Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!
27 September 2023
Post No. 319
The Week’s Comments
• Autumn ‘Fresh Start’ Help and Resources, In Focus for 2023 Edition: Improving Ways of Tackling the Cost-of-living Crisis
• Campaign to End Poverty Induced by Rising Costs of Living
• Libya-Morocco Joint Influence Appeal
… And much more!
Key Messages
• Autumn ‘Fresh Start’ Help and Resources, In Focus for 2023 Edition: Improving Ways of Tackling the Cost-of-living Crisis
To facilitate the reading and understanding of 2023 Edition of Autumn ‘Fresh Start’ Help and Resources, we are going to briefly explain Help and Resources for a Fresh Start as well as the focus for this year’s Fresh Start. Fresh Start and Improving Ways of Tackling the Cost-of-living Crisis are key words and contextual framework of CENFACS‘ Autumn poverty reduction work.
• • Autumn ‘Fresh Start’ Help and Resources
Autumn ‘Fresh Start’ Help strikes or kicks off our Autumn programme and Starting XI Campaign. It is our Autumn project striker. Autumn ‘Fresh Start’ Help and Resources are made of fresh start skills, tips, hints, tweaks, hacks, etc.; help and resources designed to overcome poverty and hardships. They are indeed activities to turn endings of Summer to new beginnings, to manage new beginnings and plans for the future.
Our advice- and guidance-giving month of September continues as planned and will end next month. Advice- and guidance-giving services are part of our Help and Resources for Autumn Fresh Start. Although we put particular emphasis on advice-giving activity in our September engagement, other aspects of Autumn Fresh Start or striker are equally important and will continue beyond September.
Autumn ‘Fresh Start’ Help comes with Fresh Autumn Start (FAS) Resources. The highlights of the 2023 Edition of FAS, which are given below, take into account and focus on the cost-of-living crisis. The resources provided in FAS are non-financial help towards the costs of living crisis and poverty. In this respect, the focus will be on what help that is available for users and what resources they can have in order for them to navigate their way out the cost-of-living crisis and poverty.
• • Improving Ways of Tackling the Cost-of-living Crisis as a Focus for this Year’s Autumn Fresh Start
As we explained it in last year’s Edition of Autumn ‘Fresh Start’ Help and Resources, coming out of the cost-of-living crisis is a process that can last long ahead. It can take time until real household disposable incomes increase and inflation drops back.
In September 2022 when we published this resource, the interest (that is; the price of borrowing money) expressed in terms of bank rate by the Bank of England (1) was 2.25%. On 21 September 2023, the same Bank of England (2) made the decision to keep interest rate at 5.25%. From September 2022 to this September 2023, the interest has increased from 2.25% to 5.25%.
In August 2022, inflation in the UK stood at 9.8%, according to the ‘rateinflation.com’ (3). Recently, the Office for National Statistics (4) reports that the Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH) was 6.3% in August 2023. Although inflation drops a bite between the stated two periods, prices are still rising at a slower pace.
Despite the decision of the Bank of England to keep the interest rate at 5.25% and the light drop in inflation, many economic analysts and expert bodies (like the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, the Resolution Foundation, chief economists at World Economic Forum, etc.) think that the cost-of-living crisis will last until the end of 2024, when household real disposable incomes will increase and inflation will drop back to meet the UK Government’s 2 per cent CPI (Consume Prices Index) inflation target.
There are people who are succeeding in their fight against the adverse effects of the cost-of-living crisis. There are others, who could be the majority, who are failing to win this battle.
For those who are not winning this fight, they may need to rethink or improve the ways they are tackling the enduring cost-of-living crisis. For those failing this battle, they may need help to improve the way in which they are tackling the cost-of-living crisis. But, what is Improving Ways of Tackling the Cost-of-living Crisis.
Improving Ways of Tackling the Cost-of-living Crisis are basically a process of reviewing what has worked and what has not worked in the fight against the cost-of-living crisis and poverty, with the view of tackling them better. The review helps to look at again one’s plan of action to achieve the overall goal of ending the cost-of-living crisis and poverty.
In this process, those who are failing in their fight against the cost-of-living crisis are not left alone. They will receive help and support. That is why we call it Autumn Help to Improve Ways of Tackling the Cost-of-living Crisis. Autumn Help will assist them to start freshly, to reset the ways they are tackling the cost-of-living crisis and poverty.
So, to navigate the cost-of-living crisis and poverty, they need to freshly start or change their settings. There is a say that every day is a fresh start. In this Autumn of the enduring cost-of-living crisis, fresh start is even more relevant than at any time to restore life. They need to freshly start since they could be still dealing with the lingering socio-economic effects of the coronavirus. They need to freshly start to navigate their way out of the enduring cost-of-living crisis.
Further details about the above key words and contextual framework are given below under the Main Development section of this post.
To ask for ‘Fresh Start’ Help and or access Fresh Start Resources to Improve and Navigate Your Way out of the Cost-of-living Crisis, please contact CENFACS.
• Campaign to End Poverty Induced by Rising Costs of Living
Campaign to End Poverty Induced by Rising Costs of Living, which started in October 2022, is one of CENFACS Starting IX Projects for this Autumn 2023. In order to get a basic understanding of it, it is better to define it, to highlight the kind of poverty this campaign is trying to address, to spell out the types of actions making it, and to explain its phases or steps.
