Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!
17 October 2018
Post No. 61
The Week’s Contents
• A la une Campaign: Marine Biodiversity and Poverty Relief
• Micro-Volunteering with Smart Tasks
• All-year round Projects: Play, Run and Vote this Autumn
… and much more!
Key Messages from the Week’s Contents
~ Marine Biodiversity and Poverty Relief
The main message of this week’s communication is the continuation of the A la une (Autumn Leaves of Action to Upkeep the Nature in Existence) campaign with Marine Biodiversity (or Life in the seas and oceans) as a themed area of focus.
Marine Biodiversity has to be placed within the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 of Life Below Water; goal which is stated as conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources. The Marine Biodiversity advocacy at CENFACS is in line with above goal and its targets.
Under the Main Developments section of this post, we have provided further details about this themed area.
~ Micro Volunteering with Smart Tasks
Last week, we provided you with some of the new ways we would like to add to our traditional ways of getting support. This addition to our usual way of getting support we have called it as no direct cash donations support.
Taking the same path in embracing the changes that are happening in the way charities get support, especially as we are increasingly in a mobile society, we will be using mobile technology and campaign to reach out to our supporters. As a result, some volunteering opportunities will arise within CENFACS through its All in Development Volunteering Scheme.
We would like to re-engage with our supporters via a mobile smart phone. We will be giving to our newly recruited volunteers some micro smart tasks and activities towards the end of the year.
Under the Main Developments section of this post, we have given some basic details about Micro Volunteering with Smart tasks
~ All-year round Projects: Play, Run and Vote Projects
The three components of our all-year round projects (that is Run, Play and Vote) are back this Autumn. As we are heading towards the end of the year 2018, one can hope progress has been made for these projects; records have been taken since these projects started in January 2018.
Under the Main Developments of this post, we have summarised what needs to be done for those engaged with these projects.
Extra News
~ Making Zero Hunger Africa Project
This week, we are joining our forces to advocate for a Zero Hunger World and a Zero Hunger Africa. As explained in our last week’s communications, hunger and the lack of food are still major issues in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world. To effectively deal with these issues of hunger and lack of food, climate change and wars need to be addressed as well. CENFACS’ Making Zero Hunger Africa project is this week focusing on these issues.
~ An Employment Opportunity: A NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE WANTED!
The Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire are looking to recruit a new Chief Executive at the salary of £50K plus benefits. The National Arboretum, Westonbirt is the UK’s finest tree collection that works closely with the Forestry Commission.
Anyone who is interested in applying to this new role, they need to contact the Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum (FOWA) at https://www.fowa.org.uk/
Main Developments from the Week’s Contents
• A la une Campaign: Marine Biodiversity and Poverty Relief
The advocacy about Marine Biodiversity and Poverty Relief this week would be for sustainable use of marine resources and sustainable management of fisheries and aquaculture on one hand. On the other hand, it would be against unregulated harvesting and overfishing, and against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Our work would also be against threatening fish stocks and waste dumping (like chemicals, plastic, domestic waste etc.) in the seas and oceans.
For example, it is well known that dumping any chemicals in the seas and oceans (including lakes and rivers) can adversely affect human health, marine environments and economic potentials of the seas and oceans. This can as well affect marine resources and species (such as fish, plants and minerals). The adverse effect can further lead to the reduction of the potentials to reduce poverty for poor countries making the borders with and relying on resources from the seas and oceans. This can happen with lakes and rivers as well. We have seen in the case of Lake Chad in Africa how the shrinkage of this Lake has meant fewer possibilities for the people living around it to meet basic life-sustaining needs of food and clean water.
• Micro Volunteering with Smart Tasks
There will be some smart tasks to be conducted by volunteers to be recruited by CENFACS. These tasks will briefly include the following: prospecting potential supporters, running questionnaires with us, recruiting new supporters, engaging with supporters, sending and receiving messages from supporters etc.
To apply to this new volunteering role, one needs to have access to a smart phone, pass the DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks, have suitable references and meet CENFACS’ All in Development Volunteering terms and conditions.
Full role description and person specification for this incoming volunteering capacity will be released in due course.
• All-year round Projects: Best Country, Best Runner and Best Manager of 2018!
The three components of our All-year Round Projects – which are Play, Run and Vote – continue to be active during this Autumn. One can hope that progress has been and every step has been taken to undertake actions and get the results or outcomes at the end of the year 2018.
To refresh memories, we would like to repeat the following.
If you are Playing the CENFACS Poverty Relief League (the World’s League without relegation) and its sub-project Le Dernier Carrẻ, there are 16 team countries in this African Nations Poverty Relief and Development League playing each 32 matches/games each against the other. Around this time of the year, there should be only eight countries remaining or qualifying in the games.
If you are Running for Poverty Relief and Development, you can do it alone or as a group. Whether you are doing it alone or as a group, make sure you have in place a reliable system to record and monitor what you are doing.
If you are casting your Vote for an International Development and Poverty Relief Manager of 2018, there are two and half months remaining until the end of the year. Again, do have in place a reliable system to record and monitor what you are doing.
Whether you are Gaming or Running or even Voting for Poverty Relief and Development, please keep a track record (including the facts, data, videos, reviews and images) of your Autumn activities to make and share your story with us and others.
To keep your track record, you do not need sophisticated technologies or a specialist third party. With your mobile phone only – if you have one – you can text, record voices, make a video, take pictures, make a short film, phone etc. to capture and communicate the impacts in your own words of any event or activity you are doing or taking part in this Autumn.
Also remember, the final results or outcomes of any activities and actions from the All-year round projects, which are a summary of what would have happened during the entire year (meaning from January to the end of the year).
At the end of this process and of the year, one should be ready to announce the 2018 Action-Results for either of the project: Run or Play or Vote.
The final Action-Results consist of finding out the following:
√ The Best African Countries of 2018 which best reduced poverty
√ The Best African Global Games Runners of 2018
√ The Best African Development and Poverty Relief Managers of 2018
If you have not yet thought about it, start thinking now and have your say about it!
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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 2018.
With many thanks
