Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!
27 May 2026
Post No. 458
The Week’s Contents
• Matching Organisation-Investor via Clean Cooking
• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 4: Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security; Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements (From Wednesday 27/05/2026)
• Programme, Projects and Activities to Scale Evidence-based Interventions (SEIs), Institutionalize Learning (IL) and Strengthen Local Ownership (SLO) to Further Reduce Poverty
… And much more!
Key Messages
• Matching Organisation-Investor via Clean Cooking
This is a new initiative from our Matching Organisation-Investor Programme, which is part of CENFACS’ Guidance Programme to not-for-profit impact investors. The new matching initiative consists of matching an African charitable organisation’s proposals to set up a project for access to clean cooking methods in Africa with a potential not-for-profit impact investor interested in investing in clean cooking sector in Africa. In other words, this organisation has a plan to execute a project aimed at improving access to clean cooking methods in Africa; in doing so helping to reduce cooking poverty. On the other hand, there could be investors who may be attracted by the organisation’s plan.
Indeed, according to a jointly produced report by the African Union, African Development Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (1),
“Access to clean cooking methods remains critically low, despite growing recognition of their significance. Only about 33.9 percent of Africans had access to clean cooking technologies and modern cooking fuels in 2023, leaving over 970 million people reliant on traditional biomass” (p. 42)
Within the clean cooking literature, access to clean cooking methods refers to the availability of modern, energy-efficient cooking solutions. This includes technologies such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), solar thermal cookers, and certain types of biomass, pellet stoves.
The charitable organisation (investee) is looking for a prospective investor who may be interested in impact investing in affordable clean cooking technologies in Africa. The plan of the former has to be matched with the interest of the latter. In other words, there will be a matching process between the two. The matching process will be run for five weeks, from the 25th of May 2026. To better understand this project, let us briefly re-explain it and its aim.
• • What Is Matching Organisation-Investor via Clean Cooking?
It is a set of five activities designed to arrange the match/fit test between an Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisation planning to set up a clean cooking project and a prospective not-for-profit impact investor. This project of CENFACS’ Matching Programme will enable the former to find a suitable investor, and the latter to gain an investee in which they can impact invest in.
• • The Aim of Matching Organisation-Investor via Clean Cooking (MOIvCC)
The main aim of MOIvCC is to mobilize and deploy catalytic capital into underserved markets. This financing builds sustainable supply chains, provides affordable stoves to low-income households, and eliminates the severe social, economic, and environmental costs associated with traditional biomass cooking.
The matchmaking helps facilitate a mutually beneficial relationship, where the organisation (investee) gains access to capital, expertise, and resources, and the investor earns a potentially high-return not-for-profit investment opportunities through clean cooking methods. This connection can lead to the organisation’s growth, innovation, and long-term success, while allowing the investor (who generally is a not-for-profit one in accordance to CENFACS‘ matching model and rules) to achieve their goals (which are other things than financial gains).
The benefits of the matchmaking can extend to health and safety (by reducing household air pollution), gender equality (in helping women and girls to reclaim their time), environmental conservation (by curbing greenhouse gas emissions), economic development (by driving jobs creation), and financial innovation (by de-risking early stage in terms of investment).
Besides this main aim, there is also the specific aim of clean cooking project, that is the project that will connect investee and investor.
• • The Aim of Clean Cooking Project (CCP)
The aim of a CCP in Africa is to eliminate the severe health, gender, and environmental hazards caused by traditional cooking. Projects like this seek to transition communities from polluting fuels (like wood, charcoal, and dung) to modern, efficient methods (such as LPG, biogas, and electric stoves) in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 (2).
These initiatives are designed to achieve five interconnected objectives: Public health, gender equality, environmental protection, economic opportunities, financial and technical support.
CCP is designed to reduce cooking poverty. Cooking poverty refers to, according to the United Nations Development Programme (3),
“Using open fires and traditional inefficient stoves that burn wood, charcoal, coal, crop waste, dung, or kerosene for primary cooking needs (Tiers 0 to 2)” (p. 10)
The United Nations Development Programme uses the Multi-tier Framework for cooking, which categorises access to cooking solutions across six attributes.
CCP will help raise much-needed funds to help keep the Africa-based Charitable Organisation’s services and support the local community via the cooking poverty reduction of local people. In this respect, CCP will be an opportunity to increase support to fight cooking poverty and hardships amongst the Africa-based Charitable Organisation’s users and beneficiaries. All money raised via the CCP will help people in cooking crisis and poverty in their community.
Through the CCP, it is hoped that the Africa-based Charitable Organisation will meet its dream not-for-profit (n-f-p) impact investor. It is as well expected that the n-f-p impact investor will find the right organisation to invest in for impact. Where the two parties experience difficulties in matching their project proposals or respective dreams, CENFACS will organise the match test for them.
More details about this Matching Organisation-Investor via Clean Cooking can be found under the Main Development section of this post.
• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 4: Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security; Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements (From Wednesday 27/05/2026)
Our All in Development Story Telling Programme and Series continue with Serial 4, which is about Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security, and Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements. Let us reveal the contents of this two-story series.
• • Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security
• • • What are Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security?
Stories of ensuring future-proofing progress is embedded rather than merely secured temporarily are the fables of building lasting, systemic and structural resilience rather than chasing temporary or reactive gains. They are about creating regenerative, deeply rooted changes that endure over time, ensuring future progress is structured and continuous rather than just a fleeting improvement. Key aspects of these plots are systemic embedding, long-term stewardship.
• • • Examples of Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security
People can tell their stories of long-term resilience by shifting their narratives from surviving a crisis safely to transforming how they live and adapt. These stories focus on shifting from dependence on external systems to building sustainable, localised, and self-organised ways of living together.
Common types of these resilience stories that everyday individuals tell include:
σ Stories from ‘stock pilling’ to ‘skill-sharing’: People share how they learned foundational, community-based skills.
σ Stories from ‘isolation’ to relational networks: These stories move away from individualism towards radical collaboration and mutual aid.
σ Stories from ‘hardening’ to ‘adaptive rebuilding’: These stories are about building back smarter and changing one’s way of life.
σ Stories from ‘ignoring pain’ to ‘integrating trauma’: These are long-term emotional resilience stories involving acknowledging vulnerabilities and allowing them to drive growth.
If you are a member of our community and have this type of stories, please do not hesitate to tell and share your story with CENFACS. If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.
To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security, please contact CENFACS.
• • Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements
• • • What are Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements?
The Stories using systemic integration to accelerate our achievements and continuously elevate our resilience are the recitals involving connecting disparate parts – people, processes, technology, and communities – to create a unified, adaptable whole that thrives under pressure rather than just enduring (for instance, integrating humanitarian aid with community action).
Everyday stories of systemic integration for resilience showcase how people merge survival tactics into connected, community-wide solutions. By sharing these ‘connected survival’ narratives, individuals highlight how they are building collective, long-term strength against interconnected challenges like the cost-of-living squeeze, climate risks or services disruptions.
