Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

13 July 2022

 

Post No. 256

 

 

• July 2022 All-in-one Impact Feedback and Assessment (Level 1): Impact Monitoring and Evaluation of 2021-2022 Programmes, Projects and Activities

• Data Analytics of User-generated Content

• Coming this July 2022: Summer Festival of Thoughts and Actions with a Focus on Infrastructure to Reduce Poverty

 

… And much more!

 

 

 

Key Messages

 

• July 2022 All-in-one Impact Feedback and Assessment (Level 1): Impact Monitoring and Evaluation of 2021-2022 Programmes, Projects and Activities

 

Our Impact Monitoring, Evaluation, Review, Assurance and Analytics for July 2022  have already started with Impact Feedbacks.  These feedbacks are about carrying out activities in order to get the early results or impacts of the programmes and projects we ran during the financial year 2021-2022.

They are part of the level one of our July 2022 All-in-one Impact Feedback and Assessment.  However, before going further in summarising this first key message, let us explain the concept of assurance, which is part of the Analytics Month.

 

• • Assurance for a Good Impact Assessment

 

Last week, in our presentation of the core concepts used in the Analytics Month, we did not mention assurance.  Yet, assurance is part and parcel of CENFACS‘ July analytics work.  What is assurance?

By assurance, we simply mean what Her Majesty Treasury (1) argues, which is

“Assurance is an objective examination of evidence for the purpose of providing an independent assessment on governance, risk management and control processes for the organisation.  An assurance framework is a structured means of identifying and mapping the main sources of assurance in organisation, and co-ordinating them to best effect”.

Assurance can be internal and external.  In our analytics work, we are conducting internal assurance.  What does it mean?

It means what for example ‘anngravells.com’ (2) argues about internal quality assurance, which

“Seeks to ensure that assessment activities have been conducted in a consistent, safe and fair manner”.

This internal quality assurance, which took place since our programmes and projects started, will continue and be deepened this month as it is the Analytics Month.  This will be done via impact feedbacks.

 

• • Impact Feedbacks

 

We are holding two types of feedback: one from individuals as project supporters and users; and another one from organisations, particularly Africa-based Sister Organisations.

 

1) Project Supporters’ and Users’ Experiences (Feedback I)

 

This week’s Say by Project Supporters and Users will continue our Analytics Month.  Project Supporters and Users can start to tell us the experiences they have had with the programmes and projects we have selected to conduct monitoring, evaluation, review, assurance and analytics.

We are asking Project Supporters, Users and other stakeholders to provide their views using their own words rather than we asking them to respond to open or close questions.

To ease the feedback process, we have singled out 12 initiatives from which they can pick and choose to provide their feedback.

They can give us feedbacks (responses and reactions) in the form of rating (numbers), statement (words) and information graphics (infographics like charts, graphs, etc.).  This Say is about how they perceived and interacted with the products and services we presented to them over the last 345 days.

 

2) Africa-based Sister Organisations’ Voices (Feedback II)

 

These are too initiatives that we ran in the last financial year; initiatives that directly or indirectly aimed at supporting Africa-based Organisations or just advancing poverty reduction and sustainable development agendas in Africa.  These initiatives were in the form of humanitarian appeals, fundraising and COVID-19 campaigns, advocacy work, project planning and advice, responses to global crises (like the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the cost-of-living crisis), etc.

We would like to hear the voices of Africa-based Organisations so that we can know where things went well and where they did not.  This will enable us to reflect their needs in future programmes and projects development, while improving the way in which we are working with them in general and tackling the poverty issue in Africa in particular.

Their voices are important to us since we can only help to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development unless those who are concerned with these issues own the process by telling us what kind of help they need and how they perceive their own problems rather than we telling them what is good for them.

Like for individuals responding to our request, organisations do not need specific questions to provide their feelings about our work.  They can freely give their feedback in numerical, textual and information graphic statements.

To facilitate this feedback process, we have selected 9 initiatives from which they can pick and choose to provide their feedback.

The selected 2021-2022 programmes and projects for the purpose of feedback making our Impact Monitoring, Evaluation, Review, Assurance and Analytics are given in the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

• Data Analytics of User-generated Content

 

This is about the analysis of raw and semi-structured data provided or generated by users and other vested parties involved in the delivery of 2021-202 programmes and projects.  This type of analytics requires the use of data literacy and methodology as well as analytical skills.  As scheduled, this analytics started on 11 July 2022.  Before going any further in this presentation, let us briefly explain user-generated content, data analytics and what we are going to do or are doing in this respect.

 

• • Brief understanding of User-generated Content

 

To explain User-generated Content (UGC), we are going to refer to Jose Angelo Gallagos’ online article.  Gallagos (3) argues that

“User-generated content is any content that has been created, published and/or submitted by users of a brand”.

The content that Gallagos is arguing about can be in the form of images, tweets, videos, text, audio, social media posts, reviews, comments, blog posts, testimonials, feedback, etc.

As far as CENFACS is concerned, we are going to carry out the analytics of user-generated content during their journey to poverty reduction with us.  In this respect, we are going to analytically process the content provided by CENFACS’ users, fans, enthusiasts and audience to support CENFACS‘ brand or as they navigate the road to poverty reduction.

 

• • Meaning of data analytics

 

To make things easily understandable for our readers and supporters, we have selected the following definition from ‘Master’s in Data Science’ (4) which states that

“Data analytics is the process of analysing raw data to find trends and answer questions”.

According to ‘Master’s in Data Science’,

“A successful data analytics initiative will provide a clear picture of where you are, where you have been and where you should go”.

‘Master’s in Data Science’ also distinguishes four primary types of data analytics, which are: descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive.

We are going to turn to the above mentioned definition, primary types and other notions read within the literature survey about the concept of ‘data analytics’ in order to conduct the analytics of data or content generated by users of our programmes, projects and activities.

 

• • Data analytics in practice and progress

 

We are going to combine information technology, statistics and the life of CENFACS over 2021-2022 to discover patterns in data.  In doing so, this will help us to improve performance in terms of the kind of work we do in order to help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

In our data analytics process, we are going to undertake the following tasks:

 

(a) Data mining: extraction of data from unstructured data sources

(b) Data management: creation and management of databases

(c) Statistical analysis: creation of insights from data

(d) Data presentation: sharing of insights with stakeholders through data visualisation.

 

Where necessary and possible, we may involve online affordable analytics programmes to help in this exercise.

For those users who did not yet respond to our previous requests regarding any of the projects or events they took part or came across, this is the opportunity to share their content and provide their SAY or content or even  data so that they can fit it into our analytics work.

For example, the users of Triple Value Initiatives (or All Year Round Projects) can inform us about the progress they have made so far.  They can as well share results of collaborations and synergies across these projects.  This information or data can be fitted into our Data Analytics Dashboard.

To sum up user-generated content or data analytics will help to provide actionable insights and user trend analysis.  It will help to review deliveries and analyse the end-of-financial year performance regarding work undertaken with users.  The result of this analytics will feed and align with the contents of our annual review 2021-2022.

To give and share your SAY or content or even data to help us in this analytics, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

• Coming this July 2022: Summer Festival of Thoughts and Actions with a Focus on Infrastructure to Reduce Poverty

 

To best serve the needs of the CENFACS Community, there is a necessity to have infrastructure.  This is because the development of infrastructure is the basis for creating the conditions for poverty reduction and for enhancing sustainable development.  But, what is infrastructure?

 

• • Understanding infrastructure to reduce poverty

 

There are many definitions of infrastructure.  For the purpose of these preliminary notes about our festival, we have selected the ‘Market Business News’ (5) definition, which is

“Infrastructure refers to the basic systems and services that a country or organisation needs in order to function properly.  For a whole nation, it includes all the physical systems such as the road and railway networks, utilities, sewage, water, telephone lines and cell towers, air control towers, bridges, etc.; plus services including law enforcement, emergency services, healthcare, education, etc. “.

Our perception of infrastructure will include Market Business News’ argument on the matter.  It will also refer to what most infrastructure economists say about infrastructure.  In particular, we shall focus on the post-Keynesian economic view of infrastructure as it goes beyond public assets to include private assets in the definition of infrastructure.

Because we are talking about poverty reduction in the charitable sector (sector where CENFACS belongs to), our definition of infrastructure will also consider charitable sector assets in order to produce poverty reduction.  What do we mean by charitable assets?

 

• • Defining charitable assets

 

The online dictionary ‘lawinsider.com’ (6) defines charitable assets as

“Those tangible and intangible assets in the form of movable and immovable property and equipment, personnel, and services acquired by a hospital through the expenditure of direct and indirect state, federal and local funds, or funds retained by virtue of their non-taxable status, and through money paid through the patronage of members of the community the hospital serves”.

Although this definition puts emphasis on hospital, there are various elements in it that can be applicable to what will be thought during our Seven Days of Development in July 2022.

Briefly, to fight and reduce poverty critical infrastructures (like education, health services, telephone cables and mobile phone towers, energy-generating facilities, etc.) are required.  This requirement concerns both hard infrastructure (such as bridges and roads) and soft infrastructure (like information systems and knowledge bases).

We need sustainable infrastructures; that is economic (e.g. capital stock that facilitates economic production), social (e.g. health, education and recreation) and environmental (e.g. channels, lakes, ponds, parks and green spaces) infrastructures.  We do not only need them; we also have to maintain them.

As usual, they will be seven themes for thoughts for seven days, one theme per day, starting from the 22nd to the 28th of July 2022.

The seven days of development in July are the days of thoughts and actions against poverty; in this case thoughts and actions to develop infrastructure to reduce poverty.  The seven themes will not be an end of themselves.  Instead, they will be the entry points in order to stimulate thoughts and actions.

We shall soon publish the daily themes and supporting information regarding this year’s Summer Festival of Thoughts and Actions.

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Goal of the Month: Reduction of Data Poverty

 

Last week, we set up our goal for the Season, which is to reduce unhappiness.  This week, we are establishing another goal, which is for this month of July.  Our goal for this month is to reduce data poverty.  This set-up implies that we need to understand data poverty and work toward achieving this goal.

 

• • What is data poverty?

 

The literature survey on data poverty provides a number of definitions.  Amongst them is what Patricia J. Lucas et al. (7) argue about it, which is the following:

“The term data poverty is used to mean not being able to afford sufficient access to broadband or mobile data, but also to mean not having enough information on particular topics or populations.  Digital poverty also means not having access to digital devices” (p. 8)

Indeed, not having enough information on particular topics or populations can make the reduction of poverty harder; in particular if this information is linked to the populations who need help.  Without data or information, it could be difficult to measure the level and type of poverty experienced by these populations.  This is let alone the kind of response that fits with their situation.

 

• • Working toward achieving the reduction of data poverty

 

Our goal for this month is to help reduce data poverty by understanding what causes data poverty while getting its dimensions and its impacts.  The goal is also about overcoming barriers to having sufficient data about poverty.

This goal perfectly fits into our Knowledge Year/Project as data helps to learn, know and describe the needs of those people living in poverty.  It also echoes with the Analytics Month, a month during which we are deep diving into data and listening to what these data are telling us about our work and the people we are trying to help.

So, working toward this goal can help to fill the gap in data available and known about people in need.  Although this is a goal for July 2022 only, it can however be part of any efforts to reduce and or end poverty linked to the lack of available data about the conditions of people living in poverty; that is those having a pronounced deprivation in well-being, lacking opportunities and being powerless and vulnerable.

The above is our poverty reduction goal for this month, which we are asking to our audiences and supporters to help or promote.

 

 

• Holiday with Relief –

In Focus for 2022 Issue: Energy and Food during Holiday

 

Holiday with Relief is one of CENFACS useful and helpful ICDP (individual Capacity Development Programme) resources for holiday makers and travellers.  The resource, which is published during Spring of every year, can also be used during Summer holiday or any holiday.

It is a wealth of contents as it provides tips, hints, tricks, fixes, enhancements, information, guidance and support in terms of passing holiday for multi-dimensional poor children, young people and families; especially at this time of the cost-of-living crisis.  During this time, human happiness and freedom to take and enjoy holiday have been compromised by the rising costs of living.  This is let alone the lingering effects of the coronavirus.

This year’s Holiday with Relief with its theme of Energy and Food during Holiday is designed to help those in need by having happy and healthy holiday (e.g. Summer holiday).  It provides wealthy advice, tips and hints linked to energy and food during holiday.  Within this wealth of information contained in this Issue, there are tips and hints that can be used to tackle energy poverty and food poverty.

These tips and hints are meant to support those of our users and non-users who are struggling to make energy and food ends meet during holiday (that is; this coming long Summer holiday).

The resource is free to order.  However, CENFACS would not mind any voluntary donation to help the enormous amount of effort and cost put in by its volunteers to produce it.  Your contribution will help to keep it running and update, as well as help the community in need.

To enquire about this resource, just contact CENFACS.

 

 

• Impact Monitoring and Evaluation from the Perspective of Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs)

 

This week, we are as well looking at the way in which our Africa-based Sister Organisations perceive impact monitoring and evaluation.  It is pointless to mention that theories of monitoring and evaluation used can be the same.  But, the context in which these theories can be applied and the perception of the impact monitoring and evaluation could be slightly different.

Because of these differences in perceptions and theory applications, it is a great idea to exchange views with our ASOs on impact monitoring and evaluation of programmes and projects in the African context.  This is an enriched and technically valuable exercise which will enable both sides to align works, cement their partnership and continue to develop sustainable initiatives.

We are therefore inviting ASOs that have stories or case studies about their own impact monitoring and evaluation to share with us.  Likewise, we are asking to those ASOs that need advisory support in the area of impact monitoring and evaluation to let us know.  This is an opportunity to learn and develop best practices and policies in this area.

Need to share your work or experience in terms of impact monitoring and evaluation for the programmes and projects you are running, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

 

Objectif du mois : Réduction de la pauvreté liée au manque de données

La semaine dernière, nous avons fixé notre objectif pour la saison, qui est de réduire le malheur.  Cette semaine, nous nous établissons un autre objectif, qui est pour le mois.  Notre objectif pour ce mois-ci est de réduire la pauvreté des données (quantitatives et qualitatives).  Ce contexte implique que nous devons travailler à la réalisation de cet objectif.

Travailler à la réduction de la pauvreté liée au manque de données

Notre objectif pour ce mois-ci est d’aider à réduire la pauvreté des données en comprenant ce qui cause la pauvreté des données tout en ayant l’idée de ses dimensions et ses impacts.  L’objectif est également de surmonter les obstacles à la disponibilité de données suffisantes sur la pauvreté.

Le cadre de l’objectif du mois de juillet

Cet objectif s’inscrit parfaitement dans notre Année et Projet de la Connaissance, car les données aident à apprendre, à connaître et à décrire les besoins des personnes vivant dans la pauvreté.  Cela fait également écho au Mois Analytique, un mois au cours duquel nous plongeons profondément dans les données et écoutons ce que ces données nous disent.

Un objectif de tous les temps

Ainsi, travailler vers cet objectif peut aider à combler le manque de données disponibles et connues sur les personnes dans le besoin.  Bien qu’il s’agisse d’un objectif pour juillet 2022 uniquement, il peut toutefois faire partie de tout effort de tous les temps visant à réduire et/ou à mettre fin à la pauvreté liée au manque de données disponibles sur les personnes vivant dans la pauvreté; c’est-à-dire celles qui ont une privation prononcée de bien-être, qui manquent d’opportunités et qui sont impuissantes et vulnérables.

Ce qui précède est notre objectif de réduction de la pauvreté pour ce mois-ci, que nous demandons à nos adhérents et à nos sympathisants d’aider ou de promouvoir.

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• July 2022 All-in-one Impact Feedback and Assessment (Level 1): Impact Monitoring and Evaluation of 2021-2022 Programmes, Projects and Activities

 

Last week, we said that the name of the July game at CENFACS is Impact Monitoring, Evaluation, Review and Analytics.  In other words, July is the tracking month during which we conduct our Impact monitoring, evaluation, review and analytics of the projects and programmes we delivered during almost last 11 months and 2 weeks.

The following is what we have planned to cover this level 1 of our Analytics work:

Impact Monitoring, Evaluation, Review, Assurance and Analytics in progress

All-in-One Impact Feedbacks: Tell it in your own words, numbers and info-graphics!

Summer Selection and Collection of 12 Initiatives for Feedback One and 9 for Feedback Two.

Let us summarise each of these points of our Analytics work.

