Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!
28 August 2024
Post No. 367
The Week’s Contents
• CENFACS Annual Review 2023/2024
• The Internally Displaced Persons of Kwilu Need Your Support
• Following the Direction of Poverty Reduction This Summer via Aquatic Foods – Trending Topic in Focus from Wednesday 28/08/2024: Low-cost Technologies and Innovations Associated with Aquatic Foods
… And much more!
COMING THIS SEPTEMBER 2024:
Key Messages
• CENFACS Annual Review 2023/2024
CENFACS Annual Review 2023/2024 is a snapshot of what we did between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024. As it is stated, it is neither a statutory annual report nor an annual return.
It is a summary of the year 2023/2024 in the life of CENFACS that reports back to our supporters, users, project beneficiaries, members and other stakeholders the impact we have made; impact through stories, quantitative and qualitative data.
The review highlights accomplishments made and recollects milestones for the above stated year. It uncovers trends and insights about the changes that affected our noble and beautiful cause of poverty reduction.
It outlines some highlights from our 2023 Year-in-review Report while including our achievements made by the end of June 2024.
It is as well a performance review and annual review story of our finances.
It is finally the impact story of building forward better together cleaner, greener, inclusively, safer and climate-resilient in the era of system reset and change.
For more on this review, please read under the Main Development section of this post.
• The Internally Displaced Persons of Kwilu Need Your Support
The humanitarian situation in the health districts of Bagata and Kikongo in the province of Kwilu (Democratic Republic of Congo) is worsening as 62,000 people have been displaced because of militia and armed fighting, according to the Congolese news agency ‘actualite.cd’ (1). Amongst these internally displaced persons are children, women and the elderly.
As said by the same ‘actualite.cd’, this crisis has affected the villages of Beno, Manzasay, Sampiere, Siemsiem and the main town of Bagata. According to the same source of information, the number of the internally displaced persons includes the following:
• 4,740 men
• 14,776 women
• 9,569 girls
• 5,934 boys.
These numbers can grow as the crisis lasts. These internally displaced persons need safe drinking water, food, sanitation, health and hygiene products. As the return to school is approaching this September 2024, many of the internally displaced children may miss their school return. Five classrooms in Manzasay have been used as accommodation by the displaced persons.
The internally displaced persons of Kwilu (IDPK) need your support.
Those who wish to support the IDPK can donate money and/or donate in kind or their influence.
Please donate or influence immediately as the needs are pressing and urgent NOW.
To support or enquire about this humanitarian appeal, please contact CENFACS.
The IDPK are looking forward to your generous support to make a meaningful difference to their lives.
Thank you for your generosity.
• Following the Direction of Poverty Reduction This Summer via Aquatic Foods – Trending Topic in Focus from Wednesday 28/08/2024: Low-cost Technologies and Innovations Associated with Aquatic Foods
The last episode of our trending series in following the direction of poverty reduction via aquatic foods is Low-cost Technologies and Innovations Associated with Aquatic Foods. In this last direction of poverty reduction, we are going to briefly comment on technologies/innovations linked to aquatic foods and the way of following the direction of poverty reduction via these technologies.
• • Low-cost Technologies or Innovations Linked to Aquatic Foods
Technologies can support sustainable aquaculture intensification and expansion to meet the growing demand for aquatic foods. It is not a surprise if the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations argues (2) that
“The consumption of whole fish provides important essential nutrients – in particular omega-3 fatty acides, minerals and vitamins – and is relatively affordable for low-income populations, ensuring their access to nutritious foods. During processing, many parts considered not edible are often discarded. These parts are rich in micronutrients, and adoption of simple low-cost technology such as drying, smoking, fermentation and nulling can transform them into affordable and nutritious products” (p. xxv)
Similarly, the World Fish Centre (3) explains that
“Low-cost accessible innovations ensure continuous flow of food availability and reduce chances of nutrition and economic losses throughout aquatic food supply chains. Innovative accessible technologies and better practices cut aquatic food loss and waste, providing multiple wins across the sustainable development agenda by increasing the amounts of food available for consumption, protecting vulnerable workers from lost incomes and improving the sustainability of food systems”.
For example, in low- and middle-income countries where cold storage is limited, preservation of fish through smoking is a common technology (enhanced fish smoking technology).
