Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!
29 June 2022
Post No. 254
The Week’s Contents
• Season of Happiness 2022 in the Context of Rising Costs of Living
• Creative Economic Development Month – In Focus from Wednesday 29/06/2022: Post-pandemic Clean, Green and Safe Creations and Innovations
• Reduction of Poverty Linked to Desertification and Drought in Africa
… And much more!
Key Messages
• Season of Happiness 2022 in the Context of Rising Costs of Living
2022 Season of Happiness or Life Satisfaction will be largely influenced by rising costs of living. Indeed, the current costs to make a living have dramatically increased in many countries, including in the UK. There are rises in the prices of food, energy, water, transport, accommodation, money, etc. Rising costs, prices and bills can only make people unhappy. In those circumstances, how can they, especially our users or beneficiaries, find happiness in the context of rising costs of living?
• • Working with users to find happiness during this Summer
During this Season of Happiness, we shall work with users to help them find out what can satisfy their lives during this challenging time of rising costs of living. Our work with them will be about implementing existing initiatives while developing new ones that can make them happy or satisfy their lives.
So, our Season of Happiness or Summer of Happiness will be about the following three items:
1) How the CENFACS Community can spread happiness between its members to narrow the gap in happiness inequalities
2) How best to help those most in need within the CENFACS Community to feel happy, to achieve successful outcomes despite the current cost-of-living crisis
3) How to create and innovate happiness-enhancing activities and projects to reduce poverty linked to the lack of happiness.
Although happiness is about the interplay between gene and environment, it is possible to help the members of CENFACS Community to become happy and feel well. It is possible to help them overcome inequalities in happiness and achieve well-being.
To do that, we are going to consider what the science of happiness tells us. We shall as well approach happiness as both an independent and interdependent concept. In other words, happiness could be a personal or subjective experience for any member of our community. Happiness can also be a collective participation for any of these members as belonging to a community, the CENFACS Community. It is in this interaction between happiness as individual practice and happiness as collective experience that they can find their true balance or harmony.
To sum up, during this 2022 Season of Happiness we are going to work with our users so they can have aspects of their life in balance and feel at peace with their life despite the seismic challenge brought by the rising costs of living.
The above is the way in which we would like to approach our 2022 Season of Happiness or Summer of Happiness. Under the Main Development section of this post, we have provided further details including the projects and programmes making the 2022 Season of Happiness.
• Creative Economic Development Month – In Focus from Wednesday 29/06/2022: Post-pandemic Clean, Green and Safe Creations and Innovations
Our delivery of the Creative Economic Development Month continues with the featuring of Post-pandemic Clean, Green and Safe Creations and Innovations. To feature them, we are going to try to understand their meanings and give some highlights about what our Africa-based Sister Organisations are doing in terms of them.
• • Understanding of Post-pandemic Clean, Green and Safe Creations and Innovations
The following summarises our apprehension of Post-pandemic Clean, Green and Safe Creations and Innovations
• • • Post-pandemic clean creations and innovations
Post-pandemic clean creations are about generating new and unique ideas on things that are free from harmful substances or effects to health, life and the nature after the coronavirus period.
Post-pandemic clean innovations are about executing the creative ideas into practice that does not cause harmful fallout or contamination to human life and the nature after the coronavirus period.
Thus, post-pandemic clean creations and innovations are those that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and negative environmental impacts through efficient use of natural and few non-renewable resources.
• • • Post-pandemic green creations and innovations
Post-pandemic green creations are processes or actions of bringing something into existence and do not or cause less harm to the environment after the coronavirus period.
Post-pandemic green innovations are about making changes in established things without or with less harm to the environment after the coronavirus period.
So, post-pandemic green creations and innovations are those which ensure that natural assets continue to provide the resources and environment services on which human and other beings rely upon.
• • • Post-pandemic safe creations and innovations
Post-pandemic safe creations are the makings, inventions and productions after the coronavirus period; creations that are based on good reasons and are secure from harm or danger.
Post-pandemic safe innovations are the changes, alterations and reforms introduced after the coronavirus period; innovations that are based on good reasons and are secure from harm or free from danger.