• • • Examples of Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements
The narratives of connected change can fall into these types:
σ Stories of how people link basic survival needs across different areas of life (Cross-sector mutual aid)
σ Stories of how people change the way their local spaces function by integrating nature into urban or suburban environments (Grassroots nature-based action)
σ Accounts of individuals taking collective control over essential utilities (Community energy and resource pooling)
σ Stories about the journey of everyday citizens securing a seat at the table with local authorities to co-design policy (Co-designed governance and power sharing)
Etc.
By framing their lived experiences around integration rather than isolation, people provide actionable blueprint that inspire broader systemic change.
If you are a member of our community and have this type of stories, please do not hesitate to tell and share your story with CENFACS. If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.
To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements, please contact CENFACS.
• • Working with the Community on Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security, and Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements
• • • Working with the Community on Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security
We can work with the community to shift narratives from temporary security to long-term resilience. This involves co-creating narratives with participants, giving them full editorial control, and focusing on long-term systemic progress, hope, and ongoing personal growth rather than extracting trauma for emotional exploitation.
In other words, we can work with the community in the following ways:
σ To use story holding rather than extraction by treating stories as living, breathing experiences
σ To shift to progress not perfection by highlighting the milestones and ongoing mentum
σ To review their narrative design.
We can as well offer practical implementation steps like providing guidance on trauma, offer options for control and connect the personal to the systemic.
• • • Working with the Community on Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements
We can empower the community to share stories of systemic integration by shifting from ‘story extracting’ to ‘story-holding’. By treating participants as co-authors and leaders rather than just subjects, we can build trust, heal trauma, and create a resilient, collective voice for society change.
To achieve accelerated, resilient outcomes, we can work with the community to implement the following framework:
a) Shift power to lived-experience leaders
b) Focus on strength, dignity, and momentum
c) Implement ethical safeguards
d) Utilise strategic digital platforms to tell their stories.
We can even invite our community members to give their inputs (e.g., advice, suggestions) to shape our AiD Storytelling Programme and Project. We do not only ask them to give stories, we also want them to be part of our programme and project by for instance advising those who are struggling to tell their stories.
Those members of our community who have Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security, and Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements to tell, they should not hesitate to share them. Any other interested party who may have these stories, they can tell them to CENFACS.
To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security, and Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements, please contact CENFACS.
• Programme, Projects and Activities to Scale Evidence-based Interventions (SEIs), Institutionalize Learning (IL) and Strengthen Local Ownership (SLO) to Further Reduce Poverty
Our work on Rebuilding Africa continues with SEIs, IL and SLO. The following explains this continuation.
• • What Are Programme, Projects and Activities to Scale Evidence-based Interventions (SEIs), Institutionalize Learning (IL) and Strengthen Local Ownership (SLO)?
The programme for SEIs, IL and SLO refers to a system-embedded, evidence-driven approach to development. Such a programme will move beyond small-scale pilots to embed proven solutions into national systems (government or community-led) ensuring sustainability and long-term poverty reduction. There are components in such programme. Among these components are projects and activities.
A project designed to scale evidence-based interventions in Africa, while institutionalizing learning and fostering local ownership to reduce poverty is a locally-led, adaptive, and evidence-driven system transformation initiative. It moves beyond temporary, pilot-based solutions towards embedding proven methodologies into national policies, community practices, and sustainable funding solutions. The project will transform from a simple ‘intervention’ into a sustainable, locally-owned engine for ongoing poverty reduction.
As to activities for a project that scales evidence-based interventions while institutionalizing learning and strengthening local ownership in Africa, these activities require a holistic approach, moving beyond simple replication to embedding solutions within local systems. This type of activities will focus on vertical scaling (policy change), functional scaling (adding components), and organisational scaling (strengthening local partners).
These activities will be categorized according to the project phases as follows:
Phase 1: Preparatory and Co-design Activities (Setting the Foundation)
Activities include in this Phase 1 are conducting scalability assessments, stakeholder mapping and engagement, contextual adaptation, and establishing local governance structures.
Phase 2: Scaling Evidence-based Interventions (Vertical and Horizontal Expansion)
Activities making this Phase 2 include capacity building and training, developing scalable units, policy advocacy and dialogue, and leveraging existing systems.
Phase 3: Institutionalizing Learning and Data-driven Adaptation
Activities covering Phase 3 encompass establishing learning systems, developing data systems, acknowledging exchange networks, and action-oriented research.
Phase 4: Strengthening Local Ownership
Activities relating to Phase 4 will be transitioning to local ownership, strengthening capacity for local charities (e.g., ASOs), securing long-term financing, and cultivating local leadership.
The above-mentioned programme, project and activities will enable to Scale Evidence-based Interventions (SEIs), Institutionalize Learning (IL) and Strengthen Local Ownership (SLO) to Further Reduce Poverty.
• • Scaling up Proven Interventions (Expanding Successful, Evaluated Pilot Projects)
Scaling up evidence-based interventions to reduce poverty in Africa requires shifting from direct, small-scale service delivery to sustainable models that emphasize local leadership, digital integration, and systemic change.
Key strategies in terms of scaling interventions include adopting community-led development, leveraging technology for financial inclusion, and strengthening local partnerships.
To scale the impact on Africa from CENFACS and ASOs, the following needs to happen:
σ Shifting to Localized and Community-led models
It involves moving away from top-down approaches by decentralizing operations, re-empowering local partners, and conducting community-led fundraising.
σ Leveraging Technology and Data
Integrating technology can exponentially increase reach, particularly in rural or inaccessible areas. This strategy includes digital financial tools, digital platforms, and data-driven decisions.
σ Building Sustainable Partnerships
Collaborating with other sectors and organizations can help scale solutions that a single charity cannot achieve alone.
σ Focusing on Long-term Impact and Resilience
Scale is also about longevity of impact not just numbers.
The above-named strategies will scale the impact and contribute to the mission of Rebuilding Africa.
• • Translating MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning) Findings into Policy Changes
Translating MEL findings into policy change in Africa can be done by aligning rigorous evidence with compelling narratives, fostering collaborative partnerships with policymakers and integrating community voices through participatory methods.
Key strategies include building trust through localized evidence, using proactive dissemination and implementing adaptive management. In these strategies, there is a need to bridge the gap between MEL and policy.
Essential approaches to help in this bridge will be the following ones:
σ Developing Collaborative and Localized MEL Systems
It involves co-designing with stakeholders, decolonization of MEL, and integration of local knowledge.
σ Strengthening Evidence for Policy Influence
It includes the use of mixed methods to create persuasive evidence-based narratives for policymakers, the application of adaptive management, and leveraging of proxy indicators.
σ Build Capacity
It entails investing in technical capacity, creating peer learning environment, and establish strategic partnerships.
σ Proactive Dissemination and Advocacy
It encompasses tailoring findings for decision-makers, using policy hubs, and focusing on accountability.
These strategies and approaches can transform MEL from a reporting requirement into a powerful tool for driving systemic, policy-level change.
