Execution of the Third Energy Crisis Mitigation and Poverty Reduction Codes for CEDM (Creative Economic Development Month) 2026 Sub-themes

Posted by ctsh@in2015 on June 17, 2026 in Uncategorized

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

17 June 2026

Post No. 461

The Week’s Contents

• Execution of the Third Energy Crisis Mitigation and Poverty Reduction Codes for CEDM (Creative Economic Development Month) 2026 Sub-themes (from Week Beginning Monday 15/06/2026)

• Matching Organisation-Investor via a Clean Cooking Project – Activity 4 (15 to 21/06/2026): Matching Organisation’s Monitoring and Verification with Investor’s Monitoring, Verification and Co-benefits

• Thanksgiving Days: Supporters’ Days (29 & 30/06/2026)

… And much more!

Key Messages

• Execution of the Third Energy Crisis Mitigation and Poverty Reduction Codes for CEDM (Creative Economic Development Month) 2026 Sub-themes (from Week Beginning Monday 15/06/2026)

To introduce these Third Codes and this week’s work on CEDM 2026, we are going to briefly explain the Third Energy Crisis Mitigation and Poverty Reduction Codes, unveil the creations and innovations for both sub-themes 1 and 2, and highlight the codes for each sub-theme composing the Third Codes.

• • What Are the Third Energy Crisis Mitigation and Poverty Reduction Codes for CEDM 2026?

Let us first explain energy codes, then the two types of codes making our sub-themes 1 and 2.

• • • What are Energy Codes (ECs)?

ECs refer to either building Energy Codes (which dictate how efficiently structures use energy) or Energy System Codes (the regulatory rules governing the gas and electricity markets). Let us summarize them.

Building Energy Codes (also known as Efficiency and Construction Codes) are sets of regulations and building standards that dictate the energy efficiency requirements for new construction and major renovations. They establish minimum performance standards for insulation, windows, lighting and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems.

Energy Industry Codes (also termed as Markets and Grid Rules) are – in deregulated utility markets – the heavy-duty, legal and commercial documents that govern the electricity and gas systems. They dictate how energy suppliers, network operators, and consumers interact.

In the context of CEDM 2026, we are dealing with Energy Crisis Mitigation and Poverty Reduction Codes. What are they?

• • • The Third Energy Crisis Mitigation Codes

Energy Crisis Mitigation Codes (ECMCs) are regulatory frameworks and emergency guidelines used by government and grid operators to manage critical fuel or electricity shortages. In the UK (1), these are primarily governed by the Electricity Supply Emergency Code (ESEC), which outlines how the grid enforces demand reductions and protects vulnerable consumers during severe supply constraints.

In the last two weeks, we provided the First and Second ECMCs for CEDM. This week, we are publishing the Third ECMCs for CENFACS’ CEDM.

• • • The Third Energy Poverty Reduction Codes

Energy Poverty Reduction Codes (EPRCs) refers to regulation frameworks, building energy standards and utility guidelines designed to protect vulnerable households and reduce the costs of heating, cooling, and powering homes. They fall into two categories: a) Building and Housing Standards b) Utility and Consumer Protection Codes.

a) Building and Housing Standards

These are regulatory codes that mandate minimum energy efficiency for homes, specifically targeting lower-income households. They are used to upgrade housing stock to reduce the amount of energy required to stay warm or cool. They include Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) and Energy Performance Certificates (EPC).

b) Utility and Consumer Protection Codes

These are codes of practice and regulatory rules that energy providers must follow to prevent vulnerable customers from being disconnected or overcharged. They include Priority Services Registers (PSR), Disconnection Protections, Social Tariffs, etc.

These reduction codes work in tandem with government initiatives to fund free insulation, heat pumps, and solar installation for qualifying households.

The Third Codes for CEDM (Creative Economic Development Month) 2026 Sub-themes refer to a set of rules or principles allowing for action on creative economic development during June 2026. They help in delivering the activities planned for the CEDM 2026. They also identify the third level of sub-themes for CEDM 2026.

• • Unveiling Creations and Innovations for CEDM (Creative Economic Development Month) 2026 Sub-themes

We have two types of creations and innovations as explained below.

• • • Creations and Innovations to Mitigate the Impacts of Energy Crisis (for Sub-theme 1)

• • • • Creations to Mitigate the Impacts of Energy Crisis (CMIEC)

For the Third Codes of CEDM 2026, these creations are those to Transition to Affordable Renewable Energy.

The corresponding codes for this third category involve

σ Community renewables

σ Energy as-a-service

σ Decentralized generation.

• • • • Innovations to Mitigate the Impacts of Energy Crisis (IMIEC)

For the Third Codes of CEDM 2026, these innovations are Decentralised and Community Energy.

The matching Codes are those capturing bottom-up, localized technological solutions. They include

σ Off-grid renewable installations

σ Off-grid biogas plants to mitigate cooking fuel costs

σ Zero-upfront-cost installations via community energy programmes

Etc.

• • • Creations and Innovations to Tackle Long-term Energy Poverty (CITLTEP) (for Sub-theme 2)

• • • • Creations to Tackle Long-term Energy Poverty (CTLTEP)

For the Third Codes of CEDM 2026, these creations are Behavioural Energy Advice and Consumer Empowerment.

These codes refer to

σ Grassroots

σ Educational interventions

σ Guidance interventions.

They encompass energy literacy and community initiatives.

• • • • Innovations to Tackle Long-term Energy Poverty (ITLTEP)

For the Third Codes of CEDM 2026, these innovations are Behavioural and Educational Measures.

These codes highlight consumer-facing strategies designed to empower low-income households. The relevant Codes are

σ Tailored energy advice

σ Behavioural change through educational campaigns

σ Monitoring and evaluation.

The above-mentioned creations and innovations and corresponding codes are making up this week’s work on CEDM 2026. They are part of projects of CEDM 2026 this week’s CEDM 2025 Working Plan.

For those who may be interested in any of the above-mentioned codes of each sub-theme of this plan, they can read more under the Main Development section of this post.

• Matching Organisation-Investor via a Clean Cooking Project – Activity 4 (15 to 21/06/2026): Matching Organisation’s Monitoring and Verification with Investor’s Monitoring, Verification and Co-benefits

Both African Charity Investee’s/Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisation (ACI/ASCO) and Not-for-profit (NFP) Impact Investor agreed to align their respective views on distribution as well as on key success metrics to track, to measure product adoption, such as conversion rate, time to value, and frequency of purchases. NFP Impact Investor has accepted the implementation plan of Clean Cooking Project (CCP) proposed by ACI/ASCO.

ACI/ASCO has committed to employ communication, community engagement and data-driven insights to connect with CCP beneficiaries to create change that lasts. Additionally, both parties agree to shift from traditional models to results-based financing (RBF), outcome contracts, and co-designed community interventions.

Because of these alignments (on distribution, adoption, implementation and behaviour), they have decided to move to the next stage (Activity 4) of these matching talks, which is Monitoring and Verification for ACI/ASCO and Monitoring, Verification and Co-benefits for NFP Impact Investor.

To deal with this Activity 4, we have organised the notes in the following manner:

σ Activity 4 Matching Concepts

σ African Charity Investee’s/Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisation’s Monitoring and Verification

σ Not-for-profit Impact Investor’s Monitoring, Verification and Co-benefits

σ Reaching a Negotiated Agreement

σ The Match or Fit Test.

Let us look at each of these headings.

• • Activity 4 Matching Concepts

There are three main concepts forming this Activity 4. These concepts are monitoring, verification and co-benefits. Let us explain them.

• • • Monitoring

According to ‘evalcommunity.com’ (2),

“Monitoring is a process of observing and tracking activities and progress. It is a critical component of any successful project, intervention, public policy, or programme”.

It is indeed an ongoing continuous process requiring the collection of data at multiple points throughout the programme or project cycle, including at the beginning to provide a baseline and goals.

Charities Evaluation Services (3) argues that

“When you monitor, you can collect information on a wide variety of things relevant to the project. You are most likely to need information on your outputs and your outcomes” (p. 16).

ACI/ASCO will likely need information on how its CCP activities will be running, and progress towards its CCP objectives. Likewise, it will also include information to check the changes that will result from CCP activities, and progress towards meeting its aims.

• • • Verification

The UK Government (4) explains that

“Verification is an activity that ensures that a solution (or part of) is complete, accurate, reliable and matches its design specification”.

Literature on verification also indicates that verification should not be confused with validation. Validation is, according to the UK Government (op. cit.),

“An activity that ensures a solution (or part of) meets the needs of the business. Validation ensures that business requirements are met even though these might have changed since the original design”.

ACI/ASCO needs to have a clear idea about the way it will verify CCP. Likewise, its understanding of verification has to meet NFP Impact Investor’s own interpretation of verification if there has to be any change of agreement between the two.

• • • Co-benefits

The website ‘sustainability-directory.com’ (5),

“Co-benefits are the additional positive outcomes that occur alongside the primary goal of a sustainability initiative, enhancing its overall value”.

ACI/ASCO needs to elucidate the full spectrum of positive outcomes or additional advantages or positive ripple effects of the CCP.

For instance, the website ‘cleancooking.org’ (6) provides 10 Key Co-benefits of Clean Cooking for Climate, Nature, and Communities. ACI/ASCO can mention the co-benefits of CCP to match NFP Impact Investor’s understanding of co-benefits.

The above-mentioned key concepts will determine the way in which each side of these negotiations will perform in this Activity 4.

• • African Charity Investee’s/Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisation’s Monitoring and Verification

Ther are two aspects that require clarification: data collection and carbon crediting.

Concerning data collection, ACI/ASCO needs to demonstrate that it has a strategy to collect data, to track stove usage, fuel consumption, and user experiences to ensure the technology is actually being used as intended.

Regarding carbon crediting, ACI/ASCO can prove that it will gather data for carbon emission reductions to meet criteria for international standards such as Gold Standard. This will verify the carbon credits that often fund these projects.

In brief, ACI/ASCO needs to have a monitoring plan and explain to the NFI Impact Investor what it will monitor and the types of monitoring and verification it will conduct. For instance, will it use process monitoring or real-time monitoring or progress tracking or progress validation or performance monitoring?

• • Not-for-profit Impact Investor’s Monitoring, Verification and Co-benefits

The focus for NFP Impact Investor is on gathering field-level data on stove usage, carbon reductions, and health improvements. The NFP Impact investor will want also to know about the tracking of reductions in indoor air pollution (SDG 3) and reductions in time-poverty for women, ensuring CCP aligns with broader development mandates where it will be implemented.

In response to the NFP Impact Investor, ACI/ASCO can show that CCP will not only reduce carbon emissions but also will support the health and livelihoods of communities most impacted by climate change. CCP will also offer health, gender and deforestation co-benefits, addressing the dire consequences of polluting fuels on health and the environment.

The above-mentioned metrics will be the measures to be used to reach an agreement between ACI’s/ASCO’s M&V and NFP Impact Investor’s M, V&C.

• • Reaching a Negotiated Agreement

The two sides (ASCO and the NFP Impact Investor) need to reach a negotiated agreement on the contents of Monitoring and Verification (MV) for the former and Monitoring, Verification and Co-benefits (M, V&C) for the latter. It means they need to align their positions.

• • • Aligning their positions

Aligning their positions requires a hybrid measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) framework. Both ACI/ASCO and NFP Impact Investor can align by adopting recognized certifications, integrating tech-enabled tracking, and implementing tierced Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

They can adopt standardized frameworks and certifications by aligning on recognized third-party methodologies in terms of carbon credits, health and gender co-benefits.

They can also implement tech-enabled monitoring by using modern tech bridges like Internet of the Things (IoT) stove sensors and digital platforms.

They can further establish tierced and phased KPIs by using output metrics, outcome metrics, and phased rollout.

They can instead co-design the theory of change by involving local stakeholders and community members in project design, ensuring that the data being collected reflects actual community benefits.

They can as well consider outcome-based financing structures by exploring Results-Based Financing (RBF) or reputable independent third-party verification agents to validate the impact-relieving from direct auditing duties.

They can finally use alignment metrics.

• • • Alignment metrics

ACI/ASCO and NFP Impact Investor can use alignment metrics across three pillars: emissions reductions, health/socio-economic co-benefits, and technology adoption. This will allow ACI/ASCO to access results-based carbon finance with meeting NFP Impact Investor‘s impact reporting requirements.

They can use the following metrics:

σ Carbon and Emission Metrics (e.g., Emissions Averted, Fuel Savings and Device Performance)

σ Technology Adoption and Usage Metrics (e.g., Usage Rate, Stove Stacking)

σ Socio-economic Co-benefits Metrics (e.g., Time Saving for gathering fuel or cooking, Health Empowerments, Economic Empowerment, etc.).

The NFP Impact Investor can specify that it is prioritizing most, for instance carbon credits, gender or health.

By proceeding in the above-stated manner they can reach an agreement. If there is a disagreement between ASCO and NFP Impact Investor, this could open up the possibility for a match/fit test. The match/fit test can be carried out to try to help the two sides of the matching process. The match/fit test can also be undertaken if there is a disagreement on any of aspects of CCP.

• • The Match or Fit Test Service

As part of the match or fit test, the contents of ACI/ASCO’s M&V Stage must be matched with NFP Impact Investor’s view on M, V&C. The match test (or matched sampling) will help to increase the accuracy and statistical efficiency of the study of the CCP by carefully selecting subjects for comparison. The purpose here will be to increase the statistical efficiency of the study on CCP by controlling for confounding variables when forming a sample.

The fit test will assist in determining how well the observed sample data matches a specified theoretical distribution. The fit test will check if the data collected fits a model or an assumed population distribution. So, the purpose of the fit test is to validate or invalidate the statistical model by checking if the sample data follows an expected distribution.

The match can be perfect or close (that is, when every unit is paired with an equivalent unit) in order to reach an agreement. If there is a huge or glaring difference between the two (i.e., between what the NFP Impact Investor’s approach to M&V Stage and what ACI/ASCOC is saying about its M&V Stage, between what the investor would like the M&V Stage to indicate and what ASCO’s M&V Stage is really saying), the probability or chance of having an agreement at this Fourth round of negotiations could be null or uncertain.

• • • Impact Advice to ASCO and Guidance to NFP Impact Investor

Where there could be a disagreement, CENFACS can impact advise ACI/ASCO to improve the contents of its M&V Stage. CENFACS can as well guide NFP Impact Investors to work out their expectations in terms of M&V Phase to a format that can be agreeable by potential ASCOs.

CENFACS’ impact advice for ASCOs and guidance on impact investing for NFP Impact Investor, which are impartial, will help each of them (i.e., investee and investor) to make informed decisions and to reduce or avoid the likelihood of any significant losses or misunderstandings or mismatches.

• • • The Rule of the Matching Game

The rule of the game is the more impact investors are attracted by ACI’s or ASCOs’ M&V Stage the better for ACIs or ASCOs. It means that ACI’s or ASCOs’ process must pass the attractiveness test (that is, the evaluation of market’s appeal). Likewise, the more ACIs or ASCOs can successfully respond to impact investors’ level of enquiries and queries about the CCP the better for investors. In this respect, the matching game needs to be a win-win one to benefit both players (i.e., investee and investor).

The above is the Fourth Activity of the Matching Organisation-Investor via CCP.

Those potential organisations seeking investment to set up a CCP and NFP Impact Investors looking for organisations that are interested in their giving, they can contact CENFACS to be their matchmaker to find their perfect investee or investor.

• • • CENFACS as a Matchmaker

As a Matchmaker, CENFACS can streamline your search process, save time, money and resources to help you find the perfect match in the world of impact investing.

CENFACS platform will help facilitate the matching process between investees and investors. By leveraging the power of AI tools, CENFACS’ Matching Organisation-Investor Programme can streamline the search process for funding opportunities, connecting African charities and impact investors/funders.

Briefly speaking, CENFACS can work with matching applicants and use AI to match organizations with the right impact investors, filtering profiles based on development stages, sectors, and aims.

In this matching process, CENFACS can arrange the match or fit test for them. They can have their fit test carried out by CENFACS’ Hub for Testing Hypotheses.

• • • CENFACS’ Hub for Testing Hypotheses

The Hub can help use analysis tools to test assumptions and determine how likely something is within a given standard of accuracy. The Hub, which can serve as a learning or reference place for those who would like to understand and apply statistical hypothesis testing, can assist to

√ clean, merge and prepare micro-data sources for testing, modelling and analysis

√ conduct data management and administration

√ carry out regression analysis, estimate and test hypotheses

√ interpret and analyse patterns or trends or insights in data or results.

In this respect, CENFACS’ H-tests Hub is knowledge repository designed to demystify the process of using data to make informed decisions and move beyond intuition and guesswork.

For instance, in the context of this Activity 4, it is possible to evaluate or test hypotheses whether ACI’s/ASCO’s M&V plans align with NFP Impact Investor’s M, V&C.

• • • • Hypotheses Testing around the agreement between ACI’s/ASCO’s Monitoring and Verification (M&V) and NFP Impact Investor’s Monitoring, Verification and Co-benefits

These hypotheses focus on reducing M&V costs, preventing impact washing, standardizing co-benefits, and de-risking results-based finance. Core hypotheses surrounding this dynamic include cost reduction and resource efficiency, the ‘Trojan Horse’ of co-benefits, impact verification integrity, and monetization and outcome pricing.

In the clean cooking sector, these hypotheses revolve around data harmonization, transaction costs and co-benefit quantification. These hypotheses explore how offering goals can be aligned into a cohesive (Monitoring, Reporting and Verification) framework.

For instance, if one considers monetization of co-benefits, one can test the ‘Premium Price’ Hypothesis, which can be stipulated as follows:

“There is a strong, tested hypothesis in impact investing that robust measurement of co-benefits – such as averted ill health (SDG 3) and increased women’s empowerment/quality time (SDG5) – will attract outcome buyers’ willingness to pay a premium for carbon Credits”.

Another example is when dealing with Transaction Costs and Administrative Burdens. One can use the Efficiency Hypothesis which can be formulated as follows:

“Integrating an investee’s localized baseline-tracking with a NFP Impact Investor’s standardized ESG reporting lowers administrative costs and avoids the duplication of resources”.

The above-mentioned hypotheses and other ones can be tested. Their results can contribute to the Matching Organisation-Investor via CCP.

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 Fourth stage (or phase) activity of Matching Organisation-Investor via CCP, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

• Thanksgiving Day: Supporters’ Day (30 June 2026)

The last week of June is a thanksgiving one in accordance to CENFACS development calendar. On 29 and 30 June 2026, we will be thanking all our supporters (current and past ones).

We would like to take the opportunity of the end of June to thank them (and you if you are one of them) for helping…

CENFACS IN ENHANCING AND SUSTAINING FREEDOMS AND CAPABILITIES BY WORKING IN ALLIANCE WITH LOCAL PEOPLE TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVES.

• • What Do Mean by Thanking Day or Supporters’ Day?

This is a Special Day of Thank You within CENFACS we would like to dedicate to all those who contributed to our work for any types of support they have given us over this financial year. This dedication is normally held in the last week of and by the end of June. For this year, Thank-you Days will be held on 29 and 30 June 2026 in order to keep our tradition. CENFACS will use these two days to express gratitude, share impact stories and demonstrate how specific contributions have directly advanced CENFACS’ mission.

As we are in CENFACS’ Creative Economic Development Month and Year of Alternatives, we shall find all sorts of creative, innovative, restorative, alternative and communicative ways of thanking our invaluable supporters and backers.

The days will be structured around appreciation initiatives such as

√ Conversing with our supporters over phones

√ Signing and sending thank-you prints or e-cards to them

√ Telling them the stories or outcomes about the people and communities they helped through their support

√ E-mailing, texting and tweeting them with messages of gratitude

√ Telling and sharing thank-you stories

√ Playing and listening with them music and songs of thank you

√ Making and playing thank-you videos and films

√ Giving back to them by volunteering our time to the cause they deeply care about

√ Undertaking a free translation service (French to English and vice versa)

√ Reading African poems and poetry

√ Sending to them digital, generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) and technologically animated thank-you messages

√ Doing creative and design works symbolising thank you

√ Sending out designed and hand crafted made objects and crafts of acknowledgement

√ Making video calls if we cannot have in-person contact with them

Etc.

In Brief, these initiatives will revolve around four areas:

a) Impact reports and updates

b) Virtual and in-person events

c) Direct outreach

d) Public recognition.

If you are one of the CENFACS’ supporters, please we would like to let you know the Thanking Days at CENFACS are your Days. Do not hesitate to get in touch, if you do not mistakenly hear from us.

We will welcome you, reconnect with you and thank you on the occasion for the helpful difference you made to our work and project beneficiaries, and for being with us on the side of those in need especially during this challenging year of the lingering effects of the polycrises.

Your invaluable support has meant a lot for our programmes and project beneficiaries over this ending financial year.

We would like to express all our sincere gratitude to you for helping us to help reduce poverty – CENFACS’ noble and beautiful cause.

We would like as well to say thank you for making our voice heard especially in ever challenging world of polycrises and where the voices of the small are sometimes ignored or simply forgotten.

For further details, please contact CENFACS’ Thanksgiving-End-of-June-2026 Team.

Extra Messages

• Business Education Programme for Low-income Families to Reduce Poverty – In Focus from 15/06/2026: Financial Literacy and Capability Projects

• Fundraising for Creative Economic Development Month (CEDM)

• The Relationships between the Creator Economy, Poverty Reduction, and Creations and Innovations Month

• Business Education Programme for Low-income Families to Reduce Poverty – In Focus from 15/06/2026: Financial Literacy and Capability Projects

To continue our business education programme/campaign for low-income families, we are working on Financial Literacy and Capability projects this week. The plan for this week’s campaign is as follows:

σ Explanation of financial literacy and capabilities

σ The contribution of financial literacy and capabilities in reducing poverty for low-income families

σ Ways in which CENFACS can work with low-income families on financial literacy and capability projects.

Let us uncover each of these items.

• • Explaining Financial Literacy and Capabilities

• • • Financial Literacy

According to ‘financestrategists.com’ (7),

“Financial literacy is the capability to understand financial concepts and apply this skill in decisions related to savings, investments and debt management”.

From this perspective, the key components of financial literacy are budgeting and expenses management, retirement planning, insurance and risk management, and understanding financial products.

Low-income families planning or wanting to start up income-generating activities or micro-enterprises or entrepreneurship projects need to have or acquire financial literacy skills.

• • • Financial Capabilities

The definition of financial capability used here comes from the World Bank (8) which states that

“Financial capability is the internal capacity to act in one’s best financial interest, given socio-economic environmental conditions. Financial capability encompasses the knowledge, attitudes. skills, and behaviours of consumers with regard to managing their resources and understanding, selecting, and making use of financial services that fit their needs”.

Low-income families undertaking an income-generating activity or micro-enterprise or even entrepreneurship project need to have a certain amount of financial capabilities.

• • The Contribution of Financial Literacy and Capabilities in Reducing Poverty for Low-income Families

Financial literacy and capabilities can help low-income families escape poverty by enabling them to build savings, avoid costly debt and access mainstream financial services. This knowledge empowers these families to manage tight budgets, protect them against economic shocks, and invest in education or small-scale entrepreneurship.

For instance, financial literacy and capabilities can be a pathway to poverty reduction for those families fostering entrepreneurship. In this sense, understanding financial products can help these families secure funding and manage cash flow, which promotes successful small business ventures.

• • Ways of Work with Low-income Families on Financial Literacy and Capability Projects

CENFACS can work with low-income families making its community and sister communities by offering them financial literacy support tailored to their needs. This support can build the core money management skills and entrepreneurial confidence needed to launch or sustain successful income-generating activities, micro-enterprises, and entrepreneurial projects.

To build financial capabilities and foster entrepreneurships, CENFACS can implement the following targeted strategies:

σ Financial literacy e-workshops: We can work with them on e-workshops (which we have already doing through some of our programmes and projects) on practical skills covering personal budgeting, credit management and navigating taxes for the types of activities or businesses they are engaged in;

σ Signpost to mentorship: We can signpost them to business mentors who can guide them through cashflow forecasting, pricing strategies, and business plan creation;

σ Guidance on digital tools: We can direct them to affordable, user-friendly accounting software and digital payment systems to streamline bookkeeping.

Those who have any queries or enquiries to make about the topic of Families on Financial Literacy and Capability Projects, they can talk to CENFACS.

Those who may be interested in or willing to support Business Education Programme for Low-income Families to Reduce Poverty, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

• Fundraising for Creative Economic Development Month (CEDM)

The Month of Creations and Innovations or Creative Economic Development Month at CENFACS is also of fundraising. There are two ways that creators and innovators can help CENFACS raise funding this month:

a) Sponsorship and selling creations

b) Donation of physical or digital creations.

Let us highlight them.

• • Innovations Sponsorship and Selling Own Creations

Those who would like can sponsor innovations and/or sell their own creations to raise funds for CENFACS’ beautiful and noble cause of poverty reduction. They can transform their old items into functional creations. They can craft items (like artwork, baked goods, digital art) and auction or sell them online. They can then direct the proceeds to CENFACS‘ cause if they wish.

• • CENFACS Zero-Waste e-Store with the Creative Collaboration from Creators in the Creator Economy

As part of CEDM (Creative Economic Development Month) 2026, CENFACS is appealing to creators in the creator economy to contribute to its poverty reduction campaign this end of Spring Season by leveraging their creative skills.

They can donate their physical or digital creations – such as games or light merchandise to CENFACS’ Zero-Waste e-Store bundles, with proceeds going directly to CENFACS poverty reduction and sustainable initiatives.

To direct your proceeds or donate, please contact CENFACS. Thank you!

• The Relationships between the Creator Economy, Poverty Reduction, and Creations and Innovations Month

CEDM provides a dedicated framework to celebrate and analyse the artistic expression and entrepreneurial drive that sustain the creator ecosystem. To find out how this can be done, let us first explain the creator economy, then highlight this relationship and see how the creators in the creator economy can accelerate poverty reduction.

• • What Is the Creator Economy?

The website ‘thecreatoreconomy.com’ (9) argues that

“The creator economy refers to the ecosystem of individuals, platforms, tools, and services that enable people to earn income by creating and distributing digital content. This includes video creators, writers, podcasters, visual artists, musicians, educators, and anyone who monetizes attention, expertise, or community through digital channels”.

The website ‘thecreatoreconomy.com’ also defines creator as anyone who produces original digital content.

• • The Relationship between the Creator Economy and CEDM

This relationship can manifest in specific ways such as

σ A month of opportunity for creators and enhancers of poverty reduction and sustainable development to review their craft models and highlight how their ideas can be turned into sustainable makings

σ A month of leveraging tools like Generative AI to further reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

CEDM is about generating new ideas, creations and innovations, while the creator economy is about executing those ideas into goods, services or sustainable platforms (for instance, to mitigate energy crisis and tackle long-term energy poverty).

Creators, particularly but not exclusively creators in the creator economy can help reduce and accelerate poverty reduction.

• • Creators in the Creator Economy as Poverty Reduction Accelerators

They can accelerate CENFACS’ poverty reduction mission by using their influence to drive large-scale fundraising campaigns, mobilizing young demographics who are traditionally hard to reach and creating systemic economic change by championing entrepreneurship and digital commerce for impoverished communities. Impact-driven creators can donate resources to poverty reduction causes, like CENFACS’ noble and beautiful one.

So, CEDM is also about looking at the above-mentioned relationships. Those who would like to find more about these relationships, they can contact CENFACS.

Message in French (Message en français)

• À paraître cet été 2026 : le numéro 92 de FACS s’intitulera

« La Comptabilité et la Tenue de Livres des Organisations Caritatives Africaines au Service de la Réduction de la Pauvreté en Afrique »

La comptabilité et la tenue de livres sont essentielles à la réduction de la pauvreté en Afrique. La Comptabilité et la Tenue de Livres des Organisations Caritatives Africaines au Service de la Réduction de la Pauvreté en Afrique (CTLOCASRPA), en particulier, impliquent le suivi et le rapport financiers spécifiques que les organisations caritatives africaines peuvent utiliser pour gérer leurs ressources et prouver leur impact.

CTLOCASRPA contribuent à garantir que les subventions et dons internationaux soient strictement consacrés aux problèmes systémiques tels que la pauvreté, la faim, l’insécurité alimentaire, les épidémies, etc. Outre la démonstration de l’impact, CTLOCASRPA permettent aux petites et moyennes organisations caritatives d’obtenir des financements et de prévenir les échecs de leur modèle économique et de leur organisation. Elles aident également les gouvernements à suivre efficacement les dépenses sociales, à garantir la transparence fiscale et à optimiser les ressources publiques pour les infrastructures essentielles et les programmes sociaux.

Il n’est pas surprenant que l’Université du Bénin (10) affirme que ces résultats soulignent que des pratiques comptables efficaces améliorent considérablement la transparence et la responsabilité financières, ce qui contribue à son tour à une gestion plus efficace des ressources dans les programmes de réduction de la pauvreté.

Les organisations caritatives africaines peuvent aborder la comptabilité en combinant des contrôles financiers standardisés avec des solutions de proximité s’appuyant sur les technologies. Pour lutter contre la pauvreté, elles doivent considérer la comptabilité comme un outil d’autonomisation qui renforce la confiance, débloque les financements des donateurs/rices et contribue directement à l’éducation financière des communautés qu’elles servent.

Cependant, il apparaît clairement que la comptabilité des organisations caritatives en Afrique sert principalement à garantir leur légitimité, à attirer des financements étrangers et à se conformer aux exigences et mécanismes complexes de déclaration légale. C’est pourquoi il est nécessaire d’établir une priorité entre la comptabilité des organisations caritatives africaines et la lutte contre la pauvreté. Autrement dit, la comptabilité des organisations caritatives africaines doit être mise au service de la réduction de la pauvreté. À cet égard, le 92e numéro de FACS vise à promouvoir l’utilisation de la comptabilité des organisations caritatives africaines comme levier direct de réduction de la pauvreté en Afrique.

Le 92e numéro de FACS traitera de la manière dont les organisations caritatives africaines peuvent aborder la comptabilité afin de mener à bien leur mission, notamment, mais pas exclusivement, la réduction de la pauvreté. Ce numéro examinera également comment elles tirent parti des technologies (notamment mobiles), telles que les services bancaires mobiles et les plateformes numériques, pour réduire leurs coûts administratifs. Il abordera en outre les questions de transparence, en particulier la forte dépendance des organisations caritatives africaines à l’égard de la comptabilité standardisée pour gérer les fonds des donateurs/rices et démontrer l’impact de leur action de lutte contre la pauvreté auprès des parties prenantes.

