Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!
17 June 2020
Post No. 148
The Week’s Contents
• Research and Development for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development
• Art and Design for Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development
• Boosting Africa’s Healthcare Capabilities by Shadowing the Epidemiological Curves of the Coronavirus Pandemic
… and much more!
Key Messages
~ Research and Development for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development
In the main screen representing our Creative Economic Development Month, Research and Development as a function is one of the six windows although we have not yet spoken about it. This week, we would like to explain a bit how research and development contributes to our Creative Economic Development Month.
At the moment, the research and development work we are conducting is about two spheres of operation. Our first field of interest is whether or not Covid-19 causes poverty. The second one is about whether or not Covid-19 causes the delay or prevents the progress of the realisation of sustainable development goals.
Under the Main Development section of this post, you find more details about Research and Development for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development within the context of and under the constraint of Covid-19.
~ Art and Design for Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development
As part of the Creative Economic Development Month, we also run Art and Design for Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development as a project. One of the activities related to this project for this year would be to construct and post cards or objects as an expression of stopping the decline of existing arable land to echo the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. They are two themes for 2020 card design.
# Themes for 2020 Card Design
We have two themes for card design this year: (a) Stop the decline of existing arable land, and (b) recycling of Covid-19 personal and protective equipment.
Theme 1: Stopping the decline of existing arable land
In order to resonate the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, those who wish and want can design a paper card (p-card) or electronic card (e-card) to feature the following:
√ Reduction of desertification
√ Stoppage of land degradation
√ Recovering and restoration of degraded lands
Theme 2: Sustainable recycling of Covid-19 protective items
You can as well design a p-card or e-card to educate people about a better way of recycling Covid-19 personal and protective equipment (such as disposable face coverings, plastic gloves, empty disinfecting plastic bottles, etc.).
# Making and Sending a p-Card or e-Card
For those who are trying to design and send a paper card (p-card) or an electronic card (e-card) as a way of participating in the Creative Economic Development month, please make sure that the poverty relief or sustainability message you are conveying is without confusion.
When designing a card, it is better that your art or design …
√ contributes to inclusive and sustainable development goals
√ is a driver and enabler of sustainable development processes
√ is evidence-based as an expression of realities
√ is capable of leading to new pathways for creative economy
√ reflects on creative economic development
√ connects with the different sectors of creative economy
√ is conducive to new opportunities for sustainable development
√ is supportive of learning and innovation for poverty relief and sustainable development
√ opens up a possibility of a model of working together
√ touches climate change issues (such as plastic pollution)
√ deals with sustainability issues (like conservation of the nature)
√ develops culture of poverty relief and sustainable development
√ builds harmonious relationships with the nature
To create and send your card or support CENFACS’ Creative Economic Development month, contact CENFACS.
To support and or enquire about Art and Design for Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development, contact CENFACS.
~ Boosting Africa’s Healthcare Capabilities by Shadowing the Epidemiological Curves of the Coronavirus Pandemic
Boosting Africa’s healthcare capabilities is the continuation of our Covid-19 Campaign and of our advocacy on Rebuilding Africa. In the Covid-19 Campaign, we are still in phase 2 of Impact Monitoring and Evaluation, whereas for the Rebuilding Africa advocacy we are in ascending phase in shadowing the epidemiological curses (“epi-curves”) of Covid-19 in Africa.
As Covid-19 spread is accelerating in some parts of Africa, there is a need to keep our Covid-19 Campaign and Rebuilding Africa Advocacy on track by shadowing the “epi-curves” in advocating the boosting of Africa’s healthcare capabilities.
Boosting Africa’s Healthcare Capabilities may not help to stop the acceleration of Covid-19, but it can enable the control of its multi-dimensional impacts while saving lives and African economies. However, what do mean by healthcare capabilities? To understand that let us first clarify the notion of capabilities.
# Healthcare capabilities
We are referring to Amarthya Sen’s Capabilites Approach. Sen (1) defines capabilities as
“the freedom that a person has in terms of the choice of functionings, given his personal features (conversion of characteristics into functionings) and his command over commodities”.
He also defines functionings as
“what a person does (or can do) with the commodities of given characteristics that they come to possess or control”.
Through the notion of Sen’s capabilities, we are advocating about finding ways of expanding healthcare choices in African societies and people in order to win the battle against Covid-19.
# Boosting Africa’s Healthcare Capabilities
It is known that the majority of African countries had weak healthcare capabilities before Covid-19 reached Africa. Since the preparation against the coronavirus started in Africa, there have been some efforts to build essential capabilities for healthcare or the capability to be healthy for Africans. This has been done knowing the financial, structural and infrastructural challenges these countries face.
The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases reported to the World Health Organisation has passed from 155,762 on 12 June 2020 to 181,903 on 16 June 2020. As this number of confirmed cases of coronavirus is increasing, it makes sense to advocate for a boost in Africa’s healthcare capabilities.
