Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!
13 October 2021
Post No. 217
The Week’s Contents
• 2021 “A la une” (Autumn Leaves of Action for the Upkeep of the Nature in Existence) Themed Activities with the sub-theme of Safeguarding Crop Wild Relatives
• Giving No Direct Cash Donations
• Climate Protection and Stake Action: On the Way to COP26
… And much more!
Key Messages
• 2021 “A la une” (Autumn Leaves of Action for the Upkeep of the Nature in Existence) Themed Activities with the sub-theme of Safeguarding Crop Wild Relatives
Our environmental campaign known as “A la une” has already started and is going to last for seven weeks. The main theme of this campaign is still the same, which is Upkeep of the Nature; the sub-theme for this year’s campaign being Safeguard of Crop Relatives.
This year’s campaign is about the upkeep of plant taxa closely related to crops and source of high genetic diversity. It is an action to reduce and stop extinction risk and threat that some species (such as maize, potato, bean, avocado and cotton crops) are subject in Africa and elsewhere.
The selected composed notes or themed areas of work that would work together to shape the central topic or theme of “A la une” Campaign this Autumn have been given under the Main Development section of this post. We have as well provided the time frame and titles of these composed notes or themed areas of work.
The first themed area of work is Plant Health and Food Security; themed area which kicked off from the 11th of October 2021.
For further information about this first note, please read under the Main Development section of this post.
• Ten No Direct Cash Donations
How to support CENFACS without directly giving cash
Last month, we highlighted ways of supporting CENFACS and of boosting your support. This week, we are adding ways of supporting us without you having to directly give cash to CENFACS and its good causes. This is all part of improving the way in which you can make impact on what CENFACS is doing to help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.
Indeed, there are many ways that one can use to support CENFACS without directly given cash. One can unlock barriers to no direct cash donations for CENFACS. Those who would like to support CENFACS by using other means than directly giving cash, they can consider the following.
Ten ways of donating to consider this Autumn and in the lead up to the end of the year:
1) Giving unwanted goods and items to CENFACS e-charity store at http://cenfacs.org.uk/shop/
2) Sign up for a Gift Aid Declaration from which CENFACS can earn an extra 25p for every £1 you give
3) Nominate CENFACS for a donation at charity fundraising and donation events
4) Select CENFACS as your preferred charity for donation from advertising revenue
5) Raise free funds for CENFACS with your online shopping or choose CENFACS as a donation recipient of some of the profits raised from online shopping
6) Donate your unwanted and unused points and cashback to CENFACS as your chosen charity from your loyalty shopping rewards or good causes’ gift cards
7) Name CENFACS as your favourite deserving cause if it happens that you have the opportunity to click the online option “donate cashback to charities”
8) Donate any unwanted excess points of your loyalty card from apps that may give support to good causes
9) Give away to CENFACS any vouchers received or earned that you do not need or want
10) Hand out to CENFACS any proceeds from unwanted or unneeded prize draw or award you prefer to get rid of.
The above ten-themed ways of not directly donating cash are just the few examples of ways of helping that one can think over or come across with to support CENFACS without having to directly give cash. However, this does not mean one cannot donate cash. They can and if you choose to donate cash, CENFACS will happily accept your cash donations.
To support CENFACS without directly giving cash and or by directly donating cash, just contact CENFACS.
• Climate Protection and Stake for African Children – Phase 3: On the Way to COP26
We have not stopped to prepare our initiative about Climate Protection and Stake for African Children – Phase 3 (CPSAC – P.3) with the sub-theme of ‘Glasgow Steps It Up’ since the beginning of this year, despite the postponement of the Global Climate Talks under COP26 from last year to this year. Besides this preparation, we have explored ways of improving the measures against COVID-19 we so far integrated into our climate protection campaign.
• • COP26
COP26 is the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties. The UK will host this 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow between 31 October and 12 November 2021.
On the way to COP26, we are dealing this week with 10 points of CENFACS’ Compendium of Climate Advocacy. The total number of campaigning points that we would like to see implemented in the final make-up of climate proposals is twenty eight.