Another example is the FAO-Thiaroye fish processing technique or FTT.
A further example is is the Women Business in Gillnet Project in Bangladesh (4). The project, which enables the dissemination of low-cost gill-net technology, aims to make fish harvesting more accessible to women and increased household consumption of nutritious fish species.
So, low-cost technologies and innovations relating to aquatic foods would help increase aquatic food availability, especially for those who rely on small-scale aquatic food systems for their livelihoods. Low-cost technologies and good practices help in the following:
σ cutting aquatic food loss and waste
σ increasing aquatic food availability
σ protecting vulnerable workers
σ improving the sustainability of food systems.
It is good to know and learn these low-cost technologies and innovations and their benefits with regard to aquatic foods. It is as well desirable to follow the direction of poverty reduction via these technologies and innovations.
• • How Can You Help in Following the Direction of Poverty Reduction via Low-cost Technologies and Innovations Associated with Aquatic Foods?
Each of our members and supporters can follow the direction of poverty reduction via low-cost technologies and innovations associated with aquatic foods.
For those of our members, supporters and audiences interested in this trending topic, they can enquire, collect or find more examples of the benefits of low-cost technologies and innovations towards aquatic foods.
For those who have stories with hard evidence on this matter, they can as well add their inputs by contacting CENFACS with their stories and or data.
For example, those who may have opportunity to talk to low-income households about their experience of technologies and innovations linked to aquatic foods, they can share their findings with us. This is the same for those who have been involved in or running any pieces of research in the form of focus discussion group, a pilot research project, a survey, etc.
To follow the direction of poverty reduction via aquatic foods with us, please contact CENFACS.
• • Concluding Note on Our Summer 2024 Trending Series
To conclude this Summer series of trending work, let us say that Following the Direction of Poverty Reduction via Aquatic Foods has improved our understanding on the role of aquatic foods and sector in reducing poverty and enhancing sustainable development.
Aquatic foods have many features or properties. They are nutritious and can be affordable and available for low-income households. They generate low-climate impact compared to other types of foods. They can be used to reduced to poverty. They come with low-cost technologies to produce them. Efforts can be deployed to increase their reach to low-income households and families, especially those suffering from aquatic food poverty.
Extra Messages
• Following the Direction of Poverty Reduction This Summer via Aquatic Foods – Impact Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, Development and Action Plan
• Happiness, Healthiness and Wellness Journal – Creative Activity No. 6: Create Your Journal of Freedom to Choose and Capabilities
• Financial Plan Updates for Households
• Following the Direction of Poverty Reduction This Summer via Aquatic Foods –
Impact Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, Development and Action Plan
Any activity or 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 activity or action. In order to know the progress and achievements made as well as to examine our performance against objectives, we are carrying out two exercises:
a) Impact Monitoring and Evaluation
b) Learning Development and Action Plan.
Let us explain what these two exercises are about.
• • Impact Monitoring and Evaluation of Following the Direction of Poverty Reduction This Summer via Aquatic Foods
We are now carrying on with the systematic process of observation, recording, collection and analysis of information regarding our 4-week work on Following the Direction of Poverty Reduction this Summer via Aquatic Foods in order to get its impact or at least its output. This routing process will help to examine the activities developed and identify bottlenecks during the process to see if they are in line with objectives we defined.
To monitor our Trending Activities, we have been routinely gathering information on all aspects when we have been following the Direction of Poverty Reduction via Aquatic Foods. We are now examining what these follow-up actions have achieved or will achieve in relation to the aims and objectives we set up for them. This monitoring has enabled us to keep an eye on the progress made so far. In our approach to impact monitoring and evaluation, we included the four actions took or directions of poverty reduction taken in relation to Aquatic Foods.
Besides this impact monitoring activity, we are as well conducting evaluation for learning purpose. This impact 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 trending activities. 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 them regarding the aquatic foods in order to reduce poverty and or get more results on poverty reduction.
We are undertaking the sporadic activity to draw conclusion regarding the relevance and effectiveness of the four directions of poverty reduction. This activity will contribute to the determination of the value judgement regarding the performance level and attainment of defined objectives for Following the Direction of Poverty Reduction This Summer via Aquatic Foods.
The findings from this Impact Monitoring and Evaluation will help to figure out what has been achieved through this work and give us some flavour about the future direction of our trending activities.