• • What this campaign is about
The Campaign to End Poverty Linked to Rising Costs of Living is an organised series of actions to gain support for the cost-of-living poor so that something can be done for them. These actions need to result in change, particularly the reduction and end of poverty led by the cost-of-living crisis. The latter is now a barrier for many poor. To tackle this barrier, one may need to understand poverty linked to the cost of living.
• • Basic understanding of poverty attached to the cost of living
For anyone to understand poverty due to high cost of living, it is better to define the cost of living. The website ‘ben.org.uk’ (5) defines the cost of living as
“The amount of money needed to cover basic expenses such as housing, food, taxes, and healthcare in a certain place and time period”.
From the above definition, it is possible to argue that those who are poor because of rising cost of living like at the moment are those who are failing or totally struggling to meet this rise. The rise includes hikes in energy bills, food prices, taxes, interest rates, rent, etc. In economic parlance, it is the rise of headline inflation (that is, all the changes in the values of things). In order to deal with this rise, actions need to be taken to support or work with the cost-of-living poor so that they can reduce and eventually end poverty linked to rising costs of living.
• • Actions or ways of working with the community to reduce and possibly to end poverty linked to the high cost of living
There are those who believe that to end poverty linked to high costs of living, earnings and incomes or any benefits received by the poor have to be uprated to the rates of inflation. However, CENFACS as a charity does not have the means or power to adjust its members’ incomes or earnings or benefits for inflation. Instead, what CENFACS can do is to work with them in a series of actions or activities so that they can navigate their way out of poverty induced by the cost-of-living crisis. What are these actions or activities?
• • • Actions to be taken with the community
It takes a long time for a crisis like the cost-of-living crisis to end. Normally, this crisis ends when real household disposable incomes are able to match the level of headline inflation in the economy. Because of that, it is better to have short-, medium- and long-term actions; actions that can stemmed from a strategy to end crisis.
Since it is difficult to know the duration of the cost-of-living crisis, we prefer to have an open strategy or plan which will run for the duration of the crisis. In this open strategy or plan, we can conduct short-, medium- and long-term actions.
a) Short-term or immediate actions when working with the community
These are critical actions or activities to be undertaken from now and within six months period to help those who are poor because of high costs of living to make ends meet. Through these actions, one can hope to undertake the following:
• Get informed to avoid goods and services that are excessively high priced on the market
• Search for support and benefits available for distressed households’ accounts and assets
• Create a simple and practical action plan with users to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and poverty.
Since 19 October 2022, we set up a short-term service in the form of 6 months programme to deal with the effects of the cost-of-living crisis with the CENFACS Community. Since then, the programme has been rolled out for those who need it.
b) Medium-term actions
This second level of actions is designed to avoid that the cost-of-living crisis to settle in with the time and to become a humanitarian crisis. Amongst actions to be taken, which will run between 6 and 24 months, include these ones below:
• Encourage our community members to develop or learn skills that are adapted with the evolving time and help them navigate out of the cost-of-living crisis
• Develop with them an action plan to come out of the cost-of-living crisis in medium term
• Support them to build energy and food security systems in the medium term and beyond to beat core inflation.
On 26 October 2022, we organised a medium-term service or a programme of work between 6 to 24 months to support the members of our community struggling with the effects of the cost-of-living crisis. In theory, this programme is meant to last until the end of October 2024 depending on the duration of the cost-of-living crisis.
c) Long-term actions
These actions go from 2 to 10 years. The aim of this third level of actions is to avoid that the cost-of-living crisis leads to intergenerational poverty; that is the transmission of poverty linked to high cost of living to future generations.
At this level, the actions to be undertaken could be those listed below:
• Help beneficiaries improve their productivity and capacity to earn or generate income
• Support them to consume green and local so that they are less exposed to the volatility of the international prices of goods and services
• Find ways of scaling down repressive or punitive market dictatorship on them.
On 2 November 2022, we put in place a long-term service or a programme between 2 and 10 years to accompany our community members for the duration of the cost-of-living crisis. The cost-of-living crisis may not last for 10 years. However, we organised this service because we thought that even if the cost-of-living crisis ends, its effects will be still around for a while. Depending on service beneficiaries’ experience, some of them may need the service, others may not. There is at least a provision or service for the community should anyone needs it.
Furthermore, the above-mentioned actions are just a selection amongst the ones we hope to take with the community. They will be taking them via what we called ‘GARSIA‘ (that is Guidance, Advice, Referrals, Signposting, Information and Advocacy) services.
Because in any campaign, there are phases or steps, these actions will be taken according to the phases of our campaign.
• • Phases/steps in the Campaign to End Poverty Induced by High Costs of Living
Any crisis has some phases or cycle to take or follow. Because of that, our campaign will follow the cycle of a typical crisis. We use the adjective typical because we do not exactly how the cost-of-living crisis will evolve. What we know so far, there has been a crisis (the cost-of-living crisis). And if we use the generic model of this typical crisis, we can guestimate that there will be de-escalation, stabilisation and resolve phases of the current crisis.
In each phase of our model of crisis curve, there will be actions to be taken. However, actions from each phase should not be treated separately without considering actions before and after each phase. This is because there could be communicating vessels between the two phases.