Le 92e numéro de FACS abordera les principales théories de la comptabilité en analysant leurs liens avec la réduction de la pauvreté en Afrique. Ces liens s’appuient sur de multiples cadres complémentaires, allant du développement économique local aux politiques publiques macroéconomiques. Ces théories clés expliquent comment le suivi des données permet aux individus de s’émanciper, améliore la gouvernance institutionnelle et contribue à l’édification de sociétés équitables. Parmi ces théories figurent la théorie des ressources appliquée aux microentreprises, l’inclusion financière et les théories comportementales, la gestion des finances publiques et la théorie institutionnelle, ainsi que la comptabilité critique et dialogique.

La comptabilité au service de la réduction de la pauvreté va au-delà des relevés traditionnels pour suivre les impacts multidimensionnels. Elle combine des indicateurs de gestion financière avec des indicateurs de performance socio-économique tels que l’indice de pauvreté multidimensionnelle, le niveau de pauvreté et le retour sur investissement communautaire. Le 92e numéro intégrera les indicateurs de comptabilité axés sur la lutte contre la pauvreté. Il comprendra notamment les indicateurs suivants :

σ Indicateurs fondamentaux de pauvreté et de développement humain, notamment l’indice multinational de pauvreté, l’indice de pauvreté et l’écart de pauvreté, l’indice de grande pauvreté et de gravité, ainsi que les ajustements relatifs aux ressources et aux coûts des ménages ;

σ Indicateurs d’allocation financière et de ressources, tels que le pourcentage des dépenses de programme, l’indicateur de contribution marginale et l’efficacité des dépenses ;

σ Indicateurs d’impact social et de RSI (retour social sur investissement), comprenant le RSI et le rapport entre les résultats et les impacts.

Ce 92e numéro ne se limitera pas à la simple description d’une comptabilité rigoureuse des fonds, d’une transparence absolue, du respect strict des conditions d’octroi des subventions, de la distinction entre fonds affectés et non affectés, du suivi des dépenses des programmes de lutte contre la pauvreté, de la démonstration d’un impact mesurable pour maintenir la confiance des donateurs/rices et la conformité réglementaire, ni à l’enregistrement et à la déclaration de la juste valeur marchande des contributions non monétaires (dons en nature). Il relatera également les impacts environnementaux obtenus grâce à l’intégration de la comptabilité du carbone et du capital naturel dans les normes comptables des organisations caritatives africaines.

Cette intégration implique de mesurer l’empreinte écologique des projets de réduction de la pauvreté (par exemple, l’accès à l’énergie ou le développement agricole), d’attribuer des valeurs financières ou physiques aux changements environnementaux et de suivre les indicateurs de durabilité parallèlement aux indicateurs clés de performance (ICP) financiers afin d’aligner la réduction de la pauvreté sur les Objectifs de Développement Durable des Nations Unies. Le 92e numéro mettra donc en lumière les stratégies clés de cette intégration, telles que le suivi des ICP environnementaux, l’adoption d’une comptabilité écosystémique et carbone, la réalisation d’analyses coûts-avantages pour la planète et le recours à des achats durables.

En bref, le 92e numéro montrera que les meilleures pratiques de comptabilité sont essentielles pour les organisations caritatives africaines, car elles peuvent les aider à bâtir des bases financières solides et à mieux accomplir leur mission. Il informera également les lecteurs/rices que ces pratiques comptables seront pertinentes et éclairantes si elles répondent aux besoins et attentes des populations pauvres d’Afrique.

Pour en savoir plus sur ce nouveau numéro, veuillez consulter régulièrement les publications de CENFACS durant l’été 2026. Pour réserver un exemplaire papier de ce 92e numéro de FACS, veuillez contacter CENFACS en indiquant vos coordonnées postales.

Main Development

• Execution of the Third Energy Crisis Mitigation and Poverty Reduction Codes for CEDM (Creative Economic Development Month) 2026 Sub-themes (from Week Beginning Monday 15/06/2026)

The Third Energy Crisis Mitigation and Poverty Reduction Codes for CEDM 2026 Sub-themes will be executed under the following headings:

σ What Are Third Energy Crisis Mitigation and Poverty Reduction Codes for CEDM 2026?

σ Unveiling Creations and Innovations for CEDM (Creative Economic Development Month) 2026 Sub-themes and Corresponding Codes

σ Working with the Community and Africa-based Sister Organisations on Third Codes.

Let us uncover each of these headings.

• • What Are the Third Energy Crisis Mitigation and Poverty Reduction Codes for CEDM 2026?

Let us first explain energy codes, then the two types of codes making our sub-themes 1 and 2.

• • • What are Energy Codes (ECs)?

In the context of CEDM 2026, we are dealing with Energy Crisis Mitigation and Poverty Reduction Codes. What are they?

• • • The Third Energy Crisis Mitigation Codes

Energy Crisis Mitigation Codes (ECMCs) are regulatory frameworks and emergency guidelines used by government and grid operators to manage critical fuel or electricity shortages. In the UK (op. cit.), these are primarily governed by the Electricity Supply Emergency Code (ESEC), which outlines how the grid enforces demand reductions and protects vulnerable consumers during severe supply constraints.

In the last two weeks, we provided the First and Second ECMCs for CEDM. This week, we are publishing the Third ECMCs for CENFACS’ CEDM.

• • • The Third Energy Poverty Reduction Codes

a) Building and Housing Standards

b) Utility and Consumer Protection Codes

These reduction codes work in tandem with government initiatives to fund free insulation, heat pumps, and solar installation for qualifying households.

• • Unveiling Creations and Innovations for CEDM (Creative Economic Development Month) 2026 Sub-themes and Corresponding Codes

• • • Creations and Innovations to Mitigate the Impacts of Energy Crisis (for Sub-theme 1)

• • • • Creations to Mitigate the Impacts of Energy Crisis (CMIEC)

For the Third Codes of CEDM 2026, these creations are those related to Transition to Affordable Renewable Energy.

a) What are Creations to transition to affordable renewable energy?

They are those relating to the ongoing process of shifting energy production away from fossil fuels to cleaner, renewable energy sources. Because transition is essential to combat climate change and achieve net-zero carbon emissions, there is a need to have creations to accompany this transition.

b) Corresponding Codes for Creations to transition to affordable renewable energy

The corresponding codes for this third category involve

σ Community renewable energy: It refers to local, citizen-led clean energy projects that are democratically governed. Instead of being run by large centralized corporate utilities, these projects – like solar arrays, wind turbines, or local heat networks – are owned and controlled by local residents, businesses or councils.

σ Energy as-a-service (EaaS): EaaS is a pay-for-performance business models where a third party owns, installs and manages energy infrastructure (like solar panels, batteries. or HVAC). Instead of buying hardware, you pay a subscription for the energy outcomes (e.g., lower bills, backup power).

σ Decentralized generation: It is also called distributed generation and refers to the production of electricity or heat at or near the point of consumption, rather than at large, centralized power plants. Instead of relying entirely on massive grid infrastructure, it empowers individuals and businesses to become ‘prosumers’ through technologies like rooftop solar panels, wind turbines, and combined heat and power (CHP) systems.

• • • • Innovations to Mitigate the Impacts of Energy Crisis (IMIEC)

For the Third Codes of CEDM 2026, these innovations are Decentralised and Community Energy.

a) What are decentralized and community energy as innovations?

Innovations linked to decentralized energy systems (often referred to as distributed energy resources) are those brought by small-scale power generation technologies located close to the point of use, rather than at a large, centralized plant. These systems include solar panels, wind turbines, battery storage, microgrids, and even combined and power systems.

Innovations relating to community energy, on the other hand, are those involving local community or energy cooperatives which are groups of citizens, businesses, and public institutions that produce, share, and manage energy at the neighbourhood or district level (11).

b) Corresponding Codes for decentralized and community energy as innovations

The matching Codes are those capturing bottom-up, localized technological solutions. They include

σ Off-grid renewable installation: It is an independent energy system that generates, stores and consumes power without connecting to the centralized public utility grid;

σ Off-grid biogas plants to mitigate cooking fuel costs: These are decentralized energy generation system that converts organic waste into renewable power and heat. It operates independently of the central gas pipelines and main electrical networks, relying on anaerobic digestion to produce and utilize biogas directly via onsite.

σ Zero-upfront-cost installation: It is often referred to as an Energy-as-a-service model or 0-down finance and allows homes and businesses to install energy-efficiency upgrades – like solar panels, heat pumps or smart batteries – with no initial capital required. Instead of buying the hardware, the user pays for the energy generated or pays a fixed, low monthly service fee.

• • • Creations and Innovations to Tackle Long-term Energy Poverty (CITLTEP) (for Sub-theme 2)

• • • • Creations to Tackle Long-term Energy Poverty (CTLTEP)

For the Third Codes of CEDM 2026, these creations are Behavioural Energy Advice and Consumer Empowerment.

a) What are Creations related to behavioural energy advice and consumer empowerment?

Creations related to behavioural energy advice are those attached to strategies and interventions designed to encourage individuals to change their energy consumption habits. The advice aims to reduce energy consumption and bills by addressing barriers to energy efficiency and creating incentives for socially desirable energy-saving behaviours.

Creations connected to consumer empowerment are those giving consumer the power to make informal and impactful decisions in the marketplace. According to ‘sustainability-directory.com’ (12),

“Consumer empowerment is not solely about economic power. It is the ability to collectively organize and advocate for change and political power (influencing regulations and policy that protect consumer interests. It also encompasses informational power (having access to relevant data; social power)”.

b) Corresponding Codes for Creations related to behavioural energy advice and consumer empowerment

These codes refer to

σ Grassroots: A ‘grassroots’ energy code describes bottom-up energy policies or green building guidelines developed by local commnunities, not-for-profit organisations, or grassroots social movements. These initiatives focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainability to fill infrastructural and regulatory gaps.

σ Educational interventions: They are part of building energy codes and refers to train, outreach, and capacity building programmes designed to teach architects, builders, and inspectors how to understand, apply, and comply with energy-efficiency standards. They ensure building codes translate from paper to practice.

σ Guidance interventions: In the context of the UK energy sector, guidance interventions refer to the regulatory tools, rule changes, and strategic direction Ofgem (13) uses to guide the energy industry codes. These codes set the commercial, operational, and technical rules for the gas and electricity systems.

• • • • Innovations to Tackle Long-term Energy Poverty (ITLTEP)

For the Third Codes of CEDM 2026, these innovations are Behavioural and Educational Measures.

a) What are Innovations associated with behavioural and educational measures?

Innovations associated with behavioural measures are those reflecting the techniques used in psychology and social sciences to assess observable behaviours rather than relying solely on self-reports or introspection (14).

Innovations associated with educational measures are those that are linked to the systematic processes, tools, and interventions used to quantify student abilities, track academic progress, or enforce corrective actions in a learning environment. The term ‘educational measures’ falls into two distinct categories: measurement and assessment or disciplinary and corrective action.

In terms of energy crisis mitigation and energy poverty reduction, educational measures include targeted behavioural campaigns, frontline professional training, and school-based climate literacy. These initiatives focus on improving energy efficiency, promoting clean energy, and empowering vulnerable groups with the knowledge to reduce utility costs.

b) Corresponding Codes for Innovations associated with behavioural and educational measures

These codes highlight consumer-facing strategies designed to empower low-income households. The relevant Codes are

σ Tailored energy advice: It refers to government-backed, personalized guidance designed to help households identify specific cost-effective energy-saving measures. It acts as a digital code or action plan to translate your home’s unique data into clear, actionable retrofit steps.

σ Behavioural change: It refers to the practice of reducing energy demand through human habit adjustments rather than structural or technological upgrades. It involves implementing policies, smart feedback systems, or corporate guidelines to influence occupants to actively save energy in their everyday lives.

σ Educational campaigns: It refers to structured initiatives and outreach programmes designed to promote energy conservation, build compliance awareness, and teach building occupants or construction professionals how to achieve maximums energy efficiency. These campaigns act as essential ‘soft’ energy code or compliance pathway-designed to bridge the gap between adopting strict technical rules and actually achieving the intended energy savings.

σ Monitoring and evaluation (M&E): M&E refers to the framework used to collect data on energy performance, track whether efficiency targets are being met, and analyze the real-world impact of decarbonization or retrofit projects. M&E generally breaks down into three key phases that ensure your energy initiatives – like building retrofits, renewable installations, or energy management programmes – are actually delivering the intended savings.

The above-mentioned creations, innovations and their corresponding codes are making up this week’s work on CEDM 2026. They are part of projects of CEDM 2026 and this week’s CEDM 2026 Working Plan.

• • Working with the Community and Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) on these Third Codes

Concerning the work with our community members, it involves delivering direct frontline support, establishing community-led energy initiatives, and advocating for systemic policy changes for them like social tariffs.

It also encompasses the following:

σ Providing direct energy and money advice: Helping our members understand their energy costs. CENFACS energy advisors or volunteers can assist with matters such as tariff switching, securing fuel vouchers, navigating hardship energy funds, and other energy issues.

σ Campaigning and ‘lived experience’ advocacy: It is about mobilizing or encouraging our members to share their stories of fuel poverty to influence solutions to energy poverty.

σ Signposting our members to health and housing services if members are energy poor.

Regarding our work with ASOs, it is about

σ Supporting the rules that govern the Third Codes

σ Interacting with ASOs on CEDM 2026 matters

σ Helping them to prepare their own action on the Third Codes and CEDM 2026

σ Improving their user experience about the Third Codes and CEDM matters

σ Assisting them to develop appropriate strategy to act in various situations of the Third Codes and CEDM

Etc.

Those members of our community and ASOs willing to work with us on the Third Codes, they are welcome to contact CENFACS.

The above is the third execution of our CEDM 2026 Working Weeks and Plan.

For those who may be interested in any of the Third Codes of each sub-theme of this plan, they can contact CENFACS.

For those who would like to learn more about CEDM 2026, they can also communicate with CENFACS.

_________

• References

(1) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-supply-emergency-code (accessed in June 2026)

(2) https://www.evalcommunity.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/what-is-Monitoring.pdf (accessed in June 2026)

(3) Charities Evaluation Services (2002), First Steps in Monitoring and Evaluation at www.ces-vol.org.uk

(4) https://projectdelivery.gov.uk/teal-book/home/part-of-solution-delivery/chapter-34-verification-and-validation/ (accessed in June 2026)

(5) https://pollution.sustainability-directory.com/term/co-benefits/ (accessed in June 2026)

(6) https://cleancooking.org/news/10-key-co-benefits-of-clean-cooking-for-climate-nature-and-communities/ (accessed in June 2026)

(7) https://www.financestrategists.com/financial-advisor/financial-literacy/ (accessed in June 2026)

(8) https://responsiblefinance.worldbank.org/en/responsible-finance/financial-capability (accessed in June 2026)

(9) https://thecreatoreconomy.com/post/the-state-of-the-creator-economy-2026 (accessed in June 2026)

(10) https://repository.uniben.edu/role-accounting-poverty-reduction-through-transparency-and-accountability (accessed in June 2026)

(11) https://eiscouncil.org/beyond-the-grid-the-case-for-decentralized-energy-systems/(accessed in June 2026)

(12) https://esq.sustainability-directory.com/term/consumer-empowerment/ (accessed in June 2026)

(13) https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-regulation/how-we-regulate/energy-codes (accessed in June 2026)

(14) https://neurolaunch.com/behavioural-measures-psychology/ (accessed in June 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.

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Matching Organisation’s Distribution and Adoption with Investor’s Implementation and Behaviour Change

Posted by ctsh@in2015 on June 10, 2026 in Uncategorized

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

10 June 2026

Post No. 460

The Week’s Contents

• Matching Organisation-Investor via a Clean Cooking Project – Activity 3 (08 to 14/06/2026): Matching Organisation’s Distribution and Adoption with Investor’s Implementation and Behaviour Change

• Coming This Summer 2026: FACS Issue No. 92 to Be Titled as African Charity Bookkeeping and Accounting for Poverty Reduction in Africa

• Execution of CEDM (Creative Economic Development Month) 2026 Sub-themes: The Second Codes (from Week Beginning Monday 08/06/2026)

… And much more!

Key Messages

• Matching Organisation-Investor via a Clean Cooking Project – Activity 3 (08 to 14/06/2026): Matching Organisation’s Distribution and Adoption with Investor’s Implementation and Behaviour Change

After a long negotiation, both African Charity Investee (ACI)/Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisation (ASCO) and Not-for-profit (NFP) Impact Investor agreed on the key points of Activity 2. They scored enough points in the Second Activity of the Matching Organisation-Investor via a Clean Cooking Project (CCP). They would like to continue their talks and move to the third round of negotiations, which is Activity 3.

This third round of talks consists of agreeing on the contents of Distribution and Adoption (D&A) to be presented by ACI/ASCO with NFP Impact Investor‘s proposals for Implementation and Behaviour Change (I&BC). Both the D&A and I&BC need to be informative and comprehensive enough in order to expect any progress in the matching talks.

Concerning ACI’s/ASCO’s D&A, it is worth mentioning two elements to be clarified during the negotiations: a) Targeted financing b) Community engagement.

As part of targeted financing, there will be a need to provide subsidies or micro-finance options to help households (since the majority of CCP beneficiaries are poor households) manage the upfront costs of the stoves and cylinders.

In terms of community engagement, ACI/ASCO can argue that it will implement grassroots education, cooking demonstration, and peer-to-peer training (to be mostly led by women) to drive lasting behavioural adoption.

Regarding NFP Impact Investor’s I&BC, the focus should be on appliance distribution and end-user education on safe technology use, maintenance and recipe adjustments. The impact lens could be achieving sustained, daily adoption. Because behaviour change is difficult but not impossible, NFP Impact Investor may prefer fund peer-to-peer advocacy and education to prevent stoves from failing into disuse.

Both ACI/ASCO and N-f-p Impact Investor would like to reach an agreement through D&A and I&BC. To reach an agreement, each side of this Activity 3 needs to clarify what they are offering in the negotiation to meet the matching terms and conditions.

If this Activity 3 is successful, they will move to the next activity – Activity 4. Where the two (i.e., investee and investor) need support, CENFACS will work with each party to fill the gap.

More about Activity 3 can be found under the Main Development section of this post.

• Coming This Summer 2026: FACS Issue No. 92 to Be Titled as African Charity Bookkeeping and Accounting for Poverty Reduction in Africa

Charity bookkeeping and accounting are foundational to poverty reduction in Africa. Charity Bookkeeping and Accounting for Poverty Reduction in Africa (CB&A4PRiA), in particular, involves the specific, financial tracking and reporting African Charities use to manage resources and prove their impact. CB&A4PRiA helps ensure that international grants and donations are strictly spent on systemic issues such as poverty, hunger, food insecurity, epidemics, etc. Besides proving their impact, CB&A4PRiA empowers Small and Medium-sized Charities to secure financing and prevent business model and charity failures, and help governments efficiently track social spending, ensure tax transparency, and optimize public resources for vital infrastructure and social programmes.

African Charities can approach bookkeeping by blending standardized financial controls with grassroots, tech-enabled solutions. To drive poverty reduction, they need to treat bookkeeping as an empowerment tool that builds trust, unlocks donor funding, and directly supports the financial literacy of the communities they serve.

However, evidence shows that bookkeeping and accounting for charities in Africa primarily serve as an instrument to ensure organisational legitimacy, attract foreign donor funding and navigate the complex statutory reporting requirements and mechanisms. Because of that, there is a need to prioritize the link between African Charity Bookkeeping and Accounting on one part and poverty reduction on the other. In this respect, the 92nd Issue of FACS aims at advocating to make African Charity Bookkeeping and Accounting direct drivers of poverty reduction in Africa.

The 92nd Issue of FACS is thus about how African Charities can approach bookkeeping and accounting in order to deliver their mission, particularly but not exclusively their poverty reduction mission. The Issue will also look at how they leverage technology (mobile tech), like mobile phone banking and digital platforms to reduce administrative costs. The Issue further covers transparency matters, in particular how African Charities heavily rely on standardized accounting to manage donor funds and try to prove the impact of their poverty alleviation work with stakeholders.

The 92nd Issue of FACS will refer to key bookkeeping and accounting theories by investing the relationship between bookkeeping, accounting and poverty reduction in Africa. Their relationship is rooted in multiple complementary frameworks ranging from grassroots economic development to macro-level public policy. These key theories explain how tracking numbers empowers individuals, improves institutional governance, and helps shape equitable societies. Among these theories are the Resource-based View of Micro-enterprises, Financial Inclusion and Behavioural Theories, Public Financial Management and Institutional Theory, and Critical and Dialogical Accounting.

Bookkeeping and Accounting for Poverty Reduction moves beyond traditional statements to track multidimensional impacts. It combines financial stewardship metrics with socio-economic performance indicators such as the Multidimensional Poverty Index, Poverty Depth, and Community Return on Investment. The 92nd Issue will integrate the metrics for poverty-focused bookkeeping and accounting. In particular, it will include the following metrics:

σ Core Poverty and Human Development Metrics, which include Multinational Poverty Index, Headcount Index and Poverty Gap, Deep Poverty and Severity Index, Household Resource and Cost Adjustments;

σ Financial and Resource Allocation Metrics consisting of Programme Expense Percentage, Marginal Contribution Indicator, Spending Effectiveness, etc;

σ Social Impact and SROI (Social Return on Investment) Metrics comprising of SROI and Output vs Outcome.

The 92nd Issue is a more than just a story of strict fund accounting, absolute transparency, rigorous grant compliance, segregation between restricted and unrestricted funds, tracking poverty relief programme expenses, demonstration of measurable impact to maintain donor trust and regulatory compliance, recording and reporting the fair market value of non-cash contributions (in-kind donations). It is also a narrative of environmental impacts seized by integrating carbon and natural capital accounting into Africa’s standard bookkeeping and accounting for charities.

This integration involves measuring the ecological footprint of poverty reduction projects (e.g., energy access or agricultural development), assigning financial or physical values to environmental changes, and tracking sustainability metrics alongside financial Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to align poverty reduction with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The 92nd Issue will therefore highlight key strategies for this integration like tracking environmental KPIs, adopting ecosystem and carbon accounting, performing cost-benefit analysis for the planet, and leveraging sustainable procurement.

In short, the 92nd Issue will indicate that the best bookkeeping and accounting are for African Charities, the more they can help them build strong financial foundations and better accomplish their mission. It will also inform readers that these bookkeeping and accounting will be meaningful and insightful if they respond to the needs of the poor in Africa.

To read more about this new Issue, please keep checking on CENFACS incoming posts this Summer 2026. To reserve a paper copy of this 92nd Issue of FACS, please contact CENFACS with your mailing details.

• Execution of CEDM (Creative Economic Development Month) 2026 Sub-themes: The Second Codes for Energy Crisis Mitigation and Poverty Reduction (from Week Beginning Monday 08/06/2026)

Our work on Coding for Energy Poverty Reduction and Energy for All continues. It carries on with CEDM Working Weeks and Plan that focus on energy categories/thematic topics and their corresponding second codes for each sub-theme, as given below.

• • 1st Sub-theme (1ST): Energy Crisis Mitigation

Under this 1ST, we have two categories: Creation Category (CC) and Innovation Category). Each of these categories include codes that are needed to mitigate energy crisis.

• • • Creation Category (CC): Improving Home Energy Efficiency

The codes for this second category include

σ Insulation and retrofitting

They are about physical home improvements such as wall/loft insulation, draft-proofing and double-glazing.

σ Green subsidies

These are financial incentives provided by governments or organisations to encourage environmentally friendly practices, technologies and industries. They make renewable tech accessible to low-income earners.

σ Micro-efficiency kits

They are bundles of small, targeted tools and appliances designed to help households and small businesses drastically reduce daily energy consumption. These affordable, entry-level kits empower users to cut utility bills and emissions without needing complex structural upgrades.

• • • Innovation Category (IC): Energy Efficiency and Building Upgrades

The Codes in this category focus on physical housing adaptations. They are as follows:

σ Retrofitting and home insulation

These are simple upgrades (loft and cavity wall insulation) targeted specifically at poorly insulated homes in low-income neighbourhoods. They improve the insulation of low-income, heat-leaking housing stock.

σ Distribution of micro-efficiency kits

It is the giving of toolkits containing practical DIY tools (like thermal leak detectors, plug-in energy monitors, and radiator foil) to help you identify problem areas, track appliance energy use and reduce utility bills.

σ Transitions to cheap, clean heating

It is the process of moving to installation of affordable, efficient and low-carbon hating systems.

Note relating to Table 1: WBM = Week Beginning Monday, C = Creation; I = Innovation

• • 2nd Sub-theme (2ST): Energy Poverty Reduction

Under this 2ST, we have two categories: Creation Category (CC) and Innovation Category) as well. Each of these categories include codes that are needed to reduce long-term energy poverty.

• • • Creation Category (CC): Direct Financial Support and Market Regulation

These codes represent mechanism designed to relieve the direct financial burden on poor consumers. They involve

σ Subsidies and grants

They are non-refundable government grants that help poor households reduce out-of-pocket energy expenses.

σ Bill mitigation

It is an assistance to navigate utility debt, negotiate payment plans and apply for entitled social welfare benefits to increase total disposable household income

σ Income maximization

It is about optimizing financial returns for renewable energy generators and securing essential welfare and financial aid for vulnerable households to combat fuel poverty.

• • • Innovation Category (IC): Governance and Policy Innovation Measures

These codes cover regulatory, financial and organisational frameworks. Codes are

σ Sustainable partnerships

These are collaborative alliances between businesses, governments, not-for-profit organisations and communities. They are designed to tackle environmental and social challenges while driving shared value.

σ Innovative financing

It encompasses non-traditional funding mechanisms designed to overcome the high upfront cost of clean energy, energy efficiency, and sustainability projects.

σ Normative framework

It is the comprehensive system of laws, policies, ethical standards, and regulations governing the energy sector.

σ Energy communities

They are the legal entities where citizens and local authorities generate and manage their own sustainable, affordable power to bypass high retail costs.

Etc.

Note relating to Table 2: WBM = Week Beginning Monday, C = Creation; I = Innovation

Those who would like to engage with the CEDM 2026 can choose amongst the above-mentioned codes and contact CENFACS.

These codes make up the second execution of our CEDM 2026 Working Weeks and Plan.

For those who may be interested in any of the second codes of each sub-theme of this plan, they can contact CENFACS.

For those would like to learn more about CEDM 2026, they can also communicate with CENFACS.

Extra Messages

• Business Education Programme for Low-income Families to Reduce Poverty – In Focus from 08/06/2026: Income-generating Activities (IGAs), Micro-enterprises and Entrepreneurship Projects

• Advisory Clinics for Holiday Budgets Relating to Alternative Activities

• Creative Economic Development Activity of the Week: Construct and Post an E-card or a P-card

• Business Education Programme for Low-income Families to Reduce Poverty – In Focus from 08/06/2026: Income-generating Activities (IGAs), Micro-enterprises and Entrepreneurship Projects

Last week, we introduced Business Education Programme for Low-income Families to Reduce Poverty (BEP4LIFs). This week, we are working on the first topic of BEP4LIFs, which is Income-generating Activities (IGAs), Micro-enterprises (MEs) and Entrepreneurship Projects (EPs). Perhaps the best way of starting this new topic is to explain its concepts, the difference between them and how we can work with the community on IGAs, MEs and EPs.

• • What Are IGAs, MEs and EPs?

• • • IGAs

The website ‘wallstreetmojo.com’ (1) explains that

“Income-generating activities are ventures that actively create revenue streams … Income-generating activities are actions that create revenue for individuals or businesses. Households and communities can also pursue these activities for financial stability and economic freedom”.

The website ‘wallstreetmojo.com’ adds that

“Income-generating activities include finding opportunities, creating plans to derive income from these opportunities, implementing the plans, and generating profit… From an economic perspective, income generation can enhance community self-reliance, reducing the risk of crippling debt and poverty”.

During this week, we are looking at IGAs and the different methods of generating income that are suitable for those who will work with us on their IGA projects.

• • • MEs

The definition of MEs we have selected here comes from Business Case Studies (2) which argues that

“A micro-enterprise is typically defined as a business that employs fewer than ten people and has an annual turnover or balance sheet total that does not exceed a specified threshold, often at around £1 million in the UK”.

Business Case Studies also adds that

“Characteristics of micro-enterprises include flexibility, innovation, and a focus on local markets and community needs”.

This week, we are exploring some examples of MEs as well as ME projects for those who would like to embark on MEs.

• • • EPs

To understand EPs, let us explain entrepreneurship. According to ‘esmt.berlin’ (3),

“Entrepreneurship is the process of designing, launching, and managing a new business or venture. It typically involves innovation, risk-taking, and the goal of achieving financial and social value. While often associated with startups, entrepreneurship spams a broad range of activities – from launching a tech company to founding a non-profit or transforming internal business units”.

This definition will be used when approaching EPs with low-income families. We shall as well look at some examples and forms of entrepreneurship which include digital, sustainable, and inclusive entrepreneurships.

There are similarities and differences between IGAs, MEs and EPs.

• • Similarities and Dissimilarities between IGAs, MEs and EPs

The three concepts (IGAs, MEs and EPs) generate revenue or income. However, there are differences between them in terms of scale, purpose and risk.

IGAs focus on immediate survival, basic sustenance, poverty alleviation, and immediate stability.

MEs are small, established businesses operating in familiar markets. The goal for MEs is on self-employment and establishing a sustainable local business.

EPs are characterized by high-growth, scalability, and market innovation. The goal is innovation, exponential growth, and market expansion.

For those who are looking forward to setting up a new venture, we can work with them, look at in depth any of these concepts (IGAs, MEs and EPs) with them, assess their venture idea or needs, and identify the matching concept for their ideas or project proposals.

• • Working with Families Making Our Community on IGAs, MEs and EPs

By blending our charitable objects with sustainable economic development, we can work with beneficiaries to help them build financial independence. It means we can together find ways of structuring and implementing IGAs, MEs and EPs, ways which can include the following:

σ Capacity Building and Training

Under this way or strategy, we shall

~ Run Business Skills Development for Low-income Families through e-workshops on core concepts like bookkeeping, pricing, marketing and inventory management

~ Signpost our members to Vocational Training Organizations that teach trade/business skills.

σ Guidance on Financial Support

Since BEP4LIFs is not designed to provide funding, we shall direct or guide those who are looking for funding for their potential venture to funders specialized in their chosen types of IGAs, MEs and EPs.

σ Matching Service and Support Networks

It involves matching beneficiaries with local business leaders for one-to-one coaching or support.

σ Market Access and Scaling

The plan is here to connect beneficiaries to local markets and encourage them to work together to scale.

Those who have any queries or enquiries to make about the topic of IGAs, MEs and EPs, they can talk to CENFACS.

Those who may be interested in or willing to support Business Education Programme for Low-income Families to Reduce Poverty, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

• Advisory Clinics for Holiday Budgets Relating to Alternative Activities

As we are heading into the summer holiday season, we are holding holiday budget sessions or clinics for alternative activities for those who need them. These sessions or clinics are part of CENFACS’ service offered under financial advice, guidance and information about funding for holiday (i.e., Finance 4 Holiday) and restricted holiday budget.

