Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!
05 October 2022
Post No. 268
The Week’s Contents
• History Month with Making Memorable Positive Difference Project – In Focus: Managing and Maintaining Infrastructures to Reduce Poverty in Africa
• “A la une” (Autumn Leaves of Action for the Upkeep of the Nature) Campaign with Concentration on Critically Endangered Bird Species
• Activity/Task 10 of the Knowledge (‘K’) Year and Project: Know the History of People in Need
… And much more!
Key Messages
• History Month with Making Memorable Positive Difference Project – In Focus: Managing and Maintaining Infrastructures to Reduce Poverty in Africa
This year’s Making Memorable Positive Difference (MM+D), which is the 14th one, will be about the Management and Maintenance of Infrastructures to Reduce Poverty.
Infrastructures play a key role in the process of poverty reduction. Their good management and maintenance are equally important. This is because it is not enough building infrastructures. It is as well vital to manage and maintain them. If infrastructures are well managed and maintained, they can serve both the current and future generations. In this respect, those who manage and maintain infrastructures can have a significant role and responsibility in the history.
As part of MM+D 2022, we will remember the history of infrastructures in Africa, especially critical infrastructures for poverty reduction. We shall as well reminisce those who managed, kept and looked after them.
Thus, the history of infrastructures in Africa will be looked at in two ways:
a) Infrastructure development as a connector and service provider to poverty reduction
b) History of Infrastructures in Africa through Infrastructure Managers.
Infrastructures will be remembered between two periods:
a) Period of large infrastructure investment in Africa during the 1960s and 1970s (Period of post-independence Infrastructures)
b) Period in the aftermath of the Millennium or the transition from the 20th to the 21st Century (Period of the years 2000s Infrastructures).
For further information on this acknowledgement about Managing and Maintaining Infrastructures to Reduce Poverty in Africa, please read under the Main Development section of this post.
• “A la une” (Autumn Leaves of Action for the Upkeep of the Nature) Campaign with a Concentration on Critically Endangered Bird Species
“A la une” takes Save Fauna and Flora advocacy to the next level of CENFACS‘ environmental communications and awareness raising. It will focus on Critically Endangered Bird Species through our new initiative called ‘Mbulu’.
‘Mbulu’ (that is; Mobilising for Birds’ Useful Life for Us) is a new advocacy project set up by CENFACS to help protect critically endangered bird species in Africa. What do we mean by endangered?
• • Meaning of endangered
Endangered can be defined from the Oxford Dictionary of Environment and Conservation written by Chris Park (1) as
“A species that is in danger of *extinction if existing pressures on it (such as over-harvesting or habitat change) continue, and which is therefore likely to disappear if it is not offered adequate protection” (p. 147)
Birds like African Grey Parrots, Congo Peafowl, African Green Broadbill, etc. are endangered species. Our new project ‘Mbulu‘ will deal with these species.
• • ‘Mbulu’ (that is; Mobilising for Birds’ Useful Life for Us) as a focus of our birding campaign
In the coming weeks, we are embarking on a campaign to help save critically threatened for extinction birds in Africa. This Autumn birding season’s campaign will be featured by a number of notes to be written to make up the theme of the campaign.
There will five notes which will be related to the following birds: Africa Grey Parrots, Congo Peafowl, Dwarf Honeyguide, African Green Broadbill and Grossley’s Ground Thrush. Through these campaigning notes, we hope to mobilise together for birds’ useful life for all of us. This mobilisation will be indeed an action for the upkeep of bird species.
To support “A la une” campaign and “Mbulu” project, please contact CENFACS.
• Activity/Task 10 of the Knowledge (‘K’) Year and Project: Know the History of People in Need
The 10th Activity or Task of our ‘K’ Year and Project is about Knowing the History of People in Need. It is about building the knowledge of their history.
Indeed, knowing the history of those who are asking for help or need help can serve in the following objectives:
✔ to get helpful information about these people
✔ to form their identity or profile (that is, beneficiary persona)
✔ to know who they are and who they are not
✔ to learn about their mistakes and successes
✔ to construct memory about how they got into poverty and why they are still in poverty
✔ to understand how past events shape up their lives and made poverty and hardships they are living today
✔ to identify which lessons that can be learnt from their history
✔ to see if they can develop abilities and skills to avoid past mistakes
✔ to spot the paths they can navigate out of poverty
Etc.