So, the phases or steps of our Campaign to End Poverty Induced by High Costs of Living will be aligned with the above-named phases (i.e., de-escalation, stabilisation and resolve). At the moment, our Campaign is between the crisis phase and the de-escalation phase.
The above is the summary of our Campaign to End Poverty Induced by High Costs of Living. To enquire and or support our campaign, please contact CENFACS.
• Libya-Morocco Joint Influence Appeal
The Earthquake-stricken Peoples of Morocco and Floods-affected Populations of Libya Need Your Influence
The appeal is about asking to those who are in the position of power to put their influence on those who have the keys in the humanitarian operations and life-saving mission so that every victim of these two crises gets help and support they need in the short, medium and long term (including the reconstruction and restoration efforts or phases of these crises).
You can donate your Positive Influence to reduce earthquake-induced poverty in Morocco and poverty caused by floods in Libya.
To donate, please contact influential persons (or those having the keys) to reduce or solve the life-destroying and -threatening effects from the two crises in the two countries. Please make these influential persons reduce or end these damaging effects on the victims of these crises.
You can as well influence the things or factors that are playing in the exacerbation of these humanitarian crises in order to create lasting favourable conditions for a return to life normality.
Please also let CENFACS know about your influencing work or contribution you are or will be making and its outcomes on behalf of the peoples of Libya and Morocco.
Thank you in anticipation for your willingness to give your Positive Influence to alleviate the suffering that the Earthquake-stricken Peoples of Morocco and Floods-affected Populations of Libya are facing from the two catastrophes (earthquake in Morocco and floods in Libya).
Further information about this appeal is given on the page: cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/.
Extra Messages
• End-of-Month Special Offer with Translation Day on 30/09/2023
• Offre spéciale de fin de mois avec la Journée de traduction le 30/09/2023
• Grey Spaces-focused Note for Week Beginning 25/09/2023: Integration between Grey, Green and Blue Spaces in the Process of Poverty Reduction
• Save Flora, Fauna and Funga.
• End-of-Month Special Offer with Translation Day on 30/09/2023
• Offre spéciale de fin de mois avec Journée de traduction le 30/09/2023
As part of CENFACS’ Translation Service and the United Nations’ International Translation Day, CENFACS’ in-house bilingual translators will be offering special translation service on 30/09/2023 in French to English and vice versa.
Dans le cadre du Service de traduction du CENFACS et de la Journée Internationale de la Traduction des Nations Unies, les traducteurs (rices) bilingues internes du CENFACS offriront un service de traduction spécial le 30/09/2023 du français vers l’anglais et vice versa.
If you have texts, documents, projects and stories to be translated from English to French and vice versa, please grab the unique opportunity of the end of the month and the beginning of the Autumn season to get your work translated.
Si vous avez des textes, des documents, des projets et des histoires à traduire de l’anglais vers le français et vice versa, saisissez l’occasion unique de la fin du mois et du début de la saison d’automne de faire traduire votre travail.
Translation is free service that we offer to our community. However, we do not mind a voluntary donation or gift to keep this service running and the machinery of CENFACS.
La traduction est un service gratuit que nous offrons à notre communauté. Cependant, nous ne sommes pas contre un don volontaire ou un cadeau pour maintenir ce service et l’appareillage du CENFACS.
Should anyone need translation; they can let us know before the Translation Day so that we could plan ahead.
Si quelqu’un a besoin d’une traduction; ils peuvent nous le faire savoir avant la Journée de la Traduction afin que nous puissions planifier à l’avance.
Please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS beforehand should you need translation, and we hope you will join us on the Translation Day.
N’hésitez pas à contacter le CENFACS à l’avance si vous avez besoin d’une traduction, et nous espérons que vous vous joindrez à nous lors de la Journée de la Traduction.
• Grey Spaces-focused Note for Week Beginning 25/09/2023: Integration between Grey, Green and Blue Spaces in the Process of Poverty Reduction
Grey, Green and Blue Spaces can be integrated in the process of reducing poverty and enhancing sustainable development. This is despite many studies recognise that the development of grey space could result in harmful impact on health and the wellbeing of those living in and around this space. Before looking at how this integration can help in poverty reduction, let us briefly explain these spaces.
• • Understanding Grey, Green and Blue Spaces
Our understanding of grey space comes from Oren Yiftachel (6) who argues that
“The concept of ‘gray space’ refers to developments, enclaves, populations and transactions positioned between the ‘lightness’ of legality/approval/safety and the ‘darkness’ of eviction/destruction/death. Gray spaces are neither integrated nor eliminated, forming pseudo-permanent margins of today’s urban regions, which exist partially outside the gaze of state authorities and city plans” (p. 243)
Our notion of green space is given by what Abigail Isabella McLean (7) argues about it, which is
“Green space refers to the many types of green land, ranging from parks to natural areas. Hence, the green spaces … will encompass naturally occurring green spaces, such as forests, but also space created within human-made means such as green roofs and tree-lined streets”.
As to blue space, its definition comes from what the ‘environmentagency.blog.go.uk’ (8) states about it, which is
“Blue spaces are outdoor environments – either natural or manmade – that permanently feature water and are accessible to people. In short – the collective term of rivers, lakes or the sea”.