As part of this Impact Monitoring and Evaluation exercise, we would like to ask to those who have been working with us throughout the last four weeks to share with us their feelings and thoughts about these two areas:
(a) The overall “Following the Direction of Poverty Reduction This Summer via Aquatic Foods“
(b) Any initiative taken by you in the way of helping to Follow the Direction of Poverty Reduction This Summer via Aquatic Foods.
You can share your feelings and thoughts with us by:
∝ Phoning
∝ Texting
∝ E-mailing
∝ Completing the contact form with your feelings and thoughts.
• • Learning Development and Action Plan from Following the Direction of Poverty Reduction This Summer via Aquatic Foods
As part of keeping the culture of continuous learning and professional development within CENFACS, we are examining what the running of Trending Activities have brought and indicated to us. We are particularly looking at the learning and development priorities and initiatives. In this exercise, we are considering the action points and plan we may need to make in order to improve or better change the way in which we deliver our services and work with users.
For those who have been following the running of the Trending Month with us, this is the time or opportunity they can add their inputs to our learning and development experience so that we can know the knowledge gap that need to be filled up. They can as well have their own action plans on how they would like to take forward the contents of Trending Activities month. And if they have a plan and want us to look at it, we are willing to do so.
Have an action plan for your trending activity and want CENFACS to look at it, please do not hesitate to contact us. To add your input to our exercise on learning, development and action plan; just contact CENFACS.
• • Views from Those Who Have Been Acting with Us and/or Following Us
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 actions taken relating to the four directions of poverty reduction as highlighted in the following simple questions. They can provide their feelings in the form of a review or feedback or testimony. The results of their feelings will help to improve future trending activities.
Those participating to this survey can tick one box (ranging from 0 to 10) for each trending activity. 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-September 2024.
Those who want to provide feelings and would like to request the details about these activities prior to their response, they are free to make their request to CENFACS.
Thank you for considering our demand of feelings and for your support.
It will be good that those who would like to provide their feelings to do them by mid-September 2024.
• Happiness, Healthiness and Wellness Journal – Creative Activity No. 6: Create Your Journal of Freedom to Choose and Capabilities
The last episode of our Summer series of Journal of Happiness, Healthiness and Wellness is about Freedom to Choose and Capabilities. It is about writing on the things that have expanded your freedoms (i.e., liberty or independence) and opened more choices for you to find your own development paths according to socially acceptable values rather than being prescribed to follow a particular path. As Armarthya Sen (5) explains in the following words:
“Freedom implies not just to do something but the capabilities to make it happen”.
Yet, personal circumstances and external factors (e.g., extreme temperatures, higher costs of living) have restricted the freedom to choose, incapacitated people, and limited the choice one can make about their happiness, healthiness and wellness over Summer 2024.
Despite these restrictions, limitations and incapabilities; one can create or write a journal of freedom or unfreedom to choose to reflect their conditions and circumstances of life brought by the lingering effects of these circumstances and factors.
Before embarking on writing this journal, it is better to get some clues about the relationships between happiness and freedom, between healthiness and freedom, between wellness and freedom.
Equally, it is better to understand the relationships between happiness and capabilities, between healthiness and capabilities, between wellness and capabilities.
• • Relationships between Happiness and Freedom, between Healthiness and Freedom, between Wellness and Freedom
• • • Relationships between Happiness and Freedom
There could be a link between happiness and freedom. Ruut Veenhoven (6) explains that
“Freedom is the possibility to choose, and involves both the opportunity and capability to choose… Freedom does not always contribute to happiness, but it does not destroy it either. The data strongly suggest that economic freedom leads to happiness, especially for those in conditions of poverty and low capability. The effect that political and private freedom can add to happiness has been restricted to rich and capable countries”.
One can use Veenhoven’s view or other views on the relationship between happiness and freedom to narrate their experiences, feelings and thoughts in terms of happiness and freedom over this Summer.
• • • Relationships between Healthiness and Freedom
The pursuit of healthiness can lead to some degree of freedom. For some people, healthiness can facilitate freedom and be dependent on a personal orientation towards freedom. For other ones (like the neo-liberals who value individual responsibility), they blame the health victims. From this blame perspective, De Jong et al. (7) explain that
“Freedom is understood from an individualistic, neoliberal point of view, which is characterised by voluntarily demonstrating individual responsibility, prudence, health consciousness, health commitment and productivity regarding the construction of one’s healthiness”.
