Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!
01 May 2024
Post No. 350
The Week’s Contents
• May 2024 Stories – All in Development Stories: Stories of Systems Reset and Change
• All in Development Story Telling Series/Programme 2024
• Activity/Task 5 of the Transitions (t) Year/Project: Provide Inspiring Stories of Out-of-poverty Transitions
… And much more!
Key Messages
• May 2024 Stories – All in Development Stories: Stories of Systems Reset and Change
Story telling is our main content for the month of May. It is the month and time of the year we dedicate ourselves to telling and sharing poverty relief and sustainable development stories.
• • Why Do We Tell and Share Stories?
This is because in whatever we do to help reduce poverty and appeal for support to enhance the development process we are engaged in, there is always a story to tell and share from various places we intervene and from different individuals and communities or organisations involving in our work.
• • How Do We Tell and Share These Stories?
We do it through All in Development (AiD) Stories project, which is our storytelling project. There is an explanation about this project that can be found under the Main Development section of this post. Every year, there is a different theme for this storytelling project.
• • This Year’s Theme for AiD Stories Project
This year, the theme for AiD Stories Project is about Stories of Resetting and Change Systems, our system of poverty reduction. They are the stories of a system which can be reset to meet people’s (poor people’s) needs. But, if the system is failing the people it is supposed to serve and is no longer fit for resetting purpose, then change may be required. And stories can make this change to happen. In which case, system change stories may be needed.
• • • What are System Reset and Change Stories?
Let us first explain Stories of Resetting Systems, then Stories of Changing Systems.
• • • • System Reset Stories are
a) about how people and communities are trying or have tried to bring things back to their default settings or initial state
b) of
∝ changing our mindset
∝ creating new metrics
∝ designing new incentives
∝ building a genuine connection.
• • • • System Change Stories are
a) those relating to how people are trying to change the system if resetting is not suitable or desirable
b) of
∝ seeing the whole system rather just its parts
∝ looking at patterns of change rather than static snapshots
∝ understanding key interconnections within a system and between systems
∝ forming a new system (e.g., a new system of poverty reduction).
Both stories (system reset and change stories) are the tales of physical, social, environmental and economic settings and how we try to deal with systems, in particular our system of poverty reduction.
• • • When will these stories start?
Entries for May 2024 Stories were opened since last March when we announced the general theme of Spring Relief 2024, which is ‘Build Forward Better Together to a Greener, Cleaner, Safer, Inclusive and Climate-Resilient Future’ within the context of Squeezed Household Spending”. So far, some people have shown some interests. For those who have not yet submitted or told us their stories, this is the month to do it.
These stories are based on a principle.
• • Underlying Principle of AiD Stories Project
The principle of AiD Stories Project is that it is about stories told by volunteers or people who are giving their stories not for money or not being paid for their experience they had in relation to the story theme. However, this principle does not stop anybody to provide a story even if what they are saying come from their paid position.
Besides this general principle, we have two criteria we would like to highlight about the theme of AiD Stories Project for this year.
• • Criteria for The Theme of AiD Stories Project 2024
~ 1st Criterion
For this year’s AiD Stories project, we are mainly interested in Stories of Build Forward Better Together to a Greener, Cleaner, Safer, Inclusive and Climate-Resilient Future within the context of Squeezed Household Spending, as mentioned above. They are the stories of those who hit rock bottom of poverty because of squeezed household spending and are trying to bounce forward in a sustainable way.
~ 2nd Criterion
We are registering people’s personal experiences of being or at risk of being left behind in the process of building forward within the context of squeezed household spending . Experiences show that in many crises, there is always a possibility that aid/help/transfer to household expenses/expenditure/spending does reach everybody or if its does it does not reach them proportionally or equally. For those who have not been reached, their personal stories need to be heard as well.
Additionally, we would like to select amongst submitted stories the best ones.
• • Selecting the Top Real True Story of the Month
This year, we would like to select the top three stories of poverty reduction of the month and the real true story of poverty reduction of the month. To do that we will use impact story approach. This approach is often used when monitoring and evaluation are restricted. What do we mean by that?
We mean what ‘civicus.org’ (1) says about impact stories, which is:
“Impact stories are a useful way to systematically documenting anecdotal evidence that expected activities occurred, and the perceived results thereof”.
Our storytelling assessors will try to capture elements of storytelling that respond to our storytelling criteria. Stories that build inclusion and inspire people to reset or change have more change to win more votes/points than other ones.
To facilitate and organise ourselves in the way of telling these stories, we are going to do it through a series or programme or a timeline of scripts. There is more information about this series below.
For more information on AiDS project and this year’s storytelling focus and scripts, please read under the Main Development section of this post.
To tell your story of change for change to CENFACS, please contact CENFACS for story telling terms and conditions.
• All in Development Story Telling Series/Programme 2024
The 2024 series of AiDS Telling Programme starts from the 1st of May 2024, every Wednesday afterwards and will last until the end of May 2024. These series, which are part of May 2024 Stories, are a timeline of scripts or a set of notes arranged in line to tell and share Stories of System Reset and Change. But, these stories do not need to be linear (that is, problem > action > solutions). We take non-linear stories as well.