These advisory clinics for holiday budgets relating to alternative activities are free, personalized financial consultation designed to help potential beneficiaries plan cost-effective vacations or manage staycations. They help them map out their expenses and suggest low-cost, high-value alternative activities.

To introduce these clinic activities, let us explain holiday budget clinics for alternative activities, the process behind these activities, and ways of working with clinic applicants.

• • What Are Holiday Budget Clinics for Alternative Activities (HBC4AAs)?

HBC4AAs are customized sessions of consultation for those with holiday budgeting needs for alternative activities and who want special advice on the matter of making, revising and executing a holiday budget for alternative activities.

• • Process Relating to These Clinic Activities

These clinics and advisory services operate through the following process:

σ Expense auditing: Advisors will review your current holiday savings to prevent you from going into debt. They help you prioritize essential costs (like transport and food) before allocating leftover funds for treats.

σ Recommending alternative activities: Instead of costly excursions (like theme parks or expensive dining), they suggest free or low-cost local alternatives.

σ Local focus: Suggestions will be made about free resources that can be found locally.

σ Financial and debt counselling: If your budget is severely stretched because of debt, you can get free regulated debt advice to ensure your time off does not impact your essential living costs.

We can suggest a list of free or low-cost or budget-friendly alternatives to match your need of holiday with alternative activities.

• • How CENFACS Can Work with HBC4AAs Applicants

Through HBC4AAs , we can offer the following three free-of-charge sessional services:

a) Budget set-up session

Under this sessional task, we can work with the applicants to create their holiday budget with alternative activities.

b) Budget verification or clean-up session

If you have already done your budget, you want us to verify it.

c) Full budget session

If you want us to write it from scratch, verify and advise you including on how to use online budget planner or calculator as well as Generative Artificial Intelligence to ask for help.

To arrange for a holiday budget session for alternative acivities, you need to book an appointment.

• Creative Economic Development Activity of the Week: Construct and Post an E-card or a P-card

One can construct and post paper (p) cards or electronic (e) cards or objects as expressions or ways of dealing with drought to resonate the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (4) on 17/06/2026. The theme for 2026 Desertification and Drought Day is: “Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore”.

• • Constructing and Posting an e-Card for the Annual Desertification and Drought Day (17 June 2026)

It is a good way to echo this year’s message: “Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore”. You can create a digital card using design tools like Canva or Adobe Express and post it to social media to highlight the importance of these vital and overlooked ecosystems.

• • • How to break down the message

To echo the campaign’s call-to-action structure, you can structure your e-card or accompanying caption around three key pillars: Recognize, Respect and Restore.

• • • How to construct your e-card

You can follow these basic steps:

a) Choose a template by using Canva or Adobe Express

b) Incorporate official assets (Access official campaign imagery and translated resource toolkits from the official website of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought)

c) Add text

d) Include Hashtag.

• • Constructing and Posting a p-Card for the Annual Desertification and Drought Day (17 June 2026)

Constructing and posting this paper card is a hands-on way to echo the United Nations’ theme: “Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore”. It is a physical, artistic commitment to raising awareness about fragile rangeland ecosystems and the indigenous pastoralists who steward them.

• • • What it means to echo the message

Your p-card is a physical medium to spread the campaign’s core pillars: “Recognize. Respect. Restore”.

• • • How to construct and post your p-card

• • • • Constructing your p-card

You can follow these essential steps:

a) Use recycled or hand-made seed papers for your DIY paper craft

b) Use design platforms like ‘PosterMyWall’ to craft an eco-friendly graphic for your digital design

c) Emblazon the front or inside of the card with the official message: “Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore”.

• • • • Posting your p-card

There are many ways of posting your well-crafted p-card, ways which include the following:

a) Mail or hand-deliver your p-cards to the public to spur local environmental action

b) Share it digitally with policymakers, community leaders, schools, etc. to spur local environmental action

c) Photograph your handmade card and post it to social media using the official campaign hashtags like

#DesertificationAndDroughtDay

#Rangelands

etc.

So, those who wish and want can design and post an e-card, p-card, e-object or p-object to feature the theme of “Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore” linked to the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.

To support and or enquire about Art and Design for Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development, please contact CENFACS.

Message in French (Message en français)

• Objectif du Mois et Activité/Tâche 6 du Projet Annuel « Alternatives (A) »

Notre objectif du mois est axé sur la recherche de créations et d’innovations qui contribuent réellement à réduire, voire à éradiquer, la pauvreté. L’activité/tâche 6 du projet annuel « Alternatives (A) » consiste à créer et à innover pour proposer des solutions alternatives aux personnes en situation de pauvreté. Ces deux objectifs sont complémentaires.

Examinons-les plus en détail.

• • Objectif du Mois : Identifier les Créations et Innovations qui Réduisent ou Éradiquent réellement la Pauvreté

On peut expliquer ces créations and innovations et dire ce que nous attendons de donateurs/rices.

• • • Explication des créations et innovations qui réduisent ou éradiquent réellement la pauvreté

Toutes les créations ne peuvent pas mener à la réduction de la pauvreté. Cependant, il est possible de rechercher et d’identifier celles qui ont contribué ou peuvent contribuer à la réduire. Parmi ces créations, on peut citer la croissance économique, la création de richesse, la création d’emplois, l’intégration économique, etc., autant d’éléments qui peuvent réduire la pauvreté dans des conditions vérifiables.

Par exemple, British International Investment (5) note que

« Certains pays ont transformé la croissance en réduction de la pauvreté, d’autres non. »

L’organisme britannique British International Investment affirme également que :

« La croissance, quel que soit le secteur d’activité, contribue à réduire la pauvreté si les liens économiques avec les moyens de subsistance des populations défavorisées sont suffisamment étroits. La croissance ne parvient pas à réduire la pauvreté lorsque ces liens sont faibles et que les gouvernements n’utilisent pas les recettes pour stimuler l’activité économique ou financer des programmes de lutte contre la pauvreté.»

De même, toutes les innovations ne permettent pas de réduire la pauvreté. Certaines, en revanche, peuvent y contribuer. Par exemple, TechnoServe (6) a recensé cinq innovations technologiques majeures qui se sont révélées particulièrement prometteuses en matière de réduction de la pauvreté. Ce sont les suivantes:

1) Les technologies géospatiales (imagerie satellitaire, GPS et systèmes d’information géographique) sont devenues un atout majeur pour le développement agricole et la lutte contre la pauvreté.

2) L’intelligence artificielle et l’apprentissage automatique sont des outils puissants dans la lutte contre la pauvreté.

3) La fintech (technologie financière) contribue à réduire les inégalités et à fournir des services financiers essentiels aux populations et communautés pauvres et mal desservies.

4) L’apprentissage à distance (conjugué à la démocratisation des smartphones dans les pays en développement) a contribué à briser le cycle de la pauvreté.

5) La traçabilité de la chaîne d’approvisionnement (c’est-à-dire la capacité de suivre les produits, les matériaux ou les composants tout au long de la chaîne, en établissant un historique précis de leur origine, de leur localisation actuelle et de leur destination) est essentielle.

Ainsi, en juin 2026, nous allons rechercher et identifier ces créations et innovations qui permettent réellement de réduire, voire d’éradiquer, la pauvreté, et de faciliter l’accès à ces solutions pour ceux ou celles qui en ont besoin. Tel est notre objectif pour le mois de juin 2026.

• • • Ce que nous attendons de nos donateurs/rices concernant l’Objectif du Mois

Après avoir sélectionné l’Objectif du mois, nous concentrons nos efforts et notre engagement sur cet objectif en veillant à l’appliquer concrètement dans notre vie quotidienne. Nous attendons également de nos donateurs qu’ils s’investissent dans l’Objectif du Mois en travaillant à sa réalisation et en soutenant les personnes susceptibles de souffrir du type de pauvreté lié à cet Objectif du mois (par exemple, juin 2026).

Pour plus d’informations sur l’Objectif du Mois, sa procédure de sélection, les moyens de le soutenir et comment y contribuer, veuillez contacter CENFACS.

• • Activité/Tâche 6 du projet « Alternatives (A) » : Créer et Innover des Solutions pour les Personnes en Situation de Pauvreté

On ne peut inventer quelque chose de totalement nouveau sans d’abord envisager différentes possibilités, et la qualité de la création finale dépend directement de la variété et de l’ingéniosité des alternatives explorées. Il est donc nécessaire de créer et d’innover.

• • • Qu’est-ce que créer et innover des solutions ?

Créer des solutions pour réduire la pauvreté signifie s’éloigner des programmes sociaux traditionnels, centralisés et conditionnels, au profit de solutions systémiques, localisées et participatives. Ces stratégies privilégient l’autonomisation des familles en matière de mobilité économique et s’appuient sur l’innovation communautaire pour renforcer leur résilience à long terme.

De même, il est possible d’innover en matière de solutions pour réduire la pauvreté. Il existe un lien entre la création et l’innovation de solutions.

• • • Relation entre création, innovation et alternatives

Les innovations sont des solutions mises en œuvre avec succès qui créent de la valeur ajoutée, tandis que les alternatives sont les différentes options ou solutions de substitution potentielles permettant d’atteindre un objectif. Leur relation s’inscrit dans une boucle dynamique : les alternatives constituent la matière première de l’innovation, et les innovations réussies génèrent à leur tour de nouvelles alternatives pour les utilisateurs/rices, notamment ceux ou celles vivant dans la pauvreté.

Ainsi, l’activité/tâche 6 du projet « Alternatives (A) » porte sur la création et l’innovation d’alternatives pour les personnes en difficulté afin de réduire la pauvreté.

Les personnes souhaitant entreprendre cette activité/tâche peuvent le faire. Celles qui ont besoin d’aide avant de se lancer peuvent contacter le CENFACS.

Pour toute autre question concernant le projet « A » et le thème de cette année, veuillez également contacter le CENFACS.

Main Development

Concerning ACI’s/ASCO’s D&A, it is worth mentioning two elements to be clarified during the negotiations: a) Targeted financing b) Community engagement.

To continue these matching talks, we have summarized them around the following points:

σ Activity 3 Matching Concepts

σ Negotiating Points between ASCO and Not-for-profit Impact Investor

σ Reaching a Negotiated Agreement

σ The Match or Fit Test.

Let us provide some highlights about each of these points.

• • Activity 3 Matching Concepts

There are four concepts that need some clarification, concepts which are distribution, adoption, implementation, and behaviour change. Let us briefly explain each of these concepts.

• • • Distribution

Distribution can be approached in many ways. Oxford Quick Reference (7) provides many definitions of distribution. One of these definitions which can be used in the context of this matching programme is:

“Distribution is the allocation of goods to consumers by means of wholesalers and retailers” (p. 198)

Another interpretation of distribution comes from Ahley Taylor (8) who argues that

“Distribution is a set of activities that move finished goods from producers to end users through a network of intermediaries, assets, and processes”.

Ashley Taylor adds that

“There are two intertwined views of distribution: the logistics view that focuses on physical movement and the marketing view which focuses on channels”.

• • • Adoption

Oxford Dictionary of Business and Management (op. cit.) considers adoption as the last stage of the adoption process, which it defines as

“The mental and behavioural stages through which an individual passes before making a purchase or placing an order. The stages are: awareness, interest, evaluation, and finally the adoption of the product or service” (p. 18)

Looking at adoption from the perspective of project management, the website ‘certifyera.com’ (9) notes that

“Adoption in project management refers to the process through which stakeholders, including end users, team members, and other key participants, embrace, integrate, and effectively utilize the outcomes, deliverables, or changes introduced by a project”.

Normally, adoption occurs during the transition and operation phase in the project lifecycle, often called the post-project or benefits realisation phase. When considering adoption and benefits realisation as a post-project phase, what happens is the project shifts from building to operating and sustaining.

However, there are others who think that adoption is a continuous process rather than a one-time event. Taking this line of reasoning, the website ‘contentsquare.com’ (10) contends that

“Product adoption, also known as user adoption, is the process by which people learn about your product or app and start using it to accomplish their goals”.

• • • Implementation

The definition of implementation used here comes from ‘techtarget.com’ (11), which states that

“Implementation is the execution or practice of a plan, a method or any design, idea, model, specification, standard or policy for doing something. A such, implementation is the action that must follow any preliminary thinking for something to actually happen”.

• • • Behaviour change

According to ‘thedecisionlab.com’ (12),

“Simply put, behaviour change is when a person changes their actions, either temporarily or permanently, relative to their past actions. While this can happen in a positive or negative direction, behaviour change as a field typically refers to organized and focused efforts that might help people change their behaviour in a good way”.

The above-explained concepts will be used in the negotiations and checked if they reflect the arguments from each side of this matching programme.

• • Negotiating Points between ASCO and Not-for-profit Impact Investor

In terms of distribution, ACI/ASCO needs to align these two views of distribution so that channel promises are achievable by logistics capabilities. Also, ACI/ASCO is required to explain its distribution models (which could be direct, indirect or hybrid distribution).

Additionally, ACI/ASCO can argue that it will use distribution metrics and KPIs such as service metrics that capture the customer promise, inventory metrics that reveal efficiency and risk, cost and productivity metrics that show scalability.

Regarding adoption, ACI/ASCO can argue that it will use key success metrics to track, to measure product adoption, such as conversion rate, time to value, and frequency of purchases.

Concerning implementation, ACI/ASCO needs to show that it has a coherent implementation plan (that is, a set of steps to be followed to achieve the CCP objectives it has defined). Its implementation plan should have a goal, objectives, success criteria, resource plan, scope statement, risk analysis, timeline, roles and responsibilities.

With respect to behaviour change, NFP Impact Investor will use the above-mentioned definition to find out how the introduction of clean cooking by ACI/ASCO will affect or change the behaviour of CCP beneficiaries. In this respect, NFP Impact Investor may want to know how ACI/ASCO will employ communication, community engagement and data-driven insights to connect with CCP beneficiaries to create change that lasts.

The two sides (ASCO and the NFP Impact Investor) need to reach a negotiated agreement on the contents of Distribution and Adoption (D&A) for the former and Implementation and Behaviour Change (I&BC) for the latter. It means they need to align their positions.

• • Reaching a Negotiated Agreement

To successfully align ACI’s/ASCO’s on-the-ground distribution with NFP Impact Investor’s behavioural change and implementation goals, both parties must shift from traditional models to results-based financing (RBF), outcome contracts, and co-designed community interventions.

Because adoption often falls short of sustained daily usage, the NFP Impact Investor and ACI/ASCO must establish shared accountability by following specific actionable frameworks which include the following:

a) Structure outcome-based financing models

b) Leverage carbon finance to subsidize upfront costs

c) Co-design ‘behaviour change’ interventions

d) Integrate financial solutions for the end-user

d) Standardize impact measurement.

Let us summarize each of these points framing the prospects for reaching an agreement between the two parties on Distribution and Adoption for the first party and Implementation and Behavioural Change for the second party.

a) Structuring of Outcome-based Financing Models

Instead of funding mere distribution (e.g., handing out cookstoves), it could be better to tie a portion of the NFP Impact Investor’s financial disbursement to verified behavioural metrics. This option may require the following actions:

σ Define shared KPIs: It involves agreeing on specific metrics beyond sales, such as daily active used (measured via smart metrics), reduction in traditional biomass use, and indoor air quality improvements.

σ Milestone payments: It consists of structuring the investment so that the capital is released as adoption milestones are reached, reducing the risk for the NFP Impact Investor and encouraging ACI/ASCO to focus on user education over just volume.

b) Leverage Carbon Finance to Subsidize Upfront Costs

It is worth using anticipated carbon credit revenues to bridge the gap between high implementation costs and consumer affordability. This implies two considerations as follows:

a) Having long-term offtake agreements: ACI/ASCO and NFP Impact Investor can agree to long-term carbon credit offtake agreements, allowing ACI/ASCO to confidently distribute stoves with deeply subsidized or free trials, driving long-term adoption.

b) Including quality assurance: Both parties must commit to transparency and integrity in carbon credit verification, ensuring that the behavioural shift claimed genuinely occurs.

c) Co-design ‘Behaviour Change’ Interventions

Adoption requires more than just dropping off new tech. The NFP Impact Investor and ACI/ASCO should design engagement strategies. They can agree to employ trusted community members to demonstrate the technology and provide ongoing support. They can as well agree to build agile feedback loops where ACI/ASCO can share localized, qualitative data (e.g., cultural cooking habits, specific pain points) with the NFP Impact Investor, allowing the latter to refine their behaviour theories.

d) Integration of Financial Solutions for the End-user

Behavioural resistance is often linked to the perceived risk of changing cooking habits or upfront fuel costs. Because of that, there is a need to integrate financial solutions for end-users. Amongst these solutions, we can mention these below:

σ Partnering with local microfinance institutions or mobile money operators to offer flexible, pay-as-you-go financing (Pay-As-You-Go and Fintech)

σ Directing NFP Impact Investor capital towards subsidizing the first few months of clean fuel (e.g., LPG or electricity) to break the habit of using free or gathered biomass (Fuel Provision Subsidies).

e) Standardization of Impact Measurement

Both ACI/ASCO and NFP Impact Investor must agree on how they will track and evaluate success to ensure neither party is engaging in impact wasting. This means they need to have alignment metrics.

e.1) Alignment Metrics

Alignment metrics in the context of ACI’s/ASCO’s Distribution and Adoption and NFP Impact Investor’s Implementation and Behaviour Change help prevent fuel stacking (using traditional solid fuels alongside clean ones) and ensures sustainable impact.

Alignment metrics include distribution and implementation metrics, adoption and behaviour change metrics, and joint outcome and impact metrics. These metrics can be summarized as follows.

σ Distribution and Implementation Metrics (Investor/Charity Supply Alignment)

These metrics track how effectively ACI/ASCO will roll out the technology to targeted low-income households. The metrics fall under this category are:

~ Effective Reach (e.g., the number of stoves delivered)

~ Supply Chain Efficiency

~ Affordability and Financial Inclusion (e.g., Pay-As-You-Cook)

σ Adoption and Behaviour Change Metrics (Charity/Investor Impact Alignment)

These metrics confirm if the technology is actually utilized and if households permanently alter their cooking habits. They include the following ones:

~ Daily Clean Cooking Index (i.e., the percentage of meals prepared with clean technologies)

~ Reduction in Traditional Fuel Consumption (e.g., charcoal, wood or kerosene)

~ Frequency of Usage of the Clean Stove

~ User Satisfaction and Capability.

σ Joint Outcome and Impact Metrics (Investor/Investee Verification)

These metrics measure the overarching developmental and climate changes that investors require, often tied to Result-Based Financing (RBF) or carbon credit programmes. Amongst these metrics are the following ones:

~ Health Co-benefits (measured in terms of reduced exposure to household air pollution)

~ Gender and Time Use (i.e., Increased ‘Quality Time’ freed up for women and girls by eliminating wood-gathering and time-intensive traditional cooking)

~ Environmental/Carbon Impact (e.g., tons of avoided CO2 emissions).

The above-mentioned metrics will be the measures to be used to reach an agreement between ACI’s/ASCO’s D&A and NFP Impact Investor’s I&BC.

If there is a disagreement between ASCO and NFP Impact Investor, this could open up the possibility for a match/fit test. The match/fit test can be carried out to try to help the two sides of the matching process. The match/fit test can also be undertaken if there is a disagreement on any of aspects of CCP.

• • The Match or Fit Test Service

As part of the match or fit test, the contents of ACI/ASCO’s D&A Stage must be matched with NFP Impact Investor’s view on I&BC. The match test (or matched sampling) will help to increase the accuracy and statistical efficiency of the study of the CCP by carefully selecting subjects for comparison. The purpose here will be to increase the statistical efficiency of the study on CCP by controlling for confounding variables when forming a sample.

The match can be perfect or close (that is, when every unit is paired with an equivalent unit) in order to reach an agreement. If there is a huge or glaring difference between the two (i.e., between what the NFP Impact Investor’s approach to D&A Stage and what ACI/ASCOC is saying about its D&A Stage, between what the investor would like the D&A Stage to indicate and what ASCO’s D&A 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 ASCO and Guidance to NFP Impact Investor

Where there could be a disagreement, CENFACS can impact advise ACI/ASCO to improve the contents of its D&A Stage. CENFACS can as well guide NFP Impact Investors to work out their expectations in terms of D&A Phase to a format that can be agreeable by potential ASCOs.

• • • The Rule of the Matching Game

The rule of the game is the more impact investors are attracted by ACI’s or ASCOs’ D&A Stage the better for ACIs or ASCOs. It means that ACI’s or ASCOs’ process must pass the attractiveness test (that is, the evaluation of market’s appeal). Likewise, the more ACIs or ASCOs can successfully respond to impact investors’ level of enquiries and queries about the CCP the better for investors. In this respect, the matching game needs to be a win-win one to benefit both players (i.e., investee and investor).

The above is the Third Activity of the Matching Organisation-Investor via CCP.

• • • 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.

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

√ 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.

For instance, in the context of this Activity 3, it is possible to evaluate or test hypothesses whether ACI’s/ASCO’s D&A plans align with NFP Impact Investor’s I&BC.

• • • • Testing the relationship between ACI’s/ASCO’s Distribution and Adoption and NFP Impact Investor’s Implementation and Behaviour Change

In clean cooking projects, the relationship between ACI’s/ASCO’s on-the-ground distribution and adoption on one part and NFP Impact Investor’s implementation and behaviour change on the other part is governed by Results-Based Financing (RBF) hypotheses. These test whether tying NFP Impact Investor capital to verifiable end-user adoption drives long-term social and climate benefits.

Amongst the hypotheses can be tested, we can mention two examples of them: the Behavioural Control Hypthesis and the Financial Sustainability and Viability Hypothesis. Let us spell out these hypotheses.

a) The Behavioural Control Hypothesis

This hypothesis can be formulated as follows:

‘Tying NFP Impact Investor funding to sustained use forces ACI/ASCO to invest in intensive, local user training and after-sales support’

b) The Financial Sustainability and Viability Hypothesis

This second hypothesis can be expressed in this manner:

‘Blended finance or viability gap funds enable ACI/ASCO to scale its distribution networks to reach remote populations without risking total financial collapse’.

The above-mentioned hypotheses and other ones can be tested. Their results can contribute to the Matching Organisation-Investor via CCP.

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 (or phase) activity of Matching Organisation-Investor via CCP, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

_________

• References

(1) https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/income-generating-activities (accessed in June 2026)

(2) https://businesscasestudies.co.uk/what-is-micro-enterprise/ (accessed in June 2026)

(3) https://esmt.berlin/knowledge/what-is-entrepreneurship (accessed in June 2026)

(4) https://www.un.org/en/observances/desertification-day (accessed in June 2026)

(5) https://assets.bii.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/22082549/When-growth-does-and-does-not-reduce-poverty.pdf (accessed in June 2026)

(6) https://www.technoserve.org/blog/technology-fighting-global-poverty-key-innovations/ (accessed in June 2026)

(7) Oxford Quick Reference (2016), A Dictionary of Business and Management, Sixth Ed., Jonathan Law (Market House Books Ltd), Oxford University Press (available online at www.oxfordreference.com)

(8) https://www.cleverence.com/articles/business-blogs/what-is-distribution-4827/ (accessed in June 2026)

(9) https://certifyera.com/terms/adoption-in-project-management (accessed in June 2026)

(10) https://contentsquare.com/guides/product-adoption/ (accessed in June 2026)

(11) https://www.techtarget.com/searchcustomerexperience/definition/implementation (accessed in June 2026)

(12) https://thedecisionlab.com/guide/what-is-behaviour-change (accessed in June 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.

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.

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Creative Economic Development Month and Jmesci Project 2026

Posted by ctsh@in2015 on June 3, 2026 in Uncategorized

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

03 June 2026

Post No. 459

The Week’s Contents

• Creative Economic Development Month and Jmesci (June Month of Environmental and Sustainable Initiatives) Project 2026

• Matching Organisation-Investor via a Clean Cooking Project – Activity 2 (01 to 07/06/2026): Matching Organisation’s Manufacturing and Sourcing with Investor ‘s Incubation and Upfront Capital Allocation

• Goal of the Month and Activity/Task 6 of the Alternatives (A) Year/Project

… And much more!

Key Messages

• Creative Economic Development Month and Jmesci (June Month of Environmental and Sustainable Initiatives) Project 2026

The key theme for June 2026 is Energy Creations and Innovations. This theme contains two sub-themes (that is, Energy Crisis Mitigation and Energy Poverty Reduction) or two aspects:

1) Creations and Innovations to Mitigate the Impacts of Energy Crisis

2) Creations and Innovations to Reduce Long-term Energy Poverty.

These theme and sub-themes make us our working plan for June 2026.

Let us briefly summarized the two key aspects of this June 2026 theme.

• • Creations and Innovations to Mitigate the Impacts of Energy Crisis (CIMIEC)

• • • What are CIMIEC?

Creations to Mitigate the Impacts of Energy Crisis (CMIEC) refers to innovations, systems and policies designed to reduce reliance on volatile energy supplies, lower energy costs, and buffer economies against sudden shortages. These solutions focus on advancing sustainability, efficiency, and resilience. They collectively aim to stabilise energy prices, ensure continuous power access and lower carbon footprints.

Innovations to Mitigate the Impacts of Energy Crisis (IMIEC) are the development and implementation of new technologies, policies, and systemic practices designed to reduce dependency on volatile fuel sources, prevent widespread power outages, and stabilize energy costs.

There is a difference between CMIEC and IMIEC. CMIEC are immediate, localized solutions designed to manage the direct, short-term pain of an energy crisis (e.g., high bills, supply shortages). IMIEC represent systemic, long-term scientific and technological advancements that permanently restructure energy systems to prevent future crises.

• • • CIMIEC as a Creation and Innovation project or Energy Crisis Mitigation project

Forming from nothing ideas or introducing changes to move forward together will be the main activity during the month of June 2026. These creative ideas and innovative ways of working will enable to find the means to meet the level of ambition we have for the kind of sustainable development and future we want, which we hope will help find ways to deal with the impacts of the energy crisis in Africa.

Using our experience, skills, knowledge and talents to find techniques, technologies and new methods to deal with these impacts will not be enough unless we create and innovate to prevent or at least to mitigate energy crisis. It means there could be another need to bring into existence ideas and introduce changes and new methods to address energy crisis caused by the geopolitical crisis/shock with the oil supply disruption as the result of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the military conflict with Iran. This closure affects the supply of oil, gas, aluminum, fertilizers and other supplies upon which many economies depend, including those of Africa.

• • Creations and Innovations to Tackle Long-term Energy Poverty (CITLTEP)

• • • What are CITLTEP?

Creations to Tackle Long-term Energy Poverty (CTLTEP) refers to innovative products, systemic policies, or structural services designed to permanently resolve a household’s inability to afford, access or utilize essential energy services (like heating, cooling, lighting, and power). Rather than acting as temporary financial relief (such as short-term heating subsidies), these creations focus on eradicating the root causes of energy deprivation.

Innovations to Tackle Long-term Energy Poverty (ITLTEP) are multidimensional interventions that address the root causes of inadequate access to affordable, reliable, and clean energy. Rather than temporary, short-term bill subsidies, these solutions focus on structured, structural changes, encompassing technological, financial, and governance advancements to ensure households maintain a decent standard of living.

There is a difference between CTLTEP and ITLTEP. CTLTEP refer to fundamental new inventions or basic technologies, whereas ITLTEP are about practical, scalable, and market-driven applications of those technologies to create lasting social change. CTLTEP provide new tools to tackle energy poverty, while ITLTEP ensure these tools are economically viable and culturally adapted for the communities that need them most.

• • • CITLTEP as a Creation and Innovation project or Energy Poverty Reduction and Horizon Scanning project

Indeed, creations and innovations to tackle the causes of long-term energy poverty (that is, the persistent inability of a household to access or afford essential energy services) will be conducted to help reduce this type of poverty. Those creations and innovations will help reduce or avoid the persistent inability of chronically low-income households to afford or access essential energy services – such as heating, cooling, lighting, and cooking – necessary for a decent standard of living and health.

During this Creative Economic Development Month (CEDM), we are forming responses from nothing and bringing them into existence to deal with the above-mentioned two aspects or sub-themes (that is, energy crisis mitigation and energy poverty reduction). Equally, we are going to introduce new ideas or methods as well as make changes to what has been tried and tested to deliver these kinds of sub-themes.

In this process of forming proposals and introducing new methods, we are going to work with the community – via the project Jmesci (June Month of Environmental and Sustainable Initiatives project) featuring this month – to try to create and innovate so that we are all able to better meet the challenges and cross the hurdles brought by the energy crisis and other shocks (such as the cost-of-living crisis, trade tariff crisis, international aid cuts, natural disaster, humanitarian catastrophe, etc.).

June 2026 is a feature-rich month during which we shall streamline users’ content creation and innovation processes. In this process of creating and innovating, we shall consider some of the creative and innovative ideas, proposals, metrics, experiences and tools that have been so far put forward to help poor people and households reduce (energy) poverty and hardships.

Our work will revolve around the kinds of creation and innovation the CENFACS Community (and alike our Africa-based Sister Organisations) needs in order to find ways of focusing on long-term sustainability, systemic resilience, and further innovation for endurance to ensure future-proofing progress is embedded rather than merely secured temporarily. This also involves strategically transitioning from simply protecting previous progress to accelerating it through systemic integration, while ensuring the new, more resilient baseline is continuously built upon.

Under the Main Development section of this post, we have provided further information about this first key message.

• Matching Organisation-Investor via a Clean Cooking Project – Activity 2 (01 to 07/06/2026): Matching Organisation’s Manufacturing and Sourcing with Investor ‘s Incubation and Upfront Capital Allocation

Both parties (i.e., Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisation and Not-for-profit Impact Investor) have agreed to continue in the serialisation of this project. They had a slight disagreement in Activity 1 as ACI/ASCO (African Charity Investee/African-based Sister Organisation) argued about Strategic Design while the Not-for-profit (NFP) Impact Investor spoke about Strategy Design. They managed to close the gap on this and agreed to move on.

In this second episode of our 5-week Matching Organisation-Investor via a Clean Cooking Project, ACI/ASCO will present its plan for the Manufacturing and Sourcing aspects of the Clean Cooking Project (CCP), while the NFP Impact Investor will be re-entering the matching negotiations by arguing how he/she may want to approach Incubation and Upfront Capital Allocation.

To continue these matching talks, we have summarized them around the following points:

σ Activity 2 Matching Concepts

σ Negotiating Points between ASCO and Not-for-profit Impact Investor

σ Reaching a Negotiated Agreement

σ The Match or Fit Test.

Let us provide some highlights about each of these points.