The above-mentioned definitions can be served as basis for exploring integration between the three spaces in the process of poverty reduction.
• • Spaces Integration and Poverty Reduction
When looking for ways of reducing poverty, it could be useful to work out how each space (grey, green and blue) can be a more or less contributing factor to poverty reduction. Taking this integrative approach can be worthwhile in judging each of spaces on their own merit.
The merits of green and blue spaces in enhancing health and wellbeing are already known and even undisputable. Those who are suffering from poor health can use the opportunities of green and blue spaces to improve their health. As grey space provides the bases for self-organisation, negotiation and empowerment; its merit for poverty reduction can depend on its capacity to help people to move from darkness to lightness.
It would be useful in search for solutions to poverty to consider the three spaces. For example, Yaella Depietri and Timon McPhearson (9) suggest a hybrid approach which combines both blue, green and grey approaches for reducing hazards in the urban context. They argue that
“Cities should rely on a mix of grey, green and blue infrastructure solutions, which balance traditional built infrastructures with more nature-based solutions” (p. 106)
However, they warn against turning easily to grey infrastructures as the default solution.
Writing a note about the above-mentioned integration is not the end of the theme of grey spaces. The real aim here is how CENFACS can work with the communities in the UK and in Africa to empower these communities to use the merits of each space to escape from poverty.
• • Working with Communities to Access the Benefits Provided by Grey, Green and Blue Spaces through Their Integration
There are ways of working with communities to make the integration between grey, green and blue spaces work for them.
For example, if green and blue spaces can help reduce loneliness and stress, and loneliness and stress are seen as forms of poverty; then CENFACS can work with those members of its community who feel poor because of loneliness in order to alleviate this type of poverty.
Likewise, if the blue space can assist in reducing inequality, then CENFACS can work with those of its members who suffer from inequality, to tackle the matter via for example access to a river, lake, stream, etc.
Additionally, if grey space can be a principle on which an agreement can be based or made, we can work with those members of our community who are suffering from the effects of grey space to engage grey space to negotiate while empowering them.
In short, if one of our members needs grey, blue or green prescription, we can work with them on this matter through advice, information, guidance, signposting and social prescribing.
The above is our last note about the theme of grey space which we hope you have enjoyed. We also expect that through this theme, one will be able tackle grey spaces-induced poverty and -threats to sustainable development.
Saying that the above is our last note does not mean that we stopped working on grey space or space framework. We are still working on it even though we will not produce any further note for the rest of the days of September 2023. We are continuing with the grey, green and blue frameworks to analyse poverty reduction and sustainable development.
For those who would like more information about any of the notes developed throughout this month about grey spaces as well as those who need a grey, blue or green prescription; they are free to contact CENFACS.
For those who would like to support the theme of grey space and our work on poverty reduction using space analysis, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS with their support.
• Save Flora, Fauna and Funga
Save Flora, Fauna and Funga projects will continue our advocacy work on the protection of plants and animals while we are carrying on to implementing new ways of working with local people and organisations in Africa to help save flora, fauna and fungi.
Since fungi can be recognised as separate kingdom in taxonomy, we have included Funga in our Save Flora and Fauna. From now on, we will be working on saving animal, plants and fungi.
• • What is Save Flora, Fauna and Funga?
Save Flora, Fauna and Funga as an initiative is one of our Starting XI Projects. Through this Starting XI Project, we are continuing to advocate for the protection of animal, plant and fungi species in Africa and elsewhere in developing world. Animals get killed, traded and extinct to such extent that some animal species are at the brink of disappearing. Some plants are also threatened and disappearing.
• • Save Fauna
We continue to advocate for the protection of animals in Africa and elsewhere in developing world whereby animals get killed, traded and extinct to such extent that some species are at the brink of disappearing.
Our fauna advocacy aims at dealing with ways of tackling the threats to survival in the wild facing by the world’s big cats (such as lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, cheetah, snow leopard, puma, clouded leopard, etc.), the world’s majestic animals and symbols of power and courage.
Animals such as jaguars, tigers, elephants, snakes, alligators, rhinoceroses, etc. are under threat. There are several reasons about it which include: hunting, illicit and illegal trade, over-harvesting, habitat loss, climate change, poaching, etc. Birds like African Grey Parrots, Congo Peafowl, African Green Broadhill, etc. are endangered species as well.
CENFACS’ Save Animals or Fauna advocacy is to advocate for the re-enhancement of protection of endangered, threatened and vulnerable animal species.
In this process, we are as well interested in efforts made to protect animals from diseases including the coronavirus. For example, people can still remember how tuberculosis killed elephants in South Africa, a few years ago.
• • Save Flora
We are as well extending our advocacy to other species in danger like trees, plans and flowers (flora). It is about advocating to save these species that are threatened with extinction.
For example, the New Phytologist Foundation (10) argues that 35% of the species are threatened with extinction. They include maize, potato, bean, squash, chilli pepper, vanilla, avocado, husk tomato and cotton crops.
• • Save Funga
This year, we have added fungi since they comprise a separate kingdom. Examples of fungi like mushrooms, moulds, mildews, and yeasts are also threatened.
If this threat is true and continues, then one needs to protect and build forward better these threatened species.
