Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!
24 August 2022
Post No. 262
The Week’s Contents
• All Poor, Poor Children, Young Carers and Families Need Your Support!
• Following the Direction of Poverty Reduction this Summer via Terrestrial Ecosystem Services provided by Forests – Trending Topic in Focus from Week Beginning 22/08/2022: Supporting Services
• Happiness and Healthiness Journal – Creative Activity No. 5: Create Your Journal of Trust
… And much more!
Key Messages
• All Poor, Poor Children, Young Carers and Families Need Your Support!
All poor, children who need networking to protect them, young carers and poor families with children trying to tackle poverty via sports in Africa need your donations and gifts. Their requests are summarised inside the 2022 Edition of CENFACS’ Summer Humanitarian Appeal Projects.
The projects making this appeal include the following:
√ Distress-free Life from the Cost-of-living Crisis in Africa
√ All Gifts for All Poor
√ International Networking and Protection against the Cost-of-living Crisis
√ Iconic Young Carer
√ ELCLASSICO International.
Except CENFACS’ Distress-free Life from the Cost-of-living Crisis in Africa, the other four projects have been highlighted under the Main Development section of this post. The highlight about CENFACS’ Distress-free Life from the Cost-of-living Crisis in Africa can be found at cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/
The above five projects require donation or funding.
The fundraising campaign for them will end by 22 September 2022.
To support and or enquire about these humanitarian appeal projects, please contact CENFACS.
• Following the Direction of Poverty Reduction this Summer via Terrestrial Ecosystem Services provided by Forests – Trending Topic in Focus from Week Beginning 22/08/2022: Supporting Services
The last episode of our trending series in following the direction of poverty reduction via Terrestrial Ecosystem Services provided by Forests will be on Supporting Services.
We are going to try to understand these supporting services and to explain the way by which we will be following the direction of poverty reduction via supporting services.
• • Understanding supporting ecosystem services
Supporting ecosystem services can be understood in a way in which one tries to define them.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (1) argues that
“Providing living spaces for plants or animals and maintaining a diversity of plants and animals are supporting services and the basis of all ecosystems and their services”.
The ‘biodiversitya-z.org’ (2) contends that
“Supporting ecosystem services are ecosystem services that are necessary for the maintenance of all other ecosystem services. Some examples include biomass production, production of atmospheric oxygen, soil formation and retention, nutrient cycling, water cycling, and provisioning of habitat”.
Regardless of the way in which one tries to approach supporting ecosystem services, the commonality in these definitions is that supporting ecosystem services are services that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services. In other words, they underpin or support other services to function.
However, our understanding of supporting ecosystem services should not limit to the support they give to other ecosystem services. Our understanding needs to go deeper in trying to explore what else they can, particularly what they can do for poverty reduction.
We can go deeper by following the direction of poverty reduction with or via supporting ecosystem services. It is our in-depth understanding of how supporting ecosystem services can contribute to poverty reduction.
• • Following the direction of poverty reduction via supporting ecosystem services
It is well knowing that supporting ecosystem services have indirect benefits to humans since humans benefit from them by way of the other types of ecosystem services. For example, through primary production, humans can benefit from food production and products like timber, biofuels, fibre, etc.
Because we are interested in poverty reduction, one can use an ecosystem service-based approach or modelling to help reduce poverty. For example, one can tackle local poverty by increasing agriculture productivity, strengthening community cohesion and building resilience of natural resource base.
The above is our way of following the direction of poverty reduction via supporting ecosystem services.
To conclude this Summer series of trending work, let us argue that Following the Direction of Poverty Reduction via Terrestrial Ecosystem Services provided by Forests is about meeting three outcomes, which are:
(1) Exploring ways of improving the management of forest resource base to achieve more and better results in terms of poverty reduction
(2) Reducing ecosystem disservices that can adversely affect poverty reduction
(3) Supporting the role of forests in reducing poverty and enhancing the quality of life for humans.
To enquire about this trending activity and/or to follow the direction of poverty reduction with us, please contact CENFACS.
• Happiness and Healthiness Journal – Creative Activity No. 5: Create Your Journal of Trust
The lingering effects of coronavirus, extreme weather and the cost-of-living crisis may have perhaps made some people to be sceptical or lose trust in poverty reduction. Yet, there is a need or reason to keep faith in the reduction and end of poverty.
