Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

14 January 2026

Post No. 439

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• 2026 Light Season’s Activities, Projects, Programmes and Resources

• 2026 as a Year of Alternatives

• Giving Alternative and Hope to the Humanitarian Needy of the Border between Burundi and DR Congo in 2026

 

… And much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

• 2026 Light Season’s Activities, Projects, Programmes and Resources

 

Last week, we listed projects and programmes to be carried out in January 2026.   This week, we are unveiling more projects and programmes including activities and resources.  The last week’s listed projects and the ones to be unveiled below will all make our Light Season 2026.  It is better to briefly explain these initiatives making Light Season and their types.

 

• • What Are 2026 Light Season’s Activities, Projects, Programmes and Resources?

 

They are initiatives that incorporate light as a theme or tool and designed to tackle poverty during the Season of Light.

The light theme in these poverty reduction initiatives refers to a high-level, foundational area of focus or strategic pillar that guides CENFACS’ work with those in need.  It acts as a categorisation for the types of efforts we will be deploying to tackle multifaceted poverty during this Spring 2026.

 

• • Types of 2026 Initiatives

 

In both last weeks and this week’s listings, there are three types of initiatives, which are: a) Specifically designed b) Thoughtfully planned c) Seasonal initiatives.

 

• • • Specifically designed (or strategic) initiatives

 

They are planned to drive considerable change and create poverty reduction value for beneficiaries and CENFACS.  They are focused efforts to be undertaken by CENFACS to develop and achieve clear poverty reduction goals.  They align with CENFACS’ overall strategy.  They vary in scope and complexity, but all share the common goal of driving significant impact and creating poverty reduction value for beneficiaries and CENFACS.

Amongst the examples of these initiatives are humanitarian appeals which feature CENFACS’ Light Campaign/Advocacy to bring and carry the message of hope through a Blaze of Hope 

 

• • • Thoughtfully planned initiatives

 

They aim to achieve CENFACS’ strategic objectives while helping to bridge planning and execution.  They are meant to be clearly measurable, action-oriented, proactive, and aligned with the overall CENFACS strategy while taking into account the environmental impact of any choices made.  In this respect, they express the Energy or Light Season as they enable the shift to renewable energy sources.

 

• • • Seasonal initiatives

 

They are those that Just Fall Within the Season of Light, which is from 21 December in the preceding year (e.g., 2025) to 21 March in the following year (e.g., 2026).  They are also strategic marketing efforts that CENFACS undertakes to align its campaigns with the specific time of Winter when there is a surge in charitable giving and community engagement, inspired by the themes of light, hope and good will.  In this respect, they are conceptualised to tap into heightened fundraising activities and emotions associated with the continuation of the giving moments.

These three types of initiatives (that is, All Specifically Designed, Thoughtfully Planned and Seasonal ones) will help enhance donor engagement, increase funding opportunities and create seamless memorable experience that will resonate with our audience. They will be implemented side by side as we move throughout the Season of Light.

Under the Main Development section of this post, we have provided further details about the 2026 Light Season’s Activities, Projects, Programmes and Resources.

 

 

• 2026 as a Year of Alternatives

 

This year, we will be considering different alternative solutions to poverty and unsustainable development.  These different alternative solutions or alternatives will constitute the Year 2026 as of Alternatives.

Indeed, we started with alternatives in 2025 with Alternative Funding Sources (as a result of international/foreign aid cuts), Alternative Economies (like the Social and Solidarity Economy), Alternative Income Streams for Poor Households, and Alternative Climate Technologies and Finance. We are going to continue this process of dealing with alternatives or alternative solutions by linking them to our yearly development calendar.  To do that, let us explain the meanings of alternative, 2026 as a Year of Alternatives, and the project attached to this year’s dedication (or ‘Alternatives’ Project or ‘A’ Project).

 

• • What Is Alternative?

 

To define alternative, let us refer to its dictionary definition.  According to ‘dictionary.cambridge.org’ (1),

“Alternative is something that is different from something else, especially from what is usual, and offering the possibility of choice”.

The same online dictionary adds that

“An alternative plan or method is one that you can use if you do not want to use another one”.

Still the same online dictionary states that

“Alternative solutions refer to different methods or approaches to address a problem or achieve a goal, often differing from conventional or typical methods”.

Taking the same line of reasoning, the website ‘letsupdateskills.com’ (2) argues that

“Alternative refers to a substitute or option that serves as a different choice in various situation.  It provides another route or solution when the primary option is not viable, suitable, or preferred”.

Knowing what alternative and alternative solutions are, it is possible to explain the meaning of 2026 as a Year of Alternatives.

 

• • 2026 as a Year of Alternatives

 

It is a year of emerging trends in poverty reduction and development, of sometimes challenging established ways of reducing poverty if they became irrelevant or obsolete in today’s and tomorrow’s development landscapes.  To make the Year of Alternatives to materialise, it requires meeting three features: innovation, disruption and growth.

Innovation is about finding new ways of doing things as new needs emerge.

Disruption refers to challenging traditional systems that became obsolete and unworkable.

Growth in alternatives implies increasing interest and investment in non-traditional options.

As the website ‘letsupdateskills.com’ (op. cit.) puts it,

“Alternatives exist in almost every aspect of life, from lifestyle choices to technology.  They offer new ways to approach common problems and can enhance our lives by providing diverse options and solutions”.

In the context of CENFACS 2026 Year of Alternatives, we are going to deal with alternatives by considering the 12 months of CENFACS Development Calendar, which will make the 12 Alternative Project Episodes.

However, in order to deliver the Year of Alternatives, we need a project.  This project is Alternatives or ‘A’ project.

 

• • Alternatives (A) Project 

 

The dedication of 2026 as a Year of Alternatives comes with a project to carry out this dedication or this mission.  The project to execute this dedication is the Alternatives or ‘A’ Project, which is one of the new initiatives for 2026.  The following two elements help to understand this project: its meaning and its activities.

 

• • • What is ‘A’ Project?

 

It is a series or set of interconnected tasks or activities planned for the execution of CENFACS dedication of year 2026 as of Alternatives.  These tasks or activities, which aim at reducing poverty, will be undertaken throughout 2026 within the requirements and limitations of CENFACS existing and acquirable resources and assets.

‘A’ Project involves exploring options for poverty reduction that offer different approaches to people’s empowerment.  It focuses on options beyond the standard path by defining clear monthly activities/tasks, researching options, and planning implementation.  It is indeed about choosing a path different from the usual, evaluating choices like alternative solutions to poverty and unsustainable development.

Like any project, ‘A’ Project has a goal (which is or could be finding the best alternative for project beneficiaries) like develop new skills.  The project also has various options, a plan and budget; just as it embraces innovation.

Through this project, we hope to continue to help reduce poverty by working with project beneficiaries as they move through and out of poverty.  We will help them find alternative solutions to poverty and unsustainable development.  We are going to do it through alternative activities.

‘A’ Project uses the theory of alternatives that emphasizes the importance of considering other possibilities and determine which of those alternatives are relevant or plausible in a given context.

In short, ‘A’ Project is about actively choosing and pursuing a non-traditional path to reduce poverty and has a self-direction with multiple potential routes (alternatives) to success.

This year, we shall have alternative activities which are mainly based on the allocation of resources to meet the outcomes of those in need through options that serve as different choices in various situations.

 

 

• • • Activities and tasks relating to the ‘A’ Project

 

There will be twelve activities, one activity or task every month.  Each ‘A’ activity will be announced at the beginning of each month.  Through this project and each task, we will engage with project beneficiaries on the types of alternative solutions they need to undertake in order for them to move out of poverty or any hardships they are facing and enhance sustainable development.

These activities can also be considered as alternative ones.  An alternative activity can be defined as a different, often healthier or more productive, option chosen to replace an undesirable habit.  It is about consciously redirecting time and energy from less beneficial pursuits (like digital dependency) to activities that are more grounding, constructive and fulling.

The first ‘A’ activity is about working with those in need to find alternatives to unsustainable consumption.

 

 

• • • Activity/Task 1 of the ‘A’ Project: Work with those in need to find Alternatives to Unsustainable Consumption

 

• • • • What does this Activity 1 consist of?

 

It consists of taking action or undertaking a process to find alternative solutions to a way of consuming goods and services that is unsustainable.

Perhaps, to better approach this activity or task it matters to explain sustainable consumption, then to find ways or alternatives to unsustainable consumption.

 

• • • • • What is sustainable consumption?

 

‘Sustainability-directory.com’ (3) explains that

“Sustainable consumption means reducing, reusing and rethinking our choices for a healthier planet and future”.

The same ‘sustainability-directory.com’ (4) adds that

“Sustainable consumption alternatives represent a fundamental shift in how we perceive our needs and interact with the planet’s resource… At its core, sustainable consumption is about minimizing environmental impact while maintaining or improving quality of life”.

Consumption can also be unsustainable.  According to ‘sustainability-directory.com’ (op. cit.),

“Unsustainable consumption characterised by the overuse of natural resources and the generation of excessive waste, poses a significant threat to the environment and future.  Addressing this issue requires a shift towards more responsible and sustainable practices”.

 

• • • • • Alternatives to unsustainable consumption

 

From these definitions, it is possible to take actions or work with those in need of sustainable consumption to find alternatives to unsustainable consumption.  Actions with them to find alternatives can include the following:

 

~ Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle and Rot (the 5 Rs) by considering if an item is truly necessary before buying.

~ Conscious purchase: Consists of supporting businesses that use sustainably sourced materials

~ Dietary shifts: Adopting a more plant-based diet that can lower one’s environmental impact

~ Sustainable transportation: Minimizing car usage by walking

~ Energy conservation: Conserving water and electricity at home.

 

The above-mentioned actions can help those in need to find alternatives to unsustainable consumption.

This can involve a fundamental rethinking of how we produce, consume, and dispose of goods and services.  In other words, it is about consuming mindfully and thoughtfully.

For those who need any help before embarking on this task, they can speak to CENFACS.

For any other queries and enquiries about the ‘A’ project and this year’s dedication, please contact CENFACS as well.

 

 

• Giving Alternatives and Hope to the Humanitarian Needy of the Border between Burundi and DR Congo in 2026

 

Our Season of Giving and Sustaining Hope for a better future continues as we appeal for the people of the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo who need support to cope humanitarian crisis they are facing.  As we explained in the last week’s post, our priorities or areas of work or need in 2026 include the Central African Countries (i.e., Burundi and DR Congo).  This appeal is about the conflict in eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo with ramifications in neighbouring countries like Burundi.

 

• • What Is This Appeal?

 

This is an emergency appeal to respond to the ongoing conflict in North and South Kivu (DR Congo) which continues to displace hundreds of thousand people, to worsen humanitarian crisis and to strain scarce resources.

The appeal, which will offer alternatives and hope, involves humanitarian aid (in the form of food, shelter and medicine), psychological support (through mental health), long-term resilience programmes (like education and peace-building initiatives), promoting peace and justice as well as empowering conflict-stricken communities to rebuild themselves.

The impact of worsening conflict means disruption of livelihoods, markets and high food prices.  Whatever the reason surrounding this worsening conflict, the innocent victims of this situation need help, and they are demanding for life-saving support.

They need help as the following figures and facts speak for them.

Vatican News (5) reported on 07 January 2026 this:

“Tens of thousands of Congolese have fled renewed fighting in eastern DR Congo, with more than 80,000 people crossing into Burundi in recent weeks.  Violence in South Kivu province has displaced at least half a million people, and the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate”.

Similarly, ‘reliefweb.int’ (6) states that

“Food assistance needs are expected to rise in early 2026, amid limited humanitarian resources, driven by the influx of nearly 90,000 new refugees from the DR Congo in December 2025, the anticipated return of 93,000 Burundian refugees, and rising needs among poor households in the Northern and Eastern lowlands livelihood zones due to the poor 2026 Season A harvest”.

The Humanitarian Needy of the Border between Burundi and DR Congo in 2026 Want Your Assistance.

Your Assistance Will Offer Alternatives and Help Plant Seeds of Hope in Fractured Communities of This Border.

 

• • Donate to Support Them

 

You could donate to support them.  You can give either your influence or money or both to support them.

If you decide to provide influence, you could put positive influence on those who have the key to their humanitarian crisis or the factors feeding this crisis so that the Congolese and Burundian victims of this crisis can move out of the humanitarian crisis.

If you choose instead to donate money, you can give £7 or any amount above.  Your money will be allocated as follows:

£3 from your £7 can be used to hopefully support security for the internally displaced Congolese and £4 can alternatively assist in buying food or medicine.

Your donation can restore dignity and agency to these humanitarian needy on whose behalf this appeal is made.

Please, let us give alternatives and hope to these victims of humanitarian crisis.

To support and or enquire about this appeal, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Digital and Social Media Campaign: Level 10 – Digital Climate Technologies

• Support CENFACS International

• AI-enabled Connected Finance Structured Micro-projects for Households’ Finance Capacity and Capability Building Experiences

 

 

• Digital and Social Media Campaign: Level 10 – Digital Climate Technologies

 

We are continuing to work with our users or Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) on technology matter so that they find the right technology and technology-based solutions to poverty.  In working together, we hope that they will be able to access the technology services and goods they require to reduce or end poverty.

In this model of working together, they are different levels.  We have now reached level 10.  In this level 10 of our campaign, we shall work with users and ASOs so that they can develop the skills linked to Digital Climate Technologies.  The focus will be on how Digital Climate Technologies can help poor people, including the members of the CENFACS Community.  Before explaining how these technologies can help them, let try to understand these technologies.

 

• • What Are Digital Climate Technologies (DCTs)?

 

Literature review of DCTs suggests that DCTs refer to the application of digital tools and innovations – such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), big data analysis, and remote sensing – to address climate-related challenges.

DCTs encompass a range of digital tools and innovations that help mitigate and adapt to climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing climate resilience.

Despite the fact that DCTs need a large amount of energy resources and have the potential for increased emissions from the digital sector, DCTs play an important role in transforming the way we monitor, manage and respond to climate change.  In doing so, they enable more efficient resource use and better decision-making across various sectors.

DCTs are vital tools in the fight against climate change, offering innovative solutions to reduce emissions and enhance resilience of poor people.

 

• • How Can DCTs Help Poor People?

 

DCTs can help them by providing access to information, resources, and support systems that can improve their lives.  DCTs can help them with the following:

 

σ Early Warning Systems: Digital Technologies (DTs) can alert population (including the poor among this population) when storms are looming, helping them prepare and safely evacuate

σ Drought-resistant Seed Apps: Apps can assist farmers (including the poor ones) in choosing drought-resistant seeds

σ Climate-proof Infrastructure: It is about ensuring that infrastructure is built to withstand climate impacts

σ Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: DTs can drive households to improve in energy efficiency and use of renewable energy

σ Climate Action Strategy: DCTs can empower poor people with tools and information they need to adapt to climate change and improve their living conditions.

 

To work with CENFACS on DCTs, please communicate with CENFACS.

To enquire and or to support the level 10 of our Digital and Social Media Campaign, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

• Support CENFACS International

 

As part of the giving season 2026, you can donate to support CENFACS International.  But what is CENFACS International?

 

• • Brief Explanation of CENFACS International

 

CENFACS International is one of three domains making CENFACS.  The other two domains are CENFACS FUND and CENFACS Community.  CENFACS International deals with most of our African Sustainable Development Programmes and our International Child Protection Advocacy Programme.

To understand the role that CENFACS International plays within CENFACS, let us give its focus, functions and activities.

 

• • • The Focus of CENFACS International

 

CENFACS International focuses on the following:

 

σ Programmes Implementation

σ Advocacy and Appeals

σ Capacity Building

σ Fundraising and Resource Mobilisation

σ Partnership Development

σ Research and Data Analysis

Etc.

 

Through this focus, CENFACS engage with local people and Africa-based Sister Organizations to develop sustainable initiatives.

 

• • • The Functions of CENFACS International

 

CENFACS International’s functions are designed to address poverty issues with ASOs and effect sustainable change by leveraging international resources and expertise, while respecting and empowering local organizations as well as ensuring that ASOs own the process.

 

• • • The Activities of CENFACS International

 

They include the following:

 

σ Project Implementation and Support including project funding and oversight, capacity development, direct service projects, etc.

σ Advocacy and Awareness involving raising awareness, policy advocacy, amplifying local people’s voices, etc.

σ Partnership and Networking comprising of building partnerships, networking and information sharing, diaspora engagement, etc.

σ Fundraising and Resource Mobilisation consisting of targeted fundraising, grant applications, volunteer mobilisation, etc.

σ Project Planning and Development involving the handling of project lifecycle from conception to monitoring and evaluation.

 

CENFACS International creates measurable impact by leveraging its agility and focusing on CENFACS to enhance the quality of lives of service users and project beneficiaries.

 

• • Supporting CENFACS International

 

You can support CENFACS International to continues its focus, functions and activities as well as to streamline its international process while improving its services to those in need in Africa.

To enquire and /or support, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

• AI-enabled Connected Finance Structured Micro-projects for Households’ Finance Capacity and Capability Building Experiences

 

We are resuming Financial Capacity and Capability Building Programme and Financial Empowerment Programme, which we started in December 2025.  We are available to work in hybrid mode with users via these programmes so that they can start or be stronger in this New Year.  These programmes will help beneficiaries to reduce risks linked to financial incapacity and incapability while improving their intergenerational income and transfers.

To kick off these programmes, we are running from 12 to 17 January 2026 the first activity of these programmes which is Helping Households to Access AI-enabled Connected Finance Structured Micro-projects.

In order to work with households to access AI-enabled connected finance structured micro-projects, it is better to know what they include.

 

• • What Do AI-enabled Connected Finance Structured Micro-projects for Households Include?

 

They include the following:

 

~ AI-driven financial insights assistants that provide personalised financial advice and support, helping households make informed decisions

~ Automated loan processing and credit scoring models that streamline the application process and improve access to credit for underserved households

~ Personalised financial education through AI-driven platforms that offer tailored financial advice and resources to help households manage their finances effectively

~ Fraud detection systems that analyse transaction patterns to identity and prevent fraudulent activities, while ensuring the safety of household finances.

 

These micro-projects can enhance financial literacy, improve access to credit, and empower households to build their financial capacity and capabilities.

 

• • 12 to 17 January 2026: Working with Households to Access AI-enabled Connected Finance Structured Micro-projects for Their Finance Capacity and Capability Building (Structured Finance Activity 1)

 

This first Structured Finance Activity, which is part of Financial Capacity and Capability Building Programme and Empowerment Programme, will be run in the form direct questions/answers on Access AI-enabled Connected Finance Structured Micro-projects.  We can answer questions on dealing with the following matters: Chatbots, fraud detection, impact measurement, grant writing and proposal assistance.

Answers to chatbots questions will cover how AI chatbots can provide 24/7 support by answering financial questions and reducing the workload on households.

Answers to fraud detection will around AI systems on detecting suspicious financial transactions.

Answers to impact measurement will be on how AI-driven tools can analyse the data coming from households and enable us to get more impact in terms of our projects with them.

Answers to funding applications will revolve around how AI tools can help draft, refine and optimize their funding applications.

If any of our users have questions to ask about Access AI-enabled Connected Finance Structured Micro-projects, they can ask CENFACS for answers.

Have a question about your Access AI-enabled Connected Finance Structured Micro-projects, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

In additions, if you have financial planning problems, you can communicate with CENFACS so that we can work together on your financial planning needs and help you stay stronger in this New Year.

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

 

• Objectif du Mois : Réduction de la Pauvreté Liée à la Consommation Irréfléchie 

Pour atteindre cet objectif, il est préférable d’expliquer la consommation irréfléchie et de fournir des moyens de réduire ce type de pauvreté.

• • Qu’est-ce que la consommation irréfléchie ou une mauvaise habitude de dépenses ?

Il ressort de la littérature sur la consommation que la consommation irréfléchie est utilisée pour décrire un comportement pouvant conduire à des difficultés financières. À partir de cette constatation, la pauvreté sera abordée du point de vue de la théorie individuelle de la pauvreté, qui attribue la pauvreté à un choix personnel ou à un manque d’effort.

En effet, il est connu que les choix de consommation peuvent réduire ou exacerber la pauvreté. Les ménages disposant de ressources limitées peuvent rester au-dessus du seuil de pauvreté s’ils consomment de manière réfléchie. En raison de cette possibilité de rester au-dessus du seuil de pauvreté, cela suggère qu’il est possible de réduire la pauvreté liée à une consommation irréfléchie.

• • Actions pour réduire la pauvreté liée à la consommation irréfléchie ou inconsidérée

Il existe des actions qui peuvent être entreprises aux niveaux systémique et politique, ainsi qu’au niveau individuel, pour réduire la pauvreté liée à la consommation inconsidérée. En se concentrant sur des solutions au niveau individuel, la théorie sur ce sujet recommande les actions clés suivantes :

∝ Pratiquer la consommation consciente

∝ Acheter d’occasion ou emprunter

∝ Réduire la consommation de viande et d’énergie

∝ Soutenir les entreprises durables

∝ Planifier et éviter le gaspillage

∝ Plaider pour le changement

Etc.

En prenant ces mesures, on peut sortir de la pauvreté liée à la consommation inconsidérée ou en éloigner.

• • Implications pour le choix de l’objectif du mois

Après avoir choisi l’objectif du mois, nous concentrons nos efforts et notre mentalité sur l’objectif sélectionné en veillant à ce qu’il soit appliqué dans notre vie réelle. Nous attendons également de nos soutiens qu’ils poursuivent l’objectif du mois en travaillant sur le même objectif et en soutenant ceux ou celles qui pourraient souffrir du type de pauvreté lié à l’objectif du mois dont nous parlons pendant le mois donné (par exemple, janvier 2026).

Pour plus de détails sur l’objectif du mois, sa procédure de sélection, y compris son soutien et comment y participer, veuillez contacter CENFACS.

 

 

Main Development

 

• 2026 Light Season’s Activities, Projects, Programmes and Resources

 

The following highlights the 2026 Light Season’s Activities, Projects, Programmes and Resources:

 

∝ What Are Light Season’s Activities, Projects, Programmes and Resources?

∝ Types of Light Season’s Initiatives

∝ Basic Implementation Plan for the Light Season’s Initiatives.

 

We can now consider each of the three items.

 

• • What Are Light Season’s Activities, Projects, Programmes and Resources?

 

They are a stock of assets (resources) together with a set of interdependent tasks (sustainable projects) and related activities (sustainable programmes) designed to help meet the aim of poverty reduction either within the Lights Season and/or beyond it depending on the types of a given resource, project and programme.  In other words, whether it is about activities or resources or projects or even programmes, the unified aim is to help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development by working with local people and Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisations.

These components of Light Season’s initiatives can be explained as follows.

 

~ Resources

 

Resources are online and print guides and information related to poverty reduction, well-being and community action during this Spring 2026.  They also include digital tools and information packs designed to support CENFACS Community members in their development and poverty-relieving efforts.  They help as well provide materials or supplies to facilitate involvement to CENFACS work and giving during the Light Season.

 

~ Programmes

 

Programmes are annual development cycles that encourage a positive change and brighter futures in communities.  They also include capacity building plans of action focusing on helping our members and ASOs to manage their own projects and improve poor people’s living conditions.  They help maximize impact and engagement.

 

~ Projects

 

Projects are community-based initiatives that may involve local engagement, skills sharing or small-scale development efforts within a specific time frame.  They are temporary efforts with a defined beginning and end, undertaken to reduce poverty.  They involve a series of planned tasks and resources to achieve poverty reduction and light project goals within certain constraints or limitations.

 

~ Activities

 

Activities are any actions or tasks to be undertaken that focus on community support, fundraising, and spreading cheer to those in need during the Light Season.  They are specific, scheduled steps or actions to be completed to achieve light project goals.   They form the lowest level of work breakdown structure, consisting of tasks and subtasks, having a defined start, end, and duration.

These components incorporate light as a theme or tool and designed to tackle poverty during the Season of Light.

The light theme in these poverty reduction initiatives refers to a high-level, foundational area of focus or strategic pillar that guides CENFACS’ work with those in need.  It acts as a categorisation for the types of efforts we will be deploying to tackle multifaceted poverty during this Spring 2026.

 

• • Types of Light Season’s Initiatives

 

There are three types of initiatives, which are:

 

a) Specifically designed initiatives (SDIs)

b) Thoughtfully planned initiatives (TPIs)

c) Seasonal initiatives (SIs).

 

These three types of initiatives (that is, specifically designed, thoughtfully planned and seasonal ones) will help enhance donor engagement, increase funding opportunities and create seamless memorable experience that will resonate with our audience. They will be implemented side by side as we move throughout the Season of Light.

Let us explain these initiatives.

 

• • • Specifically designed (strategic) initiatives to bring message of hope or a Blaze of Hope

 

• • • • What are specifically designed (or strategic) initiatives?

 

SDIs are planned to drive considerable change and create poverty reduction value for beneficiaries and CENFACS.  They are focused efforts to be undertaken by CENFACS to develop and achieve clear poverty reduction goals.  They align with CENFACS’ overall strategy.  They vary in scope and complexity, but all share the common goal of driving significant impact and creating poverty reduction value for beneficiaries and CENFACS.

Amongst the examples of these SDIs are humanitarian appeals which feature CENFACS’ Light Campaign/Advocacy to bring and carry the message of hope through a Blaze of Hope. 

The Light Campaign focuses on the themes of light, luminosity, and general positive uplighting energy.  The Campaign uses the concept of light as a general theme which is applied to Spring.  The Campaign evokes positive emotions like joy, hope, optimism and well-being.  The use of light imagery (e.g., a candle) and messaging help CENFACS brand connect with its audiences both on emotional and poverty-relieving levels.

 

• • • • What do these SDIs include?

 

They include two waves of intervention or Blazes of Hope, which are:

 

(a) Appeals to deal with the unfinished business of previous destruction and disruption brought by crises/shocks, wars, natural disasters and the current high costs of living

(b) Appeals linked to seasonally erupted events or effects from health disasters, armed conflicts, geo-economic crises, climate change and natural disasters.

 

As table no.1 indicates where there may be need of a Blaze of Hope, we will be launching Humanitarian Relief Appeals for Six Identified Areas of Priority that May Need Lighting a Blaze of Hope (as announced last week) to help address unfinished businesses or potential crises or tension hotspot places

 

• • • Thoughtfully planned initiatives to express Energy or Light Season

 

• • • • What are TPIs?

 

They are those that aim to achieve CENFACS’ strategic objectives while helping to bridge planning and execution.  They are meant to be clearly measurable, action-oriented, proactive, and aligned with the overall CENFACS strategy while taking into account the environmental impact of any choices made.  In this respect, they express the Energy or Light Season as they enable the shift to renewable energy sources.

 

• • • • What do TPIs consist of?

 

They consist of featuring the season of light like light (or energy) and voluntary energy transition projects.  They are particularly those to shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.  They also include financial and policy frameworks to enable transitions to happen. 

Briefly, this type of initiatives will be about moving from fossil-based energy system towards zero carbon alternatives.  They are given below.

 

• • • • • Project to Combat Disinformation (PCD)

 

PCD aims to build resilience amongst our community members against misinformation through transparency, research, and public education.  It is about educating our community members on how to critically evaluate information about climate change, spot fake climate news, and understand manipulative techniques and tricks.  It is also about building trust in climate poverty reduction.

This will involve collaborating with other organisations working on similar climate disinformation issues, checking facts, researching, detecting and exposing falsehoods, analysing threats from disinformation, while improving media literacy within the community.

 

• • • • • Project for Finance Mobilisation Roadmap (PFMR)

 

PFMR is a strategic plan that will outline the necessary steps, policies, and financial instruments required to raise and deploy capital from various sources (public, private, voluntary, and institutional) to achieve specific goals like the mobilisation of funds for climate change.

The aim of PFMR is to bridge the gap between planning and implementation by identifying bottlenecks, de-risking projects, and creating ‘bankable’ investment opportunities to attract sufficient funding, especially in the era of international aid cuts.

 

• • • • • Project for Long-term Energy Poverty Reduction (PLtEPR)

 

Within the energy literature, a long-term energy poverty refers to a household consistently cannot afford or access essential energy services (like heating, cooling, lighting, and appliances), forcing them to reduce consumption to levels that harm health, well-being, and basic living standards, often due to low income, high-energy prices, and inefficient homes, creating a persistent cycle of deprivation and vulnerability, particularly in vulnerable populations.

PLtEPR aims to provide energy advice to empower households making the CENFACS Community with knowledge on low-cost measures to reduce energy consumption and help to avoid energy poverty becoming intergenerational.  PLtEPR will help the following low-income households:

 

~ In persistent deprivation (that is, those experiencing a chronic inability to meet basic energy needs over extended periods)

~ With inadequate heating and hard health problems because of energy poverty

~ With high energy costs living in poor housing

~ Spending a large chunk of income on energy or fall into arrears bills, impacting their overall financial stability

etc.

 

In short, PLtEPR is about accessing modern energy, transitioning away from biomass for cooking, stopping indoor air pollution and improving health risks, particularly but not exclusively in Africa.

 

• • • • • Zero-waste Skills Development Project (ZwSDP)

 

ZwSDP is about teaching practical skills (like repair, composting, upcycling, cooking with leftovers) and promoting a waste-reduction mindset (reduce, reuse, recycle) to empower the community to minimise landfill waste, foster sustainable habits, and creating circular economies.

ZwSDP involves training, workshops, community engagement, and creating alternative models for waste management.

ZwSDP is finally about transforming waste management from disposal problem into a resource opportunity.

The above-mentioned initiatives are of our Climate Programme.

 

• • • Seasonal initiatives or initiatives falling within the Season of Light

 

• • • • What are SIs?

 

They are those that Just Fall Within the Season of Light, which is from 21 December in the preceding year (e.g., 2025) to 21 March in the following year (e.g., 2026).  They are also strategic marketing efforts that CENFACS undertakes to align its campaigns with the specific time of Winter when supporters’ interest and willingness to give are high.  In this respect, they are conceptualised to tap into heightened fundraising activities and emotions associated with the continuation of the giving moments.

 

• • • • What do SIs include?

 

They include

 

√ Consume to Reduce Poverty and Climate Change (Edition No. 14) with a Focus on Thoughtful Consumption and Poverty Reduction

√ Financial Empowerment Programme for Households (which includes these initiatives: 2026 Financial Monitoring and Controls as Tools for Poverty Reduction, Guidance on Year-end Accounts for Households, and Access to AI-enabled Connected Finance Structured Micro-projects)

√ Household- and Area-focused Programmes for Assets and Economy Building Processes

√ Financial Capacity and Capability Campaign 2026

√ Africa Not-for-profit Outlook for Impact Investing in 2026. 

 

The above-mentioned initiatives are amongst the ones we have selected to kick-start 2026.  Apart from them, we are continuing to reflect on the poverty reduction landscape of 2025 by taking stock and charge of what happened in 2025, and how we can move forward in 2026.

As part of this thinking process, we will be post-reviewing and working together with beneficiaries on the following:

 

√ Post Year in Review of Matching Organisation-Investor Programme and Reflection on New Projects that Will Make This Programme in 2026

√ Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning of the Themes Discussed in 2025 in the Context of CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum and Prospects for Africa in 2026

√ Ways of Implementing the Takeaways from Volunteering Winter e-discussion (or Action Plan for 2026) to keep pace with our volunteering action and poverty reduction work.

√ Climate Actions 2026 to keep pace with net zero path and poverty reduction.