• • 10 Climate Campaigning Points of the Week on the Way to COP26
The ten points we are dealing with this week in the lead up to the COP26 include the following:
1) Climate decisions need to be supportive of the protection and stake of children, especially those from poor nations
2) The children-friendliness of the package of the climate contents
3) The degree of integration of children’s needs and involvement of child protectors and advocates in the facilitating dialogue to support the implementation process
4) Climate friendly modern solutions to child protection against the impacts of climate change
5) Support of children especially those from poor nations to transition to a circular economy
6) Support to climate neutral projects that are children-friendly
7) The fit of finance and insurance packages available on the market for the needs of children from developing countries like those of Africa
8) Effective ways of distributing these packages amongst children in need
9) Financial need assessment of the costs of climate protection for children to meet children’s climate protection needs (from the basic to the more complex ones); needs including those to reduce poverty and hardships, financial and insurance requests to meet and address the adverse impacts and effects of climate change
10) Climate Change Action plans in the context of local climate action (i.e. activities that look at the gaps between plans and achievements, between what has worked and what was not working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions)
Our work regarding the above mentioned campaigning points in the run up to the COP26 is to find ways of making sure that these points could be included in the deliberations that will take place in Glasgow without stealing the purpose and process of the global climate talks. It is also about having some insurance that the outcomes to be reached in Glasgow will reflect the points made above.
To support CPSAC-P.3 and the sub-theme of ‘Glasgow Steps It Up’ as well as any of the 28 Climate Campaigning Points of CENFACS’ Compendium of Climate Advocacy, please contact CENFACS.
Extra Messages
• End of COVID-19-induced Poverty: a COVID-19 Post-vaccine and Post-testing Campaign
This campaign, which is part of the Phase 3 of COVID-19 Campaign or COVID-19 Rehabilitation Strategies, is designed to help reduce and mostly end poverty and hardships brought by the coronavirus pandemic and its associated effects.
The Campaign on COVID-19 Post-vaccine and Post-testing Programme is about:
√ Ensuring that all the members of our community receive and access COVID-19 vaccine and keep regularly testing for COVID-19 symptoms when and where there is the highest likelihood of COVID-19 infection cases
√ Staying extremely careful and vigilant about the COVID-19 infection spread despite the incoming lift of the requirement for social distancing in hospitality from 31 October 2021 in England
√ Holding proofs of COVID-19 vaccination and negative tests to avoid exclusion from services and activities for which participation could be subject to COVID-19 vaccine certificates and negative testing proofs
√ Encouraging and working with those members of our community who are sceptical about the vaccination and tests so that they can appreciate the validity and benefits of these vaccination and tests while acting in the interest of everybody’s health and their own health.
Through this campaign, we hope to help reduce health poverty (i.e. lack of physical and emotional health) and other forms of poverty (like educational, environmental, economic, and social poverty) within and beyond the community.
To support this End of COVID-19-induced Poverty or COVID-19 Post-vaccine and Post-testing Campaign, please contact CENFACS.
• Making Memorable History with a Focus on the Congolese Rumba
Our preparation to have a slice of African history of the month continues. We are collecting several pieces of Rumba dance to enable us build an interesting and understandable picture of Rumba. We are as well looking at creative materials (including writings and practices) about Rumba dance as a legacy and gift for poverty reduction and sustainable development, while searching on Rumba dancers of the history.
The two history days (27 and 28 October 2021) align with Black History Month and Africa Union’s Declaration of 2021 as Africa’s Year of Art, Culture and Heritage.
To enquire and or add value to our slice of African history about Rumba dance, please contact CENFACS.
• Numeracy and Statistical Literacy Skills to Manage Debts and Deficits
Understanding how maths is used and applying it to make the best possible informed decisions when it comes to manage household debts and deficits is important. It is equally necessary to know and reason with basic life-saving statistics and data to prevent and manage debts and deficits at the level of household.
As part of our Individual Capacity Development Programme and Autumn XI Starting Campaign, we are going to work with those families who would like to prevent and manage debts and deficits. Indeed, the coronavirus and various pre- and post-coronavirus circumstances of life may have pushed many people and families within our community into debts and deficits. They are in debt because they owe money or goods or services. They are in deficit as there is an excess of expenses over incomes or liabilities over assets in their budgets.
To help them navigate their way to reduce asset poverty (i.e. the lack of wealth assets to survive for three months or more) and any other types of poverty (i.e. economic, income, energy, etc.), we will be looking at the areas of numeracy and statistical literacy knowledge and skills they need to deal with debts and deficits. We shall as well give them extra support and help in terms of online and in print resources and professionals they can tap into.
To enquire and or query about Numeracy and Statistical Literacy Skills, which is a new initiative and part of our Autumn XI Starting Projects, please contact CENFACS.
Notes de la campagne “A la une” 2021
Notre campagne automnale (intitulée “A la une“, c’est-à -dire Automne en Liasse d’Actions Utiles pour une Nature en Existence) sur la conservation et la préservation de la nature a débuté cette semaine.