To arrange this programme, we referred to the four ways of resetting the system proposed by the World Economic Forum (2), which are:
a) Change our mindset
b) Create new metrics
c) Design new incentives
d) Build a genuine connection.
We are also referring to what the World Resources Institute (3) argues about systems change, which is
“Systems change can be defined as shifting component parts of a system – and the pattern of interactions between these parts – to ultimately form a new system that behaves in a qualitatively different way”.
This definition provides four strategies or tips for changing a system, which are
a) seeing the whole system rather just its parts
b) looking at patterns of change rather than static snapshots
c) understanding key interconnections within a system and between systems
d) forming a new system (e.g., a new system of poverty reduction).
From the above-mentioned four ways and four strategies, we can organise our stories line. There is no single logic or model of organising a story. We thought that to make it easier, our storytelling series for systems resetting and change will follow these four plus four (4+4) or two-story sequences:
The four plus four (4+4) or two-story sequences can be linked each other in a sequential way.
For further details about these two-story sequences or timeline of AiD scripts, please continue to read under the Main Development section of this post.
• Activity/Task 5 of the Transitions (t) Year/Project: Provide Inspiring Stories of Out-of-poverty Transitions
The fifth activity/task of the “t” Project is about sharing with those in need some inspiring stories about transitioning out of poverty. Depending on circumstances of life, people can transition into and out of poverty. This transition can be short and long. What we are interested in is transitions out of poverty and their inspiration in terms of story.
• • Transitions out of Poverty
There are many factors that can determine out-of-poverty transitions. Ann Huff Stevens (4) gives some of them in the case of the United States of America. According to her,
“Changes in income and family structure are associated with transitions out of poverty”.
She also argues that it depends on short-term, circumstantial poverty or long-term poverty associated with permanent limitations on earnings, employment and family structure.
Drawing on Ann Huff Stevens’ argument, the Activity/Task 5 of the Transitions (t) Year/Project is about providing stories of out-of-poverty transitions.
• • Providing Inspiring Stories of Out-of-poverty Transitions
It is about giving the uplifting accounts of you or people you know who transitioned out of poverty. The story needs to mention how long they have been out of poverty and how long the transition lasts.
For example, stories about change in the household structure or changes in the labour market and how they have helped to transition out of poverty can be told. Stories like these can uplift others.
The above is what activity/task 5 is about. For those who need any help before embarking on this activity/task, they can speak to CENFACS.
For any other queries and enquiries about the ‘t‘ project and this year’s dedication, please contact CENFACS as well.
Extra Messages
• Financial Resilience Programme for Households – In Focus for Wednesday 01/05/2024: Intervention Strategies for Households
• Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty: Working Plan for the Fourth Series of Nature Activities
• All-year Round Projects Cycle (Triple Value Initiatives Cycle) – Step/Workshop 11: Outcome Evaluating Your Play, Run and Vote Projects
• Financial Resilience Programme for Households – In Focus for Wednesday 01/05/2024: Intervention Strategies for Households
Our work on financial asset holdings of households or economic resources that households possess to help them stay resilient against shocks continues. This week, we are dealing with Intervention Strategies for Households, which are the third theme of our Financial Resilience Programme for Households (FRPHs).
• • What Are Intervention Strategies?
They are involving actions designed to help reduce the financial vulnerabilities of the members of CENFACS Community and their families, and empower them to provide for the essential needs of their households. These interventions can include savings boosts, emergency loans, cash assistance, insurance claims, etc.
These interventions can be short, medium and long term. Focussing on short-term interventions, the website ‘Assetfunders.org’ (5) argues that
“The goal of short-term interventions is to provide a bridge to get people over the shortfall and back on the road toward their financial goals, but not expose them to repeated financial risks”.
‘Assetfunders.org’ provides short-term interventions which include four options: buffer, borrowing, benefits and backstop.
Involving interventions linked to resilience can include working with these households on how they can get and spend money, find way of building savings, setting up an income-generating activity, etc. Below are the types of intervention strategies that can be used to work with the community.
• • Types of Intervention Strategies
They include and are about reassessing household capital structure, redefining household’s liquidities and their financial risk while examining how much households are protected from income shocks by their financial assets (such as current accounts, savings and investments) or other forms of support (like state benefits, friends and families).
We can briefly summarise each of these interventions.
• • • Reassessing household capital structure
Like a firm, household capital structure is made of savings, debts and equity.
Reassessing household capital structure is about looking at how much they hold in terms of assets (e.g., percentages of cash, of net worth or the property they own, of investments in shares and bonds) and debts (e.g., mortgage). It is also about advising them how they can build a better capital structure.
• • • Redefinition of household’s liquidities
It is about reexplaining households that they need cash to meet short-term and immediate obligations. It is also about working with them to find assets that can be easily and rapidly convertible into cash. This implies working out their liquidity ratio, which refers to the number of liquid assets to overall assets.