 

• • Impact Monitoring, Evaluation, Review, Assurance and Analytics in progress

 

We are still routinely gathering information on all aspects of these programmes and projects related to the above named period.  Likewise, we are assessing what these programmes and projects have achieved in relation to the overall objectives we set up for them.  Also, we are critically examining, reappraising or reconsidering our objectives and policies to achievements, and figuring out whether there is any progress or set back.  Furthermore, we are making sure that the impact process is independently carried out and can help us to assess the health and viability of programmes and projects delivered.

Besides the above four activities (monitoring, evaluation, assurance and review), we are working to find out, interpret and communicate patterns in data in a meaningful way to the work of CENFACS, as part of the analytics activity.

Once we have completed the July Impact monitoring, evaluation, review and analytics; we shall communicate the findings to our respondents and any vested interested parties.

In meantime, we are inviting supporters and users as well as Africa-based Sister Organisations to engage with us in responding and reacting to our poverty relief work in their own words and numbers.  They can rate and or provide a statement about these programmes and projects.  Where possible, they can provide information graphics (such as charts, graphs, images, etc.).

 

• • All-in-One Impact Feedbacks: Tell it in your own words, numbers and info-graphics!

 

There are many types or models of feedback.  In this exercise of feedback about the 2021-2022 programmes and projects, we are referring to impact feedback.  The latter is about giving feedback from the perspectives of users and African organisations by describing the programmes and projects delivered by CENFACS from their points of view.  It is an observation, but not an evaluation from their part.  They could describe the impact these programmes and projects have on them and what they like to be different.

The exercise is meant to enable Supporters and Users (you might be one of them) as well as Africa-based Sister Organisations to share with us and others the outcomes and learning experiences resulting from the use or application of the projects we have chosen from our Programmes for feedback purpose.

Please seize this opportunity to provide your own lines of thought and observation for improvement, adjustment and development by sharing with us and others the outcomes and/or experiences resulting from the communications we have had with you and or your use/application or participation/support concerning the programmes and projects below.

We would like to know how helpful, effective and efficient did you find in these programmes and projects, and what lessons, experiences did you learn and development for the future of our poverty relief work in coming years.

 

• • Summer Selection and Collection of 12 Initiatives for Feedback One and 9 for Feedback Two

 

We would like to inform you that some of the projects selected may have the same title like the year before.  However, the focus and contents for this year and each year are completely different.  In other words, what matters is not the title of the project or programme, but what is inside them or their insight.

We have selected the following programmes and projects for Feedback I and II.

 

 

Feedback I: Projects and Programmes for Feedback from Individuals (Supporters and Users’ Experiences)

 

There are 12 selected initiatives for Feedback I as follows:

 

1) Summer 2021 Festival with a Focus on Coronavirus Debt and Deficit Management

2) August 2021 Trending Activities of Following the Direction of Poverty Reduction through Natural Capital Assets

3) Back-to-relief Programme and Service 2021 

4) Leaves-based Advice

5) “A la une” Campaign with an Emphasis on the Safeguard of Crop Wild Relatives in Africa

6) Foresight Skills Development

7) Climate Protection and State for African Children – Phase 3.1 with Glasgow Steps It Up 

8) Build Forward Better Programme (Phases 1 & 2)

9) Energy Transition Support Services

10) Zero Income Deficit Campaign 2021-2022

11) Arts and Design-based Development Project 2021

12) African Children’s Climate & Sustainable Development Goals with a Focus on Generational Impact Analysis of the Coronavirus and Cyclical Impact Analysis of the Cost-of-living Crisis.

 

 

Feedback II: Projects and Programmes for Feedback from Organisations (Africa-based Sister Organisations’ Voices)

 

We have selected 9 initiatives for Feedback II as follows:

 

1) Appeal for Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu

2) African-focused Not-for-profit Investors’ Platform

3) Street Children in Africa: How to Bring Happiness and Healthiness for Children Living on the Street in Africa at this Time of Enduring COVID-19

4) Making Zero Hunger Grand Sud of Madagascar

5) Food Security Appeal for Central African Republic, Burundi, DR Congo, Djibouti & Cameroon

6) Appeal to End Food Insecurity in the Eastern Horn of Africa

7) Coronavirus-affected Children of Sub-Saharan Africa Desperately Need Your Help Right Now

8) The Children of Chad Need Your Support at the Moment

9) The Internally Displaced People of Rutshuru Need Help.

 

The above selected 2021-2022 programmes and projects may seem a lot for a feedback purpose. However, what we have done is to give to people and organisations the opportunity to choose or pick the one (s) they know or associate with to feedback. 

For the effectiveness of the feedback, we suggest that people or organisations to pick only 1 or 2 initiatives to give their feedback.  Also, it is better to be concise when making your feedback.

 

• • • How do you provide your feedback?

 

There are online feedback collection tools (such as survey monkey, visual feedback, type form, online review, etc.).  For the simplicity of our Impact Feedback, we would very much appreciate if you could provide us your feedback…

(a) via e-mail, text, phone, web comments or reviews

(b) in your own words, numbers and information graphics (info-graphics).

Please do it by saying the way in which the above named programmes and projects have affected you or the people you recommended to use them or your organisation or sister organisation.

You could rate (by using numbers or percentages or ratios) these programmes and projects or provide a statement (by using words) or even give a chart or table (as information graphics). You can as well record your voice and run a video or short film.   This is aptly up to you.

Please remember, we can only help reduce poverty and do the changes we all want if you tell us what you think; not us only telling you what we do.

Please consider our request for feedback and for your testimonial support.

 

• • • Need further information about the above programmes and projects before your feedback 

 

Those who have been following the work CENFACS does will be familiar with the above mentioned projects and programmes.  They may not need further details about them.

Those who want to provide feedback and would like to request the details or summaries of the above selected programmes and projects prior to their feedback, they are free to make their request to us.

Thank you for considering our request of feedback and for your testimonial support.

This feedback is due by the END OF JULY 2022.

 

_________

 

• References

 

(1) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/270485/assurance_frameworks_191212.pdf (accessed in July 2022)

(2) https://www.anngravells.com/information/iqa (accessed in July 2022)

(3) Jose Angelo Gallegos (2016), What is User Generated Content: Complete Guide to UGC & Why you need it  

https://www.tinup.com/blog/user-generated-content-definition (accessed July 2021)

(4) https://www.masterindatascience.org/learning/what-is-data-analytics/

(5) https://marketbusiness.com/financial-glossary/infrastructure-definition-means/ (accessed in July 2022)

(6) https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/charitable-assets (accessed in July 2022)

(7) Lucas, P. J., Robinson, R. & Treacy, L. (2020), What Is Data Poverty? at https://media.org.uk/documents/what_is_Data_Poverty.pdf (accessed in July 2022)

 

_________

 

• 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 CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.

JUST GO TO :Support Causes – (cenfacs.org.uk)

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

Thank you as well to those who made or make comments about our weekly posts.

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2022 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

06 July 2022

 

Post No. 255

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Analytics Month 2022

• Activity/Task 7 of the Knowledge (K) Year/Project: Discover and Communicate Any Meaningful Patterns from Data about Those in Need

• The People of Lake Chad Basin Need Support

 

… And much more!

 

 

 

Key Messages

 

• Analytics Month 2022

 

July is CENFACS’ Analytics month as it is the time of the year during which we conduct the impact monitoring, evaluation, review and analytics of our programmes and projects.  Through this exercise, we analyse what we did over the last 345 days, seize the outputs and, if possible, capture the early impacts made.

It is the time we review what worked well, what badly worked and what did not work at all.  We do it by bringing all together the programmes and projects as well as activities that made the preceding financial year.  This is what we usually call All-in-one Impact Feedback and Assessment.

It is a feedback because we ask all our stakeholders to give their opinions about our work.  We expect them to provide us with their unbiased, independent, true and fair views and feelings about our work.  From what they feedback and what we have collected as data, we can assess or judge our performance against aims, goals and targets of poverty reduction and sustainable development we set up at the beginning of the financial year.

It is also a time to deep dive into numbers and to listen to what these numbers (numerical data) are telling us; for example if we have been on track or running behind or even tracking ahead.  This exercise helps us to discover patterns in numbers achieved and to spot trends.

The analytics activity further guides us to know if we hit targets or not, and to focus time and energy on our core mission while adjusting and redeveloping our programmes and projects in improved direction.  In doing so, this gives us the opportunity to predict and plan future activities while reconnecting with stakeholders and stewarding new donors.

For more information about All-in-one Impact Feedback and Assessment or CENFACS’ Analytics Month, please read under the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

• Activity/Task 7 of the Knowledge (K) Year/Project: Discover and Communicate Any Meaningful Patterns from Data about Those in Need

 

This month’s activity/task of the Knowledge Year and Project is about analysing data from those in need by using mathematics, statistics and computer software.  The outcome from this analysis is to discover and communicate meaningful patterns from their data.

After knowing these patterns and trends, one could better plan poverty reduction services and policies to meet the needs of poor people in terms of food, energy, education, shelter, transport, communication, etc.

Briefly speaking, during this month of July the Activity/Task 7 of our Knowledge Year and Project will consist of getting and knowing data about people in need, discovering and communicating any meaningful patterns emerging from these data; patterns which we will be studied and interpreted to see if they indicate what needs to done against poverty.

To work with us via this Activity/Task 7, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

• The People of Lake Chad Basin Still Need Support

 

Since CENFACS launched an appeal in 2018 to support the displaced people around the Lake Chad region, there is still much to be done for these suffering people living in that region in order to have peace, food, water and health they desperately need.

It emerges from the infographics about the Lake Chad Basin presented by ‘reliefweb.int’ (1) that as of 15 June 2022 and possibly until today, there are…

 

11 MILLION PEOPLE who need HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

5.5 MILLION PEOPLE who are expected to be SEVERELY FOOD INSECURE during the lean season

300,000 CHILDREN who are SEVERELY MALNOURISHED

1,038 SCHOOLS which are NON-FUNCTIONAL

THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN who have been DEPRIVED AN EDUCATION

2.8 MILLION PEOPLE who are INTERNALLY DISPLACED 

277,000 who are REFUGEES

Almost 7.4 MILLION PEOPLE who are IN NEED. 

CENFACS would like to appeal to you to address a long-neglected conflict which rose into violent extremism and dire insecurity within this region and which has led to these appalling figures.

 

•  •  The Misfortunes of Lake Chad Basin and the People Living nearby

 

The Lake Chad Basin includes the following countries: Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria.  The Lake Chad has been shrunk by nine-tenths as result of climate change, population growth and irrigation.  In addition to this natural calamity or shrinkage, the Lake has been subject to other misfortunes related to high level of insecurity since the outbreak of warfare in the region.  This has led to the displacement of around 10 million people since 2017 according local sources.

 

•  •  What CENFACS would like you to do

 

Whenever there is a general humanitarian relief appeal, there is always some concern about asking and giving money.  In the contrary, whenever CENFACS appeal to do something about people and communities in desperate need, it is not always about asking people to donate money.

 

Money is not always a king to change deprived lives.  Little or simple things can be the real BIG change makers. 

 

There are simple things that one can do to influence the situation on the grounds where there is suffering.  These things could include:

 

making a telephone call to someone who can change lives on the grounds, advocacy, lobbying, campaigning, raising your voice without fear about the issue in a gathering, making the issue top story of your communications, and exchanging views on the social media platforms about the issue.

 

It is all about communicating or talking with those who may have the powers to change lives and things on the grounds to do something, and making sure they act in the interest of those in need. 

 

In fact, in today’s world of digital and online technologies, it has become even more easier than before to support whether through social media platforms or other networking outlets; to engage people in discussions, thoughts and actions to do something.

 

These little or small smart things can make BIG impacts on the lives of sufferers.

 

The above named things are the ones CENFACS would like you to do in order to bring a glimmer of hope to the displaced people around the Lake Chad Basin.  One can think of those kids, displaced in this region, who may not have (even for ever) the opportunity to enjoy education in their life, let alone the fact of being homeless and have lost all your belongings including your family members as a result of continuing conflicts and environmental degradation in the region.

 

What supporting the Lake Chad Basin can achieve: Peace, Food and Water

 

Supporting this highly deserving cause of poverty relief and sustainable development will be a gift to be treasured by those who will receive it as it will help to achieve the following benefits:

 

√ Helping poor displaced families to make a living

√ Restoring agriculture, fishing and livestock which are dying with the shrinkage of the Lake and the conflict-driven region

√ Stopping children and young people for earlier becoming forced fighters and helping them to return to and gain education for peace and sustainable development

√ Enabling farmers to earn a living, to self-help and self-sustain

√ Feeding the hungry displaced persons and amongst them children and women

√ Reducing migration due to climate change, insecurity and financial challenges

Above all, addressing the root causes of the insecurity in the region. 

 

Your support can help refill the Lake Chad with water and bring hope of peace, food, energy and water for the displaced peoples of the Lake Chad Basin, the poor from conflict-affected and climate change-stricken region.

 

Please support TODAY so that we can help the People of Lake Chad Basin who Still Need Support.

 

To discuss and get further details about this appeal, please contact CENFACS at http://cenfacs.org.uk/contact-us/

Thank you for considering delivering on this appeal.

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• CENFACS’ Charity e-Store 

 

CENFACS e-Store is opened for your Summer goods donations and goods purchases.

At this time, many people have been affected by the cost of living crisis mostly driven by the hikes in prices of basic life-sustaining needs (e.g., energy, food, transport, housing, council tax, phone, etc.).

The impacted of the cost of living crisis needs help and support as prices and bills have astronomically gone up while incomes are still the same for many of those living in poverty.

Every season, every month is an opportunity to do something against poverty and hardships.  This Summer too is a good and great season of the year to do it.

You can donate or recycle your unwanted and unneeded goods to CENFACS’ Charity e-Store, the shop built to help alleviate poverty, lift people out of poverty and prevent poverty and hardships.

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

CENFACS’ Charity e-Store needs your support for SHOPPING and GOODS DONATIONS.

You can do something different this Season of Goods Donations by SHOPPING or DONATING GOODS at CENFACS Charity e-Store.

You can DONATE or SHOP or do both:

√ DONATE unwanted GOODS, GIFTS and PRODUCTS to CENFACS Charity e-Store this Summer.

√ SHOP at CENFACS Charity e-Store to support good and deserving causes of poverty relief this Summer.

Your SHOPPING and or GOODS DONATIONS will help to the Upkeep of the Nature and to reduce poverty and hardships exacerbated or brought by the cost of living crisis.

This is what the Season of Giving is all about.

Please do not hesitate to donate goods or purchase what is available at CENFACS e-Store.

Many lives have been threatened and destroyed by the cost of living crisis. 

We need help to help them come out poverty and hardships caused by the cost of living crisis.

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

 

 

 

• Goal of the Season: Reduction of Poverty Linked to the Lack of Happiness

 

Poverty has many forms and features.  One of them is the lack of happiness or life satisfaction.  What is poverty as a lack of happiness?

 

• • Poverty as a Lack of Happiness

 

Being happy can be subjective as happiness can be based on immaterial and or material things.  However, the inability to meet basic life-sustaining needs (like food, energy, fuel, education, shelter, skills, communication, occupation, health, etc.) can make unable people unhappy and sometimes unwell.  If this unhappiness continues, it can become a matter of poverty.  This can necessitate action to deal with it.

 

• • Action to reduce poverty as a lack of happiness

 

During this Season of Happiness at CENFACS, we shall work with the community to explore together steps and ways of helping our members to find happiness and wellness.  We are going to work with them through Happiness Projects and other Summer initiatives we have planned so that they can navigate their way to happiness.

There are many ways in which one can help our community members to find happiness.  So, this season we are going to spend our time with the community by working together to reduce the lack of happiness as poverty.

The above is our poverty reduction goal for the season, which we are asking to our audiences and supporters to help or promote.

 

 

 

•  Zero Income Deficit Campaign: 

How to pass your financial credibility test

 

The lingering effects of the coronavirus and the current cost-of-living crisis are causing a lot of pain to many low income households to the extent that some of them could be suffering from loss of financial credibility.  Loosing financial credibility could mean that one could not be trusted or believed about finances.  This could also impact the zero income deficit trajectory of those who have financial credibility problem.  But, what is financial credibility and why it is so important as far as the Zero Income Deficit Campaign is concerned?

 

• • Understanding financial credibility and its relevancy for Zero Income Deficit Campaign 

 

Using Chambers Combined Dictionary Thesaurus edited by Martin Manser and Megan Thomson (2), credibility is defined in this dictionary thesaurus as

“The quality of being credible [that is, capable of being believed, reliable or trustworthy]” (p. 299)

Referring to the Oxford Dictionary of Finance edited by Brian Butler and Alan Isaacs (3), finance is explained as

“The practice of manipulating and managing money” (p. 107)

If one assembles the two definitions, then financial credibility will mean the quality of being capable of being believed in the practice of manipulating and managing money.  It is the extent to which one can be believed they will properly deal with money.