This boost will help to minimize Covid-19 constraints and cases while avoiding devastating impacts. It could mean matching the rate of acceleration or growth of Covid-19 spread with the rate of increase in healthcare capabilities. In that matching exercise, it is better to strive to push Covid-19 spread to a decelerating trend.
May be one can learn from what happened in the past. In the last 10 years, Africa had enjoyed higher levels of economic growth. However, very little of these high levels went to health and education. As development economists argue, economic growth is not development. None of any of African countries did allocate at least 1% of its Gross Domestic Product to health. So, to keep tight control over the battle against Covid-19, boosting Africa’s healthcare capabilities could be one of the viable options.
For any queries and enquiries about the Boosting of Africa’s Healthcare Capabilities, please contact CENFACS.
(1) Amarttya Sen, Commodities and Capabilities (Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1985) and Development as Freedom (New York: Knopf, 1999)
Extra Messages
~ Support the Economies of Africa-based Sister Organisations during the Sanitary Crisis through the Coronavirus-related Organisational Relief Programme (CrORP)
Since we launched the CrORP in April 2020 as part of a series of CENFACS’ responses to the economic fallout from the Covid-19 shock and disturbance, we did not undertake any fundraising campaign about it. As the number of Covid-19 confirmed cases and fatalities keep growing in Africa, there is a need to appeal to those who can to support and work with Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) in order for them to erect adaptation and mitigation strategies as well as capacity to manage the Covid-19 shock and consequences.
CrORP is a programme conceived to provide essential humanitarian assistance to those ASOs affected by the coronavirus by helping them now and after once the coronavirus pandemic crisis is gone so that they can maintain and expand their not-for-profit services. In this respect, the programme will help them to adjust and remain active and robust in front of the coronavirus pandemic.
In brief, the CrORP is about supporting ASOs to manage the long term impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and ensure that they continue their work towards poor and vulnerable people.
CENFACS would like to appeal to those who can to donate, pledge and make a gift declaration so that we can together support the coronavirus-stricken voluntary African organisations during and after this global health.
Your donation or pledge or gift will help to Support the Economies of Africa-based Sister Organisations during the Sanitary Crisis.
To donate or pledge or make a gift, just contact CENFACS.
~ World Anti-Poverty System (WAS): How Covid-19 Makes the Idea of an International System for Poverty Reduction even more Relevant
The international development community does not need Covid-19 to understand the relevancy of an International System for Poverty Reduction (ISPR). What the world needs is to have an ISPR to avoid the domino effects of a global crisis like Covid-19 on the world’s poor. The world may not be able to avoid the eruption of unpredicted crisis; but it can have a system designed to deal with global poverty at all times (including at a time of crisis and of peace).
In fact, leaders of the world’s nations (rich or poor, in Africa or anywhere else) have shown that it is possible to deal with economic and health threats and damages posed by the coronavirus pandemic. If they are able to do so, then they should be capable to deal with poverty and hardships within a collectively designed international framework. They do not need a gigantic crisis to remind them the necessity to have an ISPR.
Covid-19 has revealed how economic, health and social systems across the world (and mostly in Africa) were weak or fragile to deal with poverty induced by the same Covid-19, let alone the weaknesses in many healthcare systems that the same Covid-19 has exposed.
An ISPR would have made easier many responses to Covid-19 regarding poverty and hardships, such as:
√ Communications between Coronavirus-hit developing countries
√ Reduction or limitation of the Covid-19 impacts on the poor quickly and dramatically
√ Facilitation of lockdowns and protection measures (such as physically and socially distancing rules)
√ Smooth transition from lockdowns to reopening of economies
√ Better protection of the poor and vulnerable
√ Reduction of asymmetrical or differentiated effects caused by the lockdowns between people
√ Cutting down of the costs of financial bailout to the poor
√ Easy collection and exchange of data about poverty across the world
√ Minimisation of financial pressure on developing economies
Etc.
All these could have been achieved while still saving lives.
Indeed, each time a poor economy massively borrows to meet the cost of crisis like Covid-19, it means an additional cost on future generations and poor people of this economy. Whereas, if there was an ISPR in which poverty is constantly monitored and evaluated; measures would be taken in a coordinated way at international and global levels to better control poverty. There would be better progress on poverty reduction than it is now. Developing countries, including those of Africa, would have been in a better position to control the life-threatening and -destroying impacts of Covid-19.
So, Covid-19 makes the idea of an International System for Poverty Reduction even more Relevant today and tomorrow. The world and Africa in it would have been a better place to fight the far-reaching impacts of Covid-19 on the poor and vulnerable.
To enquire or support the idea of a World Anti-poverty System or International System for Poverty Reduction, please contact CENFACS.
~ Covid-19 and Poverty Relief through the Technology of Screens
On the agenda for this week is also the discussion within CENFACS’ be.africa about the disputable impacts of display technologies (such as screens) on poverty reduction.
The question that we are trying to answer through our thoughts this week is the following:
Does the screen (e.g. TV, mobile phone, PC monitor, tablet, laptop, camera, electronic paper, desktop, etc. screens) can help to reduce poverty?