• • • Re-explaining household’s financial risk
FRPHs helps households to avoid financial mistakes. Taking disproportionate financial risks can be one of the mistakes. Re-explaining and understanding these financial risks can be financial life-saving.
Among the risks are negative coping financial strategies like resorting to costly loans, running down or low savings, cutting back on insurance, etc.
• • • Examination of households’ protection from income shocks
FRPHs can assist households to protect themselves from income shocks. Examining households’ protection is about looking at how households can use their financial assets (such as current accounts, savings and investments, trusts and bonds), to protect them from income shock.
• • • Resorting to other forms of support
FRPHs can as well support households by checking with them if they are entitled to support from government benefits, employers, and voluntary organisations/charities to protect them from income shock. This includes crowdfunding schemes, friends and families.
It is possible to work with households making the CENFACS Community to apply the above-summarised strategies.
• • Working with Households on Intervention Strategies
Working with households on financial strategies is about helping them to avoid costly financial mistakes. There are reasons to work with them, particularly if they are poor. It is known that poor households tend to have very little property or financial wealth, debts exceeding assets, physical assets to make up a much higher proportion of the overall wealth and lower capacity to save for retirement due to low income.
Because of all these reasons, FRPHs is one of the ways to help them navigate their way to financial protection. It can help them release trapped cash and working capital.
For example, if a household does not realise the type of financial risk it is taking in resorting to costly coping strategies, CENFACS can work with this particular household to find cheap strategy to stay resilient. In this process of working with this household, we can as well discuss their liquidity ratio and capital structure.
The above is the third theme of our FRPHs .
Those households that are looking for suitable financial strategies in order to stay resilient, they can work with CENFACS.
For any queries and/or enquiries about the theme of Intervention Strategies for Households as well as Financial Resilience Programme for Households (including how to access this programme), please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.
• Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty: Working Plan for the Fourth Series of Nature Activities
To implement biodiversity strategies and action plans, it requires financial resources. The fourth series of Nature Activities deals with financial resources.
This fourth series of these activities, which will start from the 6th of May 2024, falls under the scope of target 19 of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (6) adopted at the Fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
The highlights of the fourth series of the nature activities to be carried out are given below.
• • Highlights of the Fourth Series
Activity 1: E-discussion on Payment for Ecosystem Services
This is an online conversation about the ways of giving something monetary or non-monetary in return for benefiting from nature. Giving something can help for the upkeep of the nature.
Activity 2: A Survey on Green Bonds
This is an exercise of looking at in detail debt securities with a view that the money raised from investors is solely used to fund projects with positive impact on the environment.
Activity 3: Workshop on Biodiversity Offsets and Credits
This is a course or work for those interested in biodiversity to study how organisations can engage and finance activities that deliver net positive biodiversity gains.
Activity 4: Art and Design about Benefit-sharing Mechanisms
This activity consists of the creation of works of beauty and making drawing/model showing how the sharing of benefits derived from biodiversity conservation can be beneficial for indigenous and other local peoples.
As said above, the contents of the above-mentioned four nature activities stem from the nineteenth target of nature goals making the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (op.cit.), which was agreed in December 2022.
• • Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty –
From Week Beginning 06/05/2024: E-discussion on Payment for Ecosystem Services
Before giving the aim of this activity and what will be about, we would like to let or remind the prospective participants to this activity what the payment for ecosystem services means.
Ecosystem services are simply the benefits that people get from nature. These services are supporting, provisioning, regulating and cultural.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (7),
“Payment for ecosystem services is the name given to variety of arrangements through which the beneficiaries of environmental services, from watershed protection and forest conservation to carbon sequestration and landscape beauty, reward those lands provide these services with subsidies or market payments”.
This definition will help the e-discussion.
a) Aim of Activity 1
The aim of this Activity 1 is to help the community to discuss and explore way of finding innovative solutions to pay for the benefits that people get from nature.
b) What the e-Discussion on the Payment for Ecosystem Services Will Be about
We will be e-debating current innovations and latest developments on the matter.
The e-discussion will be online exchange among the participants to reflect on the question of the payment for ecosystem services. It will take place between the 6th and 12th of May of 2024.
You can contribute your answer and respond to others by agreeing or disagreeing, sharing your evidence and raising relevant issues surrounding the payment for ecosystem services. CENFACS facilitator or moderator will summarise the points to be made by participants.
For those who would like to engage with Activity 1, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.
For those who would like to find out more about Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty, they can also communicate with CENFACS.
• All-year Round Projects Cycle (Triple Value Initiatives Cycle) – Step/Workshop 11: Outcome Evaluating Your Play, Run and Vote Projects
Normally, at the beginning of a project or activity, planners of this project or activity will indicate how they plan to evaluate it. Planners can think of pre-project evaluation, ongoing project evaluation and post-project evaluation. However, what is project evaluation for them?
• • Basic Understanding of Project Evaluation
To simplify the matter, we are referring to what Anna Allen and Catriona May (8) say about it, which is:
“Evaluation is a process of assessing what an activity or project achieves, particularly in relation to the overall objectives” (p. 36)
There are many types of evaluation depending on the areas of emphasis. Evaluation can be before the project starts (pre-project evaluation), when the project is in progress (ongoing evaluation) and when the project is finished (post-project evaluation). Evaluation can also be formative, process/implementation, outcome/effectiveness and impact. It all depends on what you want to achieve in evaluating a project.
