Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!
17 April 2024
Post No. 348
The Week’s Contents
• Coming Next Week’s Saturday 27/04/2024: The 14th Edition of CENFACS Reflection Day with a Focus on Protection and Security of Women and Children against Societal Polarization
• Protection Key Note 3 for Week Beginning 15/04/2024: Spending Protection Provided by Organisations/Institutions Working on Protection
• Protection of Endangered Birds in Africa: The Case of Birds of Prey
… And much more!
Key Messages
• Coming Next Week’s Saturday 27/04/2024: The 14th Edition of CENFACS Reflection Day with a Focus on Protection and Security of Women and Children against Societal Polarization
On our Reflection Day, we will reflect on ways of tackling societal polarization. Perhaps the starting point of the 14th Edition of CENFACS Reflection Day is to understand polarization.
• • What Is Polarization?
Let us refer to the definition provided by the Oxford Dictionary of Sociology (1) which explains that
“Polarization is the tendency towards concentration at two opposing extremes… The term polarization, however, strictly refers to the segregation and opposition of two unequal groups at opposite ends of a distribution of resources”. (p. 570)
Polarization viewed in this way tend to be associated with Marxist approach. However, polarization can be political, economic, financial, social, etc. Jennifer McCoy (2) finds that polarization rewards extreme positions and weakens centrist moderates, while affecting individual perceptions and is hard to reverse once in place.
From the above-mentioned understanding of polarization, what we are interested in is societal polarization.
• • What Is Societal Polarization?
According to the World Economic Forum (3),
“Societal polarization is ideological and cultural divisions within and across communities leading to declining social stability, gridlocks in decision-making, economic disruption, and increased political polarization” (p. 97)
The same World Economic Forum tells us societal polarization is the third-most severe risk over the short term and consistent concern amongst the groups it surveyed. It is this risk that we would like to reflect upon on our Reflection Day.
• • What Our Reflection Will Be about
Our Reflection Day will try to look at ways of protecting and give sense of security to women and children from this third-most severe risk – societal polarization. In particular, we shall reflect on ways of tackling polarization as suggested by the United Nations Development Programme (4); ways which are:
σ acting on people’s misperceptions about issues [of women and children] and about the groups that they do not affiliate with
σ enhancing cross-cutting social ties that transcend group divisions (or creating space to bridge divides)
σ addressing perceptions of insecurity.
Additionally, we shall reflect on rebuilding trust and a sense of shared values out of the context of polarizing rhetoric on our network and systems of protection and poverty reduction in the process of building forward better together greener, cleaner, inclusive, safer and climate-resilient future. In doing so, we hope we can help reduce poverty linked to societal polarization.
More on the Reflection Day can be found under the Main Development section of this post.
• Protection Key Note 3 for Week Beginning 15/04/2024: Spending Protection Provided by Organisations/Institutions Working on Protection
This week, we are continuing to approach protection from the perspective of spending/expenses/expenditures. From this point of view, we are currently dealing with organisations or institutions that help or can help the people in need to spend and/or consume in order to meet their basic life-sustaining needs.
We started the process of looking at these organisations and institutions last week when we spoke about spending protection needs of the people in need by others. By others, we simply meant public and private bodies which help people in need through consumption transfers. Amongst these organisations are the state/government, non-governmental organisations, charities, churches, businesses having charitable harms, etc. Let us briefly highlight the kinds of spending protection provided by these organisations or institutions, and how the people in need cover they spending through them..
• • Spending Protection Provided by the State/Government as a Way of Meeting Basic Spending Needs
The State or Government can have social contract with poor people, particularly low-income families surviving at unacceptable levels of poverty. For example, in the UK it was estimated in 2023 (5) that £6,000 a year was the annual cost of reducing poverty; that is the state of people struggling to buy sufficient food, energy and clothes, pay rent and every day bills.
As Human Rights Watch (6) explains,
“Governments around the world carry an immense responsibility to support people and help them reach an adequate standard of living”.
Governments do it by investing in resources and programmes to ensure that all people have access to what they need, in particular basic needs. They ensure that everyone has adequate support to access food, housing, water, education and other essentials for a decent life like affordable internet access.