In the light of the above, what would be the contents of our Save Flora, Fauna and Funga for this Autumn.
• • This Autumn Advocacy about ‘Save Flora, Fauna and Funga’
This year’s advocacy for flora, fauna and funga will include two actions as follows.
1) Life-saving action against new forms of exploitation and trafficking of animal and plant species
This is an action to protect animal species in Africa from new forms of wildlife exploitation and trafficking, including kidnapping of animals from their natural sanctuary. Those who exploit and traffic animal and plant species try to change their strategies and tactics. It makes sense to adjust our actions to deal with their new exploitative strategies and trafficking tactics.
2) Life-saving action against the cost-of-living crisis on flora, fauna and funga
The enduring cost-of-living crisis has put enormous pressure on humans, particularly the poorest ones. One could be afraid that fauna, flora and funga could be neglected or simply forgotten or abandoned since mankind cannot cope with their own pressure of facing soaring costs of living.
This action is about making sure that, plant, animal and fungi species regain, restore, rebuild and thrive their lives while humans are trying to deal with the cost-of-living crisis. In other words, the action is about to ensure that the cost-of-living crisis does not lead to flora , fauna and funga crises since we depend on them in order to come out of the cost-of-living crisis.
• • Save Fauna, Flora and Funga to “A la une” Campaign
Save Fauna, Flora and Funga is only an iceberg of the wide campaign for the protection of nature run by CENFACS. CENFACS’ Save Fauna, Flora and Funga is run this week and will be soon after followed or taken over by our Autumn environmental umbrella campaign, “A la une” (Autumn Leaves of Action to the Upkeep of the Nature in Existence) project.
“A la une” will take Save Fauna, Flora and Funga advocacy to the other level of environmental communications and awareness raising. It will focus on Critically Endangered Insects and Invertebrates. We shall focus on saving endangered insects through our new initiative called ‘Niamankεkε’, as we said at the beginning of this September.
‘Niamankεkε’ (that, Nurture Insects via Adaptive Management for Action on Nature that Keeps the Endangered as Key to our Environment). It is an advocacy for the world’s smallest creatures. Niamankεkε is a new advocacy project planned by CENFACS to help protect critically endangered insects and invertebrates in Africa. Insects like Brenton Blue Butterfly, Chlorocypha spp, Eriksson’s Copper, Pheidole spp, African Dung Beetle, etc. are endangered species. The ‘Niamankεkε’ project will help to advocate for a safe life for these insects and invertebrates.
The above is our highlights for Save Flora, Fauna and Funga. To advocate and raise your voice to save endangered plant, animal and fungi species, please contact CENFACS.
Message in French (Message en français)
• À paraître cet automne 2023: Le 81e numéro du bulletin FACS qui sera intitulé Inclusion financière pour les nécessiteux/ses
Le 81e numéro de FACS fera le point sur la plupart des sujets abordés lors de notre dernier Festival de pensées et d’actions, axé sur l’inclusion financière pour améliorer la qualité de vie des pauvres. Le numéro 81 de FACS ira plus loin dans l’exploration des moyens de travailler avec les communautés ici au Royaume-Uni et en Afrique pour améliorer leur inclusion financière.
Le numéro 81 de FACS abordera l’accès et l’inclusion financiers du point de vue de l’utilisateur ou usager, à partir de la suppression des contraintes du côté de la demande pour les exclus financiers. De ce point de vue, la demande de particuliers non bancarisés pourrait être créée pour réaliser l’accès financier et l’inclusion. Le numéro 81 de FACS sera également une approche expérimentale de la pauvreté financière qui s’inspirera des exclus financiers et des personnes dans le besoin, et qui utilisera une pratique ou une méthodologie délibérative.
Le numéro 81 de FACS reconnaîtra les progrès réalisés pour inclure financièrement de nombreuses personnes pauvres qui travaillent avec nos organisations soeurs basées en Afrique, des transactions exclusivement en espèces aux services financiers formels en utilisant un téléphone mobile ou d’autres technologies numériques pour accéder à ces services. Cependant, il reconnaîtra également qu’il y a encore des gens qui éprouvent des difficultés à faire partie de ce monde financier. Ces pauvres financièrement exclus ou mal desservis, dont certains font partie de notre communauté, pourraient avoir du mal à améliorer leur qualité de vie.
Parmi ces personnes lutteuses, il y a des exemples de femmes pauvres dans les zones rurales d’Afrique qui n’ont pas d’accès aux services financiers. Il y a aussi ceux qui sont très endettés (en raison de la crise persistante du coût de la vie ou des effets pervers d’autres crises comme les effets persistants du coronavirus) qui ont été exclus du monde financier et qui s’inquiétent de la façon dont ils pourraient revenir dans ce monde.
Toutes ces personnes pourraient avoir des difficultés parce que l’inclusion financière ne se limite pas à amener les gens, en particulier les pauvres, à accéder aux produits et services numériques financiers offerts sur le marché. Mais qu’est-ce que l’inclusion financière?
Il existe de nombreuses définitions de l’inclusion financière. Le numéro 81 de FACS portera sur les définitions liées aux personnes vivant dans la pauvreté ou éprouvant des difficultés financières. L’une de ces définitions vient de Peterson K. Ozili (11) qui explique que
« L’inclusion financière est la fourniture de services financiers et l’accès à ces services à tous les membres de la population, en particulier aux pauvres et aux autres membres exclus de la population » (p. 3).