In the Step/Workshop 11, we are interested in Outcome Evaluation.
• • • What is an outcome evaluation?
To understand outcome evaluation, one may need to know outcome. Outcome has been described in the United Nations Development Programme’s Guidance on Evaluation (9) as
“The intended changes in development conditions that result from the interventions of governments and other stakeholders, including international development agencies such as UNDP. They are medium-term development results and the contributions of various partners and non-partners. Outcomes provide a clear vision of what has changed or will change globally or in a particular region, country or community within a period of time” (p. 3)
Knowing what is outcome, it is possible to explain outcome evaluation. According to ‘evalcommunity.com’ (10),
“Outcome evaluation is a type of evaluation that focuses on measuring the results or outcomes of a programme or intervention. It is a systematic and objective process that involves collecting and analysing data to determine whether the programme is achieving its intended goals and objectives, and whether the outcomes are meaningful and beneficial to the target population”.
The same ‘evalcommunity.com’ states that there are many types of outcome evaluation which include impact evaluation, outcome-focused evaluation, process evaluation, cost-benefit analysis, and realist evaluation.
In this Step/Workshop 11, we are dealing with outcome-focused evaluation.
Let us exemplify this.
• • Example of Outcome Evaluating Your All-year Round Projects
Let us assume that one of our users decides to organise a 4-Km-a-day Run Project to raise money for CENFACS’ one of its noble and beautiful causes of poverty reduction, which is to support Africa-based Sister Organisations currently helping displaced persons in the south borders of Sudan.
In order to outcome evaluate the 4-Km-a-day Run Project, our all-year-round project user will proceed with the following:
∝ Ensure that their project is on course and identify the problems as they come up
(Type of problems could be if everybody taking the run manages to run 4 kilometres or not)
∝ Measure progress towards their objectives
(E.g., if one of the objectives was to raise £500 on a particular day, they will check fundraising progress about this objective)
∝ Seize new window of opportunities
(For instance, if more people turn up than initially expected, our all-year-round project user can think of the possibility of running the activity again another day)
∝ Deal with any challenges during project implementation
(Like to organise a networking/talk session for the extra number of attendees who could not take part in the run because there is a restriction on the number of runners)
∝ Recognise success and failure
(I.e., our all-year-round project user will find out what went wrong or well during the Run Project)
∝ Give some recommendations for the future run of the project
(I.e., ask participants to make suggestions or tell them how you will improve the project if you decide to run it again)
∝ Keep all records
(Of the number of participants/runners, all the people involved, money raised, incidents, accidents, reports, etc.)
∝ Conduct a progress review
(If it is the second time to run your project, you will review the progress made in comparison with the previous run)
∝ Complete evaluation in due course
(I.e., remember to tick all the boxes of you evaluation sheets/forms when you finishes your project).
The above is one of the possible ways of outcome evaluating your All-year Round Projects. For those who would like to dive deeper into Outcome Evaluation of their Play or Run or Vote project, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.
Message in French (Message en français)
• Programme de Résilience Financière pour les Ménages – Gros plan du mercredi 01/05/2024 : Stratégies d’Intervention pour les Ménages
Nos travaux sur les actifs financiers détenus par les ménages ou sur les ressources économiques dont disposent les ménages pour les aider à rester résilients face aux chocs se poursuivent. Cette semaine, nous nous penchons sur les Stratégies d’Intervention pour les Ménages, qui constituent le troisième thème de notre Programme de Résilience Financière des Ménages (PRFM).
• • Qu’est-ce qu’une stratégie d’intervention?
Il s’agit d’actions visant à réduire les vulnérabilités financières des membres de la communauté CENFACS et de leurs familles, et à leur donner les moyens de subvenir aux besoins essentiels de leurs ménages. Ces interventions peuvent inclure des coups de pouce à l’épargne, des prêts d’urgence, des aides en espèces, des réclamations d’assurance, etc.
Ces interventions peuvent être à court, moyen et long terme. Le site web «Assetfunders.org» (5) fait valoir que
« L’objectif des interventions à court terme est de fournir un pont pour aider les gens à surmonter le manque à gagner et à se remettre sur la voie de leurs objectifs financiers, mais pas à les exposer à des risques financiers répétés. »
Le programme «Assetfunders.org» prévoit des interventions à court terme qui comprennent quatre options : 1) coussin de sécurité, 2) emprunt, 3) prestations et 4) filet de sécurité.
L’implication d’interventions liées à la résilience peut inclure le travail avec ces ménages sur la façon dont ils peuvent obtenir et dépenser de l’argent, trouver des moyens de constituer une épargne, mettre en place une activité génératrice de revenus, etc.
Veuillez trouver ci-dessous les types de stratégies d’intervention qui peuvent être utilisées pour travailler avec la communauté.