Briefly, government can provide spending protection via social safety nets, social security and social protection.
• • Spending Protection Given by Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs)
NGOs – whether they are international or business-friendly or religious or government-organised or civil society organisations) – protect the humanitarian right relating to spending for basic needs.
To further explains what NGOs in this area of protection, ‘ngofeed.com’ (7) states that
“NGOs directly support those in need by providing aid. In destitute areas and combat zones where governments won’t aid, they open schools and clinics. After natural disasters, NGOs provide food, shelter, and medical aid”.
The above explanation is one of the million ones on how NGOs (like Save the Children, Oxfam, ICRC, UNHCR, UNICEF, World Food Programme, etc.) supports people in need of covering their basic life-sustaining spending needs.
• • Spending Protection Covered by Charities
It is known that from the safeguarding duties for charities (8),
“Protecting people and safeguarding responsibilities should be a governance priority for all charities. It is a fundamental part of operating as a charity for the public benefits”.
However, beyond and besides this level of protection, many charities provide invaluable services to support those who are unable to meet the level of spending they need to cover their basic life-sustaining needs. These deserving services include practical protection, essential healthcare, food banks, shelter, education, support to refugees and asylum seekers, etc.
• • Spending Protection Offered by Businesses
Businesses play an important role in wealth creation and in protection through employers’ insurance, which they can offer to their employees. They can as well make a difference by helping in the community. How can/do they make this difference?
They can achieve a world of difference by undertaking the following:
σ Ensuring that what they pay to their employees is enough to cover basic spending needs or the essentials needed for survival like food, clean drinking water, clothing, rent, personal care, etc.
σ Supporting their employees through financial literacy, access to financial services to cover their basic spending needs
σ Dedicating their manufacture surplus or extra production to support local causes linked to spending protection
Etc.
People in need of spending protection can have their basic needs cover or consumption transfers via the above-named organisations or institutions. The people in need can, not only have their spending covered, but also have their social status and rights enhanced while reducing their economic and social vulnerability.
The members of CENFACS Community, who are in need and who are interested in organisations and institutions that work on spending protection, but do not know what to do, can approach CENFACS to guide them.
• • CENFACS’ Guidance on Organisations/Institutions of Spending Protection
There is a number of ways that CENFACS can work with the members of its community to enhance their spending protection by accessing or improving the way they are trying to access spending protection run by organisations/institutions of protection. Amongst these ways of working with the members of our community to enhance their protection include financial guidance.
Under this provision of financial guidance, we can support our members in the following ways:
σ Inform them about the various options available to them regarding spending protection agencies
σ Signpost them for support to organisations dealing with spending protection
σ Refer them to voluntary organisations dealing with spending protection matters.
The above are just some of ways CENFACS could support the community regarding spending protection benefit run by organisations/institutions of protection. These support services or products make up our financial guidance service relating to spending protection run by organisations/institutions of protection.
Those who need help and support about financial guidance on spending protection and/or for any of the matters listed above falling within our capacity, they can contact CENFACS.
• Protection of Endangered Birds in Africa: The Case of Birds of Prey
This month, we are as well campaigning for the protection of endangered birds in Africa. We are doing it since recent studies have indicated that the birds of prey in Africa are in decline.
• • What Has Been Recently Revealed about the Birds of Prey
According to the study produced by Nature Ecology and Evolution, study quoted by ‘weforum.org’ (9) reveals that
“Vultures, eagles, buzzards and kestrels are among the raptors identified as facing an extinction crisis on the African continent”.
They are in decline because of habitat loss and other factors. More explanations about this decline have been publicised by many online birding sites or organisations like ‘peregrinefund.org’ (10) and ‘birdwatchinghq.com’ (11).
Our work on the Protection of Endangered Birds in Africa is part of our project known as “Mbulu” (12).
• • Protection of Endangered Birds in Africa as Part of “Mbulu” Project
“Mbulu” stands for Mobilising for Birds’ Useful Life for Us. “Mbulu” Project is one of the groupings of projects making our “A la une” (Autumn Leaves of Action for Upkeep of the Nature in Existence) Campaign.
