Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!
25 June 2025
Post No. 410
The Week’s Contents
• Season of Happiness 2025
• Matching Organisation-Investor via Telehealth Facility – Activity 5 (25/06 to 01/07/2025): Matching Organisation-Investor via Marketing Plan, Software Scalability and Future Developments
• Execution of CEDM (Creative Economic Development Month) 2025 Sub-themes: Fourth Codes (from Week Beginning Monday 23/06/2025)
… And much more!
Key Messages
• Season of Happiness 2025
The Season of Happiness within CENFACS starts with Summer Season. During the Season of Happiness 2025, we shall work with users to help them find out what can satisfy their lives during this Summer. Our work with them will be about implementing existing initiatives while developing new ones that can make them feel happy or satisfy their lives. These initiatives have values which underpin our Season of Happiness or Summer of Happiness.
• • The Four Values of CENFACS’ Season of Happiness or Summer of Happiness
Our Season of Happiness or Summer of Happiness will be about the following four values or utilities:
1) How the CENFACS Community can spread happiness between its members to narrow the gap in happiness inequalities (value of spreading happiness)
2) How best to help those in most need within the CENFACS Community to feel happy, to achieve successful outcomes this Summer (value of sharing happiness)
3) How to create and innovate happiness-enhancing activities and projects to reduce poverty linked to the lack of happiness (creative and innovative value of happiness)
4) How to be kind and care about those members of the CENFACS Community who are in most need of care (care value of happiness).
The above-mentioned values are those that will lead our Season of Happiness or Summer of Happiness.
• • Happiness and Kindness for the Season of Happiness or Summer of Happiness
The fourth value of Season of Happiness or Summer of Happiness comes from J. F. Helliwell et al. (1) who speak about happiness and kindness or the impact caring and sharing on people’s happiness, in their World Happiness Report 2025. They argue about the benefits of the recipients of caring behaviour and the benefits to those who care for others. They illustrate their thoughts through meal sharing. This is what they propose:
“Dining alone is not good for your wellbeing. People who eat frequently with others are a lot happier and this effect holds even taking into account household size”.
For Helliwell et al., sharing meals or bring people around the table is a strong indicator of subjective wellbeing.
We shall refer to this strong indicator as well as we shall include another predictor of wellbeing, which is trusting others. In addition, we shall take into account the conversion of one’s money into greater happiness for others.
• • Conversion of One’s Money into Greater Happiness for Others
With regard to this conversion, Helliwell et al. support this view:
“Make your money buy happiness for other people”.
However, in our campaign for the Season of Happiness 2025, we disagree with them when they say that it is better to donate to large organisations with history of great impact. We believe that in order to create and sustain happiness, the size of organisations does not matter. To find the most cost-effective ways to improve happiness is not necessarily correlated to the size of the organisation.
• • Working with the CENFACS Community to Find and/or Sustain Happiness This Summer 2025
Although happiness is about the interplay between gene and environment, it is possible to work with the members of CENFACS Community to find happiness cure, become happy and feel well. It is possible to help them overcome inequalities in happiness and achieve well-being. It is equally feasible to share meals with them so that they can become or stay happy.
To do that, we are going to consider what the field of happiness science tells us. We shall as well approach happiness as both an independent and interdependent concept. In other words, happiness could be a personal or subjective experience for any member of our community. Happiness can also be a collective participation for any of these members as belonging to a community, the CENFACS Community. It is in this interaction between happiness as individual practice and happiness as collective experience that they can find their true balance or harmony or even resilience.
To sum up, during this 2025 Season of Happiness we are going to work with our users so that they can have aspects of their life in balance and feel at peace with their life despite the feeble economic revival. The above is the way in which we would like to approach our 2025 Season of Happiness or Summer of Happiness.
Under the Main Development section of this post, we have provided further details including the projects and programmes making the 2025 Season of Happiness.
• Matching Organisation-Investor via Telehealth Facility – Activity 5 (25/06 to 01/07/2025): Matching Organisation-Investor via Marketing Plan, Software Scalability and Future Developments
The last episode of our 5-week Matching Organisation-Investor via Telehealth Facility is about Matching Organisation-Investor via Marketing Plan, Software Scalability and Future Developments.
Indeed, there have been some alignments between Financial Plan (FP), and Software Deployment and Launch (SDL) presented by Africa-based Sister Organisation (ASCO) and not-for-profit (n-f-p) impact investor’s view on them. Also, there have been some tests on the financial plan and software deployment metrics. The Telehealth Facility (TF) has passed the test on the majority of these metrics.
The positive results from alignments and tests on metrics have opened way to the fifth and last round of the matching talks. In this Activity 5, ASCO will negotiate the contents of its Marketing Plan (MP) and Software Scalability and Future Developments (SSFD). As to the not-for-profit (n-f-p) impact investor, he/she has the task to agree or disagree with these contents.
To approach this last part of the matching talks, we have organised our notes as follows:
σ Activity 5 Matching Concepts
σ Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisation’s Marketing Plan (MP) and Software Scalability and Future Developments (SSFD)
σ Not-for-profit Impact Investor’s View on MP and SSFD
σ Negotiated Agreement
σ The Match or Fit Test
σ Concluding Note on Matching Organisation-Investor via Telehealth Facility.