• • Types de stratégies d’intervention
Il s’agit de réévaluer la structure du capital des ménages, de redéfinir les liquidités des ménages et leur risque financier, tout en examinant dans quelle mesure les ménages sont protégés contre les chocs de revenu par leurs actifs financiers (tels que les comptes courants, l’épargne et les investissements) ou d’autres formes de soutien (comme les prestations de l’État, les amis et la famille).
Nous pouvons résumer brièvement chacune de ces interventions.
• • • Réévaluation de la structure du capital des ménages
À l’instar d’une entreprise, la structure du capital des ménages est constituée d’épargne, de dettes et de capitaux propres.
La réévaluation de la structure du capital des ménages consiste à examiner le montant qu’ils détiennent en termes d’actifs (p. ex., pourcentages de liquidités, de valeur nette ou de biens qu’ils possèdent, de placements en actions et en obligations) et de dettes (p. ex., hypothèque). Il s’agit également de les conseiller sur la façon dont ils peuvent construire une structure de capital.
• • • Redéfinition des liquidités des ménages
Il s’agit de réexpliquer aux ménages qu’ils disposent d’argent liquide pour faire face à leurs obligations à court terme et immédiates. Il s’agit également de travailler avec eux pour trouver des actifs qui peuvent être facilement et rapidement convertibles en espèces. Cela implique de calculer leur ratio de liquidité, c’est-à-dire le nombre d’actifs liquides par rapport à l’ensemble des actifs.
• • • Réexpliquer le risque financier du ménage
Le PRFM aide les ménages à éviter les erreurs financières. Prendre des risques financiers disproportionnés peut être l’une des erreurs. Réexpliquer ces risques financiers peut sauver des vies financières.
Parmi les risques, il y a les stratégies financières négatives telles que le recours à des prêts coûteux, l’épuisement ou la faiblesse de l’épargne, la réduction des assurances, etc.
• • • Examen de la protection des ménages contre les chocs de revenu
Le PRFM peut aider les ménages à se protéger contre les chocs de revenu. L’examen de la protection des ménages consiste à examiner comment les ménages peuvent utiliser leurs actifs financiers (tels que les comptes courants, l’épargne et les investissements, les fiducies et les obligations) pour les protéger contre les chocs de revenu.
• • • Recours à d’autres formes de soutien
Le PRFM peut également soutenir les ménages en vérifiant auprès d’eux s’ils ont droit à un soutien de la part des prestations gouvernementales, des employeurs et des organisations bénévoles/caritatives pour les protéger contre le choc de revenu. Cela inclut les programmes de financement participatif, les amis et les familles.
Il est possible de travailler avec les ménages faisant partie de la Communauté CENFACS pour appliquer les stratégies résumées ci-dessus.
• • Travailler avec les ménages sur les stratégies d’intervention
Travailler avec les ménages sur des stratégies financières permet d’éviter des erreurs financières coûteuses. Il y a des raisons de travailler avec eux, surtout s’ils sont pauvres. On sait que les ménages pauvres ont tendance à avoir très peu de biens ou de patrimoine financier, que les dettes excèdent les actifs, que les actifs physiques représentent une proportion beaucoup plus élevée de la richesse globale et que la capacité d’épargner en vue de la retraite est plus faible en raison d’un faible revenu.
Pour toutes ces raisons, le PRFM est l’un des moyens de les aider à naviguer sur leur chemin vers la protection. Cela peut les aider à libérer les liquidités et le fonds de roulement piégés.
Par exemple, si un ménage ne se rend pas compte du type de risque financier qu’il prend en recourant à des stratégies d’adaptation coûteuses, le CENFACS peut travailler avec lui pour trouver une stratégie peu coûteuse pour rester résilient. Dans ce processus de travail avec ce ménage, nous pouvons également discuter de leur ratio de liquidité et de la structure de leur capital.
Ce qui précède est le troisième thème de notre PRFM.
Les ménages qui recherchent des stratégies financières adaptées pour rester résilients peuvent travailler avec le CENFACS.
Pour toute question et/ou demande de renseignements sur le thème des Stratégies d’Intervention pour les Ménages ainsi que sur le Programme de Résilience Financière pour les Ménages (y compris comment accéder à ce programme), n’hésitez pas à contacter le CENFACS.
Main Development
• May 2024 Stories – All in Development Stories: Stories of Systems Reset and Change
The items making the contents of May 2024 Stories include the following:
∝ What is All in Development Stories Project?
∝ May 2024 Stories: Stories of Systems Reset and Change
∝ Story Telling Sequences or Series
∝ Nature-based Solutions inside Your Stories of Systems Reset and Change
∝ AiDS Serial 1: Stories of Changing Mindsets and Seeing Wholes (Starting from Wednesday 01/05/2024)
∝ Further Information about May 2024 Stories.
Let us highlight each of these elements.
• • What Is All in Development Stories Project?