One can use the argument of De Jong et al. or other arguments regarding the relationship between healthiness and freedom to write their experiences, feelings and thoughts in terms of healthiness and freedom over this Summer.
• • • Relationships between Wellness and Freedom
Let us first explain wellness. Di Martino et al. (8) quotes Prilleltenskj to define wellness in psychology as
“A positive state of affairs brought about by the simultaneous and balanced satisfaction of diverse objective and subjective needs of individuals, relationships, organisations and communities”.
This positive state of affairs can lead to freedom. In return, freedom (e.g., freedom of movement and occupation) can contribute to well-being.
One can use the link between the positive state of affairs and freedom to journal their experiences, feelings and thoughts in terms of wellness and freedom over this Summer.
• • Relationships between Happiness and Capabilities, between Healthiness and Capabilities, between Wellness and Capabilities.
Capability can be related to happiness, healthiness and wellness. But, what is capability?
According to ‘cloudassess.com’ (9),
“A capability represents a blend of personal and technical skills, knowledge and behaviours that allow an individual or an organisation to perform effectively. For individuals, it is about the potential to apply skills and knowledge in different situations”.
Armarthya Sen goes further in its capabilities approach by pairing functionings and capabilities. Tom Jacobson and Leanne Chang (10) refer to Sen’s capabilities approach and write this:
“Capabilities refer to real opportunities citizens have to enjoy a functioning rather than to the actual enjoyment of the functioning”.
Still for Jacobson and Chang, Sen believes that development must focus on a range of doings and beings, or functionings, which are much broader than material well-being.
One can refer to the definition of capability by ‘cloudassess.com’ and Sen’s capabilities approach or any other perspective on capabilities, and journal their experiences, feelings and thoughts in terms of the relationships between capability and happiness, between capability and healthiness, between capability and wellness over this Summer.
• • Create or Write a Journal of Freedom or Unfreedom to Choose and Capabilities for Any Life Circumstance
To reflect the above-mentioned restrictions or limitations or even incapabilities as well as relationships, one can create or write a journal of freedom or unfreedom for the things that have made them to feel happy, healthy, well, capable and free during this Summer 2024. Alternatively, one can consider journaling the things that have made them unhappy, unhealthy, unwell, incapable and confined this Summer 2024.
Since, the work of CENFACS is on poverty reduction, one can as well think of writing a journal that explains the freedom and ability they have to choose solutions to reduce or end poverty and hardships. Such a journal can include things like being able to choose items within the basic necessities of life (e.g. kinds of food, shelter, education, information, health, etc.).
For example, one can write about fostering their own or people’s competence to make their own choices to exercise their own agency or about the freedom to meet their own needs. One can as well write on deficit in freedom to choose.
You can create your journal for any aspects of Summertime linked to freedom to choose. You can explain your experiences, feelings and thoughts in terms of happiness, healthiness and wellness about freedom to choose and capabilities over this Summer.
In short, you can create or write a journal of the following:
∝ Things that have made you to feel happy, healthy, well, free and capable over this Summer 2024
∝ Things that have made you unhappy, unhealthy, unwell, incapable and confined over this Summer 2024
∝ Explaining the freedom and capability you have to choose solutions to reduce or end poverty and hardships over this Summer 2024.
• • Impact Record and Share of Your Journal of Freedom to Choose and Capabilities
You can impact record your thoughts, feelings, experiences, souvenirs and memories in relation to happiness and healthiness regarding the freedom to choose and capabilities. This can be recorded in your journal and be shared by the end of Summer 2024.
To impact share the contents of your journal of happiness, healthiness and wellnesss relating to happy, healthy, good, capable and free livelihoods during this Summer 2024 as well as to help build a better Summer holiday experience, you can contact CENFACS.
• Financial Plan Updates for Households
Last week in the 2024 Edition of Summer Financial Updates (SFU), we said that every Summer we conduct financial updates of our work and of our users and project beneficiaries. What do we mean by financial update?
A financial update is, according to ‘financestrategists.com’ (11),
“A regular review of your financial strategies to keep them on track and adjust them as needed to achieve your objectives. The primary objectives of updating a financial plan are to adapt to changes in personal circumstances, respond to economic and market changes, and reassess financial goals and strategies”.