“Mbulu” is a SMART (that is, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) goal within “A la une” Campaign or a result that we are attempting to achieve.
“Mbulu” as a SMART goal helps…
√ Increase awareness within our community and the rest of the community about endangered bird species
√ Get improved conversions in terms of new sustainable initiatives
√ Attract support to our noble and beautiful cause of reducing poverty by developing sustainable initiatives.
Birds of Prey are part of “Mbulu” Project.
Those members of our community who are interested in advocating with us for the protection of Birds of Prey in Africa, they are welcome to get involved in this advocacy drive.
Those African organisations working on bird matter and have the same concern like ours, they can share with us their experience and work on this matter of protecting the Birds of Prey in Africa.
To get involved or share your work about the protection of Birds of Prey in Africa, please contact CENFACS.
Extra Messages
• Financial Resilience Programme for Households
• All-year Round Projects Cycle (Triple Value Initiatives Cycle) – Step/Workshop 9: Reviewing Your Play, Run and Vote Projects
• Triple Value Initiatives (TVIs)/All-year Round Projects (AYRPs) Journaling Activity: Write a Journal of Your TVI/AYRP Cycle
• Financial Resilience Programme for Households
As part of continuously empowering households, particularly those making our community, we are running a new programme – Financial Resilience Programme for Households (FRPHs). Although FRPHs is called programme, it is part of Financial Controls Project.
To understand FRPHs, let us first explain what is financial resilience.
In recent years, many households including those making the CENFACS Community have faced and dealt with various crises and shocks (like the coronavirus shock, the cost-of-living crisis, climate crisis, etc.). Many of these crises and shocks have affected their finances while leading to income shock. To handle this sort of shocks and their impacts, it requires some form of resilience, particularly but not exclusively financial resilience. What is financial resilience?
• • Basic Understanding of Financial Resilience
According to ‘community.thriveglobal.com’ (13),
“Financial resilience is the ability to bounce back from life-altering setbacks that impact our personal finances (including investments, income and assets), such as the death of a spouse or loved one, divorce, disability, health issues, unemployment as well as events such as economic fallout from a pandemic, a national disaster or economic recession. It is how well we can absorb, respond to and adjust to a financial shock”.
Households that are experiencing the impacts of the issues or episodic shocks mentioned in the above definition may need financial resilience and resourcefulness. To support these households, we have put together this new programme – FRPHs.
• • What is FRPHs?
FRPHs is about working with households that are the victims of episodic financial shocks so that they can build their financial ecosystems, develop the tools and strategies to recover from financial setbacks they have experienced.
The programme will help them, especially those households transitioning in their budgets after being impacted by the above-mentioned shocks, to develop a financial policy to protect them from income shock and a savings policy to maintain and improve their current living standards.
The programme will assist them in keeping the cost of running their households low while generating high impact for their financial wellbeing. It will align their finances with their strategic operational decisions and financial diversification. In doing so, it will provide them security and peace of mind where they are in terms of their finances and forecast where they want to go in a sustainable way without being affected by the same events again.
To work with them, we have organised our work around four themes which will be developed every Wednesdays (starting from 17/04/2024) as follows:
a) Financial preparedness (17/04/2024)
It is about setting up advanced systems to deal with potential or unplanned income shocks or crises.
b) Households’ liquid assets (24/04/2024)
These are cash or assets that are relatively accessible in case of urgency.
c) Intervention strategies (01/05/2024)
They are about reassessing household capital structure, redefining household’s liquidities and their financial risk while examining how much households are protected from income shocks by their financial assets (such as current accounts, savings and investments) or other forms of support (like state benefits, friends and families).
d) Financial resilience impact and outcomes (08/05/2024)
These are all the changes and effects that will happen as result of the implementation or use of FRPHs and how to measure them.
All this is part of the Month of Protection within CENFACS, although the running of this programme will go beyond April 2024.
Let us kick off the first theme of our FRPHs; theme which is Financial Preparedness.
• • Financial Resilience Programme for Households – In Focus for Wednesday 17/04/2024: Financial Preparedness
How financially prepared are households, particularly those making the CENFACS community, if there is any income shock?