To have a comprehensive view of financial credibility, it could be better to add the following four cores of credibility as provided by ‘resources.franklincvey.com’ (4), which are: integrity, intent, capabilities and results.

The above definition of financial credibility will be used in our work with both our users and Africa-based Sister organisations.

 

• • Working with the community on financial credibility

 

Economic and financial hardships can push people, especially the income poor, to the verge of loosing or to loose their financial credibility.  At this time of the cost-of-living crisis, those of our lower income community members, who cannot meet the current extremely high cost of the living, may find hard to be believed in matter relating to manipulating money.  This places them in a very difficult position to pursue the policy of zero deficit income.  They need support.

Using credibility theory and practice, we can work with the community on the following:

 

√ to help the members of our community to improve their history of holding financial promises 

√ to keep track with the Zero Income Deficit Campaign

√ to reduce information asymmetry between the members of our community and those who could help them on financial matter

√ to assist these members to translate their financial policy announcements into reality 

√ to mitigate adverse impact of financial reporting credibility

√ to undertake better financial reporting credibility

√ to keep members’ net worth in good shape and reputation

√ to prepare them to pass financial credibility test

Etc.

 

Those members of our community who may be interested in this support, they can contact CENFACS.  Also, for those ones who have stories or problems to share about how they are coping in manipulating and managing money during this cost-of-living crisis, they can share them with us.

 

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

 

Mois de l’analytique 2022

Juillet est le mois de l’analyse du CENFACS car c’est la période de l’année au cours de laquelle nous effectuons le suivi, l’évaluation, l’examen et l’analyse de l’impact de nos programmes et projets.  Grâce à cet exercice, nous analysons ce que nous avons fait au cours des 345 derniers jours, saisissons les résultats et, si possible, capturons les premiers impacts réalisés.

Juillet, c’est le mois d’examen.

C’est le moment où nous examinons ce qui a bien fonctionné, ce qui a mal fonctionné et ce qui n’a pas fonctionné du tout.  Nous le faisons en rassemblant tous les programmes et projets ainsi que les activités qui ont fait l’exercice financier précédent.  C’est ce que nous appelons généralement la rétroaction et l’évaluation d’impact tout-en-un.

Juillet, c’est le mois de donner en retour.

C’est un retour d’information car nous demandons à toutes nos parties prenantes de donner leur avis sur notre travail.  Nous nous attendons à ce qu’ils nous fournissent leurs points de vue et leurs sentiments impartiaux, indépendants, vrais et justes à l’égard de notre travail.

À partir de ce qu’ils ont fait savoir et de ce que nous avons recueilli en tant que données, nous pouvons évaluer ou juger notre performance par rapport aux buts, objectifs et cibles de réduction de la pauvreté et de développement durable que nous avons mis en place au début de l’exercice financier.

Juillet, c’est le mois de plonger dans les chiffres.

C’est aussi le moment de plonger profondément dans les chiffres et d’écouter ce que ces chiffres (données numériques) nous disent si nous avons été sur la bonne voie ou si nous avons couru derrière ou même suivi devant.  Cet exercice nous aide à découvrir des modèles en nombre et réalisés et à repérer les tendances.

Juillet, c’est le mois de savoir si les objectifs ont été atteints.

L’activité d’analyse nous permet également de savoir si nous atteignons nos objectifs et de consacrer du temps et de l’énergie à notre mission principale tout en ajustant et en redéveloppant nos programmes et projets dans une meilleure direction.  Ce faisant, cela nous donne l’occasion de prévoir et de planifier les activités futures tout en renouant avec les parties prenantes et en gérant les nouveaux donateurs.

Pour plus d’informations sur la rétroaction et l’évaluation d’impact tout-en-un ou le Mois de l’analytique du CENFACS, veuillez contacter le CENFACS.

 

 

Main Development

 

• Analytics Month 2022

 

The name of the July game at CENFACS is Impact Monitoring, Evaluation, Review and Analytics.  July is the month during which we conduct our impact monitoring, evaluation, review and analytics of the projects and programmes we delivered during almost last 11 months and 2 weeks.

The contents of the way we are organised to conduct the Analytics Month 2022 are summarised under the following sub-headlines:

Key Words for the Analytics Month

The analytical process within CENFACS

What is CENFACS Analytics Dashboard?

Analytics of Knowledge Year as an Example of Analytical Process within CENFACS

All-in-one Impact Feedback and Assessment for July 2022

Let us look at each of these sub-headlines.

 

• • Key Words for the Analytics Month

 

There are five key words we are using which are: impact, monitoring, evaluation, review and analytics.

 

1) Impact

 

Normally, it takes a considerable amount of time to get the real impact of any intervention, project and programme.  However, because we are talking about finding out what projects and programmes have achieved, it makes sense to clarify what we mean by impact.

To do that, we are going to borrow the definition of impact from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).  The OECD (5) differentiates ex ante impact from ex post impact.  This is what it argues.

“Ex ante impact analysis is the needs analysis and planning activity of the policy cycle.  It is a prospective analysis of what the impact of an intervention might be, so as to inform policy making”.

“Ex post impact assessment is the evaluation and management of the policy cycle.  Evaluation aims to understand to what extent and how a policy intervention corrects the problem it was intended to address.  Impact assessment focuses on the effects of the intervention, whereas evaluation is likely to cover a wider range of issues such as the appropriateness of the intervention design, the cost and the efficiency of the intervention, its unintended effects and how to use the experience from this intervention to improve the design of future generations”.

The above definitions help to understand the scope and scale of the impact of most interventions.

As far as CENFACS is concerned, we will be doing evaluation activities for some programmes and projects; and impact assessments for others.  This is because impact assessment is mostly a theory-based activity and has a narrow and tightly-defined focus.  Where we need to design evaluation questions and use evaluation techniques, we will do evaluation.  Where there is a need for a tightly-defined focus, we will do impact assessment.

We are as well considering that the initiative for change comes from project users or beneficiaries not from CENFACS or CENFACS’ projects or programmes.  This is because the impact analysis model of change we are using is a non-linear one.  Despite this non-linearity of the theory of change used, our impact analysis will still be based on causality and attribution approach.

 

2 & 3) Monitoring and evaluation

 

We are going to use the definition of monitoring and evaluation as given by Kersty Hobson, Ruth Mayne and Jo Hamilton (6) in their “A Step by Step guide to Monitoring and Evaluation”.  They define monitoring as

“the collection and analysis of information about a project or programme undertaken while the project or programme is on-going”. (p. 5)

They also define evaluation as

“the periodic, retrospective assessment of an organisation, project or programme that might be conducted internally or by external independent evaluators”. (p. 5)

From these two definitions, it is understood that monitoring is an on-going process whereas evaluation is a periodic or discrete one.

 

4) Review

 

We have referred to an online source from ‘method123.com’ (7) for the meaning of this fourth key word.  This online source defines review as

“an assessment of the status of a project at a particular point in time”.

From this online perspective, we have been performing a project management review at the end of each phase of our projects and programmes.  We have been verifying whether or not we have met the objectives.  If so, then a decision needed to be approved to proceed to the next project or programme phase.

July is the month we put together all these project reviews conducted while doing the last reviews for those projects and programmes pending for a final review.

 

5) Analytics

 

There are many approaches to analytics.  In the context of our July work, we have selected an explanation from ‘dictionary.com’ (8) which is as follows:

“the patterns and other meaningful information gathered from the analysis of data”.

This kind of analytics will help us to better deliver a user experience for our projects and programmes.

 

• • The analytical process within CENFACS

 

We have been continuously and at discrete points in time tracking what has been happening within our programmes and projects while using the data collected to inform programme and project implementation as well as day-to-day management and decisions during the above named period.  However, in July this monitoring exercise becomes more intense.

Likewise, we have been periodically assessing objectives of our planned, on-going, or completed projects, programmes, or policies.  During these evaluation processes, we have tried to selectively answer specific questions related to the design, implementation, and results of our programmes and projects.

In July, these evaluation activities become further pronounced as we assess what these programmes and projects have achieved in relation to the overall objectives we set up for them.  The results of this evaluation are fed back to improve these programmes and projects, or alternatively to develop new ones.

Still in July, we critically examine, reappraise or reconsider our objectives and policies to achievements, and see if there is any progress or set back.  This review enables us to improve as well.

Throughout the year, we work to finding out, interpret and communicate patterns in data in a meaningful way to the work of CENFACS.  We apply those patterns in our decision making process.  In July, we put extra emphasis on this analytics which becomes very profound.

Briefly, July is the time we do our Summer tracking by reconsidering the value and relevancy of our work, let one the overall state of our charitable work.  It is in this period of the year that we carry out what we call All-in-One Impact Feedback and Assessment.  In other words, we try to listen to our stakeholders while tracking or capturing the early impacts of our work by considering all the pieces together as one.

One of the key tools we use to do our impact analysis is CENFACS Analytics Dashboard.

 

 

• • What is CENFACS Analytics Dashboard?

 

CENFACS Analytics Dashboard is an information management tool that tracks, analyses and displays key performance indicators, poverty reduction diagnostics, poverty relief metrics/dashboards, results from CENFACS’ poverty relief league, etc.

 

• • • What else does CENFACS Analytics Dashboard offer?

 

√ It monitors the health of CENFACS in terms of the relationships of support received to outputs and outcomes generated.

√ It provides as well infographics and summaries about some of the campaigns conducted.

√ It enables to discover and identify poverty reduction problems from the examination of symptoms it helps find.

√ It assists in engineering analytical solutions to the problem of reducing poverty.

√ It finally helps to retrieve information from CENFACS repository about the resources to help users and supporters.

 

For example, during the early stage of the coronavirus pandemic, we used CENFACS Analytics Dashboard to check the health of CENFACS and state of running of CENFACS’ projects and programmes.  This checking enabled us to know the extent to which the coronavirus pandemic affected the running of CENFACS and its services.  Knowing the distributional effects of the coronavirus pandemic on our projects and programmes, this knowledge helped us to reorganise these projects and programmes differently.

For more on CENFACS Analytics Dashboard, please contact CENFACS.

 

• • Analytics of Knowledge Year as an Example of Analytical Process within CENFACS

 

• • • What is the analytics of CENFACS’ Knowledge Year?

 

The analytics or tracking of Knowledge Year is the 6-month analysis and turning of raw data insight for making better decisions in terms of helping to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.  To make this possible, we have created a booklet or journal of creative activities or tasks carried out so far to mark 2022 as a Knowledge Year.  This booklet/journal is also a record of data.

 

• • • Booklet/Journal of 2022 Activities as Knowledge Year: Better learning and knowing the needs of those in need

  

∝ January 2022

 

Activity/Task 1: Knowledge about the consumption needs of those in need

Selected analytics quantitative indicator: Number of food insecure having accessibility, availability, utilisation and stability to food stuffs

 

∝ February 2022

 

Activity/Task 2: Knowledge about how those in need are meeting sustainable development goals

Selected analytics quantitative indicator: Number of energy poor having access to affordable and clean energy

 

∝ March 2022

 

Activity/Task 3: Knowing climate actins that mitigate both adverse impact of climate change and poverty

Selected analytics quantitative indicator: Level of indoor pollution or greenhouse gas concentrations or number of households using polluting stoves

 

∝  April 2022

 

Activity/Task 4: Knowing the kind of protection that the impacted of the rising costs of living need

Selected analytics quantitative indicator: Relief payments or family allowances received by those in need

 

∝  May 2022

 

Activity/Task 5: Knowing the real stories of people in need

Selected analytics qualitative indicator: Homeless’ and street beggars’ stories

 

∝ June 2022

 

Activity/Task 6: Understanding the creative skills of those in need

Selected analytics quantitative and qualitative indicator: ideas produced or products created or existing ideas reorganised in some new way.

 

One can journal, quantify and gain insight of the meaning of the data about the last 6 months of Knowledge Year from this booklet/journal of creative activities and make good decision on how to better help to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

 

• • All-in-one Impact Feedback and Assessment for July 2022

 

This month, we will be conducting three levels of Impact Assessment:

 

(a)  Impact monitoring and evaluation of the programmes and projects we ran in the last financial year

(b) Impact assessment of CENFACS’ Programme of Building Forward Better Together Cleaner, Greener and Safer from the coronavirus

(c) Impact feedback about our XX236.3F Programme.

 

This Impact Assessment will be ex post.  And the evaluation related to this exercise will aim to understand the extent to which and the way in which our projects and programmes corrected the problems of poverty and unsustainable development amongst our intended beneficiaries.

Let us briefly summarise the three levels of impact assessment to be conducted.

 

(a) Impact monitoring and evaluation of the programmes and projects we ran in the last financial year

 

As the title of impact indicates, it will about putting together in the form of one piece of work all the results of monitoring and evaluation activities we have conducted for programmes and projects we ran in the last financial year.

 

(b) Impact assessment of CENFACS’ Programme of Building Forward Better Together Cleaner, Greener and Safer from the coronavirus

 

We are going to seize the impact of Build Forward Better Together Cleaner, Greener and Safer, which is a two-year programme we set up to come out and move forward from the coronavirus.  We shall look at the impact of this programme on our system of poverty reduction, particularly on CENFACS’ 2020s Poverty Reduction Tools and Programme, and Development Agenda.

 

(c) Impact feedback about our XX236.3F Programme

 

Like last year, this year’s All-in-One Impact Feedback and Assessment will be extended to include our XX236.3F programme as we are in the month of Monitoring and Evaluation.

XX236.3F is our 2020 to 2030 to 2063 Follow up Programme.  We are following the implementation of the following:

 

∝ The International Climate Change Agreement (or the Paris Treaty)

∝ The Istanbul Declaration (the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women)

∝ The Maputo Protocol (the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa)

∝ The United Nations 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals

∝ Africa’s Agenda 2063.

 

The five of them make up our XX236.3F programme.

We need to acknowledge that the last three years of Covid-19 have not made and are not making easier to get the impact feedback about our XX236.3F Programme.  Despite this difficulty, we are still conducting this impact feedback and assessment.

In brief, we shall conduct a follow-up and examination, look back and analyse data on the overall projects and programmes delivered during the above stated period, while keeping implementing our XX236.3F programme.

We shall soon publish the programmes and projects making this year’s Analytics.  In meantime, for any enquiries about the Analytics Month 2022, please contact CENFACS.

_________

 

• References

 

(1) https://reliefweb.int/report/chad/lake-chad-basin-humanitarian-snapshot-15-june-2022 (accessed in July 2022)

(2) Chambers Combined Dictionary Thesaurus, Manser, M. and Thomson, (Eds.), Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 1999

(3) Oxford Dictionary of Finance, Butler B. and Isaacs, A. (Eds.), Oxford University Press, Oxford & New York, 1996

(4) https://resources.franklincvey.com/the-speed-of-trust/the-4-cores-of-credibility (accessed in July 2022)

(5) https://www.oecd.org/sti/inno/what-is-impact-assessment-OECDImpact.pdf (accessed in July 2022)

(6) https://www.geog.ox.ac.uk/research/technologies/projects/monitoringandevaluation.html (accessed in July 2022)

(7) https://www.method123.com/initiation-phase-review.php (accessed in July 2022)

(8) https://www.dictionary.com/browse/analytics (accessed in July 2022)

 

_________

 

• 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 CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.

JUST GO TO :Support Causes – (cenfacs.org.uk)

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

Thank you as well to those who made or make comments about our weekly posts.

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2022 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

29 June 2022

 

Post No. 254

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Season of Happiness 2022 in the Context of Rising Costs of Living

• Creative Economic Development Month – In Focus from Wednesday 29/06/2022: Post-pandemic Clean, Green and Safe Creations and Innovations 

• Reduction of Poverty Linked to Desertification and Drought in Africa

 

… And much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

• Season of Happiness 2022 in the Context of Rising Costs of Living

 

2022 Season of Happiness or Life Satisfaction will be largely influenced by rising costs of living.  Indeed, the current costs to make a living have dramatically increased in many countries, including in the UK.  There are rises in the prices of food, energy, water, transport, accommodation, money, etc.  Rising costs, prices and bills can only make people unhappy.  In those circumstances, how can they, especially our users or beneficiaries, find happiness in the context of rising costs of living?