Next week, we shall start working with those who want on their financial plan update. The following indicates the themes we shall cover from every Wednesday starting from 04/09/2024:
∝ 04/09/2024: Household Financial Plan
∝ 11/09/2024: Household Investment Planning
∝ 18/09/2024: Estate Planning
∝ 25/09/2024: Retirement Planning
The work with participants will consist of reviewing the above-planned areas of their financial plan and adjust them in the light of new information or data, and in line with the current development landscape and near future economic realities.
Those who may be interested can contact CENFACS for further details. If you need support with your financial plan updates, please do not hesitate to communicate with CENFACS.
Message in French (Message en français)
• Test de connaissances sur le football africain organisé par le Forum ‘Une Afrique Meilleure’ de CENFACS
Dites au Forum ‘Une Afrique Meilleure’ de CENFACS, ce que vous savez du foot africain!
1. Quelles étaient les trois équipes africaines qui ont participé à la première Coupe d’Afrique des Nations de la CAF au Soudan en 1957?
. le Cameroun, le Ghana et le Mali
. l’Algérie, le Soudan et le Maroc
. l’Égypte, le Soudan et l’Éthiopie
2. Lequel des trois joueurs a marqué un record de 9 buts lors d’une Coupe d’Afrique des Nations?
. Mohammed Zidane (Égypte)
. Didier Drogba (Côte d’Ivoire)
. Ndaye Mulamba (RD Congo)
3. Quelle équipe africaine a remporté 7 fois et trois titres consécutifs de la Coupe d’Afrique des Nations (CAN) depuis sa création?
. l’Égypte . le Ghana . le Cameroun
. le Nigéria . l’Algérie . l’Afrique du Sud
4. Quels sont les deux pays africains qui étaient qualifiés pour la Coupe du monde féminine de football 2007?
. la Mauritanie et le Ghana . le Niger et la Tunisie
. le Nigéria et la Sierra Leone . le Nigéria et le Ghana
5. Qui a été le premier footballeur africain de l’année en 1973?
. Raymond Kopa . Tshimen Bwanga . Salif Keita
. Roger Milla . Frédéric Kanoute . Marcel Desailly
6. Quel a été le premier pays africain à remporter un tournoi mondial de la FIFA?
. le Cameroun . le Ghana
. l’Égypte . le Nigéria
7. Lequel de ces pays africains a participé à la Coupe du monde de football en 2006 en Allemagne?
. l’Angola . la Namibie . la Côte d’Ivoire
. le Ghana . l’Afrique du Sud . le Zimbabwe
8. Quel a été le premier pays africain à participer à la coupe du monde en 1934?
. l’Afrique du Sud . l’Égypte
. l’Éthiopie . le Cameroun
Vous pouvez dire au Forum ‘Une Afrique Meilleure’ de CENFACS ce que vous savez sur les questions mentionnées ci-dessus.
Le Forum ‘Une Afrique Meilleure’ de CENFACS est un réseau de discussion sur les questions et thèmes de réduction de la pauvreté et de développement durable en Afrique et qui agit au nom de ses membres en faisant des propositions ou des idées d’actions pour une Afrique meilleure.
Pour communiquer avec le CENFACS au sujet du test ci-dessus et de ses discussions, veuillez utiliser nos coordonnées habituelles sur ce site.
Main Development
• CENFACS Annual Review 2023/2024
This review aims at those who are interested in the work that CENFACS does to get a glimpse of what happened during the financial year 2023/2024. It is a summary of our activities, performance, achievements and accounts for the financial year 2023/2024.
The following contents make this review:
∝ Theme of CENFACS’ 2023/2024 Annual Review
∝ Annual Review Summary 2023/2024.
Let us uncover these contents.
• • Theme of CENFACS’ 2023/2024 Annual Review
The theme for this review is building forward better together to a greener, cleaner, safer, inclusive and climate-resilient future.
• • Annual Review Summary 2023/2024
The summary of our annual review 2023/2024 is presented under the following four headings:
∝ Activities Review
∝ Key Produce or Achievements of the Year
∝ Financial Performance Review
∝ Thank you
Let us review the activities, achievements and financial performance of the year.
