Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!
29 March 2023
Post No. 293
The Week’s Contents
• Impact Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Actions 2023
• Debt Reduction Advocacy
• CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum Discusses Not-for-profit Investing for Impact in Africa
… And much more!
Key Messages
• Impact Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Actions 2023
Any action to be successful needs impact monitoring and evaluation to know that it has been executed as planned and the changes that may happen over time as a result of this action. It requires monitoring to regularly collect and record information. It demands some measures of change from the services and facilities that have been delivered. It necessitates a value judgement on the information gathered during the project. Our Climate Actions 2023 will not escape from these basic principles of project planning cycle.
To monitor our climate actions (Climate Actions 2023), we have been routinely gathering information on all aspects of the climate actions conducted. We are examining what these actions have achieved or will achieve in relation to the aims and objectives we set up for them, in particular in terms of the theme of ‘Making Carbon Markets Work for the Poor‘. This monitoring has enabled us to keep an eye on the progress made so far. In our approach to monitoring and evaluation for impact, we included four actions into our Climate Actions 2023, which are as follows:
a) Make Opportunities in Carbon Trading Reach the Poor (Action 1)
b) Influence Voluntary Carbon Markets Foster Sustainable Livelihoods for Poor Communities (Action 2)
c) Induce Carbon Markets to Be Part of Recovery from the Polycrisis (Action 3)
d) Invest in Carbon Credit Markets that Accelerate Climate Action for the Poor (Action 4).
Besides this monitoring activity, we are as well conducting evaluation for learning purpose. To evaluate the data collected, we are involving participants to our Climate Actions March 2023. This evaluation will help us to learn something from these actions. It will also assist to check the actual outcomes against the objectives we set up for climate actions. When this evaluation for learning is completed, we shall carry out an impact evaluation to find out how working with the community would have some influences in the long term on their climate action.
One of the monitoring and evaluation indicators/tools we are using is to collect the views from those who have been acting with us and/or those who have been following us. In this respect, we would like to ask them to tell us their feelings about the four climate actions taken.
The findings from the Impact Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Actions 2023 will not be available this month as we are still working on them. However, for those who would like to know more about the way in which we are conducting (the process of) the Impact Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Actions 2023, they can read under the Main Development section of this post.
• Debt Reduction Advocacy
Debt Reduction Advocacy (DRA) is one the CENFACS initiatives planned for the Light Season 2023 which ended last week. DRA takes stock of our February 2022 work on debt sustainability for the highly indebted poor households, work which includes debt financing, debt relief, debt restructuring and debt distress. In other words, it includes many aspects of debt sustainability work, particularly the debt relief aspect, we carried out in February 2022. We have chosen this time to launch it as many types of support people are receiving are nearing their ends. Yet, prices (especially of food, money and other essentials) and bills (like rent, council tax, transport, etc.) continue to rise. Rising prices and bills can only mean more pressure of all kinds on debtors and borrowers. But, what is DRA?
• • Meaning of DRA
DRA is about taking action to create change in the direction of reduction of the money owed by the poor, especially at this time of the business cycle during which the cost-of-living crisis is not showing any sign of calming. DRA reactivates the debt relief work we did.
Indeed, the cumulative effects of crises (like the coronavirus disaster, the cost-of-living crisis and climate change catastrophe, etc.) have put enormous financial pressure on poor people, families and households. Those who are already indebted within our community in the UK and the communities making our Africa-based Sister Organisations can only feel the pinch even harder. Perhaps, the way to understand the debt situation they are in, the following figures can help to elucidate the matter.
• • Debt Statistics
The following debt statistics covered both the UK and Africa.
• • • Debt Statistics for UK
Regarding the debt situation in the UK, when working out household debt as a percentage of disposable income the ‘commonslibrary.parliament.uk’ (1) states that
“The debt-to-income ratio rose [again] to 136.3% by mid-2017, in Q3 [third quarter] 2022 it was 133.8%”.
Household debt can be understood in the way the ‘data.oecd.org’ (2) defines it as
“All liabilities (including non-profit institutions serving households) that require payments of interest or principal by households to creditors at fixed dates in the future”.
Likewise, according to ‘themoneycharity.org.uk’ (3),
“Total unsecured debt per UK adult in December 2022 was £3,914…
Average total debt per UK household in November 2022 was £65,914″.