The more one can get the above-mentioned details from those in need, the better position they will be in order to help them.
The above is the Activity or Task no. 10 for the ‘K’ Year/Project for those who are interested in carrying it out.
For those who want any clarification of any aspects of the activity or task, they can contact CENFACS.
Extra Messages
October 2022 Food Security Appeal
Triple Value Initiatives (or All-year Round Projects) as Green/Blue Prescribings
Fuel/Energy Budget for Families: Data Skills
• October 2022 Food Security Appeal
This is an appeal to raise awareness and provide support to acute food insecure people in Africa. This appeal, which is a part of CENFACS’ Making Zero Hunger Africa Campaign, is also about joining in the World Food Day initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations on 16 October 2022.
Through this appeal, one could support those who are acute food insecure, particularly but not exclusively in hotspot African countries which we have selected to launch this appeal. In other words, the selected countries are just a sample of others.
These hotspot selected African countries include Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Mali and Niger.
According to the World Food Programme and Food and Agriculture Organisations of the United Nations (2), the number of people in acute food insecurity in 2022 (most recent projections) would be in the above-named hotspot countries as follows:
3.5 million in Burkina Faso
2.2 million in Central African Republic
2.1 million in Chad
25.9 million in Democratic Republic of Congo
2.1 million in Madagascar
1.8 in Mali
4.4 in Niger (p. 8).
Both the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organisations of the United Nations (op. cit.) define acute food insecurity as
“Any manifestation of food deprivation that threatens lives or livelihoods regardless of the causes, context or duration” (p. 39)
With the difficulties that these hotspot selected African countries and other countries around the world are experiencing to deal with the cost-of-living crisis, these numbers could increase or at best be stationary.
If one wants to build a zero-hunger generation and act against hunger (as a way of backing World Food Day 2022), then supporting this appeal will bring a tremendous help to those acute food insecure in Africa.
This appeal runs from now until the 16 October 2022; day on which we shall join others across the world to act against hunger.
You can support this appeal via CENFACS or directly help the acute food insecure in the above-mentioned hotspot selected African countries.
To support via CENFACS, please contact us NOW.
• Triple Value Initiatives (or All-year Round Projects) as Green/Blue Prescribings
Our work on green and blue spaces continues as we are trying to get the views of those of our members using Triple Value Initiatives as blue or green prescriptions. CENFACS is looking into the possibility of how their undertakings of these initiatives can be fitted into blue or green prescriptions.
Social prescribing nature-based activities are known as those ones that support the health and well-being of the community. These activities can be land-based (green prescribing) and water-based (blue prescribing).
The National Academy for Social Prescribing (3) describes social prescribing as
“Being about helping people getting more control over their healthcare to manage their needs in a way that suits them”.
For those who have been using the Triple Value Initiatives, it would be a good idea to share with us their experience in terms of health and well-being benefits so that we know how green or blue prescribing these initiatives can be.
The more people respond, the more we would know about the health and well-being outcomes from these initiatives, the more we could be recommending people or blue/green prescribing them to use these initiatives.
Their responses will as well help prepare CENFACS’ State of Play, Run and Vote.
To support CENFACS’ State of Play, Run and Vote as well as our work on blue/green prescribings, please let us know your personal experience on Triple Value Initiatives in terms of health and well-being results.
• Fuel/Energy Budget for Families: Data Skills
As soaring energy price is a hot topic this October and Autumn 2022 as well as a concern for many members of our community, we would like to continue our work on this topical issue. In particular, we are looking at energy or fuel budget for families as part of the reduction of energy poverty.
Energy or fuel budgeting is our support to the community in the context of and the implementation of CENFACS’ 2020s Poverty Reduction Programme and Development Agenda. We are trying to support them to develop basic data skills to understand energy or fuel budget and the implications for their entire family budgets. Through this process, one can hope they will be moderated in their energy consumption and able to navigate their way to reduce energy poverty and other types of poverty.
