Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!
15 September 2021
Post No. 213
The Week’s Contents
• Autumn of Freshness to Build Forward Better
• Autumn Programme with Starting XI Projects/Campaign to Build Forward Better
• Blue Spaces-focused Note for Week Beginning 13/09/2021: Reduction of Sea-level Rise Impacts on the Coastal Poor in Africa
… And much more!
Key Messages
• Autumn of Freshness to Build Forward Better
This Autumn 2021, we are going to gradually start to return the nature of our Autumn, which is of Freshness or Fresh Start. This is because last year, our Autumn lost its true nature due to the unbearable impacts of the coronavirus and associated containment measures.
We have already accepted and integrated the coronavirus pandemic in our mind sets as the 1960s theory of the five stages of grief or model of change curve by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross (1) tells us. We have accepted that change is inevitable; so we could now return to where we were before the coronavirus with changes rather than against them. We can now move on. If this is the case, what Autumn is about for us?
Autumn is the time of natural recycling process of plants and trees. Leaves change colour and fall. Without reinventing the wheels, we can say that Autumn of Freshness at CENFACS is the season after the long sunny weather and break of Summer during which our body and mind naturally recycle and engage in renewed energy, strength and thoughts.
Autumn of Freshness is the season of
∝ making fresh start after returning back from Summer to resume our life routine, work, education and voluntary work, particularly poverty relief one
∝ restarting after having some life and/or work experience (e.g. voluntary work or experience over the Summer, project visits, holiday trips, tourism, travel/expeditions of all kinds, etc.)
∝ beginning to apply or introduce and share those new experiences, ideas and discoveries we had during the Summer break or holiday
∝ novelty, creativity and innovation to try to resolve the old, new, challenging and emerging issues of poverty and hardships
This Autumn will be of Freshness or Fresh Start to Build Forward Better Together. It will be of working together with our local people to build forward better from the side effects of the coronavirus and lockdowns. This building process started since last March when we published the underlying principles of our Build Forward Better Programme. During this Autumn, we are going to continue to apply these principles.
So, we are going to work together to build forward from where we were before the coronavirus pandemic struck, and where possible, we will introduce new initiatives. Therefore, the key words and phrases for our sharing and engaging contents over this Autumn are Freshness or Fresh Start to Build Forward Better; words and phrases which will underpin all our work over this period.
• Autumn Programme with Starting XI Projects/Campaign to Build Forward Better
Report, Refresh, Renew, Develop and Thrive with Fresh Start Projects from the Autumn Programme
Autumn of Freshness is about working together with our users and stakeholders through helpful collection of Fresh Start projects blended together to give a new seasoned leaf of relief during this Autumn and Year of Leaves.
These projects will implement new and improved ways of working with local people to meet changing needs mainly led by the persisting adverse effects of the coronavirus pandemic in a new era and landscape of poverty reduction and development policies.
The Autumn 2021 Fresh Start Programme is made of
(a) Build Forward Better skills, tips, hints, tweaks and hacks
(b) Transformative experiences
(c) The Season’s appeal to stand up again against poverty and hardships
(d) A Slice of Africa’s history
(e) A post-vaccine and post-testing COVID-19 campaign
(f) Blue and green realignments of initiatives to the principles of greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals and targets
(g) Build Forward thoughts and inspirations for a coronavirus-free poverty relief and development agenda
All this is flavoured with hopes, dreams and reasons to believe in the future; a poverty-free, sustainable and coronavirus-free world.
So, the line up for CENFACS’ Build Forward Starting XI Projects and Campaign (or Build Forward Better Projects) for this Autumn is as follows:
(1) Women, Children and Foresight Skills
(2) Literacy and Numeracy Skills for Debt and Deficit Management – NEW
(3) Guide for Investing in African Not-for-profit Organisations – NEW
(4) Making Memorable Difference with the Congolese “Rumba”
(5) Build Forward Better Flora and Fauna
(6) Advice that Includes Leaves – NEW
(7) “A la Une” (Autumn Leaves of Action for the Upkeep of the Nature in Existence)
(8) International Advice Service
(9) Help to Build Forward Better
(10) Campaign to End COVID-19-induced Poverty
(11) Autumn Humanitarian Relief Appeal
For more on these projects, read below under the Main Developments section of this post.
• Blue Spaces-focused Note for Week Beginning 13/09/2021: Reduction of Sea-level Rise Impacts on the Coastal Poor in Africa
In Africa, poverty is also found amongst certain peoples living in the coastal zones. Not everybody who lives in coastal areas is rich. When sea levels rise in those areas, the adverse impacts could be stronger amongst these African coastal poor than others. To understand this, we are going to briefly highlight the following two points: impacts of sea level rise on African coastal poor people and the reduction of its impacts on these coastal poor people.
