Abraham's Children in Crisis
Charity that sponsored children in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, working with schools and hospitals in Beit Jala, Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Hebron and Ramallah; removed from the register in September 2026 as "Does not operate"
| Abraham's Children in Crisis
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Trust (removed) |
| Founded | 2014-11-13 (registered) |
| Dissolved | 2026-09-26 (removed from the register: Does not operate) |
| Registration ID | Registered charity 1159189 |
| Headquarters | Not recorded on the register (removed) |
| Area served | Israel, Occupied Palestinian Territories |
Abraham's Children in Crisis (ACIC) was a charitable trust established by a trust deed of 8 February 2014 and registered on 13 November 2014; it was removed from the register on 26 September 2026 as "Does not operate".[1] Its objects were the relief of children under 22 "PERMANENTLY LIVING IN THE HOLY LAND (ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES)" through the "SPONSORSHIP OF INDIVIDUAL CHILDREN", and the register lists Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories as its areas of operation.[2] In July 2024 the register listed three trustees: Ian Peter Mills (chair, from 8 February 2014), Pearl Saddington (from 19 November 2016) and Adam James Bushnell (from 8 February 2014).[3] An archived 2022 version of its website named Co-Patrons "Dr. Gervase Phinn & Khalid Massou" and listed six trustees, adding Maureen Bushnell (treasurer), Rev. Canon Dr. Sarah Hills and Michael Daglish; it said ACIC "relies totally on the sponsorship of children and also on general donations" and intended "never, to exceed fifty children in sponsorship at any one time".[4] The website described ACIC as "a small charity working in the Holy Land" that is "dedicated to helping children solely on the basis of need and not on the background or faith of the child".[5] The register's last figures, for the year to 31 July 2025, are income of £43,440 and spending of £43,612; those accounts were received on 2 June 2026, two days late.[1][2]
Objects and activities
The charity's registered objects read: "FOR THE PREVENTION AND RELIEF OF POVERTY, THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE RELIEF OF PHYSICAL OR MENTAL ILLNESS FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 22 YEARS, PERMANENTLY LIVING IN THE HOLY LAND (ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES) AND WHO ARE IN CRITICAL NEED, BY REASON OF ILL HEALTH, EXTREME FINANCIAL HARDSHIP OR OTHER DISADVANTAGE BY:MAKING GRANTS TO INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANISATIONS THROUGH SPONSORSHIP OF INDIVIDUAL CHILDREN TO PROVIDE OR ASSIST IN THE PROVISION OF WELFARE, EDUCATION AND MEDICAL CARE."[2]
The register describes its activities as: "Activities this year have been to support children who are living in the Holy Land by providing relief for those who currently may not be receiving help, who are in critical need because of extreme financial hardship, physical or mental illness / disability, abandonment, the death of one or both parents or family breakdown."[2]
Register classifications: Education/training, The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives, The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty.[2]
Areas of operation recorded on the register: Israel, Occupied Palestinian Territories.[2]
Trustees
The register extract holds no trustee records for removed charities.
Historical trustees (UK Government Web Archive)
| Capture date | Trustees listed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-01-13 | Maureen Bushnell (from 08 February 2014) – also trustee of Parochial School, Robert Crossman Public Library and Reading Room; Adam James Bushnell (from 08 February 2014); Revd. Canon Dr. Sarah Hills (from 24 August 2019) – also trustee of Holy Island Village Hall; Pearl Saddington (from 19 November 2016); Michael Daglish (from 24 August 2019); Ian Peter Mills (chair) (from 08 February 2014) | [6] |
The table above is from the January 2021 archived full print; the trustee names in the introduction come from the archived register page of July 2024 and the archived website. The website also lists advisers in the UK and the Holy Land, who are not named here.[3][4]
Finances
| Financial year end | Income | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-07-31 | £23,743 | £21,652 |
| 2022-07-31 | £21,789 | £24,828 |
| 2023-07-31 | £19,494 | £19,561 |
| 2024-07-31 | £37,284 | £34,131 |
| 2025-07-31 | £43,440 | £43,612 |
Source: register annual-return history.[2]
Funding in Israel
- No accounts are available, so spending by place cannot be given. The register records spending of £43,612 in the year to 31 July 2025.[2][7]
Israeli partners
The archived "Where we work" page (February 2026) lists: Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation ("A Hospital in Beit Jala"), Al Shurooq School ("A school in Beit Jala"), Holy Child Programme ("A school in Beit Sahour"), Caritas Baby Hospital, Lifegate ("in Beit Jala"), Jemima Beit Jala, Latin School ("A secondary school in Beit Jala"), Hope School ("A secondary school in Beit Jala"), St. Ephraim School ("in Bethlehem"), Bethlehem University, "Al Ahliya University, Bethlehem", Talitha Kumi School ("A secondary school in Beit Jala"), SOS Children's Village Bethlehem, Hebron Evangelical School and Latin School Ramallah. The page does not give amounts.[8]
Activity beyond the Green Line and support for the IDF
Findings are graded by confidence. "Partner" findings concern the Israeli recipient organisation, not proven use of UK funds.