Let us uncover each of these headings.
• • Activity 5 Matching Concepts
There are three key concepts to be used in Activity 5: marketing plan, software scalability, and software future development.
Let us briefly explain these concepts.
• • • What is marketing plan?
The definition for marketing plan used here comes from ‘coursera.org’ (2) which explains that
“A marketing plan is a document that a business uses to execute a marketing strategy. It is tactical in nature, and, typically includes campaign objectives, buyer personas (that is, a fictional character that you create based on your existing customers and extensive market research), competitive analysis, key performance indicators, an action plan, and a method for analysing campaign results”.
Because marketing strategy is mentioned in this definition of marketing plan, it is better to explain it as well. According to Oxford Dictionary of Business and Management (3),
“A marketing strategy is a plan identifying what marketing goals and objectives will be pursued to sell a particular product or product line and how these objectives will be achieved in the time available” (pp. 381 & 382)
The marketing plan and strategy are for launching a new product or service or facility, which is the Telehealth Facility. ASCO will use the 5 Ps of marketing plan or mix which are: People, Placement, Pricing, Product, and Promotion. ASCO will use it to generate n-f-p impact investor’s funds.
• • • What is software scalability?
According to ‘flexiana.com’ (4),
“Scalability refers to the ability of a software system to manage increased workload or growth without losing performance. In simpler terms, it means that as you user base, data load, or transaction volume increases, your software can easily accommodate these changes”.
From this definition, ASCO needs to explain the ability of the TF software system in terms what it can do and cannot do.
• • • What is software future development?
It is about the future of software development in terms of transformations driven by advancements in other technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation, and evolving development practices.
To explain these trends, ‘datacenters.com’ (5) argues that
“Software development in 2025 is being redefined by AI, developer automation, edge computing, and heightened concerns around security and compliance. Developers are no longer just writing code – they are curating pipelines, managing AI agents, and navigating ever-changing cloud – native environments. With rapid innovation and evolving user demands, staying ahead of the curve is essential”.
For instance, today we have AI coding assistants.
ASCO is required to explain how the TF software will follow these trends to keep pace with technological evolution and in the health field.
• • Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisation’s Marketing Plan (MP) and Software Scalability and Future Developments (SSFD)
ASCO will negotiate and argue about its MP and SSFD. Let us look at each of these match points for discussion (that, MP and SSFD).
• • • MP as match point for discussion
ASCO needs to show through its MP that it will
~ streamline and organise marketing efforts
~ have a sequence of marketing activities
~ measure the TF success
~ have the marketing campaign budget.
In addition, ASCO will use KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) or specific metrics to measure the success of its marketing efforts. Amongst these KPIs, we can mention the number of the people who will visit TF website, the number of emails, the number of TF subscribers/applicants via TF website, the number of TF registrants, the conversion rate of leads into clients or beneficiaries, income figures to be achieved through donations and parts of TF service that will be charged.
• • • SSFD as match point for discussion
ASCO can show that it will work on the scalable architecture and infrastructure of the TF software, and it will continuously monitor it and have feedback about it. Through scalability, ASCO can show that it can adjust to changes and provide a smooth user experience.
ASCO can explain that it will use scalability metrics to monitor and evaluate the scalability of its software system. Amongst the metrics, it can apply the following ones: throughput, response time, resource utilisation, error rate, availability, etc.
It can as well utilise software development KPIs to track TF software development success with KPIs like cycle time, good average, code network, defect detection ratio, bug rate, mean time to recovery, velocity, cumulative flow, deployment frequency, queue time, scope completion rate, and scope added.
If ASCO wants to really win a n-f-p impact investor, it will make sure to better explain its MP and SSFD. It will also provide the above-mentioned indicators and metrics to compellingly support its case.
• • Not-for-profit Impact Investor’s View on MP and SSFD
The approach taken by ASCO regarding MP and SSFD must align with n-f-p impact investor’s view on them. Let us summarise what the n-f-p impact investor’s view could be.
• • • Alignment of MP with n-f-p impact investor’s view
To align MP with n-f-p impact investor’s view, the n-f-p impact investor wants some clear answers about ASCO’s business model through ASCO’s MP, operations details, target clients or beneficiaries, competitors, value proposition, brand identity, products/services to be offered, and sales.
The n-f-p impact investor will check if ASCO has a focus on TF’s long-term growth and long-term vision. He/she will also want to know if this vision is translated by or visible in ASCO’s MP.
• • • Alignment of SSFD with n-f-p impact investor’s view
To enable this alignment, the n-f-p impact investor wants to know ASCO’s strategies for achieving scalability (strategies like the use cloud services, microservice architecture, load balancing, and caching). In other words, the n-f-p impact investor would like to find out if ASCO’s software development will follow these trends:
AI-powered development, cloud computing and cloud nature development, low-code/no-code development, enhanced cybersecurity and data privacy, machine learning operations, and progressive web apps.
For instance, the n-f-p impact investor may want to know if ASCO’s software development will have a focus on sustainability and environmental impact.