• • Impacts of Sea Level Rise on African Coastal Poor
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (2) argues that “about 56% of the coastlines in Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Togo are eroding and this is expected to worsen in the future”.
This coastal erosion could be the result of sea level rise. Sea-level rises, which are part of climate change, affect people living in poverty. If you are poor and lives by the sea, you would be even more affected by sea-level rises than what some would have thought. They also deepen inequality where they happen.
Generally speaking, African coastal countries have very tiny resources to cope with the level of damages that sea level rise can cause. Let alone, what environmental events (such as flooding, drought, storm surges, heavy rain falls and so on) can create. Sea-level rises can create refugees, displaced persons, homeless, migrants, orphan and abandoned children, etc. This is without forgetting other damages like environmental ones (e.g. soil salinity and contamination of plants and crops).
For example, in 2019 when sea level rose in the Western coast of Africa (from Mauritania to Cameroon), coastal poor were mostly affected than others. In the same year, sea-level rise happened in Senegal (particularly in Saint-Louis) and destroyed houses and crops as well as flooded streets. The most sufferers were the poorest ones.
Yet, it is possible to reduce the impacts of sea level rises on the African coastal poor. How?
• • Reduction of the Impacts of Sea Level Rise on Africa’s Coastal Poor
There are both general and specific initiatives that can be undertaken to reduce the impacts of sea level rise on the African coastal poor. Without distinguishing general from specific initiatives, let us number the following:
√ Support of those poor people working in the tourism industry as flooding and erosion can put off tourists
√ Repairing damages caused by coastal flood and erosion for those (coastal poor) who cannot afford the cost of repair
√ Compensation for agriculturalists’, pastoralists’ and farmers’ livelihoods as their land can be contaminated by high salt from sea water
√ Helping coastal poor to access safe drinking water and sanitation
√ Rehousing or rebuilding homes for coastal flood-related homeless
√ Providing health and healthcare-related support to the stricken coastal poor
√ Recreating income-generative activities and capacities for coastal economic inactive people because of coastal floods
Etc.
Additionally, coastal Africa-based Sister Organisations can help by working with local coastal poor to alleviate many of these issues, including developing policies and strategy with coastal people so as to minimise or reduce the adverse impacts of future flooding and erosion like it happened in Senegal.
The above is our second note for the Blue Spaces. To add your input and or enquire about this second note, please contact CENFACS.
Extra Messages
• Happiness and Healthiness Journal, Creative Activity No. 6: Create Your Journal of Freedom to Choose
The last episode of our Summer series of Journal of Happiness and Healthiness is about Freedom to Choose.
Indeed, the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and other factors have restricted the choice one can make about their happiness and healthiness over Summer 2021. To reflect these restrictions, one can create or write a journal of freedom or the lack of freedom for the things that have made them to feel happy, healthy and free during this Summer 2021. Alternatively, one can consider writing a journal of the things that have made them unhappy, unhealthy and confined this Summer 2021.
Since, the work of CENFACS is on poverty reduction, one can as well think of writing a journal that explains the freedom and ability they have to choose solutions to reduce or end poverty and hardships. Such a journal can include things like being able to choose items within the basic necessities of life (e.g. kinds of food, shelter, education, information, health, etc.).
You can create your journal for any aspects of Summertime linked to freedom to choose. You can explain your experiences, feelings and thoughts in terms of happiness and healthiness about freedom to choose over this Summer of enduring COVID-19.
In short, you can create or write a journal of the following:
∝ Things that have made you to feel happy, healthy and free over this Summer 2021
∝ Things that have made you unhappy, unhealthy and confined over this Summer 2021
∝ Explaining the freedom and ability you have to choose solutions to reduce or end poverty and hardships over this Summer 2021.
You can share with the community your experience of happiness and healthiness regarding the freedom to choose. This can be recorded in your journal and be shared by the end of Summer 2021.
To share the contents of your happiness and healthiness journal relating to happy, healthy and free livelihoods during this Summer 2021 as well as to help build a better Summer holiday experience, you can contact CENFACS.
• Starting or Renewing your Involvement with CENFACS’ Work this Autumn 2021
The beginning of every season is an opportunity either to continue to do the things we always do as they work or to think of taking on new initiatives in the new season or to do both. Likewise, in times of post-crisis like the post-coronavirus pandemic there are not only damages to account about and reparations to do; there are as well opportunities and possibilities to do things differently. One can use the opportunity of the post-COVID-19 crisis to change things. One way of doing it is to start or continue to build forward. There are many ways in which one can build forward better this Autumn.