• • • Activities Review
The Activities Review highlights what we did via the following undertakings:
pension and the reduction of old age poverty in Africa, financial inclusion for the needy, private homeownership and secure land tenure in Africa, charity trade and investment, data and insight skills to manage your households, system reset and change stories, grey spaces-focussed and spacing analysis, building forward better relationship with nature, self-efficacy skills, creative and innovative ideas for actions for a better Africa, matching organisation-investor programme, financial control for households, nature and nature-based solutions to poverty, financial resilience programme for households, and making influence work for humanitarian relief in Africa.
Let us look back each of these activities we did.
• • • • Key Takeaways of the Year
The points or facts to remember about 2023/2024 from within and around CENFACS are as follows.
∝) 2023-2024 as a year of raising awareness about private homeownership and
secure land tenure to reduce poverty in Africa
Many of Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) noticed that the level of poverty due to homeless and landless was high in their areas of operations in Africa. ASOs worked with these homeless and landless people by helping them to find inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable settlements so that they could transition out of poverty linked to the lack of homeownership and secure land tenure.
∝) 2023-2024 as a year of charity trade and investment
2023-2024 was also the year of working with poor and vulnerable beneficiaries in trying to create usable means to live off and push poverty away via trade and investment. It was the financial year of working with ASOs that wanted to invest and make the most of their long-term funds and protect their charities’ income against economic events (such as the impact of inflation, geo-economic crisis). It was about working with them so that they could find investment channels to generate better returns than simply holding cash with them.
∝) 2023-2024 as a year of helping in reducing old age poverty
Many ASOs faced the issue of working with the elderly to get away from overlapping crises in Africa (including pension crisis) and protect their insurance. Together with ASOs we worked to help reduce old age poverty in Africa, in particular by exploring ways of improving the financial inclusion of the elderly.
∝) 2023-2024 as a year of financial inclusion of those in need
Financial inclusion of those in need can face constraints on both sides of the market (demand and supply). By looking at the demand-side constraints on the financially excluded, together with users we worked through experimental approach and deliberative practices ways of making these excluded included.
∝) 2023-2024 as a year of following the direction of poverty reduction via marine and coastal ecosystem services
This follow-up enabled our users to understand how marine and coastal ecosystem services could help reduce poverty, particularly through provisioning and regulating services they provide. The majority of those who followed our trending activities with us shared their findings and data after talking to coastal poor communities about the impacts of Marine and Coastal Ecosystem Services on these communities. This was the same for those who were involved in or running some pieces of research on these services.
∝) 2023-2024 as a year of the reduction of grey spaces-induced poverty
The last quarter of 2023 was a great time of engaging space to deal with poverty induced or linked to grey space. It was a time of addressing spatialisation of poverty. We explored with grey space poor ways of reducing or ending this type of poverty. Additionally, we deployed efforts with them navigating sustainable ways of reducing health hazards from grey spaces.
∝) 2023-2024 as a year of learning and developing self-efficacy skills to refresh ways of tackling crises
Because the nature of crises and risks is changing, there was a need to refresh ways of tackling crises through three Self-efficacy skills – resilience, flexibility and agility. These skills started to help beneficiaries to bounce back from the lingering effects of the polycrises of recent years (like the coronavirus and the enduring cost-of-living crisis) and to grab any job opportunities that were available.
∝) 2023-2024 as a year of advocacy for the world’s smallest creatures via Niamankeke project
Through the ‘Niamankeke‘ project and ‘A la une‘ (Autumn Leaves of Action for the Upkeep of the Nature) campaign, we tirelessly worked with the community and others outside our community to raise awareness of the upkeep of endangered insect species like Erikssonia Acraeina (Eriksson’s Copper), Adetomyrma Venatrix (Dracula Ant), Dawn Jewel (Chlorocypha Aurora), African Dung Beetle and Brenton Blue Butterfly.
∝) 2023-2024 as a year of data and insight skills to manage your households
Using free frontline tools of poverty reduction from CENFACS‘ poverty reduction box, we conducted basic data analytics and empowered user households with data and insight skills. Through Data and Insights Advocacy and Skills project, we came together with these households to build data collection, organisation, storing, and sharing skills. We were as well able to develop descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive insight skills.