Asset Funders Network (14) answers the question by arguing that
“By setting up systems in advance of a financial shock, families are prepared to handle a shortfall when it occurs”.
From their perspective, financial preparedness in the context of financial resilience includes saving money, building credit, connecting to networks and enrolling in insurance.
Financial preparedness implies developing strategies linked to it. In terms of financial preparedness strategies, ‘mind4survival.com’ (15) recommends the following seven tips:
1) Establish an emergency fund
2) Craft a comprehensive budget
3) Tackle any debts or outstanding payments
4) Embrace investment diversification
5) Prioritise your essentials
6) Invest in skills
7) Regularly review and adapt your accounts.
There could be more strategies or tips than the seven ones we have just listed. Financially resilient households will try to follow these strategies or similar ones to keep their financial health and wellbeing in good shape.
Those households that are struggling to financially prepare themselves in order to stay resilient, they can work with CENFACS.
For any queries and/or enquiries about Financial Preparedness as well as Financial Resilience Programme for Households (including how to access this programme), please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.
• All-year Round Projects Cycle (Triple Value Initiatives Cycle) – Step/Workshop 9: Reviewing Your Play, Run and Vote Projects
You can start reviewing Your Play, Run and Vote Projects, while the monitoring and observability of the same projects are still going on. But, what are project reviews?
• • Basic Understanding of Project Reviews
Project reviews can be explained in many ways depending on any approaches taken. Referring to the explanation of ‘fox-plan.com’ (16),
“A project review is an evaluation of the current progress of a project at a specific point of the project (milestone)… A project review will provide you with a thorough knowledge of the current status of your project and if it is on track to meet your success criteria”.
There can be many or staggered reviews in a project depending on a project size, scope, scale, progress, complexity and resource availability. These different reviews can include initial review, completion review, special review and follow-up review. Also, to better review a project it is preferable to design a review process with guidelines, evidence and tools.
• • Example of Reviewing Your All-year Round Projects
Let us consider Voting Your 2024 International Development and Poverty Reduction Manager.
In order to review your Vote Project, you will proceed with the following three review tasks:
a) Examine and audit your planned tasks, activities, procedures, events and other work about the project
b) Identify if the amount of work you put in your project responded to your Vote Project requirements
c) Work out additional resources to help you complete the project.
The above is a simple version of project reviews. For those who would like to dive deeper into Reviewing their Play or Run or Vote project, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.
• Triple Value Initiatives (TVIs)/All-year Round Projects (AYRPs) Journaling Activity: Write a Journal of Your TVI/AYRP Cycle
You can write and reflect on what you are doing as TVI/AYRP user or beneficiary. Journaling a TVI/AYRP (that is Play, Run and Vote) can have benefits. To get those benefits, one needs to have a goal and plan activities/achievements.
• • Benefits of Journaling Your TVI/AYRP
The journal will help you to capture the moments of your TVI/AYRP via expressive writing and story. It can have other benefits such as the following ones:
σ setting up goals
σ tracking or measuring your progress on TVI/AYRP
σ recording results and celebrating achievements
σ gaining both general and specific perspectives of your TVI/AYRP.
You can even show your style and express your feeling or character through your writing. Another good thing of journaling your TVI/AYRP is that it makes things easy when it comes to report to CENFACS and others before the deadline of 23 December 2024.
• • Journaling Goal of TVI/AYRP
The goal is basically to explore and enrich one’s TVI/AYRP activity through creative writing. This goal does not stop users of TVI/AYRP to have their own journaling goal. Besides their journaling goal, they need to add what their journal can help achieve.
• • What One’s TVI/AYRP Journal Can Achieve
It can achieve many things including the following:
∝ Solve problems encountered in the cycle of your TVI/AYRP
∝ Enhance one’s health and wellness via TVI/AYRP
∝ Improve TVI/AYRP impact and outcomes.
For those who are undertaking any of the TVIs/AYRPs and would like to write a journal about their activity, they can do it. There are many online and print resources available on the matter. Please select resources that are concise and have some links with your TVIs/AYRPs.
For those who would like to approach CENFACS for help and support to write a Journal of TVI/AYRP or to select appropriate resources, they are welcome to do so.