Briefly speaking, the interest in this week of the Creative Economic Development Month is on Post-pandemic Clean, Green and Safe Creations and Innovations that
√ Are environment-friendly (that is, they have a small or zero environmental impact) and reduce waste in the nature
√ Lower emissions of greenhouse gas, reduce climate-damaging carbon dioxide emissions, spearhead green energy solutions
√ Increase the share of renewables in the energy mix in the process of creating and innovating for life, work and future
√ Help our members to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.
• • Africa-based Sister Organisations’ Clean, Green and Safe Creations and Innovations
There are many clean, green and safe creative and innovative initiatives carried out by our Africa-based Sister Organisations. Amongst them, we can mention the ecological site run by one of our African partners in Togo. The initiative included: education and training, growing of young seedlings in greenhouses (e.g. planting peppers in greenhouses and eggplant in new greenhouse), experiment, etc.
This ecological site is an experience of environment-friendly initiative that is aligned with greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals and targets. It is a good example of how to grow plants without depleting natural resources.
For more information about this initiative and other similar works carried out by our Africa-based Sister organisations, please contact CENFACS.
• Reduction of Poverty Linked to Desertification and Drought in Africa
We are continuing the work on desertification and drought in Africa after the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought held on 17/06/2022 by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (1) under the theme of “Rising up from drought together”.
This week’s work on desertification and drought in Africa, which follows the second e-workshop about constructing and posting p- and e-cards as expressions or ways of dealing with drought, is about finding ways of Reducing Poverty Linked to Desertification and Drought in Africa.
Reducing Poverty Linked to Desertification and Drought in Africa is in itself part of CENFACS’ 2020s Development Agenda and Poverty Reduction Programme (2) whose one of the goals is Goal 7. Goal 7 is about reducing climate-induced poverty or situational (or transitory) poverty amongst the victims of natural disasters and destructive wars. Amongst natural conditions and events are desertification and drought in Africa, mostly in arid and semi-arid areas of Africa.
There are several initiatives taken by and on behalf of people suffering from desertification in Africa. These initiatives include: forest recovery, prevention of soil degradation, re-fertilisation of lands, replanting trees, afforestation, reduction of stress on food producing capacity, improvement in biodiversity, etc. There are also projects carried out to reduce drought such as reduction in deficits in rainfall, river flow, soil moisture and food.
Beyond these initiatives, we are as well going to look at projects set up and run by our Africa-based Sister Organisations to help their locals to come out poverty linked to desertification and drought in Africa. An example of these initiatives include irrigation project in Chad with one of CENFACS’ sister organisations working on the ground.
To discuss the reduction of poverty linked to desertification and drought in Africa, please contact CENFACS.
Extra Messages
• Thank-you Message before our Last Day (30/06/2022) of Thanksgiving to Supporters
We would like to take this opportunity to reiterate our thoughts, expressions and feelings of gratitude to all our supporters.
CENFACS is so thankful to have you as supporters and for being with us on the side of those in need, especially during this challenging year of the lingering effects of the coronavirus and the enduring cost-of-living crisis.
Many thanks!
• Digital and Social Media Campaign (Levels 2 and 3) – In Focus: Threats from Online Fraudsters and Scammers to Poverty Reduction
In time of crises (like the cost-of-living crisis), there are always malevolent individuals who try to take advantage of the crisis by targeting and exploiting vulnerable and unaware people. Unfortunately, this sort of malicious practice is happening during the current cost-of-living crisis. This practice can jeopardize or weaken the building of poverty reduction.
Since the coronavirus pandemic erupted, it has transformed the way we run our lives particularly by forcing every body to embrace digital and online technologies and skills. Like anybody else, people in need have to rely on digital and online means and skills in order to meet their basic life-sustaining needs and to survive.
However, if one considers what is required to safely run digital and online means, they may find that most people in need cannot afford it. They do not have enough money to spend on the security requirements (such as anti-virus software, subscription to online insurance policy, adaptation to new technologies, security camera, etc.) to mitigate any digital, online and cyber-security issues. Fraudsters, scammers and spammers know that and are taking advantage of this gap in security inequalities.
• • The extent of cyber-security crimes and digital threats on the poor
Cyber criminals, online hackers, fraudsters and internet scammers are using the vulnerability and space left by the coronavirus pandemic and the seismic damages caused by the cost-of-living crisis to launch any sorts of attacks to vulnerable online accounts and poor people, especially those without adequate skills and resources to challenge them These crimes and malpractices existed before the pandemic; however the coronavirus pandemic and the current cost-of-living crisis have exacerbated or widened a window of opportunities for this behaviour.