∝) 2023-2024 as a year of system reset and change stories
Amongst the stories received, we had 2 great stories of changing our mindsets, 4 remarkable stories of seeing wholes, 3 amazing stories of understanding connections, 2 moving stories of building a genuine connection and one memorable story of creating a new system of poverty reduction.
∝) 2023-2024 as a year of matching organisation-investor programme
2023-2024 will be remembered as a year of working with Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisations and Not-for-profit Investors to help them match project planning for the first and investment life cycle for the second. In doing so, the former could find the investment they were looking for and the latter the organisation to invest in.
∝ 2023-2024 as year of making influence work for humanitarian relief in Africa
Making influence support endangered and, in some circumstances, destroyed lives as war and disastrous natural events were unfolding in some places in Africa is another takeaway. Further to these events, together with those stricken by them or their representatives we made the following appeals:
√ Libya-Morocco Joint Influence Appeal
√ Support Children Impacted by Crisis in Africa
√ Giving Hope for the Humanitarian Needy of the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2024
√ Halving Children Poverty in the G5 Sahel
√ Lighting a Blaze of Hope for the Rain-hit and Food Insecure in Chad, Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo
√ The New Internally Displaced Persons of Insecurity in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Need Lighting a Blaze of Hope
√ Burundi’s Flood Victims Ask for Your Aid
√ The Conflict- and Natural Disaster-related Internally Displaced Persons in Africa Need Your Influence Now!
With the support of the community in terms of data and stories from these places or areas of CENFACS‘ operation, we made together appeal so that lives and livelihoods could be saved from civil violence, attacks, gender-based violence, severe climate conditions, other life-threatening and destroying conditions (such as the coronavirus, Ebola) and the cost-of-living crisis.
In total, we launched eight humanitarian relief appeals. As a result of these appeals, there have been some support to the sufferers of these events while there is still much to be done.
There are many good and positive results to take away from this financial year, although we limit ourselves to the above key takeaways mentioned.
• • • 2023/2024 Key Produce or Achievements
2023/2024 was a notable year of wins in poverty reduction produce or accomplishments. It will be known as the year of the three key achievements below.
1) 2023-2024 was an unforgettable year of advocacy for the protection of small creatures through ‘Niamankeke’ project. It is the year during which we tried to campaign for the protection of the critically endangered insects and invertebrates.
2) 2023-2024 also was a memorable matching year as we set up a new impact programme – Matching Organisation-Organisation Programme – of working with ASCOs that are looking for not-for-profit investors to invest in them and not-for-profit investors who would like to invest in such organisations.
3) The Tricennial Celebration or the Tricennium, which kicked off last March 2024, is a celebration of the remarkable journey of CENFACS as an idea for good. It is also part of 2023/2024 achievements.
• • • Financial Performance Review
The following is the summary of our receipts and payments for the year ending 30 June 2024.
On the payments side, the lingering effects of the costs of living continued. As result of these effects, our costs increased except for volunteers and refreshments accounts. We provided low-cost refreshments and covered very reasonable expenses for volunteers.
Three accounts (that is, postage stamps, transport and travel, and office miscellaneous) displayed a huge increase.
Regarding the postage accounts, we needed to maintain ways of engaging our users and project beneficiaries who were still attached to print and paper mail. However, the price of the first class postage rate of a letter weighting 0 to 100g did dramatically move from £1.25 in 2023 to £2.70 in 2024. This increase impacted our postage stamps account.
Concerning transport and travel, we continued to work in hybrid fashion. We carried on investing in online and virtual means of working to deliver efficiencies across CENFACS. But, we enhanced our in-person contacts with stakeholders. However, the increase in the price of transport and related services meant that our transport and travel went up due to in-person meetings, networking and outreach work.
As to the office miscellaneous items, we spent a reasonable amount to meet office administration needs following the savings we made in the previous year on this account. These office miscellaneous expenses were meant to cover ourselves against the uncertainty in the economy.
The other accounts that experienced increase were printing and photocopy (54%), stationery and books (26%), IT subscriptions (10%), tele/mobile phone and internet (34%). Indeed, to respond to users’ preferences and technological changes, we had to maintain a relatively adequate level of stationery stock. This enabled us to prevent items running out of stock. Likewise, the price of ink cartridges was higher. Yet, prints were still popular among our users. In addition, the charge of web hosting service and broadband was increased; meaning that our IT subscription could not stay the same.