In short, the n-f-p impact investor would like some guarantee that the online and phone-based healthcare service or bespoke remote healthcare programme, will be helpful for both health professionals and users, based on ASCO’s MP and SSFD. He/she is keen to know if there are some links between ASCO’s three plans: healthcare services plan, business plan and technology development plan. Briefly, he/she wants to understand ASCO’s telehealth business model through ASCO’s MP and SSFD.
There should be an agreement between ASCO’s MP and SSFD on the one hand, and the n-f-p impact investor’s view on them on the other hand. If there is no agreement or alignment of the two positions, the matching talks may not go to the next stage of this matching process or to progress. If there is a disagreement, then the talks/negotiations could be subject to match or fit test.
• • Negotiated Agreement
In order to reach an agreement, both participating parties need to approve MP and SSFD, as well as what proceed MP and SSFD. If there is no approval in any of these stages or activities, the matching talks may not go further. In other words, there should be an agreement between ASCO’s MP and SSFD on the hand and N-f-p Impact Investor’s view on them on the other hand. If there is a disagreement, then the talks/negotiations could be subject to match or fit test.
• • The Match or Fit Test
As part of the match or fit test, n-f-p Impact Investor’s view on ASCO’s MP and SSFD must be matched with the information coming out of ASCO’s MP and SSFD documents.
The match can be perfect or close in order to reach an agreement. If there is a huge or glaring difference between the two (i.e., between what the investor wants and what ASCO is saying about its MP and SSFD, between what the investor would like the MP and SSFD phase to indicate and what ASCO’s MP and SSFD are really saying), the probability or chance of having an agreement at this fifth round of negotiations could be null or uncertain.
However, if this happens there is still a chance as CENFACS can advise ASCO and guide n-f-p investor on their approaches to Telehealth Facility.
• • • Impact Advice to ASCO and Guidance to n-f-p Impact Investor
CENFACS can impact advise ASCOs to improve the presentation of the MP and SSFD they are bringing forward. CENFACS can as well guide n-f-p impact investors to work out their expectations in terms of the MP and SSFD to a format that can be agreeable by potential ASCOs. CENFACS’ impact advice for ASCOs and guidance on impact investing for n-f-p impact investor, which are impartial, will help each of them (i.e., investee and investor) to make informed decisions and to reduce or avoid the likelihood of any significant losses or misunderstandings or mismatches.
However, to reduce or avoid this likelihood both parties need to follow the rule of the matching game.
• • • The Rule of the Matching Game
The rule of the game is the more impact investors are attracted by ASCO’s MP and SSFD the better for ASCOs. Likewise, the more ASCOs can successfully respond to impact investors’ level of enquiries and queries about the MP and SSFD the better for investors. In this respect, the matching game needs to be a win-win one to benefit both players (i.e., investee and investor).
The above is the fifth stage or activity of the Matching Organisation-Investor via Telehealth Facility.
Those potential organisations seeking investment to set up a telehealth facility in Africa and n-f-p impact investors looking for organisations that are interested in their giving, they can contact CENFACS to arrange the match or fit test for them. They can have their fit test carried out by CENFACS’ Hub for Testing Hypotheses.
• • • CENFACS’ Hub for Testing Hypotheses
The Hub can help to use analysis tools to test assumptions and determine how likely something is within a given standard of accuracy. The Hub can assist to
√ clean, merge and prepare micro-data sources for testing, modelling and analysis
√ conduct data management and administration
√ carry out regression analysis, estimate and test hypotheses
√ interpret and analyse patterns or trends in data or results.
For any queries and/or enquiries about this fifth stage/activity of Matching Organisation-Investor via Telehealth Facility, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.
• • Concluding Note on Matching Organisation-Investor via Telehealth Facility
To close this project, let us recognise that although this project has been based on 5 Key Components of a Telemedicine Business Plan and 5 Steps of the Telemedicine Software Development Process, there could be more than five stages in any telehealth project lifecycle. For example, ‘netrc.org’ (6) uses the model of Burgis with seven steps for the planning of clinical telemedicine services, which are
1) evaluate needs and feasibility 2) develop a care services plan 3) develop a business plan and risk analysis 4) develop a technology plan 5) train personal 6) pilot service 7) evaluate outcomes.
From this model of Burgis, we can conclude with Burgis’s comments expressed as follows:
“An organisation planning a telehealth programme should make the first pass through the steps, repeat the process with additional passes, and modify each step until it is confident that the plan realistically represents a programme that can be implemented with a high probability of success. After achieving this level of confidence, the organisation should make a commitment to implement the plan”.
In the context of our matching programme, ASCO needs to apply the model of Burgis. The n-f-p impact investor can also match ASCO via this model in the way he/she views ASCO’s application of this model.
Regarding the match probability, this can be high or average or low depending on how much ASCOs’ needs meet Not-for-profit Impact Investors’ interests.
CENFACS is still available to work with ASCOs that are looking for Impact Advice and Not-for-profit Impact Investors who need Guidance with Impact so that the former can find the investment they are looking for and the latter the organisation to invest in, and both of them can realise their respective Summer dreams.
To work together to make your matching dream come true by finding your ideal investee or investor, please contact CENFACS.
• Execution of CEDM (Creative Economic Development Month) 2025 Sub-themes: Fourth Codes (from Week Beginning Monday 23/06/2025)
The last decoding activity for our CEDM Working Weeks and Plan is about dealing with the codes below for each sub-theme.