All in Development Stories (AiDS) is a life story building, developing, telling, sharing and learning project set up by CENFACS in 2009 in order to give opportunities to volunteers, interns and other development supporters and enthusiasts to inspire others and spread the good news and will of better change to the community. The project, which is run during the month of May, has five properties as follows:
√ AiDS is a telling and sharing story
It is about telling and sharing with us your experience and achievements made in the fields of local (UK) and International (Africa) developments.
√ AiDS is a learning and development process
It is also about learning from volunteers and interns how they improved their own life, changed deprived lives and reached out to the needy communities. After learning, one can try to develop strengths and better practices to solve problems.
√ AiDS is an inspirational and motivational support network
After all, the project seeks to inspire and motivate others on the road of change for better change; especially for those (who are part of our network and those who would like to be part of it) who might prepare and use their summer break or any other occasions to take up volunteering and or internship roles and positions.
√ AiDS is a building storytelling skills initiative
It helps story tellers to develop skills to tell and supply stories (stories generation) to meet the demand of stories listeners (stories heard) in order to connect those in need to poverty reduction. These stories that connect to poverty reduction can be linear and non-linear as well as deliberately action-oriented.
√ AiDS finally is a state-of-the-art project
It is the art of poverty relief telling story that enables us to get up-to-date information, knowledge and thinking in the fields of poverty reduction and sustainable development from those who went on the grounds to learn and experience real-life development works. They return with volunteering stories to tell and share. As the National Storytelling Network (11) puts it in these terms:
“Storytelling is the interactive art of using words and actions to reveal the elements and images of a story while encouraging the listener’s imagination”.
This year’s storytelling and sharing will be about Stories of System Reset and Change.
• • May 2024 Stories: Stories of System Reset and Change
• • • What are Stories of System Reset and Change?
To understand these stories, it is better to explain system reset and system change.
• • • • What is system reset?
Reset is simply set again (12). It is about bringing something back to its default settings or initial state. In the information technology world, the verb reset is used for computer to mean erasing the entire drive and recreating the factory setup.
According to ‘dictionary.cambridge.com’ (13),
“Reset is the act of returning a piece of equipment to its original settings, usually by turning it off and on again: A hard reset will erase all of the device’s applications”.
Another use of reset can be found during and after the coronavirus disaster when some people spoke about resetting our systems. Amongst the voices that stood up for global resetting was that of Klaus Schwab, the Founder and Executive Chairman of World Economic Forum.
Klaus Schwab (14) spoke about the Great Reset of Our Systems. Schwab meant the revamping of all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions. In his view of resetting our systems, he mentioned seven ways of doing it, which are:
1) shaping the economic recovery 2) harnessing the fourth industrial revolution 3) strengthening regional development 4) revitalizing global cooperation 5) developing sustainable business models 6) restoring the health of the environment and 7) redesigning social contracts, skills and jobs.
From what has been argued about reset, it possible to describe Stories of System Reset.
• • • • What are Stories of System Reset?
System Reset Stories are simply about how people and communities are trying or have tried to bring things back to their default settings or initial state. Following what the World Economic Forum (op. cit.) argues about the four ways of resetting the system, System Reset Stories are:
• the sequencing tales of changing our mindset (Stories of Changing Mindsets)
• the narratives of creating new metrics to reset systems – our poverty reduction system (Stories of Creating Metrics)
• the histories of designing new incentives (Stories of Designing Incentives)
• the tellings of building genuine connections to reset systems – our poverty reduction system (Stories of Building Connections).
In short, System Reset Stories are those of giving tools to direct economic recovery, driving sustainable growth, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement in the process of resetting systems. They are the tales of physical, social, environmental, financial and economic reset of systems.
However, if the current system is no longer fit for the resetting purpose, then there could be a need to change it.
• • • • What is system change?
The World Resources Institute (op. cit.) argues that
“Systems change can be defined as shifting component parts of a system – and the pattern of interactions between these parts – to ultimately form a new system that behaves in a qualitatively different way”.
The world Resources Institute also contends that there are no linear models or plans to change systems.
Additionally, ‘ssir.org’ (15) explains that
“The work of systems change involves seeing systematically – looking at the elements, interconnections, and wider purposes of systems – and acting systematically. Story plays a vital role in helping us do both of these things. Story has many different qualities that make it useful for the work of systems change”.
• • • • What are Stories of System Change?
System Change Stories are
• the accounts of seeing the whole system rather just its parts (Stories of Seeing Wholes)
• the plots of looking at patterns of change rather than static snapshots (Stories of Looking at Changing Patterns)
• the anecdotes of understanding key interconnections within a system and between systems (Stories of Understanding Interconnections)
• the reports of forming a new system (Stories of Forming Systems).
Briefly speaking, System Change Stories are the says of navigating interdependent webs of systems with complex interconnections and relationships.
Both System Reset and Change Stories will be presented via AiD Story Telling programme.
We are running 4+4 or two-story series of AiD Story Telling programme during this month of May, programme that will revolve around the process of ‘Build Forward Better Together to a Greener, Cleaner, Safer, Inclusive and Climate-Resilient Future’ within the context of Squeezed Household Spending.
For those who want to tell their Stories of Resetting and Changing Systems; they can choose among the following sequences to tell their stories.