• • Deepening Local Ownership (Shifting from External Evaluation to Strengthening Local Capacity for MEL)
Deepening local ownership in MEL in Africa requires a strategic shift from treating local partners as data collectors to viewing them as co-owners of the knowledge creation process. This involves transforming from external accountability-driven assessments to internal learning-oriented systems that strengthen local agency.
Key strategies to achieve this include the following ones:
σ Shift from Participation to Co-ownership
It is about moving beyond simply including local staff in meeting to empower them to make decisions about MEL process. This includes co-designing evaluation frameworks, adopting participatory methodologies, and prioritizing learning over reporting.
σ Strengthen Local Capacity and Infrastructure
It involves moving away from the use of international consultants and instead investing in local talent. It covers localizing staffing and leadership, investing in technical training, utilizing local evaluators, and developing collaborative platforms.
σ Decolonize MEL Processes and Mindsets
It implies changing the power dynamics between international charities and their local partners. It includes ensuring equitable partnerships, utilizing local knowledge, shifting from external to local accountability.
σ Adjust Funding and Administrative Procedures
It is about having adaptive practices to enable local ownership. It includes providing unearmarked/core funding, simplifying reporting requirements, and budgeting for capacity building.
So, deepening local ownership can help reduce poverty in Africa.
The above-mentioned are our Programme, Projects and Activities to Scale Evidence-based Interventions (SEIs), Institutionalize Learning (IL) and Strengthen Local Ownership (SLO) to Further Reduce Poverty in Africa. To enquire and/or support these programe, projects and activities, please contact CENFACS.
Extra Messages
• Volunteers’ Stories of Actions across All Fronts of Embedding Long-term Resilience and Innovation to Secure Future Progress
• End-of-May 2026 Stories: Impact Story
• Basic Home-based Bookkeeping and Accounting for Poverty Reduction – Featured from 27/05/2026 – Bookkeeping 4: Invoices and Bills Tracking; Accounting 4: Budgeting and Risk Management
• Volunteers’ Stories of Actions across All Fronts of Embedding Long-term Resilience and Innovation to Secure Future Progress
These stories could be related to actions generally taken in volunteering capacity to help people and communities in need in the following four ways of Embedding Long-term Resilience:
a) Embedding and Scaling Initiatives for Systemic Resilience
b) Shifting from Compliance to Culture
c) Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation
d) Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security.
They could also be linked to actions in which a volunteer got specifically involved and at the fronts of the four strategies or tips for Innovation to Secure Future Progress, which are
a) Progress to Long-term Impact
b) Moving from Protecting Progress to Systemic Acceleration
c) Building a Resilient Baseline
d) Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements.
Both Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience and Stories of Innovation to Secure Future Progress from volunteers respond to our model of two-story sequences or two-horse stories. Volunteers can tell and share them.
To tell, share and provide opportunity for learning development through your story of volunteers’ actions across all the fronts of Embedding Long-term Resilience and Innovation to Secure Future Progress; please contact CENFACS.
• End-of-May 2026 Stories: Impact Story
On the last day of the Month of Stories, people and ourselves will ask this:
What is the impact your story leaves to us? In other words, what is the force or effect or even impression your story will leave after telling and sharing it?
To answer this question, let us see what impact story is about.
• • What Is the Impact of My Storytelling?
It emerges from the literature about storytelling that an impact story is a narrative used to communicate the effects of a specific action, project, or organisation on its beneficiaries or stakeholders. It goes beyond simple description of activities and aims to demonstrate the tangible changes that have occurred as a result of these efforts.
The impact story model of Laura Meagher and David Edwards (4) who used building blocks to tell their impact story explains impact story further. According to them, there are five types of impact that could be the legacy of your story; types which are:
1) instrumental 2) conceptual 3) capacity building 4) enduring connectivity 5) culture/attitudes towards knowledge exchange, and research impact itself.
Depending on the type of impact your story will generate, your story could be on the Top Three Stories of the May 2025 Stories Challenge organised by CENFACS. It is also a way to evaluate your story.
• • Evaluating Your Impact Story
On the site ‘linkedin.com’ (5), it is stated that
“Storytelling is a powerful tool for engaging your audience, conveying your message, and inspiring action”.
During this month of May, we have tried as much as we could to engage with our audiences, users and supporters through this tool. Now, it is the time to evaluate the impact of our and your stories.
To measure or evaluate our/your storytelling impact, the same ‘linkedin.com’ suggests the following steps:
σ Define your communication goals
σ Collect feedback about your communication
σ Analyse results or indicators that show how well you have achieved your communication goals.
Evaluating Your Impact Story ends our notes on May 2026 Stories.
Those who have not yet donated their stories, we would like to remind them 30 and 31 May 2026 are the last days. They can submit their stories by the 31st of May 2026.
For those who have donated their stories, CENFACS thanks them for their storying gift.
For those who would like to know more about or to catch up with any of the series of our All in Development Storytelling Programme of this year or month, they are welcome to contact CENFACS. Equally, those who would like to become our All in Development Storytelling Advisors, they should not hesitate to express their interest.
• Basic Home-based Bookkeeping and Accounting for Poverty Reduction – Featured from 27/05/2026 – Bookkeeping 4: Invoices and Bills Tracking; Accounting 4: Budgeting and Risk Management
As part of Topic 4 of Basic Home-based Bookkeeping and Accounting for Poverty Reduction (BHbB&A4PR), we are working on Tracking Invoices and Bills for Bookkeeping, and Budgeting and Risk Management for Accounting for poor or low-income families with income-generating activities (IGAs).
• • Bookkeeping and Accounting Topics of the Week
• • • Bookkeeping Topic 4: Invoices and Bills Tracking
To approach this week’s Bookkeeping Topic 4, let us start by explaining invoice and bills tracking. What is an invoice tracking? What is bills tracking?
According to ‘bill.com’ (6),
“Invoice tracking refers to the process by which you monitor the status of an invoice from the moment it is sent and received to the moment the invoice is paid. Your invoice tracking system can monitor both incoming and outgoing invoices, giving you greater visibility of how your customers pay you”.
Low-income families with IGAs can track invoice data such as invoice number, transaction details, customer/supplier ID, and invoice due date. They can use invoice-tracking software.
Similar to invoice tracking, bill tracking is part of bill management. It is about setting up recurring schedules, reminders before due dates, categorizing and marking bills as paid or unpaid, tracking trends over time, collaborate with household members, etc. There are families that are capable of tracking their invoices and bills. There are others that may need help, especially if they are running an IGA.
• • • Helping low-income families track their invoices and bills
It is about
σ Running collaborative financial literacy workshops
σ Providing digital budgeting tools
σ Assisting members in negotiating debts
σ Applying for state benefits
σ Providing administration support for our members working as freelancers or micro-business owners.
Etc.
• • • Accounting Topic 4: Budgeting and Risk Management
Both budgeting and risk management need to be understood by low-income families with IGAs. What is budgeting? What is risk management?
Budgeting comes the word budget. According to ‘financestrategists.com’ (7),
“The act of preparing a budget is called budgeting”.