• • This Week’s Codes for Each Sub-theme
For sub-theme 1 (that is, challenges hindering the ability of poor people to create and innovate), the codes are
σ community-based initiatives (for creations)
σ addressing barriers to innovations (for innovations).
For sub-theme 2 (that is, the use of critical or strategic natural resources or minerals), the codes are
σ geopolitical agreements (for creations)
σ fortifying poverty reduction base (for innovations).
For sub-theme 3 (that is loss of household assets value), the codes are
σ systemic issues (for creations)
σ user-friendly digital platforms and tools (for innovations).
Those who would like to engage this week with the CEDM 2025 can choose amongst the above-mentioned codes and contact CENFACS for decoding them.
• • Ways of Engaging with This Week’s Codes and CEDM 2025
One can engage with this week’s codes as follows.
Let us consider creations relating to community-based initiatives. One can establish online forums or support groups where individuals can share experiences and learn from each other, while fostering a sense of community and providing valuable resources.
If we focus on innovations to address barriers to innovations, one can innovate the means to dismantle societal barriers that discriminate against marginalised groups to create and innovate more inclusive environments for innovations and creative expression.
With regard to creations involve in geopolitical agreements, one can create by inserting the requirements of poverty reduction and sustainable development into these agreements and their amendments. Just as one can create to influence geopolitical factors that shape aid allocation and reductions so that the consequences of aid cuts could be less painful on aid recipient countries.
As to innovations to fortify poverty reduction base, one can innovate by addressing the underlying causes of poverty and tackling issues like income inequality, discrimination, and the lack of equal access to poverty-relieving infrastructures that can help create a more equitable and just society where every individual can thrive and has the opportunity to express their creativity talents to contribute to the enrichment of their communities.
Concerning the creations linked to systemic issues, one can, for instance, work to address broader societal issues like inequalities, the lack of financial literacy, and the impact of economic cycles on vulnerable populations
Regarding the innovations applying to the development of user-friendly digital platforms and tools, one can innovate in technology such as digital learning platforms to provide accessible education to underserved communities, improve literacy and numeracy that lead to better job opportunities.
The above is the fourth execution of our CEDM 2025 Working Weeks and Plan.
For those who may be interested in any of the fourth codes of each sub-theme of this plan, they can contact CENFACS for decoding them.
For those who would like to learn more about CEDM 2025, they can also communicate with CENFACS.
• • Concluding Remarks about 2025 CEDM
During this month, we have been working to form responses from nothing and bring them into existence to deal with the 2025 CEDM sub-themes. Equally, we have been trying to introduce new ideas or methods as well as make changes to what has been tried and tested to deliver these kinds of sub-themes.
We have explored the kinds of creation and innovation the CENFACS Community (and alike our Africa-based Sister Organisations) need in order to find ways of moving forward to protect the gains or legacies of our Building-forward-better-together work while building upon progress to achieve a more equitable and inclusive society.
We hope that those who have engaged with us throughout this process would have found from some of the creations and innovations or simply ideas we put together forward so far how useful they could be. Those who have their creations and innovations on this matter and would like to share them with us and the community, they should not hesitate to contact us and the community on this matter.
Extra Messages
• Coming Soon: The 2025 Edition of Summer Financial Updates to Be Titled as A Financial Diary for Your Household
• Creative Arts, Crafts and Design-based Development Project – In Focus: Unknown, Unreported and Unnamed Artists, Craft Persons and Designers of Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development with the Example of Young Creators and Innovators
• Other Areas of 2025 CEDM: Research and Development, Advertising and Social Media
• Coming Soon: The 2025 Edition of Summer Financial Updates to Be Titled as A Financial Diary for Your Household
Like any household, households making the CENFACS Community earn income and spend their income. However, when we asked how many of them run a financial diary, only a few of them were able to answer. Others amongst them did not even know what is a financial diary and whether a particular household can run it.
As a way of working together with households making our community, this Year’s edition of Summer Financial Updates (SFU) will focus on way of running household financial diary and using it to update household finances. But, what is a financial diary for a household?
• • Basic Understanding of a Financial Diary for a Household
It emerges from the financial literature that a financial diary for a household is detailed record of all income and expenses, both cash and non-cash, over a specific period. It is a tool used to track spending habits, identify areas where money is spent and ultimately help households manage their finances more effectively.
The financial diary we are talking about should not be confused with financial diaries used as a research method by social scientists to study how households manage their finances, particularly low-income or vulnerable people or households.
So, financial diary for a household will be used as tool to support households making our community over this Summer 2025.
• • Working with Households on Financial Diary Tool
Through this tool, we hope to work with them so that they can
σ better track their income and expenses
σ identify areas of improvement regarding their budgeting and financial planning
σ go beyond simple budgeting to analyse their financial behaviour
σ and above all further reduce poverty linked to the lack of understanding of a financial diary.
For those members of our community who may interested in the 2025 Edition of SFU, they are welcome to enquire to CENFACS about it.
• Creative Arts, Crafts and Design-based Development Project –
In Focus: Unknown, Unreported and Unnamed Artists, Craft Persons and Designers of Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development with the Example of Young Creators and Innovators
Artists and designers play an active role in helping to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development. So, this week we are working on some of the works carried out by artists and designers especially those from small scale and charitable backgrounds, the local arts and design products and services undertaken by local people and communities sometimes to make ends meet.