• • Activity 2 Matching Concepts

There are four concepts that need some clarification, concepts which are manufacturing, sourcing, incubation, and upfront capital allocation. Let us briefly explain each of these concepts.

• • • Manufacturing

Instead of talking about manufacturing alone, we are going to speak about project manufacturing. The website ‘deltek.com’ (1) explains that

“Project manufacturing, sometimes referred to as project-based manufacturing, is a production process tailored to companies that design and build products based on specific customer requirements”.

The website ‘deltek.com’ adds that

“For project manufacturers, the key to success lies in remaining agile enough to respond quickly to changing customer needs and evolving market demands. However, this can be challenging as it requires having the right parts, materials and equipment readily available at all times”.

In terms of CCP, ACI/ASCO needs to show it has carefully thought about the manufacturing aspect of CCP.

• • • Sourcing

According to ‘ibm.com’ (2),

“Sourcing is the process of identifying, evaluating and selecting suppliers to provide goods and services”.

Sourcing should not be confused with procurement. Sourcing is considered as the ‘who’ (the suppliers themselves) that builds the supply chain. Procurement is considered as the ‘what’ (goods and services) within a supply chain.

With reference to this sourcing, NFP Impact Investor may want to know if ACI/ASCO will have its network of suppliers that will move products along.

In brief, sourcing for a project is a strategic process that involves finding and managing suppliers to ensure that the project has the necessary resources at optimal cost and quality.

• • • Incubation

The explanation of incubation used here comes from the website ‘fastercapital.com’ (3) which states that

“Incubation describes the process of providing support to new or early-stage businesses. It is all about helping startups grow and develop into successful businesses. This can be done in a variety of ways, but typically includes providing access to resources, mentorship, and funding”.

The same ‘fastercapital.com’ adds that

“An incubation process is a set of activities and/or a programme that helps new startups and businesses grow and develop”.

This definition will be used and help to know the kind of support that ACI/ASCO may want beyond funding. It will as well help to find out what support NFP Impact Investor would like to give. ACI/ASCO needs to be open in terms of support (e.g., office space, mentorship, funding, and business education) it needs to set up, grow and develop the CCP. It is also required to properly cost its needs.

• • • Upfront Capital Allocation

Let us start with upfront capital. The website ‘sustainability-directory.com’ (4) explains it as

“The initial financial investment required to commence a project encompassing planning, equipment purchase, and construction costs”.

In terms of the allocation of upfront capital, NFP Impact Investor will conduct a capital allocation analysis for CCP to consider relevant details, apply key decision-making principles, and carefully manage costs.

NFP Impact Investor will as well look at ASCO’s upfront investment model (that is a strategic financial approach where an organization allocates a significant portion of its capital or resources at the initial phase of a project or venture) as explained by ‘brimco.io’ (5).

The above-explained concepts will be used in the negotiations and check if they reflect the arguments from each side of this matching programme.

• • Negotiating Points between ASCO and Not-for-profit Impact Investor

In terms of Manufacturing and Sourcing, ACI/ASCO needs to explain the following:

σ It will use local production (that is, it will establish or scale local manufacturing of stoves and fuel pellets to create jobs and reduce import costs)

σ It will have supply chain setup (that is, it will secure the materials locally – for instance upcycling agricultural residues into bio-pellets or scaling up LPG distribution infrastructure).

Regarding Incubation and Upfront Capital Allocation, the point to negotiate revolve around providing concessional funding or grants or both to local manufacturers and distributors.

Since households (potential beneficiaries of CCP) at the economic pyramid base cannot afford upfront appliance costs, this non-commercial capital de-risks the project and supports localized supply chains.

• • Reaching a Negotiated Agreement

The two sides (ASCO and the NFP Impact Investor) need to reach a negotiated agreement on the contents of Manufacturing and Sourcing (MS) for the former and Incubation and Upfront Capital Allocation (I&UCA) for the latter. It means they need to align their positions.

This alignment requires a blended finance and results-based financing structure. It also demands a blended finance structure and carbon-based subsidies. This will help bridge the gap between upfront production costs and ACI/ASCO’s mandate to deliver affordable clean cookstoves to base-of-the-pyramid markets.

This alignment also requires active ongoing collaboration that merges ACI’s/ASCO’s mission-driven expertise with the NFP Impact Investor‘s requirement for measurable impact and financial stewardship, This can be achieved through structured planning, clear impact mapping (Theory of Change), agreed Key Performance Indicators and active support.

• • The Match or Fit Test Service

As part of the match or fit test, the contents of ACI/ASCO’s MS Stage must be matched with NFP Impact Investor’s view on I & UCA. The match test (or matched sampling) will help to increase the accuracy and statistical efficiency of the study of the CCP by carefully selecting subjects for comparison. The purpose here will be to increase the statistical efficiency of the study on CCP by controlling for confounding variables when forming a sample.

The match can be perfect or close (that is, when every unit is paired with an equivalent unit) in order to reach an agreement. If there is a huge or glaring difference between the two (i.e., between what the NFP Impact Investor’s approach to MS Stage and what ACI/ASCOC is saying about its MS Stage, between what the investor would like the MS Stage to indicate and what ASCO’s MS 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 ASCO and Guidance to NFP Impact Investor

Where there could be a disagreement, CENFACS can impact advise ACI/ASCO to improve the contents of its MS Stage. CENFACS can as well guide NFP Impact Investors to work out their expectations in terms of MS Phase to a format that can be agreeable by potential ASCOs.

• • • The Rule of the Matching Game

The rule of the game is the more impact investors are attracted by ACI’s or ASCOs’ MS Stage the better for ACIs or ASCOs. It means that ACI’s or ASCOs’ process must pass the attractiveness test (that is, the evaluation of market’s appeal). Likewise, the more ACIs or ASCOs can successfully respond to impact investors’ level of enquiries and queries about the CCP the better for investors. In this respect, the matching game needs to be a win-win one to benefit both players (i.e., investee and investor).

The above is the Second Activity of the Matching Organisation-Investor via CCP.

• • • 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.

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

√ 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.

For instance, in the context of this Activity 2, it is possible to evaluate whether ACI’s/ASCO’s operational plans align with NFP Impact Investor’s Incubation and Upfront Capital Allocation. One can test several hypotheses across operations, supply chain, and financial sustainability.

If one considers the area of manufacturing feasibility and scaling, the hypotheses can test whether ACI/ASCO can actually produce and scale the clean cooking technology efficiently. One of these hypotheses could be economies of scale by testing this hypothesis: Per-unit manufacturing costs will decrease at a specific rate once incubation-funded assembled lines are operational.

Another area of hypothesis testing could be financial sustainability and capital efficiency. These track whether the incubation period successfully transitions ACI/ASCO’s CCP towards long-term viability. By considering working capital cycle, it is possible to test if the upfront capital allocation is sufficient to bridge the cash flow gap between the manufacturing of stoves/fuels and the realization of revenue (which is often delayed by last-mile distribution logistics).

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 (or phase) activity of Matching Organisation-Investor via CCP, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

• Goal of the Month and Activity/Task 6 of the Alternatives (A) Year/Project

Our Goal of the Month focuses on Finding Creations and Innovations That Really Reduce or End Poverty. Activity/Task 6 of the Alternatives (A) Year/Project is about Creating and Innovating Alternatives for Those in Need of Reducing Poverty. Both our Goal of the Month and Activity/Task 6 are complimentary.

Let us look at these Goal of the Month and Activity/Task 6.

• • Goal of the Month: Find Creations and Innovations That Really Reduce or End Poverty

Not all creations can lead to poverty reduction. However, it is possible to search and find creations that helped or can help reduce poverty. Amongst these creations, we can mention economic growth creation, wealth creation, jobs creation, economic integration creation, etc. that can reduce poverty under verifiable conditions.

For instance, British International Investment (6) notes that

“There are countries that translated growth into poverty reduction and those that have not”.

The British International Investment also argues that

“Growth anywhere in an economy will reduce poverty if there are strong enough economic linkages to the livelihoods of people living in poverty. Growth fails to reduce poverty when the economic linkages to the lives of the poor are weak, and governments fail to use the proceeds either to encourage the spread of economic activity or for anti-poverty programmes”.

Similarly, not all innovations work in reducing poverty. There are innovations that can do it. For example, TechnoServe (7) has listed five key technological innovations that have shown remarkable promise in reducing poverty. There are

1) Geospatial Technology (including satellite imagery, GPS, and geographic information systems) has emerged as a game changer in agricultural development and poverty reduction efforts

2) Artificial Intelligence and machine learning are becoming powerful tools in the fight against poverty

3) Fintech (financial technology) helps to bridge gap and provide crucial financial services to underserved poor populations or communities

4) Distance Learning approaches (coupled with the growth of smartphone availability in developing countries) have helped to break the cycle of poverty

5) Supply chain traceability (i.e., the ability to track products, materials, or components as they move through your supply chain, creating a clear record of where items came from, where they are now, and where they are going to).

So, during this June 2026 we are going to work and Find these Creations and Innovations That Really Reduce or End Poverty as well as help those who need them to access them. This is our Goal for the Month of June 2026.

• • • What We Expect from Our Supporters Regarding the Goal of 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., June 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.

• • Activity/Task 6 of the Alternatives (A) Year/Project: Create and Innovate Alternatives for Those in Need of Reducing Poverty

One cannot invent something entirely new without first envisioning different possibilities and the quality of their final creation directly depends on the variety and ingenuity of the alternatives they explored. They need to create and innovate alternatives.

• • • What Do We Mean by Creating and Innovating Alternatives?

Creating alternatives for poverty reduction refers to shifting away from traditional, top-down welfare programmes and conditional aid towards systemic, localized and bottom-up solutions. These strategies prioritize placing families in the driver’s seat of their own economic mobility and rely on community-led innovation to build long-term resilience.

Likewise, innovating alternatives for poverty reduction can happen. There are relationships between creating and innovating alternatives.

• • • Relationships between Creations, Innovations and Alternatives

Innovations are successfully implemented solutions that create new value, while alternatives are the varying options or potential substitutes available to achieve goal. Their relationship as defined by a dynamic loop in the sense that alternatives serve as the raw material for innovation, and successful innovations ultimately generate new alternatives for users, including for those users living in poverty.

So, Activity/Task 6 of the Alternatives (A) Year/Project is about Creating and Innovating Alternatives for Those in Need of Reducing Poverty.

Those who would like to undertake this Activity/Task can go ahead. For those who need some help before embarking on it, 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.

Extra Messages

• ReLive Issue No. 18, Spring 2026: People with Acute Needs in Africa Want to Rebuild and Renew Their Lives, Can You Help?

• All-Year-Round Projects (AYRPs) and the World Environment Day 2026

• Business Education Programme for Low-income Families to Reduce Poverty

• ReLive Issue No. 18, Spring 2026: People with Acute Needs in Africa Want to Rebuild and Renew Their Lives, Can You Help?

Only 3 Weeks to Go for This 18th Issue!

The 18th Issue of CENFACS’ Once-a-year Spring Appeal for Renewing Lives (ReLive), which focuses on advocating for the support of People in Acute Needs or Those in the Most Serious Humanitarian Crises in Africa who require help to rebuild and renew their lives this Spring 2026, has only three weeks to go and be alive on this website.

The Campaign is about working with those in the most serious humanitarian crises in Africa to create enhanced relief so that they can rebuild and renew their lives. They need rebuilding, renewal and support due to the convergence of armed conflict, climate-induced disasters, and economic distress.

The Campaign will help meet rebuilding and renewal needs like

σ Healthcare facilities, water systems, and local food production in Sudan

σ Reconstruct razed villages, damaged schools, and transport infrastructure in the Sahel

σ Re-establish health and create special protections from gender-based violence in the Eastern DRC

σ Rebuild economic base for pastoralists and farmers

σ Provide clean water, education, and healthcare to the Internally Displaced Persons

σ Rebuilding destroyed homes for communities in South Kivu (DRC)

σ Restoration of basic services and civilian infrastructure for communities in the Central Sahel

σ In brief, rebuild and renew lives in a gradual, safe and sustainable way.

The Campaign is done through Gifts of Renewing Lives and Life-renewing Projects (LRPs).

As part of this Campaign, we are running 14 Gifts in a world of 20 Reliefs or Helpful Differences. What does this mean?

It means donors or funders have 14 Gifts of Renewing Lives or materials to choose from and enable the creation of 20 Reliefs (impacts or values) to select from to make helpful differences to the acute needy.

In total, our Spring Relief 2026 Campaign is providing to potential supporters 14 GIFTS of rebuilding acute needy’s lives in Africa in 20 RELIEFS to make this happen.

For this rebuilding or renewal to happen, support is needed towards LRPs.

To support, please contact CENFACS at http://cenfacs.org.uk/contact-us/

• All-Year-Round Projects (AYRPs) and the World Environment Day 2026

On Friday 05/06/2026, the World Environment Day (WED) 2026 will be focusing on climate change – on the urgent signals the Earth is sending and the signals we choose to send back (8).

As part of this worldwide event day, those of our members who are working on any of the AYRPs can reflect the theme of the WED 2026 in the application of their projects. They can integrate the WED 2026 theme of ‘Global Call for Climate Action‘ into them.

• • What Is Integrating a ‘Global Call for Climate Action’ into AYRPs?

Integrating a ‘Global Call for Climate Action‘ into AYRPs requires shifting from one-off events (like WED 5 June 2026) to continuous embedding sustainability practices. One can achieve this integration by breaking the effort into a set of structured activities that can maintain momentum and measurable impact.

For instance, one can have the following 4-phased framework:

Phase 1 (June-Mid-July 2026): Assess and Plan

It involves auditing your resources and planning your AYRP action with the goal of reducing carbon footprint by e.g. 1%, using standard calculation models.

Phase 2 (Mid-July – August 2026): Hands-on Execution

It can be about launching an outdoor event like clean-up drives in your specific vicinity to directly benefit your immediate ecosystem where your AYRP will be implemented.

Phase 3 (September – October 2026): Education and Advocacy

It could be about hosting a small event whereby you can engage the public about climate change issues like renewable energy or reducing waste, as well as advocate for sustainable local policies.

Phase 4 (November – December 2026): Review and Innovate

It encompasses analysing data throughout the year, calculating your total environmental impact (such as savings made on CO2 emissions) as a result of the implementation of your AYRPs.

The above-mentioned phases will show that you are not treating WED 2026 as a one-off or one-day event.

In short, you can engage in WED 2026 by adopting sustainable practices (like reducing waste, conserving water and energy, and choosing eco-friendly products) when undertaking AYRPs.

Those who have included or will include the features of this campaign in the AYRPs can let us know their experience of this inclusion.

• • What Is Good about Telling and Sharing Your AYRP Story of the Inclusion of a ‘Global Call for Climate Action’

Telling and sharing your AYRP story of the inclusion experience will help

√ contribute to the Global Call for Climate Action

√ reduce the triple crisis (that is, the crisis of climate change, the crisis of nature, land, and biodiversity loss, and the crisis of pollution and waste)

√ improve the environmental aspect within AYRP (its Triple Value Initiatives – People, Planet, Prosperity)

√ know what has worked and not worked so far before AYRP’s deadline of 23/12/2026.

To tell and share your AYRP story of environmental inclusion and particularly of the inclusion of the theme of WED 2026, please contact CENFACS.

• Business Education Programme for Low-income Families to Reduce Poverty

This is a new programme that has been tailored to meet the specifics of low-income families and/or households looking forward to setting up an income-generating activity to help them transition away from poverty. The programme follows the positive reaction we had last month with Basic Home-based Bookkeeping and Accounting for Poverty Reduction (BHbB&A4PR). BHbB&A4PR was a pilot project and is part of this new programme. Perhaps, to better understand this programme let us explain it, provide its aim and components or projects.

• • Explaining Business Education Programme for Low-income Families to Reduce Poverty (BEP4LIFs)

BEP4LIFs, which is not one-size-fits-all, is all part of empowering and keeping families and households resilient, particularly thosemaking the CENFACS Community.

It reinforces our work with these families and households on 2026 Alternative Income Sources and Projects.

It caters for the specific needs of family’s or household’s idea of income-generating activities.

It helps these families or households to overcome some of the challenge they may face should they decide to set up an income-generating activity to lift themselves out of poverty and financial hardship.

• • Aim of BEP4LIFs

The main aim of BEP4LIFs is to empower low-income families with the financial literacy and numeracy, data, management skills, and strategic knowledge needed to launch or grow small income-generating activities or micro-enterprises to help them come out poverty and hardships. This drives self-sufficiency, creates sustainable income, and foster the creation of income-earning activity to break generational cycles of poverty.

Like any programme of this kind, BEP4LIFs needs to have projects which make its components.

• • BEP4LIFs Projects

BEP4LIFs will operate through four core projects as follows.

1) Income-generating Activities (IGAs), Micro-enterprises and Entrepreneurship Projects

These initiatives empower these families to launch or grow their own IGA to create sustainable livelihoods.

2) Financial Literacy and Capability Projects

They focus on stabilizing family/household finances and building assets to prevent families from falling deeper into debt.

3) Workforce and Vocational Up-skilling Projects

They are designed to transition low-income family workers from low-paying jobs/activities into higher-wage careers by teaching in-demand business and technical skills.

4) Community and Social Enterprise Projects

They are initiatives that address local community needs while simultaneously creating jobs for these disadvantaged families.

From Week Beginning Monday 08 June 2026, we shall start and cover the first projects of BEP4LIFs (that is, IGAs, Micro-enterprises and Entrepreneurship Projects).

Those who may be interested in or willing to support Business Education Programme for Low-income Families to Reduce Poverty, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

Message in English-French (Message en Anglais-Français)

• CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum E-discusses the Impacts of Football Supporterism on Poverty Reduction in Africa

Football supporters can impact poverty reduction in Africa by driving grassroots socio-economic development, including poverty reduction. It is recognized that football fans, local communities, and global supporters’ clubs combat extreme poverty by funding safe-space sports programmes, supporting community healthcare and climate change awareness. Their action is sometimes termed as supporterism. What is supporterism?

Within the sports and poverty reduction literature, it is mentioned that supporterism refers to the organised and active culture of sports fans who band together to back a team, promote its community interests or even influence club ownership and governance. It often involves fanatical dedication, structured group activities, and civic and political activism centered around the club.

Football supporterism in particular can have an impact on poverty reduction in Africa. It can support grassroots socio-economic and community development, particularly with the following initiatives:

σ Youth empowerment and skills programmes and fan-supported charities, which utilise football to teach discipline, teamwork, and enterprising, protecting disadvantaged youth from crime and substance abuse

σ Women’s protection as football is leveraged to protect vulnerable girls and women in African countries where exploitation and gender-based violence are happening

σ Reintegration and peacebuilding processes as football fandom and community tournaments can foster social cohesion and reintegration in post-conflict zones

σ Health education and healthcare burden reduction as football can be used an engaging platform for health education, counselling and advice

Etc.

Football supporterism and direct fan-led initiatives can help raise funds for local infrastructure and equipment and facilities that can directly benefit underprivileged neighbourhoods.

So, there is no doubt that football supporters are doing and can do more to support efforts for poverty reduction in Africa. In the lead up to the 23rd edition of the global football tournament (FIFA World Cup 2026), this is what we are discussing. In particular, we are debating this:

What else can African football supporters do to help reduce or end poverty further in Africa?

The above provides materials and space for reflection, expression, discussion and action.

Those who may be interested in reflection, expression, discussion and action on the Impacts of Football Supporterism on Poverty Reduction in Africa 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 de L’impact des Supporters de Football sur la Réduction de la Pauvreté en Afrique

Les supporters de football peuvent contribuer à la réduction de la pauvreté en Afrique en stimulant le développement socio-économique local. Il est reconnu que les supporters, les communautés locales et les clubs de supporters internationaux luttent contre l’extrême pauvreté en finançant des programmes sportifs sécurisés, en soutenant les soins de santé communautaires et en sensibilisant le public au changement climatique. Leur action est parfois qualifiée de « supporterisme ». Qu’est-ce que le supporterisme ?

Dans les travaux sur le sport et la réduction de la pauvreté, le supporterisme désigne la culture organisée et active des supporters qui se regroupent pour soutenir une équipe, promouvoir les intérêts de leur communauté, voire influencer la propriété et la gouvernance du club. Il implique souvent un dévouement sans faille, des activités de groupe structurées et un activisme civique et politique centré sur le club.

Le soutien de football by les supporters de football, en particulier, peut contribuer à la réduction de la pauvreté en Afrique. Il peut favoriser le développement socio-économique et communautaire à la base, notamment grâce aux initiatives suivantes :

σ Programmes d’autonomisation et de formation des jeunes et organisations caritatives soutenues par les supporters, qui utilisent le football pour inculquer la discipline, le travail d’équipe et l’esprit d’entreprise, tout en protégeant les jeunes défavorisés de la criminalité et de la toxicomanie.

σ Protection des femmes : le football est mis à profit pour protéger les filles et les femmes vulnérables dans les pays africains où sévissent l’exploitation et les violences sexistes.

σ Processus de réintégration et de consolidation de la paix : le soutien des supporters et les tournois communautaires de football peuvent favoriser la cohésion sociale et la réintégration dans les zones post-conflit.

σ Éducation sanitaire et réduction de la charge pesant sur les systèmes de santé : le football peut servir de plateforme attrayante pour l’éducation sanitaire, le conseil et l’accompagnement.

Etc.

Le soutien aux équipes de football et les initiatives directes menées par les supporters peuvent contribuer au financement des infrastructures, des équipements et des installations locales, bénéficiant directement aux quartiers défavorisés.

Il ne fait donc aucun doute que les supporters de football s’investissent et peuvent s’investir davantage dans la lutte contre la pauvreté en Afrique. À l’approche de la 23e édition de la Coupe du Monde de la FIFA (Coupe du Monde de la FIFA 2026), c’est précisément le sujet de nos discussions. Plus précisément, nous débattons ceci:

Quelles actions supplémentaires les supporters africains peuvent-ils entreprendre pour contribuer à réduire, voire à éradiquer, la pauvreté en Afrique ?

Ce qui précède offre un espace de réflexion, d’expression, de discussion et d’action.

Les personnes intéressées par la réflexion, l’expression, la discussion et l’action concernant L’Impact des Supporters de Football sur la Réduction de la Pauvreté en Afrique peuvent rejoindre notre groupe d’experts sur la 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

• Creative Economic Development Month and Jmesci (June Month of Environmental and Sustainable Initiatives) Project 2026

The following points make up the Main Development section of this post:

∝ Basic understanding of the creative economic development

∝ What 2026 June Month of Environmental and Sustainable Creative Initiatives (Jmesci) project will be about

∝ Theme and sub-themes of Creative Economic Development Month 2026

∝ Other concepts of Creative Economic Development Month 2026

∝ The creator economy and Creative Economic Development Month 2026

∝ The kinds of creative economic development projects we will be dealing with

∝CEDM Codes

∝ The method of delivering the Creative Economic Development Month

∝ The calendar and contents of the Creative Economic Development Month

∝ Execution of CEDM 2026 Sub-themes: First Codes (from Week Beginning Monday 01/06/2026)

∝ Creative Economic Development Projects

∝ Featuring other environmental activities or events outside but closer to CENFACS’ work.

Let us look at these points one by one.

• • Basic Understanding of the Creative Economic Development (CEDM)

To grasp the creative economic development is better to start with the understanding of the creative economy.

• • • Basic understanding of the creative economy

There are many definitions of creative economy. In this communication, we have selected two of them.

The first definition comes from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). UNCTAD (9) argues that a creative economy

“Essentially… is the knowledge-based economic activities upon which the ‘creative industries’ are based”.

The UNCTAD goes on by claiming that

“The creative industries – which include advertising, architecture, arts and crafts, design, fashion, film, video, photography, music, performing arts, publishing, research and development, software, computer games, electronic publishing, and TV/radio – are the lifeblood of the creative economy”.

The second definition, which is from ‘rasmussen.edu’ (10), is

“The creative economy is the income-earning potential of creative activities and ideas”.

Clearly, this second definition focusses on the income generation aspect of creative industries and activities.

However, CENFACS looks at the creative economy from the perspective of development or sustainable development.

• • • Creative economy from the perspective of development and sustainable development

From the development point of view, creative economic development focuses on leveraging creativity and cultural assets to drive economic growth and development process, fostering job creation, attracting investment, and enhancing the overall quality of life in a particular area. It involves creating an environment that supports innovative industries like the arts, film, music, fashion, and design, while also recognising that creativity can enhance various sectors beyond these traditional creative industries.

From the perspective of sustainable development, one needs to include the definition of sustainable development as given by World Commission on Environment and Development (11), definition which is:

“Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”

So, the knowledge-based economic activities – upon which the creative industries are supported – need to be sustainable; that is capable of being continued over the long term without adverse effects. These activities need to be inclusive, clean, green (or net zero), climate-resilient and safe.

• • What June Month of Environmental and Sustainable Initiatives 2026 Is about

Individual and collective creations in the ways of improving lives through the conception of fresh ideas and the implementation of practical ideas to escape from poverty and hardships as well as foster a better environment and sustainability, are CENFACS’ area of interest. We create all over the year and life; however June is the month for us to remember and acknowledge our environmental and sustainable makings.

June is the month of Creative Economic Development at CENFACS with creation and innovation on the main menu: creation for researching and developing fresh ideas to reduce poverty, particularly extreme poverty; innovation for making these ideas or dreams come true, transformable into practical environmental and sustainable initiatives and actions.

Put it simply, Jmesci (June Month of Environmental and Sustainable Creative Initiatives) is just about finding out ways of engineering creations relating to the environment and sustainability in order to further reduce poverty and improve the quality of life. In practical terms, it is the project that features or carries the Creative Economic Development Month (CEDM).

This year’s Jmesci will be about two types of creations and innovations:

1) Creations and Innovations to Mitigate the Impacts of Energy Crisis

2) Creations and Innovations to Reduce Long-term Energy Poverty.

• • Theme and Sub-themes of CEDM 2026

The key theme of CEDM 2026 is Energy Creations and Innovations. This theme contains two sub-themes which are:

1st Sub-theme: Energy Crisis Mitigation

2nd Sub-theme: Energy Poverty Reduction.

In other words, this June 2026 we have 2 sub-themes of creations and innovations to offer within our main theme. These two sub-themes cover the two aspects of CEDM 2026, which we have given above and are:

1) Creations and Innovations to Mitigate the Impacts of Energy Crisis

2) Creations and Innovations to Reduce Long-term Energy Poverty.

Let us briefly highlight each of the sub-themes.

• • • Creations and Innovations to Mitigate the Impacts of Energy Crisis (CIMIEC)

• • • • Creations to Mitigate the Impacts of Energy Crisis (CMIEC)

• • • • • What are CMIEC?

CMIEC refers to innovations, systems and policies designed to reduce reliance on volatile energy supplies, lower energy costs, and buffer economies against sudden shortages. These solutions focus on advancing sustainability, efficiency, and resilience. They collectively aim to stabilise energy prices, ensure continuous power access and lower carbon footprints.

• • • • • Types of CMIEC

These creations (solutions) to mitigate the impacts of energy crisis on people, particularly the poor ones, can fall under the following 4 categories with descriptive codes in each of these categories.

1) Direct Financial Support and Relief

The codes for this first category are social tariffs, bill rebates or subsidies, debt relief, and prohibition of disconnections.

2) Improving Home Energy Efficiency

The codes for this second category include insulation and retrofitting, green subsidies, micro-efficiency kits.

3) Transition to Affordable Renewable Energy

The codes for this third category involve community renewables, energy as-a-service, and decentralized generation.

4) Energy Advice and Behavioural Changes

The codes for this fourth category encompass energy literacy, smart meter rollout, and demand response.

Those who would be interested in the above-mentioned CMIEC categories and their codes, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

• • • • Innovations to Mitigate the Impacts of Energy Crisis (IMIEC)

• • • • • What are IMIEC?

IMIEC are the development and implementation of new technologies, policies, and systemic practices designed to reduce dependency on volatile fuel sources, prevent widespread power outages, and stabilize energy costs.

• • • • • Types of IMIEC

We can categorize innovations to mitigate impact on people, especially the poor and vulnerable ones, into the following categories and corresponding descriptive codes.

1) Financial Support and Interventions

Codes under this category describe the following:

Direct economic relief, direct cash transfers and targeted energy bill subsidies, social tariffs for reduced electricity price, prohibition of energy supply disconnections during crises, financial incentives (subsidies) for renewable installations.

2) Energy Efficiency and Building Upgrades

Codes in this category focus on physical housing adaptations. They are as follows:

Retrofitting and home insulation, distribution of micro-efficiency kits, transitions to cheap, clean heating, etc.

3) Decentralised and Community Energy

Codes are those capturing bottom-up, localized technological solutions. They include

Off-grid renewable installations, off-grid biogas plants to mitigate cooking fuel costs, zero-upfront-cost installations via community energy programmes, etc.

4) Consumer Engagement, Education, and Justice

Codes are those detailing the sociological and consumer rights aspects. These codes are

Energy democracy, energy literacy, energy counselling and bill interpretation service, smart metering to proactively identify vulnerable and disconnecting households.

Those who would be interested in the above-mentioned IMIEC categories and their codes, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

• • • • The difference between CMIEC and IMIEC

• • • • CIMIEC as a Creation and Innovation project or Energy Crisis Mitigation project

• • • Creations and Innovations to Tackle Long-term Energy Poverty (CITLTEP)

• • • • Creations to Tackle Long-term Energy Poverty (CTLTEP)

• • • • • What are CTLTEP?

CTLTEP refers to innovative products, systemic policies, or structural services designed to permanently resolve a household’s inability to afford, access or utilize essential energy services (like heating, cooling, lighting, and power). Rather than acting as temporary financial relief (such as short-term heating subsidies), these creations focus on eradicating the root causes of energy deprivation.

• • • • • Types of CTLTEP

When analyzing long-term energy poverty among the energy poor, research and policy interventions divide solutions into core thematic areas. Within these, specific operational codes and metrics track the success of targeted creations.

The thematic areas and their corresponding codes selected for this communication are as follows:

1) Home Energy Efficiency and Substandard Housing

These solutions focus on upgrading the physical dwelling to minimize long-term heat loss and energy waste. They include fabric-first approach, clean and efficient heating.

2) Direct Financial Support and Market Regulation

These codes represent mechanism designed to relieve the direct financial burden on poor consumers. They involve subsidies and grants, bill mitigation, income maximization.

3) Behavioural Energy Advice and Consumer Empowerment

These codes refer to grassroots, educational and guidance interventions. They encompass energy literacy and community initiatives.

4) Measurement and Tracking Indicators

They help evaluate the long-term impact on marginalized populations. Among the measures are the Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index, LILEE indicator, Expenditure-based Codes, and Hidden Energy Poverty.