Just as there were pandemic malicious websites and scams, there are fraudsters and scammers who are trying to exploit poor people’s ignorance and lack of financial means, and who are engaged in all types of criminal activities such as identity theft, ransom ware, fake employment agencies/offers, dishonest credit card companies, copyright violations, fake funding programmes to support people against the cost-of-living crisis, online privacy breaches, cyber incidents, online interruptions, critical infrastructure blackouts and all sorts of fraud.
• • Advocating for the support of those in need of digital equipment, infrastructures and skills
These cyber criminals and online fraudsters are unfriendly to poverty reduction as they have complicated the work of poverty reduction. Digital threats and attacks are now a BIG ISSUE for both our users in the UK and in Africa. This is why we are re-activating the levels 2 and 3 of our Digital and Social Media Campaign. The level 2 is about IT and Online Security while level 3 deals with Digital Infrastructures, Security and Defence.
In this re-activation of the two areas of our campaign, we are asking to our users to extremely stay vigilant when operating online and digitally (e.g. during remote work, filling digital applications, shopping online, paying bills, etc.).
We are as well advocating for the support of those in need of digital equipment and infrastructures (such as anti-virus device or software, online cover policy, etc.) to be considered in any funding programme or policy.
This is because one can notice that some of the funding programmes toward those in need simply ignore this problem of lack digital equipment and security for those in need to express their needs and effectively communicate without cyber-security threats and fear in order to resolve the issue of poverty they are facing. In this respect, there is a need for cyber and online defences for the poor, those who cannot afford security items such as anti-virus, insurance cover against digital and cyber-security threats and attacks, etc.
The threat and crime levels we are talking about cannot be dealt with free or essential anti-virus software or device as such software or devices are limited in their scope to deal with the matter.
Also, providing online security skills to the poor could be also an option on the table. To feel comfortable in running a range of online activities and applications without interference by unknown intruder, it requires a good level of online security skills and know-how to challenge any online threats and attacks.
• • Extra help and support
There are both print and online resources regarding digital and cyber-security threats which can be accessed. For those who would like to further discuss cyber-security issues and digital defences, they can contact CENFACS.
For further information about CENFACS’ Digital and Social Media Campaign, please also contact CENFACS.
• Consume Less Energy to Reduce Poverty (CLERP)
The uncertainty surrounding rising prices of energy (e.g. electricity, gas and water) requires a bold action within the community. This action is required for two reasons, which are:
a) The UK energy regulator Ofgem (3) will increase the energy price cap from £1,971 to £2,800 in the autumn
b) Energy poor, and amongst them some of the CENFACS Community members, do not have enough income to match rising energy costs, prices and bills.
Because of these two reasons, there is a need to work with the energy poor making our community to find ways of dealing with the energy emergency situation. One of the ways of working with them is through our new campaign to Consume Less Energy to Reduce Poverty.
• • What is Consume Less Energy to Reduce Poverty?
CLERP is a six-month energy campaign which is part of CENFACS’ Consume to Reduce Poverty. CLERP does not replace or undermine the support that energy poor are receiving and will receive from statutory bodies (like the UK Government), energy agencies, energy suppliers, financial institutions, etc. It just adds value to the support they are receiving and will receive.
CLERP is based on the consumption approach rather than on price or income consideration. It helps to work with energy poor through advice, tips and hints so that they fairly consume energy they need to reduce poverty without wasting part of energy they do not need and cannot afford to pay for. CLERP as an energy-saving campaign helps as well in terms of saving energy resources in order to drive towards net zero trajectory.
• • Working with energy poor and vulnerable via CLERP
From the beginning of this Summer to the end of 2022, we shall work with energy poor and vulnerable via CLERP to find ways of reducing unneeded or non-essential energy consumption to reduce their energy bills. Although, the campaign is for six months, it can be extended if the need still exists within the community. Also, CLERP needs to be added to the other support or services (e.g. Energy Transition Support Services) we are already providing regarding energy consumption.
To access and or find out more about CLERP, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.
Message in French (Message en français)
Mots de remerciement avant le dernier jour (30/06/2022) de remerciement aux supporters
Nous aimerions profiter de cette occasion pour réitérer nos pensées, nos expressions et nos sentiments de gratitude à tous nos suporters et soutiens.