The same ‘financestrategists.com’ adds that
“A budget is a detailed plan showing the financial consequences of an organisation’s operating activities for a specific future period. A budget acts as a financial model that summarises future operations… The budget is a formal quantitative expression of the goals of management”.
As part of their IGAs, low-income families need to create a budget. They are required preparing a financial or quantitative statement prior to a specified accounting period, containing the plans and policies to be pursued during period.
As to risk management, Online Harvard Business School (8) explains that
“Risk management is the systematic process of identifying, assessing, and mitigating threats or uncertainties that can affect your organization. It involves analyzing risks likelihood and impact, developing strategies to minimize harm, and monitoring measures’ effectiveness”.
Looking at risk management in terms of strategic execution, there are strategic risks that IGA owners need to consider, which are operations risk, asset impairment risk, competitive risk, and franchise risk.
• • • Helping low-income families to prepare their budgets and manage risks associated to their IGAs or models
Not everybody would be comfortable with budgeting or managing risks. Those who may have some difficulties in preparing their budget and managing risks, they can ask for help from CENFACS. We can work with them on these matters. We can as well suggest tools and apps they can consider undertaking budgeting and manage risk associated with their IGAs.
• • Bookkeeping and Accounting Activities of the Week
As part of this week’s Bookkeeping and Accounting Topics, we shall have two activities as given below.
Activity A: How to track your household bills
From what it has been argued above about invoice and bills tracking, you can use this information to track your own household bills.
Activity B: Budget preparation
Prepare two budgets: your household budget and your IGA budget. Integrate these two budgets to make one budget.
The above is what we have planned for this week for Bookkeeping Activity/Topic 4 and Accounting Activity/Topic 4.
For those who would like further information about this week’s activities/topics of BHbB&A4PR, they can contact CENFACS. For any other enquiries and/or queries about BHbB&A4PR, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
• • Final Words about Basic Home-based Bookkeeping and Accounting for Poverty Reduction: A Project to Set up a Centralized Administration Support
As way of concluding this part of e-workshop on BHbB&A4PR, we would like to set up a Centralized Administration Support (or Central Hub) for those of our members who are running IGAs or freelancers or micro-business owners. The Central Hub will help centrally issue invoices on their behalf, collect payments and disburse the funds directly to the member once a job is completed, preventing cashflow gaps. In return, members can provide a voluntary donation to CENFACS to keep the Hub running.
Those may be interested in this project of Central Hub, they can let CENFACS know.
Message in English-French (Message en Anglais-Français)
Ebola Humanitarian Appeal
This is an emergency fundraising and resource campaign launched by CENFACS to help combat deadly Ebola virus outbreak in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The appeal will help raise funds to support the already deployed medical teams, provide safe burial services, distribute hygiene kits, counter disease misinformation, and support the highly vulnerable survivors.
On the web page of ‘ecdc.europa.eu’ (9), updated on 22 May 2026, it is stated that
“According to the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo, 13 confirmed Ebola cases have been reported since the update of 19 May 2026 (MoH DRC on X: Epidemiological Update 20 May 2026). The new confirmed cases have been reported from Ituri (12 cases) and North Kivu”.
Ebola outbreaks in the DRC and in other parts of Africa can quickly escalate from medical emergencies into a severe humanitarian crisis. Yet, it is possible to
σ stop the rapid spread of the highly infectious virus like Ebola
σ avoid the long disruption of livelihoods
σ fight fear and misinformation
σ mitigate regional vulnerabilities brought by conflicts causing massive population displacement.
You can donate any amount to this appeal. Your support will help carry out life-saving and -sustaining work like
σ sensitization of communities where these outbreaks have appeared
σ the conduct of safe and dignified burials
σ the provision of hygiene and water supplies
σ support livelihoods and survival
σ in brief, help survivors and restore local health facilities.
To donate, please use our usual contact address on this website.
Thank you in anticipation for your willingness to give and help save the lives of the Ebola Humanitarian Crisis-impacted in the DRC.
Appel Humanitaire Ebola
Il s’agit d’une campagne d’urgence de collecte de fonds et de ressources lancée par le CENFACS pour lutter contre l’épidémie mortelle du virus Ebola dans l’est de la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC). Cet appel permettra de collecter des fonds pour soutenir les équipes médicales déjà déployées, assurer des services d’inhumation sécurisés, distribuer des kits d’hygiène, lutter contre la désinformation sur la maladie et apporter un soutien aux survivant(e)s les plus vulnérables.
Sur la page web « ecdc.europa.eu » (9), mise à jour le 22 mai 2026, il est indiqué que :
« Selon le Ministère de la Santé de la République Démocratique du Congo, 13 cas confirmés d’Ebola ont été signalés depuis la mise à jour du 19 mai 2026 (Ministère de la Santé de la RDC, publication X : Mise à jour épidémiologique du 20 mai 2026). Les nouveaux cas confirmés ont été signalés en Ituri (12 cas) et au Nord-Kivu. »
Les épidémies d’Ebola en RDC et dans d’autres régions d’Afrique peuvent rapidement dégénérer d’urgences médicales en graves crises humanitaires. Il est toutefois possible de :
σ stopper la propagation rapide de ce virus hautement contagieux qu’Ebola ;
σ éviter la perturbation durable des moyens de subsistance ;
σ lutter contre la peur et la désinformation ;
σ atténuer les vulnérabilités régionales engendrées par les conflits provoquant des déplacements massifs de population.
Vous pouvez faire un don du montant de votre choix. Votre soutien contribuera à la réalisation d’actions vitales et essentielles telles que celles-ci:
σ la sensibilisation des communautés touchées par ces épidémies
σ l’organisation d’inhumations dignes et sécurisées
σ la fourniture de produits d’hygiène et d’eau potable
σ le soutien aux moyens de subsistance et à la survie
σ En bref, l’aide aux survivants et la restauration des infrastructures sanitaires locales.
Pour faire un don, veuillez utiliser notre adresse de contact habituelle sur ce site web.
Nous vous remercions par avance de votre générosité qui permettra de sauver des vies face à la crise humanitaire Ebola en RDC.
Main Development
• Matching Organisation-Investor via Clean Cooking
The following items explain this project:
σ Key Matching Terms
σ What Is a MOIvCC?
σ The Aim of MOIvCCP
σ Clean Cooking Project (CCP)
σ Key Points about Matching Organisation-Investor Programme (MOIP) to Consider
σ How MOIP Works
σ Benefits of Matching Organisation and Not-for-profit Impact Investors
σ How Can Africa-based Sister Organisations and Not-for-profit Impact Investors be Matched through CCP?
σ Matching Guidelines
σ Outcomes of MOIvCC
σ Plan for 5-week Matching Activities
σ 25/05/2026 to 31/05/2026: Activity 1 of MOIvCCP
Let us highlight each of the above-mentioned items.