These kinds of work can include the following:
√ Those carried out by poor families, children, young people and those who are left out of the economic growth or upturn
√ There are works undertaken by unknown, unreported and unnamed artists, craft persons and designers who may be amateurs or not professionals or not just celebrities.
To better illustrate what we are trying to argue, let us provide some definitions.
• • What Is Unknown, Unreported and Unnamed Artist?
It emerges from arts literature that unknown artists are creators of artworks, music or other creative works whose name or identity is not publicly known or widely recognised. We can mention the example of Banksy whose anonymity is deliberate.
The same art literature tells us that unreported artists can refer to several scenarios, including artists working in the informal economy, those work is not widely recognised, or artists whose contributions are overlooked in mainstream narratives. Examples of unreported artists include unsigned musicians, street performers, artists whose work is part of community-based art scenes, etc.
Also found within the same art literature the term ‘unnamed artists’ which refers to creators whose identities are unknown or intentionally concealed. Examples of these unnamed artists include historical artists whose names have been lost to time to contemporary artists who choose to remain anonymous like Banksy.
We are interested in all of them. Every year, we try to find out unknown, unreported and unnamed artists and designers, as part of Creative Arts, Crafts and Design-based Development Project. This finding exercise helps to know and name them as well as advertise their works. We can advertise their work as advertising is an area of creative industries making CENFACS’ 2025 CEDM.
All these small pieces of art, craft and design works can help relieve poverty and enhance the process of sustainable development. They can help to win the battle against crises such as the cost-of-living crisis or any other crisis.
• • Example of Unknown, Unreported and Unnamed Artists, Craft Persons and Designers: Young Creators and Innovators
Some Young Creators and Innovators can be classified as unknown, unreported and unnamed artists and designers. Who are they?
• • • Young Creators and Innovators
They are those who, at young age, demonstrate a knack for problem-solving, creativity, and the ability to develop new ideas and solutions. They are of all sorts of talents and abilities who can create and innovate to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development. They can as well help us move forward to protect the gains or legacies of our Building-forward-better-together work while building upon progress to achieve a more equitable and inclusive society.
Their works can help reduce poverty induced by polycrises while keeping the progress of the realisation of sustainable development and climate goals. They could be the finders of the today’s solutions for tomorrow’s problems.
So, this week we are continuing our Creative Arts, Crafts and Design-based Development project by looking at the contribution that unknown, unreported and unnamed artists, craft persons and designers, and amongst them are Young Creators and Innovators, who are helping in reducing poverty and hardships as well as in enhancing sustainable development.
• • • June 2025 Challenge: The Creative Mind of Poverty Reduction (PR) and Sustainable Development (SD)
As a creator or innovator of PR and/or SD you can tell to CENFACS your creation and/or innovation project or experience of creative and/or innovative PR and/or SD. And if you are a young creator and/or innovator and has some feeling that you would probably fall under the category of unknown, unreported and unnamed artists and designers; CENFACS would like to hear from you as well as your creative or innovative work. You could be the Creative Mind of Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development of June 2025; the Mind we are looking for.
• Other Areas of 2025 CEDM: Research and Development, Advertising and Social Media
This week, we are as well dealing with the other areas of the creative industries. In particular, we are looking at the work in research and development, advertising and social media for reducing poverty.
• • Research and Development for CEDM 2025
It is about creating and innovating solutions in the following matters: to deal with transitions (e.g., energy transition), to handle post-reset and -change systems (e.g., poverty reduction system after reset and changing it), and to deal with international/foreign aid cuts. To manage transitions of any kind, to reset or change systems, and to improve spending for those in need; they all require creations and innovations. These creations and innovations could come from researching and developing ideas.
So, this month is also of inventing or creating new products and services while developing or improving existing ones to make helpful difference to our users and fill gaps in the poverty reduction market.
For instance, many of our Africa-based Sister Organisations have been affected by the recent foreign/international aid cuts. As a result, we are conducting research and development on new ways of funding their work and mission. Part of this research work on new ways of funding poverty reduction and sustainable development in Africa, we are trying to answer these research questions:
~ How do aid cuts affect the charity sector in Africa?
~ How do aid cuts impact the capacity of our Africa-based Sister Organisations?
~ Are there alternative funding mechanisms or strategies to mitigate the negative impacts of aid cuts?
~ How do businesses and the private sector in Africa respond to aid cuts, and what opportunities exist for charity-private partnerships in Africa?
By putting it in the words of Christopher Pass at al. (7), June is the month of discovery of new techniques and products and their commercial application, together with the refinement and improvement of existing technologies and products.
However, this Research and Development activity must be novel, creative, uncertain, systematic and transferable and/or reproducible; according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation (8).
• • Advertising and Poverty Reduction
Another interesting area of the creative industries we are looking at is advertising. Advertising is, according to ‘online.csp.edu’ (9),
“The process of making a product and service known to an audience. It involves the development of messages that present products, services, ideas, and brands to the world. These processes generally entail advertising campaigns in the media”.