Le CENFACS est très reconnaissant de vous avoir comme soutiens et d’être avec nous aux côtés de ceux ou celles qui sont dans le besoin, en particulier pendant cette année difficile des effets persistants du coronavirus et de la crise du coût de la vie.
Merci bien!
Main Development
• Season of Happiness 2022 in the Context of Rising Costs of Living
The following items will help to understand the way in which, together with our users, we would like to wish the 2022 Season of Happiness to happen:
Rebuilding Season to Happiness Season
What is Summer for CENFACS’ Users and Beneficiaries?
In focus for this Summer: Happiness in the Context of Rising Costs of Living
Preview of 2022 Summer of Happiness and Well-being Programmes.
Let us briefly explained these items.
• • Rebuilding Season to Happiness Season
Jmesci (June Month of Environmental and Sustainable Creative Initiatives) and Arts and Design Project are the projects that have made the last part of Spring 2022 programme. Both projects make our Creative Economic Development month.
In practice, Jmesci is the project that is ending our Rebuilding or Life Renewal Season to start Happiness Season or Summer of Happiness. After creating and innovating to build forward better together cleaner, greener and safer as well as to help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development; we are now looking forward to enjoy the sunshine of Summer with Happiness. We would forward to Summer, although the warm weather has already started.
• • What is Summer for CENFACS’ Users and Beneficiaries?
Summer is a period of the warm sunny weather that we would like to associate with it at CENFACS. It is the time of happiness that we all expect, after a long period of full time work and education. We look forward to a break after such a long time of routine working life, especially as most of CENFACS’ projects and programmes are framed around the school timetable to suit and reflect the needs and living patterns of our users and beneficiaries. This is despite that the fact that during Summer people are still working to keep their households and the economy running.
• • In focus for this Summer: Happiness in the Context of Rising Costs of Living
As highlighted in the key messages, our Season of Happiness or Summer of Happiness will be about the following three elements:
1) Our capacity to spread happiness between the members of CENFACS Community to narrow the gap in happiness inequalities
2) The help we can provide to those who are in most need within the CENFACS Community to feel happy, to achieve successful outcomes despite the current cost-of-living crisis
3) Our ability to create and innovate happiness-enhancing activities and projects to reduce poverty linked to the lack of happiness.
It is possible to help CENFACS’ users overcome inequalities in happiness and achieve well-being.
Therefore, the key note of our theme for Summer of Happiness will be: how to create, enjoy and sustain happiness in the context of rising costs of living.
To support those struggling with the rising costs of living over Summer 2022, we shall work with them so that they can navigate their way to happiness and well-being. In practical terms, it means that we shall provide Happiness Tips and Hints in the context of rising costs of living. We will provide them through the following Summer initiatives.
• • Preview of 2022 Summer-of-Happiness and Well-being Programmes
Summer Programme at CENFACS is mainly made of two sets or broad areas of projects for and with Multi-dimensionally Poor Children, Young People and Families; which consists of:
(a) Happiness Projects (Part 1) and
(b) Appeal Projects or Humanitarian Relief to Africa (Part 2).
Besides this main Summer seasonal regular feature, we have also planned other initiatives as side menus. We shall gradually release the contents of these Summer projects as we progress during Summer 2022.
Our development calendar/planner already indicates what is planned for July and August 2022. However, should anybody want to find out more, they are welcome to contact CENFACS.
• • • Summer 2022 Programmes, Projects and Activities (Summer calendar/planner)
How to Make this Summer 2022 as of Happiness in the Context of Rising Costs of Living
July 2022
∞ Financial Updates: Financial Management of Crises
How to financially manage crises (e.g. cost-of-living crisis) using your household financial accounts
The 2022 Edition of Financial Updates (a CENFACS’ Individual Capacity Building and Development resource for Summer) will provide advice, tips and hints about the processes of planning, organising, directing and monitoring the financial activities and resources of households with a view to working with them to achieve the goal of poverty reduction.
Besides that, the 2022 Financial Updates will update readers about the current financial and economic situation. The updates will go further in terms of financial and economic advice to build forward better together cleaner, greener and safer.
∞ All-in-one Impact Assessment
July, which is the Analytics month within CENFACS, is the month to be at CENFACS for those who are working on project and programme impacts.