• • • • Innovations to Tackle Long-term Energy Poverty (ITLTEP)

• • • • • What are ITLTEP?

ITLTEP are multidimensional interventions that address the root causes of inadequate access to affordable, reliable, and clean energy. Rather than temporary, short-term bill subsidies, these solutions focus on structured, structural changes, encompassing technological, financial, and governance advancements to ensure households maintain a decent standard of living.

• • • • • Types of ITLTEP

The specific actionable themes and thematic codes used to categorize innovations to tackle long-term energy poverty include the following:

1) Technological Innovation Measures

These measures focus on physical and software enhancements to improve home energy efficiency and democratize access. Codes are

Smart enhancements, building fabric refurbishment, decentralized energy, blockchain/DLIC (Distributed Ledger Technology), etc.

2) Governance and Policy Innovation Measures

These codes cover regulatory, financial and organisational frameworks. Codes are

Sustainable partnerships, innovative financing, normative framework, energy communities, etc.

3) Behavioural and Educational Measures

These codes highlight consumer-facing strategies designed to empower low-income households. Codes are

Tailored energy advice, behavioural change through educational campaigns, monitoring and evaluation.

4) Digital Financing and Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG)

These codes enable to use mobile money platforms combined with PAYG technology to allow low-income households to make small, flexible micro-payments for energy assets, making ownership accessible. Codes include

Pay-As-You-Go and micro-finance, energy social tariffs, cash transfers, equitable policy design, etc.

• • • • The difference between CTLTEP and ITLTEP

• • • • CITLTEP as a Creation and Innovation project or Energy Poverty Reduction and Horizon Scanning project

Actually, creations and innovations to tackle the causes of long-term energy poverty (that is, the persistent inability of a household to access or afford essential energy services) will be conducted to help reduce this type of poverty. Those creations and innovations will help reduce or avoid the persistent inability of chronically low-income households to afford or access essential energy services – such as heating, cooling, lighting, and coking – necessary for a decent standard of living and health.

The above-mentioned creations and innovations will make up CEDM 2026. They will be part of projects of CEDM 2026.

• • Other Concepts of Creative Economic Development Month 2026

Apart from the concepts we have already explained (such as CIMIEC and CITLTEP), there is a need to clarify the following terms: energy crisis, energy poverty, long-term energy poverty and the multidimensional energy poverty index. Let us explain them.

σ Energy crisis

According to ‘knowworldnow.com’ (12),

“Energy crisis occurs when the demand for energy resources significantly exceeds the available supply, or when energy prices rise to levels that severely impact economic stability and quality of life. Unlike temporary shortages, a true energy crisis persists over extended periods and requires systemic changes to resolve. The phenomenon encompasses not just electricity blackouts but also fuel shortages, price volatility, and the availability of energy infrastructure to meet population needs”.

This energy crisis can have short-, medium- and long-term impacts. From the study conducted by ‘lse.ac.uk’ (13), short-term impacts of energy crisis include the impact on consumer prices, indirect effects on the price of manufactured goods, food and transport, and impact on industry, especially energy-intensive sectors.

There are as well medium-term impacts in the form of structural damage with several transmission channels like persistent inflation eroding wages and consumer spending, investment collapse in energy-intensive sectors.

There are also methods to lessen these impacts for households, especially for the poorest ones, and businesses. CEDM 2026 is about finding these methods or solutions or creations or innovations to mitigate these energy crisis impacts.

Among these creations, it is worth mentioning the use of demand-side measures to reduce energy consumption by improving efficiency and conservation. There is also the use of supply-side alternatives that can be deployable in the short-term. In the long-term time, considerations should be given to energy transition, transitioning to clean energy, the structural transformation of energy systems.

In brief, there is need to transition towards diversified clean energy and battery deployment.

σ Energy poverty

Two definitions of energy can be given. The first one comes from the European Union (14) which argues that

“Energy poverty occurs when a household must reduce its energy consumption to a degree that negatively impacts the inhabitants’ health and wellbeing. It is mainly driven by 3 underlying root causes: a high proportion of household expenditure spent on energy, low income, and low energy performance of buildings and appliances”.

The website ‘habitat.org’ (15) also explains energy poverty by stating that

“Energy poverty can be found in all conditions where there is a lack of adequate, affordable, reliable, quality, safe and environmentally sound energy services to support development”.

Although these definitions are insightful in understanding the meaning of energy poverty, what we are interested in is long-term energy poverty, that is when energy poverty becomes structural and last longer between generations.

σ Multidimensional Energy Poverty Index (MEPI)

MEPI is explained by ‘sustainability-directory.com’ (16) as

“A sophisticated composite metric designed to quantify energy deprivations on individual or household experiences simultaneously moving beyond a simple binary of electricity access. This index assesses the inadequacy of energy services across several essential domains, reflecting the quality, reliability and health implications of available energy resources. It provides a nuanced tool for analysing the social pillar of sustainable development”.

This index can useful when creating and innovating to tackle long-term energy poverty.

• • The Creator Economy and Creative Economic Development Month 2026

CEDM is the month of looking at the creator economy. The creator economy and Creations and Innovations Month have some relationships. Before illustrating these links, let explain the creator economy.

• • • What is the creator economy?

The website ‘salesforce.com’ (17) explains that

“The creator economy, in simple terms, is basically people making money online by doing stuff they are good at (or just wildly passionate about). They teach, review, bake, rant, design, dance, explain, and build”.

The website ‘salesforce.com’ adds that

“The true creators are the ones who are putting in the work, they are anyone who’s figured out how to share something useful or entertaining online on platforms”.

So, these true creators have something to do with our Creations and Innovations Month.

• • • The relationships between the creator economy with Creations and Innovations Month

CEDM provides a dedicated framework to celebrate and analyse the artistic expression and entrepreneurial drive that sustain the creator ecosystem. The relationship between the creator economy and CEDM can manifest in specific ways such as

σ A month of opportunity for creators and enhancers of poverty reduction and sustainable development to review their craft models and highlight how their ideas can be turned into sustainable makings

σ A month of leveraging tools like Generative AI to further reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

• • Kinds of Creative Economic Development Projects Dealt with

The types of creative economic development projects that will be considered will be those helping people in need to reduce or end poverty (for instance energy poverty) while enhancing sustainable development (like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 relating to ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all). In other words, for any creations and innovations to meet the objectives of the creation and innovation month, they need to address poverty while contributing to the principles of sustainable development; that is of development that is inclusive, clean, green (or net zero), climate-resilient and safe, or ‘Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (op. cit.).

From the idea or conception to the implementation of these projects, their contents need to have the values of poverty reduction and sustainability (particularly the inclusive, clean, green or net zero, climate-resilient and safe aspects of sustainability). As we continue to unveil these projects throughout this month, these values will become clear, apparent and self-explanatory. This will as well determine the manner in which the Creative Economic Development Month will be approached and delivered throughout the month.

• • CEDM Codes

CEDM uses codes, which are inside its sub-themes or thematic topics. It uses coding system to deliver its campaign. A code is a system of rules, symbols, or signals used to represent information, communicate secretly, or give instructions to a machine, according to ‘dictionary.cambridge.org’ (18).

In the context of CENFACS CEDM, CEDM Codes are a compilation of indicators, metrics, safety rules and standards to check if people are meeting poverty reduction and sustainable development goals. Using a system of targets and statistical indicators, CEDM Codes track indicators such as basic education, health, food, energy, etc. It is all about coding for poverty reduction and sustainable development.

These codes help us understand how poor people are doing in terms of poverty reduction and sustainable development. This year’s CEDM Codes revolve around energy crisis mitigation and long-term energy poverty reduction. what are these codes?

• • • Codes for energy crisis mitigation

Codes for energy crisis mitigation refer to regulatory energy industry protocols, mandatory consumer protection standards, or the reference numbers used for emergency fuel vouchers.

For instance, in the UK to manage and mitigate energy crisis, Fuel Vouchers Codes are used for households experiencing extreme financial hardship.

• • • Codes for energy poverty reduction

Codes for energy poverty reduction consist of statutory metrics, building performance standards, and targeted financial support. These codes focus on the two main pillars of energy poverty: energy performance and energy affordability.

The above-mentioned codes for energy crisis mitigation and energy poverty reduction will help find if there is any gap to fill in terms of, for instance, energy transition. These codes will be developed throughout the CEDM.

• • The Method of Delivering the Creative Economic Development Month

The Creative Economic Development Month will be delivered through the composition of notes and a number of activities (such as workshop, focus group or discussion, exhibition, advocacy or campaign and appeal).

• • The Calendar and Contents of the Creative Economic Development Month

To deliver on what we have argued so far, we have organised the Creative Economic Development Month (CEDM) by categorising the creations (solutions) and innovations to mitigate the impacts of energy crisis on poor and vulnerable populations as well as creations and innovations to reduce long-term energy poverty into sub-themes or thematic topics and their corresponding descriptive codes.

We shall soon publish the full calendar and working plan for CEDM 2026 Working Weeks and Codes. The following table about First Codes for CEDM 2026 is an extract from the full CEDM 2026 Codes tables.

• • Execution of CEDM 2026 Sub-themes: First Codes for Energy Crisis Mitigation and Poverty Reduction (from Week Beginning Monday 01/06/2026)

Our CEDM Working Weeks and Plan starts with the categories/thematic topics and their corresponding first codes for each sub-theme, which are as follows:

σ) 1st Sub-theme (1ST): Energy Crisis Mitigation

σσ) Creation Category (CC) is Direct Financial Support and Relief

The codes for this creation category are social tariffs, bill rebates or subsidies, debt relief, and prohibition of disconnections.

σσ) Innovation Category (IC) is Financial Support and Interventions

Codes under this innovation category describe the following:

σ) 2nd Sub-theme (2ST): Energy Poverty Reduction

σσ) Creation Category (CC) is Home Energy Efficiency and Substandard Housing

These solutions focus on upgrading the physical dwelling to minimize long-term heat loss and energy waste. They include fabric-first approach, clean and efficient heating.

σσ) Innovation Category (IC) is Technological Innovation Measures

These measures focus on physical and software enhancements to improve home energy efficiency and democratize access. Codes are

Smart enhancements, building fabric refurbishment, decentralized energy, blockchain/DLIC (Distributed Ledger Technology), etc.

Those who would like to engage with the CEDM 2026 can choose amongst the above-mentioned codes and contact CENFACS.

The above is the first execution of our CEDM 2026 Working Weeks and Plan. For those who may be interested in any of the first codes of each sub-theme of this plan, they can contact CENFACS. For those would like to learn more about CEDM 2026, they can also communicate with CENFACS.

• • Creative Economic Development Projects

There are areas of creative economic industries upon which we (together with those in need) draw inspiration to develop projects to help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development. These areas include: advertising, arts and crafts, design, video, research and development.

To be more specific, let us look at one example, one activity and one competition relating to creative economic development projects.

• • • Example of Creative Economic Development Project: Art and Design for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development

CENFACS’ creative economic development projects (like Art and Design for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development) can help users to handle squeezed household life-sustaining spending.

For example, we normally run Art and Design for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development as a creative economic development or creative economy project. Through this project, participants can unlock their creative aspirations to build and develop poverty reduction content-creating objects or materials. This exercise will provide them with poverty reduction building experiences via objects/materials.

• • • Creative Economic Development Activity of the Month: Construct and Post e-cards or e-objects

One of the activities related to this project for this year will be to construct and post e-cards or e-objects expressing the theme of “Global Call for Climate Action”. The construction will echo the World Environmental Day’s (op. cit.) celebratory theme of on 05/06/2026.

One can as well construct and post the similar cards as expressions or ways of dealing with drought to resonate the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (19) on 17/06/2026. The theme of 2026 Desertification and Drought Day is “Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore”.

So, those who wish and want can design and post an e-card or e-object to feature the theme of “Global Call for Climate Action” relating to World Environment Day, and/or the theme of “Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore” linked to the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.

To support and or enquire about Art and Design for Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development, please contact CENFACS.

• • • Creative Economic Development Competition of the Month: The Creative Mind of Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development

The Creative Mind of Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development is a one-month’s project of challenge created and run by CENFACS that will enable creators and innovators of the month to showcase their creations and innovations in and for the community; creations and innovations relating to poverty reduction and sustainable development.

As a creator or innovator of poverty reduction and/or sustainable development you can tell and/or share with CENFACS your creation and/or innovation project or experience of creative and/or innovative poverty reduction and/or sustainable development. Your creation and/or innovation project or experience will be part of this month’s challenge to find the Creative Mind of Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development.

To tell and/or share your creation and/or innovation project or experience, please contact CENFACS this month.

• • Featuring other environmental activities or events outside but closer to CENFACS’ work

Our month of creation (of thinking up new things) and innovation (of converting our thoughts into tangible outcomes) revolves around global, national, and local environmental and sustainable issues and events of the month as well.

Examples of June world environmental events and days of the month include the following events (we have already mentioned some of them):

∝ London Climate Action Week (20) which will take place 20 to 28 June 2026

∝ The United Nations World Environment Day which is being held today 05/06/2026 under the theme of ‘Global Call for Climate Action’

∝ The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2026 to be held on 17/06/2026 under the theme of ‘Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore’.

The above notes are for CENFACS’ Creative Economic Development Month.

To support and or engage with CENFACS’ Creative Economic Development Month and or the project Jmesci 2026, please contact CENFACS.

_________

• References

(1) https://www.deltek.com/en/manufacturing/project-manufacturing (accessed in June 2026)

(2) https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/sourcing/(accessed in June 2026)

(3) https://fastercapital.com/content/The-Process-of-Incubation-for-Startups.html (accessed in June 2026)

(4) https://news.sustainability-directory.com/news/upfront-capital/ (accessed in June 2026)

(5) https://www.brimco.io/terms/u/upfront-investment-model (accessed in June 2026)

(6) https://assets.bii.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/22082549/When-growth-does-and-does-not-reduce-poverty.pdf (accessed in June 2026)

(7) https://www.technoserve.org/blog/technology-fighting-global-poverty-key-innovations/ (accessed in June 2026)

(8) https://www.worldenvironmentday.global (accessed in June 2026)

(9) https://unctad.org/en/Pages/DITC/CreativeEconomy/Creative-Economy-Programme.aspx (accessed in May 2023)

(10) https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/design/blog/what-is-the-creative-economy/ (accessed in June 2023)

(11) Brundtland et al. (1987), Our Common Future, World Commission on Environment and Development (The Brundtland Report), Oxford University Press, London

(12) https://knowworldnow.com/energy-crisis (accessed in June 2026)

(13) https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/what-are-the-impacts-of-energy-crisis-and-how-can-they-be-avoided/(accessed in June 2026)

(14) https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/markets-and-consumers/energy-consumers-and-prosumers/energy-poverty_en (accessed in June 2026)

(15) https://www.habitat.org/emea/about/what-we-do/residential-energy-efficiency-households/energy-poverty (accessed in June 2026)

(16) https://energy.sustainability-directory.com/area/multidimensional-energy-poverty-index (accessed in June 2026)

(17) https://www.salesforce.com/blog/small-business/the-creator-economy/ (accessed in June 2026)

(18) https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/code (accessed in June 2026)

(19) https://www.un.org/en/observances/desertification-day (accessed in June 2026)

(20) https://www.smartcitiesworld.net/events/london-climate-action-week-2026 & https://londonclimateactionweek.org (accessed in June 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.

Donate to support CENFACS!

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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.

Permalink

Matching Organisation-Investor via Clean Cooking

Posted by ctsh@in2015 on May 27, 2026 in Uncategorized

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

27 May 2026

Post No. 458

The Week’s Contents

• Matching Organisation-Investor via Clean Cooking

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 4: Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security; Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements (From Wednesday 27/05/2026)

• Programme, Projects and Activities to Scale Evidence-based Interventions (SEIs), Institutionalize Learning (IL) and Strengthen Local Ownership (SLO) to Further Reduce Poverty

… And much more!

Key Messages

• Matching Organisation-Investor via Clean Cooking

This is a new initiative from our Matching Organisation-Investor Programme, which is part of CENFACS’ Guidance Programme to not-for-profit impact investors. The new matching initiative consists of matching an African charitable organisation’s proposals to set up a project for access to clean cooking methods in Africa with a potential not-for-profit impact investor interested in investing in clean cooking sector in Africa. In other words, this organisation has a plan to execute a project aimed at improving access to clean cooking methods in Africa; in doing so helping to reduce cooking poverty. On the other hand, there could be investors who may be attracted by the organisation’s plan.

Indeed, according to a jointly produced report by the African Union, African Development Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (1),

“Access to clean cooking methods remains critically low, despite growing recognition of their significance. Only about 33.9 percent of Africans had access to clean cooking technologies and modern cooking fuels in 2023, leaving over 970 million people reliant on traditional biomass” (p. 42)

Within the clean cooking literature, access to clean cooking methods refers to the availability of modern, energy-efficient cooking solutions. This includes technologies such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), solar thermal cookers, and certain types of biomass, pellet stoves.

The charitable organisation (investee) is looking for a prospective investor who may be interested in impact investing in affordable clean cooking technologies in Africa. The plan of the former has to be matched with the interest of the latter. In other words, there will be a matching process between the two. The matching process will be run for five weeks, from the 25th of May 2026. To better understand this project, let us briefly re-explain it and its aim.

• • What Is Matching Organisation-Investor via Clean Cooking?

It is a set of five activities designed to arrange the match/fit test between an Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisation planning to set up a clean cooking project and a prospective not-for-profit impact investor. This project of CENFACS’ Matching Programme will enable the former to find a suitable investor, and the latter to gain an investee in which they can impact invest in.

• • The Aim of Matching Organisation-Investor via Clean Cooking (MOIvCC)

The main aim of MOIvCC is to mobilize and deploy catalytic capital into underserved markets. This financing builds sustainable supply chains, provides affordable stoves to low-income households, and eliminates the severe social, economic, and environmental costs associated with traditional biomass cooking.

The matchmaking helps facilitate a mutually beneficial relationship, where the organisation (investee) gains access to capital, expertise, and resources, and the investor earns a potentially high-return not-for-profit investment opportunities through clean cooking methods. This connection can lead to the organisation’s growth, innovation, and long-term success, while allowing the investor (who generally is a not-for-profit one in accordance to CENFACS‘ matching model and rules) to achieve their goals (which are other things than financial gains).

The benefits of the matchmaking can extend to health and safety (by reducing household air pollution), gender equality (in helping women and girls to reclaim their time), environmental conservation (by curbing greenhouse gas emissions), economic development (by driving jobs creation), and financial innovation (by de-risking early stage in terms of investment).

Besides this main aim, there is also the specific aim of clean cooking project, that is the project that will connect investee and investor.

• • The Aim of Clean Cooking Project (CCP)

The aim of a CCP in Africa is to eliminate the severe health, gender, and environmental hazards caused by traditional cooking. Projects like this seek to transition communities from polluting fuels (like wood, charcoal, and dung) to modern, efficient methods (such as LPG, biogas, and electric stoves) in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 (2).

These initiatives are designed to achieve five interconnected objectives: Public health, gender equality, environmental protection, economic opportunities, financial and technical support.

CCP is designed to reduce cooking poverty. Cooking poverty refers to, according to the United Nations Development Programme (3),

“Using open fires and traditional inefficient stoves that burn wood, charcoal, coal, crop waste, dung, or kerosene for primary cooking needs (Tiers 0 to 2)” (p. 10)

The United Nations Development Programme uses the Multi-tier Framework for cooking, which categorises access to cooking solutions across six attributes.

CCP will help raise much-needed funds to help keep the Africa-based Charitable Organisation’s services and support the local community via the cooking poverty reduction of local people. In this respect, CCP will be an opportunity to increase support to fight cooking poverty and hardships amongst the Africa-based Charitable Organisation’s users and beneficiaries. All money raised via the CCP will help people in cooking crisis and poverty in their community.

Through the CCP, it is hoped that the Africa-based Charitable Organisation will meet its dream not-for-profit (n-f-p) impact investor. It is as well expected that the n-f-p impact investor will find the right organisation to invest in for impact. Where the two parties experience difficulties in matching their project proposals or respective dreams, CENFACS will organise the match test for them.

More details about this Matching Organisation-Investor via Clean Cooking can be found under the Main Development section of this post.

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 4: Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security; Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements (From Wednesday 27/05/2026)

Our All in Development Story Telling Programme and Series continue with Serial 4, which is about Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security, and Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements. Let us reveal the contents of this two-story series.

• • Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security

• • • What are Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security?

Stories of ensuring future-proofing progress is embedded rather than merely secured temporarily are the fables of building lasting, systemic and structural resilience rather than chasing temporary or reactive gains. They are about creating regenerative, deeply rooted changes that endure over time, ensuring future progress is structured and continuous rather than just a fleeting improvement. Key aspects of these plots are systemic embedding, long-term stewardship.

• • • Examples of Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security

People can tell their stories of long-term resilience by shifting their narratives from surviving a crisis safely to transforming how they live and adapt. These stories focus on shifting from dependence on external systems to building sustainable, localised, and self-organised ways of living together.

Common types of these resilience stories that everyday individuals tell include:

σ Stories from ‘stock pilling’ to ‘skill-sharing’: People share how they learned foundational, community-based skills.

σ Stories from ‘isolation’ to relational networks: These stories move away from individualism towards radical collaboration and mutual aid.

σ Stories from ‘hardening’ to ‘adaptive rebuilding’: These stories are about building back smarter and changing one’s way of life.

σ Stories from ‘ignoring pain’ to ‘integrating trauma’: These are long-term emotional resilience stories involving acknowledging vulnerabilities and allowing them to drive growth.

If you are a member of our community and have this type of stories, please do not hesitate to tell and share your story with CENFACS. If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security, please contact CENFACS.

• • Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements

• • • What are Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements?

The Stories using systemic integration to accelerate our achievements and continuously elevate our resilience are the recitals involving connecting disparate parts – people, processes, technology, and communities – to create a unified, adaptable whole that thrives under pressure rather than just enduring (for instance, integrating humanitarian aid with community action).

Everyday stories of systemic integration for resilience showcase how people merge survival tactics into connected, community-wide solutions. By sharing these ‘connected survival’ narratives, individuals highlight how they are building collective, long-term strength against interconnected challenges like the cost-of-living squeeze, climate risks or services disruptions.

• • • Examples of Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements

The narratives of connected change can fall into these types:

σ Stories of how people link basic survival needs across different areas of life (Cross-sector mutual aid)

σ Stories of how people change the way their local spaces function by integrating nature into urban or suburban environments (Grassroots nature-based action)

σ Accounts of individuals taking collective control over essential utilities (Community energy and resource pooling)

σ Stories about the journey of everyday citizens securing a seat at the table with local authorities to co-design policy (Co-designed governance and power sharing)

Etc.

By framing their lived experiences around integration rather than isolation, people provide actionable blueprint that inspire broader systemic change.

If you are a member of our community and have this type of stories, please do not hesitate to tell and share your story with CENFACS. If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements, please contact CENFACS.

• • Working with the Community on Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security, and Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements

• • • Working with the Community on Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security

We can work with the community to shift narratives from temporary security to long-term resilience. This involves co-creating narratives with participants, giving them full editorial control, and focusing on long-term systemic progress, hope, and ongoing personal growth rather than extracting trauma for emotional exploitation.

In other words, we can work with the community in the following ways:

σ To use story holding rather than extraction by treating stories as living, breathing experiences

σ To shift to progress not perfection by highlighting the milestones and ongoing mentum

σ To review their narrative design.

We can as well offer practical implementation steps like providing guidance on trauma, offer options for control and connect the personal to the systemic.

• • • Working with the Community on Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements

We can empower the community to share stories of systemic integration by shifting from ‘story extracting’ to ‘story-holding’. By treating participants as co-authors and leaders rather than just subjects, we can build trust, heal trauma, and create a resilient, collective voice for society change.

To achieve accelerated, resilient outcomes, we can work with the community to implement the following framework:

a) Shift power to lived-experience leaders

b) Focus on strength, dignity, and momentum

c) Implement ethical safeguards

d) Utilise strategic digital platforms to tell their stories.

We can even invite our community members to give their inputs (e.g., advice, suggestions) to shape our AiD Storytelling Programme and Project. We do not only ask them to give stories, we also want them to be part of our programme and project by for instance advising those who are struggling to tell their stories.

Those members of our community who have Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security, and Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements to tell, they should not hesitate to share them. Any other interested party who may have these stories, they can tell them to CENFACS.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security, and Stories of Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements, please contact CENFACS.

• Programme, Projects and Activities to Scale Evidence-based Interventions (SEIs), Institutionalize Learning (IL) and Strengthen Local Ownership (SLO) to Further Reduce Poverty

Our work on Rebuilding Africa continues with SEIs, IL and SLO. The following explains this continuation.

• • What Are Programme, Projects and Activities to Scale Evidence-based Interventions (SEIs), Institutionalize Learning (IL) and Strengthen Local Ownership (SLO)?

The programme for SEIs, IL and SLO refers to a system-embedded, evidence-driven approach to development. Such a programme will move beyond small-scale pilots to embed proven solutions into national systems (government or community-led) ensuring sustainability and long-term poverty reduction. There are components in such programme. Among these components are projects and activities.

A project designed to scale evidence-based interventions in Africa, while institutionalizing learning and fostering local ownership to reduce poverty is a locally-led, adaptive, and evidence-driven system transformation initiative. It moves beyond temporary, pilot-based solutions towards embedding proven methodologies into national policies, community practices, and sustainable funding solutions. The project will transform from a simple ‘intervention’ into a sustainable, locally-owned engine for ongoing poverty reduction.

As to activities for a project that scales evidence-based interventions while institutionalizing learning and strengthening local ownership in Africa, these activities require a holistic approach, moving beyond simple replication to embedding solutions within local systems. This type of activities will focus on vertical scaling (policy change), functional scaling (adding components), and organisational scaling (strengthening local partners).

These activities will be categorized according to the project phases as follows:

Phase 1: Preparatory and Co-design Activities (Setting the Foundation)

Activities include in this Phase 1 are conducting scalability assessments, stakeholder mapping and engagement, contextual adaptation, and establishing local governance structures.

Phase 2: Scaling Evidence-based Interventions (Vertical and Horizontal Expansion)

Activities making this Phase 2 include capacity building and training, developing scalable units, policy advocacy and dialogue, and leveraging existing systems.

Phase 3: Institutionalizing Learning and Data-driven Adaptation

Activities covering Phase 3 encompass establishing learning systems, developing data systems, acknowledging exchange networks, and action-oriented research.

Phase 4: Strengthening Local Ownership

Activities relating to Phase 4 will be transitioning to local ownership, strengthening capacity for local charities (e.g., ASOs), securing long-term financing, and cultivating local leadership.

The above-mentioned programme, project and activities will enable to Scale Evidence-based Interventions (SEIs), Institutionalize Learning (IL) and Strengthen Local Ownership (SLO) to Further Reduce Poverty.

• • Scaling up Proven Interventions (Expanding Successful, Evaluated Pilot Projects)

Scaling up evidence-based interventions to reduce poverty in Africa requires shifting from direct, small-scale service delivery to sustainable models that emphasize local leadership, digital integration, and systemic change.

Key strategies in terms of scaling interventions include adopting community-led development, leveraging technology for financial inclusion, and strengthening local partnerships.

To scale the impact on Africa from CENFACS and ASOs, the following needs to happen:

σ Shifting to Localized and Community-led models

It involves moving away from top-down approaches by decentralizing operations, re-empowering local partners, and conducting community-led fundraising.

σ Leveraging Technology and Data

Integrating technology can exponentially increase reach, particularly in rural or inaccessible areas. This strategy includes digital financial tools, digital platforms, and data-driven decisions.

σ Building Sustainable Partnerships

Collaborating with other sectors and organizations can help scale solutions that a single charity cannot achieve alone.

σ Focusing on Long-term Impact and Resilience

Scale is also about longevity of impact not just numbers.

The above-named strategies will scale the impact and contribute to the mission of Rebuilding Africa.

• • Translating MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning) Findings into Policy Changes

Translating MEL findings into policy change in Africa can be done by aligning rigorous evidence with compelling narratives, fostering collaborative partnerships with policymakers and integrating community voices through participatory methods.

Key strategies include building trust through localized evidence, using proactive dissemination and implementing adaptive management. In these strategies, there is a need to bridge the gap between MEL and policy.

Essential approaches to help in this bridge will be the following ones:

σ Developing Collaborative and Localized MEL Systems

It involves co-designing with stakeholders, decolonization of MEL, and integration of local knowledge.

σ Strengthening Evidence for Policy Influence

It includes the use of mixed methods to create persuasive evidence-based narratives for policymakers, the application of adaptive management, and leveraging of proxy indicators.

σ Build Capacity

It entails investing in technical capacity, creating peer learning environment, and establish strategic partnerships.

σ Proactive Dissemination and Advocacy

It encompasses tailoring findings for decision-makers, using policy hubs, and focusing on accountability.

These strategies and approaches can transform MEL from a reporting requirement into a powerful tool for driving systemic, policy-level change.

• • Deepening Local Ownership (Shifting from External Evaluation to Strengthening Local Capacity for MEL)

Deepening local ownership in MEL in Africa requires a strategic shift from treating local partners as data collectors to viewing them as co-owners of the knowledge creation process. This involves transforming from external accountability-driven assessments to internal learning-oriented systems that strengthen local agency.

Key strategies to achieve this include the following ones:

σ Shift from Participation to Co-ownership

It is about moving beyond simply including local staff in meeting to empower them to make decisions about MEL process. This includes co-designing evaluation frameworks, adopting participatory methodologies, and prioritizing learning over reporting.

σ Strengthen Local Capacity and Infrastructure

It involves moving away from the use of international consultants and instead investing in local talent. It covers localizing staffing and leadership, investing in technical training, utilizing local evaluators, and developing collaborative platforms.

σ Decolonize MEL Processes and Mindsets

It implies changing the power dynamics between international charities and their local partners. It includes ensuring equitable partnerships, utilizing local knowledge, shifting from external to local accountability.

σ Adjust Funding and Administrative Procedures

It is about having adaptive practices to enable local ownership. It includes providing unearmarked/core funding, simplifying reporting requirements, and budgeting for capacity building.

So, deepening local ownership can help reduce poverty in Africa.

The above-mentioned are our Programme, Projects and Activities to Scale Evidence-based Interventions (SEIs), Institutionalize Learning (IL) and Strengthen Local Ownership (SLO) to Further Reduce Poverty in Africa. To enquire and/or support these programe, projects and activities, please contact CENFACS.