Advertising can and does contribute to the reduction of poverty. This week, we are studying how the development of advertised messages take into account the needs and demands of the poor. In particular, we are focussing on advertising campaigns, their offers, positioning and catch-phrases to ensure that their messages and advertised products are aligned with poor consumers’ needs. We are as well reviewing CENFACS‘ adverts regarding some of the humanitarian relief campaigns we conducted and how we can (re)create and re(innovate) our advertising campaigns to bring more support for those in need.
• • Social Media to Reduce Poverty
As a media awards winner, CENFACS is always interested in media. This week, our interest is on social media, particularly in its capacity to reduce poverty and hardship. In this respect, we are investigating the link between social media and poverty reduction.
There are many studies that found that there are relationships between social media and poverty reduction. For example, ‘borgenproject.org’ (10) argues that
“Social media and poverty reduction can be connected by harnessing the power of information to foster development in a technologically advancing world”.
The same ‘borgenproject.org’ explains that social media provides an inclusive platform and an open form to share the views and concerns of people living in vulnerable situations.
For example, a video can help to disseminate information about poverty reduction. Sharing video images of poverty can lead to actions.
As part of this week work on CEDM 2025, we are looking at how images sharing on poverty reduction via social media (e.g., sharing poverty-relieving images via Twitter) can help us to create and innovate solutions to poverty as well as improve outcomes for those living in poverty. It is about recognising, valuing and supporting the contribution of the social media in reducing poverty.
Those who may be interested in these Other Areas of 2025 CEDM (i.e., Research and Development, Advertising and Social Media), they can contact CENFACS. Those who have any queries about these Other Areas of 2025 CEDM, they can as well communicate with CENFACS.
Message in French (Message en français)
• Jour de l’Action de Grâce : Journée des Supporters (30 juin 2025)
La dernière semaine de juin est une semaine de remerciements conformément au calendrier de développement de CENFACS. Le 30 juin 2025, nous remercierons tous nos soutiens (actuels et anciens). Nous aimerions profiter de la fin du mois de juin pour les remercier (et vous si vous en faites partie) pour leur aide au…
CENFACS DANS L’AMÉLIORATION ET LE MAINTIEN DES LIBERTÉS ET DES CAPACITÉS EN TRAVAILLANT EN ALLIANCE AVEC LES POPULATIONS LOCALES POUR DÉVELOPPER DES INITIATIVES DURABLES.
• • Que signifie le Jour du Merci ou le Jour des Soutiens ?
C’est une Journée Spéciale de Remerciement au sein de CENFACS que nous aimerions dédier à tous ceux et toutes celles qui ont contribué à notre travail pour tout type de soutien qu’ils/elles nous ont apporté au cours de cette année financière. Cette dédicace a normalement lieu dans la dernière semaine et à la fin de juin. Pour cette année, le Jour du Merci sera célébré le 30 juin 2025 afin de maintenir notre tradition.
Alors que nous sommes dans le Mois de Développement Économique Créatif de CENFACS et l’Année de la Restauration, nous allons trouver toutes sortes de manières créatives, innovantes, restauratrices et communicantes de remercier nos précieux soutiens et bailleurs de fonds. Ces manières de remercier peuvent inclure ce qui suit :
√ Converser avec nos soutiens par téléphone
√ Signer et envoyer des cartes de remerciement imprimées ou des cartes électroniques
√ Leur raconter les histoires ou les résultats concernant les personnes et les communautés qu’ils ont aidées grâce à leur soutien
√ Leur envoyer des e-mails, des textos et des tweets avec des messages de gratitude
√ Raconter et partager des histoires de remerciement
√ Jouer et écouter de la musique et des chansons de remerciement avec eux
√ Réaliser et projeter des vidéos et des films de remerciement
√ Leur rendre la pareille en offrant notre temps pour la cause qui leur tient à cœur
√ Entreprendre un service de traduction gratuit (du français à l’anglais et vice versa)
√ Lire des poèmes et de la poésie africains
√ Leur envoyer des messages de remerciement numériques, générés par l’IA (Intelligence Artificielle) et animés technologiquement
√ Réaliser des œuvres créatives et de dessin symbolisant la gratitude
√ Envoyer des objets et des créations conçues et fabriquées à la main en guise de reconnaissance
√ Faire des appels vidéo si nous ne pouvons pas les voir en personne
Etc.
Si vous êtes l’un des supporters de CENFACS, nous tenons à vous informer que la Journée de Remerciement au sein du CENFACS est votre journée. N’hésitez pas à nous contacter si vous n’avez pas de nouvelles de nous par erreur.
Nous vous accueillerons, nous nous reconnecterons avec vous et nous vous remercierons à cette occasion pour la différence utile que vous avez apportée à notre travail et aux bénéficiaires de projets, et pour être avec nous aux côtés de ceux et celles qui en ont besoin, surtout pendant cette année difficile marquée par les effets persistants des polycrises.
Votre soutien inestimable a beaucoup compté pour nos programmes et bénéficiaires de projets au cours de cette année financière qui s’achève.
Nous tenons à exprimer toute notre sincère gratitude pour votre aide à réduire la pauvreté – la noble et belle cause de CENFACS.