Message in French (Message en français)
• Programme de résilience financière pour les ménages
Dans le cadre de l’autonomisation continue des ménages, en particulier ceux qui composent notre communauté, nous avons organisé un nouveau programme – Programme de résilience financière pour les ménages (PRFM). Bien que le PRFM s’appelle le programme, il fait partie du projet de contrôle financier.
Pour comprendre le PRFM, expliquons d’abord ce qu’est la résilience financière.
Au cours des dernières années, de nombreux ménages, y compris ceux qui font partie de la Communauté CENFACS, ont été confrontés et ont fait face à diverses crises et chocs (comme le choc du coronavirus, la crise du coût de la vie, la crise climatique, etc.).
Bon nombre de ces crises et de ces chocs ont affecté leurs finances tout en entraînant un choc sur leurs revenus. Pour faire face à ce type de chocs et à leurs impacts, il faut une certaine forme de résilience, notamment financière.
D’après ‘community.thriveglobal.com’ (13),
« La résilience financière est la capacité de rebondir après des revers qui changent la vie et qui ont une incidence sur nos finances personnelles (y compris les placements, le revenu et les actifs), comme le décès d’un conjoint ou d’un être cher, un divorce, une invalidité, des problèmes de santé, le chômage ainsi que des événements tels que les retombées économiques d’une pandémie, d’une catastrophe nationale ou d’une récession économique. Il s’agit de savoir dans quelle mesure nous pouvons absorber, réagir et nous ajuster à un choc financier.
Les ménages qui subissent les effets des problèmes ou des chocs épisodiques mentionnés dans la définition ci-dessus peuvent avoir besoin de résilience financière et d’ingéniosité. Pour soutenir ces ménages, nous avons mis en place ce nouveau programme – le PRFM.
• • Qu’est-ce que le PRFM?
Le PRFM consiste à travailler avec les ménages victimes de chocs financiers épisodiques afin qu’ils puissent construire leurs écosystèmes financiers, développer les outils et les stratégies pour se remettre des revers financiers qu’ils ont connus.
Le programme les aidera, en particulier les ménages dont le budget est en transition après avoir été touchés par les chocs susmentionnés, à élaborer une politique financière pour les protéger contre les chocs de revenu et une politique d’épargne pour maintenir et améliorer leur niveau de vie actuel.
Le programme les assistera à maintenir le coût de fonctionnement de leur ménage à un faible niveau tout en générant un impact important sur leur bien-être financier. Il permettra d’aligner leurs finances sur leurs décisions opérationnelles stratégiques et leur diversification financière. Ce faisant, il leur apportera la sécurité et la tranquillité d’esprit où ils en sont en termes de finances et leur permettra de prévoir où ils veulent aller de manière durable sans être à nouveau affectés par les mêmes événements.
Pour travailler avec eux, nous avons organisé nos activités autour de quatre thématiques qui seront développées tous les mercredis (à partir du 17/04/2024) comme suit:
a) Préparation financière (17/04/2024)
Il s’agit de mettre en place des systèmes avancés pour faire face à des chocs de revenus potentiels ou imprévus.
b) Liquidités des ménages (24/04/2024)
Il s’agit de liquidités ou d’actifs relativement accessibles en cas d’urgence.
c) Stratégies d’intervention (01/05/2024)
Il s’agit de réévaluer la structure du capital des ménages, de redéfinir les liquidités des ménages et leur risque financier, tout en examinant dans quelle mesure les ménages sont protégés contre les chocs de revenu par leurs actifs financiers (tels que les comptes courants, l’épargne et les investissements) ou d’autres formes de soutien (prestations de l’État, amis et familles).
d) Résultats et impacts en matière de résilience financière (08/05/2024)
Il s’agit de l’ensemble des changements et des effets qui se produiront à la suite de la mise en œuvre ou de l’utilisation du PRFM et de la façon de les mesurer.
Tout cela s’inscrit dans le cadre du Mois de la Protection au sein du CENFACS.
Commençons par le premier thème de notre PRFM; qui est la préparation financière.
• • Programme de résilience financière pour les ménages – Gros plan pour le mercredi 17/04/2024 : Préparation financière
Dans quelle mesure les ménages, en particulier ceux qui font partie de la communauté CENFACS, sont-ils financièrement préparés en cas de choc de revenu?