You can create your journal for any aspects of Summertime linked to trust. You can explain your experiences, feelings and thoughts in terms of happiness and healthiness about trust over this Summer.
Your journal of trust can cover any of the following three areas: trust in poverty reduction, trust in people/communities and initiatives that build and sustain trust. Let us give some examples of what one can include in each of these journals.
• • Journal of trust in poverty reduction
You can record your thoughts, feelings, experiences and memories about the following:
promoting trust where trust is lost, dealing with disinformation and distrust about poverty reduction, struggling to cope with trust in poverty reduction, etc.
• • Journal of trust in people and communities
You can record your thoughts, feelings, experiences and memories about the following:
correcting inaccuracies and misinformation, stopping the spread of false information/news within your community/network, building trust with people through transparency, speaking about the most trusted person in your community, etc.
• • Journal of initiatives to build trust
You can record your thoughts, feelings, experiences and memories about the following:
building and protecting standards of trust, rebuilding trust in each other, explaining interactive initiatives you have taken to protect trust, etc.
The above three areas are just an example of the many about trust and journals of trust. If you have a different area of interest in trust that you would like to write for your Summer journal, please feel free to do it.
Briefly, you can share with the community your experience of happiness and healthiness with or through trust. This can be recorded in your journal and be shared by the end of Summer 2022.
To share the contents of your happiness and healthiness journal relating to happy, healthy and trustful Summer 2022; as well as to help build a better Summer holiday experience, you can contact CENFACS.
Extra Messages
• All-in-one Impact Feedbacks: Report on Reports
Last month was our Analytics month. As part of the Analytics month, we asked some of you to report or give some feedback in your words, numbers and infographics on the experiences you had about the projects and programmes we delivered in the last financial year.
We asked for two feedbacks: feedback from individuals as programme and project supporters and users, as well as feedback from organisations (Africa-based Sister Organisations). Some of you responded and others did not. We would like to thank those who responded.
For those who responded and gave us their mailing address, they will be contacted and will receive a copy of the above mentioned report.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank them again for their testimonial and experiential support.
• Survey, E-questionnaire and Focus Group about Food Security
We are continuing to work in details about some of matters we raised in the 76th Issue of FACS, in particular we are working on the survey, e-questionnaire and focus group on food security. Any of these three matters will provide you the opportunity to communicate what you want to share as experience or story of food security. Let us look at each of them.
• • Food Security Survey
This survey aims to support those who are struggling to have food security and avoid food poverty at this time of rising costs and prices of food.
As part of the survey, we are running a questionnaire. One of the questions is:
How are you coping with food security (that is food availability, access, utilisation and stability) at this challenging time of rising costs and prices of food?
You can directly send your answer to CENFACS.
To help people respond, they can think of any coping strategies or mechanisms to achieve the aim of food security. Coping strategies or mechanisms are defined by the World Health Organisation Department of Emergency and Humanitarian Action (3) as
“Remedial actions undertaken by people whose survival and livelihood are compromised or threatened”.
You can refer to this working definition and respond by explaining the remedial actions you are taking to mitigate food security crisis. In your response, it could be good to share your experience of obtaining food, income and essential goods and services to overcome the disruption or disturbance caused by the rise in prices of food. Your response can help motivate others and shape our campaign about Making Zero Hunger Africa.
• • E-questionnaire on Actionable Food Security Information
Do you have enough information on food security?
If your answer is NO, CENFACS can work with you via its Information and Guidance on Food Security to help you find the information you need on food security.
• • Focus Group on Food Insecurity
You can take part in our focus group on widening inequality in access to and consumption of healthy foods since the cost-of-living crisis began. You could seize this opportunity to tell your experience with livelihood distress and asset depletion shortages which handicap you to have food security.
To take part in the focus group, please contact CENFACS.
• Support, Information and Guidance and Booster on Food Security Matters
CENFACS does not only ask you to share your experience. CENFACS can as well support you, inform and guide you, provide you tools and work with you to boost your knowledge/skills about food security.
• • Ask CENFACS for Food Security Support
Under CENFACS’ Advisory Support for the Impacted of the Cost-of-Living Crisis, you can ask for support to deal with the struggle you are having to meet rising costs of food.