Extra Messages

• Volunteers’ Stories of Actions across All Fronts of Embedding Long-term Resilience and Innovation to Secure Future Progress

• End-of-May 2026 Stories: Impact Story

• Basic Home-based Bookkeeping and Accounting for Poverty Reduction – Featured from 27/05/2026 – Bookkeeping 4: Invoices and Bills Tracking; Accounting 4: Budgeting and Risk Management

• Volunteers’ Stories of Actions across All Fronts of Embedding Long-term Resilience and Innovation to Secure Future Progress

These stories could be related to actions generally taken in volunteering capacity to help people and communities in need in the following four ways of Embedding Long-term Resilience:

a) Embedding and Scaling Initiatives for Systemic Resilience

b) Shifting from Compliance to Culture

c) Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation

d) Embedding Long-term Resilience rather than Temporary Security.

They could also be linked to actions in which a volunteer got specifically involved and at the fronts of the four strategies or tips for Innovation to Secure Future Progress, which are

a) Progress to Long-term Impact

b) Moving from Protecting Progress to Systemic Acceleration

c) Building a Resilient Baseline

d) Systemic Integration for Accelerated, Resilient Achievements.

Both Stories of Embedding Long-term Resilience and Stories of Innovation to Secure Future Progress from volunteers respond to our model of two-story sequences or two-horse stories. Volunteers can tell and share them.

To tell, share and provide opportunity for learning development through your story of volunteers’ actions across all the fronts of Embedding Long-term Resilience and Innovation to Secure Future Progress; please contact CENFACS.

• End-of-May 2026 Stories: Impact Story

On the last day of the Month of Stories, people and ourselves will ask this:

What is the impact your story leaves to us? In other words, what is the force or effect or even impression your story will leave after telling and sharing it?

To answer this question, let us see what impact story is about.

• • What Is the Impact of My Storytelling?

It emerges from the literature about storytelling that an impact story is a narrative used to communicate the effects of a specific action, project, or organisation on its beneficiaries or stakeholders. It goes beyond simple description of activities and aims to demonstrate the tangible changes that have occurred as a result of these efforts.

The impact story model of Laura Meagher and David Edwards (4) who used building blocks to tell their impact story explains impact story further. According to them, there are five types of impact that could be the legacy of your story; types which are:

1) instrumental 2) conceptual 3) capacity building 4) enduring connectivity 5) culture/attitudes towards knowledge exchange, and research impact itself.

Depending on the type of impact your story will generate, your story could be on the Top Three Stories of the May 2025 Stories Challenge organised by CENFACS. It is also a way to evaluate your story.

• • Evaluating Your Impact Story

On the site ‘linkedin.com’ (5), it is stated that

“Storytelling is a powerful tool for engaging your audience, conveying your message, and inspiring action”.

During this month of May, we have tried as much as we could to engage with our audiences, users and supporters through this tool. Now, it is the time to evaluate the impact of our and your stories.

To measure or evaluate our/your storytelling impact, the same ‘linkedin.com’ suggests the following steps:

σ Define your communication goals

σ Collect feedback about your communication

σ Analyse results or indicators that show how well you have achieved your communication goals.

Evaluating Your Impact Story ends our notes on May 2026 Stories.

Those who have not yet donated their stories, we would like to remind them 30 and 31 May 2026 are the last days. They can submit their stories by the 31st of May 2026.

For those who have donated their stories, CENFACS thanks them for their storying gift.

For those who would like to know more about or to catch up with any of the series of our All in Development Storytelling Programme of this year or month, they are welcome to contact CENFACS. Equally, those who would like to become our All in Development Storytelling Advisors, they should not hesitate to express their interest.

• Basic Home-based Bookkeeping and Accounting for Poverty Reduction – Featured from 27/05/2026 – Bookkeeping 4: Invoices and Bills Tracking; Accounting 4: Budgeting and Risk Management

As part of Topic 4 of Basic Home-based Bookkeeping and Accounting for Poverty Reduction (BHbB&A4PR), we are working on Tracking Invoices and Bills for Bookkeeping, and Budgeting and Risk Management for Accounting for poor or low-income families with income-generating activities (IGAs).

• • Bookkeeping and Accounting Topics of the Week

• • • Bookkeeping Topic 4: Invoices and Bills Tracking

To approach this week’s Bookkeeping Topic 4, let us start by explaining invoice and bills tracking. What is an invoice tracking? What is bills tracking?

According to ‘bill.com’ (6),

“Invoice tracking refers to the process by which you monitor the status of an invoice from the moment it is sent and received to the moment the invoice is paid. Your invoice tracking system can monitor both incoming and outgoing invoices, giving you greater visibility of how your customers pay you”.

Low-income families with IGAs can track invoice data such as invoice number, transaction details, customer/supplier ID, and invoice due date. They can use invoice-tracking software.

Similar to invoice tracking, bill tracking is part of bill management. It is about setting up recurring schedules, reminders before due dates, categorizing and marking bills as paid or unpaid, tracking trends over time, collaborate with household members, etc. There are families that are capable of tracking their invoices and bills. There are others that may need help, especially if they are running an IGA.

• • • Helping low-income families track their invoices and bills

It is about

σ Running collaborative financial literacy workshops

σ Providing digital budgeting tools

σ Assisting members in negotiating debts

σ Applying for state benefits

σ Providing administration support for our members working as freelancers or micro-business owners.

Etc.

• • • Accounting Topic 4: Budgeting and Risk Management

Both budgeting and risk management need to be understood by low-income families with IGAs. What is budgeting? What is risk management?

Budgeting comes the word budget. According to ‘financestrategists.com’ (7),

“The act of preparing a budget is called budgeting”.

The same ‘financestrategists.com’ adds that

“A budget is a detailed plan showing the financial consequences of an organisation’s operating activities for a specific future period. A budget acts as a financial model that summarises future operations… The budget is a formal quantitative expression of the goals of management”.

As part of their IGAs, low-income families need to create a budget. They are required preparing a financial or quantitative statement prior to a specified accounting period, containing the plans and policies to be pursued during period.

As to risk management, Online Harvard Business School (8) explains that

“Risk management is the systematic process of identifying, assessing, and mitigating threats or uncertainties that can affect your organization. It involves analyzing risks likelihood and impact, developing strategies to minimize harm, and monitoring measures’ effectiveness”.

Looking at risk management in terms of strategic execution, there are strategic risks that IGA owners need to consider, which are operations risk, asset impairment risk, competitive risk, and franchise risk.

• • • Helping low-income families to prepare their budgets and manage risks associated to their IGAs or models

Not everybody would be comfortable with budgeting or managing risks. Those who may have some difficulties in preparing their budget and managing risks, they can ask for help from CENFACS. We can work with them on these matters. We can as well suggest tools and apps they can consider undertaking budgeting and manage risk associated with their IGAs.

• • Bookkeeping and Accounting Activities of the Week

As part of this week’s Bookkeeping and Accounting Topics, we shall have two activities as given below.

Activity A: How to track your household bills

From what it has been argued above about invoice and bills tracking, you can use this information to track your own household bills.

Activity B: Budget preparation

Prepare two budgets: your household budget and your IGA budget. Integrate these two budgets to make one budget.

The above is what we have planned for this week for Bookkeeping Activity/Topic 4 and Accounting Activity/Topic 4.

For those who would like further information about this week’s activities/topics of BHbB&A4PR, they can contact CENFACS. For any other enquiries and/or queries about BHbB&A4PR, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

• • Final Words about Basic Home-based Bookkeeping and Accounting for Poverty Reduction: A Project to Set up a Centralized Administration Support

As way of concluding this part of e-workshop on BHbB&A4PR, we would like to set up a Centralized Administration Support (or Central Hub) for those of our members who are running IGAs or freelancers or micro-business owners. The Central Hub will help centrally issue invoices on their behalf, collect payments and disburse the funds directly to the member once a job is completed, preventing cashflow gaps. In return, members can provide a voluntary donation to CENFACS to keep the Hub running.

Those may be interested in this project of Central Hub, they can let CENFACS know.

Message in English-French (Message en Anglais-Français)

Ebola Humanitarian Appeal

This is an emergency fundraising and resource campaign launched by CENFACS to help combat deadly Ebola virus outbreak in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The appeal will help raise funds to support the already deployed medical teams, provide safe burial services, distribute hygiene kits, counter disease misinformation, and support the highly vulnerable survivors.

On the web page of ‘ecdc.europa.eu’ (9), updated on 22 May 2026, it is stated that

“According to the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of Congo, 13 confirmed Ebola cases have been reported since the update of 19 May 2026 (MoH DRC on X: Epidemiological Update 20 May 2026). The new confirmed cases have been reported from Ituri (12 cases) and North Kivu”.

Ebola outbreaks in the DRC and in other parts of Africa can quickly escalate from medical emergencies into a severe humanitarian crisis. Yet, it is possible to

σ stop the rapid spread of the highly infectious virus like Ebola

σ avoid the long disruption of livelihoods

σ fight fear and misinformation

σ mitigate regional vulnerabilities brought by conflicts causing massive population displacement.

You can donate any amount to this appeal. Your support will help carry out life-saving and -sustaining work like

σ sensitization of communities where these outbreaks have appeared

σ the conduct of safe and dignified burials

σ the provision of hygiene and water supplies

σ support livelihoods and survival

σ in brief, help survivors and restore local health facilities.

To donate, please use our usual contact address on this website.

Thank you in anticipation for your willingness to give and help save the lives of the Ebola Humanitarian Crisis-impacted in the DRC.

Appel Humanitaire Ebola

Il s’agit d’une campagne d’urgence de collecte de fonds et de ressources lancée par le CENFACS pour lutter contre l’épidémie mortelle du virus Ebola dans l’est de la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC). Cet appel permettra de collecter des fonds pour soutenir les équipes médicales déjà déployées, assurer des services d’inhumation sécurisés, distribuer des kits d’hygiène, lutter contre la désinformation sur la maladie et apporter un soutien aux survivant(e)s les plus vulnérables.

Sur la page web « ecdc.europa.eu » (9), mise à jour le 22 mai 2026, il est indiqué que :

« Selon le Ministère de la Santé de la République Démocratique du Congo, 13 cas confirmés d’Ebola ont été signalés depuis la mise à jour du 19 mai 2026 (Ministère de la Santé de la RDC, publication X : Mise à jour épidémiologique du 20 mai 2026). Les nouveaux cas confirmés ont été signalés en Ituri (12 cas) et au Nord-Kivu. »

Les épidémies d’Ebola en RDC et dans d’autres régions d’Afrique peuvent rapidement dégénérer d’urgences médicales en graves crises humanitaires. Il est toutefois possible de :

σ stopper la propagation rapide de ce virus hautement contagieux qu’Ebola ;

σ éviter la perturbation durable des moyens de subsistance ;

σ lutter contre la peur et la désinformation ;

σ atténuer les vulnérabilités régionales engendrées par les conflits provoquant des déplacements massifs de population.

Vous pouvez faire un don du montant de votre choix. Votre soutien contribuera à la réalisation d’actions vitales et essentielles telles que celles-ci:

σ la sensibilisation des communautés touchées par ces épidémies

σ l’organisation d’inhumations dignes et sécurisées

σ la fourniture de produits d’hygiène et d’eau potable

σ le soutien aux moyens de subsistance et à la survie

σ En bref, l’aide aux survivants et la restauration des infrastructures sanitaires locales.

Pour faire un don, veuillez utiliser notre adresse de contact habituelle sur ce site web.

Nous vous remercions par avance de votre générosité qui permettra de sauver des vies face à la crise humanitaire Ebola en RDC.

Main Development

• Matching Organisation-Investor via Clean Cooking

The following items explain this project:

σ Key Matching Terms

σ What Is a MOIvCC?

σ The Aim of MOIvCCP

σ Clean Cooking Project (CCP)

σ Key Points about Matching Organisation-Investor Programme (MOIP) to Consider

σ How MOIP Works

σ Benefits of Matching Organisation and Not-for-profit Impact Investors

σ How Can Africa-based Sister Organisations and Not-for-profit Impact Investors be Matched through CCP?

σ Matching Guidelines

σ Outcomes of MOIvCC

σ Plan for 5-week Matching Activities

σ 25/05/2026 to 31/05/2026: Activity 1 of MOIvCCP

Let us highlight each of the above-mentioned items.

• • Key Matching Terms

There are four key terms relating to MOIvCCP, which are Clean Cooking, Cooking Poverty, African Charity Investee, and Not-for-profit Impact Investor. Let us explain them.

a) Clean cooking

Clean cooking is defined by the United Nations Development Programme (op. cit.) as

“Cooking primarily with electricity, liquified petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas, biogas, alcohol, fuels, solar and low-emission biomass stoves that rank at Tier 3 or higher across all six attributes of the Multi-Tier Framework” (p. 10)

Similarly, ‘iclei.org’ (10) explains that

“Clean cooking refers to all methods (low-to-zero emissions) by which people cook their food. Any cookstove (hot plate) can be referred to as ‘clean’ if they run on electricity, solar, liquid petroleum (LPG), natural gas, ethanol, and advanced biomass cookstoves”.

According to ‘iclei.org’,

“93% of households in Sub-Saharan Africa rely on wood energy for their daily cooking needs. 83% of households in Sub-Saharan Africa still do not have access to clean cooking”.

b) Cooking poverty

Cooking poverty refers to, according to the United Nations Development Programme (op. cit.),

“Using open fires and traditional inefficient stoves that burn wood, charcoal, coal, crop waste, dung, or kerosene for primary cooking needs (Tiers 0 to 2)” (p. 10)

The United Nations Development Programme uses the Multi-tier Framework for cooking, which categorises access to cooking solutions across six attributes.

c) African Charity Investee

In the context of clean cooking, an African Charity as an Investee is a non-profit organisation or non-governmental (NGO) that receives funding to research, distribute, or subsidize modern cooking solutions (e.g., ethanol stoves, biogas, electric cooking) to marginalized or low-income communities. These organizations function as investees by using philanthropic capital, impact investment, or carbon finance to execute projects rather than generate traditional shareholder profit.

d) Not-for-profit Impact Investor

A Not-for-profit Impact Investor in clean cooking in Africa is an organization that provides catalytic financial support (like grants or concessionary loans) to enterprises developing zero or low-emission cooking solutions, prioritizing verifiable health, gender and climate benefits over profit maximization. These organisations or individuals aim to bridge the funding gap for clean cooking initiatives, improving access for vulnerable communities to clean cooking methods.

These key terms shape the contents of MOIvCCP and facilitate the definition of MOIvCCP.

• • What Is MOIvCCP?

MOIvCCP is a set of five activities designed to arrange the match/fit test between an Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisation planning to set up a clean cooking project and a prospective not-for-profit impact investor who is interested in this project. This project of CENFACS’ Matching Programme will enable the former to find a suitable investor, and the latter to gain an investee in which they can impact invest in.

MOIvCCP, which is part of CENFACS’ Matching Organisation-Investor Programme, refers to the process of connecting or aligning an African Charity (specifically Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisations) seeking investment (investee) with a suitable potential Not-for-profit (NFP) Impact Investor via a clean cooking project.

Essentially, it is about finding an African Charity Investee that fits the NFP Impact Investor’s investment criteria, goals and interests; as well as creating a good match/fit between the two parties involved in an investment transaction.

MOIvCCP is indeed an exercise to keep active and engaged Africa-based sister Charitable Organisations (ASCOs) and NFP Impact Investors for the rest of the Spring Season and the first week Summer Season 2026. The exercise is meant to keep their respective dreams alive and to awake their potentials to grab any existing opportunities within the NFP market.

For those ASCOs and NFP Impact Investors willing to realise their Summer dream of winning an investment for the former and a share for the latter, this May and June project is a golden opportunity for each of them.

• • The Aim of MOIvCCP

The matchmaking helps facilitate a mutually beneficial relationship, where the organisation (investee) gains access to capital, expertise, and resources, and the investor earns a potentially high-return not-for-profit investment opportunities through clean cooking methods. This connection can lead to the organisation’s growth, innovation, and long-term success, while also allowing the investor (who generally is a not-for-profit one in accordance to CENFACS‘ matching model and rules) to achieve their goals (which are other things than financial gains).

• • Clean Cooking Project (CCP)

To illustrate this project, let us explain it and give its aim.

• • • What is a CCP?

It is an initiative that enables the availability of modern, energy-efficient cooking solutions using cleaner fuels and energy-efficient stoves. It provides communities with modern, fuel-efficient, or electric stoves and cleaner fuels (like LPG, biogas or solar). It includes the use of technologies such as liquified petroleum gas (LPG), solar thermal cookers, and certain types of biomass, pellet stoves.

These initiatives replace dangerous, polluting traditional methods like open wood or charcoal fires. The project focuses on clean cooking solutions which are essential for reducing household air pollution, which is linked to millions of premature deaths annually, and for mitigating climate change impacts. The project has to be approached in the context of transition to clean cooking, which is a critical component of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 (op. cit.), which aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for all.

• • • What is CCP’s Aim?

The goal of CCP is to improve public health, protect the environment, and empower local economies.

CCP is designed to reduce cooking poverty as explained above. This clean cooking poverty could be due to the lack of best match or fit between ASCOs’ needs and NFP Impact Investors’ interests. Where the needs of the ASCOs best meet or match the vested interests of NFP Impact Investors, there could be high probability to reduce clean cooking poverty amongst the beneficiaries of ASCOs. The match probability could be high or average or low depending on how much ASCOs’ needs meet NFP Impact Investors’ interests.

• • • CCP Metrics

Clean cooking project metrics measure climate, health, and socio-economic impacts. Standards frameworks track greenhouse gas reductions, fuel savings, improved household air quality, and gender empowerment. These metrics can be grouped in three categories as follows:

a) Climate and Carbon Metrics

They include greenhouse gas reductions, fraction of non-renewable biomass, fuel consumption rates, stove usage and stacking rates.

b) Health and Environment Metrics

Amongst them are personal exposure monitoring, health co-benefits, and black carbon emissions.

c) Socio-economic and Gender Metrics

Examples of these metrics are time savings and economic savings.

Most of these metrics will be used to measure the outcomes and effectiveness of CCP.

• • Key Points about Matching Organisation-Investor Programme to Consider

There are three points that need explanation to understand the implementation of MOIvCCP , which are: investee, investor, and matching process or programme.

a) Investee is the African Charity or ASCO that is seeking and receiving the investment.

b) Investor is the person or entity providing the capital for Clean Cooking Project. In our matching model, this investor is Not-for-profit (NFP) Impact one. A NFP Impact Investor is a kind of an investor who is trying to invest in a project without looking to make money for themselves. Our NFP Impact Investor, who is driven by selfless motivations, would invest to reduce clean cooking poverty for impact in Africa’s not-for-profit organisations and charitable causes.

c) Matching process is the analyse of factors (like charity sector, industry, business stage, investment size, risk tolerance, and strategic fit) to find the best possible pairing between investee and not-for-profit impact investor.

• • How MOIP Works

MOIP works under CENFACS’ Matching Platform by comparing and contrasting investor’s profiles and investee’s profiles.

• • • Investor’s profiles

Impact investors outline their investment preferences, including target sectors, preferred investment stages, and desired return on investment.

• • • Investee’s profiles

ASCOs seeking funding create profiles detailing their charitable models, programmes, volunteering policies, financials, teams, achievements, and investment needs.

• • • CENFACS’ matching platform

This platform helps match investors with investees based on their stated criteria.

• • Benefits of Matching Organisation and Not-for-profit Impact Investors

There are benefits when organisations’ needs match not-for-profit investors’ interest. These benefits include:

√ Cost-effectiveness as MOIvCCP reduces the costs for both organisations (for instance, the costs of looking for investment) and impact investors (e.g., the costs of finding the right organisation in which to invest)

√ Reduction of opportunity costs between the two parties (i.e., investee and investor) engaged in the MOIvCCP

√ Increased efficiency which facilitates quicker connection, creates and sustains relationships between organisations seeking funds and investors

√ Better alignment as impact investors find organisations that align with their investment goals, as well as problems-solving mechanisms or solutions for organisations’ problems and needs, and solutions to investors’ requests

√ Opportunity for a fit test (i.e., testing organisation-investor fit on mutual interests and contribution to the right decision)

√ Qualitative feedback about Organisation-Investor and background knowledge

√ Better decision-making processes for the two parties (e.g., organisations and investors)

√ Access to diverse opportunities as CENFACS’ Matching Platform provides access to pool of potential investees for impact investors looking for organisations to invest in

Etc.

• • How Can Africa-based Sister Organisations and Not-for-profit Investors be Matched through CCP?

The matching happens through the two main components of this programme, which are Impact Advice to ASCOs and Guidance to Not-for-profit Investors for Impact.

• • • What is Impact Advice to ASCOs?

It is an approach to or methodology of working with ASCOs that uses a theory of change to measure impact following advice given on project planning.

Impact Advice uses impact measuring tools and frontline metrics to track results and outcomes.

• • • Guidance to Not-for-profit Investors for Impact

This is a service we offer to those NFP Impact Investors who would like to not-for-profit invest for impact in Africa’s not-for-profit organisations and charitable causes.

Briefly, Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisations and Not-for-profit Impact Investors can be matched via Impact Advice on project planning for the former and Guidance on Impact Investing for the latter. They can as well be advised on project appraisal. To realise a successful match, some guidelines need to be followed.

• • Matching Guidelines

To carry out matching, one needs to know the profile of the organisation that is looking for not-for-profit impact investment, the specification or description of the investor, and identification of possible ways of matching organisation’s profile and investor’s specification.

• • Outcomes of MOIvCCP

It is better to differentiate outcomes for NFP Impact Investors from those relating to Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisations and Causes (ASCOCs).

• • • Outcomes for Not-for-profit Impact Investors

The activity will provide peace of mind for NFP Impact Investors and a good return in terms the rate or size of clean cooking poverty reduction they will expect from the organisations or causes in which they will invest or support.

• • • Outcomes for Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisations and Causes

The activity will enable them to access the type of investment they need and build the capacity they are lacking. In doing so, this helps them to achieve their project aims, objectives and key deliverables with peace of mind.

• • • Aligning the Interests of ACI and NFP Impact Investor

To align the interests of ACI (which will focus on community impact and access to clean cooking methods) with those of NFP Impact Investor (who will be concentrating on sustainable and scalable solutions) in the clean cooking sector required bridging the gaps between grant-based, mission-driven work and market-based financial sustainability.

This can be achieved by employing blended finance models, structuring a fair deal between the two sides, and focusing on capacity building rather than solely on top-down investment scenario. The following 5 weeks of matching talks will be help in understanding how this can be done.

• • • A 5-week Action Plan of Matching Activities

As part of CENFACS Matching Organisation-Investor via a Clean Cooking Project (MOIvCCP), we are running a 5-week sequence of matching steps to support both clean cooking charitable organisations and not-for-profit impact investors. It is a 5-week work about Impact Advice Service for clean cooking charitable organisations and Guidance Service on Impact Investing for NFP Investors.

The project is based on lifecycle thinking tool or 5-step lifecycle of a clean cooking project in Africa. ACI (ASCOs) will be using this lifecycle thinking tool or model, which is made up with five steps as follows:

Step one: Feasibility and Design

Step two: Manufacturing and Sourcing

Step three: Distribution and Adoption

Step four: Monitoring and Verification

Step five: Impact Scaling.

These steps transition communities from traditional biomass (wood or charcoal) to modern energy (LPG, electricity, or biogas).

As to NFP Impact Investors, they will be referring to models of a clean cooking project lifecycle that prioritizes social equity, health, gender empowerment, and verifiable climate metrics over pure financial returns. The 5 essential stages of clean cooking projects they can use are:

Stage 1: Market Assessment and Strategy Design

Stage 2: Incubation and Upfront Capital Allocation

Stage 3: Implementation and Behaviour Change

Stage 4: Monitoring, Verification and Co-benefits

Stage 5: Results-based Financing and Impact Evaluation

This five-stage lifecycle focuses on sustainable adoption, community co-benefits, and bridging the initial affordability gap.

The two sides will try to reach an agreement through their respective lifecycle thinking tools and processes, through the 5 lifecycle steps of clean cooking projects for ACI (ASCOs) and 5 essential stages of clean cooking projects for Not-for-profit Impact Investors.

The above-mentioned stages will be adapted to CCP.

However, let us recognize that there could be more than five steps or stages in any lifecycle thinking process of clean cooking projects. Because we set up some boundaries by limiting ourselves to deliver this activity in five weeks, we choose a five-model for clean cooking investment lifecycle.

The project is designed to work with both those seeking not-for-profit impact investors and those who would like to invest in the not-for-profit clean cooking charitable organisations and causes. The following (Table no. 1) is our action plan.

Notes to Table no. 1:

(*) Match periods are portions of time intended to help discover whether or not investors’ interests match organisations’ needs

(**/column 2) Impact Advice uses a 5-step lifecycle thinking tool for a clean cooking project in Africa

(***/column 3) Guidance for Impact Investing follows 5 essential stages of clean cooking projects from an investor’s perspective.

If you want advice, help and support to find NFP Impact Investors; CENFACS can work with you under this 5-week Matching Organisation-Investor via a Clean Cooking Project, starting from 25 May 2026.

If you need guidance to outsource clean cooking charitable organisations and causes in Africa; CENFACS can work with you under this 5-week Matching Organisation-Investor via a Clean Cooking Project, starting from 25 May 2026.

These matching activities are a great opportunity for a clean cooking charitable organisation to realise their Summer dream of getting an investment they badly need. They are also a grand aspiration for a not-for-profit clean cooking impact investor to find Summer peace of mind through a suitable organisation in which to impact invest in Africa.

Need to engage with Matching Organisation-Investor via a Clean Cooking Project, please contact CENFACS.

• • 25/05/2026 to 31/05/2026: Activity 1 of MOIvCCP –

Matching Organisation’s Feasibility and Design with Impact Investor’s Market Assessment and Strategy Design

There are many scenarios in which an investor can invest in an organisation. In our scenario or model of matching organisation-investor programme, we are trying to bring a potential impact investor in an Africa-based Sister Clean Cooking Charitable Organisation and/or Cause through Feasibility and Design by ASCOs. We are trying to match ASCOs’ Feasibility Study and Project Design with a NFP Impact Investor’s Market Assessment and Strategy Design.

This first round of talks consists of agreeing on Feasibility and Design to be presented by ACI/ASCO, and on Market Assessment and Strategy Design to be argued by the NFP Impact Investor for the Clean Cooking Project (CCP).

To summarise what is going to happen at the level of this Activity 1, we have organised our notes around the following headings:

σ Activity 1 Matching Concepts

σ Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisation’s Feasibility and Design (F & D)

σ Not-for-profit Impact Investor’s Market Assessment and Strategy Design (MA & SD)

σ Reaching an Agreement

σ The Match or Fit Test.

Let us look at each of these headings.

• • Activity 1 Matching Concepts

There are four key concepts making this Activity 1, which are: feasibility, design, market assessment, and strategy design.

Let us now explain the four concepts.

• • • Feasibility Study

According to ‘projectmanager.com’ (11),

“A feasibility study is simply an assessment of the practicality of a proposed project plan or method. This is done by analyzing technical, economic, legal, operational and time feasibility factors”.

The findings of project feasibility study are compiled in a feasibility report that includes the following elements:

1) Executive Summary 2) Description of Product/Service 3) Technology Considerations 4) Product/Service Marketplace 5) Marketing Strategy 6) Organization/Staffing 7) Schedule 8) Financial Projections 9) Findings and Recommendations.

• • • Project Design

Project design can be approached from various ways. The website ‘asana.com’ (12) argues that

“Project design is an early phase of the project lifecycle where ideas, processes, resources, and deliverables are planned out. A project design comes before a project plan, as it is a broad overview whereas a project plan includes more detailed information”.

There are seven steps in project design which consist of

1) Define project goals 2) Determine Outcomes 3) Identify Risks and Constraints 4) Refine Your Strategy 5) Estimate Your Budget 6) Create a Contingency Plan 7) Document Your Milestones.

Approaching it from the perspective of project management, ‘plaky.com’ (13) explains that

“Design in project management refers to establishing the project’s goals, structure, and overall plan before the execution begins”.

The same ‘plaky.com’ adds that

“The required elements of project design can vary depending on the project scope, nature, and complexity, but the following core ingredients are generally present in most cases: Project goals, Stakeholder identification, Resource planning, Timeline and milestones, Risk management plan, and monitoring approval”.

These approaches to project design will be included in the matching talks.

• • • Market Assessment

The definition used here for market assessment comes from ‘ansarada.com’ (14) which argues that

“A market assessment is a comprehensive analysis of your company’s competitors, consumers and other industry stakeholders”.

The same website ‘ansarada.com’ adds that

“It enables your company to understand the need and demand for its business offerings in the market”.

Market assessment – which is a strategic tool that provides clarity, direction, and competitive advantage – includes market dynamics, competitive landscape, and consumer dynamics.

There are seven steps in conducting a market assessment, which are

1) Define Your Objectives 2) Gather Data 3) Analyze Customer Needs 4) Study the Competition 5) Evaluate Market Trends 6) Estimate Market Potential 7) Create an Action Plan.

Various elements of this definition of market assessment will be featured in the negotiating talks between ACI/ASCO and NFP Impact Investor.

• • • Strategy Design

It emerges from the literature on strategy and design that strategy design refers to formulating the overarching plan and direction for a business to achieve its goals. It is about making choices regarding where to compete, how to win, and setting the direction for a business. It is essentially the planning phase of organizational goals. Strategy design should be confused with strategic design.

Indeed, strategy design defines the direction and destination the business should take. The main output is strategics plans, OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), KPI (Key Performance Indicators) targets and business roadmap. It is analytical, deductive, and numbers-driven.

Although CCP is not a business as such, NFP Impact Investor wants to know if ACI/ASCO has a strategy design. In other words, ACI/ASCO needs to develop a market positioning, analyze its competition, explain its business model of access to clean cooking methods, clarify its financial objectives and resource allocation.

The above-mentioned key terms will be part of negotiation between ACI/ASCO and NFP Impact Investor.

• • Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisation’s Feasibility and Design (F & D)

F & D represent the bridge between well-meaning ideas and sustainable, community-led impact.

Concerning feasibility, it makes sense to argue that thorough feasibility studies will protect NFP Impact Investor’s investment, eliminate real and perceived jurisdictional risks and reassure the NFP Impact Investor that the capital or their financial contribution will not be wasted.

NFP Impact Investor will assess the practicality of CCP by using the Standard Feasibility Assessment Framework. It will assess it technically, economically, legally and operationally.

In terms of design, ACI/ASCO will work with local leaders who intimately understand the local community’s needs relating to clean cooking. There will be a genuine buy-in. The design will directly align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

NFP Impact Investor may want to know how ACI/ASCO will address vital localized issues like gender equality, youth employment and climate-driven health crises.

ACI/ASCO needs to tailor its feasibility studies to align with NFP Impact Investor’s evaluation of the broader market.

