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Happy New Year!

Happy New and Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

03 January 2018

This week’s contents

• REVIEW 2017

• CONSUME TO REDUCE POVERTY IN 2018

• THE NEXT ISSUE OF FACS: The 58th Issue

• EIGHT CHALLENGES TO CHANGE AFRICA IN 2018

 

New Year, New Hope & New Relief

Again, Happy New Year and welcome back to Poverty Relief in 2018 and the Years ahead!

At the start of the year, the question one can ask themselves is what is the best way to start the year?  There is no a classic answer to this question.

Perhaps, the best way to start the year with CENFACS is look at what happened in 2017.  Possibly, we may or may not learn something about it.  But, it is still worth recalling 2017.  This is our Review 2017.

As we are already in January, this month is our month for Responsible Consumption following CENFACS development calendar.  It means that the theme for January is Sustainable Consumption and the monthly project carrying this theme is Consume to Reduce Poverty.  It is the month we act against consumption-based poverty and we deal with measures of poverty through consumption.  It is also an opportunity to act to preserve a good relationship between the way and products we consume and the reduction of climate change.

Much of what we do depends on the health of the UK economy and its direction.  This year, if we are allowed to say it, the UK economy may enter the transitional phase of Post-European Economic Integration; what we call Post-Regional Economic Integration Era.   As a result, we have provided an abstract of the next issue of CENFACS’ bilingual newsletter FACS; issue no. 58 to be entitled “Poverty Reduction in the Era of Transitional Economy of Post-Regional Economic Integration”.

A great deal of our work is as well linked to what is happening and may happen in Africa.  As such we need to look at beyond our lenses and sometimes to speculate about the future or simply the months or years ahead.  This is why we have identified some challenging trends for a better change in Africa in 2018, the EIGHT CHALLENGES THAT AFRICA FACES IN 2018 TO CHANGE.

This review shines a light into CENFACS’ work over the last twelve months from the 1st of January to the 31st of December 2017.  The current Review is presented to you as an informal summary of eleven voted projects and one programme that made 2017.  The selected projects and programme are the ones that had the most votes in terms of their influence on work and activities.  

XI Projects and One Programme that Made 2017 at CENFACS 

There are in no particular order as follows.

Consume to Reduce Poverty (CRP) and Climate Change

This project was influential in raising awareness and developing solutions in the form of poverty relief that focuses on buying and consumption issues – whenever the time makes it possible and for every step of life.  

CRP is designed for children, young people and families who are poor buyers and consumers to work with them and find out improved and cost-effective ways of extending freedom by spending wisely their little income and getting the most benefit of it in improving their lives. 

ACSDGs (African Children Climate and Sustainable Development Goals) or Generation 3 (3G) project

3G project is the impact level in CENFACS’ process of advocating that global goals work for children but not way around.  It is indeed the testing of the gains that global goals claim to achieve and of their impact on the welfare and well-being of children.

Women and Children projects (3W & PPS Reflection Day)

This is a protection project.  Our 2017 Reflection Day helped us to find ways of Reducing Information and Communication Poverty for Women and Children to Fully Participate in the Information Society

All in Development Stories (AiDS)

AiDS is a life story developing, telling, sharing and learning project set up by CENFACS in 2009 in order to give opportunities to volunteers, interns and other development supporters to inspire others and spread the good news and will of better change to the community.  The 2017 story telling was about Communications and Digital Stories, with some highlights on Elephant Stories.

7 Days of Development in July Festival (7DDJF)

The 9th edition of CENFACS’ Annual Event 7DDJF was held in 2017.  The theme for 2017 was on Science and Engineer Education for Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development.  It was about discussing cases for  educational systems that take science and engineering seriously in the process of ending poverty and enhancing sustainable development   The 9th event enabled us to think ways of raising levels of living for the poor through science and engineer education.

August Trends

Our integration theme of Track, Trip and Trending had its second year running.  Track focused on running, Trip on projects visiting and Trending on following the direction of poverty relief (we followed the direction of fake economy in 2017).  The three of them were popular in subjects within the CENFACSPHERE and the CENFACS Community

Halving Poverty

Set up in February 2012 as the 2015-2030 Campaign, Halving Poverty is a CENFACS’ child protection and safeguarding advocacy work.  It is indeed a linking and coordinating mobilization project of action that helps empower beneficiaries against multi-dimensional poverty and hardship.  The 2017 advocacy was on Halving the Number of Children Vulnerable to Air Pollution.

A la Une (Autumn Leaves of Action to Upkeep the Nature in Existence) Campaign

A la Une is an environmental advocacy project aiming at reducing poverty while protecting the physical world and everything in it.  It is about exploring ways of using less natural resources to reduce poverty while caring for the plants, animals, mountains, oceans and rivers, stars, seas etc.  In doing so, we can help meet poor people’s own poverty-relieving and development goals while working to achieve the global goals and targets for sustainable development and carbon free world. 