All the above-mentioned initiatives are not the only ones for the Season of Light.  During the season, we may cancel or reduce the scope of some initiatives if we realise that the problems they were supposed to resolve are no longer there.  Likewise, we may add new or recurring initiatives depending on the events within the community we serve.  The worksheet below provides some indication in terms of initiatives implementation plan.

 

• • Basic Implementation Plan for 2026 Light Season’s Initiatives

 

As we go along the Light Season, the following implementation plan consisting of twelve initiatives will be effective.

 

The above-mentioned initiatives on the work sheet are 12 ones to implement the Light Season 2026.  They are also 12 Essential Ways to Bring and Sustain Hope for Those in Need This Winter 2026. 

This initial implementation plan for the Light Season’s initiatives can change depending on the circumstances, events and conditions of the season.  If one notices that some of the initiatives inserted in the plan/worksheet are not listed under Types of Light Season’s Initiatives, this is not a big issue.  What is important is the deliverables of those scheduled within the plan.

For those who would like to discuss any of these planned initiatives or any aspects of the plan; they can contact CENFACS.

To support and or enquire the Light Season’s Activities, Projects, Programmes and Resources for 2026, please contact CENFACS.

_________

 

• References

 

(1) https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/alternative (accessed in January 2026)

(2) https://www.letsupdateskills.com/article/what-are-alternatives-understanding-their-meaning-and-importance (accessed in January 2026)

(3) https://pollution.sustainability-directory.com/question/what-are-alternatives-to-unsustainable-consumption/ (accessed in January 2026) 

(4) https://climate.sustainability-directory.com/question/what-are-sustainable-consumption-alternatives-available (accessed in January 2026) 

(5) https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2026-01/thousands-flee-renewed-violence-in-eastern-dr-congo-as-crisis-sp.html (accessed in January 2026)

(6) https://reliefweb.int/report/burundi/burundi-food-security-outlook-update-influxes-refugees-and-returning-burundians-add-pressure-amid-stressed-conditions (accessed in January 2026)

_________

 

• 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 until the end of 2026 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

 

Happy New Year 2026 and

Welcome Back to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

07 January 2026

Post No. 438

 

 

The New Year’s Contents

 

• What Is New at the Start of the New Year and What Is on This January 2026?

• The 14^th Issue of Consume to Reduce Poverty and Climate Change – In Focus: Thoughtful Consumption and Poverty Reduction

• Coming up This Winter: The New Year’s and Next Issue of FACS (The 90th Issue) to Be Titled as African Charities, the Double Transfer (of Climate Technology and Finance) and Poverty Reduction

 

 … And much more!

 

 

The New Year’s Key Messages

 

• What Is New at the Start of the New Year and What Is on This January 2026?

 

To start 2026, we have planned new programmes, resource, run and skill projects.  We are also continuing our Post 2025 Year in Review from where we left it.

 

• • New Programmes, New Resource, New Run, and New Skill to Bring New Relief and New Hope

 

New programmes, resource, run and skill projects are 2026 Starting strategic initiatives that focus on growth, innovation and impact.  They are part of planning and investment processes in activities designed to better serve the community and beneficiaries while ensuring CENFACS’ long-term sustainability.  Let us highlight these new initiatives.

 

~ New Programmes

 

They are new services, initiatives or areas of focus that align with CENFACS’ mission.  From this January 2026, we have got the following programmes:

 

√ Financial Empowerment Programme for Households with 2026 Financial Monitoring and Controls, Guidance on Year-end Accounts for Households, and Access to AI-enabled Connected Finance Structured Micro-projects

√ Household- and Area-focused Programmes for Assets and Economy Building

√ Climate Programme Made of Projects to Combat Climate Disinformation, for Finance Mobilisation Roadmap, to Reduce Long-term Energy Poverty, for Voluntary Energy Transitions.

 

The above-mentioned programmes will help to address new or evolving needs and diversify our impact.

 

~ New Resource

 

The key resource for this January 2026 is

√ Consume to Reduce Poverty and Climate Change (Edition No. 14) with a Focus on Thoughtful Consumption and Poverty Reduction.

The resource will assist beneficiaries and service users in their efforts to shift towards sustainable, low-carbon and ethical practices that minimizes waste and support fair labour, local communities and the circular economy.  It will guide and empower beneficiaries to make informed decisions by focusing on responsible use of resources.

 

~ New Run

 

This includes recurring events or campaigns, particularly fundraising and awareness-raising activities.  At the start of this year, we have planned the following initiatives:

 

√ Financial Capacity and Capability Campaign 2026

√ Be.Africa Forum e-discussion Themes or Topics.

 

These activities will help to build from past experiences.

 

~ New Skill Project

 

This initiative will focus on

√ Zero-waste Skills Development.

At the start of the year, this initiative will help to build project beneficiaries’ capacity, empower them and improve service delivery.  Zero-waste skills can help those who have or acquire them to pave their way to poverty reduction.

As ‘borgenproject.org’ (1) points out that

“Zero-waste living alleviates poverty by uplifting small businesses that prioritize ethical, sustainable products and packaging… Zero-waste living can help alleviate poverty by rejecting fast fashion, which exploits workers in impoverished communities”.

The above-mentioned initiatives are amongst the ones we have selected to kick-start 2026.  Apart from them, we shall continue to reflect on the poverty reduction landscape of 2025 as part of Post 2025 Year in Review and how we can use the insights from this review to move forward during this year 2026.

 

• • Post 2025 Year in Review Continues

 

This is an ongoing series or discussion we are holding to reflect on the events, trends and outcomes of the year 2025 after it ended.  The process of looking back and analyzing the past year is not yet finished.  The process of evaluating, discussing or presenting the past year’s information and data is still in progress.  As part of this process, we will be post-reviewing and working together with beneficiaries on the following:

 

√ Year in Review of Matching Organisation-Investor Programme and Reflection on New Projects that Will Make This Programme in 2026

√ Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning of the Themes Discussed in 2025 in the Context of CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum and Prospects for Africa in 2026

√ Humanitarian Relief Appeals with Six Identified Areas of Priority Appeals that May Need Lighting a Blaze of Hope (as announced last week) to help address unfinished businesses or potential crises or tension hotspot places in Africa

√ Ways of Implementing the Takeaways from Volunteering Winter e-discussion (or Action Plan for 2026) to keep pace with our volunteering action and poverty reduction.

 

To complete the picture about our working plan for the first quarter of 2026, we shall soon unveil the remaining selected initiatives making the Season of Light at CENFACS.

 

 

• The 14^th Issue of Consume to Reduce Poverty and Climate Change – In Focus: Thoughtful Consumption and Poverty Reduction

 

January is the month of Responsible Consumption for CENFACS.   The initiative featuring this month is our resource entitled as Consume to Reduce Poverty and Climate Change (CRPCC).  In this first post of 2026, we have highlighted the contents this year’s edition of CRPCC – Edition 2026 or the 14th Issue.

The 14^th Issue of this resource will be on ‘Thoughtful Consumption and Poverty Reduction’.  However, before giving the message about the 14^th Issue of CRPCC, let us briefly re-explain what normally happen in January.

 

• • January as a Month of Responsible Consumption within CENFACS

 

Some of you are aware that January is our month of Responsible Consumption following CENFACS development calendar.  It means that the theme for January is Responsible or Sustainable Consumption and the monthly project carrying this theme is Consume to Reduce Poverty and Climate Change.

 

• • • What does happen in January?

 

January is the month we act against poverty due to the lack of consumption, and we deal with measures of poverty reduction through consumption.  It is also an opportunity to act to preserve a good relationship between the way in which we consume products on the one hand and the reduction of adverse climate change on the other.

Particularly, January is a climate reminder month as it is the month during which we raise awareness of the relationships between humans and the nature through sustainable consumption; that is consumption that does not destroy the nature or a change in consumption habits that are adjusted to human real needs and to choose market options of promoting environmental conservation and social equality.

 

• • • What will happen this January?

 

This January, we will take an extra step by exploring the relationship between humans and thoughtful products and services, between humans and ways of reducing poverty linked to consumption, particularly the consumption of thoughtful products and services.

 

• • • What is Consume to Reduce Poverty and Climate Change (CRPCC) ?

 

CRPCC is our users’ New Year supporting information and accompanying booster that focuses on Buying and Consumption elements conducive to the reduction of poverty and hardships and of negative effects of climate change.  It is indeed a complimentary support to our Autumn Festive Income Boost (FIB) resource.

The FIB is an income-generating resource while CRPCC brings in a consumption-led look in our fight against poverty and negative climate change.  The current Edition (Edition No. 14) of CRPCC deals with ‘Thoughtful Consumption and Poverty Reduction’ as mentioned above.

For further details about CRPCC project, go to http://cenfacs.org.uk/services-activities/

 

• • The 14^th Issue of CRPCC (Consume to Reduce Poverty and Climate Change) – In Focus: Thoughtful Consumption and Poverty Reduction

 

Our work on making sustainable consumption choices at the start of the year kicks off with Thoughtful Consumption.  This work is the continuation of the one carried out on Mindful Consumption in January 2025.  In the 13th Issue of CRPCC, the focus was on Mindful Consumption.  Consumption was approached as inward on awareness and act of using (that is, intention or presence), addressing personal well-being and habits.

In this Issue (the 14th one), consumption will be looked at outward and at the impact (that is, ethics, environment and society), of the product’s entire lifecycle.  Using a conscious approach to consumption, we will try to reflect on values, priorities and impact that one’s consumption can have.  In other words, we shall question systems and origins of the products we consume.  It is about Thoughtful Consumption.  The 2026 Edition of CRPCC is about Thoughtful Consumption and Poverty Reduction.  What is then Thoughtful Consumption (TC)?

There are many views on TC.  According to ‘Sustainability-directory.com’ (2),

“Thoughtful consumption means making informed, values-aligned choices about what we buy and use, considering impact and purpose”.

The website ‘ranacheikha.com’ (3) takes similar view by arguing that

“At its core, Thoughtful Consumption is the practice of being intentional with what we buy and how we use it.  It is about moving away from impulse purchases and instead asking: a) Do I really need this? b) Who made it and under what conditions? c) Will I use it often, and will it stand the test of time?”.

So, the focus for Thoughtful Consumption is external and the goal is to reduce negative externalities (waste, pollution, and unfair labour) by supporting responsible production and systems.

As poverty reduction is part of CENFACS work, Thoughtful Consumption will be approached in its capacity to reduce poverty, notably poverty linked to the lack of conscious or thoughtful consumption.

Thoughtful Consumption can support sustainable products, encourage regenerative agriculture, reduce other forms of consumption (like of meat), promote sustainable fashion, enhance reforestation and conservation, save renewable energy, etc.  It can as well help reduce poverty as poor consumers can use awareness of sustainability to make informed decisions on their consumption.

Findings from research can as well back the benefits of Thoughtful Consumption.

For instance, it emerges from Which’s Food Behaviour Dashboard (4) – which is Sustainability Tracker data on consumer food habits, including reducing, recycling and composting food waste and eating less meat and dairy – that a yearly survey with around 2,000 UK adults a year, sampled and weighted to represent the UK population,

“# 41% cut down on food waste by planning what food they buy

# 40% cut down on food waste by composting as recycling leftover food

# Only 27% buy food produced locally”.

The above-mentioned data is from June 2025.

The 2026 Edition of CRPCC is therefore about working with users

 

a) to support them on the consumption decisions they make and how their decisions can reduce negative externalities and poverty 

b) so that they can reduce the stress associated with overconsumption and waste, foster a more peaceful and fulfilling lifestyles conducive to poverty reduction

c) on how they can reflect these consumption decisions on their budget while respecting the 50/30/20 budgeting rule.

 

The 2026 Edition of CRPCC does not stop there.  It provides tips and hints for those who would like to improve their thoughtfulness as far as thoughtless consumption-based poverty is concerned.

Under the Main Development section of this post, we have further explained the theme of ‘Thoughtful Consumption and Poverty Reduction’.

 

 

• Coming up This Winter: The New Year’s and Next Issue of FACS (The 90th Issue) to Be Titled as African Charities, the Double Transfer (of Climate Technology and Finance) and Poverty Reduction

 

The topic of transfer, whether it is about technology or finance, has always be at the heart of the climate talks. The same topic cannot be detached from the problematic of poverty in Africa.  This is because if one wants people, in particular the poor ones, to transition away from the use of fossil fuel energies to clean ones, they are required to ensure that these poor people have both the technology and finance to do so.  Yet, these poor people may not easily transition away from poverty since the kind of poverty they are experiencing could be linked to the type of technology they are using or do not have, and at the same time they are lacking financial resources to acquire clean technologies.  In this respect, there could be a need to operate a double transfer of both climate technology and climate finance to these peoples or communities in need of energy transition and of means to finance this transition.

Perhaps, to elucidate what we are talking it is better to explain the concepts of climate technology, climate finance and the double transfer.  Let us start with climate technology.  From the perspective of ‘unepccc.org’ (5),

“Climate technologies are all those technologies that are instrumental in contributing to achieving mitigation and adaptation objectives and they exhibit similar patterns as other technologies, particularly in terms of geographical concentration in high income countries and low levels of diffusion in developing countries”.

As to climate finance, the website ‘explorian.io’ (6) explains that

“Climate finance in developing countries refers to financial flows support, and investment provided by developed countries, international institutions and other sources to assist developing nations in implementing climate action initiatives, such as mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change”.

Both climate technology and climate finance can be transferred.  It is this double transfer that this Issue 90 is dealing with.  Within the climate literature, double transfer in climate action refers to the linked process of transferring climate technology and climate finance from developed to developing countries.  The double transfer suggests that there is a need for a coordinated approach that involves both the transfer of technology and the transfer of financial resources.

Concerning this double transfer, African Charities – particularly CENFACS’ Africa-based Sister Organisations working on the ground in their areas of operation in Africa – found there is a lack of or gap in climate technology and climate finance.  It is the interlinkage of these two problems and their links to poverty or poverty reduction that the 90th Issue of FACS is about.

The 90th Issue deals with challenges and potential negative impacts (such as challenge linked to accessing climate funds by African Charities, capacity gaps, the character donor-centric of climate finance, the lack of local ownership in technology transfer, the problem of climate accountability and transparency, and funding disparities).

Both technology and finance transfers do not happen in the vacuum. They happen through a channel.  The 90th Issue will highlight the key mechanisms for technology transfer (like direct financial support, technical assistance, and capacity building, collaborative partnerships, hard technology deployment).  In this respect, the 90th Issue will deal with the economic case for climate technology transfer as climate technologies offer new or alternative solutions in different areas that are important to economic development and poverty reduction.

In the context of the 90th Issue, we are going to consider the transfer done through multinational charities or charitable corporations.  From this perspective, the 90th Issue of FACS will deal with the transfers of both climate technology and climate finance to Africa or African Charities in the context of multinational charitable entities, while looking at the principles or theories and practices underpinning these transfers.

In this regard, the 90th Issue will consider theories and frameworks for climate technology transfer (like national innovation systems, market-based mechanisms and firm level theories, enabling environments, equity and redistribution claims, intellectual property rights, etc.) and theories of climate finance (such as transformational finance theory, additionality principle, theory of change models, etc.), as well as their suitability or unsuitability with the contents of the 90th Issue.

The 90th Issue will particularly focus on the double transfer theory, which posits that climate technology transfer and climate finance transfer are intrinsically linked and mutually reinforcing.  The double transfer theory emphasizes the importance of understanding the specific bottlenecks that constrain the transfer of climate technologies and the role that development cooperation can play in enabling it.  It also highlights the need for international support to accelerate the transfer of climate technologies to developing countries.

The 90th Issue will as well look at the key relationships between African Charities, climate finance transfer, climate technology transfer and poverty reduction in Africa.  These relationships will be checked at the levels of access to climate finance, project implementation and technology, capacity building and innovation, barriers to access to climate technologies and finance by African Charities, poverty reduction and local relevancy.

Finally, the 90th Issue will treat of the role that Africa Charities play as intermediaries, capacity builders, and project implementors in the transfer of climate technologies and finance, particularly in reaching local communities and having projects align with local needs.

More details about what the 90th Issue of FACS will be given this Winter.  However, for those who would like to enquire about it before it appears, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

The New Year’s Extra Messages

 

• Goal of the Month: Reduction of Poverty Linked to Thoughtless Consumption

• Guidance for Households to Manage and Close Year-end Accounts

• The Gifts of Peace, Edition 2025-2026

 

 

• Goal of the Month: Reduction of Poverty Linked to Thoughtless Consumption

 

To approach this Goal, it is better to explain thoughtless consumption and provide what can be done to reduce this type of poverty.

 

• • What Is Thoughtless Consumption or Poor Spending Habit?

 

It emerges from the consumption literature that thoughtless consumption is used to describe the behaviour that can lead to financial hardship.  From this finding, poverty will be approached from the perspective of individual deficiency theory of poverty, which attributes being poor is a personal choice or lack of effort. 

Indeed, it is known that consumption choices can reduce or exacerbate poverty.  Households with limited resources can stay above the poverty line if they thoughtfully consume.  Because of this possibility of staying above the poverty line, this suggests that it is possible to reduce poverty linked thoughtless consumption.

 

• • Actions to Reduce Poverty Linked to Thoughtless Consumption

 

There are actions that can be taken at systemic and policy levels, and individual level to reduce poverty linked to thoughtless consumption.  By focusing on individual-level solutions, the theory on this matter recommends the following key actions:

 

∝ Practise mindful consumption

∝ Buy second-hand or borrow

∝ Reduce meat and energy consumption

∝ Support sustainable businesses

∝ Plan and avoid waste

∝ Advocate for change

Etc.

 

By taking these actions, one can navigate out or transition away from poverty linked to thoughtless consumption.

 

• • Implications for Selecting the Goal for the Month

 

After selecting the goal for the month, we focus our efforts and mind set on the selected goal by making sure that in our real life we apply it.  We also expect our supporters to go for the goal of the month by working on the same goal and by supporting those who may be suffering from the type of poverty linked to the goal for the month we are talking about during the given month (e.g., January 2026).

For further details on the goal of the month, its selection procedure including its support and how one can go for it, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

• Guidance for Households to Manage and Close Year-end Accounts

 

As part of our Financial Empowerment Programme for Households, we are providing guidance on financial management, offering support for preparing year-end accounts, and facilitating access to professional accounting services.  This guidance service includes financial guidance, accounting support, and community engagement.

 

• • Financial Guidance

 

It involves advice on managing finances, budgeting and understanding financial statements to help households navigate their year-end accounts.

 

• • Accounting Support

 

It includes providing professional accounting service or signposts to assist households in preparing their year-end accounts, ensuring compliance with regulatory or regular requirements.

 

• • Community Engagement

 

It is about engaging with the community to promote financial literacy and numeracy, as well as providing informational resources for households to effectively manage their finances.

Those who will be interested in this Guidance Service, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

• The Gifts of Peace, Edition 2025-2026

 

The Gifts of Peace for Edition 2025-2026, which are already running and trending, will end on 31 January 2026.  If you have not yet supported, you can still do something for poverty relief.

Although the deadline for the Season of Donation for these gifts is 31 January 2026, we will still accept any donations made after this deadline to enable those who will not be in a position to donate by this deadline to have a chance to donate after.

Please do not wait for the expiration of the deadline as the needs are pressing and urgent.

We know that many supporters of good causes have been affected by the polycrises of recent years.  We are as well aware of the current economic situation of the UK economy which does not make easier for people of all financial abilities to donate to good causes.

However, for those who can please do not hesitate to support these noble causes of peace since the potential beneficiaries of them are trebly impacted by:

 

a) The lingering economic effects of previous crises

b) The already extremely poor conditions in which they are living

c) The scars of the enduring high costs of living.

 

Every support counts to help reduce and end extreme poverty.

Please keep the Gifts of Peace in your mind as the giving season continues.

For further details about these Gifts of Peace (that keep making helpful difference) and or to support, go to http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

We look forward to your support.  Thank you!

 

 

The New Year’s Message in French (Le Message du Nouvel An en Français)

 

• À Paraître cet Hiver : Le Nouvel An et le Prochain Numéro de FACS (le 90ème numéro) qui s’intitulera « Oeuvres de Charité Africaines, le Double Transfert (de la Technologie et des Financements Climatiques) et la Réduction de la Pauvreté »

Le sujet du transfert, qu’il s’agisse de technologie ou de finance, a toujours été au cœur des négociations sur le climat. Le même sujet ne peut être dissocié de la problématique de la pauvreté en Afrique.

En effet, si l’on veut que les populations, en particulier les plus pauvres, passent de l’utilisation des énergies fossiles à des énergies propres, il est nécessaire de s’assurer que ces personnes pauvres disposent à la fois de la technologie et des ressources financières pour le faire. Cependant, ces personnes pauvres peuvent ne pas réussir facilement à sortir de la pauvreté, car le type de pauvreté qu’elles connaissent peut être lié au type de technologie qu’elles utilisent ou n’ont pas, et en même temps, elles manquent de ressources financières pour acquérir des technologies propres. Par conséquent, il pourrait être nécessaire d’opérer un double transfert à la fois de technologies climatiques et de financements climatiques vers ces populations ou communautés ayant besoin d’une transition énergétique.

Peut-être, pour éclairer ce dont nous parlons, il est préférable d’expliquer les concepts de technologie climatique, de financement climatique et du double transfert. Commençons par la technologie climatique.

Du point de vue de ‘unepccc.org’ (5), “Les technologies climatiques sont toutes ces technologies qui contribuent de manière instrumental à l’atteinte des objectifs de mitigation et d’adaptation et elles présentent des schémas similaires à d’autres technologies, notamment en termes de concentration géographique dans les pays à revenu élevé et de faibles niveaux de diffusion dans les pays en développement”.

En ce qui concerne le financement climatique, le site ‘explorian.io’ (6) explique que “Le financement climatique dans les pays en développement fait référence aux flux financiers, au soutien et aux investissements fournis par les pays développés, les institutions internationales et d’autres sources pour aider les nations en développement à mettre en œuvre des initiatives d’action climatique, telles que la réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre et l’adaptation aux impacts du changement climatique”.

La technologie climatique et le financement climatique peuvent tous deux être transférés. C’est ce double transfert que traite ce numéro 90. Dans la littérature sur le climat, le double transfert dans l’action climatique fait référence au processus lié de transfert de la technologie climatique et du financement climatique des pays développés vers les pays en développement. Le double transfert suggère qu’il y a besoin d’une approche coordonnée impliquant à la fois le transfert de technologie et le transfert de ressources financières.

Concernant ce double transfert, les Oeuvres de Charité Africaines ou Associations Caritatives Africaines – en particulier les Organisations Sœurs Africaines de CENFACS travaillant sur le terrain dans leurs zones d’opération en Afrique – ont constaté qu’il y a un manque ou une lacune en matière de technologie climatique et de financement climatique. C’est l’interconnexion de ces deux problèmes et leurs liens avec la pauvreté ou la réduction de la pauvreté qui est abordée dans le 90e numéro de FACS.

Le 90e numéro traite des défis et des impacts potentiellement négatifs (tels que les défis liés à l’accès aux fonds climatiques par les associations africaines, les lacunes de capacités, le caractère axé sur le donateur du financement climatique, le manque de propriété locale dans le transfert de technologies, le problème de la responsabilité et de la transparence climatiques, et les disparités de financement).

Le transfert de technologies et de financements ne se fait pas dans le vide. Il se fait à travers un canal. Le 90e numéro mettra en évidence les principaux mécanismes de transfert de technologies (comme le soutien financier direct, l’assistance technique et le renforcement des capacités, les partenariats collaboratifs, le déploiement de technologies avancées). À cet égard, le 90e numéro traitera des arguments économiques en faveur du transfert de technologies climatiques car les technologies climatiques offrent de nouvelles solutions ou des solutions alternatives dans différents domaines importants pour le développement économique et la réduction de la pauvreté.

Dans le cadre du 90ᵉ numéro, nous allons examiner le transfert effectué par le biais d’associations caritatives multinationales ou de sociétés caritatives. Dans cette perspective, le 90ᵉ numéro de FACS traitera des transferts à la fois de technologies climatiques et de financements climatiques vers l’Afrique ou les Oeuvres de Charité Africaines (Associations Caritatives Africaines) dans le contexte d’entités caritatives multinationales, tout en analysant les principes ou théories et pratiques sous-jacents à ces transferts.

À cet égard, le 90ᵉ numéro examinera les théories et cadres pour le transfert de technologies climatiques (comme les systèmes nationaux d’innovation, les mécanismes basés sur le marché et les théories au niveau des entreprises, les environnements favorables, les revendications d’équité et de redistribution, les droits de propriété intellectuelle, etc.) et les théories du financement climatique (telles que la théorie du financement transformationnel, le principe d’additionalité, les modèles de théorie du changement, etc.), ainsi que leur pertinence ou inadaptation par rapport au contenu du 90ᵉ numéro.

Le 90e numéro se concentrera particulièrement sur le double transfert, qui postule que le transfert de technologies climatiques et le transfert de financements climatiques sont intrinsèquement liés et se renforcent mutuellement. La théorie du double transfert souligne l’importance de comprendre les goulots d’étranglement spécifiques qui limitent le transfert de technologies climatiques et le rôle que la coopération au développement peut jouer pour le faciliter. Elle met également en évidence la nécessité d’un soutien international pour accélérer le transfert de technologies climatiques vers les pays en développement.

Le 90e numéro examinera également les relations clés entre les Oeuvres de Charité Africaines (Organisations Caritatives Africaines), le transfert de financements climatiques, le transfert de technologies climatiques et la réduction de la pauvreté en Afrique. Ces relations seront analysées aux niveaux de l’accès aux financements climatiques, de la mise en œuvre des projets et des technologies, du renforcement des capacités et de l’innovation, des obstacles à l’accès aux technologies et financements climatiques par les organisations caritatives africaines, de la réduction de la pauvreté et de la pertinence locale.

Enfin, le 90e numéro traitera du rôle que jouent les associations africaines en tant qu’intermédiaires, bâtisseur(se)s de capacités et responsables de mises en œuvre de projets dans le transfert des technologies et du financement climatiques, en particulier pour atteindre les communautés locales et aligner les projets sur les besoins locaux.

Plus de détails sur ce que sera le 90e numéro de FACS seront donnés cet hiver. Cependant, pour ceux ou celles qui souhaitent se renseigner avant sa parution, ils/elles ne devraient pas hésiter à contacter le CENFACS.

 

The New Year’s Main Development

 

• The 14^th Issue of Consume to Reduce Poverty and Climate Change

In Focus: Thoughtful Consumption and Poverty Reduction

 

• • Key Highlights, Tips and Hints about the 14th Issue of CRPCC

 

The key highlights, Tips and Hints include the following:

 

∝ Key Terms

∝ Relationships between Thoughtful Consumption and Poverty Reduction

∝ Approach to Thoughtfulness and Thoughtful Consumption Model

∝ Thoughtful Consumption Shopping Basket

∝ Thoughtful Consumption as Part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Targets 12.1 and 12.5

∝ Thoughtful Consumption and the Growing Climate Economy

∝ Thoughtful Consumption in the Context of Changing Climate and Life-threatening Impacts of Climate Change

∝ Thoughtful Consumption and Crises

∝ Thoughtful Consumers and Their Affordability of Thoughtful Products

∝ Thoughtful Consumption Good Practices within the Community

∝ Demonstrative Projects of Thoughtful Consumption

∝ Tackling Barriers to Achieve Thoughtful Consumption Goals

∝ Budgeting for Thoughtful Consumption

∝ Thoughtful Consumption Indication on Products for Verification, Identity and Authenticity

∝ Thoughtful Security and Guarantee 

∝ Looking for Help and Support on Thoughtfulness.

 

Let us consider these key highlights, tips and hints.

 

• • • Key Terms

 

There are three terms that facilitate the understanding of the 2026 Edition of CRPCC.  These terms are thoughtful consumption, thoughtful spending, and the 50/30/20 budgeting rule.  Let us briefly explain them.

 

• • • • What is Thoughtful Consumption?

 

To understand thoughtful consumption, we are going to start by explaining consumption.  Consumption is understood here from the definition given by Chris Park (7) as

“The process of using resources to satisfy human wants or needs” (p. 96)

From this definition, consumption is being perceived from the micro-economic perspective (from the point of view of individuals, households and firms), not at national or aggregate demand level.  Consumption is here the use of goods and services by individuals or households.  That consumption can be thoughtful or thoughtless.

There are many views on Thoughtful Consumption (TC).  According to ‘Sustainability-directory.com’ (op. cit.),

“Thoughtful consumption means making informed, values-aligned choices about what we buy and use, considering impact and purpose”.

The website ‘ranaacheikha.com’ (op. cit.) takes similar view by arguing that

“At its core, Thoughtful Consumption is the practice of being intentional with what we buy and how we use it.  It is about moving away from impulse purchases and instead asking: a) Do I really need this? b) Who made it and under what conditions? c) Will I use it often, and will it stand the test of time?”.

So, the focus for TC is external and the goal is to reduce negative externalities (waste, pollution, and unfair labour) by supporting responsible production and systems.

As poverty reduction is part of CENFACS work, TC will be approached in its capacity to reduce poverty, notably poverty linked to the lack of conscious or thoughtful consumption.

In this 14th Edition of CRPCC, we are interested in that part of consumption that is thoughtful or relating to essentials or real needs.

Thoughtful consumption is related to thoughtful spending or essential expenses.  Like any spending or expenses, they are part of budgeting rule.  Amongst budgeting rules, there is a 50/30/20 budgeting rule.

 

• • • • What is the 50/30/20 Budgeting Rule?

 

The website ‘thebalancemoney.com’ (8) argues that the 50/30/20 rule of thumb, which originates from the 2005 book written by US Senator Elizabeth Warren and her daughter Amelia Warren Tyafi, is

“A way to allocate your budget according to three categories: needs, wants and financial goals”.

According to this rule, you should spend 50% of your income on needs (essentials like rent/mortgage, utilities, insurance, healthcare and groceries); 30% on wants (that is, discretionary spending on things like dining out, entertainment, hobbies, streaming services, and shopping beyond basic needs); and 20% on savings/debt repayment (which include contributions to retirement funds, emergency savings, and extra payment in debt).

TC complements the 50/30/20 budget rule by aligning spending with personal values, making it easier to meet savings goals, and reducing expenses in the ‘wants’ part of this rule.

If one follows this rule, thoughtful spending is the one we are dealing with here.

 

 

• • • • What is Thoughtful Spending?

 

Online research suggests that Thoughtful Spending (TS) is the conscious act of making purchase decisions based on your values and financial goals, rather than habit or emotion.  There is a link between TS and 50/30/20 rule.  In particular, the link between TS and 50/30/20 rule is strong in managing the ‘wants’ category.

Key aspects of TS include intentionality, awareness, goal orientation, and the distinction of needs from wants.  To practise TS, one needs to do the following:

 

∝ to budget

∝ to pause before buying

∝ to identify the root motivation behind their desire to buy

∝ to calculate cost in hours of work it takes to afford an item

∝ to invest in quality or longevity

∝ and to spend on things that improve their well-being.

 

To put thoughtful spending in practice, one can create a budget journal for it.

In the context of the 14th Edition of CRPCC, we are interested in the 30% of our users’ budget or ‘Wants‘ category.  We would like to ensure that expenses in the ‘Wants’ category are intentional and aligned with personal values, rather than impulse purchases.  This discipline helps keep spending with the 30% allocation, making the overall budget achievable and effective for financial goals.

We are looking at if there is any relationship between TC or TS and poverty reduction and how we can work with the users of CRPCC to reduce consumption-based poverty, which could be linked with thoughtless consumption.