• • Not-for-profit Impact Investor’s Market Assessment and Strategy Design (MA & SD)

For NFP Impact Investor, market assessment and strategy design are the processes of identifying barriers to clean cooking access and designing catalytic interventions. This shifts the focus from purely generating financial profit to maximizing Sustainable Development Goal impacts such as public health improvements, gender equality, and carbon reduction.

Concerning market assessment, NFP Impact Investor will view it as a diagnostic tool to understand the entire supply and demand ecosystem. NFP Impact Investor will use a not-for-profit analysis of market by evaluating supply-side constraints, demand and affordability, enabling environments and impact mapping.

Regarding strategy design, the latter outlines how to intervene in the market to achieve systemic change. Key design components include subsidies and outcome-based financing, carbon market integration, capacity building and risk integration.

Both sides need to reach an agreement not only on the meaning of the above-mentioned concepts, but on their fit into CCP.

• • Reaching an Agreement

Reaching an agreement in the clean cooking sector between ACI/ASCO (focused on community impact, clean cooking access and clean cooking poverty reduction) and NFP Impact Investor (concentrated on sustainable and scalable solutions) requires bridging the gap between grant-based, mission-driven work and market-based financial sustainability. It also means aligning metrics on sustainability. It also needs bridging the gap between grassroots realities and scalable, outcome-oriented financial models.

Success hinges on aligning impact metrics, structuring blended finance mechanisms, and validating local socio-cultural realities to satisfy NFP Impact Investor risk appetites. NFP Impact Investor will quantify the social and environmental returns of their investments alongside financial metrics. There could be a need to bridge the gap between ACI/ASCO’s reliance on grants and NFP Impact Investor’s request for scalable, self-sustaining market mechanisms.

The two sides (ASCO and the NFP Impact Investor) need to reach an agreement on the contents of F & D for the former and on those of MA & SD for the latter. If there is a disagreement between ASCO and NFP Impact Investor, this could open up the possibility for a match/fit test. The match/fit test can be carried out to try to help the two sides of the matching process. The match/fit test can also be undertaken if there is a disagreement on any of aspects of CCP.

• • The Match or Fit Test Service

As part of the match or fit test, the contents of ASCO’s F & D Stage must be matched with NFP Impact Investor’s view on MA & SD. The match test (or matched sampling) will help to increase the accuracy and statistical efficiency of the study of the CCP by carefully selecting subjects for comparison. The purpose here will be to increase the statistical efficiency of the study on CCP by controlling for confounding variables when forming a sample.

The match can be perfect or close (that is, when every unit is paired with an equivalent unit) in order to reach an agreement. If there is a huge or glaring difference between the two (i.e., between what the NFP Impact Investor’s approach to MA & SD Stage and what ACI/ASCOC is saying about its F & D Stage, between what the investor would like the F & D Stage to indicate and what ASCO’s F & D Stage is really saying), the probability or chance of having an agreement at this first round of negotiations could be null or uncertain.

• • • Impact Advice to ASCO and Guidance to NFP Impact Investor

Where there could be a disagreement, CENFACS can impact advise ACI/ASCO to improve the contents of its F & D Stage. CENFACS can as well guide NFP Impact Investors to work out their expectations in terms of F & D Phase to a format that can be agreeable by potential ASCOs.

• • • The Rule of the Matching Game

The rule of the game is the more impact investors are attracted by ACI’s or ASCOs’ F & D Stage the better for ACIs or ASCOs. It means that ACI’s or ASCOs’ process must pass the attractiveness test (that is, the evaluation of market’s appeal). Likewise, the more ACIs or ASCOs can successfully respond to impact investors’ level of enquiries and queries about the CCP the better for investors. In this respect, the matching game needs to be a win-win one to benefit both players (i.e., investee and investor).

The above is the First Activity of the Matching Organisation-Investor via CCP.

• • • 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.

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

√ clean, merge and prepare micro-data sources for testing, modelling and analysis

√ conduct data management and administration

√ carry out regression analysis, estimate and test hypotheses

√ interpret and analyse patterns or trends or insights in data or results.

In this respect, CENFACS’ H-tests Hub is knowledge repository designed to demystify the process of using data to make informed decisions and move beyond intuition and guesswork.

In the current case of Matching Organisation’s Feasibility and Design with Not-for-profit Impact Investor’s Market Assessment and Strategy Design, hypotheses can be, for instance, tested around consumer affordability versus economic viability, and ecosystem support and mission drift.

A hypothesis to be tested for consumer affordability versus economic viability could be formulated as local feasibility studies to map ‘willingness-to-pay’ must align with the NFP Impact Investor’s strategy to subsidize the early adoption phase. The hypothesis relating to ecosystem support and mission drift can be ‘Partnering localized knowledge NFP Impact Investor protects CCP from mission drift – ensuring the stoves actually reach the lowest-income households.

Those who would like to apply hypothesis testing in fields of economic development or to deal with poverty reduction, they are welcome to use CENFACS’ H-tests Hub.

For any queries and/or enquiries about this First Stage (or Phase) Activity of Matching Organisation-Investor via CCP, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

_________

• References

(1) https://repository.uneca.org/assets/pdfjs/web/viewer.html?life=https… (accessed in May 2026)

(2) https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda (accessed in May 2026)

(3) https://climatepromise.undp.org/sites/default/files/research_report_document/undp-no-time-to-waste-pathways-to-deliver-clean-cooking-for-all.pdf (accessed in May 2026)

(4) https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialscience/2020/09/18/how-to-to-tell-an-impact-story-the-building-blocks-you-need/ (accessed in May 2023)

(5) https://www.linkedin.com/advice/o/how-do-you-measure-impact-storytelling (accessed in May 2023)

(6) https://www.bill.com/blog/how-to-keep-track-of-invoices (accessed in May 2026)

(7) https://www.financestrategists.com/accounting/budgeting/ (accessed in May 2026)

(8) https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/risk-management (accessed in May 2026)

(9) https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/ebola-virus-disease-outbreaks-democratic-republic-congo-and-uganda#:~:test (accessed in May 2026)

(10) https://renewablesroadmap.iclei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Clean-cooking_Final-1.pdf (accessed in May 2026)

(11) https://www.projectmanager.com/training/how-to-conduct-a-feasibility-study (accessed in May 2026)

(12) https://asana.com/resources/project-design (accessed in May 2026)

(13) https://plaky.com/blog/project-design/ (accessed in March 2026)

(14) https://www.ansarada.com/article/business-readiness-corporate-market-assessment (accessed in May 2026)

_________

• 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.

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.

Permalink

Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation; Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline

Posted by ctsh@in2015 on May 20, 2026 in Uncategorized

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

20 May 2026

Post No. 457

The Week’s Contents

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 3: Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation; Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline (From Wednesday 20/05/2026)

• Climate-resilient Asset Building Programme for Households – In Consideration from 20/05/2026: Capacity Building and Education

• The Severe Humanitarian Crisis-impacted People of Mali Need Your Positive Influence Right NOW: Can You Help?

… And much more!

Key Messages

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 3: Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation; Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline (From Wednesday 20/05/2026)

Our All in Development Story Telling Programme and Series continue with Serial 3, which is about Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation; Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline. Let us reveal the contents of this two-story series.

• • Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation

They are those of focusing on long-term sustainability, systemic resilience, and further innovation for endurance. These are the accounts of building a regenerative future, transformative resilience, or sustainable, future-proof innovation. They are also of those of the ability to bounce forward (rather than just back) by transforming systems to be more adaptable to unexpected shocks.

They often explore how communities, ecosystems, and technologies can adapt to environmental and social shocks rather than merely resisting them. These narratives frequently feature regenerative practices, renewable energy solutions, and the restructuring of economic systems towards circular models.

The key themes here are systemic resilience, long-term sustainability and future innovation.

• • Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline

They are those of ensuring the new, more resilient baseline is continuously built upon. They are the anecdotes describing continuous, iterative strengthening – building on recent improvements (the new baseline) to ensure ongoing adaptability.

They involve moving beyond reactive crisis management to proactive, continuous improvement. They also explain that a resilient baseline is maintained by institutionalizing the lessons learnt from crisis and fostering a culture of constant, proactive adaption.

They as well and often involve ordinary people moving from mere survival to intentional long-term improvement after a disruption. These narratives show communities not just bouncing back to the old, vulnerable states, but bouncing forward to a safer, more connected reality. In short, they are the stories of how ordinary people continuously build on new resilient baselines.

The above is the key message about this week’s two-story series. Both types of stories (Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation and Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline) and all the details about Serial 3 can be found under the Main Development section of this post.

• Climate-resilient Asset Building Programme for Households – In Consideration from 20/05/2026: Capacity Building and Education

To approach this area of Climate-resilient Asset Building Programme for Households, let us briefly explain capacity building and education and put them in the context of this programme.

• • Explaining Capacity Building and Education

• • • What is capacity building?

Our explanation of capacity building comes from what the United Nations (1) argues about it, which is

“Capacity-building is the process of developing and strengthening the skills, instructs, abilities, processes and resources that organisations and communities need to survive, adapt, and thrive in a fast-changing world”.

The website ‘the4thwheel.com’ (2) indicates that there are many types of capacity building. The types of capacity building in which we are interested in are individual capacity building for any member of a particular household and institutional capacity building of a household as an institution.

• • • What is education?

UNESCO (3) explains that

“Education is a lifelong process that equips learners with the knowledge, skills and values needed to build a better future”.

Similarly, the website ‘vedantu.com’ (4) states that

“Education is the structured process of acquiring knowledge, skills, values, ethics, and personal development”.

Both capacity building and education can be used to work with households in the context of Climate-resilient Asset Building Programmes.

• • Working with Households on Capacity Building and Education

• • • Working with Households on Capacity Building

It involves conducting capacity building activities with them. In the context of this programme, it is about sharing knowledge and practical tools to strengthen households regarding climate-resilient asset building process. It encompasses shifting from top-down aid to community-led empowerment.

In working with them, we shall focus on training, securing financial safety nets, and strengthening physical infrastructure to enable households to anticipate, withstand, and recover from climate-related shocks.

In short, working with households on capacity building means employing strategies such as training and skills development, financial capacity and asset protection, and participatory planning and advocacy.

• • • Working with Households on Education

Education serves as a foundational component of climate-resilient asset building. To provide climate-resilient education to households involves using education to bridge the gap between surviving climate shocks and building lasting weather. By integrating targeted training with material support, this can empower households to safeguard their physical assets – such as homes, livelihoods, and local infrastructure – while boosting their financial resilience.

We can work with households on the following areas of climate-resilient education:

σ Information and Guidance on resilient retrofitting and infrastructure

σ Inclusive community and youth agency

σ Supporting ways of dealing with institutional assets

Etc.

Those households interested in building climate-resilient assets through Capacity Building and Education, they can work with CENFACS.

For any queries and/or enquiries about Capacity Building and Education as well as Climate-resilient Asset Building Programmes for Households (including how to access this programme), please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

• The Severe Humanitarian Crisis-impacted People of Mali Need Your Positive Influence Right NOW: Can You Help?

It has been noticed and reported all over the humanitarian community that Mali is experiencing a severe, deteriorating security and humanitarian crisis characterized by the escalation of violence and fight between armed forces. As this crisis stands now, the following statistics speak for the humanitarian needy in Mali.

• • Key Statistics

It emerges from the highlights on Mali provided by the UNICEF’s (5) Humanitarian Situation Report No. 1 that there are

“415, 000 internally displaced persons and 280,000 refugees pressure on basic services persisted,

3,200,000 children in need of human international assistance

5,900,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance”.

According to ‘reliefweb.int’ (6),

“As of early 2026, Mali continues to face a severe and protracted humanitarian crisis affecting 16 million people, with 5.1 million in need of assistance“.

Similarly, the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty (7) notes that

“From June 2026 to August 2026, 1.56 million people are projected to face crisis or worse (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above) conditions in Mali reflecting 6% of the analyzed population”.

In terms of protection, the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations from the European Commission (8) states that

“A rise in violence has pushed protection assistance needs to 3.4 million people. Gender-based violence is becoming a greater concern in Mali, with under-reporting being one of the main aspects. Education is affected too, with nearly 2,349 schools closed and 712,000 children out of school“.

Although the above-mentioned statistics are not comprehensive, they give some glimpse about the severity of humanitarian and insecurity situation in Mali. The lives, safety, and basic survival of the people mentioned in the above statistics have been profoundly disrupted by the said events.

Yet, it is possible to end internal displacement in Mali, safeguard children’s life from severe humanitarian crisis, protect the insecure victims of gender-based violence, and save education in Mali. It is even feasible to use the tenets of positive influence to secure life-saving outcomes for these people who are severely impacted by the humanitarian crisis in Mali.

With and on behalf of the Malians who are severely impacted by this crisis, we would like to ask to influential supporters to use their positive influence to help reduce or end poverty and hardships Malians are facing.

CENFACS would like to appeal to those who may have humanitarian influence on the people who have the keys to the situation on the grounds and on factors leading to insecurity and humanitarian crisis to use their influencing skills or power to help end poverty by supporting people, particularly but not limited to children and women, who are in emergency insecurity and crisis situation in Mali in order to meet their life-saving needs and dreams.

• • The Needs

The needs for emergency life-saving support are 24 times more than average in Mali where the livelihoods of ordinary Malians, especially children and women, are severely affected. These people need your life-saving help to meet their life-surviving need.

• • The Ask

What it has been asked to you is your influence or power (be it persuasive or networked or suggestive) to have a positive effect on those who are holding the keys to solutions regarding the problems these people are facing, especially for problems that are man-made.

You can use your power to provide an emergency and life-saving support to the severely affected livelihoods of poor Malian people, particularly but not exclusively children and women.

Your gift of Positive Influence will provide an emergency life-saving and enhancing relief to the Severe Humanitarian Crisis-impacted People of Mali.

The outcome of your Positive Influence will benefit the Severe Humanitarian Crisis-impacted People of Mali.

• • How to Donate

To donate, please contact influential persons (or those having the keys) to reduce or solve the detrimental effects of the crises that the Malian people are suffering from and make these persons reduce or end these negative effects on them.

You can as well influence the things or factors that determine these security and humanitarian crises in order to create lasting favourable conditions towards an end to years-long crises in Mali

Please also let CENFACS know about your influencing work or contribution you are or will be making and its outcome on behalf of the Severe Humanitarian Crisis-impacted People of Mali.

To let us know, you can contact CENFACS as follows:

*over phone

*via email

*through text

*by filling the contact form on this site.

On receipt of your message or influencing donation, CENFACS will contact you for record and thank you for any influencing donation made. However, should you wish your influencing support to remain anonymous; we will respect your wish.

Thank you in anticipation for your willingness to give your Positive Influence and help save the lives of the Severe Humanitarian Crisis-impacted People of Mali, especially but not exclusively those living in the humanitarian crisis-affected areas (like Kati, Sévaré, Timbuktu, Gao, Mopti, and Kidal) of Mali.

Extra Messages

• E-workshop for Gamers of CENFACS’ Poverty Reduction League: Create a Poverty Reduction League Table and Integrate Triple Value Initiatives into It

• Fundraising and Journaling Your Run to Reduce Poverty in Africa and Integrating Triple Value Initiatives into Them

• Basic Home-based Bookkeeping and Accounting for Poverty Reduction – Featured from 20/05/2026 – Bookkeeping 3: Transactions Recording; Accounting 3: Profitability Analysis and Asset Tracking

• E-workshop for Gamers of CENFACS’ Poverty Reduction League: Create a Poverty Reduction League Table and Integrate Triple Value Initiatives into It

How to create your African Countries’ All-Year-Round League Table when gaming for poverty reduction and integrate Triple Value Initiatives into it

• • What Is an All-Year-Round Project (AYRP) of Creating a Poverty Reduction League Table of African Countries

The project of creating this table is largely conducted through the annual tracking of the Multi-dimensional Poverty Index as defined by the United Nations Development Programme (9) and other works on this matter.

This ongoing monitoring ranks African countries based on their speed and effectiveness in reducing poverty, focusing on both income-based metrics and non-monetary deprivations, such as access to electricity, education, and health.

Key aspects of this creative exercise for AYRP users who have decided to embark on it are:

σ Focus on the speed of poverty reduction (e.g., Fastest African countries at lifting their populations out of poverty)

σ Use a poverty reduction multi-dimensional approach

σ Identify top performers (e.g., African countries with fast-paced improvements like Togo)

σ Select your data sources (e.g., Preferably use household surveys)

σ Highlight African countries with macro-economic and political stability

Etc.

This exercise will help identify best practices and encourages policy adoption in Africa.

• • Creating a Poverty Reduction League Table

As part of CENFACS’ All-Year-Round (AYR) Play Project (that is, CENFACS Poverty Reduction League), we can work together to support you (as a gamer) create your league table as you play.

To create a Poverty Reduction Table for African countries, you can organise information about each country by focusing on poverty indicators, potential interventions and related challenges. There are steps or tasks to undertake.

• • • Process and Procedure for Creating a League Table

You can start by listing African countries and then include columns for poverty reduction rates, factors contributing to poverty reduction (like good governance, education and less economic inequality).

You can create a poverty reduction table showing the following:

√ Your selected African team countries (by categorising them based on their levels of poverty reduction )

√ The number of criteria/indicators you can assess them against (like poverty rate, extreme poverty, poverty line, etc.)

√ The number of criteria/indicators any of them has passed

√ How many of them they average

√ How many of them they under-perform

√ How many of them they score against the opposition

√ How many of them they concede against the opposition

√ Points they earn or share for each game.

You can as well consider contributing factors to poverty reduction (like economic growth, good governance, education, less inequality, conflict resolution and political stability), potential poverty relief interventions, and other elements.

By systematically and continuously recorded the results, scores and actions of your game fixtures via this table, you will in the end know which African country that would best reduce poverty by the end of 2026.

To process and proceed with a league table, one needs to have some economic indicators as criteria for measuring the performance of each country making CENFACS’ League of Poverty Reduction.

• • • Example of Poverty Reduction Indicators to Create a League Table

For example, those who would like to go extra miles in this e-workshop, they can work with us using classes of indicators (that is, input, process and impact) for monitoring and tracking the poverty reduction performance as provided by the World Bank (10). Poverty indices like headcount index, poverty gap index and squared poverty index can be utilised when dealing with your league table. They can also include rural terms of trade and unskilled wage index in their table.

• • Integrating Triple Value Initiatives (TVIs) into Your Created Poverty Reduction League Table

This integration requires moving beyond traditional monetary metrics to a holistic, systems-thinking approach. This project, which can be informed by methodologies from triple value impact and triple value leadership aligns with 2026 goals for multi-dimensional poverty alleviation in Africa and CENFACS’ 2020s Development Agenda and Poverty Reduction Programme (11). There are ways of carrying this integration.

• • • Ways of integrating TVIs (that is, creating value for society, organisation and the environment simultaneously) into your AYRP Play Project

They include conceptual framework and metric integration, year-round data collection, the incorporation of ‘Triple-Wins’ in ranking (Scoring Structure), continuous engagement and visibility, and leveraging digital solutions. Let us summarize these ways of integrating TVIs.

a) Conceptual framework and metric integration

They are about reframing the league table to measure ‘integrated value’ rather than just income, using a multi-dimensional approach to identify how countries are tackling root causes of poverty.

They also include measuring progress on social protection systems, quality education access, health coverage, and gender empowerment (social value).

They as well encompass measuring institutional quality, fiscal stability, and public service efficiency, using data on how efficiently governments use resources (economic value).

They further track resilience to climate change, land restoration and sustainable agricultural practices that directly impact rural poverty (environmental value).

b) All-year-round data collection strategy

A sustainable league table needs continuous data, moving from annual reporting to real-time monitoring. This can be done quarterly as follows:

1st Quarter: Conducting a baseline and policy review

2nd Quarter: Tracking intermediate outcomes

3rd Quarter: Carrying out environmental and structural analysis

4th Quarter: Undertaking final reporting and ‘Triple-win’ ranking.

c) Incorporating ‘Triple-Wins’ ranking (Scoring structure)

Rather than ranking African countries based only on poverty percentage, you can create a composite score that rewards projects delivering multiple benefits. You can consider high score factors (like a project that increases agricultural income using climate-resilient seeds while providing education for women) and use appropriate data sources (for instance, the World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform for 2026).

d) Continuous engagement and visibility

They can be done in this way:

σ Having peer learning networks: Develop a platform where top-performing African countries share best practices on integrating sustainability into poverty reduction.

σ Localizing the League Table: Check if the rankings were presented to local policymakers and encourage them to move from top-down, non-inclusive strategies.

d) Leveraging digital solutions

It is about using digital platforms to track progress in real-time and incorporating mobile banking data to track financial inclusion as one of the key indicators.

By applying these strategies, the League Table will not just track poverty reduction, but it will also indicate African countries that are investing in sustainable, holistic, and inclusive growth.

To access this e-workshop and get the grips with skills and techniques to create your poverty reduction league table and integrate TVIs into it, just contact CENFACS.

• Fundraising and Journaling Your Run to Reduce Poverty in Africa and Integrating Triple Value Initiatives into Them

• • Fundraising and Journaling Your Run to Reduce Poverty in Africa

Let us start with fundraising aspect of your Run Project, then writing aspect of it – its journal.

• • • Introducing a Giving Feature in the Run Activity

For those who are running events in the context of AYRP of ‘Run to Reduce Poverty in Africa in 2025’, they can use the opportunity of the event season to insert a giving feature in their Run activity. They can ask those who are involved in the run with them to support good causes, including CENFACS’ noble and beautiful ones. This ask for support concerns both in-person and virtual runs.

• • • • An Example on how to insert a fundraising feature

They can create a fundraising page by using the appropriate social media platform. Alternatively, they can talk to CENFACS for its online fundraising tools. They can share their story with friends, families and colleagues. They can encourage donations by setting a fundraising goal and update their page on a regular basis with progress updates and stories.

• • • • Keeping Your Run Activity cost-effective with a fundraising feature

They can make their Run activity cost-effective with a fundraising feature while running with or without others. Making their Run activity cost-effective is about achieving results in the most economical way. It means that the resources they will use to produce any given results from their Run activity are at the lowest possible cost.

• • • • Evaluating your fundraising drive

Once the fundraising element has been inserted, it is wise to evaluate their fundraising drive. To evaluate it, they can proceed with the evaluation steps suggested by ‘classy.org’ (12), steps which include analysis of fundraising data, tracking of numbers and performance, staying focused on the mission of their Run project, evaluation of fundraising results and to be forward thinking.

However, they must remember that the aim of the CENFACS’ Run to Reduce Poverty in Africa is to select or find the African best runner of poverty reduction in 2026, rather than raising money.

• • • • Having problems in installing or inserting a fundraising feature

For those who may be having or are experiencing some problems in installing or inserting a fundraising feature in their runs, there are resources both online and in print on how to organise a fundraising event for a Run Project. Amongst the resources is the one provided by ‘donorbox.org’ (13). It is worthwhile looking at this resource as it provides eight steps to realise your fundraising event.

For those who would like to involve or talk to CENFACS about their Run Project, they can speak to CENFACS.

• • Journaling the Run Project

They can as well journal and develop a story about their Run activity. To do that, they can proceed with the following:

~ Track their Runs

~ Use running apps or journals to log their distance, time and pace

~ Reflect on their journey by writing about their experiences, and successes

~ Share their journey by posting photos, videos, and updates on social media to inspire others

~ Connect with others by joining online communities or forums for runners who are fundraising for similar causes.

They can share the contents of their journal and story of run with us and others.

Journaling their Run Project can have benefits. To get those benefits, one needs to have a goal and plan activities/achievements.

• • • Benefits of journaling your Run Project

The journal will help you to capture the moments of your Run Project via expressive writing and story. It can have other benefits such as setting goals, tracking or measuring their progress on Run Project, recording and celebrating achievements and gaining both general and specific perspectives of your Run Project. They can even show their style and express their feeling or character through their writing. Another good thing of journaling their Run Project is that it makes things easy when it comes to report to CENFACS and others before the deadline of 23 December 2026.

• • • Journaling the goal of Run Project

The goal is basically to explore and enrich one’s Run Project through creative writing. This goal does not stop users of Run Project to have their own journaling goal. Besides their journaling goal, they need to add what their journal can help achieve.

• • • What one’s Journal of Run Project can achieve

It can achieve many things including the following:

∝ Solve problems encountered in the cycle of your Run Project

∝ Enhance one’s health and wellness via Run Project

∝ Improve Run Project outcomes.

For those who are undertaking a Run Project and would like to write a journal about their activity, they can do it. There are many online and print resources available on the matter. Please select resources that are concise and have some links with your Run Project.

For those who would like to approach CENFACS for help and support to write a Journal of Run Project or to select appropriate resources, they are welcome to do so.

Briefly, people can effectively fundraise for poverty reduction by implementing a Run Project, while documenting their running journey and inspiring others to join the cause.

To discuss your progress regarding your Run Project, the fundraising feature and Journal of your Run Project or any other issues relating to All-Year-Round Projects, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

• • Integrating Triple Value Initiatives into Your Fundraising and Journaling Activities about Your Run to Reduce Poverty in Africa

To integrate Triple Value (People, Planet, Prosperity) into your run-to-poverty-reduction project, frame your fundraising strategy around community impact and eco-conscious sponsorships. You can use runner journals to log your physical effort alongside your societal and environmental footprint, creating holistic transparency.

• • • Integrating Triple Value Initiatives into Your Fundraising

It is about conducting a Value-driven Campaign in terms of People and Plant, and Prosperity and People.

a) People and Planet (Carbon Offsetting and Health)

In your campaign, you can offer prospective donors the option to sponsor your miles by, for instance, investing in local green energy initiatives for every mile run.

b) Prosperity and People (Corporate Sponsorship)

You can approach local businesses for sponsorships where their contribution is directly tied to the tangible social value created (e.g., funding skill-training on poverty-relief materials). You can track and showcase those returns by reviewing case studies.

• • • Integrating Triple Value Initiatives into Your Journaling Activities

It involves integrating the Triple Value Log as follows.

a) People (Social impact)

It includes

~ documenting the human connections you make

~ writing about who you are running for, local stories of overcoming poverty, and interactions with community members during training runs.

b) Planet (Environmental impact)

It involves tracking your carbon footprint, monitoring eco-friendly choices during training (e.g., using reusable water bottles, running or commuting instead of driving), and reading more on maintaining sustainable community initiatives.

c) Prosperity (Economic impact)

It is about logging the financial metrics of your fundraising campaign. It is also about detailing the funds raised, the cost-per-mile efficiency, and how the raised capital directly translates into long-term economic empowerment for those who are supposed to benefit from AYR Run Project.

• • • Cross-channel integration

It is about how to maintain momentum or keeping your donor engaged by publishing excerpts from your Triple Value Journal. It is also about sustaining momentum from an idea to execution of your Run Project.

For those who would like to involve or talk to CENFACS about their Run Project and the integration of TVIs into their Run Project, they can speak to CENFACS.

• Basic Home-based Bookkeeping and Accounting for Poverty Reduction – Featured from 20/05/2026 – Bookkeeping 3: Transactions Recording; Accounting 3: Profitability Analysis and Asset Tracking

As part of Topic 3 of Basic Home-based Bookkeeping and Accounting for Poverty Reduction (BHbB&A4PR), we are working on Transaction Recording for Bookkeeping, and Profitability Analysis and Asset Tracking for Accounting for poor or low-income families with income-generating activities (IGAs).

• • Bookkeeping and Accounting Topics of the Week

• • • Bookkeeping Topic 3: Transactions Recording

To make your bookkeeping entries for expenses your need to use Journal Entries for Expenses. What are Journal Entries for Expenses?

According to ‘hourly.io’ (14),

“Journal Entries for Expenses are records you keep in your general ledger or accounting software that track information about your business expenses, like the date they were incurred and how much they cost”.

You record all your transactions (including expenses) using a double-entry accounting software. In other words, each accounting record includes a debit and a credit, and the amount of debit and credit should be equal for each record.

• • • • An example of Journal Entries for Cash Expenses

Let’s say that you bought £24 worth stationery (i.e., Box files, folders, paper clips and staples, books, pencils, pens, etc.) for your Income Generation Activity (IGA) and you paid the bookstore the same day. Your Cash Expenses will be as shown below.

• • • Accounting Topic 3: Profitability Analysis and Asset Tracking

• • • • Profitability Analysis

One the reasons, if not the main one, why low-income or poor households/families tend to engage in IGA is to lift themselves out of poverty. They can only undertake an IGA if this IGA generates a profit (that is, an excess of the receipts over the spending of an IGA during any period). The profit will help them reduce income poverty and other types of poverty. However, to be able to generate this excess, they need to analyse the profitability of their IGA. So, what is profitability analysis?

According to ‘fathomhq.com’ (15),

“Profitability analysis is the process of examining a business’s revenue streams and costs to evaluate its ability to generate profit. It helps you spot opportunities for increasing your bottom line by breaking down the profitability of specific products, geographic locations, business units, initiatives and distribution channels amongst other factors”.

The website ‘ramp.com’ (16) adds that

“It [Profitability Analysis] goes deeper than standard income statements and balance sheets to uncover which products, customers, or activities actually drive your bottom line. With a clear view of where profits come from, you can make more informed decisions about pricing, resource allocation, and growth investments”.

This week, we are conducting the analysis of profitability of IGA for those would like to set up an IGA or who are already in it. We are specifically examining revenue streams, cost structure, margin and asset utilization for their IGA.

• • • • Asset Tracking

Asset tracking can be approached in many ways. One of its approaches comes from ‘freshworks.com’ (17) which explains that

“Asset tracking monitors physical or digital assets throughout their lifecycle, from acquisition to retirement. It captures details like location, user, performance, and service requirements to ensure control, minimize waste, and support informed decision-making”.

From this perspective, examples of assets to track include laptops, servers, software, monitors, etc. However, asset tracking should not be confused with inventory tracking.

The website ‘tech.co’ (18) similarly states that

“Asset tracking (also known as asset monitoring) is the process of using asset tracking hardware and software to remotely manage both movable and fixed assets, from laptops to shipping containers, and ensure valuable items remain secure and in good condition”.

Assets are typically tracked using one the three methods listed below:

1) Barcode labels/tags

2) GPS (Global Positioning System) tags

3) RFID (Rdio-Frequency Identification) tags.

This week, we are working on way of logging the location and status of items using GPS, RFID, or barcode technologies to better understand how assets are tracked.

• • Bookkeeping and Accounting Activities of the Week

As part of transaction categorization, we shall have two activities as given below.

a) How to record a journal entry for an expense

This activity will help those who are new to bookkeeping or those who are familiar to it to dive deeper into on how they can record expenses in a journal.

b) Asset Utilization Assessment

The activity will help measure how efficiently you deploy capital, inventory, equipment and personnel in order to generate returns.

The above is what we have planned for this week for Bookkeeping Activity/Topic 3 and Accounting Activity/Topic 3.