Une autre définition dans la littérature sur l’inclusion financière provient de la Banque Mondiale (12) qui dit que
« L’inclusion financière signifie que les particuliers et les entreprises ont accès à des produits et services financiers utiles et abordables qui répondent à leurs besoins – transactions, paiements, épargne, crédit et assurance – fournis de manière responsable et durable ».
La même Banque Mondiale explique que
« L’inclusion financière numérique implique le déploiement de moyens numériques permettant de réduire les coûts pour atteindre les populations actuellement exclues financièrement et mal desservies avec une gamme de services financiers formels adaptés à leurs besoins, fournis de manière responsable à un coût abordable pour les clients et durable pour les fournisseurs ».
Les définitions de l’inclusion financière sont accompagnées de théories à l’appui. Le numéro 81 de FACS utilisera la théorie de l’inclusion financière des groupes vulnérables. De quoi parle cette théorie. Selon Peterson K. Ozili (op. cit.),
« La théorie de l’inclusion financière des groupes vulnérables soutient que le programme d’inclusion financière dans un pays devrait cibler les membres vulnérables de la société qui souffrent le plus des difficultés économiques et de la crise, tels que les pauvres, les jeunes, les femmes et les personnes âgées. La théorie soutient que les personnes vulnérables sont souvent les plus touchées par les crises financières et la récession économique, il est donc logique d’amener ces personnes vulnérables dans le secteur financier formel. Une façon d’y parvenir est de transférer des fonds sociaux de gouvernement à personne sur le compte officiel des personnes vulnérables » (p. 7).
À cet égard, le 81e numéro de FACS sera une histoire captivante d’organisations sœurs basées en Afrique qui travaillent avec leurs sections locales dans leur parcours vers l’inclusion financière, pour trouver des opportunités de réduire la pauvreté financière. Elles mènent également des projets pour aider les personnes touchées par les polycrises à être financièrement réincluses dans le programme d’inclusion financière pour tous. Elles entreprennent en outre des initiatives visant à combler les écarts entre les sexes en matière d’inclusion financière et de fracture numérique entre les sexes. Elles s’associent enfin à leurs utilisateurs pour que ces derniers puissent accéder aux programmes d’inclusion financière proposés là où ils vivent.
Le numéro 81 de FACS ne traitera pas seulement d’une génération d’exclus financiers. Au lieu de cela, il s’adressera à toutes les générations. Parmi ces générations, il y a la plus âgée. Le numéro 81 de FACS abordera les lacunes et les défis qui empêchent la génération plus âgée d’Afrique d’accéder à des moyens de réduction des coûts liés aux services et produits financiers.
Loin d’être une histoire théorique ou un récit des personnes exclues financières, le 81e numéro de FACS leur fournira quelques pistes de recherche pour sortir de l’exclusion financière. Plein d’idées nouvelles sur la façon dont les organisations sœurs basées en Afrique travaillent avec les sections locales financièrement exclues, le numéro 81 de FACS montrera que l’inclusion financière peut changer la vie des personnes dans le besoin.
Le numéro 81 de FACS expliquera non seulement les problèmes d’inclusion financière auxquels font face ces personnes et les membres de notre communauté, mais il fera des recommandations d’action. À cet égard, il permettra aux lecteurs et à nos publics de bien comprendre les défis d’inclusion financière vécus par ces personnes et nos membres, ainsi que les efforts déployés pour atténuer ces défis. Ce faisant, il dissipera le mythe du désespoir pour les exclus financiers, tout en leur offrant des options et des opportunités.
Pour obtenir un scoop sur le numéro 81 ou pour en réserver un exemplaire avant sa publication, veuillez contacter le CENFACS.
Main Development
• Autumn ‘Fresh Start’ Help and Resources, In Focus for 2023 Edition: Improving Ways of Tackling the Cost-of-living Crisis
The following two items cover the presentation of Autumn ‘Fresh Start’ Help and Resources:
∝ Making Autumn Start and Season Easier
∝ Key Summaries of FAS 2023 Edition.
Let us look at these items.
• • Making Autumn Start and Season Easier
In order to make Autumn Start and Season Easier it is better to understand Fresh Autumn Start and its context.
• • • What is Fresh Autumn Start (FAS)
FAS is a continuation of our Summer Support projects into the Autumn season. It is a building block or additional handy back up of useful survival tips and hints to embrace Autumn as smoothly and trouble-freely as possible.
It includes real life situations that users may face when and as they return from their Summer break or season on one hand, and possible leads to proffer solutions to their arising Autumn needs on the other hand.
This FAS resource is not exhaustive or an end itself. It needs other resources as complement. It is a good basic insight into a Fresh Start as it provides helpful advisory tools for a Fresh Start and confidence building from the beginning to the end of Autumn season. It could also be used as a reference for users to engineer their own idea of Fresh Start and the sustained management of autumn needs.
At the end of this resource, there are some websites addresses/directories for help and support. In this post, we have not included these websites addresses/directories. Those who would be interested in them, they need to request them from CENFACS. These sources of help and support are not exhaustive. We have mainly considered third sector organisations and service providers as well as social enterprises.