On the fundraising and receipts side, the challenge to raise the funds needed to meet the level of needs in the community remained. This could be partly explained by the cumulative effect of the lingering impacts of the cost-of-living crisis and the economic uncertainty which continued to drive hesitations or reluctance to many individual donors/funders.
We have to admit that we have still funding applications which we have not yet received replies from potential donors/funders/grant makers. This means there is a reason to believe that there is still possibility for positive replies from them or to generate funds.
Concerning the cash funds account, our cash funds kept their ascending trends. During the financial year 2023/2024, we registered the same increase (12%) like in the financial year 2022/2023. In accounting terms, we managed to increase our receipts over payments as our receipts nearly underscored an increase of 12%. We continued to make savings on overseas budget, volunteer costs, refreshments, publicity and advertising, translation, office equipment and furniture, project beneficiaries, research and development, and fundraising costs. This increase and the savings made on payments resulted in a positive net balance of our receipts and payments account for the year.
We hope that the rebound of our cash funds will steadily continue and be even noticeable in the financial year 2024/2025. We can as well expect that the fruits of our fundraising efforts will fully appear in the new financial year (2024/2025) and beyond.
We can anticipate that the new Government Policies for charity funding will open a new window of opportunities for increasing financial support to our noble and beautiful cause of poverty reduction.
We look forward to the community to donate more as the economy and their financial situation improve.
• • • Thank you
The work of CENFACS is a collective endeavour that relies upon the voluntary contribution of others, a key to our success. As such, there is a number of people and organisations who contributed to the realisation of our financial year 2023-2024.
We would like to indiscriminately acknowledge them. Without their helpful and altruistic support, we would not be able to achieve the above. We are grateful to our volunteers, users, project/programme beneficiaries, members, website/blog readers and supporters.
We would like to thank all of them for their unwavering commitment and impactful support for helping us to voice and bring once again our poverty reduction message into the world in development, especially at the very daunting time of the lingering effects of the polycrises.
Many thanks for making 2023-2024 another deservingly memorable year at CENFACS and for being there with us for those in need.
More details about CENFACS Annual Review 2023/2024 can be requested.
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• References
(1) https://actualite.cd/2024/08/21/kurlu-plus-de-62-000-nouveaux-deplaces-en-detresse-dans-les-zones-de-sante-de-bagata-et#google_vignette (accessed in August 2024)
(2) FAO. 2024. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture. 2024. Blue Transformation in action. Rome
(3) https://www.worldfishcenter.org/blog/5-innovations-reducing-loss-and-waste-aquatic-food-system (accessed in August 2024)
(4) https://www.worldfishcenter.org/blog/low-cost-technology-boosts-womens-livelihoods-amidst-pandemic-bangladesh/ (accessed in August 2024)
(5) https://asiancenturyinstitute.com/development/333-armartya-sen-on-deveptas-freedom (accessed in August 2023)
(6) Veenhoven, R. (2000). Freedom and happiness. A comparative study in forty-four nations in the early 1990s. In E. Diener & E. M. Such (Eds.), culture and subjective well-being (pp. 257-288). The MIT Press
(7) De Jong, M., Collins, A. & Plüg (2019), “To be free”: how discourses of freedom are used to constraint healthiness among young South African adults, in International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being 2019, Vol. 14, 1603518, available at https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2019.1603518 (accessed in August 2024)
(8) Di Martino, S., Scarpa, M.P. & Prilleltensky, I. (2022). Between wellness and fairness: The mediating role of autonomous human choice and social capital in OECD countries. Journal of Community Psychology, 50, 3156-3180. 10.1002/jcop. 22822, available at https://www.ncbi.nim.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9544613/ (accessed in August 2024)
(9) https://cloudassess.com/blog/skill-vs-capability-vs-competency (accessed in August 2024)
(10) Jacobson, T. & Chang, L. (2019), Sen’s Capabilities Approach and the Measurement of Communication Outcomes in Journal of Information Policy. 9:111-131, available at https://doi.org/10.5325/jinfopoli.9.2019.0111 (accessed in August 2024)
(11) https://www.financestrategists.com/financial-advisor/financial-planning/financial-plan-updates (accessed in August 2024)
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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.