Message in French (Message en français)

• Récits de Mai 2026 – Histoires de Nous Tous dans le Développement : Histoires d’Intégration de la Résilience et de l’Innovation pour Stimuler le Progrès

Cette année, le thème du projet d’Histoires de ‘Tous dans le Développment’ (ou projet d’HTD) est « Les histoires d’intégration de la résilience à long terme par l’innovation pour garantir les progrès futurs » (en bref, « Histoires d’intégration de la résilience et de l’innovation pour stimuler le progrès »). De quelles histoires s’agit-il ?

Ce sont des histoires de :

σ L’intégration, la pérennisation et le déploiement à grande échelle d’initiatives pour créer un changement systémique et profond, en passant des premiers progrès

σ Du passage des premiers progrès à un impact à long terme

σ La transition d’actions axées sur la conformité à une transformation culturelle

σ La priorité à la durabilité à long terme, à la résilience systémique et à l’innovation continue pour assurer la pérennité

σ La garantie d’une pérennisation des progrès plutôt que d’une simple sécurisation temporaire

σ La transition stratégique d’une simple protection des progrès antérieurs à leur accélération par l’intégration systémique

σ La garantie d’une consolidation continue de cette nouvelle base de référence plus résiliente

σ La transformation de notre stratégie : d’une stratégie de maintien du statu quo à une stratégie de rupture grâce à l’intégration systémique pour accélérer nos réalisations et renforcer continuellement notre résilience.

Ces récits peuvent être regroupés en deux catégories : « Récits d’intégration de la résilience » et « Récits d’innovation pour stimuler le progrès ». Ils seront racontés et partagés en mai 2026.

• • Quand ces histoires commenceront-elles ?

Les candidatures pour les histoires de mai 2026 sont ouvertes depuis mars dernier, date à laquelle nous avons annoncé le thème du soulegament de la pauvreté au printemps 2026, qui est :

« Intégrer la résilience à long terme par l’innovation pour garantir les progrès futurs ».

À ce jour, certains de nos membres et sympathisant(e)s ont manifesté leur intérêt. Pour ceux/celles qui n’ont pas encore soumis leur histoire, c’est le moment de le faire.

Ces histoires reposent sur un principe.

• • Principe fondamental du projet HTD

Le principe du projet HTD est de recueillir les témoignages de bénévoles ou de personnes qui partagent leurs histoires sans contrepartie financière, en lien avec le thème abordé. Toutefois, ce principe n’empêche personne de participer, même si son témoignage est lié à une fonction rémunérée.

Outre ce principe général, nous souhaitons souligner deux critères concernant le thème du projet HTD de cette année.

• • Critères du thème du projet HTD 2026

• • • 1er critère

Pour le projet HTD de cette année, nous nous intéressons principalement aux récits d’intégration de la résilience à long terme par l’innovation afin de garantir un progrès futur, comme mentionné précédemment. Il s’agit également de récits à double facette qui mettent en lumière les thèmes de la bienveillance, de la confiance et de la solidarité envers les personnes dans le besoin. Ce sont des histoires d’élévation, de réconfort spirituel et de protection contre la pauvreté. Ce sont des histoires de générosité qui dépasse les limites du nécessaire et de partage de liens avec autrui, y compris avec la nature.

• • • 2e critère

Nous recueillons les expériences personnelles de résilience et d’innovation. Des critères existent également pour ces expériences de résilience (Témoignages de résilience) et d’innovation (Témoignages d’innovation).

• • • Le critère relatif aux Témoignages de résilience comprend les éléments suivants :

σ L’adaptabilité et la capacité d’adaptation (comment les individus ajustent leurs stratégies)

σ La construction positive du sens (comment la personne a su tirer parti de l’adversité pour trouver un nouveau sens)

σ La capacité d’agir et de maîtriser (par exemple, les actions entreprises pour maîtriser ce qui était possible)

σ Les systèmes de soutien (sous-entendu, le rôle de la communauté et des autres parties prenantes).

• • • Les critères de sélection des Témoignages d’Innovation comprennent :

σ Une approche de résolution de problèmes (une idée qui résout un problème important)

σ Un impact étayé par des preuves (par exemple, appuyer le récit avec des faits, des données ou des vérifications telles que des articles de presse locaux, des indicateurs, des témoignages, etc., afin de renforcer la confiance)

σ Un heureux hasard (c’est à dire, une innovation qui a transformé des systèmes rigides existants)

σ Une vision d’avenir (comment l’innovation façonne le futur).

En résumé, ces Témoignages de Résilience et d’Innovation seront sélectionnés selon les critères d’authenticité, de pertinence, de preuves, d’orientation vers l’action et d’inclusivité.

Nous souhaitons également recueillir les témoignages des personnes qui n’ont pas encore été contactées.

Par ailleurs, nous sélectionnerons les meilleurs témoignages parmi les propositions reçues.

• • Sélection du témoignage authentique du mois

Comme les années précédentes, nous souhaitons sélectionner les trois témoignages les plus marquants de réduction de la pauvreté du mois, ainsi que le témoignage authentique le plus pertinent. Pour ce faire, nous utiliserons l’approche des récits d’impact. Cette approche est souvent employée lorsque le suivi, l’observabilité et l’évaluation sont limités. Qu’entendons-nous par là ?

Nous nous référons à la définition de « civicus.org » (19) concernant les témoignages d’impact :

« Les témoignages d’impact constituent un moyen efficace de documenter systématiquement les preuves anecdotiques de la réalisation des activités attendues et des résultats perçus.»

Nos évaluateurs/rices s’attacheront à identifier les éléments narratifs répondant à nos critères. Les témoignages favorisant l’inclusion et inspirant les individus en matière de résilience et d’innovation pour stimuler le progrès auront plus de chances d’être retenus.

Afin de faciliter et d’organiser la diffusion de ces témoignages, nous les réaliserons sous forme de série, de programme ou de chronologie de scénarios. Vous trouverez plus d’informations à ce sujet en contactant le CENFACS.

Pour nous faire part de vos histoires intégrant la résilience et l’innovation pour stimuler le progrès, veuillez contacter le CENFACS.

Main Development

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 3:

Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation; Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline (From Wednesday 20/05/2026)

The following items make up Serial 3 of our All in Development Stories Telling Programme and Series:

σ Key Storytelling Concepts Used in This Serial 3

σ Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation; Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline

σ The Extent to Which Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation and Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline Are ‘Two-horse’ Ones

σ Relationships between Stories Making Serial 3 and Poverty Reduction

σ Storytelling Metrics

σ Incorporating Visual Aids into Your Storytelling Project

σ Working with the Community on Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation; Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline

σ Supporting CENFACS Community Members through Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation; Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline.

Let us look at each of these items.

• • Key Storytelling Concepts Used in This Serial 3

There are five main concepts involved in this Serial 3: long-term sustainability, systemic resilience, further innovation, progress acceleration, continuous resilient baseline. Let us briefly explain them.

• • • Long-term sustainability

According to ‘climate-sustainability-directory.com’ (20),

“Long-term sustainability is means meeting present needs without depleting resources for future generations”.

It also means designing for intergenerational equity and enduring ecological or social health.

• • • Systemic resilience

Systemic resilience can be defined in various ways depending on whether one speaks about system or systemic resilience.

Speaking about systemic resilience, ‘sustainability-directory.com’ (21) states that

“It is the ability of a whole system to absorb disturbances, adapt to change, and contribute to function effectively”.

Arguing instead about system resilience, ‘biologyinsights.com’ (22) points out that

“It describes a system’s capacity to withstand, adapt to, and recover from various disturbances or changes”.

In short, it is about ensuring that interconnected systems (economic, environmental and social) can adapt to disruptions and thrive, rather than just surviving.

• • • Further innovation

Within the literature about innovation, it is suggested that further innovation refers to the continuous process of improving, upgrading, or building upon existing products, services, or technologies. Unlike the initial creation of a new product, it signifies the ongoing development of innovative activities to enhance performance, increase efficiency, or adapt to changing market conditions.

Summarily, it involves creating adaptive technology, circular economies, and novel strategies that positively shape a better tomorrow.

• • • Progress acceleration

It emerges from the majority of thinkers about progress and acceleration that progress acceleration is the concept that pace of human, technological or project development is increasing exponentially rather than linearly, often due to compounding innovations. It represents a rapid shift toward improved (efficiency) and faster goal attachment in areas like tech growth, business, and education.

• • • Continuous resilient baseline

Theories about baseline indicate that continuous resilient baseline is a proactive, evolving framework that establishes a “normal” state of operations and continuously monitors, validates, and adjusts the baseline to withstand and recover from disruptions. It is an approach that allows organisations to treat resilience as a “living” capability that is inseparable from digital trust in modern enterprises.

The above-mentioned key terminology or words or concepts are the ones we shall use in arranging the Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation; Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline. They will be translated into impact-driven narratives.

• • Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation, and Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline

• • • Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation

• • • • What are Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation?

They are those of focusing on long-term sustainability, systemic resilience, and further innovation for endurance. These are the accounts of building a regenerative future, transformative resilience, or sustainable, future-proof innovation. They are also of those of the ability to bounce forward (rather than just back) by transforming systems to be more adaptable to unexpected shocks.

The key themes with this concept are systemic resilience, long-term sustainability and future innovation.

• • • • Types of Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation to tell

People can tell powerful stories dealing with long-term sustainability, systemic resilience, and endurance by focusing on personal experiences, community action and local knowledge. These narratives move beyond abstract concepts to foster emotional connections, hope and agency.

Key types of sustainability and resilience stories include:

σ Stories of local adaptation and endurance

These narratives focus on how communities or individuals adapt to environmental changes, such as climate-induced risks or resource scarcity, through practical, on-the-ground action.

σ Stories of community-led initiatives

These stories highlight collective action over individual self-reliance, showcasing how neighbours, local groups, and communities work together to build resilience.

σ Stories of resilient innovation and re-skilling

These narratives center on small-scale innovations or the revival of traditional skills that reduce reliance on complex, unstable global supply chains.

σ Stories of ecological reconnection and stewardship

These stories explore deepening relationships with local environments, fostering a sense of duty to protect natural resources for the future.

The above-mentioned narratives serve to humanize abstract sustainability goals, making them tangible and actionable.

If you are a member of our community and have this type of stories, please do not hesitate to tell and share your story with CENFACS. If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation; please contact CENFACS.

• • • Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline

• • • • What are Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline?

• • • • Types of Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline to tell

Stories of how people continuously build on new resilient baselines include the following:

σ Stories from disaster survival to building back smarter

These narratives highlighting this: instead of replacing what was lost with identical, fragile infrastructure, communities are using disasters to create a higher standard of living.

σ Stories speaking about strengthening capital as routine action

These narratives feature how resilient communities often find their strength in deeper connections, which they continue to cultivate even when there is no crisis.

σ Stories turning new skills into continuous improvement

Stories of resilience often showcase people transforming a forced adaption into sustainable lifestyle.

σ Stories of cultivating future-proof habits

These are narratives of ordinary people who are changing daily habits to ensure the new more sustainable baseline habits.

In short, the above-mentioned stories illustrate that a new, more resilient baseline is built when people take their hardest experiences and create permanent improvements, making their daily routines more sustainable and their connections deeper.

Those members of our community who have Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline to tell, they should not hesitate to share them. Any other interested party who may have these stories, they can tell them to CENFACS.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline, please contact CENFACS.

There are relationships between Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation, and Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline in order to make these stories as ‘two-horse’ ones.

• • The Extent to Which Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation and Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline Are ‘Two-horse’ Stories

Stories focusing on sustainability, innovation, and proactive resilience can be treated as ‘two-horse’ stories to a significant extent, particularly when they are framed as competing or distinct approaches to future-readiness. However, this dichotomy is increasingly viewed as a limitation, with arguments favoring an integrated ‘one-horse’ narrative that combines foundational resilience with innovative sustainability.

The ‘two-horse’ framework generally sets up a race between

1) Horse A: Innovation and transformation (The focus will be on forward-looking, technology-driven, new sustainable solutions)

2) Horse B: Building a resilient baseline (The focus will be on foundational, restorative, building the ability to endure, adapt, and withstand current shocks).

This race can move towards that of a single team in these terms: while they can be separated as two horses, these stories are becoming intertwined, often acting as a tandem rather than competing pair.

Likewise, due to the complementary nature, resilience can act as a component of sustainability (ensuring new sustainable systems are durable), while sustainability can be a component of resilience (ensuring a resilient system is eco-friendly).

Additionally, action can be integrated meaning that the most effective strategies use local narratives to connect daily resilient actions (like reducing plastic waste) to larger, innovative, global sustainability goals (like reducing carbon footprint)

Furthermore, reconciliation can be done via innovation. It means that rather than choosing over the other, some frameworks use innovation to improve the baseline (e.g., using new, sustainable materials in infrastructure for enhanced durability)

To sum up, a resilient baseline is the foundation on which sustainable innovation is built.

• • Relationships between Stories Making Serial 3 and Poverty Reduction

• • • The relationship between poverty reduction and Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation

The relationship between poverty reduction and narratives of long-term sustainability, systemic resilience, and innovation for endurance is one of mutual dependency. Instead of offering only immediate, short-term relief, these narratives focus on building durable systems that empower individuals and communities to bounce forward from crises, rather than just returning to a previous state of vulnerability.

• • • The relationship between poverty reduction and Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline

The relationship between poverty reduction and stories of building a new, resilient baseline is one of sustained transformation rather than temporary relief. Effective poverty reduction initiatives do not just increase income; they restructure lives and systems to create a higher baseline of stability – a new normal from which future growth can occur, rather than a temporary escape that risks sliding back into poverty. Stories of resilience act as the narrative framework that validates this process, turning individual successes into scalable models of progress.

In summary, the relationship is a continuous loop whereby poverty reduction creates a new, more stable foundation, while stories of resilience define, celebrate, and provide the blueprint for building upon that foundation to prevent future crisis.

• • Storytelling Metrics

They measure how well a narrative captures attention, engages the audience, and drives action. Key metrics include engagement rates (likes, shares, comments), completion rates (how many listened to or watched to the end), conversion tracking (clicks, sign-ups), and sentiment analysis to assess audience emotion.

You can use these metrics to track your storytelling efforts for your storytelling project, and evaluate the impact of your story in terms of return on investment, consistency check, and brand affinity.

In the context of Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation, and Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline, there are metrics which apply to each type of these stories.

• • • Metrics for Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation

It is possible to measure long-term sustainability and systemic resilience through human-centric, narrative-based indicators. These stories focus on qualitative evidence and lived experiences rather than just corporate data.

Key categories include social cohesion, regenerative capacity, adaptive learning and intergenerational equity.

Measuring stories of endurance and resilience relies on tracking qualitative outcomes and capacity-building rather than just standard financial or output figures.

So, the most impactful storytelling metrics people can observe and narrate include social cohesion and trust, adaptive capacity and learning, regenerative innovation, and intergenerational equity.

• • • Metrics for Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline

Metrics for stories about continuously building on a new, more resilient baseline focus on tangible, everyday improvements that show a community is not just recovering but bouncing forward to a higher state by preparedness. These metrics which can be shared by the community members, emphasize actions, learning, and stronger relationships over just engineering statistics.

Depending on stories, it is possible to extirpate a certain type of metrics. Let us consider the following stories and metrics attached to them.

a) Stories relating to adaptive capacity and learning (The ‘Better Next Time’ Story)

These stories focus on improvements made based on lessons learned from previous disruptions. Metrics can be time to escalate, frequency of simulation, and adaptation speed. Metrics could also be reduction in recovery time for daily services (e.g., electricity, water access)

b) Stories linked to social cohesion and network strength (The ‘We’ Story)

These stories highlight strengthened local relationships and trust. Metrics can be the number of local voluntary groups active, trust scores in local networks, and participation in community meetings. Metrics can also be mutual aid participation rates.

c) Stories dealing with actionable environmental and infrastructural changes (The ‘Safe’ Story)

These stories focus on small tangible changes to the local environment. Metrics can be the number of households with upgraded, DIY food defenses or improved energy efficiency. Metrics can as well be access to local, diverse and affordable food sources.

The above shows that it is possible to measure Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline.

• • Incorporating Visual Aids into Your Storytelling

All in Development Stories Tellers can incorporate visual aids – like infographics, animation, data visualizations (charts, graphs and maps), video and other storytelling aids – to highlight insights into their storytelling and tell a more compelling story. To do that they need to follow some steps like the following one:

σ Choose the right visuals

σ Synchronise them with their narratives

σ Ensure they complement their message.

Those who would like to incorporate visual aids into their storytelling projects to enhance their message, engage us or their audience and leave a lasting impression can go ahead.

• • Working with the Community on Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation, and Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline

We can work with those members of our community who would like us to get involved in their Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation, and Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline.

• • • Working with the Community on Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation

Collaborating with communities to share stories of sustainability, resilience, and innovation requires an approach rooted in deep listening, active participation, and accessible media. By centering local voices, we can build trust and ensure the narratives reflect the community’s authentic lived experiences. From this perspective, ways of working with the community includes:

σ Hosting storytelling workshops (e.g., Facilitating guided conversations where community members can share memories, challenges, and local innovations, empower them to express their resilience through visual art, photography, etc.)

σ Launching participatory media projects by giving the community the tools and engaging platforms/space to document their own sustainability journeys

σ Creating digital story maps

σ Co-design solutions and campaigns by involving the community to shape sustainability initiatives that CENFACS develops.

It is also about

σ Prioritising building trust

σ Fostering inclusivity

σ Using diverse mediums (like digital stories, workshops, or even digital storyboards) to capture and disseminate Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation with the community and reach different audiences within this community.

• • • Working with the Community on Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline

It involves

σ Sharing ideas about continuous, iterative strengthening

σ Encouraging them to build on recent improvements (the new baseline) to ensure ongoing adaptability.

σ Fostering the culture of moving beyond reactive crisis management to proactive, continuous improvement

σ Supporting them to institutionalize the lessons learnt from crisis

σ Working together to foster a culture of constant, proactive adaption

σ Help them to bounce forward to a safer, more connected reality

σ Telling them to continuously build on new resilient baselines.

It encompasses

σ Prioritising community-led processes

σ Using storytelling as a powerful tool for engagement

σ Focusing on practical actionable solutions

σ Involving the community from the onset

σ Building trust through shared stories, experiences and local knowledge.

Briefly, working with the community on stories matter will be about three things:

a) creating spaces for community members to share their stories

b) learning from one another

c) and paving their way towards the reduction of poverty; poverty due to the lack of sharing storytelling experiences.

• • Supporting CENFACS Community Members through Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation, and Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline

Storytelling can be a supportive tool in the process of reducing poverty and enhancing sustainable development. Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation, and Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline coming from our members and others, once shared, can support CENFACS Community members. How?

They can

σ encourage and inspire them

σ help them in the fight against poverty, disadvantages and vulnerabilities

σ and assist them to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

These stories can send a relieving message to our members that there is always a possibility to reconfigure their system of poverty reduction, to continuously improve this system and adapt it changing environments and challenges as well as to win over poverty.

Those members of our community who have Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation, and Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline to tell, they should not hesitate to share them. Any other interested party who may have these stories, they can tell them to CENFACS.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories Focusing on Sustainability, Resilience and Innovation, and Stories of Building a Resilient Baseline; please contact CENFACS.

_________

• References

(1) https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/capacity-building (accessed in May 2026)

(2) https://www.the4thwheel.com/post/what-is-capacity-building (accessed in May 2026)

(3) https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/what-you-need-know-about-education-and-why-it-matters (accessed in May 2026)

(4) https://www.vedantu.com/blog/what-is-education (accessed in May 2026)

(5) https://www.unicef.org/media/180601/file/Mali-Humanitarian-Situation-Report-No.1,31-March-2026.pdf.pdf (accessed in May 2026)

(6) https://reliefweb.int/report/mali-public-health-situation-analysis-phsa-5-may-2026 (accessed in May 2026)

(7) https://www.gafs.info/country-profiles/?state=AdvicexCountry=MLI&Indicator=IPCC (accessed in May 2026)

(8) https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/where/africa/mali_en#:~:text (accessed in May 2026)

(9) https://hdr.undp.org/content/2025-global-multidimensional-poverty-index-mpi#/indicies/MPI (accessed in May 2026)

(10) https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentationdetail/27201468765605934/indicators-for-monitoring-poverty-reduction (accessed in May 2023)

(11) http://cenfacs.org.uk/2020/03/11/the-2020s-agenda-and-programme/ (accessed in May 2026)

(12) https://www.classy.org/blog/properly-evaluate-fundraising-campaign/# (accessed in May 2023)

(13) https://donorbox.org/nonprofit-blog/organize-a-charity-run (accessed in May 2023)

(14) https://www.hourly.io/post/journal-entries-expenses (accessed in May 2026)

(15) https://www.fathomhq.com/blog/profitability-analysis-a-comprehensive-guide (accessed in May 2026)

(16) https://ramp.com/blog/how-to-conduct-and-interpret-a-profitability-analysis (accessed in May 2026)

(17) https://www.freshworks.com/it-asset-management/aaset-tracking/(accessed in May 2026)

(18) https://tech.co/asset-tracking/asset-monitoring-explained (accessed in May 2026)

(19) https://www.civicus.org/monitoring-toolkits/toolkit/impact-story/ (Accessed in May 2023)

(20) https://climate-sustainability-directory.com/term/long-term-sustainability (accessed in March 2026)

(21) https://esg.sustainability-directory.com/terms/systemic-resilience/ (accessed in March 2026)

(22) https://biologyinsights.com/what-is-system-resilience-and-why-is-it-important/ (accessed in March 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.

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.

Permalink

Rebuilding Africa in 2026

Posted by ctsh@in2015 on May 13, 2026 in Uncategorized

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

13 May 2026

Post No. 456

The Week’s Contents

• Rebuilding Africa in 2026 with a Focus on Scaling Evidence-based Interventions, Institutionalizing Learning and Strengthening Local Ownership

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 2: Stories of Shifting from Compliance to Culture; Stories of Moving from Protecting Progress to Systems Acceleration (From Wednesday 13/05/2026)

• Climate-resilient Asset Building Programme for Households – In Consideration from 13/05/2026: Financial Inclusion and Tools

… And much more!

Key Messages

• Rebuilding Africa in 2026 with a Focus on Scaling Evidence-based Interventions, Institutionalizing Learning and Strengthening Local Ownership

CENFACS does not only work in bringing and lighting a Blaze of Hope for the victims of destructive wars, natural disasters and other major crises (like the coronavirus shock or the cost-of-living crisis or aid emergency or energy crisis). CENFACS takes the process of working with these victims further in helping them to overcome underlying poverty and hardships induced by these events as well as supporting them to build their future.

CENFACS works with them and or their representative organisations to alleviate poverty and hardships as the lack of hopes and expectations. In the process of relieving poverty as the lack of hopes and expectations, the next step or phase of our advocacy is Rebuilding or Renewing Lives. We call it Rebuilding Africa. The latter depends on the events of the preceding and current years; events which determine the theme or focus of this rebuilding process.

• • The Focus for This Year’s Rebuilding Africa

This year, our Rebuilding Africa advocacy will focus on Scaling Evidence-based Interventions, Institutionalizing Learning and Strengthening Local Ownership for Further Poverty Reduction with Communities and Africa-based Organisations (ASOs)

In our work on Rebuilding Africa, we shall work with communities in Africa and Africa-based Organisations to

σ Scale up proven interventions (expand successful, evaluated pilot projects)

σ Translate MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning) findings into policy changes

σ Deepen local ownership (Shift from external evaluation to strengthening local capacity for MEL)

σ More focus on pro-poor structural growth

σ Manage risk proactively

Etc.

It is all about Rebuilding by boosting sustainable, locally-led systems where evidence informs planning, accountability, and the efficient allocation of resources.

• • Where Rebuilding Africa Can Take Place

Rebuilding Africa can take place in any place in Africa that needs to be rebuilt or built forward. CENFACS’ ASOs will be part of this rebuilding process.

There are ways in which ASOs can play their role in the rebuilding process where African countries need Scaling Evidence-based Interventions, Institutionalizing Learning and Strengthening Local Ownership for Further Poverty Reduction.

The following three examples can illustrate these ways.

a) To scale evidence-based interventions during this ongoing energy crisis, ASOs are focusing on integrating fragmented power systems, deploying decentralised renewable energy, accelerating charity-private partnerships, and developing local technical skills.

b) To institutionalize learning, ASOs are adopting a multilayered approach that prioritizes local capacity building, digital transformation, creating training adapted to local energy needs, and establishing knowledge-sharing hubs.

c) To strengthen local ownership and reduce poverty during the ongoing energy crisis, ASOs are required to focus on building indigenous, technical capacity, financing local energy projects, and implementing responsible local content policies. They are focusing on community-based, local capital-led energy solutions.

So, during this period of energy crisis, there are many places where rebuilding work is needed in Africa and where our ASOs can be part of this rebuilding process and play their rebuilding role.

Further details about this advocacy work on Rebuilding Africa can be found under the Main Development section of this post.

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 2: Stories of Shifting from Compliance to Culture; Stories of Moving from Protecting Progress to Systems Acceleration (From Wednesday 13/05/2026)

Our All in Development Story Telling Programme and Series continue with Serial 2, which is about Stories of Shifting from Compliance to Culture and Stories of Moving from Protecting Progress to Systems Acceleration. Let us reveal the contents of this two-story series.

• • Stories of Shifting from Compliance to Culture

• • • What are Stories of Shifting from Compliance to Culture?

Stories of Transitioning from Compliance-driven Actions to Cultural Transformation (in short, Stories of Shifting from Compliance to Culture) are the narratives of moving from policing to partnering or turning “must-do” rules into “want-to-do” behaviours or replacing rigid fear-based compliance with trust-based ownership.

They involve moving away from a “check-the-box” mentality – where rules are followed merely to avoid penalties – towards a mindset where ethical behaviour, safety, and inclusion are embedded in everyday actions.

• • • Examples of Stories of Shifting from Compliance to Culture to donate

These stories can take the forms of “springboard stories” – small, true narratives that inspire others to realize that cultural change is not just possible but already happening. They are centered on individual accountability, peer-to-peer influence, and a “human-first” approach rather than a “rule-first” approach.

Examples of these stories include stories of

σ Turning compliance into a personal mission

σ Shifting from a culture of hiding mistakes to a culture of learning (The Ownership of Mistakes)

σ Showing that you do not need a huge budget or executive mandate to change the culture, highlighting that ordinary actions have big impacts (The “Small Wins” Stories)

σ Turning a rule-based activity into engaging, real-world experience

Etc.

If you are a member of our community and have this type of stories, please do not hesitate to tell and share your story with CENFACS. If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Shifting from Compliance to Culture, please contact CENFACS.

• • Stories of Moving from Protecting Progress to Systems Acceleration

Stories of Strategically Transitioning from Simply Protecting Previous Progress to Accelerating It through Systemic Integration (in short, Stories of Moving from Protecting Progress to Systems Acceleration) are the chronicles of leveraging existing gains to rapidly scale up systemic change. They represent a strategic shift from defensive maintenance (simply protecting progress) to transformative acceleration (integrating improvements deeply into institutional structures).

Key aspects of these chronicles include systemic integration, strategic transition, and accelerating progress.

• • • Examples of Stories of Moving from Protecting Progress to Systems Acceleration to donate

These stories highlight how individuals and communities can use technology, behavioural shifts, and new narratives to speed up progress, often moving from “a victim of the system” perspective to “system designer”.

As identified in the literature on these stories, examples in this shift are the stories of

σ Moving from fixing individual cases to changing the rules of the system

σ Shifting from fragmented action to systemic collaboration, often turning a niche situation into a new mainstream

σ Embracing technology as a tool for acceleration rather than viewing it solely as a threat

σ Highlighting, scaling and normalizing rather than just protecting, the new way of living or operating

σ Redefining progress to include community health, equity, and environmental sustainability

Etc.

If you are a member of our community and have this type of stories, please do not hesitate to tell and share your story with CENFACS. If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Moving from Protecting Progress to Systems Acceleration, please contact CENFACS.

• Climate-resilient Asset Building Programme for Households – In Consideration from 13/05/2026: Financial Inclusion and Tools

Perhaps, the starting point is to explain Financial Inclusion and Tools, then highlight how we intend to work with households on them.

• • What Is Financial Inclusion? What Are Financial Inclusion Tools?

According to ‘oxford-review.com’ (1),

“Financial inclusion refers to the process of ensuring that individuals and businesses, regardless of their income leads or social status, have access to useful and affordable financial products and services”.

In the context of this programme, financial inclusion is about empowering poor or low-income households to access financial resources by giving them control over their economic decisions while enhancing their social and economic mobility.

It is not a surprise if the World Bank (2) argues that

“Access to affordable financial services – such as payments, credit savings products, and insurance – is critical for poverty reduction and economic growth”.

As far as Financial Inclusion Tools are concerned, they are technologies, programmes, and strategies to provide underserved populations with access to affordable financial services, credit, and education. These tools include digital and mobile banking platforms, credit-building programmes, AI and data-driven solutions, digital financial literacy and education tools, policy and strategy frameworks.

Although CENFACS does only provide a few of these tools, it can however work with households on Financial Inclusion and Tools.

• • Working with Households on Financial Inclusion and Tools

It involves increasing access to banking, credit, savings, and financial literacy to foster household stability. Key Financial Inclusion and Tools to work with households making our community include digital benefit, calculators, affordable community finance options, and tailored financial education programmes.

Ways of working households include the following:

σ Digital assessment and advice tools to help these households find financial support for those facing financial hardship

σ Offering tips and hints on budgeting and money management skills

σ Financial education and literacy programmes (e.g., activity to help households find financial resilience)

σ Access to digital tools relating to finances

σ Informing and guiding households about communtiy-based savings and credit tools

σ Using digital tools to deliver better support to our household members

Etc.

Those households interested in building climate-resilient assets through Financial Inclusion and Tools, they can work with CENFACS.

For any queries and/or enquiries about Financial Inclusion and Tools as well as Climate-resilient Asset Building Programmes for Households (including how to access this programme), please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

Extra Messages

• ReLive Issue No. 18, Spring 2026: People with Acute Needs in Africa Want to Rebuild and Renew Their Lives, Can You Help?

• Story Submission and Permission

• Basic Home-based Bookkeeping and Accounting for Poverty Reduction – Featured from 13/05/2026 – Bookkeeping 2: Transaction Categorization; Accounting 2: Income and Expense Categorization

• ReLive Issue No. 18, Spring 2026: People with Acute Needs in Africa Want to Rebuild and Renew Their Lives, Can You Help?

The 18th issue of CENFACS’ Once-a-year Spring Appeal for Renewing Lives (ReLive), which focuses on advocating for the support of People in Acute Needs or Those in the Most Serious Humanitarian Crises in Africa who require help to rebuild and renew their lives this Spring 2026, is still running.