Asset Funders Network (14) répond à la question en faisant valoir que
« En mettant en place des systèmes en amont d’un choc financier, les familles sont prêtes à faire face à un manque à gagner lorsqu’il se produit. »
De leur point de vue, la préparation financière dans le contexte de la résilience financière comprend l’épargne, l’établissement d’un crédit, la connexion à des réseaux et l’adhésion à une assurance.
La préparation financière implique l’élaboration de stratégies qui y sont liées. En ce qui concerne les stratégies de préparation financière, « mind4survival.com » (15) recommande les sept conseils suivants :
1) Établir un fonds d’urgence
2) Élaborez un budget complet
3) S’attaquer aux dettes ou aux impayés
4) Adoptez la diversification des placements
5) Donnez la priorité à vos essentiels
6) Investir dans les compétences
7) Révisez et adaptez régulièrement vos comptes.
Il pourrait y avoir d’autres stratégies que celles que nous venons d’énumérer. Les ménages financièrement résilients s’efforceront de suivre ces stratégies ou d’autres similaires pour maintenir leur santé financière et leur bien-être en bonne santé.
Les ménages qui ont du mal à se préparer financièrement afin de rester résilients peuvent travailler avec le CENFACS.
Pour toute question et/ou demande de renseignements sur la préparation financière ainsi que sur le programme de résilience financière pour les ménages (y compris sur la façon d’accéder à ce programme), n’hésitez pas à contacter le CENFACS.
Main Development
• Coming Next Week’s Saturday 27/04/2024: The 14th Edition of CENFACS Reflection Day with a Focus on Protection and Security of Women and Children against Societal Polarization
To help prepare for the 14th Edition of CENFACS Reflection Day, we have assembled protection materials and resources that have been grouped into the following two headlines:
∝ What is CENFACS’ Reflection Day?
∝ The 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day.
Let us briefly explain each of these headlines.
• • What Is CENFACS’ Reflection Day?
CENFACS’ Reflection Day is a day to acknowledge the conditions of women and children in need, to reflect on attitudes and what can be done to improve the living conditions of women and children in need.
CENFACS’ Reflection Day is also a special eventful day to re-engage our mind set and spirit to deeply think about the fate of poor women and children, and engineer possible new solutions that can lift them out of poverty and hardships they are facing. At this time of the world in multiple crises (or polycrises) and risks, they may be facing poverty induced by these crises and risks. One of these crises and risks is Societal Polarization.
According to ‘weforum.org’ (op. cit.), Societal Polarization is the third-most severe risk over the short term and consistent concern amongst surveyed groups making the World Economic Forum’s The Global Risks Report 2024. It features among the top three risks over both the current and two-year time horizons. It is this crisis that our 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day would like to deal with.
• • The 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day
The following points will assist in explaining the 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day:
∝ What is the 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day?
∝ What Will Happen during the 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day?
∝ How the 14th Edition of Our Reflection Day Will Be Run
∝ What Issues Our Reflection Day Will Try to Address
∝ What Areas of Thoughts Our Reflection Day Will Touch upon.
The above-mentioned points are explained below.
• • • What is the 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day?
The 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day is a continuity of the theme about self-protection by women and children and/or protection of women and children by others against future risks or crises or polycrises. In this case, the risk or crisis is Societal Polarization and poverty it can create or exacerbate.
The 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day is a day to think of the struggle these women and children have in face of societal polarization. It also a day of meditating on solutions to reduce poverty generated by societal polarization. Before going any further, let us try to recall the definition of societal polarization.
• • • • Re-understanding societal polarization
The World Economic Forum (op. cit.) explains that
“Societal polarization is ideological and cultural divisions within and across communities leading to declining social stability, gridlocks in decision-making, economic disruption, and increased political polarization” (p. 97)
The same World Economic Forum adds that societal polarization and economic downturn are seen as the most interconnected – and therefore influential – risks in the global risks network, as drivers and possible consequences of numerous risks.