 

• • • Relationships between Thoughtful Consumption and Poverty Reduction

 

TC can help reduce poverty by promoting sustainable practices and addressing the needs of the poor.  This can be done via consumer choices, social inclusion and sustainable practices.  This can be explained as follows.

 

~ Consumer choices: TC can encourage consumers to prioritize quality and sustainability, which can lead to poverty reduction by fulfilling basic needs and reducing reliance on non-essential items.

~ Social inclusion: TC can help shift spending priorities towards essential items, thereby improving the quality of life for those in need.

~ Sustainable practices: By conserving resources and promoting efficient use, consumers can contribute to a more sustainable future that benefits the poor.

 

• • • Approach to Thoughtfulness and Thoughtful Consumption Model

 

The 2026 Edition of CRPCC refers to the minimalist approach which considers quality possessions rather than a large quantity of stuff.  The approach takes into account the interplay between the awareness of needs and wants, as well as how to focus on real needs rather than wants.  By taking this approach, one will agree to consume less and care for repair, reuse and recycle.

Those using this approach will obviously adopt its underlying model and premises.  The definition of this model is contained in the definition of TC itself.

Indeed, a TC model is an approach to purchasing and using goods and services that involves a deliberate consideration of their environmental, social and economic impacts.  It encourages consumers to move beyond impulsive or habitual buying and make informed, value-aligned choices. 

The core principles of this model are the distinction between genuine needs and fleeting wants, quality over quantity, awareness of impact, values alignment, and the 5 R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle and Rot). 

Briefly speaking, the model is a transformation from wasteful consumption into a conscious, intentional practice that contributes to both personal well-being and sustainable world.

 

• • • Thoughtful Consumption Shopping Basket

 

Let us start with this question:

What is a thoughtful consumer products shopping basket? 

It is a conceptual collection of goods that reflects the purchasing choices of consumers who are deliberate, budget-conscious, and potentially focused on sustainability and ethical concerns.  The basket includes carefully considered purchases, value and quality focus, conscious choices, sustainability and tics, and mindful consumption products.

Using the internet, e-mail, social networks and other communication technologies; it is possible to get enough information on how to go thoughtful and which products and services that meet thoughtful consumption while reducing poverty linked to thoughtlessness at the same time.  It is as well possible to find resources and websites that compare and contrast these kinds of products, services and prices.  People can then choose products and services that are good value for TC and add them to their online shopping basket or to make their shopping basket.

 

• • • Thoughtful Consumption as Part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.1 and 12.5

 

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 (9) is:

“Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns“.

Its Target 12.1 is:

“Implement the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities”.

Its Target 12.5 is:

“By 2020, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse“.

As these goal targets were written, TC echoes them.  TC reduces the stress associated with overconsumption and waste, foster a more peaceful and fulfilling lifestyles.  In doing so, it helps demand for products and practices that do not harm forests and contribute to deforestation and overgrazing.  Briefly, it reduces environmental footprint.

 

• • • Thoughtful Consumption and the Growing Climate Economy

 

The process of using resources in a frugal way to satisfy human wants and needs can go hand in hand with an organised system for the production, distribution and use of goods and services that takes into account the changing weather conditions.  In other words, consuming anti-wasteful and essential products and resources can help reduce adverse climate change.

As climate economy (that is, a system which attempts to solve the basic economic problem of climate) continues to grow, it can bring new climate educational opportunities, economic savings and improved well-being for the poor.  These attributes of the Growing Climate Economy (GCE) can help them consume goods and services that are thoughtful/essential and have less or no harmful wasteful materials.

Research can continue to enlarge the scope of thoughtful goods and services that do not cause harms and wastes to the environment.  Findings from this research can help boost the GCE.

 

• • • Thoughtful Consumption in the Context of Changing Climate and Life-threatening Impacts of Climate Change

 

Maybe enough has been said about the impacts of changing climate.  If not, then one area of work could be for humans to rethink about the positive results that their TC can create and properly market or raise awareness of these outcomes or results.  There are positive outcomes or results deriving for TC that need to be known by the members of the public and be part of their daily life.

At CENFACS, the Guidance Service on Thoughtfulness, which we will be running this January, is part of the efforts to support the members of our community who would like to stay or be thoughtful with their consumption and spending.  By taking this thoughtful drive, this can help to reduce or mitigate the threats and impacts of the changing climate on them.

 

• • • Thoughtful Consumption and Crises

 

In times of crises, TC can offer numerous benefits by helping individuals manage resources, reduce waste, and build community resilience.

Benefits of TC in a crisis can include the ones below.

 

~ Financial resilience: Prioritizing essential needs and avoiding impulse purchases helps individuals manage their finances more effectively during economic instability caused by a crisis.

~ Resource management and availability: Buying only what is needed rather than engaging in panic buying or hoarding.

~ Waste reduction: Crises often strain waste management systems.  TC reduces the amount of waste generated, easing pressure on public services and conserving raw materials.

~ Supporting local economies: Focusing on local businesses and producers can help maintain the economic health of the community during a crisis.

~ Building community solidarity: Consuming thoughtfully demonstrates that one has consideration for their neighbours and contribute to a stronger bond.

~ Reduced environmental impact: By thoughtfully consuming, individuals lessen their overall environmental footprint.

~ Mental well-being: TC provides a sense of control and purpose during the uncertainty of a crisis. So, making conscious choices about what to buy and use helps individuals feel more grounded and less anxious about resource scarcity.

 

Briefly speaking, crises and shocks (like the economic ones) could be a reminder of the benefits of thoughtfulness in our life.

 

• • • Thoughtful Consumers and Their Affordability of Thoughtful Products

 

The question that one should answer is this:

Are Thoughtful Consumer Products Affordable for Everyone?

They are not universally unaffordable when considering long-term value and a range of purchasing strategies.  They emphasize durability and quality over quantity, and they can lead to savings over time.  In other words, TC is not always the cheapest one.  Not everybody can afford to buy thoughtful goods as many of the people living in poverty have a low real disposable income.  Not all the low-income families or households can afford to finance the basic necessities of life or to consume thoughtfully.  Many of them need some support to supplement their real disposable income since many of have income below the international poverty line.

Giving them advisory support in terms how to increase your income, to make some changes in their expenses budget and find affordable TC goods and services should be a priority amongst other ones.  In this respect, a list of where to find affordable thoughtful consumption goods and services in this CRPCC resource can be lifesaving.

 

• • • Thoughtful Consumption Good Practices within the Community

 

Despite the problem of affordability of TC goods for low-income poor people and families, there could be nonetheless TC good practices within our community.  To back up these practices, the 14^th Issue of CRPCC highlights some cases of TC good initiatives undertaken by the CENFACS Community that underpins TC accounts as part of every day’s human life.

In this respect, those who have cases of TC practices and who may find them worthwhile to share and be added to this issue of CRPCC, they can let CENFACS know.

 

• • • Demonstrative Projects of Thoughtful Consumption

 

In TC economy, every shopper can demonstrate the ability to follow the rules of consuming thoughtfully.  There could be those consumers who do more by taking a proactive action to consume thoughtfully.

Likewise, there could be local projects (for example, local thoughtful charitable shops, thoughtful budget stores and community organisations) that could display demonstrative talents and skills in promoting TC goods, services and habits which are zero-waste or net zero.

These projects focus on building community and reducing environmental impacts by sharing, repairing, and localising resources.  These initiatives challenge the ‘take-make-waste’ model of consumerism and promote a more circular and sustainable lifestyle.

Types of these projects include repair cafés, tool libraries or libraries of things, community swap events, local food co-ops, community gardens, clothing swaps, community fridges, sustainable fashion initiatives, etc.

They empower residents to share resources, reduce waste, and build skills, while promoting social cohesion and connection alongside environmental benefits.

For those members of our community who have developed this kind of demonstrative projects of TC, it could be a good idea to let us know so that we can add them to this CRPCC resource.

 

• • • Tackling Barriers to Achieve Thoughtful Consumption Goals

 

There could be some handicaps for people and families to achieve TC goals.  One of the barriers is the lack of income or awareness or education that extremely poor people experience that could push them out of reach of TC products.  Despite that in charitable world and economy in which no one is left behind, there could be still access for everybody to TC goods and services.

However, people and families do not like TC to happen to them in this way since they would like to work and pay for their TC.  Because of the barriers they face in finding opportunity to work and earn decent income, their prospect for meeting their TC goals can become remote.  This is without forgetting hikes in price of consumption goods and services, including the thoughtful ones.

As part of tackling these barriers, the current resource provides some leads in terms of print and online resources that users can further explore in order to respond to some their TC problems.

To tackle barriers to achieve TC goals involves a combination of personal strategies to address psychological hurdles and broader efforts to drive systemic change.

Individual strategies can include breaking habits gradually, prioritizing sufficiency, automating sustainable choices, education yourself, building your own support system, and tracking your impact.

Systemic approaches can involve advocating for policy changes, promotion education and transparency, supporting sustainable infrastructure, and challenging consumer culture.

 

 

• • • Budgeting for Thoughtful Consumption

 

It is a good idea for users to budget for TC goods and services as part of the overall of household budgeting process.  This kind of preparation in terms of financial statement for any planned incomes and expenses for a particular period can help to maximise the use of resources and reduce wasteful spending in terms of what is thoughtful and thoughtless consumption.  It can as well provide alternative to thoughtless consumption to reduce poverty and hardships due to waste.

 

 

• • • Thoughtful Consumption Indication on Products for Verification, Identity and Authenticity

 

It is a good idea for any consumer, rich or poor, to check thoughtful features on their buys and other specifications and read other people’s testimonies, reviews or comments about it.  In this respect, selling the positive idea of TC could be helpful for thoughtful consumers.

 

• • • Thoughtful Security and Guarantee 

 

When buying thoughtful consumption products and services (whether using online or a physical store), one needs to check, compare and contrast products, terms and conditions of business, buying terms, prices, etc.  There is a need to check as well guarantees and safety policies for thoughtful features.

If you are buying online, before you sign up, add to your TC shopping basket and purchase an item; you need to read, discuss and check what you are agreeing on.  You need to proceed with the following:

 

<> Investigate a product’s supply chain, labour practice and environmental cost

<> Choose brands that are fair-trade, eco-friendly or locally sourced

<> Consider the broader social and environmental consequences of your purchase

Etc.

 

You may even take more precautions when selecting items, filling up buying forms to enter your personal, financial information and sensitive details.

In today’s world of digital and artificial intelligence technologies (e.g., AI Chatbots), you can even ask these technologies your thoughtfulness questions to find answers for you.

You should also be aware of scams and illegal and malicious practices.  For your own online security, use the e-safety tools and advice.

 

 

• • • Looking for Help and Support on Thoughtful Consumption

 

As explained earlier, TC is a conscious and deliberate approach to purchasing and utilising goods and services, where individuals consider the environmental, social, and personal impacts of their choices.  There are individuals who can easily adopt this approach.  There are others who may be struggling in their TC steps or drive.

For those users who are looking for help and support, we can work with them so that they can navigate their way out of thoughtless consumption-based poverty.  We can together explore the following options or tips to deal with thoughtful or thoughtless spending:

 

√ Improving their spending intent

√ Creating a budget to track income and expenses and deal with emotional triggers

√ Pausing before purchasing

√ Identifying the root motivation (boredom, stress and true need) behind the desire to buy

√ Setting up cost cutting targets on budget items such as takeaways, eating out, clothing, etc.

√ Calculating cost in hours by determining how many hours to work it takes to afford an item

√ Switching to cheap thoughtful retailers to save money

√ Investing in quality or longevity by choosing durable or sustainable items that last and reduce future waste

√ Trimming budget

√ Prioritising expenses

√ Setting up a policy not to borrow money for thoughtless expenses

√ Adopting cost-saving behaviour

√ Spending on things that genuinely improve their well-being

√ Briefly, developing a strategy or policy for TS to help them decide that their money is invested in things that support well-being, connection, and meaningful experiences, not just accumulation.

 

We can even work with them on a project to write their budget journal for TS.

The above-mentioned options or tools will help them to build confidence throughout 2026 and beyond.

For those users who would like to dive into the reduction of thoughtless consumption-based poverty, we can provide them with online and print resources relating to this matter.  These resources highlight the TS tips and hints.

There is a lot of online resources and websites they can sign up and receive advice on this matter.

The above are the key highlights, tips and hints about the 14th Issue of CRPCC, which we wanted to share with you.

For any further details about Thoughtful and Responsible Consumption and to get the full 2026 Edition of Consume to Reduce Poverty and Climate Change, please contact CENFACS.

 

_________

 

• References

 

(1) https://borgenproject.org/zero-waste-living (accessed in December 2024)

(2) https://lifestyle.sustainability-directory.com/term/thoughtful-consumption/ (accessed in January 2026)

(3) https://ranacheikha.com/blogs/the-shoe-advisor-leather-sgoe-care/thoughtful-consumption-choosing-what-matters (accessed in January 2026)

(4) https://www.which.co.uk/policy-and-insight/article/food-dashboard-aa9SR6s2NqVe (accessed in in January 2026)

(5) https://unepccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/tech-transfer-policy-brief-oecd.pdf (accessed in January 2026)

(6) https://explorian.io/climate-finance-in-developing-countries (accessed in January 2026)

(7)  Park, C. (2011), Oxford Dictionary of Environment and Conservation, Oxford University Press, Oxford & New York

(8) https://www.thebalancemoney.com/the-50-30-20-rule-of-thumb-453922 (accessed in January 2024)

(9) https://sdgs.org/goals (accessed in January 2026)

_________

 

• 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 until the end of 2026 and beyond.

With many thanks.

_________

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

31 December 2025

Post No. 437

 

 

The Week’s Contents (The Final 2025 Post’s Contents)

 

This post, which is the 52^nd one, is the last one of 2025.  Its main contents are as follows.

 

• The Final Countdown: Help Us Reach Our Festive Goal

• The Gifts of Peace, Edition 2025-2026

• Space Themed Donations Required!

 

… And much more!

 

 

New Year’s Eve Key Messages

 

• The Final Countdown: Help Us Reach Our Festive Goal

 

Year 2025 is going to end soon.  We are appealing to those who have not yet contributed to our Festive Donation Projects to donate to mark 2025 as a Year of Restoration (1) within CENFACS.  We are as well reminding donors and funders that contributions made by midnight 0n 31 December 2025 can be eligible for or claimed tax benefits for 2025.

The CENFACS Community is still active to work with its members and those who would like to join in.  It is ready to help us jump into 2026.  We will be moving together into 2026 as a Zero-Waste Community of Restorers.

As the clock counts down to a new year, we pause to reflect on the remarkable journey we achieved together in helping to reduce poverty.  We are as making the final push for 2025 fundraising.  Our Year-end Fundraising Campaign continues until the last day (today 31 December), hour, minute and second of 2025.

We hope that some of you will help us in this push and meet our fundraising goal.  Only few hours remain to make an impact on 2025 as a memorable year for those in need.

During this Countdown, some of our projects and campaigns are either self-running or designed to run throughout the holiday season like the Festive Holiday.  Three of these holiday projects are the Information-, Advice- and Guidance-giving ones.

We hope that all our members, service users and beneficiaries are receiving the essential support, services, gifts or aid they were expecting during this Festive Season to improve their well-being.  We can anticipate that the outcomes of our work with them/you have positively impacted on them/you.

To take CENFACS into 2026, we shall develop projects

 

√ to combat climate disinformation

√ for finance mobilisation roadmap

√ to reduce long-term energy poverty

√ for voluntary energy transitions

√ to develop zero-waste skills.

 

More on this message about Final Countdown can be found under the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

• The Gifts of Peace, Edition 2025-2026

 

The Gifts of Peace for Edition 2025-2026, which are already running and trending, will end on 31 January 2026.  If you have not yet supported, you can still do something for poverty relief.

Although the deadline for the Season of Donation for these gifts is 31 January 2026, we will still accept any donations made after this deadline to enable those who will not be in a position to donate by this deadline to have a chance to donate after.

Please do not wait for the expiration of the deadline as the needs are pressing and urgent.

We know that many supporters of good causes have been affected by the polycrises of recent years.  We are as well aware of the current economic situation of the UK economy which does not make easier for people of all financial abilities to donate to good causes.

However, for those who can please do not hesitate to support these noble causes of peace since the potential beneficiaries of them are trebly impacted by:

 

a) The lingering economic effects of previous crises

b) The already extremely poor conditions in which they are living

c) The scars of the enduring high costs of living.

 

Every support counts to help reduce and end extreme poverty.

 

Please keep the Gifts of Peace in your mind as the giving season continues.

For further details about these Gifts of Peace (that keep making helpful difference) and or to support, go to http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

We look forward to your support.  Thank you!

 

 

• Space Themed Donations Required!

 

It is possible to align the spirit of giving with the spatial analysis of poverty that uses colours.  In other words, one can use colour (like blue, green, brown, grey and orange) themes in this alignment.  One can provide donations to programmes, projects and activities associated with CENFACS space or colour themes.

 

• • Making a Space-Themed Donation

 

If we consider blue space theme, one can give blue space themed donation.  One can donate to fund natural water bodies (such as oceans, lakes, and rivers) with associated well-being and conservation efforts.  Their donation will help focus on the positive impact of water environments on human well-being and health or the conservation of these environments.  Their donation can fund access to activities like cold water swimming, rowing, or indoor yoga to improve mental health.

Likewise, one can provide a green space themed donation, which is a charitable contribution given to support the creation, improvement, and preservation of natural, vegetated areas and bodies of water within communities.  Their donations will fund projects that provide environmental health and social benefits.

Additionally, one can give an orange space themed donation to reduce poverty attached to a group that has been visualised or identified or differentiated as poor in a spatial analysis by orange colour or space.

 

• • How to Donate

 

You can contribute by

 

~ Making a personal donation to CENFACS as part of CENFACS’ Festive Giving Campaign

~ Leaving legacies to CENFACS

~ Participating in crowdfunding campaigns where CENFACS can benefit

Etc.

 

To make your space-themed donations, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

New Year’s Eve Extra Messages

 

• Festive Gifts of Turning Waste into Valuable Resources

• Shop at CENFACS Zero-waste e-Shop at http://cenfacs.org.uk/shop/

• Gifts and Themes Connecting Festive Supporters to CENFACS’ Mission

 

 

• Festive Gifts of Turning Waste into Valuable Resources

 

You can take action to turn waste into valuable resources which promotes circular economy.

Indeed, celebrating during the Festive Season is also about aligning your efforts to promote sustainable living over this period.  Your spirit of turning waste into resources can be celebrated to reduce amounts of extra waste resulting from Festive Waste.

You can help implement circular economy principles, fund research into new recycling technologies, and establish infrastructure in communities lacking basic waste management systems.  These initiatives reduce landfill waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and create livelihood opportunities.

For instance, you can donate £7 as a Festive Gift to achieve one of the following outcomes:

 

~ to turn waste into nutrient-rich compost

~ to sort and recycle materials to reduce landfill waste

~ to repurpose old items into new useful produce.

 

To donate £7 as a Festive Gift of Turning Waste into Valuable Resources, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

• Shop at CENFACS Zero-waste e-Shop at http://cenfacs.org.uk/shop/

 

CENFACS Zero-waste e-Shop is open for both online festive purchase and goods donations.  You can shop or donate goods and make your shopping or donation or both align with the values of and promotes sustainability and charitable action for CENFACS.

 

• • SHOPPING for GOODS at CENFACS Zero-waste e-Store

 

You can buy second-hand goods and bargain priced new items and much more.

You can do something different this Festive Season by SHOPPING for GOODS at CENFACS’ Zero-waste e-Store.

Your SHOPPING action will help to the Upkeep of the Nature and to reduce poverty.

Festive shoppers can help raise free funds for CENFACS‘ noble and beautiful cause every time they shop at CENFACS Zero-waste e-Store.

Please do not hesitate to purchase what is available at CENFACS Zero-waste e-Store.

Many ordinary people and families are struggling to make ends meet at this challenging time as the economy is still not yet fully recovered from the cost-of-living crisis.  Many of them do not know how they are going to make ends meet during and after the Festive Season as prices and bills are still higher compared to their real disposable incomes.  They need help.  We need support as well to help them come out poverty and hardships.

 

• • Donation of NET-ZERO GOODS This Festive Season

 

Amongst the goods to donate, we are asking net-zero goods ones.

You can give your unwanted and unneeded goods or pre-loved items to CENFACS’ Zero-waste e-Store, the shop built to help relieve poverty.

You can donate carbon neutral or net zero greenhouse gas emissions goods to help reduce the adverse impacts of climate change and poverty, while creating an opportunity to save non-renewable natural resources.  This type of donation can boost the circular economy and improve the upkeep of the nature.

Your GOODS DONATIONS will help to the Upkeep of the Nature and to reduce poverty.

Festive goods donors can help raise free funds for CENFACS‘ noble and beautiful cause every time they donate goods at CENFACS Zero-waste e-Store.

Please do not hesitate to donate goods to CENFACS Zero-waste e-Store.

You can even make this e-store better.  You can DONATE or SHOP or do both.

 

• • SHOPPING for and DONATIONS of GOODS at CENFACS Zero-waste e-Store

 

You can both

 

√ DONATE unwanted pre-loved GOODS and PRODUCTS to CENFACS Zero-waste e-Store during the festive period and beyond

√ SHOP at CENFACS Zero-waste e-Store to support good and deserving causes of poverty relief during the festive period and beyond.

 

CENFACS’ Zero-waste e-Store needs your support for Festive SHOPPING and DONATIONS.

 

To donate or purchase goods or do both, please go to: http://cenfacs.org.uk/shop/

 

 

• Gifts and Themes Connecting Festive Supporters to CENFACS’ Mission

 

There are Festive Gifts and Themes we have mentioned so far since we started this Festive Giving Campaign.  There are other ones which we have not mentioned, and which festive supporters can still use to support CENFACS’ mission this Festive Season.

Let us highlight Festive Gifts that connect supporters to poverty reduction.  These Gifts fall into alternative charity gifts (donations to specific projects in recipient’s name) and social enterprise products (e.g., purchasing items from CENFACS’ Zero Waste e-store).

Concerning Festive Themes, it could be said that Festive Themes connecting festive supporters to our poverty reduction work focus on core values of the season, such as hope, community solidarity, compassion and the spirit of giving.

Festive Supporters can use Festive Gifts and Themes that match with their feelings and values and donate.  In practical terms, one can choose to donate £7 to one of the following gifts or themes:

 

a) Gift that give back twice (once to the recipient and once to CENFACS’ worthy cause

b) Symbolic gifting where donors buy an item or service for a beneficiary

c) Popular theme that focuses on helping vulnerable children

d) Emotional theme or gift that connects the act of giving to the Festive Season

e) Purposeful gift that creates a greater sense of purpose for those in need

f) Alignment gift that aligns your shopping with sustainability value.

 

The above-mentioned gifts and themes are different alternatives of enabling those who like to donate but are struggling to find a gift or theme to donate to bring relief, light, and hope to those in need this Festive Season.

To support via one of these gifts and themes, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

New Year’s Eve Message in English-French (Message du Réveillon du Nouvel An en Anglais-Français)

 

A Year-in-review about CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum E-discussions – In Focus: User Feedback

This Year-in-review is a summary or evaluation of the key events, achievements, and trends within CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum during 2025.  It aims to engage the Forum members, celebrate community milestones, highlight popular topics, and foster a sense of shared accomplishment and future anticipation.

As part of this review, we are seeking feedback from those who followed these e-discussions.  The main purpose of this feedback is to build and nurture the relationship between CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum and its community members.

The data on the Forum’s activities indicates that we created 23 topics during the year 2025.  From this data, we would like to know your/our followers’ most memorable or impactful threads.  Your/their view will contribute to this Year-in-review and help share learning experiences.

To respond to our feedback request, you can state the following:

a) The e-discussion topics you did like

b) The e-discussion topics you did dislike

c) The reasons you did like or dislike them.

You can as well say if they were some improvements regarding the organisation of these e-discussions during 2025.

Your feedback will help contribute to future plans or e-discussions, while encouraging continued engagement.

We will value and remember your contributions.

We thank you for your feedback support and for being part of the Forum’s story.

To contact CENFACS about this feedback, please use our usual contact address on this website.

 

La Rétrospective 2025 sur les Discussions en Ligne du Forum ‘Une Afrique Meilleure’ de CENFACS – Point de Mire: Avis des Utilisateurs/rices

Cette Rétrospective sur l’année 2025 est un résumé ou une évaluation des événements clés, des réalisations et des tendances au sein du Forum ‘Une Afrique Meilleure’ de CENFACS en 2025. Elle vise à engager les membres du Forum, célébrer les jalons communautaires, mettre en valeur les sujets populaires et favoriser un sentiment de réussite partagée et d’anticipation pour l’avenir.

Dans le cadre de cette révision, nous sollicitons les avis de ceux ou celles qui ont suivi ces discussions électroniques. Le principal objectif de ces avis est de construire et de renforcer la relation entre le Forum ‘Une Afrique Meilleure’ de CENFACS et les membres de la communauté.

Les données sur les activités du Forum indiquent que nous avons créé 23 sujets au cours de l’année 2025.  À partir de ces données, nous aimerions connaître les fils de discussion les plus mémorables ou impactants pour vous/nos abonné(e)s. Leur/votre avis contribuera à ce bilan annuel et aidera à partager les expériences d’apprentissage.

Pour répondre à notre demande d’avis, vous pouvez indiquer ce qui suit :

a) Les sujets de discussion en ligne que vous avez aimés

b) Les sujets de discussion en ligne que vous n’avez pas aimées

c) Les raisons pour lesquelles vous les avez aimées ou ne les avez pas  aimées.

Vous pouvez également indiquer s’il y a eu des améliorations concernant l’organisation de ces e-discussions en 2025. Votre avis d’expérience contribuera aux plans ou e-discussions futurs, tout en encourageant une participation continue.

Nous valoriserons et nous nous souviendrons de vos contributions.

Nous vous remercions pour votre soutien et pour faire partie de l’histoire du Forum.

Pour contacter le CENFACS à propos de cet avis, veuillez utiliser notre adresse de contact habituelle sur ce site.

 

 

New Year’s Eve Main Development

 

• The Final Countdown: Help Us Reach Our Festive Goal

 

This Final Countdown will be explained by the three items below:

 

∝ Fundraising and Donor relations

∝ Administrative and Compliance Tasks

∝ Planning and Evaluation.

 

Let us uncover each of these items.

 

• • Fundraising and Donor Relations

 

In this last day of 2025, we are pushing with our appeals so that those who have not yet donated can donate before 2025 ends.  We are particularly appealing to those who would like to support our Festive Donation Programme and Projects not to hesitate to support as the needs are urgent and pressing for the real beneficiaries of this support.

We would like to remind donors that only few hours left to maximise their impact and help us reach our goal by midnight tonight.  Any contributions made by midnight today (31 December 2025) can be claimed for tax benefits for 2025.  We are calling on donors to not miss this last opportunity of 2025.

We are available to guide donors and those who would like to donate but having some difficulties to do it.  We value their contributions.  Our systems are ready to receive donors’ contributions.

To take CENFACS into 2026, we have in waiting initiatives relating to combating climate disinformation, for finance mobilisation roadmap, to reducing long-term energy poverty, for voluntary energy transitions, and to developing zero-waste skills.

We hope donors will support these initiatives in the New Year and us to achieve new milestones.

 

• • Administrative and Compliance Tasks

 

We are working to ensure that all financial accounts and records are reconciled to guarantee accurate and transparent recording for all receipts and payments as 2025 closes.  We are as well tracking all invoices and bills to avoid unintended or unexpected financial commitments in the New Year.

 

• • Planning and Evaluation: Post 2025 Year in Review

 

After a reflective phase characterized by the review of year 2025 (which was published in our 2025 Year-in-review Impact Report last week), our action-oriented phase (that is, Post 2025 Year in Review) will involve developing a strategic plan and implementing the new initiatives we mentioned earlier, based on the insights gained during our reflection.

Let us shortly explain planning and evaluation.

 

• • • Planning and implementation

 

Planning may include strategic planning, fundraising and resource allocation, programme adjustments, stakeholder engagement, implementation and monitoring, and capacity building.

Let us look at unveil each of these planning activities.

 

• • • • Strategic planning

 

We are working on action plan that will set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound) goals and effectively allocate resources to address the challenges and opportunities we have identified.  In other words, we are going to use review data to inform the next CENFACS business plan.

 

• • • • Fundraising and resource allocation

 

We will be launching new campaigns or reallocating budgets to support new priorities and emerging needs within the community, while ensuring the financial viability of the planned projects.

 

• • • • Programmatic adjustments

 

With the information from performance data and feedback analysis resulting from 2025 Year in Review, we shall modify and/or develop new programmes and services to better meet community needs in 2025 and beyond.  We shall as well develop concrete steps to address challenges or scale successes identified in the review

 

• • • • Stakeholder engagement

 

We shall communicate changes and new goals to donors, volunteers, service users and beneficiaries to ensure alignment and earn support for our mission.

 

• • • • Implementation and Monitoring

 

In the New Year, we will be establishing Key Performance Indicators to track progress and regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the action plan.

 

• • • • Capacity building

 

We shall invest in volunteer training, technology upgrades to continue to build CENFACS’ capacity and infrastructure to deliver its mission and keep its charity objects on track.

 

• • • Evaluation

 

The evaluation consists of reviewing our annual goals, conducting a performance evaluation, and preparing for statutory reporting at the end of CENFACS’ financial year.

Let us explain the elements of the planning and evaluation process.

 

• • • • Reviewing annual goals

 

This is an evaluation of the 2025 accomplishments against CENFACS’ mission and charity objects.  This is and will be part of Post 2025 Year-in-review.

Indeed, after summarising the events, achievements, and data relating to 2025 in our 2025 Year-in-review Impact Report (2) last week, we are going to proceed with a deep dive analysis to assess how things happened, find root causes and improve future strategies.  This Post 2025 Year-in-review will help learn from mistakes, identify strengths and weaknesses, and improve performance.

 

• • • • Performance evaluations

 

Still as part of the Post 2025 Year-in-review and before the next review cycle, we will be evaluating the performance for volunteers and set goals for 2026.  This volunteers’ performance evaluation is also part of our Winter 2025-2026 e-discussion, which is on Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap.

 

• • • Preparing for statutory reporting at the end of CENFACS’ financial year

 

This preparation is about gathering necessary financial information to feed our next statutory reporting.  Part of this information will come from the 2025 Year-in-review process and report we did.

Preparation or planning forward is also about being aware of changes coming with SORP (Statement of Recommended Practices) 2026.  In terms of reporting cycle, we have to start preparing for these changes, although we do not yet know their contents.

As the Final Countdown has started, the action-oriented phase (that is, the Post 2025 Year in Review) will help us to translate the lessons learned from the reflective phase (summarized in the 2025 Year-in-review Report) into concrete impactful activities that will further CENFACS’ charity objects and mission.

As we look ahead to all that 2026 can be, we invite all supporters to make a final act of kindness this year (2025).  Your gift before midnight tonight will help us – to combat climate disinformation, to reduce long-term energy poverty and to develop zero-waste skills – and continue our mission.

Thank you for being an essential part of CENFACS and of those in need in 2025.

 

_________

 

• References

 

(1) cenfacs.org.uk/2025/01/08/2025-light-seasons-resources-projects-and-programmes/ (accessed in December 2025)

(2) cenfacs.org.uk/2025/12/21/_trashed-2/ (accessed in December 2025)

_________

 

• 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 until the end of 2025 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

24 December 2025

Post No. 436

 

 

The Week’s Contents 

 

• 2025 Year-in-review Impact Report

• Year-end Triple Action Giving: Peace, Hope and Difference

• Year-end Advice- and Guidance-giving Services

 

… And much more!

