth.

Charity Governance Awards 2024 – Winners and runners-up, full list

Board Equity, Diversity and Inclusion