During the lockdowns and in many occasions of life, people stay longer on any screens of devises such as TV, mobile phone, camera, laptop, watch, tablet, monitor or desktop, etc. Can these screens help to reduce poverty? If they can, can Africa get more of these screens to help people reduce poverty?
Please tell CENFACS’ be.africa what you think.
Main Development
• Research and Development for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development
Before looking at how research and development as a function contributes to our Creative Economic Development Month and to Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development within the context and under the constraint of Covid-19, let us define research and development.
• • Basic understanding of research and development
We are going to refer to the dictionary definition of research and development as given by Christopher Pass, Bryan Lowes and Leslie Davies in their Dictionary of Economics. Pass et al (2) define research and development as
“any scientific investigation leading to the discovery of new techniques and products (INVENTION) and their commercial application (INNOVATION), together with the refinement and improvement of existing technologies and products. Research and development is both an important factor contributing to the competitive strength of the individual firm and, nationally, in promoting a higher rate of economic growth”. (p. 454)
This economic definition can be extended to not-for-profit organisations in which discoveries and applications of discoveries happen. Research and development can contribute to the strength of charitable organisations and in promoting their work of for example poverty reduction and sustainable development.
In this particular time of Covid-19 outbreak, charitable and voluntary organisations may need to discover new techniques and products in order to meet the needs of their beneficiaries and stay on the top of the poverty-relieving game or their aims and objectives.
They also have to do research and development to find alternative and innovative ways to fund their activities and services since economies are undergoing into recessionary period.
They further need to make sure that their discoveries are applicable and can contribute to their own strength and locally in promoting for example poverty reduction, sustainable development, etc.
At this exceptional time of Covid-19, research and development can be any activity of discoveries and innovations that charitable organisations can do to save and protect lives. Those that are well equipped and take medical issues as their core activity can even discover a new medicine and vaccine against the Covid-19. The other ones that are not involved in the fields of discovery and innovation of new medicine and vaccine can still discover and innovate solutions to deal with issues related to the negative impacts of Covid-19.
For example, CENFACS is trying to create and innovate poverty reduction fixes and sustainable development enhancements to respond to the Covid-19 challenge.
• • Research and development at CENFACS
The function of research and development (R&D) is important within CENFACS. This is because we can only help to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development if we are able to undertake research and develop solutions together with local people to poverty reduction and to the enhancement of sustainable development. In this respect, the kinds of research and development work we do are related to the core activities of poverty reduction and sustainable development.
In the context of this year’s Creative Economic Development Month, we are focusing on research and development related to coronavirus-induced poverty and hardships on the one hand, and the delay or prevention caused by Covid-19 in the progress of the realisation of sustainable development goals.
• • • Research and development on Covid-19 as a cause of poverty
Our R&D on Covid-19 induced poverty and hardships is about finding out whether Covid-19 has caused poverty and hardships or its consequences (like lockdowns and measures such as physical and social distancing rules) have caused poverty or not. Our R&D is based on the causality and attribution approach as part of the theory of change we are using.
In other words, what cause poverty within the context of and under the constraint of Covid-19? Does Covid-19 cause poverty or not? How much poverty can be attributable to Covid-19? With the outbreak of Covid-19, are we in the new Age of poverty?
These are the questions our research and development activity is trying to answer, although times and times we speak about coronavirus-induced poverty and hardships.
• • • Research and development on Covid-19 as delaying or preventive factor of sustainability
Since we work on sustainable development, researching whether or not Covid-19 can cause delay or prevent the progress of the realisation of sustainable development goals is our additional interest at the moment.
Covid-19 has far-reaching impacts. One of these impacts is perhaps the altering or prevention from the poor people to make progress in the realisation of the United Nations 17 sustainable development goals.
We can even narrow our research to find out which goals amongst the 17 ones have been delayed or prevented at the moment to be achieved. The impacts and effects of Covid-19 in terms of lockdowns and other security and protection measures (such as physical and social distancing rules to control the virus) have contributed to the slowdown of the progress of the realisation of sustainable development goals amongst our beneficiaries. However, we need data (textual and numerical) to back our research and development.
Briefly, we are conducting research and development on Covid-19 as both a cause of poverty and as delaying/preventive factor of sustainability. We are doing it using the causality and attribution approach. This R&D, which is undertaken during the Creative Economic Development Month and after, is also part of our Campaign of Resilience against Covid-19 (the Covid-19 Campaign).
In both studies of the causality and attribution linked to Covid-19, quantitative and qualitative techniques and methods can be used. For example, quantitative techniques and methods can be used to test if there is a correlation between Covid-19 and poverty. The same or similar techniques and methods can also be used to determine the relationships between Covid-19 and the progress of the realisation of sustainable development goals.
For further details and or enquiries about this R&D activity, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.
(2) Christopher Pass, Bryan Lowes and Leslie, Dictionary of Economics, 1988, HarperCollins Publishers, London
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With many thanks.