Additionally, the website ‘moneynerd.co.uk’ (4) explains that
“In the UK alone, the personal average total debt is [was] £33,410 in March 2022, which is [was] a rise of £1,767 since 2020. That equates [equated] to around 107% of average earnings per adult”.
The above mentioned figures also relate to the members of our community living in the UK.
• • • Debt Statistics for Africa
Concerning Africa’s debt, the website ‘data.one.org’ (5) asserts that
“21 countries in Africa are in, or at risk of, debt distress (58% of assessed countries);
African countries owe US$644.9 billion to external creditors as of 2021;
African countries will pay US$68.9 billion in debt service in 2023;
Debt owed by African countries is equivalent to 24.1% of their combined Gross Domestic Product in 2021″.
Additionally, many African countries (like Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, etc.) are listed as having debt crises among the top five risks identified by the World Economic Forum’s 2022 Executive Opinion Surrey (6).
Much of Africa’s debt is non-concessional and owned by China and private creditors. Africa’s total debt translated into debt per head/inhabitant or per African household can tell you the story of poverty and of those people, families and households in need. It is a challenging story of how our Africa-based Sister Organisations can help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development in the context of highly indebted project beneficiaries. So, it makes sense to take action to create financial change to recovery from debt should one needs to continue to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development in Africa.
• • Taking action to create debt reduction
To take action to create change about debt, one may need to understand debt reduction. As ‘alleviatefinancial.com’ (7) puts it:
“Debt reduction, also known as debt relief, is the process of coming up with a plan to manage debt that you are no longer able to manage on your own. The goal of debt reduction is to help you reduce or eliminate your debt in a quicker and more convenient manner”.
The website ‘lawinsider.com’ (8) argues that
“Debt relief means the release of the outstanding debt. [It also] means the reduction of debt for consideration that is less than the face value of the debt”.
There are different types of debt reduction which include debt settlements, debt consolidation, credit counselling, refinancing and bankruptcy.
Knowing what is debt reduction, it is possible to take action to create change on debt.
• • • Actions to create change for the highly indebted poor
There is an urgent need to take action to create and sustain better change for the highly indebted poor people, families and households (HIPPFH). What change can be done to support them?
By working together with the community members and Africa-based Sister Organisations, we can together take the following actions:
√ Speak truth to power about debt owed by the HIPPFH
√ Select debt relief services that really help the poor
√ Outsource debt relief assistance services that are relevant to our members’ needs and priorities
√ Source information and explore a better a way of dealing with debt relief for Africa-based Sister Organisations working on debt reduction issue
√ Find way of lowering their debt to sustainable or life-saving levels
√ To formulate a strategy to reduce both debts and poverty
√ To incorporate their debt relief plans into Zero Income Deficit policy
√ To advocate the HIPPFH’s cases to be eligible to the forgiveness of a legal obligation, in whole or in part, of debt repayment.
Briefly and finally, our work with HIPPFH would not be about reducing debts, but helping them to help themselves so that debt reduction can lead them towards poverty reduction. In other words, debt reduction for HIPPFH would not just be a pain killer, but a road/journey to poverty reduction and sustainable development. Debt reduction for HIPPFH should be about putting first people – the HIPPFH – at the centre of the economics of debt reduction.
For any queries and enquiries about CENFACS‘ Debt Reduction Advocacy, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.
• CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum Discusses Not-for-profit Investing for Impact in Africa
This week, CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum is debating Not-for-profit Investing for Impact in Africa. This debate or discussion is part of CENFACS’ Guidance Programme for those who would like to not-for-profit invest in Africa for impact. In other words, the discussion is about how not-for-profit investors can create and sustain an impact through their investments. To positively contribute to this discussion, one may need to understand what is investing for impact.
• • Impact Investing
There are many definitions within the literature about impact investing. For the purpose of this debate, we have selected the definition provided by ‘evpa.ngo’ (9) which states that
“Investing for impact is an impact strategy followed by investors that adopt the venture philanthropy approach to support social purpose organisations maximising their social impact. Investors for impact support innovative solutions to pressing societal issues, providing in-depth non-financial support and taking on risks that most of other actors in the market cannot – or are not willing to take”.
Working on a similar line of reasoning, ‘impactinvest.org.uk’ (10) provides four defining characteristics of impact investing which are:
a) Intentionality b) Evidence and impact data in investment design c) Manage impact performance and d) contribute to the growth of the industry.