Because societal polarization and economic downturn are influential forces that shape human conditions, particularly the conditions of women and children living in poverty, there is a need to elevate the fences of protection to shield them from the impacts of societal polarization entertained by misinformation, disinformation, distance between people, suspicion, etc.
Crisis stemming from societal polarization can also affect the security of women and children in need. One can think of economic disruption linked to the supply of goods and services which has caused economic insecurity in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, especially for women and children there. In this respect, our Reflection Day is also a day of economic security.
• • • • What is economic security?
Economic security here has to be interpreted like what the International Committee of the Red Cross (17) argues about it as
“The ability of individuals, households or communities to cover their essential needs sustainably and with dignity. This can vary according to an individual’s physical needs, the environment and prevailing cultural standards. Food, basic shelter, clothing and hygiene qualify as essential need, as does the related expenditure; the essential assets needed to earn a living and the costs associated with health care and education also qualify”.
In our Reflection Day, we shall think of how the intensive use of polarizing rhetoric can affect economic security of those in need, particularly but not exclusively women and children in need.
• • • What Will Happen during the 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day?
During the 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day, we will reflect on what can be done to improve the living conditions of women and children in the contexts of ideological and cultural divisions within and across communities.
The day is also about finding solutions to economic insecurity through inspirations, new thoughts and ideas to mitigate harmful consequences of societal polarization.
• • • How the 14th Edition of Our Reflection Day Will Be Run
This year, the 14th Edition of our Reflection Day will be run in hybrid fashion (that; it will be organised in-person and virtual).
There will be a physical gathering for those who want it. There will also be a virtual reflection. In the case of virtual reflection, every participant will be reflecting from the location which is suitable for them (that is, like a virtual reality or remotely).
• • • What Issues Our Reflection Day Will Try to Address
Our Reflection Day will try to address the following issues:
√ How manipulated contents split people according to opposing views that further develop societal polarization
√ The misperceptions of reality that intensify polarization with detrimental effect on women and children
√ How manipulative narratives that infiltrate the public discourse further up societal polarization
√ What is the effect of falsified information on women and children in terms of bias and discrimination?
√ How hate crimes feed societal polarization against women and children
√ How harmful contents or subjects can impact on children’s behaviour, wellbeing and health
√ What can we do to end false information to widen fractures in societal views that affect women and children?
√ How can we stop the tools that spread and control misinformation and disinformation within our community?
√ What can we do to make the arbiters of truth to re-establish truth in information and protect women and children from falsified information that controls women and children?
√ Do we have the power to stop the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation within our society?
The above-mentioned issues are the ones we would like to deal with in our thoughts. One Day of Reflection may be not enough to address all these questions. But, one can try to deal with one or two of them as they are preparing to make the Reflection Day.
• • • What Areas of Thoughts Our Reflection Day Will Touch upon
The above-mentioned issues will help to frame areas of thoughts that one may want to engage in. During our reflection, we will try to think of following matters as frames for thought:
√ Effects of negative disagreement over economic policies on the welfare and wellbeing of women and children (economic policies framework)
√ Ways of building and improving unity against societal polarization threats that create or exacerbate poverty (framework for unity and connection, instead of divisions and distances)
√ Security vulnerabilities posed to poor women and children when society’s main actors move from centrist to extreme positions or ideologies in their thinking and behaviour (security framework)
√ Ways of developing defensive capabilities to protect women and children from societal polarization (defensive capability framework)
√ Effects of societal polarization measures and values on educational and training opportunities for women and children (framework for measures, values and human rights)
√ Learning lessons and development experiences about societal polarization in terms of their effects on women and children in need (framework for skills development)
Etc.
The above is the main menu of our Reflection Day. Besides this main menu, we shall have a side menu which is Reflection on the Effects of Societal Polarization on our Network for Protection and Community Security in the process of Build Forward Better Together to a Greener, Cleaner, Safer, Inclusive and Climate-Resilient Future within the context of Squeezed Household Spending.
To support or join the Reflection Day on the Protection and Security of Women and Children, please contact CENFACS.
After the References section of this post, we have appended a timeline about CENFACS’ Reflection Day for your information.