Nous souhaitons également vous remercier d’avoir fait entendre notre voix dans notre mission sacerdotale, surtout dans un monde toujours plus complexe de polycrises où les voix des petits sont parfois ignorées ou simplement oubliées.
Pour plus de détails, veuillez contacter le CENFACS.
Main Development
• Season of Happiness 2025
The following items will help to understand the way in which, together with our users and beneficiaries, we would like to wish the 2025 Season of Happiness to happen:
∝ Rebuilding Season to Happiness Season
∝ What Is Summer for CENFACS’ Users and Beneficiaries?
∝ 4 Properties of 2025 Happiness Season
∝ Preview of 2025 Summer of Happiness and Well-being Programmes.
Let us briefly explained these items.
• • Rebuilding Season to Happiness Season
Jmesci (June Month of Environmental and Sustainable Creative Initiatives) and Creative Arts, Crafts and Design-based Development Project are the projects that have made the last part of Spring 2025 programme. Both projects make our Creative Economic Development Month.
In practice, Jmesci is the project that is ending our Rebuilding or Life Renewal Season to start Happiness Season or Summer of Happiness. After creating and innovating to build forward better together cleaner, greener, inclusively and safer as well as to help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development; we are now looking forward to enjoy the sunshine of Summer with Happiness. We look forward to Summer holiday, although the warm weather has already started.
• • What Is Summer for CENFACS’ Users and Beneficiaries?
Summer is a period of the warm sunny weather that we would like to associate with it at CENFACS. It is the time of happiness that we all expect, after a long period of full time work and education. We look forward to a break after such a long time of routine working life, especially as most of CENFACS’ projects and programmes are framed around the school timetable to suit and reflect the needs and living patterns of our users and beneficiaries. This is despite the fact that during Summer holiday people are still working to keep their households and the economy running.
• • 4 Properties of 2025 Happiness Season
As highlighted in the key messages, our Season of Happiness or Summer of Happiness will be about the following four values or utilities:
1) Our capacity to spread happiness between the members of CENFACS Community to narrow the gap in happiness inequalities (value of spreading happiness)
2) The help we can provide to those who are in most need within the CENFACS Community to find happiness cure and feel happy, to achieve successful outcomes in the current economic context (value of sharing happiness)
3) Our ability to create and innovate happiness-enhancing activities and projects to reduce poverty linked to the lack of happiness (creative and innovative value of happiness)
4) Our kindness to care about those members of our community who are in most need of care (care value of happiness).
It is possible to help CENFACS’ users and beneficiaries overcome inequalities in happiness and achieve well-being.
Therefore, the key note of our theme for Summer of Happiness will be: How to Create, Enjoy and Sustain Happiness in the Current Economic Context.
To support those struggling with economic pressures over Summer 2025, we shall work with them so that they can navigate their way to resilience, perseverance, happiness and well-being. In practical terms, it means that we shall provide Happiness Tips and Hints relating to the current economic context. We will provide them through the following Summer initiatives.
• • Preview of 2025 Summer-of-Happiness and Well-being Programmes
Summer Programme at CENFACS is mainly made of two sets or broad areas of projects for and with Multi-dimensionally Poor Children, Young People and Families; which consists of:
(a) Happiness Projects (Part 1) and
(b) Appeal Projects or Humanitarian Relief to Africa (Part 2).
Besides this main Summer seasonal regular feature, we have also planned other initiatives as side menus. We shall gradually release the contents of these Summer projects as we progress towards Summer Holiday 2025.
Our development calendar/planner already indicates what is planned for July and August 2025. However, should anybody want to find out more, they are welcome to contact CENFACS.
• • • Summer 2025 Programmes, Projects and Activities (Summer calendar/planner)
How to Make This Summer 2025 as of a True Happiness
July 2025
∞ Summer Financial Updates: A Financial Diary for Your Household
The 2025 Edition of Summer Financial Updates (a CENFACS’ Individual Capacity Building and Development resource for Summer) will provide advice, tips and hints about Financial Diary for Your Household
The 2025 Edition of Summer Financial Updates (SFU) will focus on financial diary as a tool to help households making the CENFACS Community so that they can
σ better track their incomes and expenses
σ identify areas of improvement regarding their budgeting and financial planning
σ go beyond simple budgeting to analyse their financial behaviour
σ above all further reduce poverty linked to the lack of understanding of a financial diary.
∞ All-in-one Impact Assessment
July, which is the Analytics month within CENFACS, is the month to be at CENFACS for those who are working on project and programme impacts.
We will be doing two levels of impact assessment as follows:
1) Our usual July Impact Monitoring, Evaluation, Review and Analytics for projects and programmes that we run in the preceding financial year
2) Impact assessment of the different activities linked to the polycrises (e.g. activities to tackle rising prices of food, energy, geo-economic crisis, international aid cuts, conflicts, etc.).
∞ Virtual Summer Festival with Seven Days of Development in July
The focus for our Summer 2025 Festival will be on Mining, Infrastructure Development for the Poor and Poverty Reduction
Indeed, the extraction and processing of minerals, in particular but not limited to critical and strategic minerals, can generate substantial revenue, which can then be reinvested in infrastructure development for the poor.
Infrastructure development for the poor is an investment in physical and social infrastructure that directly benefit impoverished communities. This includes providing access to essential services like transportation, energy, water, sanitation, healthcare, and education.