 

• • Working with users to find happiness during this Summer

 

During this Season of Happiness, we shall work with users to help them find out what can satisfy their lives during this challenging time of rising costs of living.  Our work with them will be about implementing existing initiatives while developing new ones that can make them happy or satisfy their lives.

So, our Season of Happiness or Summer of Happiness will be about the following three items:

 

1) How the CENFACS Community can spread happiness between its members to narrow the gap in happiness inequalities

2) How best to help those most in need within the CENFACS Community to feel happy, to achieve successful outcomes despite the current cost-of-living crisis

3) How to create and innovate happiness-enhancing activities and projects to reduce poverty linked to the lack of happiness.

 

Although happiness is about the interplay between gene and environment, it is possible to help the members of CENFACS Community to become happy and feel well.  It is possible to help them overcome inequalities in happiness and achieve well-being.

To do that, we are going to consider what the science of happiness tells us.  We shall as well approach happiness as both an independent and interdependent concept.  In other words, happiness could be a personal or subjective experience for any member of our community.  Happiness can also be a collective participation for any of these members as belonging to a community, the CENFACS Community.  It is in this interaction between happiness as individual practice and happiness as collective experience that they can find their true balance or harmony.

To sum up, during this 2022 Season of Happiness we are going to work with our users so they can have aspects of their life in balance and feel at peace with their life despite the seismic challenge brought by the rising costs of living.

The above is the way in which we would like to approach our 2022 Season of Happiness or Summer of Happiness.  Under the Main Development section of this post, we have provided further details including the projects and programmes making the 2022 Season of Happiness.

 

 

• Creative Economic Development Month – In Focus from Wednesday 29/06/2022: Post-pandemic Clean, Green and Safe Creations and Innovations 

 

Our delivery of the Creative Economic Development Month continues with the featuring of Post-pandemic Clean, Green and Safe Creations and Innovations.  To feature them, we are going to try to understand their meanings and give some highlights about what our Africa-based Sister Organisations are doing in terms of them.

 

 

• • Understanding of Post-pandemic Clean, Green and Safe Creations and Innovations 

 

The following summarises our apprehension of Post-pandemic Clean, Green and Safe Creations and Innovations 

 

• • • Post-pandemic clean creations and innovations

 

Post-pandemic clean creations are about generating new and unique ideas on things that are free from harmful substances or effects to health, life and the nature after the coronavirus period.

Post-pandemic clean innovations are about executing the creative ideas into practice that does not cause harmful fallout or contamination to human life and the nature after the coronavirus period.

Thus, post-pandemic clean creations and innovations are those that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and negative environmental impacts through efficient use of natural and few non-renewable resources.

 

• • • Post-pandemic green creations and innovations

 

Post-pandemic green creations are processes or actions of bringing something into existence and do not or cause less harm to the environment after the coronavirus period.

Post-pandemic green innovations are about making changes in established things without or with less harm to the environment after the coronavirus period.

So, post-pandemic green creations and innovations are those which ensure that natural assets continue to provide the resources and environment services on which human and other beings rely upon.

 

• • • Post-pandemic safe creations and innovations

 

Post-pandemic safe creations are the makings, inventions and productions after the coronavirus period; creations that are based on good reasons and are secure from harm or danger.

Post-pandemic safe innovations are the changes, alterations and reforms introduced after the coronavirus period; innovations that are based on good reasons and are secure from harm or free from danger.

Briefly speaking, the interest in this week of the Creative Economic Development Month is on Post-pandemic Clean, Green and Safe Creations and Innovations that

 

√ Are environment-friendly (that is, they have a small or zero environmental impact) and reduce waste in the nature

√ Lower emissions of greenhouse gas, reduce climate-damaging carbon dioxide emissions, spearhead green energy solutions

√ Increase the share of renewables in the energy mix in the process of creating and innovating for life, work and future

√ Help our members to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

 

 

• • Africa-based Sister Organisations’ Clean, Green and Safe Creations and Innovations

 

There are many clean, green and safe creative and innovative initiatives carried out by our Africa-based Sister Organisations.  Amongst them, we can mention the ecological site run by one of our African partners in Togo.  The initiative included: education and training, growing of young seedlings in greenhouses (e.g. planting peppers in greenhouses and eggplant in new greenhouse), experiment, etc.

This ecological site is an experience of environment-friendly initiative that is aligned with greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals and targets.  It is a good example of how to grow plants without depleting natural resources.

For more information about this initiative and other similar works carried out by our Africa-based Sister organisations, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

• Reduction of Poverty Linked to Desertification and Drought in Africa

 

We are continuing the work on desertification and drought in Africa after the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought held on 17/06/2022 by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (1) under the theme of “Rising up from drought together”.

This week’s work on desertification and drought in Africa, which follows the second e-workshop about constructing and posting p- and e-cards as expressions or ways of dealing with drought, is about finding ways of Reducing Poverty Linked to Desertification and Drought in Africa.

Reducing Poverty Linked to Desertification and Drought in Africa is in itself part of CENFACS’ 2020s Development Agenda and Poverty Reduction Programme (2) whose one of the goals is Goal 7.  Goal 7 is about reducing climate-induced poverty or situational (or transitory) poverty amongst the victims of natural disasters and destructive wars.  Amongst natural conditions and events are desertification and drought in Africa, mostly in arid and semi-arid areas of Africa.

There are several initiatives taken by and on behalf of people suffering from desertification in Africa.  These initiatives include: forest recovery, prevention of soil degradation, re-fertilisation of lands, replanting trees, afforestation, reduction of stress on food producing capacity, improvement in biodiversity, etc.  There are also projects carried out to reduce drought such as reduction in deficits in rainfall, river flow, soil moisture and food.

Beyond these initiatives, we are as well going to look at projects set up and run by our Africa-based Sister Organisations to help their locals to come out poverty linked to desertification and drought in Africa.    An example of these initiatives include irrigation project in Chad with one of CENFACS’ sister organisations working on the ground.

To discuss the reduction of poverty linked to desertification and drought in Africa, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Thank-you Message before our Last Day (30/06/2022) of Thanksgiving to Supporters

 

We would like to take this opportunity to reiterate our thoughts, expressions and feelings of gratitude to all our supporters.

CENFACS is so thankful to have you as supporters and for being with us on the side of those in need, especially during this challenging year of the lingering effects of the coronavirus and the enduring cost-of-living crisis.

Many thanks!

 

 

 

• Digital and Social Media Campaign (Levels 2 and 3) – In Focus: Threats from Online Fraudsters and Scammers to Poverty Reduction

 

In time of crises (like the cost-of-living crisis), there are always malevolent individuals who try to take advantage of the crisis by targeting and exploiting vulnerable and unaware people.  Unfortunately, this sort of malicious practice is happening during the current cost-of-living crisis.  This practice can jeopardize or weaken the building of poverty reduction.

Since the coronavirus pandemic erupted, it has transformed the way we run our lives particularly by forcing every body to embrace digital and online technologies and skills.  Like anybody else, people in need have to rely on digital and online means and skills in order to meet their basic life-sustaining needs and to survive.

However, if one considers what is required to safely run digital and online means, they may find that most people in need cannot afford it.  They do not have enough money to spend on the security requirements (such as anti-virus software, subscription to online insurance policy, adaptation to new technologies, security camera, etc.) to mitigate any digital, online and cyber-security issues.  Fraudsters, scammers and spammers know that and are taking advantage of this gap in security inequalities.

 

• • The extent of cyber-security crimes and digital threats on the poor

 

Cyber criminals, online hackers, fraudsters and internet scammers are using the vulnerability and space left by the coronavirus pandemic and the seismic damages caused by the cost-of-living crisis to launch any sorts of attacks to vulnerable online accounts and poor people, especially those without adequate skills and resources to challenge them  These crimes and malpractices existed before the pandemic; however the coronavirus pandemic and the current cost-of-living crisis have exacerbated or widened a window of opportunities for this behaviour.

Just as there were pandemic malicious websites and scams, there are fraudsters and scammers who are trying to exploit poor people’s ignorance and lack of financial means, and who are engaged in all types of criminal activities such as identity theft, ransom ware, fake employment agencies/offers, dishonest credit card companies, copyright violations, fake funding programmes to support people against the cost-of-living crisis, online privacy breaches, cyber incidents, online interruptions,  critical infrastructure blackouts and all sorts of fraud.

 

• • Advocating for the support of those in need of digital equipment, infrastructures and skills

 

These cyber criminals and online fraudsters are unfriendly to poverty reduction as they have complicated the work of poverty reduction.  Digital threats and attacks are now a BIG ISSUE for both our users in the UK and in Africa.  This is why we are re-activating the levels 2 and 3 of our Digital and Social Media Campaign.  The level 2 is about IT and Online Security while level 3 deals with Digital Infrastructures, Security and Defence.

In this re-activation of the two areas of our campaign, we are asking to our users to extremely stay vigilant when operating online and digitally (e.g. during remote work, filling digital applications, shopping online, paying bills, etc.).

We are as well advocating for the support of those in need of digital equipment and infrastructures (such as anti-virus device or software, online cover policy, etc.) to be considered in any funding programme or policy.

This is because one can notice that some of the funding programmes toward those in need simply ignore this problem of lack digital equipment and security for those in need to express their needs and effectively communicate without cyber-security threats and fear in order to resolve the issue of poverty they are facing.  In this respect, there is a need for cyber and online defences for the poor, those who cannot afford security items such as anti-virus, insurance cover against digital and cyber-security threats and attacks, etc.

The threat and crime levels we are talking about cannot be dealt with free or essential anti-virus software or device as such software or devices are limited in their scope to deal with the matter.

Also, providing online security skills to the poor could be also an option on the table.  To feel comfortable in running a range of online activities and applications without interference by unknown intruder, it requires a good level of online security skills and know-how to challenge any online threats and attacks.

 

• • Extra help and support

 

There are both print and online resources regarding digital and cyber-security threats which can be accessed.   For those who would like to further discuss cyber-security issues and digital defences, they can contact CENFACS.

For further information about CENFACS’ Digital and Social Media Campaign, please also contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

• Consume Less Energy to Reduce Poverty (CLERP)

 

The uncertainty surrounding rising prices of energy (e.g. electricity, gas and water) requires a bold action within the community.  This action is required for two reasons, which are:

a) The UK energy regulator Ofgem (3) will increase the energy price cap from £1,971 to £2,800 in the autumn

b) Energy poor, and amongst them some of the CENFACS Community members, do not have enough income to match rising energy costs, prices and bills.

Because of these two reasons, there is a need to work with the energy poor making our community to find ways of dealing with the energy emergency situation.  One of the ways of working with them is through our new campaign to Consume Less Energy to Reduce Poverty.

 

• • What is Consume Less Energy to Reduce Poverty?

 

CLERP is a six-month energy campaign which is part of CENFACS’ Consume to Reduce Poverty.  CLERP does not replace or undermine the support that energy poor are receiving and will receive from statutory bodies (like the UK Government), energy agencies, energy suppliers, financial institutions, etc. It just adds value to the support they are receiving and will receive.

CLERP is based on the consumption approach rather than on price or income consideration.  It helps to work with energy poor through advice, tips and hints so that they fairly consume energy they need to reduce poverty without wasting part of energy they do not need and cannot afford to pay for.  CLERP as an energy-saving campaign helps as well in terms of saving energy resources in order to drive towards net zero trajectory.

 

• • Working with energy poor and vulnerable via CLERP

 

From the beginning of this Summer to the end of 2022, we shall work with energy poor and vulnerable via CLERP to find ways of reducing unneeded or non-essential energy consumption to reduce their energy bills.  Although, the campaign is for six months, it can be extended if the need still exists within the community.  Also, CLERP needs to be added to the other support or services (e.g. Energy Transition Support Services) we are already providing regarding energy consumption.

To access and or find out more about CLERP, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

 

Mots de remerciement avant le dernier jour (30/06/2022) de remerciement aux supporters

Nous aimerions profiter de cette occasion pour réitérer nos pensées, nos expressions et nos sentiments de gratitude à tous nos suporters et soutiens.

Le CENFACS est très reconnaissant de vous avoir comme soutiens et d’être avec nous aux côtés de ceux ou celles qui sont dans le besoin, en particulier pendant cette année difficile des effets persistants du coronavirus et de la crise du coût de la vie.

Merci bien!

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• Season of Happiness 2022 in the Context of Rising Costs of Living

 

The following items will help to understand the way in which, together with our users, we would like to wish the 2022 Season of Happiness to happen:

 

Rebuilding Season to Happiness Season

What is Summer for CENFACS’ Users and Beneficiaries?

In focus for this Summer: Happiness in the Context of Rising Costs of Living

Preview of 2022 Summer of Happiness and Well-being Programmes.

 

Let us briefly explained these items.

 

• • Rebuilding Season to Happiness Season

 

Jmesci (June Month of Environmental and Sustainable Creative Initiatives) and Arts and Design Project are the projects that have made the last part of Spring 2022 programme.  Both projects make our Creative Economic Development month.

In practice, Jmesci is the project that is ending our Rebuilding or Life Renewal Season to start Happiness Season or Summer of Happiness.  After creating and innovating to build forward better together cleaner, greener and safer as well as to help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development; we are now looking forward to enjoy the sunshine of Summer with Happiness.   We would forward to Summer, although the warm weather has already started.

 

• • What is Summer for CENFACS’ Users and Beneficiaries?

 

Summer is a period of the warm sunny weather that we would like to associate with it at CENFACS.  It is the time of happiness that we all expect, after a long period of full time work and education.  We look forward to a break after such a long time of routine working life, especially as most of CENFACS’ projects and programmes are framed around the school timetable to suit and reflect the needs and living patterns of our users and beneficiaries.  This is despite that the fact that during Summer people are still working to keep their households and the economy running.

 

• • In focus for this Summer: Happiness in the Context of Rising Costs of Living

 

As highlighted in the key messages, our Season of Happiness or Summer of Happiness will be about the following three elements:

 

1) Our capacity to spread happiness between the members of CENFACS Community to narrow the gap in happiness inequalities

2) The help we can provide to those who are in most need within the CENFACS Community to feel happy, to achieve successful outcomes despite the current cost-of-living crisis

3) Our ability to create and innovate happiness-enhancing activities and projects to reduce poverty linked to the lack of happiness.

 

It is possible to help CENFACS’ users overcome inequalities in happiness and achieve well-being.

Therefore, the key note of our theme for Summer of Happiness will be: how to create, enjoy and sustain happiness in the context of rising costs of living.

To support those struggling with the rising costs of living over Summer 2022, we shall work with them so that they can navigate their way to happiness and well-being.  In practical terms, it means that we shall provide Happiness Tips and Hints in the context of rising costs of living.  We will provide them through the following Summer initiatives.

 

• • Preview of 2022 Summer-of-Happiness and Well-being Programmes

 

Summer Programme at CENFACS is mainly made of two sets or broad areas of projects for and with Multi-dimensionally Poor Children, Young People and Families; which consists of:

 

(a) Happiness Projects (Part 1) and

(b) Appeal Projects or Humanitarian Relief to Africa (Part 2).

 

Besides this main Summer seasonal regular feature, we have also planned other initiatives as side menus.  We shall gradually release the contents of these Summer projects as we progress during Summer 2022.

Our development calendar/planner already indicates what is planned for July and August 2022.  However, should anybody want to find out more, they are welcome to contact CENFACS.

 

• • • Summer 2022 Programmes, Projects and Activities (Summer calendar/planner)

 

 

How to Make this Summer 2022 as of Happiness in the Context of Rising Costs of Living

 

July 2022

  

∞ Financial Updates: Financial Management of Crises

How to financially manage crises (e.g. cost-of-living crisis) using your household financial accounts

 

The 2022 Edition of Financial Updates (a CENFACS’ Individual Capacity Building and Development resource for Summer) will provide advice, tips and hints about the processes of planning, organising, directing and monitoring the financial activities and resources of households with a view to working with them to achieve the goal of poverty reduction.

Besides that, the 2022 Financial Updates will update readers about the current financial and economic situation.  The updates will go further in terms of financial and economic advice to build forward better together cleaner, greener and safer.

 

∞ All-in-one Impact Assessment

 

July, which is the Analytics month within CENFACS, is the month to be at CENFACS for those who are working on project and programme impacts.

We will be doing two levels of impact assessment as follows:

1) Our usual July Impact Monitoring, Evaluation, Review and Analytics for projects and programmes that we run in the preceding financial year

2) Impact assessment of the different activities linked to the cost-of-living crisis (e.g. activities to tackle rising prices of food, energy, etc.).