• • Information and Guidance on Food Security
You can request from CENFACS a list of organisations and services providing help and support in the area of food security. Likewise, we can inform and direct or guide you to find organisations that provide food at prices and conditions that match your food security level.
To make your request, please contact CENFACS with your name and contact details.
• • Mini-Workshops
You can boost your knowledge and skills about food security via CENFACS.
For example, you can take part in our Summer Food Security Enhancing Skills Activity on how to use food security risk index to work out your own household food security risk.
The index is a good tool to help you find out your risk-aversion and vulnerability to rising prices of food.
You can as well participate in our Summer Food Security Enhancing Skills Activity on the indicator that links livelihood coping strategies and food security.
The indicator will help you to know if you are using positive or negative coping strategies to respond to the lack of food or lack of money to buy food and overcome the challenges brought by rising prices of food and the cost-of-living crisis.
To take part in any of these activities or enquire about the boost, please contact CENFACS.
Message in French (Message en français)
Don/financement nécessaire pour les projets d’appel humanitaire de l’été 2022!
L’édition 2022 de notre Appel humanitaire d’été continue d’être disponible pour obtenir de l’aide.
Les projets faisant l’objet de cet appel sont les suivants :
√ Une vie sans détresse face à la crise du coût de la vie en Afrique
√ Tous les dons pour tous les pauvres
√ Réseau international et protection contre la crise du coût de la vie
√ Jeune soignant emblématique
√ ELCLASSICO International.
Les cinq projets ci-dessus nécessitent un don ou un financement.
La campagne de collecte de fonds pour les cinq projets prendra fin d’ici le 22 septembre 2022.
Pour soutenir et/ou vous renseigner sur ces projets d’appel, veuillez contacter le CENFACS.
Main Development
• All Poor, Poor Children, Young Carers and Families Need Your Support!
The following Summer 2022 Humanitarian Appeal Projects summarise the needs of All Poor, Poor Children, Young Carers and Families who Need your donation or funding:
∝ All Gifts for All Poor
∝ International Networking and Protection against the Cost-of-living Crisis
∝ Iconic Young Carer
∝ ELCLASSICO International.
Let us briefly summarise these projects and the request of each potential beneficiaries relating to them.
• • Summer 2022 Humanitarian Appeal Projects
They are as highlighted below.
• • • All Gifts for All Poor (AG4AP)
AG4AP, which stands for All Gifts for All Poor, is the holiday makers’ and travellers’ free and voluntary contribution to poverty relief in Africa via CENFACS. It is an appeal to indiscriminately give a gift to the poor people in Africa, who are currently affected by the lingering effects of the coronavirus, changing climate and the cost-of-living crisis.
Donors/funders can support this project by giving a ‘COVID-19 secure’ gift in kind or money to support those poor people suffering from the lingering effects of the coronavirus, changing climate and the cost-of-living crisis. The feature of this project is that donations or funding are done without making any distinctions between the poor.
For example, a donor/funder can donate £7 or any amount of money they can afford to help provide water and sanitation services. This amount can contribute to safe water for drinking and cooking for a poor family.
Their gift will enable this poor family to reduce the probability of catching waterborne diseases; in doing so the family will improve its health and hygiene while surviving against the above mentioned effects.
• • • International Networking and Protection against the Cost-of-living Crisis (INPCC)
INPCC is designed to help and support vulnerably poor children to escape from HARMS, THREATS, ATTACKS, EXTREMISM, RADICALISATION and RISKS of any forms of exploitation, neglect and abuse in Africa. At this time of the cost-of-living crisis, the threats and risks are higher than ever before.
To win the fight against the forces of exploitation and destruction of children and over the dangers children in Africa and elsewhere are facing, it requires winning the battle of communication via a reliable flow of information and connections.
Likewise, the fight against the cost-of-living crisis requires an international collaboration and exchange of information between all those who are working on poverty reduction and sustainable development.
Furthermore, if defence against harms, danger and threats from COVID-19 was done globally; the fight against the cost-of-living crisis can also be conducted internationally.
You can support this appeal by helping in networking and protection equipment or gift of communication to enable Africa-based Sister Organisations to speak loud and better access information about the cost-of-living crisis to protect people and communities. particularly vulnerably poor and unprotected children.
For example, a donor/funder can give £10 to contribute to the cost of running internet to work remotely and collaborate with Africa-based Sister Organisations as way of exchange information on child protection.