| Finding | Confidence |
|---|---|
| The charity's objects refer to "THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES", and its website lists partner institutions in places it names as "Beit Jala", "Beit Sahour", "Bethlehem", "Hebron" and "Ramallah"; the sources do not give amounts per institution or classify the places in relation to the 1949 armistice line.[2][8] | High (partner institutions and towns named on the charity's website; amounts not given) |
Support for the IDF: No IDF or military funding is stated in the register entry or the archived website.[1][8]
Controversies and regulatory action
- No Charity Commission inquiry naming this charity was found; it is not named in the 2025–2026 cheque-cashing class-inquiry announcements or statement of results, and the charities in the August 2026 settlements class inquiry have not been named.[9][10][11][12][13] The register shows it as removed, giving the reason "Does not operate".[1]
- Removal soon after an active year. The register records income of £43,440 and spending of £43,612 for the year to 31 July 2025, with the accounts received on 2 June 2026; the charity was removed on 26 September 2026 as "Does not operate"; no source read for this profile explains the removal.[1][2]
Other registers and records
Scotland and Northern Ireland
No entry was found on the Scottish Charity Register for this charity (register export dated 14 October 2026, searched by name).[14] No entry was found on the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland register (API name searches returned zero results).[15]
The Gazette
Searches of The Gazette notice feeds (all notices, insolvency and company) for the charity's name found no insolvency, winding-up or strike-off notice.[16]
Grants recorded by 360Giving
No grants received or made by this charity are recorded in 360Giving data.[17]
Sanctions screening
The charity's name, its current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, trustees and officers named in the accounts read for this profile and (for charitable companies) its Companies House officers were screened against the UK Sanctions List and the OFSI Consolidated List. No match was found.[18]
Land and property
The register records that the charity does not own or lease land or property.[2] No title registers were purchased; the HM Land Registry interactive search blocked automated access.[19]
Parliament
Hansard exact-phrase searches for "Abraham's Children in Crisis", "ACIC" returned 0 contributions in total.[20]
Web archive
The UK Government Web Archive holds 2 archived Charity Commission register pages used in this profile (cited in the sections above). The 2021 archived full print showed the status "Charity reporting is up to date" and "Other regulators: No information available".[6]
External links
- No current official website.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Charity Commission, Abraham's Children in Crisis (1159189): full print Register of Charities, retrieved 16 October 2026 ("13 November 2014: Standard registration 26 September 2026: Removed (Does not operate)").
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities public extract (tables charity, charity_trustee, charity_annual_return_history, charity_area_of_operation, charity_classification, charity_other_names), extract dated 14 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Charity Commission, Abraham's Children in Crisis (1159189): trustees UK Government Web Archive, capture of 02/07/2024.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Abraham's Children in Crisis, About us acincrisis.weebly.com, Internet Archive Wayback Machine capture of 27/09/2022, viewed 16 October 2026.
- ↑ Abraham's Children in Crisis, Home acincrisis.weebly.com, Internet Archive Wayback Machine capture of 12/02/2026, viewed 16 October 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Register entry 1159189, full print (capture of 20210113) UK Government Web Archive.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Abraham's Children in Crisis (1159189): accounts and annual returns Register of Charities, viewed 16 October 2026 (removed charity; no accounts are available on the live register, and none were found in the UK Government Web Archive).
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Abraham's Children in Crisis, Where we work acincrisis.weebly.com, Internet Archive Wayback Machine capture of 12/02/2026, viewed 16 October 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator GOV.UK, 14 May 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator opens next phase of investigation into 105 charities connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 1 September 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator announces next charities to be investigated as part of inquiry connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 4 December 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator concludes investigation into 4 charities as class inquiry continues GOV.UK, 9 September 2026, with Statement of the results of a class inquiry (same date).
- ↑ Charity Commission, Charity regulator opens inquiry into charities working in illegal Israeli settlements GOV.UK, 5 August 2026 (a fact-finding statutory class inquiry initially involving 8 charities which "are not being publicly named at this time").
- ↑ Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Scottish Charity Register download OSCR, export dated 14 October 2026; keyword search of the 25 batch-24 charity names found no matching Scottish registration.
- ↑ Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Register of charities search API CCNI, searched 16 October 2026 (keyword searches for each of the 25 batch-24 charity names returned zero results).
- ↑ The Gazette: notices matching 'Abraham's Children in Crisis' The Gazette, searched 16 October 2026.
- ↑ 360Giving API: grants received by GB-CHC-1159189 360Giving, queried 16 October 2026.
- ↑ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK Sanctions List (CSV); Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets (ConList.csv). Batch-24 screening covered 264 name strings: the 25 charity names and their other names, current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, trustees, officers and other people named in the accounts and websites read for this batch, and the Companies House officers of the charitable companies; the only hits were generic words (such as "Trust", "Foundation", "Company Limited" in the names of corporate formation agents) and surname-only matches, which were rejected; no person matched. Screened 16 October 2026.
- ↑ HM Land Registry, Search for land and property information GOV.UK – the service returned HTTP 403 (bot protection) to automated access in October 2026; no titles were looked up or purchased. Candidate title numbers below come from the free CCOD / OCOD datasets (October 2026 release), not from paid title registers.
- ↑ UK Parliament, Hansard search API: contributions matching the exact phrase "Abraham's Children in Crisis" Hansard, queried 16 October 2026 (Spoken and Written endpoints; quoted-phrase search).