We would like to remind those who forgot or do not know that those who spend more than 10% of their income in energy, they could be considered as energy poor. In other words, the sensitivity of energy share to their household income is high. As a result, we would like to raise awareness about energy share to household income by looking at fuel/energy budget for families. Our awareness-raising activity will include disucssions on the current energy price cap and its implications for your household budget.
If you are a member of our community and would like to know more or exchange ideas in terms of data about the right balance between your energy expenses budget and the other budgets for your household, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.
Those who would like to share their data skills in this area of household Fuel/Energy Budget, they are also welcome.
Message in French (Message en français)
À paraître à l’automne 2022: Le 77e numéro du bulletin d’information FACS qui s’intitulera Sécurité financière pour les pauvres
Le sous-titre de ce numéro sera:
Comment réduire les inquiétudes et le stress financiers pour les pauvres en cette période difficile de la crise du coût de la vie
Résumé du 77e numéro de FACS
Les effets persistants du coronavirus et la crise actuelle du coût de la vie inquiètent et stressent de nombreuses personnes et familles ordinaires et pauvres. Ils les inquiètent et les stressent alors que les prix des biens et des services continuent d’augmenter pendant que les revenus et le soutien financier des gens ne correspondent pas au niveau et à l’ampleur de la flambée du coût de la vie. Ces personnes et ces familles ont besoin d’une certaine forme de sécurité financière si l’on a besoin d’éviter que la crise actuelle ne devienne une crise humanitaire.
Le 77e numéro de FACS, le bulletin bilingue du CENFACS, aidera non seulement à comprendre leurs soucis et leur stress financiers, mais aussi à explorer avec eux des stratégies d’adaptation positives pour calmer leur esprit et trouver la tranquillité d’esprit. À cet égard, le numéro pourrait fournir quelques conseils et astuces pour éviter que la transformation du coût de la vie qu’ils connaissent ne devienne un coût humanitaire.
Bon nombre de ceux/celles qui font partie de notre communauté recherchent une sécurité financière afin de joindre les deux bouts du mois ou simplement de couvrir leurs besoins vitaux de base. Il y a un déficit de revenu et un endettement parmi eux/elles; ceux/celles dont le revenu est inférieur à leurs dépenses. Ils/elles ont tous/toutes besoin de sécurité financière pour éviter que la crise actuelle ne les pousse au bord de la catastrophe humanitaire ou de l’effondrement.
Le 77e numéro explorera les moyens d’assurer la sécurité financière avec et pour ces personnes et ces familles. Bien que le numéro ne répertorie pas les organisations et les institutions qui fournissent une couverture de sécurité financière, il regroupera un certain nombre de correctifs de sécurité financière avec et pour elles. Cependant, en soutenant qu’elles ont besoin de sécurité financière, qu’entendons-nous par là?
La sécurité financière doit ici être considérée du point de vue de ce que le site internet « quicken.com » (4) prescrit, à savoir:
« La sécurité financière fait référence à la tranquillité d’esprit que vous ressentez lorsque vous ne craignez pas que votre revenu soit suffisant pour couvrir vos dépenses. Cela signifie également que vous avez suffisamment d’argent économisé pour couvrir les urgences et vos objectifs financiers futurs. Lorsque vous êtes en sécurité financière, votre niveau de stress diminue, vous laissant libre de vous concentrer sur d’autres problèmes ».
La définition mentionnée ci-dessus sera celle à laquelle nous nous référerons dans le 77e numéro de FACS. La sécurité financière doit ici être différenciée des instruments financiers (comme les actions, les obligations, les valeurs bousières, les titres financiers, les lettres de change, les bons du Trésor, etc.) émis par les entreprises, les institutions financières (par exemple, les fonds de pension, les fonds d’investissement, les banques et les compagnies d’assurance) et le gouvernement.
Nous aborderons la sécurité financière du point de vue des gens et des familles ordinaires et pauvres, de ceux ou celles qui n’en ont pas financièrement.
En cette période difficile de crise du coût de la vie, le 77e numéro de FACS sera un voyage avec ces personnes et ces familles sur la façon dont elles vont lever les fonds dont elles ont besoin et ériger les bases de la sécurité financière. Dans le 77e numéro, nous tenterons d’identifier les niveaux de sécurité financière dont elles ont besoin, qu’ils soient élevés, faibles ou moyens.