• • Key Matching Terms
There are four key terms relating to MOIvCCP, which are Clean Cooking, Cooking Poverty, African Charity Investee, and Not-for-profit Impact Investor. Let us explain them.
a) Clean cooking
Clean cooking is defined by the United Nations Development Programme (op. cit.) as
“Cooking primarily with electricity, liquified petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas, biogas, alcohol, fuels, solar and low-emission biomass stoves that rank at Tier 3 or higher across all six attributes of the Multi-Tier Framework” (p. 10)
Similarly, ‘iclei.org’ (10) explains that
“Clean cooking refers to all methods (low-to-zero emissions) by which people cook their food. Any cookstove (hot plate) can be referred to as ‘clean’ if they run on electricity, solar, liquid petroleum (LPG), natural gas, ethanol, and advanced biomass cookstoves”.
According to ‘iclei.org’,
“93% of households in Sub-Saharan Africa rely on wood energy for their daily cooking needs. 83% of households in Sub-Saharan Africa still do not have access to clean cooking”.
b) Cooking poverty
Cooking poverty refers to, according to the United Nations Development Programme (op. cit.),
“Using open fires and traditional inefficient stoves that burn wood, charcoal, coal, crop waste, dung, or kerosene for primary cooking needs (Tiers 0 to 2)” (p. 10)
The United Nations Development Programme uses the Multi-tier Framework for cooking, which categorises access to cooking solutions across six attributes.
c) African Charity Investee
In the context of clean cooking, an African Charity as an Investee is a non-profit organisation or non-governmental (NGO) that receives funding to research, distribute, or subsidize modern cooking solutions (e.g., ethanol stoves, biogas, electric cooking) to marginalized or low-income communities. These organizations function as investees by using philanthropic capital, impact investment, or carbon finance to execute projects rather than generate traditional shareholder profit.
d) Not-for-profit Impact Investor
A Not-for-profit Impact Investor in clean cooking in Africa is an organization that provides catalytic financial support (like grants or concessionary loans) to enterprises developing zero or low-emission cooking solutions, prioritizing verifiable health, gender and climate benefits over profit maximization. These organisations or individuals aim to bridge the funding gap for clean cooking initiatives, improving access for vulnerable communities to clean cooking methods.
These key terms shape the contents of MOIvCCP and facilitate the definition of MOIvCCP.
• • What Is MOIvCCP?
MOIvCCP is a set of five activities designed to arrange the match/fit test between an Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisation planning to set up a clean cooking project and a prospective not-for-profit impact investor who is interested in this project. This project of CENFACS’ Matching Programme will enable the former to find a suitable investor, and the latter to gain an investee in which they can impact invest in.
MOIvCCP, which is part of CENFACS’ Matching Organisation-Investor Programme, refers to the process of connecting or aligning an African Charity (specifically Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisations) seeking investment (investee) with a suitable potential Not-for-profit (NFP) Impact Investor via a clean cooking project.
Essentially, it is about finding an African Charity Investee that fits the NFP Impact Investor’s investment criteria, goals and interests; as well as creating a good match/fit between the two parties involved in an investment transaction.
MOIvCCP is indeed an exercise to keep active and engaged Africa-based sister Charitable Organisations (ASCOs) and NFP Impact Investors for the rest of the Spring Season and the first week Summer Season 2026. The exercise is meant to keep their respective dreams alive and to awake their potentials to grab any existing opportunities within the NFP market.
For those ASCOs and NFP Impact Investors willing to realise their Summer dream of winning an investment for the former and a share for the latter, this May and June project is a golden opportunity for each of them.
• • The Aim of MOIvCCP
The main aim of MOIvCC is to mobilize and deploy catalytic capital into underserved markets. This financing builds sustainable supply chains, provides affordable stoves to low-income households, and eliminates the severe social, economic, and environmental costs associated with traditional biomass cooking.
The matchmaking helps facilitate a mutually beneficial relationship, where the organisation (investee) gains access to capital, expertise, and resources, and the investor earns a potentially high-return not-for-profit investment opportunities through clean cooking methods. This connection can lead to the organisation’s growth, innovation, and long-term success, while also allowing the investor (who generally is a not-for-profit one in accordance to CENFACS‘ matching model and rules) to achieve their goals (which are other things than financial gains).
The benefits of the matchmaking can extend to health and safety (by reducing household air pollution), gender equality (in helping women and girls to reclaim their time), environmental conservation (by curbing greenhouse gas emissions), economic development (by driving jobs creation), and financial innovation (by de-risking early stage in terms of investment).
• • Clean Cooking Project (CCP)
To illustrate this project, let us explain it and give its aim.
• • • What is a CCP?
It is an initiative that enables the availability of modern, energy-efficient cooking solutions using cleaner fuels and energy-efficient stoves. It provides communities with modern, fuel-efficient, or electric stoves and cleaner fuels (like LPG, biogas or solar). It includes the use of technologies such as liquified petroleum gas (LPG), solar thermal cookers, and certain types of biomass, pellet stoves.
These initiatives replace dangerous, polluting traditional methods like open wood or charcoal fires. The project focuses on clean cooking solutions which are essential for reducing household air pollution, which is linked to millions of premature deaths annually, and for mitigating climate change impacts. The project has to be approached in the context of transition to clean cooking, which is a critical component of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 (op. cit.), which aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for all.
• • • What is CCP’s Aim?
The goal of CCP is to improve public health, protect the environment, and empower local economies.
The aim of a CCP in Africa is to eliminate the severe health, gender, and environmental hazards caused by traditional cooking. Projects like this seek to transition communities from polluting fuels (like wood, charcoal, and dung) to modern, efficient methods (such as LPG, biogas, and electric stoves) in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 (op. cit.).
CCP is designed to reduce cooking poverty as explained above. This clean cooking poverty could be due to the lack of best match or fit between ASCOs’ needs and NFP Impact Investors’ interests. Where the needs of the ASCOs best meet or match the vested interests of NFP Impact Investors, there could be high probability to reduce clean cooking poverty amongst the beneficiaries of ASCOs. The match probability could be high or average or low depending on how much ASCOs’ needs meet NFP Impact Investors’ interests.
• • • CCP Metrics
Clean cooking project metrics measure climate, health, and socio-economic impacts. Standards frameworks track greenhouse gas reductions, fuel savings, improved household air quality, and gender empowerment. These metrics can be grouped in three categories as follows:
a) Climate and Carbon Metrics
They include greenhouse gas reductions, fraction of non-renewable biomass, fuel consumption rates, stove usage and stacking rates.
b) Health and Environment Metrics
Amongst them are personal exposure monitoring, health co-benefits, and black carbon emissions.
c) Socio-economic and Gender Metrics
Examples of these metrics are time savings and economic savings.
Most of these metrics will be used to measure the outcomes and effectiveness of CCP.