For example, one can use the opportunity after the COVID-19 crisis and rethink on the types of organisations and projects they support. One may find appropriate to start or increase or even reduce their support to a particular development cause. One could also think of getting involved in CENFACS’ work or renewing their commitment to it if they have ever got involved in it before. The decision is theirs.
Under the Main Developments section of this post, we have spelled out various ways in which one can enhance CENFACS’ cause and make a useful impact on poverty alleviation with us.
• Analytics-based Solutions to Poverty via Triple Value Initiatives (All-Year Round Projects)
Our experience of tracking data about the Triple Value Initiatives (or All-year Round Projects) and of studying the relationships between the three of them (Play, Run and Vote projects) continues this Autumn 2021. We are analysing possible correlations between the different sets of data from these projects and carrying out predictions of probable events from them.
The aim of this data tracking exercise is to combine data about them to generate an increased or add-on relief against poverty and hardships. We are indeed conducting analytics-based solutions to poverty via these three initiatives. In other words, we are exploring and interpreting meaningful data about them in order to drive good decisions on poverty reduction.
It would be highly appreciated that for the running of this tracking data exercise, those who have managed to undertake the three of them to share information relating to them. The data to be shared could be qualitative and/or quantitative.
With data tracked, we will be able to discover if there are some interactions or correlations between them. Our analysis will not stop there, we will as well study the patterns in data collected and treated.
For further details about this data tracking and or to communicate your actions-results about these projects, please contact CENFACS.
En ce temps du coronavirus durable, vous pouvez ensemble avec le CENFACS…
∝ Accéder aux moyens pour mieux construire vers l’avant
∝ Participer à notre appel humanitaire saisonnier
∝ Renouveler vos idées et inspirations
∝ Acquérir et prendre part à des expériences transformatrices
∝ Apprendre et partager une tranche de l’histoire africaine
∝ Continuer à combattre le COVID-19 et ses effets durables
Pour aider à réduire la pauvreté et mieux construire vers l’avant, svp contactez le CENFACS.
Main Development
• Autumn Programme with Starting XI Projects to Build Forward Better (Build Forward Better Projects)
The XI projects we are talking about will allow us to start our overall Autumn Season’s poverty reduction campaign. This is why we call them as Starting XI Projects or Campaign.
Please find below key highlights of these projects making CENFACS’ Autumn 2021 of Building Forward Better.
11 PROJECTS TO BUILD FORWARD BETTER: 11 WAYS OF HELPING TO REDUCE AND END POVERTY THIS AUTUMN 2021
September 2021
(5) Build Forward Better Flora and Fauna projects (including the Big Beasts sub-advocacy) will continue our advocacy work on the protection of plants and animals while we are carrying on to implement new ways of working with local people and organisations in Africa to build forward better flora and fauna in the era of the coronavirus pandemic (Advocacy)
(6) Advice based on Leaves: an innovative step forward within the framework of the advice service we provide to the community. This element within our local advice package, which is designed to mark CENFACS’ Year of Leaves, will use leaves in the process of helping to reduce poverty. (Advice)
(7) A la Une (Autumn Leaves of Action for the Upkeep of the Nature in Existence) will include our sub-advocacy work on nature, which is Sustainable Trajectories for the Nature. This year, A la Une project will focus on the Safeguard of Crop Wild Relatives in Africa (Campaign)
October 2021
(11) Autumn Appeal to Support projects: a renewed engagement with supporters via an appeal to deal with the persisting side effects of the coronavirus on poor people in Africa. (Humanitarian appeal)
(4) Making Memorable Difference: The focus for this October History Month will be on African dance with emphasis on the Congolese Rumba, Rumba will be looked at as culture, art and patrimony for poverty reduction and sustainable development while including its legacies for the current generations’ cultural development. (History project)
(10) End of Covid-19-induced Poverty: Although the coronavirus is not yet over, this is a COVID-19 post-vaccine and post-testing campaign designed to help reduce and mostly end poverty and hardships brought by the coronavirus pandemic and its associated effects. (Poverty-relieving campaign)
November 2021
(9) Autumn Help to Build Forward Better: a new and enhanced support to the CENFACS Community returning from the lockdown and long Summer break 2021. The resource will contain new information, tips and hints to help the community meet their changing needs as legacies of the coronavirus pandemic. This initiative or resource may start or come out this September 2021, although it is scheduled for November 2021. (Resource)
(1) Women & Children FIRST Development Day: This year our Development Day will prolong our Reflection Day of last April as we will be celebrating and thinking of Foresight Skills to help correctly judge future risks and crises (similar to the coronavirus) and plan actions based on this knowledge. Also, by dealing with skills, this year’s Development Day will resonate with the November month of Skills Development within CENFACS. (Thoughts)
(8) International Advice Service: Our support to Africa-based Sister Organisations via advice will continue to operate to help these organisations to overcome many challenges they face as the coronavirus is still at large in Africa. Although this service is open since we launched it, we have planned to conduct more activities about it this coming November 2021.