La sécurité financière ne concerne pas seulement notre communauté plus proche, la communauté CENFACS. Il s’agit également de notre communauté élargie; ce sont les personnes avec lesquelles nos organisations sœurs basées en Afrique travaillent en Afrique.
Pour ces communautés et ces personnes éloignées, la sécurité financière dépend de la façon dont elles essaient de développer leurs stratégies financières d’adaptation (par exemple, si elles ont obtenu un renflouement financier) afin d’atténuer les effets secondaires combinés du coronavirus et d’autres maladies, de la crise du coût de la vie et du changement climatique.
Le 77e numéro va plus loin en explorant comment ces organisations ajustent leur modèle d’organisme de bienfaisance ou sans but lucratif afin de continuer à servir leurs communautés dans ce contexte de flambée des prix de l’argent, de la nourriture, de l’énergie et d’autres biens et services. De même, il contiendra un appel à ce qu’une partie des dividendes financiers créés (par exemple, à partir de flux financiers illicites en Afrique) soit acheminée vers les organisations sœurs basées en Afrique travaillant avec les personnes et les communautés pauvres.
En faisant appel de cette manière, cela pourrait fournir un point de départ ou un nouveau développement pour connecter les pauvres et les familles mentionnés ci-dessus avec des niches financières qui sont censées les aider, mais ils ne le font pas pour le moment.
Enfin, le 77e numéro de FACS fournira à certains constituants ou éléments d’une base pour un programme de travail avec notre communauté sur les moyens de construire et de développer la sécurité financière avec ces personnes et ces familles.
Ce qui précède donne un peu de saveur ou une idée générale du prochain numéro de FACS, le 77e numéro du bulletin FACS.
Pour toute demande de renseignements et/ou questions concernant ce numéro, n’hésitez pas à contacter le CENFACS.
Main Development
• History Month with Making Memorable Positive Difference Project – In Focus: Managing and Maintaining Infrastructures to Reduce Poverty in Africa
The following items make up the contents of this year’s focus of Making Memorable Positive Difference Project:
∝ What is Making Memorable Difference Project (MM+D)?
∝ MM+D Days
∝ MM+D Timeline
• • What is MM+D?
MM+D 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
∝ a history project of collective memory about works carried out, heritage and legacies left by Africans
∝ all about collectively telling, acknowledging, studying and learning that everyday Africans wherever they are (in Africa) or elsewhere (in the UK-Croydon and the world) are striving to improve the quality of their lives and of others. Through their historically valuable works, they are making memorable positive difference and the world a better place for everybody, including the generations to come.
∝ a celebration of African Abilities, Talents, Skills, Gifts and Legacies to Africa and the world.
This year’s dedicated two days (27 and 28 October 2022) are days of historical study, analysis and skill recognition and celebration of the legacies left by Africans in Infrastructures to reduce poverty, particularly the management and maintenance of these infrastructures.
• • MM+D Days
There will be Two Days of the history of Infrastructures to Reduce Poverty in Africa as follows:
∝ One Day of Infrastructure development as a connector and service provider to poverty reduction
∝ One Day of History of Infrastructures in Africa through Infrastructure Managers of the history.
Let us summarise the contents of each day’s work.
• • • Heritage/Patrimony Day (27 October 2022): Infrastructure development as a connector and service provider to poverty reduction
On the first day of our MM+D, we shall remember infrastructure development in Africa as heritage and/or patrimony from our ancestors or those who built them. We shall as well look at how post-independence infrastructures (large-scale infrastructure projects) in Africa were linked to poverty reduction.
The definition of infrastructure we will be using on that day is from a reference to the United Nations by Ulrikke Wethal (5), who quotes this:
“The term infrastructure can be used to cover all physical facilities, institutions and organisational structures, or the social and economic foundations, for the operation of a society and social infrastructure is often distinguished from economic infrastructure”.
Ulrikke Wethal adds that construction-based physical infrastructure can be divided in two groups: civil engineering (roads, railways, ports, dams, power stations, drainage and water supply) and residential and non-residential buildings.
In this construction-based physical infrastructure, our MM+D will focus on infrastructures upon which poor people depend for their lives. In other words, we shall work on infrastructures that connect us or help to reduce poverty in Africa.