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• References
(1) Scott, J. & Marshall, G. (2009), Oxford Dictionary of Sociology, Third Ed. Revised, Oxford University Press, Oxford & New York
(2) https://www.icip.cat/perlapau/en/article/polarization-harms-democracy-and-society/ (accessed in April 2024)
(3) https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Global_Risks_Report_2024.pdf (accessed in April 2024)
(4) https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2023-24reporten.pdf (accessed in March 2024)
(5) https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/sep/04/poor-people-surviving-not-living-as-uk-social-contract-collapses-says-report (accessed in April 2024)
(6) https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/10/14/breaking-poverty-trap (accessed in April 2024)
(7) https://ngofeed.com/ngos-in-human-rights-protection/# (accessed in April 2024)
(8) https://www.gov.uk/guidance/safeguarding-duties-for-charity-trustees (accessed in April 2024)
(9) https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/02/birds-of-prey-extension-biodiversity-loss/ (accessed in April 2024)
(10) https://peregrinefund.org/africa-program-raptor-species# (accessed in April 2024)
(11) https://birdwatchinghq.com/birds-of-the-Democratic-Republic-of-the-Congo/ (accessed in April 2024)
(12) cenfacs.org.uk/2022/10/12/upkeep-of-the-nature-in-2022/ (accessed in April 2024)
(13) https://community.thriveglobal.com/what-is-financial-resilience-and-what-are-some-strategies-to-achieve-it/ (accessed in April 2024),
(14) https://assetfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/Measuring_Financial_Resilience_AFN_2021_Single_1.13.21.pdf (accessed in April 2024)
(15) https://mind4survival.com/7-tips-for-financial-preparedness/ (accessed in April 2024)
(16) https://fox-plan.com/docs/project-review/ (Accessed in April 2023)
(17) https://www.icrc.org/en/document/introduction-economic-security (Accessed in April 2023)
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• Appendix
• • Reflection Day Timeline
The Reflection Day is a day of thoughts by bringing together the two pillars of our network and protection programme, which are 3W and PPS. Although they started in 2003, we only introduced a Reflection Day (RD) in them in 2011.
In 2016, we amalgamated 3W and PPS to become Women and Children projects as we noticed in some situations it was difficult to separate women’s and children’s needs. Where their needs are separable or differentiated one to the other, we run either of the two brands (that is 3W and PPS) individually. This is why these two brands of our network and protection are still alive despite their amalgamation.
The Reflection Day is a day of introspection to think in depth the ways forward for our systems of support network and protection for poverty relief and sustainable development in face of the current, new and emerging challenges ahead as well as the ever changing development landscape.
Since its inception, the following is the timeline of 3W and PPS
2011: Making Networking and Protection Even Better in 2011
2012: Raising Standards in Poverty Reduction for Improving Lives
2013: Place of Women and Children in the Post-2015 Development World (Part I)
2014: Women and Children in the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda (Part II) – A Stock Taking Reflection Event
2015: Doing Business to Lift Women and Children out of Poverty
2016: Improving Digital Protection for the Extremely Digitally Poor Women and Children
2017: Reducing Information and Communication Poverty for Multi-dimensionally Poor Women and Children
2018: Making Transitional Economy Work for Poor Families
2019: Protection of Women and Children in War-torn Zones and Natural Disaster-stricken Areas
2020: Protection of Women and Children in Times of Health or Sanitary Crisis like Covid-19
2021: Ring-fencing Protection for Women and Children to Become More Resilient and Vigilant in face of Future Risks and Crises
2022: Protection for Women and Children from Energy Crisis
2023: Protection and Security for Women and Children against Geo-economic Risks and Crises
For your information,
3W & PPS = Support Network and Protection for Poverty Relief and Development
Women and Children projects = amalgamation of 3W and PPS in 2016
3W (What Women Want) = a CENFACS support network scheme to enhance the lives of multi-dimensional deprived women and families
PPS (Peace, Protection & Sustainability) = a CENFACS child and environmental protection programme to support multi-dimensional vulnerable children, young people and families
KNA (Keep the Net Alive) = a motto that helps to keep our networking for protection running.
For more information on 3W and PPS or Women and Children projects, please contact CENFACS.
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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 throughout 2024 and beyond.
With many thanks.