 

∞ Virtual Summer Festival with Seven Days of Development in July

 

In focus for our Summer 2022 Festival will be:

Infrastructures to Reduce Poverty 

To reduce and possibly end poverty, it requires essential infrastructures.  When the coronavirus erupted in 2019, the true scale of the lack of basic health infrastructures together with underinvestment on them was revealed in many parts of the world, including in Africa.

In Africa, the lack of critical infrastructures is even the most noticeable.  The experience of wars and natural disasters in Africa shows that basic infrastructures have always been destroyed and threatened without being rebuilt in most cases.  There is a huge lack of critical infrastructures upon which ordinary people, especially the poor ones, depend on for their daily life and livelihood.

Our Summer 2022 Festival will focus on the basic infrastructures that are necessary and even compulsory to help reduce and possible end poverty.  Infrastructures will be approached from what charitable organisations (like CENFACS) and the people they serve need in order to better help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

 

July – August 2022

 

∞ Children, Young People and Families (CYPFs) Summer Programme (Part I): Appeal Projects

 

Summer humanitarian Appeal projects are a set of projects to help alleviate multi-dimensional poverty experienced by CYPFs during the Summertime.  We normally launch one integrated appeal that brings under one roof these projects.  This year,  we are going to launch selected appeals for most of them with special emphasis on the cost of living.

One of the selected appeals will be about helping CYPFs to be free from distress caused by the cost-of-living crisis in Africa.  The appeal – Distress-free Life from the Cost-of-living Crisis for CYPFs in Africa (DfLECA) – is about helping poor CYPFs to mitigate the negative affects of the cost-of-living crisis in Africa.

Another appeal project that will have a particular attention and that is needed during this period of the cost-of-living crisis is the Iconic Young Carer Project (iYCP). 

 

∞ Children, Young People and Families (CYPFs) Summer Programme (Part II): Happiness Projects

 

Happiness projects are another set of Summer projects making the second part of our Summer Programme.  We shall release more details about Happiness projects in due course.

 

∞ Summer 2022 Run, Play and Vote to Reduce Poverty

 

Our Triple Value Initiatives (Run, Play and Vote) for this year have already kicked off.  Through e-workshops, we have provided some guidance and help about them.  And we are still available to talk to those who need some help.  Those who started them should be half-way through with them.

These activities can be run in hybrid manner; that is in-person or virtual depending on the circumstances of participants.

Since we are already in the middle of the year, half-year actions and results about these activities will be sought from those who are practising them.

We shall ask those who undertook exercises relating Triple-value Initiatives such as e-workshops and recreational activities to report on their actions and results as well.

 

∞ Integration of Le Dernier Carré into Build Forward Better Programme

 

Our four step model of poverty relief (that is the Last Square of Poverty Relief or Le Dernier Carré) will be included in some of the elements of the Summer-of-Happiness Programme.

 

∞ Summer Track, Trip and Trending

 

Track and Trip activities will be run as usual since all the restrictions about the coronavirus have been lifted some months ago.

Regarding Trending activity, we are going to follow the direction of poverty reduction via ecosystem services provided by forests.  In other words, we are going to find out how ecosystem services provided by forests are helping in lifting people out of poverty.

 

The above is just an indicative plan of work for our Summer of Happiness.  This Summer work plan will be reviewed depending on the circumstances and events that may occur as we move throughout the summertime.

We hope you find a happy, helpful and hopeful relief from the above programmes and projects on offer at CENFACS over this Summer!

For details or clarification about the above programmes and projects, including ways of accessing them, please contact CENFACS.

 

Note: Although the above is scheduled for Summer 2022, we may slightly alter our initial plan and or introduce occasional initiatives to cope with the reality of the unpredictability and complexity of development situations (e.g. humanitarian and emergency situations), in which case we shall let you know as early as we can.

_________

 

• References

 

(1) https://www.unccd.int/events/ddd/2022-desertification-and-drought-day (accessed in June 2022)

(2) cenfacs.org.uk/2020/03/11/the-2020s-agenda-and-programme (accessed in June 2022) 

(3) Brearly, J., “The price cap is expected to rise from £1,971 to £2,800 in the autumn”, Select Committees, 24 May 2022, UK Parliament, London

_________

 

• 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 CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.

JUST GO TO :Support Causes – (cenfacs.org.uk)

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

Thank you as well to those who made or make comments about our weekly posts.

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2022 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

22 June 2022

 

Post No. 253

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Research and Development to Create and Innovate Solutions to the Cost-of-living Crisis

• Creative Economic Development Month – In Focus from Wednesday 22/06/2022: Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Respond to the Cost-of-living Crisis

• Coming this Summer: Financial Updates – In Focus for this Year’s Edition: Financial Management of Crises

… And much more!

 

 

 

Key Messages

 

• Research and Development to Create and Innovate Solutions to the Cost-of-living Crisis

 

Without research it would difficult for us to create and innovate solutions or find possible answers to problems that face our users; problems exacerbated by the current challenge posed by the rising cost of living.  Likewise, without the development of ideas to respond the cost-of-living crisis, it would be difficult to come out this crisis.

Research and development are at the heart of everything we do at CENFACS.  We research into new ideas to better help reduce poverty amongst our users in the community and Africa-based Organisations making part of our area of operation in Africa.  We investigate as well into new ways of applying new facts and information to better help reduce poverty and hardships amongst the same beneficiaries.

The two interlinked functions (that is, research and development) within CENFACS are vital in the process of reducing poverty and enhancing sustainable development.  Although they are linked, they can also be looked at separately from the perspective of management.

Concerning the research function within CENFACS, we would like to let you know that we are currently researching into income elasticity within our community members’ demand for staple foods during this time of rising food prices.  The research will enable us to find out if this elasticity is higher or low or moderate.  We are as well study the share of food expenditure in total household expenditure of our community members.  The two pieces of research work are applied ones.

Regarding the development function within CENFACS, we would like to inform you that this function helps us to develop existing products, services and activities.  The function enables us to build model to check or test the feasibility of any products or services designed. Furthermore, the development function helps to initiate change of systems in CENFACS, to adapt and positively respond to changes in the poverty reduction market, to continue to develop poverty reduction model, to increase communication, etc.

So, the key message is Creative Economic Development Month is also about research and development.  It is a month to invent or create new products and services while developing or improving existing ones to make helpful difference to our users and fill gaps in the poverty reduction market.

Under the Main Development section of this post, we have provided further details about this first key message, and the focus on the current research and development trending, which is: Create and Innovate Solutions to the Cost-of-living Crisis.

 

 

• Creative Economic Development Month – In Focus from Wednesday 22/06/2022: Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Respond to the Cost-of-living Crisis

 

Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Respond to the Cost-of-living Crisis are another trending activity we have planned for our Season of Rebuilding and Month of Creative Economic Development for this week.  In this activity, we are interested in creations and innovations that develop long-lasting products and services to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations will be approached here as follows:

 

Understanding the Cost-of-living Crisis

Post-pandemic Creations to Respond to the Cost-of-living Crisis

Post-pandemic Innovations to Respond to the Cost-of-living Crisis

How CENFACS Can Create and Innovate with the Community to Respond to the Cost-of-living Crisis.

 

Let us each of these items that make this approach.

 

• • Understanding the Cost-of-living Crisis

 

Our understanding of the cost-of-living crisis comes from the Institute for Government (1).  The latter defines the cost of living crisis as

“The fall in real incomes (that is, adjusted for inflation and tax) that the UK has experienced since late 2021.  It is being caused by a combination of high inflation outstripping wage increases and upcoming tax increases that have squeezed incomes for many households”.

If wages and other incomes (such as benefits and pensions) are failing to keep pace with rising prices or inflation; then there is a need to help and support those who are not able to meet the rise in the cost of living.  Amongst those who are unable to meet this rise are CENFACS’ Community members.

To support and work with those members of the CENFACS’ Community who are failing to meet their cost of living, we have identified some key areas of response/work with them, as the following notes show.

 

• • Post-pandemic Creations to Respond to the Cost-of-living Crisis

 

Post-pandemic creations are the makings, inventions and productions during and after the cost-of-living crisis; creations that help to respond to the cost-of-living crisis.

 

• • Post-pandemic Innovations to Respond to the Cost-of-living Crisis

 

Post-pandemic innovations are the changes, alterations and reforms introduced during and after the cost-of-living crisis; innovations that assist in responding to the cost-of-living crisis.

The creations and innovations in which we are interested in the context of CENFACS’ Creative Economic Development Month would be those that help our members to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

 

• • How CENFACS Can Create and Innovate with the Community to Respond to the Cost-of-living Crisis

 

Those in need like CENFACS‘ Community members may not avoid the cost-of-living crisis; but they can work with CENFACS so that together we can find way of responding to this crisis.  Amongst the responses, we can mention the following ones which will depend on whether the emphasis is put on creations or innovations or both, as well as they will be contingent on the results of the distributional analysis of the effects of the cost-of-living crisis.

 

• • • Working with the Community on Creations to Respond to the Cost-of-living Crisis

 

Together with the community, we can create…

 

√ On the way to translate their needs into project proposals in order apply for financial support to finance these needs

√ To adapt and adjust behaviour and lifestyle within the community so that the members making our community can live within their means and budgets

√ To find new services and products to meet the needs relating to the cost-of-living crisis

√ To spend money differently to meet the cost-of-living crisis

√ To save and audit their accounts to avoid negative balances

√ To reduce debt and renegotiate it under the terms that match the situation of the cost-of-living crisis

Etc.

 

• • • Working with the community on innovations to respond to the cost-of-living crisis

 

Together with the community, we can innovate…

 

√ To factor higher prices in any household budget planning

√ Ways of better budgeting resources and expenses

√ To reduce digital exclusion that can exacerbate the distributional impacts of the cost-of-living crisis

√ To reduce the adverse impacts of the cost-of-living crisis on CENFACS beneficiaries

√ To empower digitally vulnerable users and develop their online skills (e.g. soft skills to deal with cash less or digitally enabled payment methods) that can enhance their chance to raise income

√ To guide CENFACS Community in order to stop fraudsters and scammers to target vulnerable members of this community

√ To cut back on non-essential spending

Etc.

 

The above mentioned creation and innovation activities will support the community, particularly the section of this community who needs most support.  By working together through creations and innovations, we can bring CENFACS even more closer to the community its serves, the low-income users.

The above notes are about Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Respond to the Cost-of-living Crisis.  For any further details about these notes and Creative Economic Development Month, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

• Coming this Summer: Financial Updates – In Focus for this Year’s Edition: Financial Management of Crises

How to financially manage crises (e.g. cost-of-living crisis) using your household financial accounts

 

In this year’s edition of Summer Financial Updates (SFU), we shall provide advice, tips and hints about the processes of planning, organising, directing and monitoring the financial activities and resources of households with a view to working with them to achieve the goal of poverty reduction.

The 2022 Edition of SFU, which will be about applying the general management principles to financial resources of our users’ households in order to reduce poverty, will also highlight ways of handling the cost-of-living crisis using the financial tools that are at households’ disposal. 

Many of our users do not know these tools exist for them.  Through the 2022 Edition of SFU, we shall share with them these tools and how they can effectively and efficiently handle them in order to reduce poverty.

It is important to financially better manage households, especially at this time of the cost-of-living crisis.

For those members of our community who may interested in the 2022 Edition of SFU, they are welcome to enquire to CENFACS  about it.

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

 

• Thanksgiving Days: Supporters’ Days (27 to 30 June 2022)

 

The last week of June is a thanksgiving one in accordance to CENFACS development calendar.  From 27 to 30 June 2022, 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 Days or Supporters’ Days?

 

These are Special Days of Thank You 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 from 27 to 30 June 2022 in order to keep our tradition.

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

These thanking ways may include the following:

 

√ 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 and technologically animated thank-you messages

√ Doing creative and design works symbolising thank you

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

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

Etc.

 

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 coronavirus and the cost-of-living crisis.

Your invaluable support has meant a lot for our programme 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, especially at these challenging times of the side effects of the coronavirus followed by the cost-of-living crisis.

For further details, please contact CENFACS’ Thanksgiving-End-of-June-2022 Team.

 

 

 

• Distress-free Life from the Cost-of-living Crisis for Children, Young People and Families in Africa

 

Distress-free Life from the Cost-of-living Crisis for Children, Young People and Families in Africa is one of the Summer Appeal projects making the first part of our Summer Programme, which will be published soon.  This appeal has been already launched.

The appeal is about supporting children, young people and families (CYPFs), in places in Africa where there is already high level of poverty, who cannot cope with the mounting pressure and damaging effects of the cost-of-living crisis.  The cost-of-living crisis hits everybody and perhaps every part of the world, but its distributional effects are not the same, especially for those who are already living in poverty.

Supporting this appeal means helping CYPFs to minimise and mitigate the impacts of cost-of-living crisis on them. Your support will help to reduce the risks and impacts that the cost-of-living crisis can make in terms of tragedy, intergenerational poverty, etc.  One can think of a child or young person without any dreams and expectations, what will be his/her future, especially in countries (like Burkina Faso or Mali) where there is deterioration of security conditions in conflict-affected areas.

Can you help this child?  Yes or No!

If you say yes; then…

√ You can help that child to dream and expect for a better life and future. 

√ You can help stop the cost-of-living crisis to become a structural constraint and handicap for that child.

√ You can help stop the cost-of-living crisis to create lifelong adverse impacts on children and young people.

√ You can help stop children’s and young people’s lives being reduced back below the poverty line.

√ You can stop the lost generation of the cost-of-living crisis to happen in Africa.

To make the above happen, support Distress-free Life from the cost-of-living crisis for Children, Young People and Families in Africa.

You can find further highlights of this appeal and ways of supporting at: cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

 

 

 

• Arts and Design Project –

In Focus: Unknown and Unnamed Artists and Designers of Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development with the example of Young Creators and Innovators

 

Artists and designers play an active role in helping to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.  So, this week we are working on some of the works carried out by artists and designers especially those from small scale and charitable backgrounds, the local arts and design products and services undertaken by local people and communities sometimes to make ends meet.

These kinds of work can include the following:

√ Those carried out by poor families, children, young people and those who are left out of the economic growth or upturn

√ There are works undertaken by unknown and unnamed artists and designers who may be amateurs or not professionals or not just celebrities. 

Every year, we try to find out unknown and unnamed artists and designers, as part of Arts and Design Project.  This finding exercise helps to know and name them.

All these small pieces of art and design works can help relieve poverty and enhance the process of sustainable development.  They can help to positively respond to the cost-of-living crisis.

 

•  •  Example of Unknown and Unnamed Artists and Designers: Young Creators and Innovators

 

Some Young Creators and Innovators can be classified as unknown and unnamed artists and designers. 

 

Who are they?

 

They are of all sorts of talents and abilities who can create and innovate to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.  They can as well help to build forward better together cleaner, greener and safer.  Their works can help reduce poverty induced by the cost-of-living crisis while keeping the progress of the realisation of sustainable development goals.  They could be the finders of the today’s solutions for tomorrow’s problems.

So, this week we are continuing our Arts and Design project by looking at the contribution that unknown and unnamed artists and designers, and amongst them are Young Creators and Innovators, who are helping in reducing poverty and hardships as well as in enhancing sustainable development.

If you are a young creator and/or innovator and has some feeling that you would probably fall under the category of unknown and unnamed artists and designers, CENFACS would like to hear from you as well as your creative or innovative work.

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

 

 

Jours d’action de remerciements (du 27 au 30 juin 2022)

La dernière semaine de juin est une semaine d’action de grâces conformément au calendrier de développement du CENFACS.  Ce faisant, du 27 au 30 juin 2022, nous remercierons tous nos supporters (actuels et passés).

Nous aimerions profiter de la fin du mois de juin pour les remercier (et vous si vous êtes l’un(e) d’entre eux/elles) d’avoir aidé le CENFACS À AMÉLIORER ET À MAINTENIR LES LIBERTÉS ET LES CAPACITÉS EN TRAVAILLANT EN ALLIANCE AVEC LES POPULATIONS LOCALES POUR DÉVELOPPER DES INITIATIVES DURABLES.

Qu’entendez-vous par Jours de remerciement ou Jours des supporters?

Ce sont des journées spéciales de remerciement que nous aimerions dédier à tous ceux ou celles qui ont contribué à notre travail pour tout type de soutien qu’ils (elles) nous ont apporté au cours de cet exercice financier.  Cette consécration a normalement lieu la dernière semaine de et avant la fin du mois de juin.

Pour cette année, des Journées de remerciement auront lieu du 27 au 30 juin 2022 afin de maintenir notre tradition.