• • Key Points about Matching Organisation-Investor Programme to Consider
There are three points that need explanation to understand the implementation of MOIvCCP , which are: investee, investor, and matching process or programme.
a) Investee is the African Charity or ASCO that is seeking and receiving the investment.
b) Investor is the person or entity providing the capital for Clean Cooking Project. In our matching model, this investor is Not-for-profit (NFP) Impact one. A NFP Impact Investor is a kind of an investor who is trying to invest in a project without looking to make money for themselves. Our NFP Impact Investor, who is driven by selfless motivations, would invest to reduce clean cooking poverty for impact in Africa’s not-for-profit organisations and charitable causes.
c) Matching process is the analyse of factors (like charity sector, industry, business stage, investment size, risk tolerance, and strategic fit) to find the best possible pairing between investee and not-for-profit impact investor.
• • How MOIP Works
MOIP works under CENFACS’ Matching Platform by comparing and contrasting investor’s profiles and investee’s profiles.
• • • Investor’s profiles
Impact investors outline their investment preferences, including target sectors, preferred investment stages, and desired return on investment.
• • • Investee’s profiles
ASCOs seeking funding create profiles detailing their charitable models, programmes, volunteering policies, financials, teams, achievements, and investment needs.
• • • CENFACS’ matching platform
This platform helps match investors with investees based on their stated criteria.
• • Benefits of Matching Organisation and Not-for-profit Impact Investors
There are benefits when organisations’ needs match not-for-profit investors’ interest. These benefits include:
√ Cost-effectiveness as MOIvCCP reduces the costs for both organisations (for instance, the costs of looking for investment) and impact investors (e.g., the costs of finding the right organisation in which to invest)
√ Reduction of opportunity costs between the two parties (i.e., investee and investor) engaged in the MOIvCCP
√ Increased efficiency which facilitates quicker connection, creates and sustains relationships between organisations seeking funds and investors
√ Better alignment as impact investors find organisations that align with their investment goals, as well as problems-solving mechanisms or solutions for organisations’ problems and needs, and solutions to investors’ requests
√ Opportunity for a fit test (i.e., testing organisation-investor fit on mutual interests and contribution to the right decision)
√ Qualitative feedback about Organisation-Investor and background knowledge
√ Better decision-making processes for the two parties (e.g., organisations and investors)
√ Access to diverse opportunities as CENFACS’ Matching Platform provides access to pool of potential investees for impact investors looking for organisations to invest in
Etc.
• • How Can Africa-based Sister Organisations and Not-for-profit Investors be Matched through CCP?
The matching happens through the two main components of this programme, which are Impact Advice to ASCOs and Guidance to Not-for-profit Investors for Impact.
• • • What is Impact Advice to ASCOs?
It is an approach to or methodology of working with ASCOs that uses a theory of change to measure impact following advice given on project planning.
Impact Advice uses impact measuring tools and frontline metrics to track results and outcomes.
• • • Guidance to Not-for-profit Investors for Impact
This is a service we offer to those NFP Impact Investors who would like to not-for-profit invest for impact in Africa’s not-for-profit organisations and charitable causes.
Briefly, Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisations and Not-for-profit Impact Investors can be matched via Impact Advice on project planning for the former and Guidance on Impact Investing for the latter. They can as well be advised on project appraisal. To realise a successful match, some guidelines need to be followed.
• • Matching Guidelines
To carry out matching, one needs to know the profile of the organisation that is looking for not-for-profit impact investment, the specification or description of the investor, and identification of possible ways of matching organisation’s profile and investor’s specification.
• • Outcomes of MOIvCCP
It is better to differentiate outcomes for NFP Impact Investors from those relating to Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisations and Causes (ASCOCs).
• • • Outcomes for Not-for-profit Impact Investors
The activity will provide peace of mind for NFP Impact Investors and a good return in terms the rate or size of clean cooking poverty reduction they will expect from the organisations or causes in which they will invest or support.
• • • Outcomes for Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisations and Causes
The activity will enable them to access the type of investment they need and build the capacity they are lacking. In doing so, this helps them to achieve their project aims, objectives and key deliverables with peace of mind.
• • • Aligning the Interests of ACI and NFP Impact Investor
To align the interests of ACI (which will focus on community impact and access to clean cooking methods) with those of NFP Impact Investor (who will be concentrating on sustainable and scalable solutions) in the clean cooking sector required bridging the gaps between grant-based, mission-driven work and market-based financial sustainability.
This can be achieved by employing blended finance models, structuring a fair deal between the two sides, and focusing on capacity building rather than solely on top-down investment scenario. The following 5 weeks of matching talks will be help in understanding how this can be done.
• • • A 5-week Action Plan of Matching Activities
As part of CENFACS Matching Organisation-Investor via a Clean Cooking Project (MOIvCCP), we are running a 5-week sequence of matching steps to support both clean cooking charitable organisations and not-for-profit impact investors. It is a 5-week work about Impact Advice Service for clean cooking charitable organisations and Guidance Service on Impact Investing for NFP Investors.
The project is based on lifecycle thinking tool or 5-step lifecycle of a clean cooking project in Africa. ACI (ASCOs) will be using this lifecycle thinking tool or model, which is made up with five steps as follows:
Step one: Feasibility and Design
Step two: Manufacturing and Sourcing
Step three: Distribution and Adoption
Step four: Monitoring and Verification
Step five: Impact Scaling.
These steps transition communities from traditional biomass (wood or charcoal) to modern energy (LPG, electricity, or biogas).
As to NFP Impact Investors, they will be referring to models of a clean cooking project lifecycle that prioritizes social equity, health, gender empowerment, and verifiable climate metrics over pure financial returns. The 5 essential stages of clean cooking projects they can use are:
Stage 1: Market Assessment and Strategy Design
Stage 2: Incubation and Upfront Capital Allocation
Stage 3: Implementation and Behaviour Change
Stage 4: Monitoring, Verification and Co-benefits
Stage 5: Results-based Financing and Impact Evaluation
This five-stage lifecycle focuses on sustainable adoption, community co-benefits, and bridging the initial affordability gap.
The two sides will try to reach an agreement through their respective lifecycle thinking tools and processes, through the 5 lifecycle steps of clean cooking projects for ACI (ASCOs) and 5 essential stages of clean cooking projects for Not-for-profit Impact Investors.
The above-mentioned stages will be adapted to CCP.
However, let us recognize that there could be more than five steps or stages in any lifecycle thinking process of clean cooking projects. Because we set up some boundaries by limiting ourselves to deliver this activity in five weeks, we choose a five-model for clean cooking investment lifecycle.
The project is designed to work with both those seeking not-for-profit impact investors and those who would like to invest in the not-for-profit clean cooking charitable organisations and causes. The following (Table no. 1) is our action plan.
Notes to Table no. 1:
(*) Match periods are portions of time intended to help discover whether or not investors’ interests match organisations’ needs
(**/column 2) Impact Advice uses a 5-step lifecycle thinking tool for a clean cooking project in Africa
(***/column 3) Guidance for Impact Investing follows 5 essential stages of clean cooking projects from an investor’s perspective.
If you want advice, help and support to find NFP Impact Investors; CENFACS can work with you under this 5-week Matching Organisation-Investor via a Clean Cooking Project, starting from 25 May 2026.