• • Story Telling Sequences or Series
AiD Story Telling Series: Starting on 01/05/2024 and after every Wednesday until the end of May 2024
The following two-story series or sequences have been planned for this month of storytelling (May Stories).
σ Serial 1: From Wednesday 01/05/2023: Stories of Changing Mindsets and Seeing Wholes
Stories of Changing Mindsets are the sequencing tales of changing our mindset, while Stories of Seeing Wholes are the accounts of seeing the whole system rather just its parts.
σ Serial 2: From Wednesday 08/05/2024: Stories of Creating Metrics and Looking at Changing Patterns
Stories of Creating Metrics are the narratives of creating new metrics to reset systems – our poverty reduction system, while Stories of Looking at Changing Patterns are the plots of looking at patterns of change rather than static snapshots.
σ Serial 3: From Wednesday 15/05/2024: Stories of Designing Incentives and Understanding Interconnections
Stories of Designing Incentives are the histories of designing new incentives, while Stories of Understanding Interconnections are the anecdotes of understanding key interconnections within a system and between systems.
σ Serial 4: From Wednesday 22/05/2024: Stories of Building Connections and Forming Systems
Stories of Building Connections are the tellings of building genuine connections to reset systems – our poverty reduction system, while Stories Forming Systems are the reports of forming a new system.
Both Systems Reset and Change Stories will help us Build Forward Better Together to a Greener, Cleaner, Safer, Inclusive and Climate-Resilient Future’ within the context of Squeezed Household Spending.
• • Nature-based Solutions inside Your Stories of ‘Build Forward Better Together to a Greener, Cleaner, Safer, Inclusive and Climate-Resilient Future’ within the Context of Squeezed Household Spending
There are many solutions or recipes in order to build forward from the squeezed household spending. In the context of AiD Stories, we would like to hear stories of building forward better using nature-based solutions. What do we mean by nature-based solutions?
There are many ways of defining nature-based solutions. The EU Commission (16) defines nature-based solutions as
“Solutions that are inspired and supported by nature, which are cost-effective, simultaneously provide environmental, social and economic benefits and help build resilience. Such solutions bring more, and more diverse, nature and natural features and processes into cities, landscapes and seascapes, through locally adapted, resource-efficient and systemic interventions”.
For those who would like to tell or submit their stories, it will be a good idea to bring out storying aspects of nature-based solutions making part of their stories.
• • AiDS Serial 1: Stories of Changing Mindsets and Seeing Wholes (Starting from Wednesday 01/05/2024)
We have two stories from our two-story model: Stories of Changing Mindsets and Stories of Seeing Wholes. Let us look at each of them.
• • • Stories of Changing Mindsets
To present these stories, let us first try to briefly explain mindset.
• • • • Brief explanation of mindset
Our explanation of it comes from ‘leanscape.io’ (17) which states that
“A mindset is a pattern of thought that allows us to approach change in a certain way”.
Similarly, ‘mindmotionacademy.com’ (18) argues that
“It is not always easy to change your mindset. It can be hard to let go of the old way of thinking that have been a part of you for so long. But if you want to change your life trajectory, it is essential to start by changing your mindset”.
Although these explanations of mindset relate to individuals, they can be applied to systems. To reset systems, one needs to change their mindset whether or not they would like to do it.
The above views about mindset can lead to certain stories.
• • • • Stories of Changing Mindsets
From the above-mentioned views, we have identified four stories of changing our mindset in order to reset systems, our system of poverty reduction. These stories are
a) the transition stories of opening up yourself to new possibilities
b) the storytelling infographics of allowing yourself to explore different options
c) the fables, written or spoken, made of words, voices and tones of considering new opportunities
d) the tales of believing that anything is possible.
If you are a member of our community and have this type of story, please do not hesitate to tell and share your story with CENFACS. If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.
To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Changing Mindsets, please contact CENFACS.
• • • Stories of Seeing Wholes
These are the stories to do with systems thinking. What is system thinking?
• • • • Short explanation of system thinking
On the website ‘nhselect.nhs.uk’ (19), system thinking is defined as
“A way of changing our mindsets and by looking to see the word a new to better deal with the complexities that we face”.
The same ‘nhselect.nhs.uk’ quotes Peter Senge who argues that
“System think is a discipline for seeing wholes. It is a framework for seeing interrelationships rather than things, for seeing patterns of change rather than static snapshots”.
From this short explanation of system thinking, what are Stories of Seeing Wholes?
• • • • Stories of Seeing Wholes
They are
a) the accounts of seeing the whole system rather just its parts
b) the anecdotes of stressing the interrelationships between components of a system
c) the narratives of unlocking system-level change to change it
d) the records of tones of voice that can influence policy decisions and change the landscape in reducing the incidence of shocks and emergencies on poor people
e) the tales of appeals to increase supportive services to help the people in need.
These stories can be used to communicate the impact of community-led system change work.
For example, these stories can help to know how those involved in community-led systems can change initiatives by telling compelling stories about the nature and impact of their work or how these stories can be used to enable and celebrate community-led systems change work.