Your support will help to raise awareness and take action against the forces of exploitation and destruction of children and young generation.
• • • Iconic Young Carer (IYC)
IYC, which is a deserving cause that supports poor children and young people who prematurely become Africa caregivers and labourers because of poverty, aims at improving the quality of life of young caregivers and labourers by responding to their basic needs and human rights.
In times of lingering effects of the coronavirus, extreme weather and the cost-of-living crisis; young carers have been forced to take caregiving and labouring role side by side with adults. They are often doing it for free and without any financial help. These young carers deserve support as well.
So, supporting these young carers could mean mitigating the lingering effects of the coronavirus, changing climate and cost-of-living crisis on them. Your support can help preserve the lives of future generations.
You can donate whatever you can to support these iconic young carers to end these effects.
For example, a donor/funder can provide material or £5 to buy distance learning materials to help these young carers to access e-reading and digital books or to buy new books (including the cost of shipping) to support these young carers in need and suffering from digital divide.
Your donation will help to pay for the educational and development costs of these poor children who prematurely become young caregivers and labourers.
• • • ELCLASSICO International (EI)
EI is a CENFACS combined Sports Development, Child Protection and Sustainable Development initiative that aims at reducing child and youth poverty, while protecting children and bringing a better change to impoverished people, communities, children, young people and future generations in Africa.
To organise any sports development activity and sustainability activity for children, these activities must be safe and child protected. It means that in the preparation of these activities, some health (e.g. COVID-19 secure) and child protection tests must be conducted. They also need to be sustainable, that is meeting the three dimensions of sustainable development (that is economic, social and environmental). So, integrating health and safety rules as well as the three dimensions of sustainable development will help to protect these activities and everybody involves in them.
You can support this project to reduce poverty for families whose children would like to engage with sports and sustainable development. You support will enable the three aspects of this project to stick together; aspects which are: child protection, physical and sustainability aspects.
For example, a donor/funder can give less than £10 to help provide food packages to feed a family of five to seven. The food package will enable any of children benefiting from it to take part in sports development as ELCLASSICO International helps to tackle child poverty through sports development, child protection and sustainable development activities.
Your giving will have a triple effect:
√ Protection of children, young people and their families
√ Sensitisation about climate change and environmental issues
√ Support of their development through sporting activities and other events.
• • Donation or Giving in Kind regarding these four Summer 2022 Humanitarian Relief Appeal Projects
Those who would like to support the above mentioned beneficiaries can donate money and / or give in kind.
• • • Money donation
At this challenging time of the cost-of-living crisis, we know that it is difficult for some people to donate. For those who are in position to donate, there is no limit in terms of minimum and maximum amount to donate, despite the examples of amount we have given above.
You can donate and or support the way it suits you and your affordability.
CENFACS will accept any amount to be given or donated.
• • • Giving in kind
For those who would like to make a donation in kind, it will be a good idea to check with us that what they are giving will help to meet the above stated needs. This will help to save time, money and the environment for both sides. Also, any donation in kind must be COVID-19 secure and health proof.
Thank you in anticipation for your willingness to make helpful difference to All Poor, Poor children, Young People and Families at this difficult time of the lingering effects of COVID-19, changing climate and the cost-of-living crisis.
For more details about ways of supporting the above initiatives and other ones, please contact CENFACS.
Please remember, the fundraising campaign about the above mentioned projects will end by 22 September 2022.
CENFACS will accept any support given during and beyond the duration of this campaign.
Please do not wait to donate as the needs are pressing and urgent NOW.
We look forward to your generous support to make helpful difference for the All Poor, Poor children, Young People and Families in Africa
Thank you for your generosity.
__________
• References
(1) https://www.fao.org/ecosystem-services-biodiversity/background/supporting-services/en/ (accessed in August 2022)
(2) https://www.biodiversitya-z.org/content/supporting-ecosystem-services (accessed in August 2022)
(3) https://apps.who.int/disasters/repo/5517.pdf (accessed in August 2022)
_________
• 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.
Donate to support CENFACS!
FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ NOBLE CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.
JUST GO TO :Support Causes – (cenfacs.org.uk)
Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.
Thank you as well to those who made or make comments about our weekly posts.
We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2022 and beyond.
With many thanks.