• • Engaging with CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum about Not-for-profit Investing for Impact in Africa
By referring to the above stated definition and characteristics, one can engage with the CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum to share what they know and think about Not-for-profit Investing for Impact in Africa. Alternatively, one can use their own definition of impact investing to participate to the discussion.
The outcome from this discussion will be included in CENFACS’ Guidance Programme for Not-for-profit Investing for impact in Africa and support prospective not-for-profit investors who are not fully aware about impact not-for-profit investing. Amongst these not-for-profit investors, are those who would like to not-for-profit invest for impact in some of our Africa-based Sister Organisations.
Those who may be interested in this discussion, they can contact CENFACS to join in and or contribute.
To engage with the CENFACS‘ be.Africa Forum and share what they know and think about Not-for-profit Investing for Impact in Africa, please contact us by using our usual contact details on this website.
Extra Messages
• The Season’s Goal: Reduction of Holiday Poverty or Poverty Linked to the Lack of Means to Enjoy a Decent Holiday Whether at Home or Away from Home.
• All-year Round Projects Cycle (Triple Value Initiatives Cycle) – Step/Workshop 6: Starting the Organisation of your Play, Run and Vote Projects
• Zero Income Deficit Campaign
• The Season’s Goal: Reduction of Holiday Poverty or Poverty Linked to the Lack of Means to Enjoy a Decent Holiday Whether at Home or Away from Home.
This Spring 2023, our poverty reduction goal is to work with holiday poor people to explore ways of reducing and possibly ending poverty and hardships they may experience during any holidays (e.g., Christmas, Easter or Summer holidays).
• • Working with the Holiday Poor
How many times we hear stories or worries about how for example kids will face hunger during holiday or there is no much to do for them during holiday or they will go into violence because of lack of opportunity during holiday. Stories, news and worries like these are not the ones we want to hear. We would like to hear great moving stories about kids and all the people making our community doing great things. To stop this type of poverty to happen or exacerbate, one needs to act.
This Spring Season, we shall find ways of working with those individuals, families and households in our community who are likely to face holiday poverty because of various circumstances, but in particular because of lack of means to enjoy a decent holiday whether they stay at home or are away from their home. We hope that working together with them will help them avoid holiday poverty trap or to exacerbate it.
So, the above is our selected goal for this Spring Season.
• • Implications for Selecting Spring Season’s Goal
There are implications once a goal has been identified and selected. Concerning our selected Spring Season’s Goal, its selection implies to us to make sure that we apply it in our real life. We also expect our supporters and audiences to work on the same chosen goal by supporting those who may be suffering from the type of poverty linked to the goal for the season – Holiday Poverty.
For further details on the Season’s Goal and its selection procedure including its support, please contact CENFACS.
• All-year Round Projects Cycle (Triple Value Initiatives Cycle) –
Step/Workshop 6: Starting the Organisation of your Play, Run and Vote Projects
After negotiating and agreeing the terms of your all-year-round project, you can now start organising it.
• • Organising your All-year Round Projects
This is the step from which you start to put your organisational structure. In project planning parlance, you will identify the roles and responsibilities of each person to be involved in the project in order to facilitate the coordination and implementation of the project activities.
• • An Example of Organising your All-year Round Projects
Let say you would like to Run for Poverty Reduction and you want to undertake it as a group in your local area. You decide to set up a running group and to name it as “All-year-round Runners’ Group”.
You can create a basic organisational structure that identifies your project personnel, creates a management and delivery teams, and assigns roles and responsibilities including coordination. In practical terms, you will have to decide on the following:
Who is (are) going…
∝ to be first at the meeting/gathering point each time the running takes place?
∝ to hold the contact number/details of the group to keep everybody on board?
∝ to keep the attendance register?
∝ to check that everybody is fit and well to run?
∝ to lead or coordinate the run?
∝ to deal with health and safety of the group?
∝ to sort out the equipment if any?
∝ to care for people belongings while they are running?
∝ to make sure that everyone is countable after the Run?
∝ to record your Run event (e.g., filming it, using camera on your phone, a video or voice recorder, etc.)?
∝ to check that everyone leaves the meeting/gathering point safely after the event?
etc.