Ci-dessous se trouvent les sept notes ou champs d’actions variés composant le sous-thème de la Sauvegarde des Parents de Cultures Sauvages; sous-thème faisant partie du thème global du Maintien de la Nature en Existence.
Sept notes ou actions pour le maintien de la nature du 11 octobre au 30 novembre 2021:
1) Santé des végétaux et sécurité alimentaire
2) Impacts de la mécanisation agricole sur les espèces végétales
3) Menaces sur les plantes sauvages et implications pour les moyens de subsistance
4) Utilisation d’herbicides, de pestices et d’engrais sur des espèces végétales
5) Cultures génétiquement modifiées
6) Espèces envahissantes, nuisibles et maladies
7) Effets de l’exploitation forestière sur les plantes sauvages
Pour plus d’information, veuillez contacter le CENFACS.
Main Development
• 2021 “A la une” (Autumn Leaves of Action for the Upkeep of the Nature in Existence) Themed Activities with the sub-theme of Safeguarding Crop Wild Relatives
• • Seven Weeks of Campaign for the Upkeep of the Nature
As announced earlier, we have started our 7-week campaign work for the Upkeep of the Nature. It is our well-known household campaign for nature in the autumnal season; a campaign which is happening against the background of the continuing economic and health threats from the coronavirus pandemic.
The campaign will help in promoting healthy relationships between humans and nature by taking actions to reduce and end extinction risks and threats to Crop Wild Relatives. It will also help in the fight against the adverse impacts of climate change.
As outlined earlier, the sub-theme of “A la une” for this year is the Safeguard of Crop Wild Relatives while the “A la une” theme remains the same which is: Upkeep of the Nature. Within these theme and sub-theme, we have composed seven notes excluding monitoring and evaluation of the “A la une” Campaign. These notes, which can be found below are in fact actions that can be taken to Safeguard Crop Wild Relatives.
• • “A la une” Composed Notes or Themed Areas for Action
During the following periods within this Autumn and “A la une” season, CENFACS’ advocacy on environment will focus on the following areas from the beginning of every Mondays (starting from 11 October 2021 to the end of November 2021).
Periods Titles of notes or themed areas of work
11/10 to 17/10/2021 Plant Health and Food Security
18/10 to 24/10/2021 Impacts of Agricultural Mechanisation on Plants
25/10 to 31/10/2021 Threats to Plants & Implications for Livelihoods
01/11 to 07/11/2021 Use of Herbicides and Pesticides on Plants
08/11 to 14/11/2021 Genetically-modified or -engineered Crops
15/11 to 21/11/2021 Invasive Species, Pests and Diseases
22/11 to 28/11/2021 Effects of Logging on Plants
29/11 to 30/11/2021 “A la une” monitoring and evaluation
In total, there are seven themed areas of work and action starting from the 11th of October 2021 and thereafter every Mondays until the end of November. These activities will help us to re-communicate our environmental message for the upkeep of the nature in existence as well as triggering better changes with our leaves of action. The notes are supposed to guide our action since “A la une” is about actions, not words. At the end of these notes and actions, we shall carry out monitoring and evaluation.
To engage with “A la une” themed areas and to act for healthy and wealthy nature, please contact CENFACS.
• • In Focus for Week Beginning 11/10/2021: Plant Health and Food Security
We have started with Plant Health and Food Security as plants continue to experience health problems and food is also having security issues. Yet, plants and food coming from plants are important for human and animal consumption. As the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (1) put it:
“Plants account for over 80% of the human diet. As such, they are essential for food security or the on-going access to sufficient, affordable, safe and nutritious food for us all to live active and healthy lives. Plant pests and diseases pose a threat to food security because they can damage crops, thus reducing the availability and access to food, increasing the cost of food”
There are more actions that can be taken to keep plants healthy and food secure.
• • • What one can do to keep plants healthy and food secure
One can take actions with CENFACS via “A la une” Campaign on the following:
√ RAISE AWARENESS about the possibility of spreading plant pests or diseases by travelling with plants, fruits and vegetables picked up from somewhere else
√ PREVENT outbreaks of plant pests and diseases
√ Help to KEEP plants healthy and food secure
√ BUILD forward better plant health and food security for future generations
The above actions will help to reduce extinction risks and threats to Crop Wild Relatives, particularly to endangered plants in Africa.
Briefly, this is our first note of the “A la une” Campaign for this year.
To find out more about this first note and/or the entire “A la une” campaign, please contact CENFACS.
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• Reference
(1) Plant health and food security (fao.org)
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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 2021 and beyond.
With many thanks.