• • • Legacies and Gifts Day (28 October 2022): History of Infrastructures in Africa through Infrastructure Managers of the history
During the Legacies and Gifts Day of MM+D, we shall learn these legacies and gifts of infrastructures from those who managed and maintained them. Infrastructures will be looked at as properties handed on or left to the new generations.
To better work on that day, one may need to understand the meanings of management and maintenance.
Management can be understood in many ways. In the context of MM+D, we will be referring to what Christopher et al (6) say about it, which is:
“Management is the process of organising and directing human and physical resources within an organisation so as to meet defined objectives. The key management roles are planning, control, coordination and motivation” (p. 350)
With reference to our MM+D, we will be interested in the management of physical infrastructure like those helping to reduce poverty.
Christopher Pass et al (op. cit.) also explained maintenance as
“The management process of repairing and maintaining buildings, plant, machinery and equipment to avoid breakdowns and disruption to production”(p. 349)
Likewise, we shall be concerned with the maintenance of physical infrastructures to reduce poverty.
Since there is history of badly managed and poorly maintained infrastructure projects, of neglected infrastructures and debts linked to infrastructures in Africa; we shall investigate the historical processes that led to the mismanagement and neglect of infrastructures. In this investigation, we shall reminisce infrastructure managers of the post-independence and early millennium eras in Africa, particularly those infrastructure managers who made memorable positive difference.
The above is this year’s MM+D theme. To engage with this theme and or support this project, please contact CENFACS on this site.
Because we are talking about history, let us remember the history of CENFACS‘ MM+D through timeline.
• • Making Memorable Positive Difference Timeline
MM+D has a history and timeline. The following is the timeline of MM+D since its inception.
2009: CENFACS recognised environmental sustainability.
2010: We acknowledged and honoured sports contributions and history in relieving collective poverty and improving community lives beyond fitness and beyond individualistic achievements.
2011: We recollected, remembered and revered caregiving talents and legacies of young carers in enhancing human development (their own development and other people’s development) by reducing the burden of poverty.
2012: We dedicated our historical recognition to Africa’s Global Game Runners and the Science of Running.
2013: Our two days were about the Memorable Positive Difference Made and brought by Working Poor (Miners & Factory Workers) in relieving poverty. We consecrated them to the historical study of The Role of Working Poor Miners and Factory Workers of Natural Resources and Extractive Industries in the Poverty Relief in Africa since the Berlin Conference (1884-5).
2014: We celebrated the place of the African Music and Dance in the pre– and post-colonial eras, the late 1950s and the early 1960s. This celebration focused on the African History of Singing and Dancing and their Impacts on Liberation and Freedoms.
2015: Making Memorable Positive Difference focused on African Negotiators of the History.
2016: We remembered the Protectors and Guardians of the African History and Heritage.
2017: We acknowledged the Communicators of the African History
2018: We learnt about African Communications and Oral History
2019: We searched on the African Health History
2020: We celebrated African Sculpture and Representation of African Historical Figures of the Pre-independence Era (i.e. Period before the 1960s)
2021: We recognised and celebrated of the legacies left by Africans in dance, particularly the Congolese Rumba.
For further details about these past MM+D events, please contact CENFACS.
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• References
(1) Park, C., (2011), Oxford Dictionary of Environment and Conservation, Oxford University Press, Oxford & New York
(2) WFP and FAO, (2022), Hunger Hotspots, FAO-WFP early warnings on acute food insecurity, October 2022 to January 2023 Outlook, Rome (Accessed in October 2022)
(3) https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/about-us/what-is-socialpresscribing/ (accessed in October 2022)
(4) https://www.quicken.com/what-financial-security (Accessed in September 2022)
(5) Wethal, U., (2019), Building Africa’s Infrastructure: Reinstating History in Infrastrurcture Debates, In Forum for Development Studies, Centre for Development and Environment, Universtity of Oslo
(6) Pass, C., Lowes, B., Pendleton, A., & Chadwick, A., (1991), Collins Dictionary of Business, HarperCollins Publishers, Glasgow
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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.
Additionally, we would like to inform you that planned gifting is always an option for giving at CENFACS.
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.