If your Run involves any fundraising activity, you need to decide who will volunteer to undertaking fundraising responsibility (or everybody in the group). If you would like to report on your Run, you need to appoint someone to produce a report.
Depending on your skills, knowledge, experience and resources; you may add more roles and responsibilities.
Please remember, if your group is going to select the best runner of the year 2023 and give a prize/reward accordingly; then you need to organise yourself to monitor and evaluate the performance of each runner throughout the year and decide by the 23rd of December 2023 who is the group’s best runner of the year 2023.
For those who would like to dive deeper into Start Organising their Play or Run or Vote project, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.
• Zero Income Deficit Campaign: Managing and Closing your Year-end Accounts
In focus at the start of Spring 2023: How to successfully close your year-end personal and family accounts and get prepared for the next financial year with new accounts
The current fiscal year is about to end soon and the new one will start from the 6th of April as usual. For those members of our community who are struggling to get a grip on their household accounts, there is still time to work with CENFACS to sort out their accounts. CENFACS can work with them so that they could understand their financial position while keeping financial control on their accounts.
This year-end financial control exercise is still part of CENFACS’ Zero Income Deficit Campaign, which is designed to help our community members to reduce and possibly end intergenerational poverty.
For those who may be interested in this year-end financial control activity, they can contact CENFACS.
For your information, we do not deal with company accounts. We only support our community members who are experiencing some difficulties in handling their household financial accounts and statements (i.e. balance sheet, cash flow statement, surplus and loss account, etc.).
Message in French (Message en français)
• La Campagne sur le Déficit de Revenu Zéro: Gestion et clôture de vos comptes de fin d’année financière
Point de mire au début du printemps 2023: Comment clôturer avec succès vos comptes personnels et familiaux de fin d’année et vous préparer pour le prochain exercice financier avec de nouveaux comptes
L’exercice financier en cours est sur le point de se terminer bientôt et le nouveau débutera à partir du 6 avril comme d’habitude. Pour les membres de notre communauté qui ont du mal à maîtriser les comptes de leur ménage, il est encore temps de travailler avec le CENFACS pour régler leurs comptes. Le CENFACS peut travailler avec eux afin qu’ils puissent comprendre leur situation financière tout en gardant le contrôle financier de leurs comptes.
Cet exercice de contrôle financier de fin d’année fait toujours partie de la campagne ‘Déficit de Revenu Zéro‘ aussi bien de celle des Contrôles Financiers du CENFACS, qui sont conçues pour aider les membres de notre communauté à réduire et éventuellement à mettre fin à la pauvreté intergénérationnelle.
Ceux ou celles qui pourraient être intéressé(e)s par cette activité de contrôle financier de fin d’année peuvent contacter le CENFACS.
Pour votre information, nous ne traitons pas des comptes d’entreprise. Nous soutenons uniquement les membres de notre communauté qui éprouvent des difficultés à gérer les comptes et les états financiers de leur ménage (c’est-à-dire le bilan, l’état des flux de trésorerie, le compte d’excédent et de pertes, etc.).
Main Development
• Impact Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Actions 2023
Impact Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Actions 2023 are about tracking the results of Climate Actions March 2023 and their impact. They will be carried out from 29 to 31 March 2023, as announced at the start of March 2023. In accordance with our Monitoring and Evaluation Plan and Budget, we have organised this tracking around these points:
∝ The Four Key Climate Actions Taken
∝ Key Takeaways from Climate Actions March 2023
∝ Monitoring Questions
∝ Outcome-focussed Evaluation Questions.
Let us briefly develop each of the above-mentioned points.
• • The Four Key Climate Actions Taken
To deliver the theme of ‘Making Carbon Markets Work for the Poor‘, we focused on four key climate actions from every Wednesdays of this month as follows:
∝ Make Opportunities in Carbon Trading Reach the Poor (Climate Action 1, held from 01 to 07/03/2023)
∝ Influence Voluntary Carbon Markets Foster Sustainable Livelihoods for Poor Communities (Climate Action 2, held from 08 to 14/03/2023)
∝ Induce Carbon Markets to Be Part of Recovery from the Polycrisis (Climate Action 3, held from 15 to 21/03/2023)
∝ Invest in Carbon Credit Markets that Accelerate Climate Action for the Poor (Climate Action 4, 22 to 28/03/2023).
What can we take away from these actions?