(2) Literacy and Numeracy Skills to Manage Debts and Deficits: This initiative, which continues the key messages of our July 2021 Festival of Thoughts, will provide to those who are illiterate and innumerate from the perspective of financial skills, some basic skills to understand what debts and deficits are about and how to use these skills in personal and or family life in order to avoid or reduce debts and deficits. (Financial Advocacy & Skills)
(3) Guide for Investing in the Not-for-profit African Organisations and causes: This will be our first booklet (a 2021/2022 one) on the matter that will be issued by CENFACS to provide some basic information, guidance and advice for those who would like to invest in Africa-based Sister Organisations engaged with the African Continental Free Trade Area. (Resource)
Note:
As said earlier, the above XI projects will allow us to start our overall Autumn Season’s poverty reduction campaign. This is why we call them as Starting XI Projects or Campaign.
Although they are scheduled for Autumn 2021, we may slightly alter our initial plan and or introduce occasional initiatives to cope with the reality of the unpredictability and complexity of development situations (e.g. coronavirus uncertainty, side effects of the economic exit of the UK from the EU’s single market, humanitarian and emergency situations), in which case we shall let you know as early as we can.
• Getting the Most of your Involvement with CENFACS into Poverty Alleviation Work from Autumn 2021 and Beyond
Where to start: Sign up!
√ Register with us and or update us with your contact details
√ Respond to our communications and communicate with us when occasion arises
Stay in touch with our…
√ Newsletter and other paper and free-paper communication materials
√ Regular updated and upgraded resources and supporting information
Involve us in raising awareness of the poverty relief issue
√ Advertise with us for helpful good and deserving causes
√ Pass our relief messages on to interested third parties
Share your transformative experience
√ Tell us what you think and or your development story
√ Help us improve with your voices, comments, reports and feedbacks
Boost your support
√ Support us according to your means and limits as every support counts
√ Add value to your support, if you can, by improving your support to us to support you and or others
Get noticed to go further with your involvement
√ Register and keep up to date with information about your event, project, activity and so on
√ Join up our network of poverty relief and development work
Stay ahead of the game with us
√ Communicate with us before hands and when the needs arise
√ Often read our news alerts, tweets and switch to our new developments
Deliver on your promises
√ If you promise to do something for or with CENFACS and others, please do it
√ If you can’t do it, please let us know. Don’t just stay silent!
Make our communications with you to be a two-way process and multi-channel approach
√ Talk to CENFACS and CENFACS will talk to you as well and vice versa
√ Help us improve the flow of information on poverty relief and development using a variety of channels and platforms
Be contactable and present via
√ E-mail, (tele or mobile) phones, physical address and social media platforms
√ Word-of-mouth recommendations, outreach and other means of contact (like video calls)
Get the word out on your communication channels
√ Spread words about CENFACS’ work on your social media links
√ Promote CENFACS’ work in what and where you think we can fit in
Keep your involvement with CENFACS digitally and on papers
√ Up-to-date information on to your mobile by our free text alerts and messages
√ Check CENFACS’ website and make enquiries online 24 hours 7 days a week
Act upon information received from us
√ Don’t just read or hear them and do nothing about them. Please react and be vocal!
√ If they are irrelevant to you, please pass them onto an interested and committed party
Build and protect standards of trust in CENFACS
√ Correct inaccuracies and misinformation, stop the spread of false information about CENFACS and its community/network
√ Tackle with us disinformation and distrust about our poverty reduction work and initiatives
Continue the legacy of CENFACS’ work
√ It is now 19 years and two months that CENFACS has been working on poverty relief and sustainable development since it was registered in 2002. You can continue this legacy with us.
√ You can be the face of CENFACS to those who are looking for a lifeline of support from us.
The above ways of getting involved in CENFACS’ work may not be exhaustive. Should you have any other way, please let us know.
To get involved with CENFACS into poverty reduction work, just let us know.
_________
References
(1) Kübler-Ross E., 1969: On Death and Dying, New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc.
(2) https://unfccc.int/news/climate-change-is-an-increasing-threat-to-africa (accessed September 2021)
________
Help CENFACS keep the Poverty Relief work going this year.
We do our work on a very small budget and on a voluntary basis. Making a donation will show us you value our work and support CENFACS’ work, which is currently offered as a free service.
One could consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the future.
Donate to support CENFACS!
FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ PROJECTS, JUST GO TO http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/
Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.
Thank you as well to those who made or make comments about our weekly posts.
We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2021 and beyond.
With many thanks.