Our Autumn 2017 work on nature was a fivefold leaves of action of protection of Animals, Waters (e.g. oceans, lakes, rivers and seas), Air, Plants and Climate (weather)

Making Memorable Difference (MMD)

MMD is a two-day event of Awareness, Thought and Recognition set up by CENFACS in 2009 to celebrate the Black History Month in our own way and feeling while preserving the tradition linked to this remembrance and standing on the shoulders of similar celebrations.  The 2017 dedicated two days (27 and 28 October) were of search on the Communicators of the African History.  We investigate on their contribution to Africa’s transformative development since the colonial era.

Climate Protection and Stake for African Children (CPSAC) – Phase 2

CPSAC – P.2 is our rebranded international child protection project helping to further up CENFACS’ process of advocating better climate deals for children.  CPSAC is the Phase 2 of CENFACS’ Climate Talks Follow-up project.  The 2017 follow-up activity was WHAT BONN SAY, that is we followed the climate talks in Bonn.

Women & Children FIRST Development Day (WCFDD)

Since its inception in 2010, the WCFDD provides an opportunity and scope to communicate CENFACS’ anti-poverty work/message and the need to develop new ideas and proposals, and improve practices to enable us to enhance the quality of life of multi-dimensionally-deprived women and children.  Our 2017 Development Day did not miss this opportunity by putting our thoughts on ways of Ending Poverty in all its forms for Women and Children everywhere

Communicating for Better Change Programme (CBCP)

This programme was originally set up in 2007 by CENFACS to respond to the need of developing and maintaining effective communication between CENFACS, her Africa-based Sister Organisations and UK stakeholders so that we can together share skills, best practice and experience in the process of delivering better change and ensuring a better quality of life for all.  Through this programme a better exchange and flow of information on poverty and development matters was meant to be established. 

As 2017 was dedicated as the Year of Communications, this programme was influential in most the activities and projects we undertook.

For further details about this Review or any of the above mentioned projects and programme, please contact CENFACS.

We cannot end this review without thanking all those who helped us to achieve what we managed to achieve. 

To all our supporters, we simply say thank you very much and wish you a Happy New Year!

 

Consume to Reduce Poverty (CRP) is our users’ New Year supporting information and accompanying booster that focuses on Buying and Consumption elements conducive to the reduction of poverty and hardship.  It is indeed a complimentary support to our Autumn Festive Income Boost resource.  The Festive Income Boost is an income-generating resource while CRP brings in a consumption-led look in our fight against poverty.  The next issue (issue no. 6) of CRP which will be Online Shopping ad Buying will expand on this.

For further details about CRP project, go to http://cenfacs.org.uk/services-activities/

 

Abstract of the 58th Issue of FACS:

REDUCING POVERTY IN THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD OF POST-REGIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

Reducing poverty in the transitional period of post-regional economic integration is a compliment and continuation of our work on post-regional economic development.  It is an additional to the Issue no.55 of FACS of Spring 2017 which was on “African Organisations in the Post-Regional Economic Development Times”.

The Issue no.55 dealt with potential challenges that African Organisations may or may not encounter when the post-regional economic integration is fully functioning.  Additionally, the Issue no. 58 is concerned with transitional economics; in other words how poverty could still be reduced by African Organisations during the transitional period before the full implementation of post-regional economic integration policy or strategy.

Indeed, when countries which were in a particular REI (Regional Economic Integration) scheme and leave for any particular reason, there could be a transitional period between leaving and remaining countries.  Their economies may go to a transitional phase to adjust to the new reality.  Transition may or may not apply to voluntary organisations having to deal with either the leavers or staying countries or even both of them.

During this transitional period, the business of poverty reduction will continue, perhaps in a different shape and content which may depend on many factors such as

• The terms of separation between leavers and remaining countries

• The financial settlement, if any, between leavers and remaining countries

• The level of influence of REI on voluntary organisations

• The environment in which voluntary organisations operate

• The degree of protection that voluntary organisations have

• The effects of transitional economics on voluntary organisations etc

Focusing on the effects of transitional economics, the key or central theme that the Issue no. 58 is dealing with is how transition affects CENFACS as an organisation and its stakeholders (like Africa-based Sister Organisations) on the first part.  On the second part, what CENFACS can do in order to play its game well and make the most of its life from the transition into the full period of the REI?

To find out or reserve a copy of FACS  Issue no. 58, contact CENFACS.

 

EIGHT CHALLENGES FOR A CHANGE IN AFRICA IN 2018

Eight Areas to watch in 2018 for Poverty Relief and Development in Africa

At the beginning of the year, the byzantine question which comes every year is how to start better and do better during the New Year from what we have been doing/taking as a course of actions to deal with a particular problem (for example poverty). 

How to start and do better means that there may some challenges that we need to find.  There are many challenges that Africa faces which each institution and or person can identify. 