 

 

Festive Season’s Key Messages

 

• 2025 Year-in-review Impact Report

 

The above-mentioned report is an evaluation of what happened in this ending year (2025).  It showcases what was achieved, how it happened, and why it matters for the future of CENFACS’ mission.  It is CENFACS’ performance highlights and lowlights as well as insights, outsights, challenges, wins/successes, learnings and areas of development throughout 2025.  It is not an annual report or an annual return.

The report, which is a brief summary of 2025 and a reflective phase in our mission, will help to learn what went well and what did not go well within and around CENFACS.

The report highlights outcomes, success stories, and data that prove how support and efforts led to positive change for beneficiaries and service users.  It helps communicate connections with all of you who worked with us and/or helped us in our beautiful and noble cause of poverty reduction.  It is as well a summary of ongoing dialogue within CENFACS, and between CENFACS and its stakeholders.

Beyond be the storytelling of CENFACS’ finances, the report is an impact story as it explains the effect or impression made by the work we undertook together – through a number of projects and programmes – with service users and beneficiaries with the help of our supporters; effect or impression on those who needed support and help on their way towards relief or poverty reduction.

It is finally a forward-looking exercise to set goals for 2026 as it outlines plans for 2026 and explain how we can engage our charitable objects in 2026 and beyond.

Under the Main Development section of this post, you will find key highlights of this 2025 Year-in-review Impact Report.

 

 

• Year-end Triple Action Giving: Peace, Hope and Difference

 

• • What Is the Season’s Relief Triple Action Giving?

 

It is about fighting poverty and hardships in a number of fronts over the Festive Season, particularly by helping…

 

(a) to bring peace,

(b) to create hope

(c) and to make a meaningful difference.

 

It is the combination of triple action with the virtues of peace, hope and difference as outcomes of CENFACS’ charitable work during the Festive and Light Seasons.  Hope, peace and difference represent the core outcomes or areas of impact that CENFACS aims to achieve during the Festive and Light Seasons.

Let us briefly explain each of the three givings (that is, peace, hope and difference).

 

• • • Peace via the Gifts of Peace

 

Our celebratory theme for the Season’s Reliefs is Peace and continues to be alive until the end of this season.   Peace could relate to initiatives such as conflict resolution, supporting the refugees and internally displaced persons by conflicts or natural disasters, reconciliation programmes, etc.  This peace is delivered through the Gifts of Peace.

The Gifts of Peace, which are one of CENFACS’ festive favourites, are the set piece of the Season’s Reliefs that provides the absence of conflicts within us as well as between us and others.

In terms of projects and programmes in Africa, the Gifts of Peace try to support poor people and communities so that they can navigate their ways towards freedoms from wars, armed conflicts, disease disturbance and disorder from natural events.

For those who are looking for fundraising appeals or projects to fund as festive gifts over this festive time, Gifts of Peace as an appeal is a valuable proposal they could consider.  They can try any of the 12 Gift Ideas to reduce poverty and sustain development, mentioned in the Gifts of Peace making our year-end campaign.  They can unwrap their Gifts of Peace for those in need this Festive Season.

To enquire about and or fund the Gifts of Peace, please contact CENFACS.

 

• • • Hope through the Gift of Light

 

Our theme for the Season of Light is Hope and is still featuring what we have planned to achieve over this season.  Hope refers to providing aid, education or opportunity that offer a path to a better future for those in need.  This hope is provided by the Gift of Light.

The Gift of Light helps to bring hope to those who are in the darkness and need some lights to see life through other ways.

Regarding the projects and programmes in our sphere of operation in Africa, we try to work – through the Gift of Light – with hopeless, desperate and destitute people and communities so that they can rebuild confidence and faith in themselves and continue to believe that they can find light and move away from darkness in the future.

 

• • • Difference by means of CENFACS’ Zero Waste e-Store

 

Difference emphasizes the tangible positive change and impact your festive donations will have on poor people’s lives.  Among the festive donations, there are good donations at CENFACS’ Zero Waste e-Store.

Shopping and donating goods at our CENFACS’ Zero Waste e-Store is the third giving.  It is the festive difference that can be made through CENFACS’ Zero Waste e-Store.  It can be made via

 

σ Purchases to directly support CENFACS’ noble and beautiful cause of poverty reduction

σ Goods donations to promote sustainability and reduce waste, including donors’ household circularity

σ Affordable gifts you can find for the festive occasion

σ Volunteering opportunities you can provide to volunteers through your good purchases and donations.

 

We are asking goods donors and buyers to DO SOMETHING MEANINGFULLY DIFFERENT THIS SEASON.  To smooth the process of donating and buying goods, we are offering the following options:

 

∝ Safe collection of goods for recycling; that is we can arrange for goods to be safely collected at an agreed location, day and time under our Recycle and Give policy

∝ ‘Click and Collect’ facility for goods e-buyers.

 

Every time you shop at CENFACS’ Zero-Waste e-Store, you make a helpful difference to people in need over this festive time.  Amongst these people are those who are trying to fight poverty induced by the high costs of living.

The above is the Season’s Relief Triple Action Giving.  Each of these three action givings (or acts of transferring something voluntarily to another person without expectation of receiving something in immediate return) will help to reduce poverty over the festive period and beyond.

We can only help reduce and possibly end multi-dimensional poverty as well as poverty induced by the high costs of living if you help us to do so.   This time of the year is a unique opportunity for you, once a year, to change lives through your invaluable action giving, however small it may be.

Please, don’t miss this marvelous opportunity of the year and the end of the year.  There is a high demand for poverty reduction.

To donate goods and/or shop, please go to: http://cenfacs.org.uk/shop/

The above-mentioned Year-end Triple Action Giving or Year-end Fundraising Campaign continues until the last day, hour, minute and second of 2025.

For those who would like to donate to our End-of-year Asks and any other festive projects or campaigns or even causes before 2025 ends, please do not hesitate to donate.   You can still make a helpful difference before the last second of 31/12/2025.

To donate, just contact CENFACS with your donation by any of these means of communications: text, phone, e-mail and contact form on this website.

 

 

• Year-end Advice- and Guidance-giving Services

 

The Festive Season’s Arrangements below explain that we are in holiday break until the 5^th of January 2026.   However, some of our projects and campaigns are either self-running or designed to run throughout the holiday season like the festive holiday.  Three of these holiday projects are the Information-, Advice- and Guidance-giving ones. 

We are providing advice for project beneficiaries or service users as well as guidance to donors/funders.  We are providing these two year-end services:

 

a) Advice for those who are suffering and need help

b) Financial guidance for donors and non-donors.

 

Let us briefly explain the contents of these services.

 

• • Year-end Advice-giving Service to Project Beneficiaries and Users

 

During the festive period not everybody or member of our community can afford to celebrate on the New Year’s Eve.  There are people who still need accommodation, food, income, guidance, support, help against loneliness, etc.  They may also need life-saving support of various kinds to cope and survive while other people, the lucky ones, are busy preparing themselves for the New Year’s Eve festivities.

Because of this on-going need and demand within the community, we have maintained a minimum level of advice-giving service to e-work with those who desperately need advice to reduce poverty or any type of hardships they are facing and do not have anywhere else to ask for help and advice, especially at this challenging time of the high costs of the living.

The service, which will help them navigate the above-mentioned challenges and hardships of the end of the year, includes all the elements of CENFACS’ Advice, Guidance and Information Service to users.  We can as well provide advice on the following:

 

σ capacity building and development

σ financial planning for the coming year

etc.

 

If you are one of our members and facing serious hardship during the festive period, you can e-contact CENFACS for advice, guidance, information and support.  We can work with you to smoothly transition into the New Year.

If you are not one of our members and would like to discuss this year-in-review advice project, please still e-contact CENFACS.

 

• • Year-end Financial Guidance-giving Service to Donors/Funders and Households

 

• • • Year-end Financial Guidance-giving Service to Donors and Funders

 

In order to make the year-end giving process effective and meaningful for donors and funders, we are offering them guidance and support.  The guidance service is on the way they can effectively support CENFACS’ noble and beautiful causes of poverty reduction during this festive time.

This support to them is on the following:

 

σ how to strategically plan so that donors’ and funders’ contributions align with their philanthropic goals and values

σ how to assess the impact of donors’ and funders’ donations

σ how to understand tax benefits through their donations.

 

For instance, we can guide them on charitable giving and tax relief amtters.  In particular, for those who donate, we can provide guidance on tax efficiency, which is relevant at the end of the tax year (the 5th of April in the UK).

We can as well direct them on Gift Aid, which is the scheme that allows charities to claim an extra 25p for every £1 donate, provided the donor is a UK taxpayer.  In this respect, we can refer them to HMRC (His Majesty Revenues and Customs) for matters related to how to include the Gift Aid donations in their self-assessment tax returns in order to receive the correct relief.

We can also guide them on donations relating to land, property or shares.

If you are donor or funder and would like to give to CENFACS’ causes during the festive period, but need guidance to do it, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

• • • Year-end Financial Guidance-giving Service to Households

 

This Year-end Financial Guidance-giving Service to Households is the annual process of reviewing their finances and making tax-efficient decisions before the UK tax year ends on April 5th in 2026.  This guidance helps the households making the CENFACS Community to plan for the future.

The key areas of this financial guidance include tax planning, inheritance tax, charitable giving, household support funds, general support fund, and general financial management.

For instance, concerning the general financial management, we can guide households on the best practices such as organizing financial records, reviewing internal processes, and planning early for the next financial year/plan.

If you are one of our community members and would like financial guidance, CENFACS will be happy to guide you.  If we cannot do it now, we can always organise a meeting with you to you guide in the New Year.  This is all part of Year-in-review Project 2025.

 

 

Festive Season’s Extra Messages

 

• Festive Season’s Arrangements: from 24 December 2025 to 5 January 2026

• Year-end Information Service about Household Accounts during the Festive Season

• E-discussing Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap from 05/12/2025 to 05/01/2026

 

 

• Festive Season’s Arrangements: from 24 December 2025 to 5 January 2026

 

Between 24 December 2025 and 05 January 2026, we are closed while essential services and donation campaigns continue to run.  The following are the arrangements we have made for the above stated closed period.

 

• • Queries and Enquiries

 

During the festive holidays, we will only handle online queries and enquiries until the 5th of January 2026.  However, our All-in-Development Winter e-discussion on Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap is still on until the 5th of January 2026 as planned.

 

• • Opening Hours and Days: 24/7

 

We are open online 24 hours and 7 days of week.

 

• • Visits

 

You can only visit us online.

 

• • Festive Donations

 

Our festive campaigns highlight not only the projects and activities that are related to CENFACS’ demand, but also and mostly to the needs and asks of those living in poverty around this time of the year and of the continuing disruption of the lingering effects of the high costs of living.

Those who want to donate to our fundraising campaigns and projects (such as Gifts of Peace, Light and Restoration) are welcome to do so.

Their festive support or donations will help bring a Blaze of Hope and Peace to those in need, particularly at this challenging time of the high costs of living.

As well as donating, there are other ways one can support.  These other ways range from spreading the message about CENFACS’ work and campaigns to visiting our online store for shopping.

All the above initiatives can create magical reliefs during this Festive Season and disturbing moment of the lingering effects of the high costs of living.

 

• • Season of Light

 

Although our Season of Light has just kicked off, some of our services and activities (such as advocacy, in-person fundraising events, etc.) as well as development campaigns are scaled down until the 5^th of January 2026.

 

• • What’s On from 24 December 2024 to 5 January 2026!

 

Since 24 December 2025 we broke for the festive holidays.  However, there are projects that are essential including in festive times.  Three of them are Information-, Advice- and Guidance-giving ones, which will still be run online.

This is because evidence shows that in any difficult moments of human history or crisis, the poorest always suffer.  They also suffer during the happiest times of the festive celebrations.  They do not have festive celebration as such, just as they could be the ones bearing the brunt of the most negative socio-economic effects of the festive celebrations.  Many of them need support which includes information, advice and guidance at any time.  During the Festive Period, we promote these services to reflect the high demand from these people.

Additionally, it is important that those who want to help them or donate to CENFACS’ noble and beautiful causes of poverty reduction find ways of giving easy, not complicate.  For this reason, we are also available for funders and donors to guide them to fund and donate easily.

 

• • Delays Regarding Call and E-mail Responses

 

People should expect delay from us in responding to their calls and e-mails.  We heavily rely on volunteers for most of our services, who are sharing the Winter e-discussion with us during this Festive Time.  Some of them are already on holiday.

 

• • Emergency and Exceptions

 

In case of emergency or exceptional circumstances, please do not hesitate to text, phone, e-mail and complete the contact form on CENFACS’ website.  We will respond to your message as soon as we can.  We have key volunteers who will be available on a rotation basis to cover emergency services or essential calls.

At this time of the year, we strike a delicate balance between volunteers’ annual break and the fulfilment of CENFACS’ mission. We apologize for any inconvenience or upset this may cause.

We thank you all for your invaluable and sustained support during 2025 and look forward to your continued and further support in the New Year.

We wish you a Very Healthy, Safe and Peaceful Festive Season!

 

 

• Year-end Information Service about Household Accounts during the Festive Season

 

Perhaps, the best way of approaching this service is to explain it and provide the types of information to be given to households.

 

• • Brief Explanation of Year-end Information Service about Household Accounts during the Festive Season

 

Like the Year-end Advice and Guidance Services, Year-end Information Service is a year-round support we run.  At this time of the year, this is promoted to match the increased financial pressure most low-income households experienced by providing them with the information they need during the Festive Season.

Year-end Information Service about Household Accounts during the Festive Season aims to support households in making informed decisions to ensure a soft start in the New Year.  The service provides information on how to create household budgets, managing debts, and finding potential sources of financial support to navigate the pressures of household accounts during the Festive Season.

 

• • Types of Year-end Information We Are Providing to Help Households Manage Their Accounts This Festive Season

 

During this Festive Season, we are providing information on the following:

 

σ Grants for essential needs or unexpected costs and help with household bills

σ Household Support Fund, which is a government-funded scheme to deal with essential costs like energy and water bills

σ Food and essentials (like food banks that provide emergency food parcels)

σ Ways to find practical, emotional and financial support

σ Emergency grants for families struggling to afford festive basics

σ Utility bill assistance

Etc.

 

For those who may be interested in this year-end information provision service, they can contact CENFACS.

 

 

• E-discussing Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap from 05/12/2025 to 05/01/2026

 

Our Winter e-discussion on Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap from 05/12/2025 to 05/01/2026 continues.  The e-discussion is on the following matters:

 

√ How the creation of roadmap would support planning and investment for our Africa-based Sister Organisations working on energy transition

√ The building and developing a momentum towards clear energy

√ The kind of energy transition needed in Africa to improve health outcomes and economic resilience

√ Practical steps to disinvest from fossil fuels

√ Strategies for reinvesting into cleaner energy sources

√ How our Africa-based Sister Organisations can set up their own energy transition roadmap

√ How these organisations can finance their voluntary energy transition programmes and projects

Etc.

 

The e-discussion is also about volunteering in work of creating voluntary fossil fuel roadmap to find new models of development or business models that build on this roadmap.  It is an e-debate on voluntary transition to renewables to help combat long-term energy poverty (that is, the lack of access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy services).

As we are nearing 2026, an e-discussion on Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap will provide us with some ideas about the different paths that our Africa-based Sister Organisations and communities may take in order to manage energy transitions in their own path and means.  It will as well contribute to reduce energy poverty for the disproportionately burdened energy poor households by high energy costs and environmental issues linked to the use of fossil fuels.

To e-discuss about Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

 

• Rapport d’Impact Rétrospectif 2025 

Le rapport mentionné ci-dessus est une évaluation de ce qui s’est passé au cours de cette année de clôture (2025). Il met en avant ce qui a été accompli, comment cela s’est produit et pourquoi cela est important pour l’avenir de la mission de CENFACS. Il s’agit des points forts et faibles de la performance de CENFACS ainsi que des idées, perspectives, défis, succès et réussites, enseignements et domaines de développement tout au long de 2025. Ce n’est pas un rapport annuel ni un bilan social.

Le rapport, qui est un résumé bref de 2025 et une phase de réflexion sur notre mission, aidera à apprendre ce qui s’est bien passé et ce qui ne s’est pas bien passé au sein et autour de CENFACS.

Le rapport met en avant les résultats, les histoires de réussite et les données qui prouvent comment le soutien et les efforts ont conduit à un changement positif pour les bénéficiaires. Il aide à communiquer les liens avec vous tous qui avez travaillé avec nous et/ou nous avez aidés dans notre belle et noble cause de réduction de la pauvreté. C’est également un résumé du dialogue en cours au sein de CENFACS, et entre CENFACS et ses parties prenantes.

Au-delà de la narration des finances de CENFACS, le rapport est une histoire d’impact car il explique l’effet ou l’impression laissée par le travail que nous avons entrepris ensemble – à travers plusieurs projets et programmes – avec les utilisateurs/rices de services et les bénéficiaires avec l’aide de nos soutiens ; effet ou impression sur ceux ou celles qui avaient besoin de soutien et d’aide sur leur chemin vers le soulagement ou la réduction de la pauvreté.

Il s’agit enfin d’un exercice prospectif pour fixer des objectifs pour 2026 car il expose les plans pour 2026 et explique comment nous pouvons engager nos objectifs caritatifs en 2026 et au-delà.

Pour plus de détails sur le Rapport d’Impact Rétrospectif 2025 du CENFACS, veuillez contacter le CENFACS.

 

 

Festive Season’s Main Development

 

• 2025 Year-in-review Impact Report

How the year 2025 has unfolded both inside and around CENFACS

 

The following contents make this report:

 

a) CENFACS Mission Statement

b) A brief Summary of the Year

c) The Theme of 2025 Year-in-review Campaign

d) How Did the Year 2025 Go through from within and around CENFACS?

e) Impact and Outcomes

f) Financial Review

g) 2025 Key Produce or Achievements

h) Stories and Voices

i) Looking Forward to 2026 (or Commitments for the Year 2026)

j) 2025 Gratitude.

 

Let’s look at each of these contents.

 

• • CENFACS Mission Statement

 

The mission statement of CENFACS is to enhance the quality of life for Africans in Africa and the UK.

As part of this mission, we work together with our beneficiaries by providing practical and people-centred support as well as develop sustainable solutions for them to overcome poverty and improve the quality of their life.  During this 2025, we have done the same.

 

• • The Year’s Brief Summary

 

At the start of 2025, our goals were to develop projects of land restoration, boosting drought resilience, and sharing prosperity with those in need.  As a result, we developed together with our Africa-based Sister Organisations  (ASOs) a Land Restoration and Drought Resilience Programme.  This development led to a good number of applications to the programme.

As conflicts continue to unfold in some parts of Africa where our ASOs operate, dealing with the work of economic peace became unavoidable in places like Mali where the Needy People Wanted Hope to recover economic peace.

During this ending year, African charities (particularly but not exclusively ASOs) experienced all sorts of challenges and barriers to raise funds to deal with climate change and poverty in Africa.  Among these challenges has been the international/foreign aid cuts which adversely impacted ASOs operations. 

In such difficult international aid landscape, developing alternative funding sources was inevitable for many of them.  Many of these ASOs learnt from these cuts and started to think differently.

Together with them, we developed a strategy for alternative funding sources and new business models to enable them to continue their mission and work of poverty reduction as well as plan for the future.  

We hope with this new strategy, we can improve together with them in our collaborative work of helping to reduce poverty and enhancing sustainable development in Africa.

 

• • Theme of CENFACS’ 2025 Year-in-Review Campaign

 

The theme for this review is celebrating the wins with a focus on highlighting the accomplishments made in 2025 with the goal of “moving forward to protect the gains or legacies of our building-forward-better-together work while building upon progress to achieve a more equitable and inclusive society”.

 

• • How Did the Year 2025 Go through from within and around CENFACS?

 

To underline the way in which the year 2025 went from within and around CENFACS, we are going to highlight the key takeaways of 2025 and the contributions we made.

 

• • • Key takeaways of the year

 

The points or facts to remember about 2025 from within and around CENFACS are as follows.

 

∝) 2025 as a year of restoration

2025 has been a Year of Restoration within CENFACS, a year of using the notion of restoration as tool to understand paradigmatic change in the lives of those in need, particularly the CENFACS Community members.  It has been a year of working with them as they have been restoring things in their lives so that they could reduce poverty.  We worked with our users through a series or set of interconnected restoration tasks or activities (in total, we had 12 Restoration Project episodes) with the aim of reducing poverty linked to the lack of restoration.  These tasks or activities were undertaken each month of 2025 within the requirements and limitations of CENFACS’ existing and acquirable resources, capacities and assets.

 

∝) 2025 as a year of reducing poverty linked to the lack of economic peace 

2025 has also been a year of using the principles, recipes and ecosystem of peace economics in order to further help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development in CENFACS’ areas of operation in Africa.  Together with Africa-based Sister Organisations, we helped in addressing issues leading to conflicts and inequality and enhance social mobility.  This work on prevention and resilience contributed to build and cement economic peace in those areas.

 

∝) 2025 as a year of integrating climate finance and poverty reduction finance

2025 provided a renewed opportunity to engage with African Charities to ensure that funds were channelled towards activities that simultaneously tackle climate change and reduce poverty in Africa receive a fair share or consideration.  Our joint work helped them improve their finance strategies regarding both climate and poverty reduction issues.

 

∝) 2025 as a year of spatial analysis of poverty with orange spaces

2025 has too been a year of engaging space to deal with poverty induced or linked to orange space.  It was a year of addressing spatialisation of poverty.  We explored orange spaces theme to understand how the existence of Orange Spaces signals areas where economic well-being is worsening and can be used to identify where new poverty traps are forming or where existing ones are intensifying, influencing urban planning and the provision of resources.

 

∝) 2025 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 particularly worked with households making the CENFACS Community on Integrating Generative AI into Household Data Story Telling and Communications, Application of Data and Insight Skills to Manage Your Households, etc.

 

∝) 2025 as a year of two-story series after system reset and change 

Amongst the stories received from our All in Development Story Telling Programme and Series 2025, there were 4 great stories of restoration, 2 remarkable stories of reinstallation, 3 amazing stories of continuous improvement and adaptation, 2 moving stories of updating and one memorable story of ongoing maintenance and support to reduce poverty.

 

∝) 2025 as a year of trend analysis activities

As part of these trend analysis activities, we worked on a) trend analysis for CENFACS as a charity, b) user activity trend analysis, and c) trend analysis of the poverty reduction market by following the direction of poverty reduction via nature goals and sustainable development goals.

This follow-up enabled our users to understand how these activities can help reduce poverty.

 

∝) 2025 as a year of advocacy to save critically endangered amphibian species via MAMBILANGA project

MAMBILANGA – which is stands for Mind Amphibians for Maintaining the Balance of Insects in the Lives of Aquatics and Nutrients, and for Guarding Agriculture – is a CENFACS 2025 advocacy project designed to help protect critically endangered amphibian species and keep them up in their natural habitat in Africa.

Through the ‘MAMBILANGA 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 amphibian species like

Pickersgill’s Reed Frog (Hyperolius pickersgill), Western Nimba Toad (Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis), Togo Slippery Frog (Conraua derooi), Rough Moss Frog (Arthroleptella rugosa), Blommersia Dupeezi, Krokosua Squeaking Frog (Arthroleptis krokosua), Atewa Slippery Frog, etc.

 

∝) 2025 as a third year of Matching Organisation-Investor Programme

We ran matching 0rganisation-investor projects which were on the following areas: land restoration, telehealth, sustainable education, and gambling.  These projects, which were the matching opportunities of the year 2025, offered to both ASOs and not-for-profit investors a chance to make their dream come true. In other words, there were occasions for ASOs to find the investment they were looking for and not-for-profit investors the organisation to invest in, and both of them could start the New Year with certainty.

 

The above-mentioned insights and actionable items help understand what worked, did not work and how to improve future efforts.  They further help to remember what we have achieved together and guide our 2026 strategy.

 

• • Impact and Outcomes

 

In terms of both impact and outcomes on mission and beneficiaries, we can mention these ones provided below.

 

 

Regarding the outcomes for the work in Africa, it is useful to state that

 

~ the flood-impacted people of Kinshasa and Tanganyika received support although there is still a lot to be done

~ Some of the orphaned children where our ASOs operate were rehoused

~ A considerable number of applications were received in the context of land restoration and drought resilience programme

~ 4 ASOs found alternative income sources to mitigate the impact of international aid cuts on their budget

~ The internally displaced persons in Masisi (Democratic Republic of Congo) received some support but there is an unfinished work as there is a need to expand the reach to every displaced person.

 

The above-mentioned impact and realisations/outcomes on our mission in Africa are the few ones we wanted to share with you in this Year-in-review Impact Report.

 

 

As to the impact for the work in the UK, we can note from the surveys carried out on those who followed our programmes and projects to empower households making the CENFACS Community the following key performance indicators:

 

~ On average, most families found intergenerational financial planning helpful to them

~ One in three (1/3) households used restoration skills to handle crises

~ 1/2 households became climate-conscious in terms of investing

~ The majority of households had a positive view on climate-resilient asset building capacity

~ 50% of households were willing to update their financial plan

~ 50% of households reported positive satisfaction about the economic skills we shared with them.

 

The above-named beneficiary outcomes are the ones we got so far.  We can hope that some of the impacts and outcomes from our work with households will appear in the New Year.

 

• • Financial Review

 

Concerning funding sources, our new strategy for alternative funding sources and diverse income streams has not yet started to yield its fruits we anticipated.  In addition, individual donations did not materialise the way we thought as individual donors are still reluctant to donate until they see some clear progress in the economy. We are still expecting feedbacks from a number of grant applications we made; meaning that we could be granted funding in the New Year.

Regarding the expenditure side, it is worth mentioning that the 60 % of total expenses were directly spent on charitable activities, not on anything else.  Our objective to ensure that CENFACS remains financially stable and able to weather economic shifts is still being pursued.

With respect to the cash funds account, our cash funds kept their ascending trends, as highlighted in our Annual Impact Review 2024/2025 (1).  This ascendance has continued throughout 2025.

We are planning to improve our fundraising strategy and practice to overcome the above-mentioned challenges and build on success in the New Year.

 

• • 2025 Key Produce or Achievements

 

2025 as a dedicated year of restoration has been a notable year of poverty reduction produce or accomplishments.  It will be remembered as the year of…

 

~ A new land restoration and drought programme that aims at those Africa-based Sister Organizations investing in lands and ecosystems back to a more natural state through projects of equitable and just restoration

~ Alternative developments with alternative funding sources and alternative economic models for both Africa-based Sister Organizations and low-income households

~ A new way of sharing information between CENFACS and its stakeholders via Metrics News from CENFACS Dashboard

~ Combined human-nature relief (between human/humanitarian needs and nature/species conservation) in the process of balancing human and nature relationships

~ Integrating AI tools into CENFACS programmes, projects and activities.

 

The above are just the few selected accomplishments or produce we wanted to share with our audiences and supporters in this year-in-review campaign.  However, for those who would like to get more insights into them and other achievements of the year 2025, they can let us know.

 

• • Stories and Voices

 

We had a number of stories from those who followed our All in Development Story Telling Programme and Series.  One of these stories comes from the Serial 2 of this programme.  Serial 2 was about Stories of Restoration after Resetting a System and Stories of Ongoing Maintenance and Support after Changing a System.

The story is of ‘before and after’ restoration, of Restoration after resetting a system.  It is a tale of actively planting trees to help nature to recover on its own, and of removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.  It comes from one of our household members who planted trees in their garden.  They shared their story on life-changing impact of ecological restoration after resetting the ecosystem where they live.

 

• • Looking Forward to 2026 (or Plan for the Year 2026)

 

In 2026, we shall undertake planning for projects relating to the following:

 

√ Combat against climate disinformation

√ Finance mobilisation roadmap

√ Reduction of long-term energy poverty

√ Voluntary energy transitions

√ Zero-waste skills development.

 

Besides that, we shall carry on with the financial empowerment programme of our service users and beneficiaries to reduce financial poverty and mitigate the lingering effects of previous and current crises with some of the initiatives (like Financial Monitoring and Controls in 2026).

We shall as well continue to develop household-focused and area-focused programmes to support poor and vulnerable households so that they can build their resources and assets to overcome intergenerational poverty.

We shall finally carry on to lighting a Blaze of Hope for every place and everyone who will need it in our identified area of operation.

 

• • 2025 Gratitude

 

To conclude this Year-in-review Impact Report, we want to express our ongoing appreciation for our contributors, facilitators, and supporters in tackling poverty with us, as we mentioned in last week’s message.

Reflecting on 2025, we are deeply thankful for their involvement. This year has been significant for us, thanks to those who motivated us to address local and African challenges during this tough period marked by persistent high living expenses. Their backing was crucial for us to navigate through this year.

We are grateful to them for paving the way for 2025 to emerge as another commendable year for reducing poverty and promoting sustainable growth, as well as for our joint achievements. Let’s strive to make the upcoming year even more beneficial for those who require assistance.

For more details or a complete overview of 2025 and to address any concerns related to this 2025 Year-in-Review Impact Report, please feel free to reach out to us.

_________

 

• Reference

 

(1) cenfacs.org.uk/2025/08/27/cenfacs-annual-impact-review-2024-2025/ (accessed in December 2025)

_________

 

• 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 until the end of 2025 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

17 December 2025

Post No. 435

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Season of Light 2025-2026

• Festive Giving, Gifting and Out-of-poverty Lifting

• Community Value Chains, the CENFACS Community

 

… And much more!

 

 

• Year-end 2025 Thank You Message

As the year 2025 comes to an end, we want to pause and convey our appreciation to all of supporters and to each of you for your loyalty and devotion to the noble and beautiful mission of alleviating poverty.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who collaborated with us in decreasing poverty and made it achievable for those requiring assistance and for us throughout 2025.

 

 

Key Messages

 

• Season of Light 2025-2026

 

On 21 December 2025, we shall move from Autumn Fresh Start to the Season of Light.  As a result, Autumn Fresh Start Projects and Programmes including Campaigns will end to signal the start of the Season of Light within CENFACS.

 

• • End of the Autumn Fresh Start Season and Campaign

 

The Autumn Season will officially end on 21 December 2025.  The momentum we built from the beginning and throughout Autumn Fresh Start Season continues to galvanise our poverty relief action and is taking our relief journey into the Season of Light, which starts the 21st of December 2025.

 

• • Start of the Season of Light within CENFACS

 

The Season of Light, which usually starts the 21st of December of each year and ends around 21 March in the New Year, runs through the Festive Season, which is between 01 December of the ending year (here 2025) and 31 January in the New Year (2026).  The Gift of Hope symbolizes the Season of Light, while the Gifts of Peace, which keep on giving, normally feature the Festive Season.

During the Season of Light, we light up a Blaze of Hope for people and communities suffering from the effects and impacts of destructive wars and natural disasters in Africa.

In the coming weeks and months of the Season of Light, our Blaze of Hope will be extended to those who are continuing to suffer from the lingering effects of other crises (such as the cost-of-living, hunger and security crises).

The Season of Light will come with the Lights Appeal or Campaign, which is a set of poverty reduction projects that features the Season of Light.

 

• • Two Themes, Two Seasons and Two Gifts

 

The theme for the Season of Light is Hope which we try to bring through a Blaze, while the theme for the Festive Season is Peace.