We will be doing two levels of impact assessment as follows:
1) Our usual July Impact Monitoring, Evaluation, Review and Analytics for projects and programmes that we run in the preceding financial year
2) Impact assessment of the different activities linked to the cost-of-living crisis (e.g. activities to tackle rising prices of food, energy, etc.).
∞ Virtual Summer Festival with Seven Days of Development in July
In focus for our Summer 2022 Festival will be:
Infrastructures to Reduce Poverty
To reduce and possibly end poverty, it requires essential infrastructures. When the coronavirus erupted in 2019, the true scale of the lack of basic health infrastructures together with underinvestment on them was revealed in many parts of the world, including in Africa.
In Africa, the lack of critical infrastructures is even the most noticeable. The experience of wars and natural disasters in Africa shows that basic infrastructures have always been destroyed and threatened without being rebuilt in most cases. There is a huge lack of critical infrastructures upon which ordinary people, especially the poor ones, depend on for their daily life and livelihood.
Our Summer 2022 Festival will focus on the basic infrastructures that are necessary and even compulsory to help reduce and possible end poverty. Infrastructures will be approached from what charitable organisations (like CENFACS) and the people they serve need in order to better help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.
July – August 2022
∞ Children, Young People and Families (CYPFs) Summer Programme (Part I): Appeal Projects
Summer humanitarian Appeal projects are a set of projects to help alleviate multi-dimensional poverty experienced by CYPFs during the Summertime. We normally launch one integrated appeal that brings under one roof these projects. This year, we are going to launch selected appeals for most of them with special emphasis on the cost of living.
One of the selected appeals will be about helping CYPFs to be free from distress caused by the cost-of-living crisis in Africa. The appeal – Distress-free Life from the Cost-of-living Crisis for CYPFs in Africa (DfLECA) – is about helping poor CYPFs to mitigate the negative affects of the cost-of-living crisis in Africa.
Another appeal project that will have a particular attention and that is needed during this period of the cost-of-living crisis is the Iconic Young Carer Project (iYCP).
∞ Children, Young People and Families (CYPFs) Summer Programme (Part II): Happiness Projects
Happiness projects are another set of Summer projects making the second part of our Summer Programme. We shall release more details about Happiness projects in due course.
∞ Summer 2022 Run, Play and Vote to Reduce Poverty
Our Triple Value Initiatives (Run, Play and Vote) for this year have already kicked off. Through e-workshops, we have provided some guidance and help about them. And we are still available to talk to those who need some help. Those who started them should be half-way through with them.
These activities can be run in hybrid manner; that is in-person or virtual depending on the circumstances of participants.
Since we are already in the middle of the year, half-year actions and results about these activities will be sought from those who are practising them.
We shall ask those who undertook exercises relating Triple-value Initiatives such as e-workshops and recreational activities to report on their actions and results as well.
∞ Integration of Le Dernier Carré into Build Forward Better Programme
Our four step model of poverty relief (that is the Last Square of Poverty Relief or Le Dernier Carré) will be included in some of the elements of the Summer-of-Happiness Programme.
∞ Summer Track, Trip and Trending
Track and Trip activities will be run as usual since all the restrictions about the coronavirus have been lifted some months ago.
Regarding Trending activity, we are going to follow the direction of poverty reduction via ecosystem services provided by forests. In other words, we are going to find out how ecosystem services provided by forests are helping in lifting people out of poverty.
The above is just an indicative plan of work for our Summer of Happiness. This Summer work plan will be reviewed depending on the circumstances and events that may occur as we move throughout the summertime.
We hope you find a happy, helpful and hopeful relief from the above programmes and projects on offer at CENFACS over this Summer!
For details or clarification about the above programmes and projects, including ways of accessing them, please contact CENFACS.
Note: Although the above is scheduled for Summer 2022, 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. humanitarian and emergency situations), in which case we shall let you know as early as we can.
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• References
(1) https://www.unccd.int/events/ddd/2022-desertification-and-drought-day (accessed in June 2022)
(2) cenfacs.org.uk/2020/03/11/the-2020s-agenda-and-programme (accessed in June 2022)
(3) Brearly, J., “The price cap is expected to rise from £1,971 to £2,800 in the autumn”, Select Committees, 24 May 2022, UK Parliament, London
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• 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 also consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the future.
Donate to support CENFACS!
FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ NOBLE CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.
JUST GO TO :Support Causes – (cenfacs.org.uk)
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 2022 and beyond.
With many thanks.