For further or extended list of service providers for Autumn needs, people can contact their local authorities and service directories (both online and in print).
• • • Fresh Autumn Start in the Context of Slow Rising Costs of Living
This Autumn, we are approaching Fresh Start Help from the perspective and context of Rising Prices at a slower pace. It is the context in which prices of goods and services are slowly rising and sometimes going up and down in a sinusoidal way. Yet, incomes are not still in position to catch up with slow rising costs or prices.
It is still the context of cost-of-living crisis since real household disposable incomes have not really increased while CPIH rose by 0.4% in August 2023 compared with a rise of 0.5% in August 2022 on a monthly basis, according to the Office for National Statistics (op. cit.) . In this typical context, the most sufferers are those living in poverty as they cannot afford any rising prices and bills whether they are small or slow.
A context like the one we have depicted needs a response so that our users and members can meet their needs and navigate their way out of the cost-of-living crisis and poverty. Our users and members need help and support to improve the ways they are tackling the enduring cost-of-living crisis. We can work with them so as they can get the needy help in order to meet basic life-sustaining needs and requests.
Briefly speaking, Fresh Start Help is the first line of support in the process of improving the ways of tackling and coming out of the cost-of-living crisis. The second line of support is Fresh Start Resources.
• • Key Summaries of FAS 2023 Edition
The key summaries of FAS 2023 Edition can be found under the contents below.
• • • Contents for FAS 2023 Edition
The contents for 2023 Edition of FAS include:
∝ Autumn scenarios and actions to take
∝ Examples of Summer break expenses track record and Autumn budget
∝ People needs and Autumn leads
∝ Integration of threats and risks
∝ Improving ways of tackling the cost-of-living crisis
∝ What you can get from CENFACS
∝ Autumn online and digital resources.
Let us briefly explain each of these contents.
• • • Possible Autumn Scenarios and Possible Actions
When returning from Summer break and/or season, people can find themselves in a variety of situations depending on their own individual circumstances and life experiences. This variety of situations may require or be expected to be matched with a diversity of responses in order to meet people’s Autumn needs.
These variable circumstances and diverse responses or a course of actions can take the different shapes as well as can be framed in order to take into account the continuing adverse impacts of the enduring cost-of-living crisis. One of these shapes could be to contextualise and customise back-to-relief, fresh start and build-forward-better support. This is what CENFACS tries to do via the advice service.
• • • Examples of Summer Break Expenses Track Record and Autumn Budget
Tracking down and reassessing summer break/season expenses are a positive step to put one through an optimistic start of the Autumn season. As part of this positive step, FAS is packed with an example of Summer Break Expenses Track Record.
Budgeting Autumn items and needs is also good for a Fresh Start and for overall control over the start and rest of autumn season expenses. Since our focus is on improving ways of tackling the cost-of-living crisis, one can write a budget that deals with the shape and direction of the rise of the costs of living.
To write a comprehensive budget, one needs to include in their budget possible projections or forecasting or even scenarios regarding key indicators or adjustment factors like interest rate, inflation, indexes of goods and services, etc. Such a budget will help in costing the activities planned in the process of improving ways and coming out of the cost-of-living crisis.
One of the precautions to take in your Autumn budget is to check affordability of your budget. In other words, you need to make sure that any budgeted outgoings match budgeted income, any actual outgoings balance with actual income. A positive difference means your budget is affordable, while a negative one signifies it is unaffordable.
To support this financial control, FAS contains two examples of budgets: Autumn budget adjusted for the cost-of-living index and fresh start budget.
• • • People’s Needs and Autumn Leads
Variable circumstances can obviously result in multiple needs. One of these circumstances is the enduring cost-of-living crisis. To meet those needs, we may have to gather resources, tools and institutions to guide us. The 2023 Edition of FAS provides a table that gives an idea of the likely leads to satisfy people’s needs or just to guide them.
• • • Integrating Threats and Risks from the Adverse Impacts of Various Factors into FAS
The FAS 2023 edition integrates the damaging impacts of economic factors or variables such as interest rate change, inflation, the cost-of-living index, policy changes, geo-economic tensions, etc.
It also considers the probable evolution of these factors or variables in the medium term. Likewise, the probable adverse impacts of climate change are nevertheless taking into account and unavoidable.
This integration is at the levels of possible Autumn scenarios, Autumn budget and arising needs. It is the integration of both life-sustaining needs and other factors (like economic, social, climate, geo-economic, etc).