 

• • • Hope as theme and gift during the Season of Light

 

Hope is what we are trying to achieve during the Season of Light to reduce poverty as a lack of hope.  Poverty as a lack of hope is about feeling trapped, powerless, and believing a better future is impossible, creating a poverty of hope that fuels cycles of despair, poor decisions, and inaction, making it harder to escape from hardship, even with opportunities present, as stress and limited resources crush aspirations.

The Gift of Hope will help hopeless people to take the steps they need to improve their lives when they are trapped in scarcity.  This gift provides strength and direction when facing adversity while inspiring resilience and kindness in those who need them and towards others.

 

• • • Peace as theme and gift during the Festive Season

 

The theme of Peace for the Festive Season is a call to action to cultivate a state of mind and a way of living that reflects harmony, hope, and love for others.  Peace is both the absence of conflict and the representation of wholeness, harmony, reconciliation, and internal tranquility.

The Gifts of Peace are the transformative experiences that enable the beneficiaries of these gifts to navigate life’s challenges with calmness, unity and a state of goodness in life.  They are CENFACS Wintry Gift Appeal initiative to support people living in poverty in Africa.

During the Festive Season, we try to reduce poverty as a lack of peace via the Gifts of Peace; whereas in the context of the Season of Light we work through Lights Appeals/Gifts to relieve poverty as a lack of hope.  There is a relationship between light and peace.  Light is the source that enables us overcome darkness and access inner peace.  Peace is a result or component of accepting the gift of light.

Those who feel themselves hopeless need some hope/lights.  They need some belief to attain the wish or desire of poverty reduction, to persist, to build trust in resources and to share hopes.

Under the Main Development section of this post, there is more information about the Season of Light 2025-2026.

 

 

• Festive Giving, Gifting and Out-of-poverty Lifting

 

Festive Giving, Gifting and Out-of-poverty Lifting are the three ways of engaging with the Festive Season, those in need and CENFACS.  As part of this seasonal engagement, of the season of giving and gifting as well as of lifting poor and vulnerable people out of poverty; we are asking supporters to go extra miles in replying to these two fundraising appeals which are: Festive Gift Set and End-of-year Support.

To ease the understanding of these appeals, let us briefly explain Festive Giving, Gifting and Out-of-poverty Lifting.

 

 

• • What Is Festive Giving?  What Is Festive Gifting? What Is Festive Out-of-poverty Lifting?

 

Festive Giving is the act of sharing joy, love and generosity with those in need during the Festive Season.  In other words, it refers to generosity of spirit and broad acts of kindness.  It is also the time to give to charities to help the less fortunate enjoy the holiday.  The desire of the Festive Giving is to spread festive cheer to the less fortunate.

Festive Gifting is the act of presenting someone with a gift, often involving a tangible object and a relationship-building intent.  It is also the practice of giving physical presents or curated gifts set to those in need (who could be family members, friends and peers) during the Festive Season.  The desire is to create, maintain or transform social relationships and hierarchies.

Festive Out-of-poverty Lifting is about moving people from living below the poverty line to a state of financial stability, and of creating pathways for people in extreme poverty to achieve lasting financial well-being.  The motivation is to end injustices and enable people to escape the cycle of poverty through empowerment rather than just temporary aid.

So, with Festive Giving, Gifting and Out-of-poverty Lifting; we can express love, appreciation, kindness and generosity towards those in need who are looking for brightness.  We can do it through Festive Gift Set and End-of-year Support.

 

 

• • Festive Gift Set

 

Festive Gift Set is a collection of items curated and packaged together to celebrate festive occasion.  These sets are thoroughly designed to bring joy and festivity to the recipients.  They are made of carefully selected items that complement each other and create a memorable difference and experience for the recipients.

This Festive Gift Set can be given for the remaining fourteen days of this year starting from today as those of the last legacy of the Year 2025 as the ‘Restoration’ Year at CENFACS.

To mark the end of our ‘Restoration’ Year and Campaign, we are appealing to you to support CENFACS’ Year 2025 through a ‘Restoration’ (‘R’) Gift or Year 2025 Gift.

Such a gift will help to undertake five changes as follows:

 

a) Change in terms of skills as the beneficiaries of this gift will develop new skills (like AI-powered restoration skills) and gain new perspectives, and grow to further reduce poverty (a gift of growth)

b) Change as those in need will become more adaptable, resilient and better equipped to handle future changes and uncertainties (a gift of adaptability)

c) Change as beneficiaries will generate new ideas and approaches to better address poverty and enhance sustainable development (a gift of creativity)

d) Change as members of the CENFACS Community will come together to support each other via change and build stronger bonds (a gift of community building or bond)

e) Change through togetherness as CENFACS users will work together to navigate new challenges, foster a sense of unity (a sense of belonging) and collaboration against poverty and hardships (a gift of togetherness).

 

 

With the ‘R’ Gift plus the Gift of Light plus the Gift of Peace; the three of them give you a Gift Set of £5 or more.  What do these gifts express?

 

 

• • • Expressions from the three gifts (of Restoration, Light and Peace)

 

• • • • The Restoration Gift represents the 12 Restoration Project Episodes of the Year of Restoration within CENFACS

 

It is a gift of renewal from brokenness which has the following properties:

 

# Giving something back to its best state

# Bringing a cherished object

# Connecting the recipient to history

# Creating new memories

# Bringing purpose after spiritual brokenness

# Preserving a piece of history for future generations.

 

The aim of Restoration Gift is providing meaningful support and resources that will enable those in need to restore their economic status and achieve long-term self-sufficiency.  This thoughtful and memorable gift you could ever provide to someone will give both immediate relief and restorative opportunities for long-term growth and self-renewal. 

You could unwrap your gift of restoration for those in need, this Festive Season!

 

• • • • The Gift of Light 

 

It is a form of lighting to peoples and communities without access to light.  It symbolises hope, warmth and joy for the victims of multiple crises (i.e., the cost-of-living crisis, wars and natural disasters).  It is also a donation programme that uses practical and meaningful means to meet the unique needs of transformation from darkness to brightness, to guide or show way of reducing poverty.

 

• • • • The Gifts of Peace

 

They are initiatives to promote peace and conflict resolution in war-torn or conflict-affected or disaster-stricken places, while providing aid and resources to those affected by changing climate, wars and conflicts while promoting stability in their communities.

These gifts create long lasting relationships in a world without conflicts between humans as well as between humans and the nature (other living beings and things).  At this time of the lingering effects of polycrises, the Gifts of Peace will enable to re-conquer the lost peace and get new form of peace from poverty induced by these effects.  This is without forgetting the lack of peace brought by climate change events.

All these initiatives represent some great ways of helping to reduce poverty at this special time of the year.  They give more opportunities to supporters to do something different for those in need.

By donating £5 or more for this Gift Set, you will help people in need to leave poverty and hardships behind them and may be forever.

To donate and or enquire about this Gift Set, just contact CENFACS with or without your donation.

 

 

• • End-of-year Support and Appeal

 

End-of-year Support and Appeal are a great way to show appreciation and spread holiday sheer as 2025 is coming to an end.  We would like to ask you to donate as a legacy towards CENFACS’ efforts to help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

You can donate to support CENFACS’ anti-poverty mission and to help reduce poverty and hardships this Festive Season and in the New Year.

Your support can make helpful differences to CENFACS and to those in need, the people and communities that CENFACS serves.

 

• • • Two ways of responding to this appeal

 

1) Make a One-off Festive Donation of £5 or more this festive time…

as a way of helping poor people via CENFACS and / or support CENFACS’ work on poverty relief and sustainable development.

You can also support one of the CENFACS projects and programmes if you wish.

 

2) Make a Monthly Donation of £5 or £10 or £15 or more per month…

as a legacy for CENFACS’ work.

Please make a year-end contribution today to help us continue to deliver the work of CENFACS in the remaining days 2025 and beyond.

 

This Year-end Support is an inclusive relief sending a never-ending message from the giver that they are part of what we have achieved in 2025 and will do in the coming years.

To make a donation and or enquire about this End-of-year Ask or Support, just contact CENFACS with or without your donation.

 

 

• Community Value Chains, the CENFACS Community

 

CENFACS as a Zero-waste Community of Restorers, which is the Closing Act of the 2025 Year, is being prepared and trended.  Before covering this preparation, let us highlight CENFACS’ Community Value Chains.

 

• • What Is CENFACS’ Community Value Chains (CVC)?

 

1) It is a community value control, inspirational and motivational project of year-end celebration introduced by CENFACS in 2009.  The project is based on a basic idea of development which is as follows:

“What a member of our community best does which well works for them can have an underlying good value.  If there is a good value, it is desirable to share such value so that other members of our community could be aware of it and build a sort of chains of beliefs and community spirit/principles within our support network”.

 

2) It is all about improving lives and outcomes of community members as well as enlivening capacities by sharing good practices, values, achievements and hopes about shared goals for the future; while learning from past mistakes.

In doing so, we can pull together as one community, strengthen our links and bonds, learn our differences and harness transformative changes we all want amongst us and beyond our self-interests.

 

3) It is finally about sharing and celebrating our wins or impact as a community.

 

To sum up, CENFACS’ CVC or the CENFACS Community is our voluntary local and non-profit making arm inside which all our projects and activities carried out in the UK are grouped and delivered; the other two domains being CENFACS International and CENFACS Fund for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development.

 

• • What Are Those Shared Values?

 

Good practices and good values do not need to be big or exceptional or even spectacular.  They are the simple good little things we do every day, which may have worked for us and could work for others as well.  These good little things could have a bigger impact on us as a community.

They could be life and work learning experiences, lifestyles, helpful differences, social responsibilities and principles that underpin them.  At this time of the high costs of living, they could be all the little initiatives one has taken to care for each other in order to have access to economic means of copying and survival.

 

• • Sharing and Celebrating Our Wins or Impact via CVC 2025

 

CENFACS as a Zero-waste Community of Restorers will feature our Year-end Giving Campaign.

This celebratory theme for CVC’s 16th Celebration of CENFACS as a Zero-waste Community of Restorers is and will be the Closing Act of the Restoration Year and Project.  This celebration or end-of-year sharing will be open to those who would like to share hopes about shared goals for a better future.

We shall again focus on ourselves as a Zero-waste Community of Restorers.  As a Zero-waste Community of Restorers we can work together with our community members to minimise waste sent to landfills and incinerators through strategies that followed the ‘5 Rs’ (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot).   This focus will be about our dedication to ecological restoration (like restoring ecosystems and nature) and upcycling objects (through CENFACS’ Zero Waste e-store) to reduce waste and build zero-waste skills. 

 

• • The 16th Celebration of CENFACS Community as Way of Looking both Back and Forward

 

• • • Looking back on 2025

 

It will be about

 

~ how we mobilised support and resources to meet the community’s restoration needs and goals

~ the work we carried out with the members of our community and Africa-based Sister Organisations via restoration skills, styles and models to help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development

~ how we approached crises and challenging situations to get the best outcomes for poverty reduction via restoration skills, styles and models

~ how we used the fundamental principles of restoration to work with users and project beneficiaries so that they could reduce poverty linked to the lack of restoration

~ reflecting on beneficiaries’ journey out of poverty and how far they come to get valuable insights in terms of poverty reduction and sustainable development via restoration.

 

• • • Looking forward to 2026

 

It revolves around

 

~ making use of the findings from what we did not know, and we now know about the needs and aspirations of the people in need making our community to build a better community

~ planning appropriate responses or new ways of working together with project beneficiaries in 2026 to meet unmet needs and demands

~ setting new realistic goals for 2026 and an action plan to achieve those goals.

 

For instance, we shall undertake planning for projects relating to the following:

 

√ combat against climate disinformation

√ finance mobilisation roadmap

√ reduction of long-term energy poverty

√ voluntary energy transitions

√ zero-waste skills.

 

In this respect, looking forward to 2026 will be about thinking of the direction and shape that the evolution of the community needs and aspirations may take in 2026 and how we can effectively and efficiently work with our members in 2026 in terms of improved course of action in the New Year.

Briefly, the 16th Celebration of CENFACS Community will take the form of a blended sharing of our progress and insights regarding how the year 2025 has impacted everyone’s life, focusing on the beneficial lessons learned to help pave the way for 2026.  During this intended sharing, we will appreciate the advantageous experiences derived from the challenges and upheavals faced in 2025.

Our aim is for our community to conclude 2025 on uplifting note or through sharing despite the ups and downs experienced this year, particularly due to the distress caused by rising living expenses that continue to affect many of us.  Additionally, we hope for our community to commence 2026 filled with optimism and encouraging mindset.

 

• • Share, Spread & Tweet the Message

 

To enable us to build value chains with you and others and to keep our support network alive and networked CENFACS, please spread the message to/pass it on around you.

If you feel that you need first to talk to us before responding to this invitation of end-of-year celebration/sharing, please let us know.

If you prefer to respond via e-mail, you are free to do so at facs@cenfacs.org.uk.

Whichever way or means you choose to enter this year-end sharing project, please reply by the 23rd of December 2025 so as to ease the end-of-year 2025 celebration/sharing and the start-of-year 2026 preparatory activities, projects and programmes.

For further details about this Closing Act of the Restoration Year and Project as a ‘R’ Year, please contact CENFACS.

For the timeline of the themes that made CENFACS’ Community Value Chains so far, please also contact CENFACS.

As part of the closure of 2025 and preparation for 2026, we are as well doing an inventory of skills and are registering the talents and skills of the CENFACS Community.

If you have not yet registered your skills to CENFACS’ Skills Data Bank, this is the opportunity to do it over this festive period.  Your skills registration will be essential to ensure that all the skills and skilled people making our community are included in any future plans to improve our community support.

To register or add your skills to the CENFACS Community’s Skills Register or Database, just contact CENFACS.

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Matching Organisation-Investor via a Small Lottery Scheme – In Focus from Monday 15/12/2025: Activity 3 Involving Alignment of Investee’s Evaluation and Exit Stage with Investor’s Closure and Benefits Realisation Phase 

• Income Generation Leads and Advice on Alternative Income Sources: Income Generators, Creators and Curators of the Month

• All Year-Round Projects (or Triple Value Initiatives): 2025 Verdict

 

 

• Matching Organisation-Investor via a Small Lottery Scheme – In Focus from Monday 15/12/2025: Activity 3 Involving Alignment of Investee’s Evaluation and Exit Stage with Investor’s Closure and Benefits Realisation Phase 

 

The concluding episode of our three-week Autumn Matching Organisation-Investor via a Small Lottery Scheme (SLS) is on Matching Organisation-Investor through Investee’s Evaluation and Exit Stage with Investor’s Closure and Benefits Realisation Phase.

There has been some synchronization between Investee’s Operation and Monitoring Stage and Investor’s Implementation and Operation Phase. Additionally, the evaluations of Key Performance Metrics (KPMs) concerning monitoring have yielded satisfactory results, with the SLS successfully meeting these evaluations.

The successful outcomes from the synchronization and metric evaluations have paved the way for the third and concluding round of matching discussions. During Activity 3, ASCOC will engage in discussions regarding its Evaluation and Exit Stage, while the not-for-profit (n-f-p) impact investor will present its Closure and Benefits Realisation Plan.

To approach this Third stage/phase of negotiation, we have organized our notes around the following points:

 

σ Matching Talk Terms

σ ASCOC’s or Investee’s Perspective and Key Actions Regarding Evaluation and Exit Stage

σ Not-for-profit Impact Investor’s Consideration Concerning Closure and Benefits Realisation Phase

σ Reaching an Agreement on the Key Areas of Investee’s Evaluation and Exit Stage with Investor’s Closure and Benefits Realisation Phase

σ The Match or Fit Test Service

σ Impact Advice to ASCOC and Guidance to n-f-p Impact Investor

σ The Rule of the Matching Game

σ CENFACS as a Matchmaker

σ CENFACS’ Hub for Testing Hypotheses

 

Let us look at each of these points.

 

• • Matching Talk Terms

 

There are four key matching terms which are evaluation, exit, closure, and benefits realisation.

Let us briefly explain them.

 

• • • Evaluation

 

Evaluation can be defined in various ways.  In the context of these matching talks, we are going to refer to what ‘ncvo.org.uk’ (1) argues about it.  The website ‘ncvo.org.uk explains that

“Evaluation is about working through a structured process to help you learn and make decision about your work.  It involves gathering data to help you understand the way the work was designed, how the work was put into effect (implementation), and the results from a piece of work”.

Evaluation has a cycle, which is planning your evaluation, collecting your data, assessing your data, reviewing your findings and putting them into practice.

ASCOC needs to demonstrate that it has followed this evaluation cycle when evaluating SLS.

 

• • • Exit

 

Project exit can be approach from various angles.  According to the United Nations Development Programme (2),

“A project exit strategy is a plan describing how the project intends to withdraw its resources while ensuring the achievement of the programme goals are not jeopardized and that progress towards these goals will continue”.

Maher Consulting (3) explains exit strategy further by providing the three approaches to exit strategies, which are:

a) Phasing down: It is the exit case where there will be a gradual reduction of SLS activities and where the n-f-p social impact investor will deploy fewer resources)

b) Phasing out: It is the exit case where the n-f-p social impact investor can withdraw his/her involvement in SLS without turning it over to another institution or third party for continued implementation

c) Phasing over: It is the exit case in which the n-f-p social impact investor can accept the transfer of SLS activities to local people.

The exit strategy helps to clarify and define the role of the n-f-p social impact investor.

 

• • • Closure

 

Project closure will be looked at here from the perspective of ‘plane.so’ (4) which states that

“Project closure is the final phase of the project management process, where all activities are completed, deliverables are completed, deliverables are handed over, and the project is formally closed.  This phase marks the end of the project lifecycle”.

From this perspective, the n-f-p social impact investor will have its checklist for project closure which will contain the following documents:

Deliverable verification and client acceptance, final SLS performance assessment, financial closure, documentation and archiving, resource release and reassignment, post-project evaluation and lessons learned, administrative closure and legal requirements, stakeholder communication and final SLS report, celebration of SLS completion and recognition of contributions.

 

• • • Benefits Realisation

 

Our explanation of benefits realisation comes from ‘pmis.consulting.com’ (5) which argues that

“Benefits realisation is the definition, planning and realisation of the benefits of a business change or business improvement project.  It is without doubt the most valuable thing you can do when involved in any kind of change, or significant investment that includes a project or change”.

In relation to this definition of benefits realisation, the n-f-p social impact investor would like to identify clear benefits (e.g., poverty reduction) in the SLS change lifecycle.  And ASCOC needs to show that there are benefits in pursuing the SLS.

 

• • ASCOC’s or Investee’s Perspective and Key Actions Regarding Evaluation and Exit Stage

 

Activity 3 is about wrapping up the matching talks and ASCOC needs to have its evaluation file ready and containing all the steps in the evaluation cycle.  ASCOC is also required to plan to avoid any tensions that may arise between the withdrawal of assistance from the n-f-p social impact investor and the commitment to achieve SLS outcomes.

Its key actions regarding evaluation and exit stage will include the following:

 

# Final performance review: ASCOC will evaluate whether or not the SLS will meet its planned benefits and achieved the targeted return on investment

# Project closure confirmation: ASCOC will verify that the SLS as a project will be formally closed with the relevant authorities

# Investment payout: ASCOC will receive the final payout of its capital and any remaining surplus, in line with the initial investment agreement

# Lessons learned: ASCOC will conduct a final review of what went well and what will be improved to inform future investment decisions.

 

• • Not-for-profit Impact Investor’s Consideration Concerning Closure and Benefits Realisation Phase

 

The n-f-p social impact investor will have its checklist for project closure to check if ASCOC will follow the project closure procedures.

Regarding the benefits realisation, the n-f-p social impact investor would like to know the expected SLS benefits to be delivered for the local people.  This is because ASCOC is undertaking the SLS to deliver benefits and ASCOC should not later be criticized to fail to deliver these benefits (e.g., poverty reduction) in the local community.  Also, the n-f-p social impact investor wants to know if ASCOC has a strategy to deliver benefits or a Benefits Realisation Framework.

The benefits realisation is the sticking point in these negotiations between ASCOC and the n-f-p social impact investor as there is some belief that gambling is an extractive not a creative industry, redistributing money from lower income households to a few large operators and offshore platforms.  There are also arguments that the dependency on gambling can push poor people into a cycle of debt and deeper poverty as they may try to borrow to play lottery.   Excessive gambling can drain family saving, lead to asset loss and increase debt.

Because of these reasons and relating sticking point, ASCOC and the n-f-p social impact investor need to work hard to reach an agreement.

In short, the n-f-p impact investor will check the above-mentioned elements forming the closure and benefits realisation phase to ensure that ASCOC’s trustees carefully thought about the SLS in such a way that the interests and mission of their charity are preserved and they will minimize any emerging risks to their charity.

The n-f-p impact investor and ASCOC need to reach an agreement on this third activity of the matching talks.

 

• • Reaching an Agreement on the Key Areas of Investee’s Evaluation and Exit Stage with Investor’s Closure and Benefits Realisation Phase

 

Both ASCOC/investee and the n-f-p social impactor need to reach agreement on each of the points: SLS evaluation, exit strategy, closure and benefits realisation.  Let us highlight the elements they need to consider in each of these points in order for them to reach an agreement.

 

• • • Reaching an agreement on evaluation

 

In negotiations regarding the evaluation of SLS for social impact investment, the negotiation points will be centred on defining, measuring and reporting both the social impact and the financial performance.

Let us briefly present these negotiation points.

 

# Defining SLS intended impact: Both parties need to agree on targeted outcomes as well as the theory of change (logic model).

# Impact measurement and metrics: Both parties need to agree on the specific framework or methodology to be used (e.g., Social Return on Investment), key performance indicators to track progress and success, data collection and reporting frequency, attribution and deadweight, etc.

# Financial terms and risk: They need to negotiate the expected financial return, the risk sharing, funding utilisation and cashflow, and due diligence (the analysis of SLS financial standing business model and operational strength).

# Governance and oversight: They will also agree on decision-making control, alignment of strategy, and exit strategy.

# Transparency and communication: They are finally required to build trust and be flexible (that is, to be ready to compromise and prioritize the core mission while ensuring financial viability.

 

• • • Reaching an agreement on exit strategy

 

Negotiations between ASCOC/investee and n-f-p social impact investor regarding exit strategy will balance both financial return and the preservation of social impact mission.

The key negotiation points will revolve around the definition of success and goals, the timing and conditions of exit, the exit mechanisms and valuation, mission protection and legacy, and stakeholder management.  Let us highlight these points.

 

Concerning the definition of success and goals, they will discuss the expected financial return (which might be below-market rate for impact investing), social impact, and milestones that will trigger or inform the exit process.

Regarding the timing and condition of exit, they will negotiate the investment term (an agreement on lock-in period for the investment), triggering events for an exit to occur, flexibility in terms of timeline for the exit.

As to the exit mechanisms and valuation, they will negotiate the mode of exit or exit routes (e.g., merger with another charity), and the valuation methodology (that is, a method for valuing the SLS at the time of exit).

With respect to the mission protection and legacy, they need determine how any proceeds from the exit will be re-invested to support ASCOC mission, the contractual tools to lock in the mission post-exit, the continuity of governance (in particular, if the n-f-p social impact investor will retain a board set or ongoing advisory role after the financial exit).

As far as the stakeholder management is concerned, they will agree on the communication plan during the exit process as well as the capacity building initiatives within the SLS during the investment term to ensure that SLS can thrive independently after exit.

 

• • • Reaching an agreement on closure

 

The key negotiation points between ASCOC and the n-f-p social impact investor will be around financial and legal obligations, impact and operational continuity, and stakeholder management.  Let us summarise these points.

 

Concerning financial and legal obligations, the two parties will agree the terms of settling debts and liabilities, the treatment of remaining funds (surplus assets), restricted and unrestricted funds, the final accounting and financial reporting, and the regulatory compliance.

Regarding the impact and operational continuity, they will discuss the prospects for the continuity of impact or mission alignment, the measuring and reporting of the final impact, and the beneficiary handover.

 

Briefly, the negotiations (on SLS closure) between ASCOC and the n-f-p social impact investor will be about ensuring the continuity of the SLS charitable purpose and responsible management of SLS remaining assets and obligations.

 

• • • Reaching an agreement on benefits realisation

 

The negotiation points on benefits realisation will focus on defining, measuring, valuing, and verifying the social impact and aligning this with financial terms.  The negotiation areas will be the definition of the expected benefits and outcomes, measurement and reporting, risk and governance, and financial and legal terms.  Let us briefly cover these points.

 

Regarding the definition of the expected benefits and outcomes, both ASCOC and the n-f-p social impact investor will identify and prioritise these benefits the SLS is intended to achieve, ensure SLS expected benefits align with ASCOC’s overall mission and the investor’s social impact goals, define SLS outcomes (the actual changes or advantages to be gained by beneficiaries) and outputs (direct results of activities), and agree the baseline measures against with SLS performance and the extent of change.

Concerning measurement and reporting, the two parties will negotiate the metrics and key performance indicators to be used, the methodology (e.g., Social Return on Investment) to follow, the data to be collected and the frequency of reports, the level of transparency in reporting and verification to ensure accuracy and honesty.

As to risk and governance, they will decide on risk sharing, governance structure, way of managing disbenefits (negative side effects) of the SLS, contingency and adaptation plans if benefits are not on track.

With respect to financial and legal terms, both ASCOC and the n-f-p social impact investor will discuss the tying of financial returns to outcomes, the cost of impact measurement, the exit arrangements, and the legal and regulatory compliance to ensure that SLS structure and benefits realisation plan comply with the relevant charity law and guidance where the SLS will be implemented in Africa.

 

The two sides (ASCOC and the n-f-p social impact investor) need to reach an agreement on the contents of ASCOC’s/Investee’s Evaluation and Exit Stage with Investor’s Closure and Benefits Realisation Phase.

If there is a disagreement between ASCOC and n-f-p social 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 the SLS.

 

 

• • The Match or Fit Test Service

 

As part of the match or fit test, the contents of ASCOC’s Evaluation and Exit Stage must be matched with n-f-p social impact investor’s view on Closure and Benefits Realisation Phase.

The match test (or matched sampling) will help to increase the accuracy and statistical efficiency of the study of the SLS by carefully selecting subjects for comparison.  The purpose here will be to increase the statistical efficiency of the study on SLS 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 social impact investor’s approach to Closure and Benefits Realisation Stage and what ASCOC is saying about its Evaluation and Exit Stage, between what the investor would like the Evaluation and Exit Stage to indicate and what ASCOC’s Evaluation and Exit Stage is really saying), the probability or chance of having an agreement at this Third round of negotiations could be null or uncertain.

 

• • Impact Advice to ASCOC and Guidance to n-f-p Impact Investor

 

Where there could be a disagreement, CENFACS can impact advise ASCOC to improve the contents of its Evaluation and Exit Stage.  CENFACS can as well guide n-f-p impact investors with impact to work out their expectations in terms of Closure and Benefits Realisation Phase to a format that can be agreeable by potential ASCOCs.

CENFACS’ impact advice for ASCOCs and guidance on impact investing for n-f-p 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 ASCOCs’ Evaluation and Exit Stage the better for ASCOCs.  It means that ASCOCs’ process must pass the attractiveness test (that is, the evaluation of market’s appeal).  Likewise, the more ASCOCs can successfully respond to impact investors’ level of enquiries and queries about the SLS 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 Third Activity of the Matching Organisation-Investor via SLS.

Those potential organisations seeking investment to set up a SLS and n-f-p lottery 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.

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 third stage/phase/activity of Matching Organisation-Investor via SLS, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

• • Concluding Note on Autumn Matching Organisation-Investor via SLS

 

African charities and not-for-profit organisations, similar to profit-driven entities, have the opportunity to initiate a lottery program to support their charitable objectives and aspirations, as long as this initiative complies with the legal guidelines of the nations they function in and adheres to their own governing principles. This means they can undertake such actions within the authorities granted to them by lawmakers and according to their foundational regulations (for example, articles of incorporation).

However, it is crucial for them to ensure that the recently established lottery program can utilize trends, insights, and interactions to incorporate their poverty alleviation initiative into the dialogue, fostering engagement and growth among their supporters.

Additionally, they must verify that this lottery program will produce sufficient income, as a larger gap between the sales earnings and the expenses associated with those sales will enable them to identify the financial resources they require to dedicate to their valuable causes.

They must also ensure that the typical cost of lottery tickets will provide both monetary gain and charitable support, with the charitable aspect being more significant than the monetary one.

There exist philanthropic investors who specialize in helping to either launch or expand their concept of implementing a lottery program or offshoot aimed at alleviating poverty. In instances where Africa-based charities, specifically our Africa-based Sister Lottery Charitable Organisations (ASLCOs) or African Poverty Relief Organisations (APRCs) involved in this matching initiative, encounter challenges in locating such investors, we can collaborate with ASLCOs/APRCs to find them.

Similarly, for not-for–profit impact investors seeking opportunities with organizations based in Africa but uncertain about which entity to back, we can assist these investors in directing their funding toward the appropriate organization, at the optimal time, and for the right purpose. In this regard, we can connect the requirements of ASLCOs/APRCs for an investor with the aspirations of not-for-profit impact investors to find a suitable investee.

The likelihood of a successful connection can range from high to average or low, depending on how well ASLCOs/APRCs‘ requirements align with the interests of the investors. We will ensure that this connection is as robust as possible.

We are prepared to collaborate with ASLCOs/APRCs seeking Impact Advice and Not-for-profit Investors in need of Guidance with Impact, enabling the former to discover the investments they desire and the latter to identify the organization suitable for investment, allowing both parties to achieve their goals in the upcoming New Year.

To work together in making your matching aspirations a reality in 2026 by locating your perfect investee or investor, please reach out to us.

 

 

• Income Generation Leads and Advice on Alternative Incomes: Income Generators, Creators and Curators of the Month

 

Our Advisory Service on Leads to Income Generation and Alternative Income Sources is still on.  Through this Festive Advice Service, we are looking at and reviewing income generation plans or strategies for those who need a review.

We are as well helping those who would like to turn their skills and hobbies into an active alternative income source.

We are also trying to explore the different income-generation leads or avenues that those in need can use, depending on their personal circumstances; to find the appropriate means to generate little extra income.

In this income generation to reduce poverty, we are as well trying to enlist those who could be named as Income Generation Models or Income Generators, Creators and Curators of the Season.

 

Income Creators leverage their unique skills and connections to create and monetize their content, making it a significant of the modern economy.

Income Generators are those who pursue any activity or business that creates income or financial surplus.  This can include employment, freelancing, investments, business ventures, and rental properties.

Income Curators refer to curators who are responsible for managing and overseeing collections, particularly in the arts or sciences.

 

We are looking at their models or ways of generating little extra income.  We are assessing whether or not their models of generating income are generalizable or duplicatable or just are exceptions to the general rule and to the CENFACS Community.

If anyone has managed to generate little extra income and finds that their way of doing it has an underlying good value that can be shared with the CENFACS CVC members, please do not hesitate to talk to CENFACS. 

Likewise, those who would like to set up an alternative income project and who need advisory support to do it, they can contact CENFACS.  This is all part of Income Generation Month.

 

 

• All Year-Round Projects (or Triple Value Initiatives): 2025 Verdict

 

The week is finally an occasion to remind the need to report on All Year-Round Projects (or Triple Value Initiatives) which are:  Play, Run and Vote projects for poverty relief and sustainable development.

As we are nearing the end of year 2025, it is now the time to report on our three All Year-Round Projects – which are Play, Run and Vote.

We know that this year has been economically challenging for some of you to run some types of activities.  However, for those who have managed to undertake and complete the above-named projects, we would like them to share with us and others their experiences, stories and reports regarding these projects.