Alors que nous sommes dans le Mois du développement économique créatif et l’Année de la connaissance du CENFACS, nous trouverons toutes sortes de moyens créatifs, innovants et communicatifs de remercier nos précieux soutiens et bailleurs de fonds.

Ces moyens de remerciement peuvent inclure les éléments suivants:

√ Converser avec nos supporters par téléphone

√ Signer et leur envoyer des impressions de remerciement ou des cartes électroniques

√ Leur raconter les histoires ou les résultats sur les personnes et les communautés qu’ils ont aidées grâce à leur soutien

√ les envoyer des courriers électroniques, des SMS et tweeter avec des messages de gratitude

√ Raconter et partager des histoires de remerciement

√ Jouer et écouter avec eux de la musique et des chansons de remerciement

√ Création et lecture de vidéos et de films de remerciement

√ Redonner à eux en donnant de notre temps pour la cause qui leur tient à cœur

√ Entreprendre un service de traduction gratuit (le français vers l’anglais et vice versa)

√ Lire des poèmes et de la poésie africaine

√ Leur envoyer des messages de remerciement numériques et technologiquement animés

√ Faire des travaux créatifs et de dessin symbolisant le merci

√ Envoi d’objets conçus et fabriqués à la main et d’artisanat de reconnaissance

√ Passer des appels vidéo si nous ne pouvons pas avoir de contact en personne avec eux

Etc.

Si vous êtes l’un des soutiens du CENFACS, nous aimerions vous faire savoir que les Journées de remerciement au CENFACS sont vos journées.  N’hésitez pas à nous contacter si vous n’avez pas de nouvelles de nous par erreur.

Nous vous accueillerons; nous allons renouer avec vous et vous remercier à cette occasion pour la différence utile que vous avez faite pour nos bénéficiaires de travail et de projets, et pour être avec nous aux côtés de ceux ou celles qui sont dans le besoin, en particulier pendant cette année difficile des effets continus du coronavirus et de la crise du coût de la vie.

Votre soutien inestimable a beaucoup compté pour les bénéficiaires de notre programme et de nos projets au cours de cet exercice financier.

Nous tenons à vous exprimer toute notre sincère gratitude pour nous avoir aidés à réduire la pauvreté, en particulier en ces temps difficiles des effets secondaires du coronavirus suivis de la crise du coût de la vie.

Pour plus de détails, contactez l’équipe ‘Jours d’action de grâce de fin juin 2022′ du CENFACS.

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• Research and Development to Create and Innovate Solutions to the Cost-of-living Crisis

 

To create and innovate solutions to the cost-of-living crisis, we need research and development.  Research and development help to find ideas and tools to drive creation and innovation.  But, what are research and development?

To understand research and development, we are going to consider the following items:

 

Understanding the concepts of research and development

Research and Development within CENFACS

Researching into income elasticity demand of food during this time of rising food prices

Study of the share of food expenditure in total household expenditure during this time of rising food prices

 

• • Understanding the concepts of research and development

 

There are many ways of conceptualising research and development.  In the context of these notes, we have selected the following definitions.

Christopher Pass at al (2) define research and development as

“Any scientific investigation leading to the discovery of new techniques and products (INVENTION) and their commercial application (INNOVATION), together with the refinement and improvement of existing technologies and products” (p. 454)

Their definition, which is an economic one, focuses on the types of research and development conducted by business entities.  It can be extended to include not for profit organisations.

Besides the above definition, we are appealing to what the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (3) states, which is

“Research and experimental development (R&D) comprise creative and systematic work undertaken in order to increase the stock of knowledge – including knowledge of humankind, culture and society – and to devise new applications of available knowledge (p. 2)

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development argues that

“For an activity to be an R&D activity, it must satisfy five core criteria.  The activity must be: novel, creative, uncertain, systematic and transferable and/or reproducible.  All five criteria are to be met, at least in principle, every time an R&D activity is undertaken whether on a continuous or occasional basis”.

Alongside these five criteria, the kinds of R&D activities in which we are interested would be those that help to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

 

• •  Research and Development within CENFACS

 

The functions of research and development (R&D) are important one within CENFACS.  This is because we can only help to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development if we are able to undertake research and develop solutions together with local people to poverty reduction and to the enhancement of sustainable development.  In this respect, the kinds of research and development work we do are related to the core activities of poverty reduction and sustainable development.

In the context of this year’s Creative Economic Development Month, we are undertaking two types of applied research projects, which are:  income elasticity of demand for staple products and the share of food expenditure in total household expenditure for the members of the CENFACS Community.  This is the general scope of our research and development work for this month.

Let us highlight these two research projects.

 

 

• • Income elasticity of demand for staple products during this time of rising food prices

 

The aim of this applied research project is to find out if the fall in real income of CENFACS Community members (as result of the hike in the cost of living) is leading these members to spend more or less on staple products or basic foodstuffs (e.g. bread, sunflower oil, potatoes, etc.).

For example, because of the Ukraine war the price of 1 litre of Vita D’or sunflower oil has dramatically increased.  It is £1.65 in Lidl at the time of composing these notes.  Bearing in mind that Lidl is a budget food store, it could cost even more in other food stores or supermarkets.

This aim of our applied research project can be translated into economic terms as the income elasticity of demand for staple products.  This elasticity is a measure of the degree of responsiveness of demand for any staple products to a given change in income.

The findings from this applied research project will enable us to quantify if their demand is income elastic or inelastic or neutral as well as to know how the rising food prices are affecting them.

 

 

• • Share of food expenditure in total household expenditure during this time of rising food prices

 

The aim of this study is to find out economic vulnerability and resilience from the members of our community concerning their ability to have a basket of food with minimum recommended nutritional intake.

As the World Food Programme (4) puts it

“The food expenditure share (FES) is an indicator used to measure households economic vulnerability.  The higher the share of households’ expenditure on good out the total expenditure, the more vulnerable the households are to food insecurity”

Depending on households, food expenditure can be flexible whereas other household expenses could be fixed for a period.  For example, rent, utility bills, council tax, etc. could be fixed for the duration of rental agreement.  However, at the time of the cost of living crisis characterised by interest rate at 1.25% and inflation at around 9% in the UK; most of the prices and bills, including those of food, have gone up.

Rising food prices may affect the share of food expenditure in total household expenditure for many households, including our users.  The study will help to know how vulnerable and resilient our members of the community are in face of rising commodity prices and inflation.  The findings of this study will as well enable to create and innovate ways of working with the community following the emerging needs that the study will generate.

For further details and or enquiries about these Research and Development activities, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

_________

 

• References

 

(1) https://www.institutefor government.org.uk/explainers/cost-living-crisis (accessed in June 2022)

(2) Pass, C., Lowes, B. & Davies, L., (1988), Collins Dictionary of Economics, HarperCollins Publishers, London Glasgow

(3) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Frascati Manual 7.0, Chapter 2, The full Frascati Manual and current and upcoming online at http://oecd/frascati (accessed in June 2022)

(4) https://resources.vam.wfp.org/data-analysis/quantitative/food-security/food-expenditure-share (accessed in June 2022)

_________

 

• 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 CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.

JUST GO TO :Support Causes – (cenfacs.org.uk)

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

Thank you as well to those who made or make comments about our weekly posts.

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2022 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

15 June 2022

 

Post No. 252

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Creative Economic Development Month – In Focus from Wednesday 15/06/2022: Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Tackle Food Price Increases

• The Internally Displaced People of Rutshuru Need Help: June 2022 Humanitarian Relief Appeal

• Coming this Summer: FACS Issue No. 76 to be entitled as Food Security in Africa: Africa-based Sister Organisations Can Make It Happen

 

… And much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

• Creative Economic Development Month – In Focus from Wednesday 15/06/2022: Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Tackle Food Price Increases

 

Our Season of Rebuilding and Month of Creative Economic Development continue with Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Tackle Food Price Increases.

A number of solutions to the current food crisis has been proposed by various people and organisations.  Amongst these proposals are creations and innovations.  Create and innovate to tackle increases in food prices or what some call ‘agflation’ could be one of the most effective and efficient ways of addressing food crisis not only for now but also for the future.

To understand the point we have just made, these notes about this week’s contents for Creative Economic Development Month provide some clues about the types of creations and innovations we may need to develop together with the community in order to tackle rising food prices.

The notes are mainly about what CENFACS and the community can do together in terms of creations and innovations in order to tackle rising food prices and avoid further food poverty or any other type of poverty that may be induced by rising food prices within our community.

Briefly, the key message here is let us create and innovate to tackle rising food prices.  Under the Main Development section of this post, there is further explanation about this first key message.

 

 

 

• The Internally Displaced People of Rutshuru Need Help: June 2022 Humanitarian Relief Appeal

 

“With 5.6 million IDPs [Internally Displaced People], the Democratic Republic of Congo is home to the largest internal displacement situation in Africa” said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Canada (1).

 

The same UNHCR Canada argues that

 

“At least 170,000 civilians have been displaced, often repeatedly since an escalation of fighting in eastern DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) [re-started] from November 2021“.

 

Likewise, the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (2) jointly argue that

 

“In the Democratic Republic of Congo, 25.9 million people are projected to face crisis or worse (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Phase 3 or above) levels of acute food insecurity, including 5.4 million people in Emergency (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Phase 4), between January and June 2022.  The recent escalation in conflicts and population movements as well as increasing food prices, could increase the magnitude and severity of acute food insecurity especially in eastern provinces” (p. 14)

 

Internally Displaced People (IDPs) are now the BIG issue in North Kivu province of DRC, particularly in Rutshuru and Kiwanja Territories with high number of IDPs.

This displacement situation not only raises concern in terms of numbers, but also poses a threat or risk of humanitarian catastrophe if it derails.  Amongst these IDPs are the People of Rutshuru who Need Help.  They have been displaced and driven from their homes as they fleeing from violence as well as the fight between regular Congolese and irregular forces in their territories.

This is why CENFACS is making this Appeal, Peace Appeal for Rutshuru Territory of the North-eastern DRC.

It is an appeal to support internally displaced peoples (that is, women, men and children) who have driven from their homes and lands because of violence and deadly fight between regular Congolese and irregular forces  in the Rutshuru Territory of the north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

 

• • What is happening in Rutshuru

 

Recently, there has been escalation in deadly conflicts and population movements in Rutshuru Territory in North Kivu, DRC.  As a result of cycle of violence and displacement,

 

people are fleeing their homes

children have been separated from their families

women and girls have exposed to sexual violence

fields and shops have been looted and abandoned.

 

Homes, fields, livestock and other infrastructures have been destroyed as well as human rights have been violated as the crisis goes on. Many people have been displaced, made homeless and are seeking for refuges in neighbouring villages and towns such as Busanza, Jomba, Mungo, Musenzera, Bugusa, etc.  This situation can only create further poverty for the victims of this violence.

 

• • Situational poverty data that speak for the peoples of Rutshuru

 

According to local sources and organisations,

 

√ Over 2,900 vulnerable people need assistance in the form of blankets, sleeping mats, soap and other household essentials

√ There are risks of cholera, malaria and other diseases among the IDPs

√ There is a lack of access to food and clean water

√ People have lost all their belongings as they have been fleeing to save their lives.

 

• •  What CENFACS wants you to do: Provide a Peace-Giving Gift

 

CENFACS wants you to create a magic by providing Peace-Giving Gift to the IDPs and victims of this insecurity and violence without giving money.  How?

We are appealing to you to try to do something different about what is happening in the Rutshuru Territory of the north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, so that the poor civilians can enjoy sustainable peace and internally displaced people can safely return to their homes and lands.

We often argue that there are always some little things one can do to create a BIG change or simply to try to change a very complex situation on the grounds without sometimes giving money, although there is a say that Money is King. 

These little things include the following:

 

√ Talking to someone who has influence on what is happening on the ground can change life

√ Networking, campaigning, responding to a petition, and so on can make a life-saving impact

√ A phone/video call or a mobile phone text message or even a tweet or a video record can save millions of lives  

√ Raising your voice without fear about the crisis in the Rutshuru Territory of the north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo at a peace talks or rallies

√ Having online chat about possible ways out about this crisis

√ Spreading the news in your social networks and contacts about the issue

√ Having some thoughts about what is happening in Rutshuru Territory of the north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and on practical ways of helping

Etc.

 

CENFACS hopes you will act NOW NOT LATER upon this June 2022 humanitarian appeal and create the magic of Peace-Giving Gift without giving money so that the sufferers in Rutshuru Territory of the north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo can navigate their way to sustainable and inclusive peace.

 

• • Contacting CENFACS about this Appeal

 

You can contact CENFACS to discuss or talk about this appeal at http://cenfacs.org.uk/contact-us/

 

Please ACT NOW NOT LATER.

 

Thank you for considering delivering on this appeal.

 

 

 

• Coming this Summer: FACS Issue No. 76 to be entitled as Food Security in Africa: Africa-based Sister Organisations Can Make It Happen

 

Abstract 

 

Food security continues to be a serious challenge for many people in Africa.  According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations et al. (3),

“The number of severely food insecure people rose from 203.6 millions to 283.7 millions between 2014/2016 and 2018/2020 in Sub-Saharan Africa (including Sudan)”.

At this time of food crisis exacerbated by the invasion of Russia in Ukraine which has increased food prices, the above mentioned number could have further increased.  Africa has been challenged with its imports of cereals and fertilizers from Ukraine ports in the Black seas.

To address, create and innovate food security in Africa; it requires a multi-stakeholder perspective.  Within this multi-stakeholder perspective, the 76th Issue will focus on the contribution that CENFACS‘ Africa-based Sister Organisations can make for food security to happen in Africa, at least in their areas of operation.   In this respect, the 76th Issue gives attention to efforts deployed by CENFACS‘ Africa-based Sister Organisations in helping to bring food security in those areas.

In the above said focus, the 76th Issue uses agency-led approach as it considers individuals’ inputs in the process that shape their food systems.  It refers as well to sustainability-oriented approach as its includes the three dimensions (i.e. economic, social and environmental) in food security.

The 76th Issue, which looks at the effects of food crisis on food security, deals with the four dimensions of food security as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (4), which are: food availability, food access, food utilisation and stability.  Far from being a simple description of these dimensions, the 76th Issue puts them in the context of those in need, the food insecure.

To make food security a matter of reality rather than a dream only, the 76th Issue combines theories and data relating to the problem of food security faced by those in most need of food.  The Issue then goes on from food coping strategies to exploring ways through which the food poor can navigate in order to achieve the goal of food security.

Food security can be created and innovated.  To put this into perspective, the 76th Issue leads its readers by showing ways of creating and innovating food security, especially at this challenging time of the cost-of-living crisis.

Finally, since one cannot speak about food security without talking about food poverty, the 76th Issue provides some good insights into the relationship between security and poverty around the concept of food.

To read more about this Summer Issue, please keep checking on CENFACS incoming posts this Summer 2022.  To reserve a paper copy of this 76th Issue of FACS, please contact CENFACS with your mailing details.

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Spring Project of Building Forward Better from the Coronavirus (SPBFBC): Only One Week to Go!

 

You can help…

 

1) Rebuild resilient critical infrastructures, facilities and livelihoods required for the functioning of COVID-19 stricken people and communities in Africa

2) Restore basic life-sustaining health, economic and environmental assets, systems and activities of COVID-19 affected people and communities as well as align them to greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals and targets.

 

You can DONATE, PLEDGE AND MAKE A GIFT AID DECLARATION for any amount as a way of supporting the SPBFBC.

To donate, gift aid and or support differently, please contact CENFACS.

For further information about project aim, objectives, beneficiaries and outcomes; please go to: cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

 

 

 

• Arts and Design Project

e-Workshop 2: Making and Sending a p-Card or e-Card to Support World Desertification and Drought Day 2022 on 17 June

 

We are continuing with our e-workshops 1 and 2 about Making and Sending a p-Card or e-Card Expressing ‘Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature’ or ‘Rising up from Drought Together’

The first e-workshop related to this project for this year has been to construct and post e-cards or e-objects expressing the theme of “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature”.  The construction would echo the World Environmental Day’s celebratory theme held on 05/06/2022.

The second e-workshop is about constructing and posting the similar cards as expressions or ways of dealing with drought to resonate the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought on 17/06/2022.  The theme of 2022 Desertification and Drought Day is “Rising up from drought together”.

One can seize this occasion to construct and post a p-card (paper card) and/or e-card (electronic card) as expressions or ways to feature the theme of “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature” relating to World Environment Day, and/or the theme of “Rising up from drought together” linked to the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.

One can follow the card design criteria we published last week for Arts and Design e-workshop 1, and design their p-card or e-card.