• • • Improving Ways of Tackling the Cost-of-living Crisis
It is about making better the means or manner of dealing with the cost-of-living crisis and poverty. To make it better, it could imply proceeding with the following initiatives:
σ conducting a brand refresh used or taking a process of adjusting the brand in the fight against the cost-of-living crisis
(if you are one of our members, your brand will be the make you are using to tackle the cost-of-living crisis)
σ getting updates with the latest information, data and knowledge about this crisis
(for example, knowing the current index of the cost of living can help in improving one’s way of tackling the cost-of-living crisis and poverty)
σ fixing projects, activities and programme areas which are not working or where there are bugs
(for instance, users can review their Autumn budget 2023 and decide whether or not to keep any of the non essential expenses)
σ reviewing some of the fundamentals
(e.g., reassessing factors such as Ukraine-Russia conflict, market power of companies, wage growth, productivity growth, the evolution of inflation and interest rates, etc. can help)
σ refreshing values from an improved perspective
(e.g., if your accounting value is any expense has to comply to the spending limit you set up, you can re-evaluate this limit/value)
σ taking refresher training to close the gaps in knowledge in the way of tackling the cost-of-living crisis
(any crisis comes along with it with new jargon and tools to deal with it. If there is a need to learn these jargon and tools, then a refresher training can be required)
σ ameliorating your leadership abilities in whatever you do as the cost-of-living crisis endures
(any crisis can change the way one leads their life or household as well as it can provide the opportunity to improve one’s leadership skills)
σ enhancing the culture of your household or community
(to better deal with the cost-of-living crisis and poverty, it may require some improvements or adjustments in one’s household culture or simply way of doing things)
etc.
All the above means will help in improving ways of tackling the cost-of-living crisis and poverty.
• • • What You Can Get from CENFACS in Autumn under Autumn Help to Improve Your Ways of Tackling the Cost-of-living Crisis
The set of helps provided in the FAS 2023 is part of CENFACS’ UK arm of services and additional services we set up to overcome the negative side effects of crises and risks (like the coronavirus, the cost-of-living crisis, climate crisis, etc.). In this respect, FAS 2023 include ‘Fresh Start‘ activities or services that can be aligned with the typical phases of crisis after the crisis phase. These typical phases include de-escalation, stabilisation, post-crisis and resolve phases. What are these activities?
There are three activities we would like to mention, which are:
a) activities to turn endings to new beginnings
a) activities to manage new beginnings
b) activities to manage plans for the future.
• • • • Fresh Start Activities as Those to Turn Endings to New Beginnings
These are the activities to return to where people were before the cost-of-living crisis with changes rather than against them, this Autumn. People can now move on with change and transition. They include:
√ tasks to manage transition (from Summer to Autumn, from when the cost-of-living crisis started to where it is now)
√ tasks relating to wellbeing economy, inclusiveness and safety to manage the process of improving ways of tackling and coming out the cost-of-living crisis.
• • • • Fresh Start Activities as Those to Manage New Beginnings
The activities relating to the management of new beginnings will help to work with the community to achieve the following:
√ set up new goals with them
√ identify new opportunities and threats at the current time of the enduring cost-of-living crisis.
We shall work with them through advice, tips and hints in order for them to manage the new beginnings.
• • • • Fresh Start Activities as Those to Manage Plans for the Future
Fresh Start activities could be those of managing the future as well. By using futuring and visioning methods and techniques, it is possible to develop scenarios, horizon scanning and trend monitoring/analysis to help them not only improve and navigate their way out of the cost-of-living crisis; but to minimise the likely harmful impacts of future risks and crises as well.
Besides the above-mentioned provision, FAS 2023 further takes into account specific needs of people that may require specialist organisations and or institutions to deal with them. In which case CENFACS can signpost or refer the applicants to those third parties.
• • • Autumn Online and Digital Resources
As explained earlier, FAS 2023 Edition contains a list of organisations and services that can help users in different areas covering basic needs. Most the provided resources, which are from the charity and voluntary sector, are online and digital. The list gives their contact details including the kinds of support or service they provide.
We hope that the basic tips and hints making the contents of FAS 2023 Edition will help you in some aspects of your Autumn needs, and you will find the relief you are looking for.
We would like to take this opportunity of the beginning of the new season to wish you a Happy and Healthy Autumn, as well as good luck in your efforts to Improve and Navigate Your Way Out of the Cost-of-living Crisis!
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• References
(1) https://www.bankofengland.co.uk (accessed in September 2022)
(2) https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/explainers/will-inflation-in-the-uk-keep-rising (accessed in September 2023)
(3) https://www.rateinflation.com/inflation-rate/uk-inflation-rate (accessed in September 2022)
(4) https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/2023.inflationandpriceindices (accessed in September 2023)
(5) https://ben.org.uk/how-we-help/for-me/articles/reduce-your-living-costs/ (accessed in October 2022)
(6) Yiftachel, O. (2009), Critical Theory and ‘gray space’ Mobilisation of the Colonized at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248930381_critical_theory_and_’gray_space’_Mobilisation_of_thecolonized (accessed in September 2023)
(7) McLean A. I., at https://peopleknowhow.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/what-are-the-benefits-of-green-and-blue-space.pdf (accessed in September 2022)
(8) https://environmentagency.blog.go.uk/2021/08/04/blue-space-the-final-frontier/ (accessed in September 2022)
(9) Depietri, Y. & McPhearson, T., (2017), Nature-based Solutions to Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Areas, Theory and Practice of Urban Sustainability Transitions, N. Kabisch et al. (eds.), DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-56091-5_6
(10) https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ppp3.10225 (accessed September 2022)
(11) Ozili, P. K., (2020), Theories of Financial Inclusion at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338852717_Theories_of_Financial_Inclusion (accessed in September 2023)
(12) https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/financialinclusion/overview (accessed in September 2023)
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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. Likewise, CENFACS accepts matching gifts from companies running a gift-matching programme.
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 2023 and beyond.
With many thanks.