 

• • The Action-Results of 2025: Tell it!

 

You can feedback the outcomes or Action-Results of your…

 

… Run if you ran for poverty relief over the year 2025 (or organised a Run activity)

… Play if you played the CENFACS League for Poverty Relief

… Vote if you have already voted your 2025 African Poverty Relief and Development Manager.

 

We would be more than happier to hear your Action and Results to feature the State of Play, Run and Vote 2025, and conclude CENFACS 2025 Year as Year of Restoration.  Tell it!

 

 

• • What or Who We Want to Hear

 

We would like to hear from you about the Winner of CENFACS Virtual Trophy of the Year, that is one of the following Three Stars or Bests of the Year:

 

√ The Best African Country of 2025 which best reduced poverty

√ The Best African Global Games Runner of 2025

√ The Best African Poverty Relief and International Development Manager of 2025.

 

If you have not yet told us, have your say by 23 December 2025.  The Verdict is yours.

 

Message in French (Message en français)

 

• Message de Remerciement de Fin d’Année 2025

Alors que l’année 2025 touche à sa fin, nous voulons prendre un moment pour exprimer notre gratitude à tous nos soutiens et à chacun/e d’entre vous pour votre fidélité et votre dévouement à la noble et belle mission de lutte contre la pauvreté.

Nous adressons nos sincères remerciements à tous/toutes ceux/celles qui ont collaboré avec nous pour réduire la pauvreté et ont rendu cela possible pour ceux/celles ayant besoin d’aide ainsi que pour nous tout au long de 2025.

 

 

Main Development

 

• Season of Light 2025-2026

 

The Lights Season at CENFACS kicks off with the theme of Hope as said above.  We are going to deliver this Hope with projects and programmes adapted to the context of crises like the cost-of-living crisis.  We are going to add to them the following projects:

 

σ Project to combat climate disinformation

σ Project for finance mobilisation roadmap

σ Project to reduce long-term energy poverty

σ Project for voluntary energy transitions

σ Zero-waste skills development project.

 

These projects are all about finding alternative models of using and creating resources as we continue to work on alternative economic models.  During the Season of Light, we are going to expand our work on alternatives to alternative energy (consumption and production) models.

The following items make the contents of our Season of Light 2025-2026:

 

∝ What will shape the Season of Light?

∝ Two themes to bear in mind this Festive and Lights Time: Peace and Hope

∝ The Gift of Light that keeps on giving this Winter

 

Let us look at these contents.

 

• • What Will Shape the Season of Light?

 

The 2025-2026 Season of Light will be about working on the above-mentioned projects.  Let us highlight these projects.

 

• • • Initiatives featuring the season of light like light (or energy) and voluntary energy transition projects

 

They are particularly those to shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.  They also include financial and policy frameworks to enable transitions to happen.  Briefly, this type of initiatives will be about moving from fossil-based energy system towards zero carbon alternatives.

 

• • • Project to Combat Disinformation (PCD)

 

PCD aims to build resilience amongst our community members against misinformation through transparency, research, and public education.  It is about educating our community members on how to critically evaluate information about climate change, spot fake climate news, and understand manipulative techniques and tricks.  It is also about building trust in climate poverty reduction.

This will involve collaborating with other organisations working on similar climate disinformation issues, checking facts, researching, detecting and exposing falsehoods, analysing threats from disinformation, while improving media literacy within the community.

 

• • • Project for Finance Mobilisation Roadmap (PFMR)

 

PFMR is a strategic plan that will outline the necessary steps, policies, and financial instruments required to raise and deploy capital from various sources (public, private, voluntary, and institutional) to achieve specific goals like the mobilisation of funds for climate change.

The aim of PFMR is to bridge the gap between planning and implementation by identifying bottlenecks, de-risking projects, and creating ‘bankable’ investment opportunities to attract sufficient funding, especially in the era of international aid cuts.

 

• • • Project for Long-term Energy Poverty Reduction (PLtEPR)

 

Within the energy literature, a long-term energy poverty refers to a household consistently cannot afford or access essential energy services (like heating, cooling, lighting, and appliances), forcing them to reduce consumption to levels that harm health, well-being, and basic living standards, often due to low income, high-energy prices, and inefficient homes, creating a persistent cycle of deprivation and vulnerability, particularly in vulnerable populations.

PLtEPR aims to provide energy advice to empower households making the CENFACS Community with knowledge on low-cost measures to reduce energy consumption and help to avoid energy poverty becoming intergenerational.  PLtEPR will help the following low-income households:

 

~ In persistent deprivation (that is, those experiencing a chronic inability to meet basic energy needs over extended periods)

~ With inadequate heating and hard health problems because of energy poverty

~ With high energy costs living in poor housing

~ Spending a large chunk of income on energy or fall into arrears bills, impacting their overall financial stability

etc.

 

In short, PLtEPR is about accessing modern energy, transitioning away from biomass for cooking, stopping indoor air pollution and improving health risks, particularly but not exclusively in Africa.

 

• • • Zero-waste Skills Development Project (ZwSDP)

 

ZwSDP is about teaching practical skills (like repair, composting, upcycling, cooking with leftovers) and promoting a waste-reduction mindset (reduce, reuse, recycle) to empower the community to minimise landfill waste, foster sustainable habits, and creating circular economies.

ZwSDP involves training, workshops, community engagement, and creating alternative models for waste management.

ZwSDP is finally about transforming waste management from disposal problem into a resource opportunity.

The 2025-2026 Season of Light will be the case of harnessing transformational and structural changes in the context of increasing uncertainty and climate change so that those who are living in poverty can find the means, paces and spaces they need to navigate out of it.

Besides that, we shall carry on with the financial empowerment programme of our users to reduce financial poverty and mitigate the lingering effects of previous and current crises with some of the initiatives (like AI-powered Financial Capacity and Capability Campaign).

Finally, we shall continue to develop household-focused and area-focused programmes to support poor and vulnerable households so that they can build their assets and economies to overcome intergenerational poverty.

To realise the above-mentioned projects, it requires Hope and Support.

 

 

• • Two Themes to Bear in Mind This Festive and Lights Time: Peace and Hope

 

The theme of Hope is the overall theme of the Season of Lights, while the theme of Peace will be dominant over the festive celebrations period.

 

• • • The theme of Hope

 

The theme of Hope is the motif of being proactive and having goal-oriented emotion or mindset, involving the desire for a better future and the belief that achieving that future is possible.  This theme is made of notes or pieces of climate information, finance mobilisation, energy transition, zero-waste skills, and energy poverty reduction.  This Wintry season, we shall bring a glimmer of hope through these notes or pieces, while making sure that the poor people own the process and have equity in poverty reduction.

Hope – which is an emotion, a catalyst for action and a forward-looking motivation towards a desired future state – will help beneficiaries as follows:

 

~ to actively cope with everyday challenges and find the appropriate relief and comfort they need

~ to reframe negative situations or events in a positive portrait or mood

~ to cultivate positive engagements, experiences and emotions in life

~ to keep momentum towards a better future

~ to enhance early warning systems

~ to develop resilience initiatives and strategies

~ to engage in a proactive behaviour.

 

• • • The theme of Peace

 

The theme of Peace is the unifying idea expressed as a state of completeness, harmony and non-conflict.  This theme of Peace comes with gifts – the Gifts of Peace, which are included in the Season of Light.

Peace, which is an actual condition or state of being (either internal or external) that can exist in the present, is the festive theme we choose to spread the joy of Season’s Reliefs to those in need.

During the Festive Season, we try to help their wishes and dreams of poverty relief become true through the Gifts of Peace that put a smile on poor people’s faces and lips with relief notes while hoping they will rediscover freedom from disturbance and disorder caused by crises and other painful events of 2025.  The Gifts of Peace are a profound and inner sense of calm, security and well-being that transcends external circumstances or conflicts.  They are the results of internal stability and tranquility experienced by those who accept light.

 

 

• • The Gift of Light That Keeps on Giving This Winter

 

What is the Gift of Light?

 

• • • Understanding the Gift of Light

 

The Gift of Light is about illumination, knowledge, hope and source of truth that dispels spiritual darkness, ignorance and fear.  This gift, which will keep on giving this Winter, has the properties below.

 

• • • The Gift of Light That Keeps on Giving This Winter

 

This Winter, the Gift of Light will continue to provide illumination as follows.

 

• • • • A gift of light for every person in need everywhere!

 

The Lights Season is the season during which we try to bring light or shine light to impoverished lives in the darkness.  We try to bring clarity, brightness to people who need to see clearly and accurately about their life.  It is about helping them see the light of relief so that they can see the world in a new relieved light or version.

 

• • • • A gift of light that ignites and sparks the life of those in need!

 

This is why we have the Lights project at CENFACS; projects which enable us to bring lights to those in need, and which identify the poverty reduction gaps in human systems and support those areas of these systems which do not receive support.  Like the last Winter, this Winter 2025-2026, our Lights projects will focus on two parts or two waves of action:

 

1) post-epidemics, post-war, post-economic crisis and post-natural disaster developments

2) current and emerging armed conflicts and environmental catastrophes as well as new waves of threats.

 

However, in these developments and waves, we shall take into account the changing contexts in Africa where there could be scaling down or changing types of crises (for example, the imperialist rivalries between world’s great powers in Africa with their impacts on poverty reduction, threat to international trade due to the current conflict in the Middle East and its implications for poverty reduction in Africa).  To mention other crises where the work of poverty reduction could be needed, we can speak about hunger crisis and debt crisis which are still stubborn issues for many low-income countries in Africa.

 

• • • • A gift of light that helps people to navigate their own way out of poverty with pride!

 

The Gift of Light is about helping people to help themselves.  By using the light, they can find their own way out of poverty and hardships, out of darkness instead of CENFACS telling them what do.  They can act with self-esteem and self-respect.  In this respect, the Gift of Light is a blessing of empowerment.

 

• • • • A Blaze of Hope for post-life following crises (e.g., the cost-of-living crisis), armed conflicts and natural disasters

 

When there are environmental disasters and armed conflicts, there are pledges and commitments to end the effects of wars and disasters.  For various reasons, some of these pledges do not always materialise.  The post-war and post-disaster developments are sometimes left without support even until the conflicts and disasters return and or strike again.

As we cannot wait the return or repeat of the same wars and disasters; our first Blaze of Hope will go this Winter to the unfinished business of previous destructions and disruptions brought by crises (e.g., the health and the cost-of-living crises in Africa), wars and natural disasters.

 

• • • • • Examples of areas where a Blaze of Hope may be needed

 

Our Blaze of Hope will go to the following areas of African countries

 

~ that experienced overlapping crises that have slowed or stalled poverty reduction

~ not recovered from the poverty increase caused by epidemics (like Mpox, cholera, etc.)

~ experiencing the impacts of international/foreign aid cuts

~ with slow, weak or lack of economic growth to enable poverty reduction to happen

~ with high inequalities that prevent poverty reduction to materialise.

 

• • • • A Blaze of Hope for the eruption of any crises, armed conflicts and natural disasters

 

We always advocate for preventive development and we do not seek for destructive events to happen.  However, our preparedness and readiness should make us to assemble as quickly as possible advocacy tools should any effects and impacts erupt from new waves of crisis, wars and natural disasters in Africa.

So, our second wave of intervention or Blaze of Hope will go this Wintry season to erupted effects of unexpected crises, armed conflicts and natural disasters in the areas of our interest in Africa.

With these two waves of action over this Wintry Season, we hope to enlighten the lives of those in pressing and emergent need.

 

• • • • • Examples of areas where a Blaze of Hope may be needed

 

For this December 2025, we have initially selected or identified six areas of priority that may need lighting a Blaze of Hope, which are as follows:

 

a) Areas of countries severely affected by food insecurity or the socio-economic impacts of high food prices like in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinee, Congo, Madagascar, Mali and Senegal

b) Areas of vulnerable countries hit by or prone to torrential rains and cyclones that could cause enormous food insecurity such as in Chad, Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo

c) Areas of countries devastated by other types of weather extremes (such as prolonged and severe drought, extreme temperature, etc.) like Burundi, Madagascar, Congo and countries of the Horn of Africa

d) Areas of countries that are the victims of a high level of persisting civil insecurity such as in in Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Mali

e) Areas of countries where innocent people are the victims of unfamiliar forms of civil insecurity (e.g. interpersonal violence, gang violence and insecurity due to the presence of private military company personnel) and forced displacement/refugee influx like in Congo, Mali and Burkina Faso

f) Areas of countries affected by international/foreign aid cuts or gaps in aid pledged like the Democratic Republic of Congo.

 

The above selection is an initial one, which may change depending how and where humanitarian events will unfold in Africa.  The selection will help to start our Light Advocacy and Campaign.

The countries listed in this selection are also mentioned in the Crop Prospects and Food Situation of the Food and Agriculture Organisations of the United Nations (6).  None of the above-mentioned countries is experiencing a single issue.  Many of them can be subject to multiple issues.  For example, the Democratic Republic of Congo is experiencing conflict in its north-eastern provinces, torrential rains in other parts the country and high food prices.

Also, our priority areas can change depending on the events in Africa.  For example, if there is eruption of unpredicted or unplanned events (such as natural disasters, natural resource crises, environmental incidents, large scale involuntary migration, health crisis, international trade crisis, etc.), our Blaze of Hope will go to the victims of these erupted events.

For those who can support Light Project, we can count on them to move forward this advocacy or campaign.  And we would like to thank them in advance.

For any queries or enquiries regarding the Season of Light, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

_________

 

• References

 

(1) https://www.ncvo.org.uk/help-and-guidance/strategy-and-impact-evaluation/about-impact-and-evaluation/why-focus-on-impact-and-evaluation (accessed in December 2025) 

(2) https://info.undp.org/docs/pdc/Documents/JAM/Proejct%20Exit%20Strategy%202019DEVMIN.pdf (accessed in December 2025)

(3) https://www.maher.consulting/blog/what-is-a-project-exit-strategy (accessed in December 2025)

(4) https://plane.so/blog/what-is-project-closure (accessed in December 2025)

(5) https://www.pmis.consulting.com/articles/benefit-realisation/ (accessed in December 2025)

(6) https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/4cb9943d-75bf-4614-8710-14bc9dd11ad3/content

 

_________

 

• 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 until the end of 2025 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

10 December 2025

Post No. 434

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Matching Organisation-Investor via a Small Lottery Scheme – In Focus from Monday 08/12/2025: Activity 2 Consisting of Matching Investee’s Operation and Monitoring Stage with Investor’s Implementation and Operation Phase 

• Goal of the Reduction: Reduction of Resource-based Poverty

• Turning Things into Festive Gifts (‘Festive Turns’)

 

… And much more!

 

Key Messages

 

 

• Matching Organisation-Investor via a Small Lottery Scheme – In Focus from Monday 08/12/2025: Activity 2 Consisting of Matching Investee’s Operation and Monitoring Stage with Investor’s Implementation and Operation Phase 

 

Both Africa-based Sister Lottery Charitable Organisation and/or Cause (ASCOC) and not-for-profit (n-f-p) lottery impact investor have decided to move with the matching talks as they scored points each of them during Activity 1.  They agreed to move to Activity 2, while finalising the little bits remaining from Activity 1 of the matching negotiations since these negotiations are a backward and forward process.

Indeed, when the lottery starts to run (although there are still a lot of steps to go), ASCOC or investee will shift its attention from establishing the scheme to monitoring its performance and protecting the investment.  It is the stage which makes the investee’s Operation and Monitoring.  At this stage, ASCOC will explain how it will track, review, and regulate the process and performance of the Small Lottery Scheme (SLS) to ensure it stays on course and meets its aim as outlined in the SLS plan.

As to the n-f-p impact investor, in the Activity 2 which is about his/her phase of Implementation and Operation, he/she will discuss the execution of SLS business plan and the day-to- day management of the lottery scheme.  Like ASCOC/investee, the n-f-p impact investor’s role will shift from assessing feasibility to discussing the monitoring of SLS performance.

To advance in these talks, the contents of ASCOC’s/investee’s Operation and Monitoring Stage have to match with Investor’s Implementation and Operation Phase.

More details about these talks and related negotiating points are given under the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

• Goal of the Month: Reduction of Resource-based Poverty

 

Poor and vulnerable communities, particularly those living in rural areas, often rely on local ecosystems for their livelihoods.  When these ecosystems are degraded or not available, this degradation or lack of availability reduces access to essential resources like clean water, timber, and fertile land.  This can cause resource-based poverty.

 

• • What Is Resource-based Poverty?

 

From the literature review about resources and poverty, it emerges that resource-based poverty refers to the condition where individuals or households lack sufficient resources to meet their needs, either because they have a low amount of available resources or a low ability to convert those resources into useful capital.

In rural areas where people and communities are mostly dependent on natural resources, the degradation of these resources can lead to resource-based poverty which is more than income-based poverty.  So, resource-poor are individuals with a low amount of available resources (e.g., law savings).

Like any types of poverty, resource-based poverty can be reduced or ended.

 

• • Reduction of Resource-based Poverty

 

It is possible to empower individuals and communities to become self-sufficient again in terms of resources.  This involves providing them with training, access to new resources, financial support, and helping them to adapt to new circumstances.

So, the resource-based approach to poverty (that is, poverty as having insufficient material resources to meet material needs) should not be an end of itself.  It needs to go far to explore ways of overcoming this type of poverty.  In other words, there are implications to it.

 

• • Implications for Selecting the Goal for the Month

 

After selecting the goal for the month, we focus our efforts and mind set on the selected goal by making sure that in our real life we apply it.  We also expect our supporters to go for the goal of the month by working on the same goal and by supporting those who may be suffering from the type of poverty linked to the goal for the month we are talking about during the given month (e.g., December 2025).

For further details on the goal of the month, its selection procedure including its support and how one can go for it, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

• Turning Things into Festive Gifts (‘Festive Turns’)

 

To turn things into festive gifts, it is better to explain what this means.

 

• • What Is ‘Turning Things into Festive Gifts’?

 

Research suggests that ‘Turning Things into Festive Gifts‘ refers to the practice of crafting or repurposing every day or secondhand items into thoughtful and unique festive presents.  Instead, buying brand-new items, you can create meaningful, personalized, and often more sustainable gifts by transforming things you already have or can find easily.

This Festive Season, we are going to turn our time, effort, waste, shopping, etc. into donations and gifts.  It is a Festive Season of turning things into something purposeful to reduce or end poverty and/or enhance sustainable development.  It is about transforming items into festive gifts.  You name them ‘Festive Turns‘.  ‘Festive Turns‘ involve personalization with personalized messages, seasonal add-ons, thematic and experience-based gifts, and eco-friendly options.

 

• • Examples of Turning Things into Festive Gifts

 

They include the following:

 

# Upcycled and repurposed gift ideas (e.g., decoupage soap or glass jars, upcycled jewelry, repurposed wood, thrifted items, etc.)

# DIY food and drink (e.g., homemade bath salts or body scrubs, spiced nuts or flavoured honey, homemade vanilla extract, hot chocolate mix jars, etc.)

# Personalised gifts (e.g., DIY tote bags, monogrammed items, custom photo books or calendars, hand-painted mugs, etc.)

# Children’s homemade gifts (e.g., salt dough ornaments, decorated pinecones, paper roll creatures, nature-made clay ornaments, etc.)

 

The above examples are just a few of ways of turning things into festive gifts or donations for those in need.  They are about

 

σ Turning your time and effort into helpful support for those in need this Festive Season

σ Turning waste into valuable resources that support those in need

σ Turning your festive shopping into life-changing gifts for others.

 

Those who would like to turn things or items into Festive Gifts, but are not sure or struggling to do it, they can work with CENFACS to make turning things possible.  Equally, those who would like to donate to make this turning possible, they should not hesitate to donate.

To turn things into festive gifts and/or to donate to make this turning happen, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Autumn 2025 Humanitarian Relief and Nature Conservation Appeals: Only 11 Days Remaining!

• E-discussion on Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap While Supporting All in Development Volunteer Scheme (AiDVS) 

• Restoration Year and Project: Impact Monitoring and Evaluation

 

 

• Autumn 2025 Humanitarian Relief and Nature Conservation Appeals: Only 11 Days Remaining!

Needy People, Flora, Fauna, Funga, Communities and Organisations in Africa are Asking for Your Support.

 

These combined appeals, which are made of human relief and nature/species conservation, are about supporting needy people, flora, fauna, funga, communities and organisations in Africa.

The humanitarian relief side is a fundraising drive launched by CENFACS to solicit donations for people experiencing the asymmetrical distribution effects of natural disasters, gap/shortage in digital creation skills, young people suffering from social inequalities (like in Morocco and Madagascar), and out-of-school children in Africa.

The nature or species conservation aspect of these appeals is about raising money to protect threatened species  (like African Forest Elephant for fauna, Marasmodes Genus for flora and Afrothismia Fungiformis for funga), their habitat, or the broader ecosystem they depend on.

The two aspects of these appeals will work together as there are links between humanitarian needs and long-term conservation goals in Africa.

The appeals include the following five selected projects:

 

1) Digital Creation Skills

2) Symmetry Poverty Reduction Projects

3)  Youth Social Inequalities Reduction

4) Rescuing Children’s Education

5) African Forest Elephant, Marasmodes Genus and Afrothismia Fungiformis.

 

Supporting these combined appeals will provide three types of relief:

 

a) Human relief for project beneficiaries

b) Nature/species relief through the protection of these species and biodiversity

c) Shared relief for both humans and nature/species (expressed as human-nature connection) in terms of the contribution of the well-being of both humans and the environment.

 

Donors and funders can seize the opportunity provided by these projects and the giving festive season to directly and respectively donate or fund these projects.

A message about this appeal can also be passed on to a person who is in a position and willing to support.  Many thanks to those who will be passing this message!

We understand that the world is still trying to find ways of coming out of multiple crises (food, energy, climate change, geo-economic crises, etc.).  This struggle affects the ability of people to support good and deserving causes.

However, the effects of these crises are even stronger in places where there is a high level of poverty and where humans are busy with their own problems than to worry about nature/species conservation, like in Africa.  This is why we have launched these seasonal appeals to help not only to reduce poverty but also to save both human and species lives from these crises.

Therefore, we are inviting those who can, to donate £7 to create 3 reliefs (1 relief for humans, 1 relief for other natural livings and 1 shared relief between humans and nature) or any amount starting from £7 or more as they wish or can.

You can gift aid your donation as well as support these projects in a way that is the most suitable and related to your situation, status, circumstances, budget, capacity, feeling, and willingness.

To donate, gift aid and support otherwise; please contact CENFACS.

 

 

• E-discussion on Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap While Supporting All in Development Volunteer Scheme (AiDVS) 

 

Our e-discussion continues with the following matters:

 

√ How the creation of roadmap would support planning and investment for our Africa-based Sister Organisations working on energy transition;

√ The building and developing a momentum towards clear energy

√ The kind of energy transition needed in Africa to improve health outcomes and economic resilience

√ Practical steps to disinvest from fossil fuels

√ Strategies for reinvesting into cleaner energy sources

√ How our Africa-based Sister Organisations can set up their own energy transition roadmap

√ How these organisations can finance their voluntary energy transition programmes and projects

Etc.

 

While our Winter e-discussion is going on, we are asking for support for CENFACS’ All in Development Volunteer Scheme (AiDVS).  This is because there is a link between a discussion on voluntary energy transition (here voluntary transition from fossil fuels) and support to volunteers.

 

 

• • The Link between Winter e-discussion on Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap and Support to Volunteers

 

Volunteers (here All in Development Volunteers) are key drivers and a fundamental asset of community-led energy initiatives.  They are key players in any efforts of a voluntary transition to sustainable energy, including in inputting elements to the roadmap for that transition to happen.

Their role in terms of this link can be found at different levels of work for voluntary energy transition and the design of the roadmap for this transition.  In particular. it can be found at the levels below.

 

~ Initiation and delivery: Many of community energy projects run by CENFACS’ Africa-based Sister Organizations (ASOs) are initiated, developed, and delivered by committed volunteers.

~ Community engagement and trust: Volunteers act as ‘trusted intermediaries’ engaging people who might otherwise be excluded or passive in the transition process.  Their local roots and personal contacts foster the trust necessary for wider community buy-in and participation.

~ Social benefits: Besides energy outcomes, our Winter e-discussion would touch on social benefits through volunteering; benefits like addressing energy or fuel poverty, creating local jobs and skills training, and building stronger community resilience.

~ Sustainability of efforts: Relevant support to volunteers – including funding resources and guidance – is key for a voluntary fossil fuel roadmap.  Without this support, the valuable asset of volunteers can be jeopardized.

 

So, supporting volunteers, here CENFACS’ All in Development Volunteers, and their scheme is a necessary investment to enable and sustain the people-driven process of a voluntary energy transition (here transition from fossil fuel energies), including the roadmap or plan for this transition to materialize.

 

 

• • Supporting All in Development Volunteer Scheme (AiDVS)

 

It is possible to support CENFACS and its AiDVS from wherever you are (at home, work, away, online, abroad, on the go and move, etc.).   Supporting us does not need to be magical and majestic.  It can be in any thing or means that can advance the work of AiDVS.

Your support will help us to support others who need support during this festive time.

One can still enjoy a great festive season while supporting us to support others. 

There are many simple helpful and useful ways of adding great value to our voluntary work.

Here are 12-themed enhancers or ways of adding great value to CENFACS’ AiDVS:

 

1)  Gift ideas for the best ways of monitoring, evaluating and reviewing projects and programmes in the New Year

They could include project management software, books and guides, evaluation tools, digital gadgets, free subscriptions to journals and publications, etc.

 

2) Money-saving and scrimping tips from scrimpers for AiDVS

Tips from seasonal scrimpers could be on budgeting wisely (to track expenses and set limits), grocery savings (e.g., donate coupons), reduction of utility bills, financial tools (like cashback apps), smart shopping, etc.

 

3) Festive deals and packages for AiDVS

For instance, one can offer New Year’s Eve Packages, discount codes and offers (seasonal discounts, package deals, early booking deals, etc.)

 

4) Festive free coupons, promo codes and vouchers for AiDVS

They include free vouchers from popular retailers or brands, percentage price off orders and saving on selected items, which can help AiDVS save on their holiday shopping.

 

5) Net-zero or low carbon economic products to protect the environment and nature

To name the few, we can mention energy-efficient appliances, renewable energy products, eco-friendly products, water-saving devices, sustainable food choices, waste reduction solutions, etc.

 

6) Digital and media support to better volunteer for a climate neutral and sustainable world

Options include online platforms and courses, digital tools for activism, volunteer matching platforms, youth engagement, etc. 

 

7) Health and safety gifts for healthy and safe volunteering in the New Year

These gifts can include aid kits, personal protective equipment, hydration and nutrition, comfort and ergonomics, health and wellness, safety training and resources, emergency preparedness, etc.  These gifts will help volunteers stay healthy and safe for their well-being and the success of their efforts.

 

8) Wintry and festive giveaways to volunteer for a net zero greenhouse gas emissions world

To illustrate, we can mention free products, gift cards, free tickets, etc.

 

9) Generative Artificial Intelligence volunteering tools to improve the efficiency of volunteering

Tools include personalised volunteer matching programme, automated consumption, content generation, data analysis and insights, training and onboarding, resource allocation, feedback and evaluation. 

 

10) Festive price bundling for flexible volunteering

Ideas for bundling offers can include volunteer packages, discounted event tickets, gift cards and vouchers, free products and services, recognition and rewards, and flexible volunteering options.

 

11) Distance working and gift technologies

Amongst the examples, we can name cloud technology, volunteer management software, apps, virtual volunteering tools, apps for remote volunteering, virtual volunteer tools, gift technology for volunteers (e-gift cards, virtual recognition, tech gadgets, tablets, laptops, etc.)

 

12) Net-zero energy saving products to volunteer

We can mention home energy efficiency since many of our AiDVS work from home, renewable solutions, transportation (e.g., e-bikes), sustainable products, energy monitoring tools, etc.

 

The above-mentioned enhancers will contribute to streamline volunteer management processes, enhance volunteer satisfaction, and support a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions world.

The enhancers – which could be wintry and festive news, information and products – will assist volunteers (that is, short-term, episodic, regular, ongoing and virtual volunteers) to better help out CENFACS’ noble and beautiful cause of poverty reduction.

They will also assist in recruiting and easily managing volunteers while improving volunteer experience and the effectiveness of our work on poverty reduction.

Additionally, they will contribute in tracking volunteers and their work.

For instance, gift technologies could enable to automate volunteers’ tasks to free up resources and time as well as increase volunteer engagement in our poverty reduction work.

To support AiDVS with your wintry or festive gift, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

To e-discuss Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap, please communicate with CENFACS.

 

 

• Restoration Year and Project: Impact Monitoring and Evaluation

 

At the start of 2025, we dedicated 2025 as a Year of Restoration within CENFACS (1), a year of using the notion of restoration as tool to understand paradigmatic change in the lives of those in need, particularly the CENFACS Community members.  It would be a year of working with them as they would be restoring things in their lives so that they could reduce poverty.

In this work with them, one should understand that restoration does not necessarily lead to change.  Yet, what we wanted to achieve together with them was restoration that could lead to better change, not status quo.

To deliver this dedication, we set up a Restoration Project.

 

• • What Is Restoration Project or ‘R‘ Project?

 

It is a series or set of interconnected tasks or activities planned for the execution of CENFACS’ dedication of year 2025 as of Restoration.  These tasks or activities, which aimed at reducing poverty, would be undertaken throughout 2025 within the requirements and limitations of CENFACS’ existing and acquirable resources and assets.

Through this project, we hoped to continue to help reduce poverty by working with project beneficiaries as they move through and out of poverty.  It may be difficult or even impossible to repair the planet.  But, we thought it was possible to conduct restorative activities to help reduce poverty linked to ecosystem degradation.

Throughout the year, we have carried out restorative activities which have been mainly based on the allocation of resources to meet the outcomes of those in need – through repair of the damaged nature and/or past experiences – while reflecting biodiversity outcomes or the provision of ecosystem goods and services and respecting the subsistence of livelihoods.

In this respect, the ‘R‘ Project was designed to accompany project beneficiaries in their restoration or restorative efforts.  The ‘R‘ Project has activities and tasks (or 12 Restoration Project episodes).

 

• • Activities and Tasks Relating to the ‘R’ Project

 

A number of activities and processes has been conducted each month to enable smooth implementation of the project.  We planned twelve specific activities/tasks (or 12 Restoration Project episodes), one activity or task every month.  Through this project and each task, we have tried as much as we could to identify the restoration activities and skills to poverty reduction generally and on a particular area of poverty reduction (e.g., humanitarian or overseas development matters).

We have been working to find things or factors that would help in restoration so that they could positively contribute to the same goal of relieving need hardship and distress amongst our community members throughout our dedicated year.  Last week, we announced the last activity or episode of the Restoration Project, while carrying out impact monitoring and evaluation of the same project.

 

• • Continuing Impact Monitoring and Evaluating the ‘R’ Project

 

This week, we are continuing the process of looking back what happened in the last 11 months until now.  This is our impact monitoring task.  In this task, we are tracking, reviewing, and regulating the process and performance of the ‘R’ Project to ensure if it has met its aim according to its plan.

Equally, it is worth to start the task of evaluating the Restoration Year and Project.  This evaluation involves gathering data to help understand the way the project was designed, how the dedication and project were implemented, and the results from this implementation.  Evaluation is a cycle or process.  We may not finish this evaluation by the end 2025, but it is better to start now and continue it in January 2026 if we do not finish.