We have selected eight areas in which we think that, if properly dealt with, there could a better change for those in need.   These are areas to watch for poverty relief and development in Africa. 

We do not assume these selected challenges are the most important.  They include the following.

1. Poverty Reduction Movements

The need and demand of poverty reduction movements (or what others call freedom movements) are far from being met by the governance currently in charge.  The struggle against poverty has better expressed the fight for freedom as happened in Zimbabwe in Autumn 2017.  In others words, the fight for freedom from poverty will continue to be the preoccupation of these movements.

Challenge 1: The struggle for freedom means today in Africa a fight against poverty

2. Social development

The focus on the need to put people first in development processes is still a major challenge in Africa.  The capacity of African states to deal with exclusion, unaccountable institutions, vulnerability etc. is still under challenge.  Committing to development processes that benefit poor people (through fair income distribution, social security networks, job creation, fair elections  etc.) so that they contribute in a positive way to their family, community and country; has still a long way to go.

Challenge 2: Putting people first in development processes

3. African Regional Economic Communities (ARECs)

The ARECs have managed to create a rapprochement between African economies in terms of free movements of people, labour and capital.  They have also increase cross border trades.  However, they still lack resources, capacity and solidarity to significantly affect poverty and deliver on their agendas.

Challenge 3: Lack of capacity for African Regional Economic Communities to significantly reduce poverty and hardships

4. Work and pay recognition

Often people speak about full employment and job creation in Africa as development goals.   What people tend to forget or not to argue about is that there are millions of people in Africa who work but do not get pay.  People work but for various reasons, they get lowly paid or the pay is delayed for months or they do not get paid at all or simply their work (like domestic and domiciliary works) is not recognised as rewarding occupation as such.  This is let alone the insurance and pension schemes without forgetting the informal and voluntary sectors as well. 

Challenge 4: What do people call in their minds work and pay?

5. Renewal of Poverty Relief Approaches and Ideologies

Most of approaches to poverty reduction are based on what a clan, a tribe, a religion and an ethnic group can do for people.  There is overreliance of people on clans, tribes, ethnic groups and religions to deal with their poverty problems.  The Post-independence Nation-states have never been forged as such to create a melting pot society with a true referential national identity with a national perception of poverty and its potential remedies. 

The formation and life of any political party is based on an ideology and the perception they have on the society as a whole.  On the contrary, in Africa political parties are based on clans, ethnicity, tribes, religions etc.  As such they fail to cross the boundaries of clans, tribes, religions etc. to the extent that they become blocking forces to truly Post-independence African Nation-States.  This lack of pure political ideology and practice that focus on the State and or market forces and solutions to reduce poverty fail to make big strides on the road to poverty reduction.

Challenge 5: How to fix African Nation-states, promote a pure political ideology and make the State accountable for national poverty

6. Integrating and mainstreaming child and women protections

The protection of vulnerable and poor children and women at all levels of society continues to be one of the most unsolved problems of our time.  There has been some progress on child protection policies and gender development matters and policies.  However, the experience of everyday life shows in Africa that more need to be done in terms of training and educating people on this area of protection and safeguarding.

Challenge 6: How to integrate the protection of children and women into all areas of life and work; and possibly to create a ministry of protections

7. Climate finance and insurance

The weather continues to be a challenge especially for agriculture and rural areas.  Long periods of drought have caused the displacement of people, loss of livelihoods and reduction of food reserves. To meet the climate goal targets and the cost of reducing the adverse impacts of climate change, it requires finances and insurances for the poor.  Poor people, especially those from developing countries of Africa, need financial help to transit to low-carbon economy and way of life.  Likewise, they need insurance against the impacts and effects of adverse climate change. 

Challenge 7: How to make global climate finance and insurance work for the poor 

8. Energy policy to protect the vulnerable and poor

The cost of accessing sustainable and clean energy is beyond reach for the poor.  The cost of energy consumption takes most of poor people’s household budgets to the extent it often leads to energy poverty and precariousness.   Yet, like anybody poor and vulnerable people have been asked to use clean energy and to reduce indoor and outdoor air pollution from the kinds of energy they use by doing something about the nitrogen dioxide per cubic meter of air (µg/m³) imposed to protect public health.

Challenge 8: Reduce energy poverty in Africa

One can think that if the above challenges are properly dealt with there could a push for better change for poor people, especially those living in Africa. 

We know that most of the above challenges require more years than just 2018.  However, if progress can be made on them, there could be a better change in Africa.

We would like ask to our readers-supporters to watch and monitor those selected areas in this 2018 and beyond. 

As far as CENFACS is concerned, we will do what we can and it takes us in our capacity and limitations to continue to work with those who are interested in and willing to reduce and end poverty so that 2018 can be a year of improved outcomes of poverty reduction both in quality and quantity of intervention.

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support in 2018.

With many thanks!

 

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