If you need guidance to outsource clean cooking charitable organisations and causes in Africa; CENFACS can work with you under this 5-week Matching Organisation-Investor via a Clean Cooking Project, starting from 25 May 2026.
These matching activities are a great opportunity for a clean cooking charitable organisation to realise their Summer dream of getting an investment they badly need. They are also a grand aspiration for a not-for-profit clean cooking impact investor to find Summer peace of mind through a suitable organisation in which to impact invest in Africa.
Need to engage with Matching Organisation-Investor via a Clean Cooking Project, please contact CENFACS.
• • 25/05/2026 to 31/05/2026: Activity 1 of MOIvCCP –
Matching Organisation’s Feasibility and Design with Impact Investor’s Market Assessment and Strategy Design
There are many scenarios in which an investor can invest in an organisation. In our scenario or model of matching organisation-investor programme, we are trying to bring a potential impact investor in an Africa-based Sister Clean Cooking Charitable Organisation and/or Cause through Feasibility and Design by ASCOs. We are trying to match ASCOs’ Feasibility Study and Project Design with a NFP Impact Investor’s Market Assessment and Strategy Design.
This first round of talks consists of agreeing on Feasibility and Design to be presented by ACI/ASCO, and on Market Assessment and Strategy Design to be argued by the NFP Impact Investor for the Clean Cooking Project (CCP).
To summarise what is going to happen at the level of this Activity 1, we have organised our notes around the following headings:
σ Activity 1 Matching Concepts
σ Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisation’s Feasibility and Design (F & D)
σ Not-for-profit Impact Investor’s Market Assessment and Strategy Design (MA & SD)
σ Reaching an Agreement
σ The Match or Fit Test.
Let us look at each of these headings.
• • Activity 1 Matching Concepts
There are four key concepts making this Activity 1, which are: feasibility, design, market assessment, and strategy design.
Let us now explain the four concepts.
• • • Feasibility Study
According to ‘projectmanager.com’ (11),
“A feasibility study is simply an assessment of the practicality of a proposed project plan or method. This is done by analyzing technical, economic, legal, operational and time feasibility factors”.
The findings of project feasibility study are compiled in a feasibility report that includes the following elements:
1) Executive Summary 2) Description of Product/Service 3) Technology Considerations 4) Product/Service Marketplace 5) Marketing Strategy 6) Organization/Staffing 7) Schedule 8) Financial Projections 9) Findings and Recommendations.
• • • Project Design
Project design can be approached from various ways. The website ‘asana.com’ (12) argues that
“Project design is an early phase of the project lifecycle where ideas, processes, resources, and deliverables are planned out. A project design comes before a project plan, as it is a broad overview whereas a project plan includes more detailed information”.
There are seven steps in project design which consist of
1) Define project goals 2) Determine Outcomes 3) Identify Risks and Constraints 4) Refine Your Strategy 5) Estimate Your Budget 6) Create a Contingency Plan 7) Document Your Milestones.
Approaching it from the perspective of project management, ‘plaky.com’ (13) explains that
“Design in project management refers to establishing the project’s goals, structure, and overall plan before the execution begins”.
The same ‘plaky.com’ adds that
“The required elements of project design can vary depending on the project scope, nature, and complexity, but the following core ingredients are generally present in most cases: Project goals, Stakeholder identification, Resource planning, Timeline and milestones, Risk management plan, and monitoring approval”.
These approaches to project design will be included in the matching talks.
• • • Market Assessment
The definition used here for market assessment comes from ‘ansarada.com’ (14) which argues that
“A market assessment is a comprehensive analysis of your company’s competitors, consumers and other industry stakeholders”.
The same website ‘ansarada.com’ adds that
“It enables your company to understand the need and demand for its business offerings in the market”.
Market assessment – which is a strategic tool that provides clarity, direction, and competitive advantage – includes market dynamics, competitive landscape, and consumer dynamics.
There are seven steps in conducting a market assessment, which are
1) Define Your Objectives 2) Gather Data 3) Analyze Customer Needs 4) Study the Competition 5) Evaluate Market Trends 6) Estimate Market Potential 7) Create an Action Plan.
Various elements of this definition of market assessment will be featured in the negotiating talks between ACI/ASCO and NFP Impact Investor.
• • • Strategy Design
It emerges from the literature on strategy and design that strategy design refers to formulating the overarching plan and direction for a business to achieve its goals. It is about making choices regarding where to compete, how to win, and setting the direction for a business. It is essentially the planning phase of organizational goals. Strategy design should be confused with strategic design.
Indeed, strategy design defines the direction and destination the business should take. The main output is strategics plans, OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), KPI (Key Performance Indicators) targets and business roadmap. It is analytical, deductive, and numbers-driven.
Although CCP is not a business as such, NFP Impact Investor wants to know if ACI/ASCO has a strategy design. In other words, ACI/ASCO needs to develop a market positioning, analyze its competition, explain its business model of access to clean cooking methods, clarify its financial objectives and resource allocation.
The above-mentioned key terms will be part of negotiation between ACI/ASCO and NFP Impact Investor.
• • Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisation’s Feasibility and Design (F & D)
F & D represent the bridge between well-meaning ideas and sustainable, community-led impact.
Concerning feasibility, it makes sense to argue that thorough feasibility studies will protect NFP Impact Investor’s investment, eliminate real and perceived jurisdictional risks and reassure the NFP Impact Investor that the capital or their financial contribution will not be wasted.
NFP Impact Investor will assess the practicality of CCP by using the Standard Feasibility Assessment Framework. It will assess it technically, economically, legally and operationally.
In terms of design, ACI/ASCO will work with local leaders who intimately understand the local community’s needs relating to clean cooking. There will be a genuine buy-in. The design will directly align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
NFP Impact Investor may want to know how ACI/ASCO will address vital localized issues like gender equality, youth employment and climate-driven health crises.
ACI/ASCO needs to tailor its feasibility studies to align with NFP Impact Investor’s evaluation of the broader market.
• • Not-for-profit Impact Investor’s Market Assessment and Strategy Design (MA & SD)
For NFP Impact Investor, market assessment and strategy design are the processes of identifying barriers to clean cooking access and designing catalytic interventions. This shifts the focus from purely generating financial profit to maximizing Sustainable Development Goal impacts such as public health improvements, gender equality, and carbon reduction.
Concerning market assessment, NFP Impact Investor will view it as a diagnostic tool to understand the entire supply and demand ecosystem. NFP Impact Investor will use a not-for-profit analysis of market by evaluating supply-side constraints, demand and affordability, enabling environments and impact mapping.
Regarding strategy design, the latter outlines how to intervene in the market to achieve systemic change. Key design components include subsidies and outcome-based financing, carbon market integration, capacity building and risk integration.
Both sides need to reach an agreement not only on the meaning of the above-mentioned concepts, but on their fit into CCP.
• • Reaching an Agreement
Reaching an agreement in the clean cooking sector between ACI/ASCO (focused on community impact, clean cooking access and clean cooking poverty reduction) and NFP Impact Investor (concentrated on sustainable and scalable solutions) requires bridging the gap between grant-based, mission-driven work and market-based financial sustainability. It also means aligning metrics on sustainability. It also needs bridging the gap between grassroots realities and scalable, outcome-oriented financial models.