Mining projects can create opportunities for shared infrastructure in Africa, like water infrastructure benefiting local people and communities. This development of infrastructure poor people can help to further reduce poverty in Africa. Our July 2025 Festival will deal with this matter.
July – August 2025
∞ Children, Young People and Families (CYPFs) Summer Programme (Part I): Appeal Projects
Summer Humanitarian Appeal projects are a set of projects to help alleviate multi-dimensional poverty experienced by CYPFs during the Summertime. We normally launch one umbrella appeal that brings under one roof these projects. This year, we are going to launch selected appeals for most of them with special emphasis on the impacts of the polycrises on CYPFs.
One of the selected appeals will be about helping CYPFs to be free from distress caused by the international/foreign cuts or withdrawal of aid in Africa, which have adversely impacted those vulnerable people, especially children, who used to benefit from them. The appeal – Support Vulnerable Children in Africa Left Without Hope by Foreign Aid Cuts – is one of the Summer Appeal projects making the first part of our Summer Programme, which will be published soon.
Another appeal project that will have a particular attention and that is needed during this period of the polycrises is the Iconic Young Carer Project (iYCP). This project has found its place in our summer plan as the effects of caring and sharing on people’s happiness have been recognised by this year’s World Happiness Report written by Helliwell et al. (op. cit.). The latter argue the reciprocal benefits of the recipients of caring behaviour and the benefits to those who care for others.
∞ Children, Young People and Families (CYPFs) Summer Programme (Part II): Happiness Projects
Happiness projects are another set of Summer projects making the second part of our Summer Programme. We shall release more details about Happiness projects in due course as we come close to Summer holiday.
∞ Summer 2025 Run, Play and Vote to Reduce Poverty
Our Triple Value Initiatives (Run, Play and Vote) for this year have already kicked off. Through e-workshops, we have provided some guidance and help about them. And we are still available to talk to those who need some help. Those who started them should be half-way through with them.
These activities can be run in hybrid manner; that is in-person or virtual depending on the circumstances of participants.
Since we are already in the middle of the year, half-year actions and results about these activities will be sought from those who are practising them.
We shall ask those who undertook exercises relating Triple Value Initiatives such as e-workshops and recreational activities to report on their actions and results as well.
∞ Integration of Le Dernier Carré into Build Forward Better Programme
Our four step model of poverty relief (that is the Last Square of Poverty Relief or Le Dernier Carré) will be included in some of the elements of the Summer-of-Happiness Programme.
∞ Summer Track, Trip and Trending
Track and Trip activities will be run as normal.
Regarding Trending activity, we are going to follow the direction of poverty reduction via the integration of climate goals and sustainable development goals. In other words, we are going to find out how this integration helps people to transition out and away from poverty. Pursuing climate goals alone can help people to come out poverty. Similarly, applying sustainable development goals can assist people in moving out of poverty. Integrating both climate goals and sustainable development goals can even better enable people to move out of poverty, because the joint effect of the two types of goals.
The above is just an indicative plan of work for our Summer of Happiness. This Summer work plan will be reviewed depending on the circumstances and events that may occur as we move throughout the summertime.
We hope you find a happy, helpful and hopeful relief from the above programmes and projects on offer at CENFACS over this Summer!
For details or clarification about the above programmes and projects, including ways of accessing them, please contact CENFACS.
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Note: Although the above is scheduled for Summer 2025, we may slightly alter our initial plan and or introduce occasional initiatives to cope with the reality of the unpredictability and complexity of development situations (e.g. humanitarian and emergency situations), in which case we shall let you know as early as we can.
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• References
(1) Helliwell, J. F., Layard, R., Sachs, J. D., De Neve, J.-E., Aknin, L. B., & Wang, S. (Eds.).(2025). World Happiness Report 2025. University of Oxford: Wellbeing Research Centre (available at https://happiness-report.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/2025/WHR+25.pdf (accessed in June 2025)
(2) https://www.coursera.org/articles/marketing-plan?msockid=11c873b61920692b07ff667d1818681d (accessed in June 2025)
(3) Oxford Quick Reference (2016), A Dictionary of Business and Management, Sixth Edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK
(4) https://flexiana.com/news/software-development/2024/07/the-importance-of-scalability-in-software-development#:~text= (accessed in June 2025)
(5) https://www.datacenters.com/news/top-software-development-trends-to-watch-in-2025 (accessed in June 2025)
(6) https://netrc.org/up-content/uploads/2015/04/NETRC-Roadmap-for-Planning-Development-of-Clinical-Telemedicine-Services-2014.pgf (accessed in June 2025)
(7) Pass, C., Lowes, B. & Davies, L., (1988), Collins Dictionary of Economics, HarperCollins Publishers, London Glasgow
(8) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Frascati Manual 7.0, Chapter 2, The full Frascati Manual and current and upcoming online at http://oecd/frascati (accessed in June 2023)
(9) https://online.csp.edu/resources/article/marketing-vs-advertising/ (accessed in June 2024)
(10) https://borgenproject.org/social-media-and-poverty-reduction/ (accessed in June 2024)
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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 AND BEAUTIFUL 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 until the end of 2025 and beyond.
With many thanks.
