CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

We are delighted to present ARK’s Annual Review for 2009.

2009 marked an inflection point for ARK. Despite the turmoil across the world, the charity raised over £23.9m this year, taking our total raised to date to £142m, and giving us a strong base from which to move forward. All of our programmeshave been fully underwritten, and they continued to deliver.

We achieved sustainability for our largest programme in South Africa - a real tribute to ARK’s business model, and ouramazing team. We believe the best form of development is to build a programme that saves many lives, where we areultimately able to let go, ensuring a smooth transition to local management, and creating a strong legacy.

We are now researching and selecting new areas in which to apply ARK’s intellectual and financial capabilities. We will expand our programmes in Health, Education and Child Protection. This research will enable us to establish a frameworkfor our work for the years to come.

ARK is about taking risks, in order to develop projects that create a paradigm shift for disadvantaged children. As ARK matures, we intend to extend our focus and expand our geographic reach, while remaining committed to seeking innovative and catalytic solutions, leveraging the resources of the best partners globally.

We are currently exploring the impact of poverty on children and assessing how targeted investment in small businesses in developing countries can bring substantial, long-term social benefits. The fit of this type of economic developmentprogramme with ARK’s philosophy is absolute, and we intend to announce a new programme in 2010.

We are also examining new health initiatives in Africa which would build on our experience of delivering large scale medical care in resource-poor settings. 2010 will also be a very interesting year in education. In the UK, education willremain at the forefront of government policy and will provide opportunities for ARK to develop its programmes in the UK as well as internationally.

Our vision is to continue to find new ways to transform children’s lives, well into the future.  ARK’s Board of Trustees is committed to maximising our impact. In 2009, we passed over the baton of chairing the ARK charity, from founding Chairman, Arki Busson, to Stanley Fink.  Arki continues as Chairman of ARK US. We are delighted to continue thecharity’s work together. ARK is not about either one of us. It is about the collective philanthropy of all of us.  ARK’s Trustees, Patrons, Donors, partners and staff continue to work together to deliver our dreams, for our common humanity.

Thank you for your continuing support.