Success hinges on aligning impact metrics, structuring blended finance mechanisms, and validating local socio-cultural realities to satisfy NFP Impact Investor risk appetites. NFP Impact Investor will quantify the social and environmental returns of their investments alongside financial metrics. There could be a need to bridge the gap between ACI/ASCO’s reliance on grants and NFP Impact Investor’s request for scalable, self-sustaining market mechanisms.
The two sides (ASCO and the NFP Impact Investor) need to reach an agreement on the contents of F & D for the former and on those of MA & SD for the latter. If there is a disagreement between ASCO and NFP Impact Investor, this could open up the possibility for a match/fit test. The match/fit test can be carried out to try to help the two sides of the matching process. The match/fit test can also be undertaken if there is a disagreement on any of aspects of CCP.
• • The Match or Fit Test Service
As part of the match or fit test, the contents of ASCO’s F & D Stage must be matched with NFP Impact Investor’s view on MA & SD. The match test (or matched sampling) will help to increase the accuracy and statistical efficiency of the study of the CCP by carefully selecting subjects for comparison. The purpose here will be to increase the statistical efficiency of the study on CCP by controlling for confounding variables when forming a sample.
The fit test will assist in determining how well the observed sample data matches a specified theoretical distribution. The fit test will check if the data collected fits a model or an assumed population distribution. So, the purpose of the fit test is to validate or invalidate the statistical model by checking if the sample data follows an expected distribution.
The match can be perfect or close (that is, when every unit is paired with an equivalent unit) in order to reach an agreement. If there is a huge or glaring difference between the two (i.e., between what the NFP Impact Investor’s approach to MA & SD Stage and what ACI/ASCOC is saying about its F & D Stage, between what the investor would like the F & D Stage to indicate and what ASCO’s F & D Stage is really saying), the probability or chance of having an agreement at this first round of negotiations could be null or uncertain.
• • • Impact Advice to ASCO and Guidance to NFP Impact Investor
Where there could be a disagreement, CENFACS can impact advise ACI/ASCO to improve the contents of its F & D Stage. CENFACS can as well guide NFP Impact Investors to work out their expectations in terms of F & D Phase to a format that can be agreeable by potential ASCOs.
CENFACS’ impact advice for ASCOs and guidance on impact investing for NFP Impact Investor, which are impartial, will help each of them (i.e., investee and investor) to make informed decisions and to reduce or avoid the likelihood of any significant losses or misunderstandings or mismatches.
• • • The Rule of the Matching Game
The rule of the game is the more impact investors are attracted by ACI’s or ASCOs’ F & D Stage the better for ACIs or ASCOs. It means that ACI’s or ASCOs’ process must pass the attractiveness test (that is, the evaluation of market’s appeal). Likewise, the more ACIs or ASCOs can successfully respond to impact investors’ level of enquiries and queries about the CCP the better for investors. In this respect, the matching game needs to be a win-win one to benefit both players (i.e., investee and investor).
The above is the First Activity of the Matching Organisation-Investor via CCP.
Those potential organisations seeking investment to set up a CCP and NFP Impact Investors looking for organisations that are interested in their giving, they can contact CENFACS to be their matchmaker to find their perfect investee or investor.
• • • CENFACS as a Matchmaker
As a Matchmaker, CENFACS can streamline your search process, save time, money and resources to help you find the perfect match in the world of impact investing.
CENFACS platform will help facilitate the matching process between investees and investors. By leveraging the power of AI tools, CENFACS’ Matching Organisation-Investor Programme can streamline the search process for funding opportunities, connecting African charities and impact investors/funders.
Briefly speaking, CENFACS can work with matching applicants and use AI to match organizations with the right impact investors, filtering profiles based on development stages, sectors, and aims.
In this matching process, CENFACS can arrange the match or fit test for them. They can have their fit test carried out by CENFACS’ Hub for Testing Hypotheses.
• • • CENFACS’ Hub for Testing Hypotheses
The Hub can help use analysis tools to test assumptions and determine how likely something is within a given standard of accuracy. The Hub, which can serve as a learning or reference place for those who would like to understand and apply statistical hypothesis testing, can assist to
√ clean, merge and prepare micro-data sources for testing, modelling and analysis
√ conduct data management and administration
√ carry out regression analysis, estimate and test hypotheses
√ interpret and analyse patterns or trends or insights in data or results.
In this respect, CENFACS’ H-tests Hub is knowledge repository designed to demystify the process of using data to make informed decisions and move beyond intuition and guesswork.
In the current case of Matching Organisation’s Feasibility and Design with Not-for-profit Impact Investor’s Market Assessment and Strategy Design, hypotheses can be, for instance, tested around consumer affordability versus economic viability, and ecosystem support and mission drift.
A hypothesis to be tested for consumer affordability versus economic viability could be formulated as local feasibility studies to map ‘willingness-to-pay’ must align with the NFP Impact Investor’s strategy to subsidize the early adoption phase. The hypothesis relating to ecosystem support and mission drift can be ‘Partnering localized knowledge NFP Impact Investor protects CCP from mission drift – ensuring the stoves actually reach the lowest-income households.
Those who would like to apply hypothesis testing in fields of economic development or to deal with poverty reduction, they are welcome to use CENFACS’ H-tests Hub.
For any queries and/or enquiries about this First Stage (or Phase) Activity of Matching Organisation-Investor via CCP, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.
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• References
(1) https://repository.uneca.org/assets/pdfjs/web/viewer.html?life=https… (accessed in May 2026)
(2) https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda (accessed in May 2026)
(3) https://climatepromise.undp.org/sites/default/files/research_report_document/undp-no-time-to-waste-pathways-to-deliver-clean-cooking-for-all.pdf (accessed in May 2026)
(4) https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialscience/2020/09/18/how-to-to-tell-an-impact-story-the-building-blocks-you-need/ (accessed in May 2023)
(5) https://www.linkedin.com/advice/o/how-do-you-measure-impact-storytelling (accessed in May 2023)
(6) https://www.bill.com/blog/how-to-keep-track-of-invoices (accessed in May 2026)
(7) https://www.financestrategists.com/accounting/budgeting/ (accessed in May 2026)
(8) https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/risk-management (accessed in May 2026)
(9) https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/ebola-virus-disease-outbreaks-democratic-republic-congo-and-uganda#:~:test (accessed in May 2026)
(10) https://renewablesroadmap.iclei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Clean-cooking_Final-1.pdf (accessed in May 2026)
(11) https://www.projectmanager.com/training/how-to-conduct-a-feasibility-study (accessed in May 2026)
(12) https://asana.com/resources/project-design (accessed in May 2026)
(13) https://plaky.com/blog/project-design/ (accessed in March 2026)
(14) https://www.ansarada.com/article/business-readiness-corporate-market-assessment (accessed in May 2026)
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