If you are a member of our community and have this type of story, please do not hesitate to tell and share your story with CENFACS. If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.
To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Seeing Wholes, please contact CENFACS.
• • Further Information about May 2024 Stories
• • • 2024 Story Areas of Interest
We normally take stories that cover any areas of poverty reduction and local and international sustainable developments.
• • • Contexts of Stories
Stories could come from any level of project/programme cycle (i.e. planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and review) as long as it is to do with poverty reduction and sustainable development.
They could also be a result of research and field work activities or studies.
They could finally be an experience of everyday life.
• • • Call for 2024 Entries
As said above, the 2024 Edition of AiDS has already kicked off. For those who want to enter their stories of life renewal, please note you are welcome to do so.
Just read below the annotated timetable for story submission and CENFACS’ storytelling terms and conditions.
We await your responses to our call.
• • • Annotated Timetable for Story Submission in 2024
∝ Start of online (e-mail) and paper-based submission (01/05/2024)
∝ Story submission deadline (31/05/2024)
∝ Notification of receipt/acceptance (by 17/06/2024)
∝ Submission of revised stories (01 to 31/05/2024)
• • • Storytelling Check List
Before submitting, please check that your story meets the following:
√ Relatable
√ Relevant
√ Engaging
√ Inspiring
√ Building inclusion
√ Poverty-relieving
• • • CENFACS Story Telling & Sharing Terms
To tell and/or share your May story, please let us know the following:
√ who you are
√ where and when your experience took place
√ and of course the story itself.
You could also
√ text
√ twit
√ record voice/video
√ send some forms of supporting materials/resources to back up your story.
Should you wish not to be name, please let us know your decision.
Please see below our story telling, sharing and learning terms.
• • • CENFACS story telling, sharing and learning terms
1) We welcome told, untold, linear and non-linear stories
2) Inside, witness, news, behind the scenes and case stories are eligible
3) We only take real life stories, not fiction stories or fake news
4) Tell true and evidence-based stories only, not lies
5) If possible, back up your stories with facts and data (numerical or textual or voice or video or even infographics)
6) Mention location, dates and names of events in the story
7) We accept photos, images, pictures, videos, info-graphic materials, audios and other forms of resources (e.g. digital or e- technologies) to support, capture and communicate the impact of your story
8) Plagiarism, prohibited, offensive, violation of copyrights and unlawful/illegal materials are not accepted
9) Hacking, flaming, spamming, scamming, ransom ware, phishing and trolling practices are not accepted as well
10) We greatly consider stories building on inclusion, inspiring people to change, containing poverty-relieving elements and highlighting nature-based solutions to poverty and hardships.
For further clarification, contact CENFACS.
Tell and share your storyline of change for change by communicating the impact you make!
CENFACS is looking forward to engaging with you through your story. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to CENFACS at facs@cenfacs.org.uk.
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• References
(1) https://www.civicus.org/monitoring-toolkits/toolkit/impact-story/ (Accessed in May 2023)
(2) https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/08/building-blocks-of-the-great-reset/ (accessed in March 2024)
(3) https://www.wri.org/insights/systems-change-how-to-top-6-questions-answered (accessed in April 2024)
(4) https://poverty.ucdavis.edu/sites/main/files/file-attachments/policy_brief_stevens_poverty_transitions_1.pdf (accessed in April 2024)
(5) https://assetfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/Measuring_Financial_Resilience_AFN_2021_Single_1.13.21.pdf (accessed in April 2024)
(6) https://www.cbd.int/article/cop15-press-release-final-19dec2022 (Accessed in May 2023)
(7) https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/black_sea_basin/danube_carpathian/our_solutions/green_economy/pes/ (accessed in April 2024)
(8) Allen, A. & May, C. (2007), Setting Up For Success – A practical guide for community organisations, Community Development Foundation, London (Great Britain)
(9) web.undp.org/evaluation/documents/guidance/UNDP_Guidance_on_Outcome-Level%20_Evaluation_2011.pdf (accessed in April 2024)
(10) https://www.evalcommunity.com/career-centre/outcome-evaluation/ (accessed in April 2024),
(11) https://storynet.org/what-is-storytelling/ (Accessed in May 2023)
(12) https://www.thefreedictionary.com/reset (accessed in April 2024)
(13) https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/reset (accessed in April 2024)
(14) https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/now-is-the-time-for-a-great-reset/ (accessed in April 2024)
(15) https://ssir.org/articles/entry/using_story_to_change_systems# (accessed in April 2024)
(16) https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/research-area/environment/nature-based-solutions_en (Accessed in May 2023)
(17) https://leanscape.io/change-management-mindset/ (accessed in April 2024)
(18) https://mindmotionacademy.com/what-is-mindset-and-why-is-it-important? (accessed in April 2024)
(19) https://www.nhselect.nhs.uk/uploads/files/1/what%20is%20system%20thinking.pdf (accessed in April 2024)
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• Help CENFACS Keep the Poverty Relief Work Going this Year
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One could also consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the future.
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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 2024 and beyond.
With many thanks.