• • Key Takeaways from Climate Actions March 2023
The following are the main ideas to remember from Climate Actions March 2023.
1st takeaway
Climate projects like reforestation, forest conservation, carbon-storing agricultural practices, etc. in poor communities or areas can help reach out to the poor crowding in these communities.
2nd takeaway
Putting poverty reduction value on what voluntary carbon credit markets provide is about focussing on the interests of the poor, prioritising concerns of small producers and farmers and evaluating the social impacts of these markets.
3rd takeaway
Making persuasive efforts towards those operating in carbon markets to occupy the places they deserve in the economic recovery from the simultaneous occurrence of severe catastrophic events (like energy, food, housing, health crises, etc.) can have co-benefits for carbon market players and the victims of the polycrisis.
4th takeaway
Investing in carbon markets and credits should not limit itself to financial return only; it has instead to go beyond financial yield by including the needs and priorities of the poor in any investment drive.
These takeaways can help to formulate some monitoring questions.
• • Monitoring Questions
Monitoring questions will help to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Our monitoring information or data comes from the audience who participated and/or followed our Climate Actions March 2023. The collection of this information/data has been carried out on a continuous basis since we started these actions on the first of March 2023.
One of the monitoring indicators/tools we are using is to collect the views from those who have been acting with us and/or those who have been following us. In this respect, we would like to ask them to tell us their feelings about the four climate actions taken as highlighted in the following simple questions. They can provide their feelings in the form of a review or feedback or testimonial. The results of their feelings will help to improve future climate actions.
The survey will fulfil the data collection requirements. Those participating to this survey can tick one box (ranging from 0 to 10) for each climate action. Ticking the box will indicate to us how satisfied they are with the delivery experience about each action taken. All the completed survey forms should be sent to CENFACS by mid-April 2023. Therefore, it will be good that those who would like to provide their feelings to do them by mid-April 2023. Their/your responses to this survey will help to measure the change in behaviour that can result from the outputs completed for Climate Actions March 2023.
Those who want to provide feelings and would like to request the details about these actions prior to their response, they are free to make their request to CENFACS.
• • Outcome-focussed Evaluation Questions
Our evaluation audience is the participants or those who followed our Climate Actions March 2023. In order for us to improve on Climate Actions in the future, we have prepared the evaluation questions which we would like members of our audience and followers to respond. Amongst the questions are the following ones we would like to mention and we are inviting climate action followers, participants and audiences to respond:
~ To what extent our Climate Actions meet the overall needs of zero-net path and the theme of ‘Making Carbon Markets Work for the Poor‘?
~ Did the above-mentioned Climate Actions bring any significant change to your own climate action?
~ What did you find worked and did not work?
~ Can we replicate these actions or what would you like to see for future climate actions?
~ To what extent are Climate Actions March 2023 in line with the needs and priorities of our community?
~ To what extent did Climate Actions March 2023 lead to increased community?
Responding to the above evaluation questions will help in assessing the success of Climate Actions March 2023 in meeting their goal and in reflecting on the lessons learned.
You can directly respond to these evaluation questions by sending your answers to CENFACS at our usual contact details which are on this website.
For any queries or enquiries (including outcome, learning, report and what next) about Climate Actions March 2023, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.
Thank you for considering our demand of feelings and for your support.
_________
• References
(1) https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn02885/ (Accessed in March 2023)
(2) https://data.oecd.org/hha/household-debt.html (Accessed in March 2023)
(3) https://themoneycharity.org.uk/money-statistics/ (Accessed in March 2023)
(4) https://moneynerd.co.uk/average-personal-debt/ (Accessed in March 2023)
(5) https://data.one.org/topics/african-debt/ (Accessed in March 2023)
(6) World Economic Forum (2023), The Global Risks Report 2023, 18th Edition , Insight Report, Geneva at https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-risks-report-2023/ (Accessed in March 2023)
(7) https://alleviatefinancial.com/debt-settlement/what-is-debt-reduction-and-how-can-it-benefit-me/ (Accessed in March 2023)
(8) https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/debt-relief (Accessed in March 2023)
(9) https://www.evpa.ngo/impact-glossary (Accessed in March 2023)
(10) https://www.impactinvest.org.uk/modules/introduction-to-impact-investing/#resource-section-4 (Accessed in March 2023)
_________
• 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 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 2023 and beyond.
With many thanks.