The two exercises (i.e., monitoring and evaluation) will enable to inform any interested parties (e.g., project beneficiaries, supporters, our audiences, etc.) the findings about what we did not know and we now know about the needs and aspirations of the people in need making our community.  These monitoring and evaluative exercises would also lay ground to seize the early impacts or outputs from the delivery of the Restoration Year/Project.

From these exercises – monitoring, evaluative information and knowledge – and other discoveries within the project, we can plan the kinds of appropriate responses we may develop or ways of working together with project beneficiaries in 2026 to meet those unmet needs and demands.

In order to impact monitor and evaluate the Restoration (R) Project, it is essential to have a theory of change for accountability and reporting to stakeholders.  We had this theory before starting this Restoration project.  The theory of change developed here is the causal chain or a description of a succession or chain of elements and causal connections between them.

For example, one could look at any of the 12 activities/tasks (or 12 Restoration Project episodes) and check how they were connected to find out if there were inputs, outputs, outcomes and impacts which each element led to the next.

The Impact Monitoring and Evaluation (IME) will provide the two results below.

On the one hand, the IME will tell if there has been transition in terms of:

 

~ attitudinal change, that is whether or not the ‘R‘ project has allowed to draw attention, affect awareness, attitudes and perceptions of the poor

~ procedural change, that is changes in way poor people decide their matters

~ behaviour change, that is changes in behaviour in poor people.

 

On the other hand, we can evaluate if the activities (e.g., negotiation, advocacy, skills development, etc.) conducted to make restoration to happen.

To conduct impact monitoring and evaluation, it requires the contribution of everybody who took part or came across these activities.

 

• • How Can You Help or Get Involved in the Impact Monitoring and Evaluation Processes of the ‘R’ Project?

 

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 11 months and two weeks to share with us their feelings and thoughts about these two areas:

 

(a) The overall “Restoration Year/Project”

(b) Any of the activities/tasks they have been interested in or used to work with those in need to restore things or lives.

 

You can share your feelings and thoughts with us by:

 

∝ Phoning

∝ Texting

∝ E-mailing

∝ Completing the contact form with your feelings and thoughts.

 

• • Supporting the Findings from the ‘R’ Project

 

Impact monitoring and evaluation are not an end for themselves.  After concluding them, there will be some findings in terms of knowledge of poor people’s needs.   There will be some suggestions or proposals in terms of project planning and development.  In other words, these findings could mean that we may have to take some steps forward in terms project planning and development in the New Year.

If there are new projects to meet those unmet needs within the community, how can one support those findings or emerging new project proposals?

For those who are willing to support those findings and projects stemming from those findings, they can be reassured that we are willing to share the findings with them.

To request the findings from the 12 Restoration Project episodes, please contact CENFACS.

To support projects that may result from these findings, please let CENFACS know.

 

 

Message in English-French (Message en Anglais-Français)

 

• CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum E-discusses Gambling Laws and Poverty Reduction in Africa

This e-discussion is about the pros and cons arguments on a unified lottery regulation (that is, a single, universal limit on ticket value) in Africa, compared to a non-unified situation where regulations and limits for lottery sales vary according to African countries.  The e-discussion, which falls under the scope of Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), is an extension of the work we are carrying under our Matching Organization-Investor Programme.  The current work under this programme is about Matching Organisation-Investor via a Small Lottery Scheme in Africa.

It is known that a unified set of gambling laws across Africa does not currently exist, as regulation is country-specific and often fragmented.

There are those who think that having a unified regulation can have positive effects, as they believe such regulation will improve consumer protection, increase African governments’ revenue, reduce corruption, and provide a certain stability for Licensed Operators.

On the contrary, there are those argue that there are limitations and negative sides which include the extractive feature of gambling as it is not creative, the targets are vulnerable populations, social harms often offset economic gains, etc.  They also emphasize that the gambling industry as such is not a viable strategy for substantial sustainable poverty reduction.

Between these lines of argument (between the pros and cons ones), CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum is exploring the circumstances under which a rapprochement between gambling laws can positively impact poverty reduction in Africa.

The above thought on gambling laws and their effects of poverty reduction in Africa provides materials and space for reflection, expression, discussion and action.

Those who may be interested in reflection, expression, discussion and action on a rapprochement of gambling laws for further poverty reduction in the context of AfCFTA  can join our poverty reduction pundits and/or contribute by contacting CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum, which is a forum or space for discussion on poverty reduction and sustainable development issues in Africa and which acts on behalf of its members by making proposals or ideas for actions for a better Africa.

To contact CENFACS about this discussion, please use our usual contact address on this website.

 

• Le Forum ‘Une Afrique Meilleure’ de CENFACS discute en ligne sur Les Lois sur les Jeux d’Argent et la Réduction de la Pauvreté en Afrique

Cette discussion en ligne porte sur les arguments pour et contre une réglementation unifiée de la loterie (c’est-à-dire une limite unique et universelle de la valeur des billets) en Afrique, par rapport à une situation non unifiée où les réglementations et limites pour la vente de loteries varient selon les pays africains. La discussion en ligne, qui relève du champ de l’Accord de Libre-Échange Continental Africain (ZLECAf), est une extension du travail que nous menons dans le cadre de notre Programme de Mise en Relation Organisation-Investisseur/se. Le travail actuel dans le cadre de ce programme concerne la mise en relation Organisation-Investisseur/se via un Petit Schéma de Loterie en Afrique.

Il est reconnu qu’un ensemble unifié de lois sur les jeux d’argent à travers l’Afrique n’existe pas actuellement, car la réglementation est spécifique à chaque pays et souvent fragmentée.

Certain(e)s estiment qu’une réglementation unifiée pourrait avoir des effets positifs, car ils/elles pensent qu’une telle réglementation améliorerait la protection des consommateurs/rices, augmenterait les recettes des gouvernements africains, réduirait la corruption et offrirait une certaine stabilité aux opérateurs/rices agréé(e)s.

Au contraire, certain(e)s soutiennent qu’il existe des limites et des aspects négatifs, notamment le caractère extractif du jeu puisqu’il n’est pas créatif, que les cibles sont des populations vulnérables, que les dommages sociaux compensent souvent les gains économiques, etc. Ils/elles soulignent également que l’industrie du jeu, en tant que telle, n’est pas une stratégie viable pour une réduction substantielle et durable de la pauvreté.

Entre ces lignes d’argumentation (entre les avantages et les inconvénients), le Forum ‘Une Afrique Meilleure’ de CENFACS explore les circonstances dans lesquelles un rapprochement entre les lois sur le jeu pourrait avoir un impact positif sur la réduction de la pauvreté en Afrique.

La réflexion ci-dessus sur les lois sur les jeux d’argent et leurs effets sur la réduction de la pauvreté en Afrique fournit des matériaux et un espace pour la réflexion, l’expression, la discussion et l’action.

Ceux ou celles qui pourraient être intéressé(e)s par la réflexion, l’expression, la discussion et l’action sur un rapprochement des lois sur les jeux de hasard pour une réduction supplémentaire de la pauvreté dans le contexte de l’ZLECAf peuvent rejoindre nos experts en réduction de la pauvreté et/ou contribuer en contactant le ‘me.Afrique’ du CENFACS (ou le Forum ‘Une Afrique Meilleure’ de CENFACS), qui est un forum ou espace de discussion sur les questions 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 contacter le CENFACS au sujet de cette discussion, veuillez utiliser nos coordonnées habituelles sur ce site Web.

 

 

Main Development

 

• Matching Organisation-Investor via a Small Lottery Scheme – In Focus from Monday 08/12/2025: Activity 2 Consisting of Matching Investee’s Operation and Monitoring Stage with Investor’s Implementation and Operation Phase 

 

The two sides (i.e., ASCOC/investee and investor) of the matching talks have their respective files ready to start the second Activity.  The investee (ASCOC) would argue about the contents of Operation and Monitoring file, while the n-f-p impact investor has its Implementation and Operation file to check if there is an alignment with ASCOC’s contents.

To approach this second stage/phase of negotiation, we have organized our notes around the following points:

 

σ Matching Talk Terms

σ ASCOC’s or Investee’s Perspective and Key Actions Regarding Operation and Monitoring

σ Not-for-profit Impact Investor’s Consideration Concerning Implementation and Operation Phase

σ Reaching an Agreement on the Key Areas of Investee’s Operation and Monitoring Stage with Investor’s Implementation and Operation Phase

σ The Match or Fit Test Service

σ Impact Advice to ASCOC and Guidance to n-f-p Impact Investor

σ The Rule of the Matching Game

σ CENFACS as a Matchmaker

σ CENFACS’ Hub for Testing Hypotheses

 

Let us look at each of these points.

 

• • Matching Talk Terms

 

There are three key terms that need explanation.  These terms are operation, monitoring and implementation.  Let us explain them.

 

• • • Operation

 

The word ‘operation’ can be defined in many ways.  One of its definitions comes from ‘pmstudycircle.com’ (2) which states that

“Operations are ongoing, repetitive tasks that sustain a product or service.  They rely on established procedures and consistently produce the same result.  The team follows routines and focuses on efficiency rather than innovation”.

If one refers to this definition of operations, one may argue that ASCOC needs to clarify its operations or SLS process management, the operation budget, as well as explain how it will produce its repetitive results.  If ASCOC will employ volunteers, it can argue that volunteers will handle the ticketing process.

ASCOC can also explain that it will use Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track its strategic, financial and operational performance.  In terms of operational KPIs, it can focus on short-term objectives and daily performance metrics (like Average Service Response that tracks how quickly customer support replies to requests).

Furthermore, it can elucidate how this operation will continue as long as the lottery machine/service is needed.

 

• • • Monitoring

 

Monitoring can be approached in various ways.  One of its approaches comes from ‘plane.so’ (3) which argues that

“Project monitoring is the process of tracking, reviewing, and regulating the process and performance of a project to ensure it stays on course and meets the objectives outlined in the project plan”.

The same ‘plane.co’ adds that

“It involves collecting data on various aspects of the project, such as tasks, timelines, budget, and quality, comparing actual performance against the planned milestones”.

ASCOC needs to explain how it intends to monitor the SLS.  It can justify that it will regularly review the SLS’ status, track the KPIs and assess the quality of deliverables.  It can also clarify the key components of SLS monitoring system, which will include the following:

 

~ Performance tracking and measurement (by using metrics like task completion rates, time spent, budget consumption, quality standards, etc.)

~ Schedule monitoring (to ensure that the SLS will progress according to its timeline)

~ Budget monitoring and cost control (which will involve tracking actual spending against SLS budget)

~ Risk monitoring and mitigation (which will involve continuously assessing known risks and identifying new ones as SLS progresses)

~ Quality control (to ensure that the SLS deliverables meet the required quality standards)

~ Stakeholder communications and reporting (to ensure stakeholders remain aligned with SLS aim and objectives, and their expectations will be managed throughout the SLS lifecycle).

 

ASCOC can prioritize the aspects of the SLS to monitor, while backing these aspects with a monitoring planner.  What is a monitoring planner?

According to ‘therrc.co.uk’ (4),

“A monitoring planner consists of a table with a series of headers where you fill in the monitoring details for each of your project objectives”.

Having the monitoring planner and the key components of SLS monitoring system ready, this places ASCOC in better position to negotiate the SLS investment terms.

 

• • • Implementation

 

Project implementation is one of the steps in project cycle.  According to ‘projectmanagertemplate.com (5),

“Project implementation refers to the process of executing planned activities to achieve a project’s objectives.  This phase includes mobilizing resources, managing tasks, and monitoring progress to ensure successful project completion”.

The same ‘projectmanagertemplate.com’ adds that

“Project implementation is a critical phase in project management where plans turn into reality.  This stage involves executing the strategies, deploying resources and ensuring that objectives are met efficiently”.

There are steps in project implementation, which are: planning the implementation process, assigning responsibilities, deploying resources, executing the plan, monitoring and controlling, and closing the project.

The n-f-p impact investor will use its understanding of project implementation and what we have said above to scrutinize ASCOC’s plan for implementing the SLS.

 

• • ASCOC’s or Investee’s Perspective and Key Actions Regarding Operation and Monitoring

 

At this second stage, ASCOC will focus on the following key actions: performance monitoring, stakeholder management, risk management, and ongoing financial oversight.

Let us briefly explain these actions.

 

~ Performance monitoring: A small lottery is defined by ticket sales and annual limits, making consistent monitoring essential.  Consequently, ASCOC will prepare itself to review regular reports on the lottery’s performance including ticket sales, expenses, and net proceeds.

~ Stakeholder management: ASCOC will plan to keep track of key stakeholders to ensure the project stays on track.  ASCOC will ensure that the n-f-p impact investor will be meeting agreed upon targets.

~ Risk management: This will involve continuous oversight of the SLS’s risks, including compliance failures or lower-than-expected results.

~ Ongoing financial oversight: ASCOC will ensure that SLS returns are submitted to the licensing authority where the SLS will be implemented within the required timeframe, and that financial transparency will be maintained.

 

ASCOC will be expected to demonstrate that it has well prepared its project operation and monitoring to be able to negotiate on solid footing and better terms for SLS.

 

• • Not-for-profit Impact Investor’s Consideration Concerning Implementation and Operation Phase

 

In this second stage, the Not-for-profit (n-f-p) Impact Investor will focus on the performance monitoring, risk management, financial oversight, and expansion strategy.  These considerations can be summarized as follows.

 

Concerning the performance monitoring, the n-f-p impact investor will consider keeping close eye on key performance indicators (such as ticket sales, revenue, and draw dates to ensure the project stays on track).  Regular performance reports are essential for evaluating the success of the investment.

Regarding risk management, the n-f-p impact investor would like to be assured that operational risks to be identified (like poor marketing execution, decline in ticket sales, administrative errors, etc.) in the first phase will continue to be monitored.

With respect to financial oversight, the n-f-p impact investor wants to be informed on the ways cash flows, expenses, and prize payouts will be tracked.  He/she will be keen to know if the SLS will operate within budget and will be profitable.  As a result, he/she may require regular financial audits to guarantee funds are being correctly managed.

As far as expansion strategy is concerned, the n-f-p impact investor will look at the evaluation of opportunities for growth based on performance data, as he/she may consider provide more funding if the size of the prize fund increases and there is expansion into new markets.

 

In short, the n-f-p impact investor will check the above-mentioned elements forming the implementation and operation phase to ensure that ASCOC’s trustees carefully thought about the SLS in such a way that the interests and mission of their charity are preserved and they will minimize any emerging risks to their charity.

The n-f-p impact investor and ASCOC need to reach an agreement on this second activity of the matching talks.

 

• • Reaching an Agreement on the Key Areas of Investee’s Operation and Monitoring Stage with Investor’s Implementation and Operation Phase 

 

The two sides (ASCOC and the n-f-p impact investor) need to reach an agreement on the contents of ASCOC’s Operation and Monitoring Stage and n-f-p impact investor’s Implementation and Operation Phase.

 

• • • Reaching an Agreement on SLS Operation

 

In order to reach an agreement, the negotiating points between ASCOC (investee) and n-f-p impact investor regarding project operations will revolve around control reporting and risk management.  The key is balancing the n-f-p impact investor’s need for oversight with ASCOC’s necessity for operational autonomy to efficiently run the SLS.

 

Regarding the operational control and decision making, the n-f-p impact investor would like the following:

~ to appoint a board member or at least to have an observer seat to gain insight into the SLS’s performance and strategy

~ to have voting rights and vote powers on certain decisions

~ to have a say (approval requirement) on certain management decisions

~ to voice its opinion on hiring and or firing key SLS executives

etc.

 

Concerning reporting and communication, the n-f-p impact investor wants to

~ negotiate the right to receive regular reports on financial and operational matters

~ agree the frequency and detail of updates

~ have access to information linked to audits, in particular to be granted the right to audit SLS books and records or visit the SLS when it is operational

etc.

 

As to financial operations, the n-f-p impact investor asks for

~ clear guidelines about the SLS’s desire to reinvest capital for SLS growth

~ to be involved in the budgeting and financial planning

etc.

 

Briefly speaking, reaching an agreement on SLS operation is about finding the right balance between the n-f-p impact investor’s protection and operational flexibility for ASCOC.

 

• • • Reaching an Agreement on SLS Monitoring

 

The key negotiating points to reach an agreement on SLS monitoring will include those listed below.

 

Scope and frequency of reporting: Both ASCOC and the n-f-p impact investor need to agree on specific reporting frequency (e.g., weekly email updates or monthly financial statements) and the precise metrics to be used.

Type and detail of information provided: Both ASCOC and the n-f-p impact investor will establish formal confidentiality agreements and clear protocols for information exchange.

Investor access and involvement: The negotiating outcome could be the definition of access rights (such as observer seats at board meetings), the conditions and frequency of site visits, and the process for engaging external experts.

Definition of key performance indicators and milestones: Both ASCOC and the n-f-p impact investor can reach a joint agreement on specific and measurable KPIs, performance benchmarks, and a process for addressing potential scope changes or missed milestones.

Remedial actions and escalation: Both ASCOC and the n-f-p impact will be in a position to agree if they could agree predetermined procedures for addressing issues.

 

In short, to reach an agreement on SLS monitoring, the focus will be on balancing the n-f-p impact investor’s requirement for transparency and risk mitigation with ASCOC’s need for operational autonomy and efficiency.

 

• • • Reaching an Agreement on SLS Implementation

 

To reach an agreement on SLS implementation, the negotiating points below can be considered.

 

Governance and control: The n-f-p impact investor wants representation on the board composition (board of directors) to keep an eye on operations and management, voting power linked to its shares and specific matters that will require ASCOC’s approval, and a certain level of passive or active role.

Funding and financials: Both sides can agree staggered investments (or progressive release of funds) or milestone-based funding depending on SLS milestones or performance metrics, as well as the use of proceeds on the way invested funds will be used.

Project execution and reporting: Both parties will agree negotiating clear and detailed project workplans. They can also agree on the frequency and detail of financial and technical reports, as well as the performance standards and monitoring terms which will include clear metrics for success and monitoring the SLS’s progress.

Risk management and exit: Both parties will agree ways of addressing SLS risks (like market volatility, regulatory changes, etc.), dealing with events of default (e.g., breach of contracts) and remedies to the non-defaulting party.  Likewise, both parties can decide the terms and timeline for the n-f-p impact investor can exit the project.

 

To sum up, to reach an agreement on SLS implementation, their negotiations will revolve around control, funding release, reporting, risk allocation, and exit strategy.

If there is a disagreement between ASCOC and n-f-p 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 the SLS.

 

 

• • The Match or Fit Test Service

 

As part of the match or fit test, the contents of ASCO’s Operation and Monitoring Stage must be matched with n-f-p impact investor’s view on Implementation and Operation Phase.

The match test (or matched sampling) will help to increase the accuracy and statistical efficiency of the study of the SLS by carefully selecting subjects for comparison.  The purpose here will be to increase the statistical efficiency of the study on SLS 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 impact investor’s approach to Implementation and Operation Stage and what ASCOC is saying about its Operation and Monitoring Stage, between what the investor would like the Operation and Monitoring Stage to indicate and what ASCOC’s Operation and Monitoring Stage is really saying), the probability or chance of having an agreement at this Second round of negotiations could be null or uncertain.

 

• • Impact Advice to ASCOC and Guidance to n-f-p Impact Investor

 

Where there could be a disagreement, CENFACS can impact advise ASCOC to improve the contents of its Operation and Monitoring Stage.  CENFACS can as well guide n-f-p impact investors with impact to work out their expectations in terms of Implementation and Operation Phase to a format that can be agreeable by potential ASCOCs.

CENFACS’ impact advice for ASCOCs and guidance on impact investing for n-f-p 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 ASCOCs’ Operation and Monitoring Stage the better for ASCOCs.  It means that ASCOCs’ process must pass the attractiveness test (that is, the evaluation of market’s appeal).  Likewise, the more ASCOCs can successfully respond to impact investors’ level of enquiries and queries about the SLS 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 second Activity of the Matching Organisation-Investor via SLS.

Those potential organisations seeking investment to set up a SLS and n-f-p lottery 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.

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 second stage/phase/activity of Matching Organisation-Investor via SLS, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

_________

 

• References

 

(1) cenfacs.org.uk/2025/01/08/2025-light-seasons-resources-projects-and-programmes/ (accessed in December 2025)

(2) https://pmstudycircle.com/project-vs-operation (accessed in December 2025)

(3) https://plane.so/blog/what-is-project-monitoring (accessed in December 2025)

(4) https://www.therrc.co.uk/monitoring-planner (accessed in December 2025)

(5) https://www.projectmanagertemplate.com/post/what-is-project-implementation-a-complete-guide (accessed in December 2025)

_________

 

• 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 until the end of 2025 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

03 December 2025

Post No. 433

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• 2025 Festive Guide and Income Generation Month

• Festive Donations Without Shopping

• Activity/Task No. 12 of the Restoration (“R”) Year and Project: Support Income Poor through Income Restoration

 

… And much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

• 2025 Festive Guide and Income Generation Month

 

We have seamlessly crafted exciting and engaging initiatives to form our 2025 Festive Guide and Income Generation Month as well as deliver unparalleled experiences for both our supporters and project beneficiaries.

 

• • Festive Guide

 

2025 Festive Guide as a resource will help supporters engage with CENFACS during the Festive season and maximise their impact on CENFACS‘ poverty reduction work and mission.  The guide provides ideas and strategies for festive events and fundraising activities during the festive season.  It is a valuable tool to engage together with our supporters and users, raise funds and spread joy while making a positive impact on the communities.

This 2025 Festive Guide contains three items, which are:

 

a) Festive Season’s Poverty Relief 

b) Festive Services

c) Gifts of Peace.

 

Festive Season’s Poverty Relief is a collective effort between CENFACS and the communities to support those who are struggling with poverty during the holiday season.  The season’s high costs for food, energy and gifts combined with changing climate put enormous financial pressure on these people.  They need relief from poverty.

Festive Services involve a series of events and activities to be run by CENFACS and that will take place during the holiday season to support and celebrate our charitable mission.

Gifts of Peace are the transformative experiences that enable the beneficiaries of these gifts to navigate life’s challenges with calmness, unity and a state of goodness in life.

The above-mentioned three items will help all our supporters to get involved, whether by donating or volunteering or participating in any festive preparation activities, while celebrating the season.

 

• • Income Generation Month

 

December is Income Generation Month, according to CENFACS development calendar/planner.  It is an Income Generation Month not only for most charities, but also for CENFACS and its users.

It is a month during which we focus on creating or increasing income for CENFACS programmes and projects through various strategies such as fundraising drive, grant applications, events, and other means to generate income.

It is also a time for CENFACS‘ members to concentrate on generating additional income, through their own projects, fundraising efforts and seasonal activities.  During this month, we would be working with them and income poor to find way of generating some income to meet additional costs brought to their life by the high costs of living and spending pressure from festive demand.

This is why we published our Festive Income Boost on 19 November 2025 so that this festive income resource could be used as early as possible.  It contains income generation tools and strategies that streamline the process of meeting these costs.  This will quintessentially orchestrate poverty relief outcomes for project beneficiaries since we can work together so as to make the Season’s celebration come on its own to them and be affordable for all of them.

Under the Main Development section of this post, you will find more information about both the 2025 Festive Guide and our programme of work for the Income Generation Month.

 

 

• Festive Donations Without Shopping

 

Last week, we provided – under CENFACS’ Festive-Shopping-and-Donations Project or Festive-Donations-With-Shopping Project – a number of no-direct cash donations that those who would like to support CENFACS through their festive shopping can give.

This week, we are expanding on no-direct donations by focussing on those without shopping under CENFACS’ Festive-Donations-Without-Shopping Project.  In other words, we are highlighting other ways of backing CENFACS without directly giving cash and without shopping at CENFACS e-shop and other stores or shops.

What are those ways that one can think of or come across with to support CENFACS without having to directly give cash and without doing any shopping at CENFACS e-shop and other stores or shops?

 

• • Festive No-direct Cash Donations Without Shopping

 

There are 12-themed ways/tools of donating without shopping during this Festive Season and month.  They include:

 

1) Signing up for a Gift Aid Declaration from which CENFACS can earn an extra 25p for every £1 you give

Your Gift Aid Declaration can help amplify our poverty reduction impact.

 

2) Nomination of CENFACS for a donation at festive charity fundraising and donation events

These events could include Festive fairs and markets, runs and walks, concerts and performances, online fundraising campaigns, etc.  Many of these events could be looking for a charity to sponsor.

 

3) Selection of CENFACS as your preferred charity for donation from advertising revenue

For instance, if you are a company with corporate social responsibility programmes, we can partner with you to sponsor our events, projects and campaigns.  We can align our work with yours; just as if you run a matching gift programme, we can work with you.

 

4) Planned gifting or legacy giving if you decide to contribute a major gift to CENFACS beyond your lifetime

For example, you can help with outright gifts, deferred gifts, gifts that provide income; gifts that protect assets.

 

5) Livestreaming campaigns

If you are fundraising livestream donor, you can agree with CENFACS to choose a platform (e.g., Twitch), set up a stream for CENFACS, create a festive fundraising page, use a platform (like Tiltify), promote the event, engage viewers to donate and share the stream with their friends and collaborate.  

 

6) Gaming assets

You can also support CENFACS via Gaming assets when you as a gaming fundraiser can take the initiative to raise money for CENFACS via video games or livestreamed video game events whereby viewers can tune into.  You can use,  for instance, video play at gaming-centric platforms by leveraging the gaming community, and raise funds.

 

7) AI (Artificial Intelligence) tools to generate income or automate income generation

In fact, one can help us boost our fundraising capability, more effectively engage donors, and streamline our processes and operations via AI tools like Appeal AI, Fundraising Intelligence, chatbots and virtual assistants (e.g., ChatGPT) and CRM Integration tools.

 

8) Virtual real estate donations

Another festive creative and innovative way of supporting CENFACS is with donation from the profits of virtual real estate (land and property) sold.

 

9) Digital tickets

For example, event tickets can be auctioned off or raffled to raise funds.  Virtual event tickets (e.g., for webinars, online workshops) can be donated as well. 

 

10) Digital art

You can donate digital art or create NFTs of the art to be sold with the proceeds benefiting to CENFACS.

 

11) Giving cryptocurrency donations (or non-cash asset giving)

If you are a crypto-minded supporter or enthusiast or donor, you can give crypto donations as assets by choosing a cryptocurrency (e.g., Bitcoin), checking with CENFACS if we can accept your cryptocurrency donations, using a digital wallet, transferring the donation to CENFACS and getting a receipt.  You can aid CENFACS raise money for its noble causes as well as develop a crypto philanthropy programme.

 

12) Non-fungible tokens (NFTs)

You can create and auction NFTs with proceeds going to CENFACS, donate existing NFTs by selling or auctioned them with proceeds going to CENFACS, set up a digital wallet with NFTs to accept cryptocurrency donations for CENFACS.

So, one could donate digital assets like cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and digital gift cards.

 

The above 12 themes are ways to give to CENFACS without shopping and without donating cash money.  There could be more ways of donating without shopping, since resource giving to charitable causes is a fast-growing industry.  If you know any more of them, please use them to help CENFACS access funds for its noble and beautiful causes.

So, those who could not give no-direct cash donations through their shopping, they can still donate via the above-named no-direct cash donations without shopping.  They could make no-direct cash donations without shopping a souvenir for CENFACS’ noble and beautiful causes.

By asking for no-direct cash donations with and without shopping, we do not mean that one cannot donate cash.  They can and if they choose to directly donate cash, CENFACS will happily accept their direct cash donations.

To support CENFACS without directly giving cash (with or without shopping) and or by directly donating cash, please contact CENFACS.

Thank you for considering our ask for no-direct cash donations without festive shopping activities.

For any queries and/or enquiries about CENFACS’ Festive-Donations-Without-Shopping Project, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

• Activity/Task No. 12 of the Restoration (“R”) Year and Project: Support Income Poor through Income Restoration

 

Our Restoration (‘R’) Year and Project has reached its final step or Activity/Task 12, which is ‘Support Income Poor through Income Restoration’.   To undertake this task, let us explain income restoration.

 

• • What Is Income Restoration?

 

The definition of income restoration used here comes from ‘bhtpa.portal.gov.bd’ (1) which explains this:

“Income restoration means re-establishment of income levels prevalent at the time of displacement or the recovery of income levels that would have prevailed in the absence of the project”.

Although ‘bhtpa.portal.gov.bd’ speaks about income restoration in the context human displacement, this definition can be adapted to other situations and conditions of life.  As part of its application, ‘lawinsider.com’ (2) refers to it by stating that

“Income restoration is the re-establishment of income levels prevalent at…”.

This definition of income restoration can be expanded to include income protection that ensures that one receives an income if they are off work due to the illness, injury or terminal illness.  It can also encompass various restorations made like to cover for natural disaster or economic crisis.

So, as part of Activity/Task 12, one can support those who are income poor or become income poor for various reasons so that income can be restored or created for them.  Income restoration will help them not only to consume the basic necessities of life, but also to enable them to meet the high costs of festive living.

 

• • Supporting This Activity/Task

 

Those who would like to proceed with this activity/task by themselves can go ahead.

Those who would to be part of a working group helping in the realisation of this activity/task can let CENFACS know.

The above is what Activity/Task 12 of the Restoration (R) Year/Project is about.  Those who would like to undertake it, they can go ahead.

For those who need some help before embarking on this activity/task, they can speak to CENFACS.  To speak to CENFACS, they are required to plan in advance or prepare themselves regarding the issues they would like to raise.

For any other queries and enquiries about the ‘R‘ project and this year’s dedication, please contact CENFACS as well.

 

Extra Messages

 

• Autumn Matching Organisation-Investor Programme via a Small Lottery Scheme

• E-discussion on Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap (05/12/2025 to 05/01/2026)

• AI-enabled Festive Structured Finance Activities/Micro-projects under Financial Capacity and Capability Building Programme/Scheme

 

 

• Autumn Matching Organisation-Investor Programme via a Small Lottery Scheme

 

Last week, we introduced the Autumn Matching Organisation-Investor Programme via a Small Lottery Scheme.   We briefly explained a Small Lottery Scheme (SLS), provided the Matching Project Statement, presented Africa Poverty Relief Charity’s Plan for a Small Lottery Scheme Development, defined a Not-for-profit Investor in Small Lottery Schemes or Activities, explained the Matching Organisation-Investor via a Small Lottery Scheme, stated the Aim of Matching Organisation-Investor via a Small Lottery Scheme, etc.

This week, we are starting the first activity of this matching process.  To do that, we are going to present the plan for the 3-week Matching Activities starting from 01/12/2025.

 

• • Plan for 3-week Matching Activities Starting from 01/12/2025

 

As part of CENFACS‘ Matching Organisation-Investor via a Small Lottery Scheme, we are running a 3-week period of matching activities to support both African Poverty Relief Charity (APRC) and not-for-profit lottery investors.  It is a 3-week work about Impact Advice Service for APRC and Guidance Service on Impact Investing for not-for-profit lottery investors.

The 3-week work revolves around the setting of a Small Lottery Scheme.  The scheme is based on a condensed version for the project lifecycle of a small lottery scheme from an investee’s (APRC’s) perspective and a three-phase project lifecycle from the point of view of an investor.

The three stages of a condensed version for the project lifecycle of a small lottery scheme from an investee’s (APRC’s) perspective are:

 

Stage 1: Investment Preparation and Setup

Stage 2: Operation and Monitoring

Stage 3: Evaluation and Exit.