So, those who wish and want can design and post an e-card or e-object to feature the theme and focus of Desertification and Drought Day 2022.

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

To find out more about Desertification and Drought Day 2022, please go to: https://www.unccd.int/events/ddd/2022-desertification-and-drought-day  (2022 Desertification and Drought Day | UNCCD)

 

 

 

• Zero Income Deficit Campaign: Activities Mid-year Review

 

We are almost at the middle of our Zero Income Deficit Campaign (ZIDC) for this year.  As a result, we are conducting a mid-year review about the activities so far carried out regarding this campaign.

 

• • What this mid-year review  is about

 

It is a discussion of the quality of activities organised as part of the campaign.  It is also an opportunity for us to know where participants to the campaign stand in terms of the application of advice, tips and hints given and received through these activities.  It is finally an occasion to know if anyone needs help and support.

 

• • What are these activities we are talking about?

 

They are:

 

√ Setting up the aim of the campaign, which is the reduction of inter-generational poverty

√ Owning the campaign aim (owned by users)

√ Reduction of excess of liabilities over assets

√ Budgeting income and expenses

√ Tracking your household incomings  and outgoings

and √ Dealing with household accounts as implements for family management.

 

For those who have some information to feed regarding these activities or those who would like us go over any of these activities with them, they can let us know.  Please feel free to get in touch with CENFACS if you want to know more about this mid-year review.

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

 

Campagne sur le déficit de revenu zéro : L’évaluation de milieu d’année des activités

Nous sommes presqu’au milieu de notre campagne de déficit de revenu zéro  pour cette année.  En conséquence, nous procédons à un examen des activités menées jusqu’à présent dans le cadre de cette campagne.

De quoi parle cette évaluation?

Il s’agit d’une discussion sur la qualité des activités organisées dans le cadre de la campagne.  C’est aussi l’occasion pour nous de savoir où se situent les participants à la campagne en termes de conseils, d’astuces et de tuyaux donnés à travers ces activités.  C’est enfin savoir s’ils ont besoin d’aide et de soutien.

De quelles activités parle-t-on?

Ce sont les suivantes:

√ Mettre en place l’objectif de la campagne, qui est la réduction de la pauvreté intergénérationnelle

√ Appropriation de l’objectif de la campagne par les utilisateurs

√ Réduction de l’excédent de passif sur l’actif

√ Budgétisation des revenus et des dépenses

√ Suivi et contrôle des entrées et des sorties de vos comptes des ménages

√ Gestion de comptes des ménages en tant qu’outils de gestion familiale.

Pour ceux/celles qui ont des informations à nourrir concernant ces activités ou ceux/celles qui voudraient que nous passions en revue l’une de ces activités avec eux/elles, ils/elles peuvent nous le faire savoir.  N’hésitez pas à contacter le CENFACS si vous souhaitez en savoir plus sur ce sujet.

 

 

Main Development

 

• Creative Economic Development Month – In Focus from Wednesday 15/06/2022: Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Tackle Food Price Increases

 

To enable our users and supporters to understand how we are going to approach this week’s work focus on  Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Tackle Food Price Increases, we have grouped our notes under the following headlines:

Key Concepts

Post-pandemic creations to tackle food prices increases

Post-pandemic innovations to tackle food price increases

How CENFACS can create and innovate with the community to tackle food price increases

 

Let us look at what is inside these headings.

 

• • Key Concepts

 

There are two concepts we would like to highlight before creating and innovating to tackle food price increases, conecpts which are: Food Price Index  and Inflation-adjusted Food Price Index.

Our understanding of these two concepts come from their definitions as given by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

 

(a) Food Price Index

 

According to the FAO (5),

“Food price index consists of the average of 5 (meat, dairy, cereals, vegetable oils and sugar) commodity group price indices, weighted with the average export shares of each of the groups for 2014-2016: in total 95 price quotations considered by FAO commodity specialists as representing the international prices of the food commodities are included in the overall index.  Each sub-index as weighted average of the price relative of the commodities included in the group with the base period price consisting of the averages for the years 2014-2016”.

The same FAO (op. cit. ) argues that

“The FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) average 157.4 points in May 2022, down 0.9 points (0.6 percent) from April, making the second consecutive monthly decline, though still 29.2 points (22.8 percent) above its value in the corresponding month last year.  The drop in May was led by declines in the vegetable oil and dairy price indices, while the sugar price index also fell to a lesser extent.  Meanwhile, cereal and meat price indices increased” (p. 158)

Briefly speaking, the FFPI is defined  as

“A measure of the monthly change in international prices of basket of food commodities.  It consists of the average of five commodity group price indices weighted by the average export shares of each of the groups over [a period, for example] 2014-2016”.

However, the FFPI is limited in its scope as it is not adjusted by inflation.

 

(b) Inflation-adjusted Food Price Index

 

The World Economic Forum (6) states that

“The Food Price Index is designed to capture the combined outcome of changes in a range of food commodities, including vegetable, oils, cereals, meat and sugar; and compare them month to month”.

According to the World Economic Forum (op. cit.),

“The index needs to be adjusted for inflation.  When prices are adjusted for inflation, they are real”.

So, in the context of these notes, we will be interested in real prices which show the real impact or effects of rising food prices on income.  To undertake creations and innovations, there could be a need to take into account these real prices.

 

• • Post-pandemic creations to tackle food prices increases

 

Post-pandemic creations are the makings, inventions and productions following the period after the coronavirus period; creations that help to tackle food prices increases.

Examples of such creations are many and could include the creation of new food products, new packaging, food convenience, new food delivery systems and so on.  They could also be the making of safer and more nutritious products.

 

• • Post-pandemic innovations to tackle food price increases

 

Post-pandemic innovations are the changes, alterations and reforms introduced after the coronavirus period of disaster; innovations that assist in countering rising energy prices.

Examples of these types of innovations are made up of the following: Connecting people (CENFACS users) to affordable and cheap food markets and suppliers, explaining those in need existing food programmes and income transfer programmes for healthy food consumption and people’s entitlement to these programmes.

As we argued in our previous posts, the creations and innovations in which we are interested in the context of CENFACS’ Creative Economic Development Month would be those that help our members to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

 

• • How CENFACS can create and innovate with the community to tackle food price increases

 

CENFACS does not replace those who have the power to cut food prices and or provide financial support to its members of community who could become food poor or needy because of hikes in food prices.  Besides this invaluable support given by other players, CENFACS can create and innovate together with its users and Africa-based Sister Organisations to also weaken the impact of food inflation or ‘agflation’.

In particular, CENFACS can work with them on the following matters:

 

√ Create a food budget adjusted for inflation

√ Create a new users’ consumption basket

√ Compare and contrast food real prices and stores as part of innovation process

√ Create new ways of reducting food waste at home and away

√ Review food spending and other expenses within household budgets to innovate in terms of share of food in total household expenditure

√ Innovate ways of shopping by embracing farmers’ markets and nature-based solutions to food poverty

√ Remake charitable food support (e.g. food banks, food vouchers, etc.) for the food poor

√ Innovate the way in which food information and news reach our users by keeping them aware of environmentally damaging food products

√ Creating with them new advice, tips and hints about ways of cutting food bills and costs without adversely affecting their healthy diets

√ Create and innovate ways of stopping food price increases that can lead to food poverty or intergenerational poverty within our community

Etc.

 

All these ways of creating and innovating with the community will help to protect them against food inflation.  The more and better we create and innovate with the community, the more and better we can tackle and be resilient to food price increases.

It is all about working with users to improve the way in which they manage their income and life in order to overcome future upheavals of the financial and real economic markets, which have recently been overwhelmed with stories of rising food and energy prices.

The above is our notes about Post-pandemic innovations to tackle food price increases.  For any further details about these notes and Creative Economic Development Month, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

_________

 

• References

 

(1) https://www.unhcr.ca/news/unhcr-deeply-concerned-by-renewed-violence-displacing-thousands-in-north-kivu-dr-congo/ (accessed in June 2022)

(2) WFP and FAO (2022), Hunger Hotspots: FAO-WFP early warnings on acute food insecurity, June to September 2022, Outlook, Rome

(3) FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO (2021), The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021: Transforming food systems for food security, improved nutrition and affordable healthy diets for all, Rome at https://doi.org/10.4060/cb4474en (accessed in June 2022)

(4) FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO (idem)

(5) FAO (2022), Food Outlook – Biannual Report on Global Food Markets, Rome at https://doi.org/10-4060/cb9427en (accessed in June 2022)

(6) https://weforum.org/agenda/2021/10/global-food-prices-global-global-food-price-index (accessed in June 2022)

 

___________

 

• 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 CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.

JUST GO TO :Support Causes – (cenfacs.org.uk)

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

Thank you as well to those who made or make comments about our weekly posts.

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2022 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

08 June 2022

 

Post No. 251

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Creative Economic Development Month – In Focus from Wednesday 08/06/2022: Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Deal with Rising Energy Prices

• World Anti-poverty System: Could Energy Crisis be a Ground to Create an International System for Poverty Reduction?

• Post-pandemic Rebuilding Activities

 

… And much more!

 

 

 

 

Key Messages

 

• Creative Economic Development Month – In Focus from Wednesday 08/06/2022: Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Deal with Rising Energy Prices

 

Rising energy prices require responses.  One of the responses is to create and innovate in order to counter rising energy prices.  Creations and innovations to counter rising energy prices could be of many kinds and from various initiators (like the Government, energy regulator, energy service providers, financial institutions, energy community organisations, etc.).  Most of these creations and innovations would be needful for energy consumers, including our own beneficiaries who are energy consumers.

However, to stick to the terms of our mission and vision, we are mostly interested in the types of creations and innovations (to counter rising energy prices) that help poor people (and amongst them the majority of our users) to come out of poverty induced by rising energy prices or simply not to get into further energy poverty.  Our interest will be met by working together with the members of the CENFACS  Community who are struggling to pay their energy bills because of rising energy prices; working with them to reduce energy poverty.

 

• • What our work with them will be about

 

Our work with the community is to develop creative and innovative initiatives to not only manage rising energy prices, but also to avoid that rising energy prices lead to long term or permanent or even intergenerational poverty.

Our creative and innovative work does not replace the support that our members are currently receiving or the work of other players (like the Government with its energy help to households, energy suppliers, banks, insurers, energy hubs and communities, etc.).  Instead, our work recognizes their work and adds value to the community’s efforts to reduce energy poverty.

Our creative and innovative work will be customised to beneficiaries’ needs (as it will emerge from energy needs assessment with them) so that they can have control over their energy and avoid failing into energy poverty trap.

For those wo would like to deep into this second note of our Creative Economic Development Month, please be advised that there is more information about it under the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

• World Anti-poverty System: Could Food Crisis be a Ground to Create an International System for Poverty Reduction?

 

Every time there is a global crisis, it is also a reminder of the best possible global mechanism of dealing with the crisis.  The coronavirus pandemic crisis was an opportunity to ask ourselves about the best system or set-up to deal with the crisis of magnitude of COVID-19.   The current food crisis is yet a further occasion to raise the question of an international or global system to deal with energy crisis, food crisis, cost-of-living crisis, livelihood crisis, etc.

Energy and food crises could be a ground to create an International System for Poverty Reduction or to innovate the world’s institutions, if they exist, dealing with global poverty.  Indeed, developing countries of Africa, Asia, Middle-East and Latin America are trapped by the consequences of the war in Ukraine.  Particularly, if one considers the current food crisis in Africa, it is possible to argue that rising food prices are partly caused by the supply problem that Africa has with its imports of cereals and fertilizers from Ukraine ports in the Black seas. It is partly caused by what is happening in the Black seas.

The war in Ukraine does not explain the all story of Africa’s food crisis.  The latter is also the consequence of poor weather, bad harvests, armed conflicts,  and human insecurity in some parts of Africa (like in the western part of Africa).

However, if we had an International System for Poverty Reduction (that is a World Anti-poverty System comparable to the institutions of Bretton Woods System), would this system makes the world a better place for the poor? 

Every time, there is a global crisis, this question comes back, time and time again.  In particular, one could raise and answer the following questions:

If we had an International System for Poverty Reduction, could the invasion of Ukraine have been avoided? 

Would the sanctions taken against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine be different? 

Would food supplies to the poor be preserved from this invasion?

Would the current energy and food crises be minor?

If you think that an International System for Poverty Reduction could have protected the world’s poorest from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, please let us know your arguments.  If you do not think so, still let us know what you think.

An International System for Poverty Reduction is a missing piece in the world’s institutional system.  This is CENFACS‘ campaign point, which is the creation of an International System for Poverty Reduction.

You can support the campaign or movement for a World Anti-poverty System or International System for Poverty Reduction with your VOICE, by E-SIGNING petition, E-MOBILISING your energy, BRANDING EVENT, etc.

You can join CENFACS’ Campaign for an International System for Poverty Reduction.  To join, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

• Post-pandemic Rebuilding Activities

 

Since the restrictions against the coronavirus have been lifted in many places, there are people who are able to cope with the new normal; that is living with the coronavirus in all aspects of life.  On the contrary, there are others who are still struggling to get on with their life as its was before the coronavirus stroke out. 

To work with those who are struggling to manage the post-pandemic era, we are organising three types of activities.  These activities continue our Season of Rebuilding/Renewal.  Let us highlight them, the circumstances under which users can access them and the invitation to participate.

 

• • Types of Rebuilding Activities

 

The three activities include the following:

 

a) Activities to manage transition (to turn endings to new beginnings)

b) Activities to manage new beginnings

c) Activities to manage plan for the future.

 

These activities are part of our campaign of Rebuilding and Renewing Lives, in particular Rebuilding Africa during Spring Relief season.

 

 

 

• • Accessing Rebuilding Activities

 

Depending on people’s circumstances of life (whether they are looking forward to managing transition or embarking on new beginnings or building the future), they will be supported accordingly in these activities.

For example, if the post-pandemic needs assessment indicates that a user needs transition management, then they will take part in activities to manage their transition from the remnants of the coronavirus crisis.

 

• • Need to Participate in Post-pandemic Rebuilding Activities? 

 

To take part in the Post-pandemic Rebuilding Activities, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Goal for the Month: Create and Innovate to Reduce Poverty

 

Since we are in the month of Creative Economic Development, our goal for this month is to Create and Innovate to Reduce Poverty.  It is the month to create and innovate in order to support those who are struggling to pay their energy bills, who are in vulnerable circumstances or in energy debt, low income households making our community, and those who bear the brunt of the energy price spike within our community. It is indeed the month to address energy poverty through creations and innovations.

In practical terms, it means that one can undertake any of the following initiatives: 

 

√ Create opportunities for people to reduce or end the cost of living crisis

√ Create equality to reduce poverty

√ Create community activities to change people’s lives

Etc.

 

Equally, people can innovate to reduce poverty.  In practical sense, it could mean doing the following:

 

√ Innovate smarter technologies to reduce poverty

√ Innovate way of working together with the community to reduce poverty

√ Innovate metrics/tools to measure progress about poverty reduction

Etc.

 

There are many ways in which one can create and innovate to reduce poverty.  So, this month we are going to spend our time with the community by working together to create and innovate to reduce poverty.

The above is our poverty reduction goal for this month, which we are asking to our audiences and supporters to help or promote.

 

 

 

• Arts and Design Project and e-Workshop:

Making and Sending a p-Card or e-Card Expressing ‘Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature’ or ‘Rising up from Drought Together’

 

Participants to the e-workshop can Make and Send a p-Card or e-Card Expressing ‘Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature’ or ‘Rising up from Drought Together’.

For those who are trying to design and send this type of paper card (p-card) or an electronic card (e-card) as a way of participating in the Creative Economic Development month, please make sure that the poverty relief message you are conveying is without confusion.  You can follow the criteria below.

 

• • Criteria for a good card design

 

When designing a card, it is better that your art or design work

 

√ contributes to inclusive and sustainable development goals

√ is a driver and enabler of sustainable development processes

√ is data or evidence-based as an expression of realities

√ is aligned with greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals and targets

√ is capable of leading to new pathways for the creative economy

√ reflects on creative economic development

√ connects with the different sectors of the creative economy

√ adds value to nature-based solutions to design problems

√ is conducive to new opportunities for sustainable development

√ is supportive of learning and innovation for poverty relief and sustainable development

√ opens up a possibility of a model of working together

√ touches climate change issues (such as plastic pollution)

√ deals with sustainability issues (like conservation of the nature)

√ develops culture of poverty relief and sustainable development.