 

The three phases of a shortened adaptation to the project lifecycle of a small lottery scheme from a not-for-profit impact investor’s standpoint are:

 

Phase 1: Pre-investment (Feasibility and Planning)

Phase 2: Implementation and Operation

Phase 3: Closure and Benefits Realisation.

 

As mentioned these 3 stages and 3 phases are condensed version of project lifecycle from the perspective of each party (investee and investor).  It is possible to have more than 3 of them.  Because we set up some boundaries by limiting ourselves to deliver this matching project in three weeks (before Christmas 2025), we chose a three-stage and three-phase model for the lifecycle of a small lottery scheme.

The following is our action plan.

Note to table no. 1:

(*) Match periods are portions of time intended to help discover whether or not investors’ interests match organisations’ needs

 

If you want advice, help and support to find not-for-profit impact investors; CENFACS can work with you under this 3-week Matching Organisation-Investor via a Small Lottery Scheme, starting from the 1st of December 2025.

If you need guidance to outsource lottery charitable organisations and causes in Africa; CENFACS can work with you under this 3-week Matching Organisation-Investor via a Small Lottery Scheme, starting from the 1st of December 2025.

These matching activities are a great opportunity for a lottery charitable organisation to realise their New Year’s dream  of getting an investment they may badly need.  They are also a not-to-miss aspiration for a not-for-profit lottery investor to find New Year’s peace of mind through a suitable organisation in which to impact invest in Africa.

Need to engage with Matching Organisation-Investor via a Small Lottery Scheme (MOIvSLS), please contact CENFACS.

 

 

• • 01 to 06/12/2025: Activity 1 of MOIvSLS –

Matching Organisation-Impact Investor via Investee’s Investment Preparation and Setup versus Investor’s Pre-investment (Feasibility and Planning)

 

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 Lottery Charitable Organisation and/or Cause (ASCOC) through two things: ASCOC’s Investment Preparation and Setup from its project lifecycle and not-for-profit impact investor’s Pre-investment (Feasibility and Planning) from its approach to project lifecycle.  We are trying to match what ASCOC is offering as part of its project lifecycle for a small lottery scheme with a investor’s approach to the same project lifecycle.

In order to carry out the matching process, it is better to clarify each perspective and actions.

 

• • • ASCOC’s or APRC’s Perspective and Key Actions Regarding Investment Preparation and Setup Stage

 

At this first phase, APRC will identify the small lottery scheme (SLS) as a potential investment opportunity and will indicate how it will launch it.

Its key actions will include initial evaluation, negotiation and structuring the investment, oversight of licensing and compliance, and final investment approval.

Let us look at these key actions.

The initial evaluation will be about conducting a feasibility study and a cost-benefit analysis.  This involves assessing the market demand for the lottery, analysing the potential return on investment, and estimating start-up and running costs.

The sub-stage of negotiation and structuring the investment refers to the negotiation by APRC on the terms of investment.  This could involve the policy to reinvest the share of the lottery proceeds in APRC’s charitable mission.

The oversight of licensing and compliance is for APRC to demonstrate that the scheme will have all the necessary legal and regulatory requirements such as registering with the local authority in African countries where it will be implemented, as well as drawing up a formal lottery.

The final investment approval will be about ensuring that before any funds can be released all due diligence is complete and legal documentation is in place.

APRC needs to show that it has properly prepared its bid to set up a SLS.  This preparation will form the basis of its negotiations with the not-for-profit impact investor who will argue the points he/she would like to see in pre-investment (or feasibility and planning) phase of the SLS.

 

• • • Not-for-profit Impact Investor’s Consideration Concerning Pre-investment (or Feasibility and Planning) Phase

 

In this initial stage, the Not-for-profit (n-f-p) Impact Investor will focus on the potential for a profitable return and minimising investment risk.  He/she wants to be assured that APRC will realise a return on this investment and this return will be reinvested in APRC’s charitable mission.  In other words, APRC’s trustees or governing body need to convince the n-f-p impact investor that they carefully thought about the SLS and they will not be wasting APRC’s money and assets by investing in SLS.

From his/her perspective, the n-f-p impact investor will consider the following points: the feasibility analysis conducted by APRC about SLS, the legal and regulatory review made by APRC, the risk assessment, and financial modelling and structure conducted by APRC.

Let us summarise each of these sub-phases making the first phase from the impact investor’s standpoint.

Concerning the feasibility analysis, the n-f-p impact investor will review the SLS business plan presented by APRC, the market research and financial projections made by APRC about the SLS.  In the parlance of a small lottery, the n-f-p impact investor will check APRC’s approach and understanding of the African small lottery market size, competition, target audience, and legal restrictions on gambling.

Regarding the legal and regulatory review, the n-f-p impact investor would like to hear from APRC’s evaluation in terms of the potential for a return on investment by determining whether the scheme complies with local, regional, national, and African gambling regulations.  It is worth mentioning that there is no unified gambling regulations in African countries.  This provides APRC some flexibility.

As to risk assessment, the n-f-p impact investor wants to see some evidence that APRC has identified and evaluated potential risks linked to the SLS.  This could include regulatory changes, reputational damage, poor sales of lottery tickets, and the potential for fraud.  He/she also requires some guarantee that APRC’s SLS will have clear rules and secure systems to maintain public trust where the scheme will be implemented.

With respect to the financial modelling and structure, the n-f-p impact investor will analyse the initial investment the SLS requires as start-up costs.  These costs can include licensing, marketing, and tickets printing.  The n-f-p impact investor will look at potential revenue from lottery ticket sales versus the percentage allocated to prizes and expenses to project profitability.

In short, the n-f-p impact investor will check the above-mentioned elements forming the pre-investment phase to ensure that APRC’s trustees carefully thought about the SLS in such a way that the interests and mission of their charity are preserved.  In other words, the n-f-p impact and APRC need to reach an agreement on this first activity of the matching talks.

 

• • • Reaching an Agreement on the the Key Areas of the Investment Preparation and Setup Stage and Pre-investment Phase

 

The two sides (ASCOC and the n-f-p impact investor) need to reach an agreement on the contents of ASCOC’s Investment Preparation and Setup Stage and n-f-p impact investor’s Pre-investment (or Feasibility and Planning) Phase.  If there is a disagreement between ASCOC and n-f-p 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 the SLS.

 

 

• • The Match or Fit Test Service

 

As part of the match or fit test, the contents of ASCO’s Investment Preparation and Setup Stage must be matched with n-f-p impact investor’s view on Pre-investment (or Feasibility and Planning) Phase.

The match test (or matched sampling) will help to increase the accuracy and statistical efficiency of the study of the SLS by carefully selecting subjects for comparison.  The purpose here will be to increase the statistical efficiency of the study on SLS 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 impact investor’s approach to pre-investment (or feasibility and planning) stage and what ASCOC is saying about its Investment Preparation and Setup Stage, between what the investor would like the Investment Preparation and Setup Stage to indicate and what ASCOC’s Investment Preparation and Setup 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 ASCOC and Guidance to n-f-p Impact Investor

 

Where there could be a disagreement, CENFACS can impact advise ASCOC to improve the contents of its Investment Preparation and Setup Stage.  CENFACS can as well guide n-f-p impact investors with impact to work out their expectations in terms of pre-investment (or feasibility and planning) phase to a format that can be agreeable by potential ASCOCs.

CENFACS’ impact advice for ASCOCs and guidance on impact investing for n-f-p 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 ASCOCs’ Investment Preparation and Setup Stage the better for ASCOCs.  It means that ASCOCs’ process must pass the attractiveness test (that is, the evaluation of market’s appeal).  Likewise, the more ASCOCs can successfully respond to impact investors’ level of enquiries and queries about the SLS 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 SLS.

Those potential organisations seeking investment to set up a SLS and n-f-p lottery investors looking for organisations that are interested in their giving, they can contact CENFACS to 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 to use analysis tools to test assumptions and determine how likely something is within a given standard of accuracy.  The Hub 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.

 

For any queries and/or enquiries about this first stage/phase/activity of Matching Organisation-Investor via SLS, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

• E-discussion on Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap (05/12/2025 to 05/01/2026)

 

At COP30 (3) in Belem (Brazil), some outcomes were agreed, like the finance mobilisation roadmap.  But, there was a lack of progress on other issues, even the main ones.  Amongst these unsolved issues is the phasing out of fossil fuels.  In particular, there was the absence of roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels.  There were instead discussions on a voluntary energy transition, particularly on voluntary fossil fuel roadmap.  The latter needs to be explained.

 

• • What Is Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap?

 

It emerges from the literature review on fossil fuels that a voluntary fossil fuel roadmap is proposed plan aimed at transitioning away from fossil fuels – such as oil, gas, and coal – to promote cleaner energy sources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This roadmap is part of broader effort to address climate change and transition to a more sustainable energy system.  It is supported by various countries and organisations including Colombia, Marshall Islands, Germany, UK, etc.

The roadmap aims to provide a clear plan for countries to decarbonise their economies more quickly and to ensure a just transition that benefits all communities, particularly those that are mostly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

It is this voluntary fossil fuel roadmap that we will be discussing from 05 December 2025 as part of our Winter e-discussion.

 

• • E-discussing Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap from 05/12/2025 to 05/01/2026

 

At COP30, some countries and stakeholders agreed on a plan to transition away from fossil fuels.  To echo their discussions, CENFACS will e-discuss the following matters:

 

√ How the creation of roadmap would support planning and investment for our Africa-based Sister Organisations working on energy transition;

√ The building and developing a momentum towards clear energy

√ The kind of energy transition needed in Africa to improve health outcomes and economic resilience

√ Practical steps to disinvest from fossil fuels

√ Strategies for reinvesting into cleaner energy sources

√ How our Africa-based Sister Organisations can set up their own energy transition roadmap

√ How these organisations can finance their voluntary energy transition programmes and projects

Etc.

 

The e-discussion is also about volunteering in work of creating voluntary fossil fuel roadmap to find new models of development that build on this roadmap.  It is an e-debate on voluntary transition to renewables to help combat long-term energy poverty (that is, the lack of access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy services).

As we are nearing 2026, an e-discussion on Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap will provide us with some ideas about the different paths that our Africa-based Sister Organisations and communities may take in order to manage energy transitions in their own path and means.  It will as well contribute to reduce energy poverty for the disproportionately burdened energy poor households by high energy costs and environmental issues linked to the use of fossil fuels.

To e-discuss about Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

• AI-enabled Festive Structured Finance Activities/Micro-projects under Financial Capacity and Capability Building Programme/Scheme

 

As part of Financial Capacity and Capability Building Programme and Scheme Periods (01 to 06/12/2025 and 08 to 13/12/2025), we are available to work in hybrid mode with users via a Financial Capacity and Capability Building Programme (FCCBP) or Scheme (FCCBS) so that they can start stronger in the New Year.

Both FCCBP and FCCBS will help beneficiaries to reduce risks linked to financial incapacity and incapability while improving their intergenerational income and transfers.

These are exclusive festive activities to maximise programme and scheme beneficiaries’ financial management and decision-making for a successful year-end.  To practise FCCBP and FCCBS , we are carrying out AI-enabled structured festive finance activities for the two periods as indicated below.

 

• • AI-enabled Structured Festive Finance Activities as Part of Financial Capacity and Capability Building Programme (01 to 06/12/2025) 

 

FCCBP is a set of structured planned actions or events designed to help users to better manage financial aspects of festive celebrations, to develop financial knowledge and skills, to make life-saving financial decisions and to invest in financial capacity and capability goals

As a result, we will be working on how people and families can be involved a series of AI-enabled structured festive finance activities or small projects.  Before presenting these activities, let us first explain AI-enabled finance structured activities and the types of micro-projects relating to AI in finance for households.

 

• • • Explaining AI-enabled Structured Festive Finance Activities

 

AI-enabled Structured Festive Finance Activities aim to enhance family/household capacity by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to automate and optimize financial processes for households.  In terms of households’ financial capacity and capability building, these activities include the use of AI in financial services to enhance financial literacy and access.

Indeed, AI can assist in financial education by providing personalised financial guidance, building trust, and enhancing accessibility for underserved households and communities.  It can help in financial education by providing information  delivery and personalisation, while addressing barriers to financial literacy, and creating inclusive and intuitive household experiences.

 

• • • AI-enabled Connected Finance Structured Micro-projects for Households’ Finance Capacity and Capability Building

 

They include the following:

 

~ AI-driven financial insights assistants that provide personalised financial advice and support, helping households make informed decisions;

~ Automated loan processing and credit scoring models that streamline the application process and improve access to credit for underserved households;

~ Personalised financial education through AI-driven platforms that offer tailored financial advice and resources to help households manage their finances effectively;

~ Fraud detection systems that analyse transaction patterns to identity and prevent fraudulent activities, while ensuring the safety of household finances.

 

These micro-projects can enhance financial literacy, improve access to credit, and empower households to build their financial capacity and capabilities.

 

• • • • AI-enabled Structured Festive Finance Activities as Part of Financial Capacity and Capability Building Scheme (01 to 06/12/2025)

 

We are going to work with households on the following activities with the assistance of AI:

 

Activity 1: Investing in realistic goals about financial capacity and capability

Activity 2: Managing financial aspects of festive events

Activity 3: Making financial knowledge and skills positively impact on their financial behaviour

Activity 4: Taking sensible life-saving financial decisions

Activity 5: How to generate little extra income in order to reduce poverty.

 

These activities, which are run with the assistance of AI, will be in the forms of advice, advocacy, e-discussion, workshop, focus group, survey, direct questions/answers, etc.  More details about them can be obtained from CENFACS.

 

• • • • AI-enabled Structured Festive Finance Activities as Part of Financial Capacity and Capability Building Scheme (08 to 13/12/2025)

 

FCCBS is a plan or system for achieving the goals of financial capacity and capability.  It helps to work with users so that they can elaborate a systematic plan of future action about their financial capacity and capability for a week or month or year (2026).  Through this exercise, we shall use some financial capacity and capability tools to work with users to design basic financial plans, policies, systems, strategies, etc. to deal with their problems.  Under this scheme, we can organise together the following festive activities with the assistance of AI.

 

Activity 1: Financial Capacity and Capability to make ends meet (e.g., coping and survival strategies)

Activity 2: Financial Capacity and Capability to plan head (plan and save for the future) 

Activity 3: Financial Capacity and Capability to organise money management (e.g., money management plan)

Activity 4: Financial Capacity and Capability to make financial decisions and act through budgeting

Activity 5: Financial Capacity and Capability to control spending through cash flow statements.

 

Briefly, with automated and personalised tools we will be working on how people and families/households having the issues of financial capacity and capability can work out systematic plans for future action to improve their financial capacity and capability, and where possible generate income in order to reduce continuing poverty and hardships.  In particular, we will make sure about what scheme is workable or unworkable for them.

We shall share AI-powered apps and AI-driven tools in these activities and/or micro-projects.

In the end, we hope that the financially incapacitated or incapable people and families can develop their own individual working FCCBP and FCCBS plans or policies to establish financial capacity and capability as well as generate little extra incomes not only for the festive period, but also beyond the festive time.  In doing so, they can improve their intergenerational economy and transfer accounts.

Need festive advice or support relating to AI-enabled Structured Festive Finance to deal with the problems of financial capacity and capability you are experiencing, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

If you have financial planning problems, you can contact CENFACS so that we can work together on your financial planning needs and help you to start the New Year stronger and confident with a financial plan or a system or a policy.

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

 

• 8 Façons Thématiques de Faire des Dons Indirectement lorsque Vous Faites Vos Achats dans d’Autres Magasins ou Boutiques

Vous pouvez aider le CENFACS à collecter des fonds grâce à vos achats festifs dans d’autres magasins et boutiques, que ce soit en ligne ou en personne. Vous pouvez le faire via les 8 outils thématiques mentionnés ci-dessous.

Les 8 façons thématiques de transformer vos achats en dons pour CENFACS à l’approche de la fin de l’année incluent celles listées ci-dessous.

1) Collectez des fonds gratuits pour CENFACS grâce à vos achats en ligne

Par exemple, vous pouvez vous inscrire sur des plateformes comme Give as You Live, sélectionner CENFACS comme l’association caritative que vous souhaitez soutenir, faire vos achats en ligne et un pourcentage de vos dépenses sera reversé à CENFACS sans coût supplémentaire pour vous.

2) Choisissez le CENFACS comme bénéficiaire de dons sur une partie des bénéfices générés par vos achats en ligne

Pour donner une idée, vous pouvez choisir une plateforme et vous y inscrire, elle est conçue pour faciliter les dons via les achats, sélectionner CENFACS comme votre association caritative préférée, faire vos achats en ligne, suivre les dons et faire passer le mot.

3) Faites don de vos points et remises en argent non désirés et inutilisés à CENFACS en tant qu’œuvre caritative de votre choix à partir de vos récompenses de fidélité ou de cartes-cadeaux de bonnes causes

À titre d’illustration, vous pouvez examiner vos comptes de cartes de crédit, programmes de fidélité et sites de cashback, rechercher les options de don, choisir de convertir des points en dons monétaires, et sélectionner l’option de don (c’est-à-dire utiliser les récompenses de carte de crédit pour donner, programmes de fidélité et sites de cashback).

4) Transférez à CENFACS les gains en espèces non directs issus des enquêtes shopping ; l’argent dont vous n’avez pas besoin ou que vous ne souhaitez pas

En fait, vous pouvez choisir des sites d’enquêtes fiables, compléter des enquêtes pour accumuler des gains, convertir les récompenses ou points gagnés en argent ou en cartes-cadeaux, sélectionner le CENFACS, donner directement et faire don des cartes-cadeaux.

5) Nommez le CENFACS comme votre cause préférée méritante si jamais vous avez l’occasion de cliquer sur l’option en ligne « faire un don via cashback aux associations »

Choisir le CENFACS comme votre cause préférée peut aider à garantir que vos contributions font une différence utile dans la vie de ceux ou celles qui sont dans le besoin.

6) Offrez à CENFACS tout bon d’achat reçu ou gagné lors de vos achats, bons dont vous n’avez pas besoin ou que vous ne voulez pas

En termes pratiques, cela signifie que vous pouvez vérifier la validité des bons, contacter le CENFACS avec vos bons et vérifier avec le CENFACS si votre bon a été accepté. Vous pouvez faire don de votre bon en ligne ou en personne. Vous pouvez également faire passer le mot et suivre votre don.

7) Remettez à CENFACS tous les produits provenant de tirages au sort ou de récompenses indésirables ou inutiles de vos achats.

Pour les remettre, vous devez vérifier la récompense, choisir et contacter le CENFACS, transférer les produits, fournir à CENFACS la preuve de la récompense pour traiter le don et obtenir un reçu.

8) Faites don de tous les points excédentaires non désirés de votre carte de fidélité provenant d’applications d’achat en ligne qui pourraient soutenir de bonnes causes.

Par exemple, vous pouvez vérifier le programme de fidélité que vous avez en tête, choisir le CENFACS si vous pensez que la mission de CENFACS vous correspond, faire le don en ligne et le CENFACS confirmera le don par email.

Merci de prendre en compte notre demande d’effectuer de dons dans le cadre de vos activités d’achats festifs.

Pour toute question et/ou demande de renseignements concernant le Projet d’Achats et de Dons Festifs de CENFACS, n’hésitez pas à contacter le CENFACS.

 

Main Development

 

• 2025 Festive Guide and Income Generation Month

 

We have two major items making the 2025 Festive Guide and Income Generation Month, which are:

 

∝ Festive Guide

∝ December as an Income Generation Month.

 

Let us briefly explain each of them.

 

 

• • Festive Guide

 

It is a resource that provides ideas and strategies for festive events to be organised and fundraising activities to be carried by CENFACS during the festive season.  Inside this guide, there are three main listings: Festive Season’s Poverty Relief, Festive Services and Gifts of Peace.

 

• • • Festive Season’s Poverty Relief 

 

Festive Season’s Poverty Relief is a collective effort between CENFACS and the communities to support those who are struggling with poverty during the holiday season.  The season’s high costs for food, energy and gifts combined with changing climate put enormous financial pressure on these people.  They need relief from poverty and hardships.

At CENFACS, the Season’s Relief comes with a theme and bundle of initiatives.

 

• • • • Season’s Relief Theme

 

The theme for the Season’s Relief which would carry us throughout the entire festive period is Sustainable Peace.  The Festive Season, which is part of the worldwide celebration, kicks off in December for CENFACS and ends by the 31^st of January in the New Year.

During the Festive Season, we normally start the Season of Light.  The Season of Light is one of the four seasons of CENFACS Development Calendar.  It is the Winter season which goes on until the third week of March in the New Year and is featured by Winter Lights and Light Projects or Light Appeals. 

During this Season of Light, we shall carry out work about light (or energy) and poverty reduction.  We will be looking at practical plans (roadmaps) for the long-term energy poor to transition away from fossil fuels to embrace clear energy, as well as how to fund energy transition for these energy poor who are still dependent on fossil fuels.

 

 

• • • • Season’s Relief Initiatives

 

The following are the selected December 2025 initiatives or Season’s Initiatives for Relief:

 

∗ Festive Income Builder, Booster & Calculator, In Focus for 2025: Festive Alternative Income Sources

∗ Community Value Chains: CENFACS as a Zero-Waste Community of Restorers

∗ Volunteering in 2025: Volunteering for Energy Transition Plans/Roadmaps

∗ Thanking 2025 Year Makers & Enablers (the 2025 Creators and Facilitators)

∗ Gifts of Peace (Edition 2025/2026)

∗ Run, Vote & Play for Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development (Action-Results 2025).

 

The above-mentioned projects would make the first part of the Season’s Relief as being announced above.  Some of them intertwine between our monthly and seasonal development calendars.  All will depend whether one is reading our development calendar on a monthly or seasonal basis.

To support and or enquire about the Season’s Relief, please contact CENFACS.

 

• • • Festive Services

 

Festive Services involve a series of events and activities to be run by CENFACS and that will take place during the holiday season to support and celebrate our charitable mission.

These services are made of two types of projects: regular and festive projects.

 

• • • • Regular or on-going projects

 

They are continuous including during the festive period.  The project known as All-year Round Projects (Triple Value Initiatives) is one of them.

 

• • • • Projects for the festive occasion only

 

They are projects which are specially designed for that occasion.   The project Community Value Chains is one of them.

Both types of projects are included in our December 2025 programme and planned to be delivered during the month of December 2025.

 

• • • Gifts of Peace

 

Gifts of Peace are the transformative experiences that enable the beneficiaries of these gifts to navigate life’s challenges with calmness, unity and a state of goodness in life.

They are CENFACS Wintry Gift Appeal initiative to support people living in poverty in Africa.

CENFACS’ Winter Gift of Peace to Africa is indeed …

 

√ A festive life-sustaining support that helps to reduce poverty and bring sustainable peace  

√ A festive giving to acknowledge and do something about poverty over the festive period, which is also an occasion to trans-give and think of those who are not as fortunate as others

√ A festive means to support those who don’t have peace because of poverty, particularly in the developing regions of the world like Africa.

 

Since Africa is still looking for ways to produce economic growth that will be sufficient to further reduce poverty, there are many people, who are recipient of projects and programmes run by our Africa-based Sister Organisations, who desperately need support.

However, we must acknowledge that this is a challenging time for both those who support and those who receive that support.  Many factors have impacted people’s donation behaviours.  The same or similar factors have increased demand of support for those in need.

To respond to the demand of help from those who receive support, we will be launching CENFACS’ Winter Gift of Peace to Africa, a Winter Appeal, by the end of Autumn 2025.

In meantime, those who would like to have for more information about this seasonal appeal, they need to contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

• • December as an Income Generation Month for CENFACS

 

December is a month of Income Generation, Record Tracking and Winter Lights at CENFACS.

 

• • • December as Income Generation Month

 

December is the Income Generation month according to CENFACS monthly development calendar and planner.  The focus is on creating or increasing income for CENFACS and its Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs), and users.

 

• • • • Income Generation for CENFACS and ASOs

 

It refers to a dedicated month to implement or review our income-generating strategies.  It involves taking specific fundraising initiatives to attract grants, donations, or sponsorships.

 

• • • • Income Generation for CENFACS’ members, users and project beneficiaries

 

December is the month during which we advocate and provide tips, hints and other types of advisory support on how CENFACS members/users/beneficiaries can generate additional income to cover shortage in regular income, by using other avenues within the boundaries of the law and order.  These avenues can include freelancing, investing, creating digital products, running a small business, etc.

This additional income can enable multi-dimensional income poor children, young people and families (C, YP & Fs) to exercise their basic human right to celebrate the end of the year in their own way and right.

In this respect, this December 2025 of Income Generation will be mostly about Festive Alternative Income Sources (on how to turn your skills and hobbies into an active alternative income source) as we highlighted in this year Edition of Festive Income Boost.  This is to help C, YP & Fs turn their skills and hobbies into alternative income sources to meet the season’s high costs and demand for food, energy and gifts combined with changing climate, which can put them in enormous financial pressure.

We will be working with them during the festive season to find ways of turn their skills into active alternative income sources while building and developing their financial capacity and capability.  So, supporting multi-dimensional poor C, YP & Fs in this way is the right cause to undertake.

Equally, where possible generating, building and boosting their incomes to exercise their human right to a decent end-of-year celebration is not only a one-off or seasonal business to make ends meet; but can also become an additional way of building and developing the capacity and capability to reduce and end income poverty.

They are poor not only because of lack of income but also due to their lack of support to build and develop financial capacity and capability as well as to generate enough income to cover their needs and nurture these capacity and capability.  This is why we are running AI-enabled Festive Structured Finance Activities/Micro-projects under Financial Capacity and Capability Building Programme/Scheme.

As part of festive support, our Edition 2025 Festive Extra Income Builder, Booster and Calculator would be available for those who need it.  We launched this resource earlier in Autumn in order to enable those in need of the resource to get the tips, hints and strategies they need to early start exploring ways of better managing their financial affairs and making life-saving financial decisions while finding ways of boosting their income and generational economy.

Besides this resource, we planned two periods of work on financial capacity and capability programmes and schemes starting from the second of this month as follows.

 

• • • 01 to 06/12/2025: Financial Capacity and Capability Programmes (FCCP) 

 

FCCP is a set of AI-enabled finance structured activities designed to help users to better manage financial aspects of festive events, to develop financial knowledge and skills, to make life-saving financial decisions and to invest in financial capacity and capability goals

As a result, we will be working on how people and families can be involved a series of structured activities or small projects to

 

σ invest in realistic goals about financial capacity and capability

σ manage financial aspects of festive events

σ make financial knowledge and skills positively impact on their financial behaviour

σ take sensible life-saving financial decisions

σ where possible generate little extra income in order to reduce poverty.

 

Through these activities, we hope beneficiaries will become

 

√ better empowered in their financial behaviour

√ good financial decision makers

√ better financial managers

√ extra income earners

√ financially confident

etc.

 

• • • 08 to 13/12/2025: Financial Capacity and Capability Schemes (FCCS)

 

FCCS helps to work with users so that they can elaborate a systematic plan of future action about their financial capacity and capability for a week or month or year (2026).  Through this exercise, we shall use some financial capacity and capability tools to work with users (e.g., Debt to income ratio formula).

Briefly, we will be working on how people and families having the issues of financial capacity and capability can work out systematic plans for future action to improve their financial capacity and capability, and where possible generate income in order to reduce continuing poverty and hardships.  In particular, we will make sure about what scheme is workable or unworkable for them.

In the end, we hope that the financially incapacitated or incapable people and families can develop their own individual working FCCP and FCCS plans or policies to establish financial capacity and capability and generate little extra incomes not only for the festive period, but also beyond the festive time. In doing so, they can improve their intergenerational economy and transfer accounts.

 

 

• • • December as Record Tracking Month

 

December is also the time of record tracking on our All-year Round Projects (or Triple Value Initiatives), particularly

 

√ CENFACS Poverty Relief League (The African Nations Poverty Relief League)

√ Run to Reduce Poverty in Africa in 2025

√ Vote Your African Poverty Relief and Development Manager of the Year 2025

 

We expect those who took part and or organised activities on our behalf about these projects to come forward, report and share with us their actions, results and experiences about the three stars or bests of 2025 (Best Country, Best Runner and Best Manager).  We can count on them to tell us their Winner of CENFACS Trophy of the Year.

 

• • • December as the start of Winter Lights Season

 

As said above in our Festive Guide, December is finally the month we start CENFACS Winter Lights Season, the first season of our development seasonal calendar.  The Season of Light, which kicks off around Mid-December, includes the Gifts of Peace.

Each year, we produce an edition of the Gifts of Peace that makes up our final fundraising campaign and last humanitarian appeal of the year.  This year, we are doing the same for our last humanitarian appeal or fundraising campaign of 2025.

Peace is the festive theme we choose at CENFACS to spread the joy of Season’s Relief to those in need, especially at this time of the lingering effects of the enduring cost-of-living crisis.  We try to help their wishes of relief become true with the Gifts of Peace, by putting a smile on their face with relief notes.

With the enduring effects of high costs of living, many of them cannot find the smiles they need for relief.  One can hope that the Gifts of Peace will bring back the lost smiles.

To support the Edition 2025/2026 of Gifts of Peace, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

• • • CENFACS Community Value Chains Celebration

 

As part of the Season of Light is the CENFACS Community Value Chains celebration.  This celebration generally closes our seasons at the end of the year and concludes our yearly development calendar and planner, while marking the end of civil year at CENFACS.

It is an end-of-year eventful project enabling us to look upon us again as a community of shared vision, values and beliefs which connect us as human chains with a purpose of reducing and ending poverty amongst us, and of enhancing sustainable development as well.

This year, we shall again focus on ourselves as a Zero-waste Community of Restorers.  As a Zero-waste Community of Restorers we can work together with our community members to minimise waste sent to landfills and incinerators through strategies that followed the ‘5 Rs’ (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot).   This focus will be about our dedication to ecological restoration (like restoring ecosystems and nature) and upcycling objects (through CENFACS’ Zero Waste e-store) to reduce waste and build zero-waste skills. 

In terms of poverty reduction, we as a Zero-waste Community of Restorers means the one that champions a systematic approach to revitalise the social, economic and environmental well-being of our members through a model that mobilises our members’ knowledge and resources to create sustainable or long-term change.

 

• • • E-discussion on Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap: 05/12/2025 to 05/01/2026

 

To carry the CENFACS Community into the New Year, we will be running a discussion on Volunteering in 2026, which will start on 05 December 2025 and end on 05 January 2026.  The discussion theme for this year is on Voluntary Fossil Fuel Roadmap.

 

• • • CENFACS into 2026

 

To take the other two domains (International and Fund) of CENFACS into 2026 and engage with stakeholders, we shall develop the following projects:

 

√ Projects to combat climate disinformation

√ Projects for finance mobilisation roadmap

√ Projects to reduce long-term energy poverty

√ Projects for voluntary energy transitions.

 

For any enquiries or to support CENFACS this December 2025 and in the New Year, please contact CENFACS.

 

Before closing this week’s post, we would like to inform all our audiences and stakeholders that the above planned programmes, projects and activities can be reviewed.  If there are any significant changes in terms of the eruption of a major event or crisis or shock, we shall revise our initial festive plan and activate our contingency plan.

_________

 

• References

 

(1) https://bhtpa.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/bhtpa.portal.gov.bd/page/fd2c28e6_99ab_43d4_8262_ff8d87165be7/589.pdf (accessed in December 2025))

(2) https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/income-restoration (accessed in December 2025)

(3) https://www.carbonbrief.org/cop30-key-outcomes-agreed-at-the-un-climate-talks-in-belem/ (accessed in December 2025)

_________

 

• 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 until the end of 2025 and beyond.

With many thanks.