 

Although these criteria seem to be quite a lot, it would be enough to meet as many as one can in the design of their p-card or e-card.

To create and send your card or support CENFACS’ Creative Economic Development month, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

• Dematerialisation Awareness Raising: Promoting and spreading the news about dematerialisation within the community 

 

This week, CENFACS will continue the work on dematerialisation where we left it.  Dematerialisation is part of CENFACS‘ Poverty-Environment Programme.

 

• • What is dematerialisation?

 

According to the World Bank (1), dematerialisation refers to

“An absolute or relative reduction in the quantity of materials required to serve economic functions in society”

This definition will be used to work together with the community and explore non-conflicting ways of activating the process of dematerialisation in the economic functions of their households.

 

• • Raising awareness with the community about Dematerialisation

 

With reference to the above definition, CENFACS shall work with its community to help explore way of reducing the quantity of resources or materials from the ecosystem in order to meet their basic life-sustaining economic needs.  This will be an opportunity to promote and spread the news about dematerialisation in the way the community produces, consumes and distributes products and services.

The work on dematerialisation is CENFACS’ way of supporting the ecosystem restoration.

Those who may be interested in raising awareness  about dematerialisation, they can contact CENFACS.

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

 

 

Projet Arts et Dessin

Atelier électronique sur la création et l’envoi d’une carte papier ou une carte électronique exprimant les thèmes suivants: « Vivre durablement en harmonie avec la nature » ou « Sortir ensemble de la sécheresse »

Pour ceux/celles qui essaient de concevoir et d’envoyer une carte papier (carte p) ou une carte électronique (carte é) comme moyen de participer au Mois du développement économique créatif, veuillez vous assurer que le message de lutte contre la pauvreté que vous transmettez est sans confusion.  Vous pouvez suivre les critères ci-dessous.

Critères pour une bonne conception de carte

Lors de la conception d’une carte, il est préférable que votre travail d’art ou de dessin…

√ contribue à des objectifs de développement inclusif et durable

√ soit un moteur et un facilitateur des processus de développement durable

√ soit fondé sur des données ou des preuves probantes en tant qu’expression de réalités

√ soit aligné sur les objectifs et les cibles en matière de réduction d’émissions de gaz à effet de serre

√ soit capable de conduire à de nouvelles voies pour l’économie créative

√ réfléchit sur le développement économique créatif

√ se connecte avec les différents secteurs de l’économie créative

√ ajoute de la valeur aux solutions basées sur la nature aux problèmes de conception

√ soit propice à de nouvelles opportunités de développement durable

√ soutient l’apprentissage et l’innovation pour la lutte contre la pauvreté et l’amélioration du développement durable

√ ouvre la possibilité d’un modèle de collaboration

√ touche aux questions liées au changement climatique (telles que la pollution plastique)

√ traite des questions de durabilité (comme la conservation de la nature)

√ développe une culture de lutte contre la pauvreté et de développement durable.

Bien que ces critères semblent être assez nombreux, il suffirait d’en répondre au plus grand nombre possible dans la conception de votre carte papier ou électronique pour arriver au but.

Pour créer et envoyer votre carte ou soutenir le Mois du développement économique créatif du CENFACS, veuillez communiquer avec le CENFACS.

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• Creative Economic Development Month – In Focus from Wednesday 08/06/2022: Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Deal with Rising Energy Prices

 

To explain Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Deal with Rising Energy Prices, we have composed notes which are regrouped under the following headings:

 

What is the energy price cap?

How rising energy prices affect CENFACS Community members

Post-pandemic creations and innovations to counter rising energy prices

How CENFACS can create and innovate with the community to deal with rising energy prices

 

Let us look at one by one these items.

 

• • What is the energy price cap?

 

To define energy price cap, we are referring to its definition found on the website ‘simplyswitch,com’ (2), which states that

“The energy price cap [which was instituted by an act of the UK Parliament – the Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Act -] is a legally enforced upper ceiling on the amount energy suppliers can charge customers on standard variable and default energy tariffs”.

The price cap is updated twice a year.

From its publication dated 03 February 2022, Ofgem (3) stated the following:

“The energy price cap will increase from 1 April for approximately 22 million customers. Those on default tariffs paying by direct debit will see an increase of £693 from £1,277 to £1,971 per year (difference due to rounding). Prepayment customers will see an increase of £708 from £1,309 to £2,017”.

Jonathan Brearley (4), the chief of UK energy regulator Ofgem, said the price could rise from £1,971 to £2,800 in the autumn.

Understanding the energy price cap helps to have an idea about rising energy prices and how these rising prices could affect energy customers, including our community members.

 

• • How rising energy prices affect CENFACS Community members

 

Rising energy prices and higher energy bills can contribute to rising living costs (such as housing, food, transport costs, etc.), like it is at the moment.  This is because rising energy prices and bills could have domino effect which can lead to the cutting back on the use of fuel like gas and electricity, spending less on non-essential items, using savings (for those who have them) to meet rising living costs, spending more on utility bills, etc.

For those on the lowest income like many of CENFACS Community members, rising energy prices could disproportionally affect them.  Because of these ripple effects, creations and innovations are needed to counter rising energy prices.

 

• • Post-pandemic creations and innovations to counter rising energy prices

 

Creations and innovations are possibly the best answer to rising energy prices.  Let us basically define these post-pandemic creations and innovations as well as exemplify them.

 

a) Post-pandemic creations

 

Post-pandemic creations are the makings, inventions and productions following the period after the coronavirus period; creations that help to counter rising energy prices.

Examples of such creations abound and could include:

 

√ Setting up a new energy activity to support energy poor to invest in greener future,

√ Creatively helping our users to make energy transition

√ Supporting them to access energy-efficient household items

√ Working with them to integrate renewables into their household energy system

Etc.

 

b) Post-pandemic innovations

 

Post-pandemic innovations are the changes, alterations and reforms introduced after the coronavirus period of disaster; innovations that assist in countering rising energy prices.

Examples of these types of innovations are made up of the following:

 

√ Replacing fossil gas to renewable gas (i.e. biomethane e-fuels or renewable hydrogen)

√ Saving on gas and electricity

√ Leaning toward hydropower, solar and wind energies

Etc.

 

As we argued in the previous post, the creations and innovations in which we are interested in the context of CENFACS’ Creative Economic Development Month would be those that help our members to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

 

• • How CENFACS can create and innovate together with the community to deal with rising energy prices

 

CENFACS does not provide lump-sum payments to deal with rising energy prices.  CENFACS does not have the power to cut bills or to provide financial support towards energy bills.  CENFACS can however create and innovate together with the community to deal with rising energy prices.

CENFACS can support the community on various creative and innovative grounds such as:

 

√ Support users to reclaim their energy consumer and protection rights

√ Help switch to energy-saving habits or measures at home

√ Explore ways of negotiating energy debt servicing to affordable plan

√ Provide one-to-one advice on energy relief needs and matters

√ Help understand what organisations are advising (e.g. Citizens Advice Bureau, Ombudsman services, Ofgem and others)

√ Find social safety nets for energy poor and most vulnerable

√ Help people understand energy literature (e.g. energy debt guide provided by Ofgem) and energy literacy statistics

√ Raise awareness of measures to lower energy use and carbon emissions at home

√ Help people and families in their alignment drive to green, clean and safe energy

√ Assist in reading energy comparison providers’ resources on energy prices, metrics and statistics

√ Provide information about energy support measures (e.g. energy grants, bills support, home insulation or retrofit, etc.)

√ Find nature-based solutions to energy poverty and problems

√ Signpost users to energy community services and hubs

√ Help people and families address energy poverty and precariousness

Etc.

 

From the above mentioned energy support services, we can help create and innovate as well as reduce pressure on energy budgets, in particular by advising how to reduce energy expenses while increasing incomes for energy and other household needs.

All these ways of working with the community will help to create and innovate to counter soaring prices of energy.  The more informed they are, the more likely they will find and practise the tools, tips and hints they need in order to overcome energy poverty and hardships.

It is all about working with them to improve the way in which they manage their income and life spent on energy in order to overcome future upheavals of the energy markets, which have recently been impregnated with stories of rising prices, costs and bills.

The above notes deal with Rising Energy Prices.  For any further details about Creative Economic Development Month and Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Deal with Rising Energy Prices, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

_________

 

• References

 

(1) https://blogs.worldbank.org/developmenttalk/dematerialisation-degrowth-and-climate-change-agenda (accessed in June 2022)

(2) www.simplyswitch,com/energy/guides/energy-price-cap (Accessed in June 2022)

(3) https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/price-cap-increase-ps693-april (Accessed in June 2022)

(4) Brearly, J., “The price cap is expected to rise from £1,971 to £2,800 in the autumn”, Select Committees, 24 May 2022, UK Parliament, London

_________

 

• 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 CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.

JUST GO TO :Support Causes – (cenfacs.org.uk)

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

Thank you as well to those who made or make comments about our weekly posts.

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2022 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

01 June 2022

 

Post No. 250

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Creative Economic Development Month and Jmesci (June Month of Environmental and Sustainable Initiatives) Project 2022

• The Children of Chad Need your Support at the Moment

• Activity/Task 6 of the Knowledge (K) Year/Project: Understanding the Creative Skills of Those in Need

 

… And much more!

 

 

 

Key Messages

 

• Creative Economic Development Month and Jmesci (June Month of Environmental and Sustainable Initiatives) Project 2022

 

Rising prices of energy, food, fuel and other essential and life-sustaining goods and services have put further pressure on those already living in poverty and experiencing  economic vulnerabilities.  Likewise, the cost of living crisis, which has followed the lingering effects of the coronavirus and the geo-economic rivalries around the Ukraine invasion by Russia, can only make life worse, if not impossible, for the poor.

There are ways of responding to this pressure.  Amongst ways of responding are creations and innovations.  Indeed, whether it is about the natural resources (like oil, gas, sunflower oil, wheat, etc.) crisis or cost of living crisis or any other geo-economic crisis, the way of responding to these crises could be through creations and innovations.

Forming responses from nothing just as bringing responses into existence could be a way to deal with the above mentioned crises.  Equally, introducing new ideas or methods as well as making changes to what has been tried and tested to respond to these crises may altogether lead to solutions.

During this Month of Creative Economic Development, 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 the current crises (i.e. cost of living crisis, the Russia-Ukraine crisis, natural resources crisis, etc.).  It 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, experiences and tools that have been so far put forward to help poor people reduce poverty and hardships, or at least to manage the cost of living crisis.

Our work will revolve around the kinds of creation and innovation the CENFACS Community needs in order to continue to address the legacies of COVID-19 (e.g. COVID-19-induced poverty), to carry on together with users and supporters the work of building forward better together greener, cleaner and safer from the coronavirus; while tackling the current cost of living crisis.

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

 

 

• The Children of Chad Need your Support at the Moment

 

The under 5 years old children of Chad are in a situation of severe acute malnutrition as a result of food crisis in Chad.  These children need your life-saving help to meet their life-surviving need.

 

Chad is going through one of the food crises within living memory of the decade.

 

It is known that the lingering effects of COVID-19 and the current cost of living crisis are adversely impacting many people and communities around the world.  But, children who live in a country like Chad, which is the world’s third country from the bottom in terms of human development index, tragically suffer from these effects without getting enough help they need.

 

The World Food Programme (1) estimates that

 

“2.1 MILLION PEOPLE in Chad will be FOOD INSECURE during the 2022 lean season (from June to August 2022)”, 37.8% of CHILDREN UNDER 5 are STUNTED” there.

 

Likewise, the following data provided by local sources in Chad tells the story of these children in most need there:

 

∝ 1.6 MILLION children under 5 NEED NUTRITIONAL ASSISTANCE

∝ 343 087 of them DESPERATELY NEED HELP

∝ These children are UNDERNOURISHED WITH ACUTE MALNUTRITION SYNDROME

∝ They are in LIFE-THREATENING CONDITIONS due to protein deficiency, known as kwashiorkor

∝ There is a LACK OF HOSPITAL BEDS and of QUALITY HEALTHCARE

∝ HOSPITAL SERVICES are OVERWHELMED WITH CHILDREN whose LIFE is THREATHENED and AT RISK

∝ In N’Djamena alone, the PREVALENCE OF MALNUTRITION is 10.3%

Etc.

 

The following numbers about food prices further explain how it is difficult for poor children to access food in Chad:

 

∝ The bag of three kilos of maize has increased from 500 CFA francs in 2021 to 800 CFA francs today

∝ The price of cooking oil has increased by 65%

∝ The price of fish has double.

 

The need for emergency support is even greater than ever before for the children of Chad.

 

For £9.5, you can provide an emergency and life-saving support to food insecure and malnourished child in Chad, particularly in N’Djamena.

Your gift of £9.5 today will contribute toward the price of an hospital bed (£672 on average) or to provide food to enhance the life of a child in need.

Your £9.5 will go to the cost of 1 hospital bed for a child in need of hospitalisation and/or food to back the treatment they will receive as well as help them self-sustain.

 

There are organisations that are already on the ground and trying to help as much as they can.  For example, the World Food Programme is trying to help, just as the World Bank (2) provided funding to support 437,000 vulnerable people experiencing severe food and nutritional insecurity located in both urban and rural areas.  However, there is a need to complement these efforts, particularly with a complementary support that is not in the form of financial debt.

The demand for items such as emergency medical products, hospital beds, water purification equipment and food stuffs is 5 times greater than ever.

They need food or income to buy food, life-saving and sustaining services.

You can help the Children in Need of Chad.

Would consider making a gift of £9.5 to help the Children in Need of Chad to navigate their way out of malnutrition?

You can donate, gift aid and or support differently by

 

phoning, e-mailing, texting CENFACS and filling the contact form on this website.

 

Please support TODAY so that we can help the Children of Chad who Need your Support at this Moment. 

To discuss and get further details about this appeal, please contact CENFACS at http://cenfacs.org.uk/contact-us/

Thank you for considering delivering on this appeal.

 

 

 

• Activity/Task 6 of the Knowledge (K) Year/Project: Understanding the Creative Skills of Those in Need

 

Poor people have creative skills like other people.  Because they have creative skills like anybody else, the task here is treble:

 

1) to learn, understand and identify the kinds of creative skills those in need have

2) to know the creative skill gap in them so that this gap can be filled

3) to explore with them how they can push the boundaries through their creative skills in order to grab opportunities and take part in the knowledge-based economic activities.

 

By knowing their creative skills, it is possible to work with them to use their creative skills and or develop them so that they can reduce poverty and come out poverty through their creative skills.

So, during this month the 6th Activity/Task of our Knowledge (K) Year/Project will be about understanding the creative skills that those of our community members in need possess, bridge gaps in creative skills and use these skills to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

To work with us via this Activity/Task 6, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Spring Project of Building Forward Better from the Coronavirus (SPBFBC): Only Three Weeks to Go!

You can help…

 

1) Rebuild resilient critical infrastructures, facilities and livelihoods required for the functioning of COVID-19 stricken people and communities in Africa

2) Restore basic life-sustaining health, economic and environmental assets, systems and activities of COVID-19 affected people and communities as well as align them to greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals and targets.

 

You can DONATE, PLEDGE AND MAKE A GIFT AID DECLARATION for any amount as a way of supporting the SPBFBC.

To donate, gift aid and or support differently, please contact CENFACS.

For further information about project aim, objectives, beneficiaries and outcomes; please go to: cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

 

 

 

• E-workshop for Voters of International Poverty Reduction and Development Manager (IPRDM): Vote your IPRDM

How to choose your IPRDM

 

As part of CENFACS’ All Year Round Vote Project (that is, CENFACS International Poverty Reduction and Development Manager Project), we can work together to support you (as a voter) to choose or select the person you think that he/she would best help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development in 2022.

There are reasons why we need to work together in choosing your IPRDM.  The following can explain the need of working together:

 

σ Many people carry out work in the context and field of poverty reduction without sometimes realising that they are helping others to come out poverty and hardships

σ It could be sometimes difficult to identify, choose and nominate the one who really achieves tangible results in terms of helping others without gaining any personal benefit in exchange

σ It is even challenging to know who stands out the crowd.

 

Because of these reasons, it make sense to support each other in deciding who should be named as the Best International Poverty Reduction and Development Manager of 2022.  He/she could be a Cost-of-living Crisis Manager or a Disaster Risk Reduction Manager or a Post-disaster Reconstruction Programme Manager or Build Forward Better Manager or anybody else.

To enable Voters of IPRDM to make data-based decision, we have put in place a decision-making process/model of working together to facilitate the selection or choice of Voters’ ideal IPRDM.

After following the e-workshop, one can master the skills that will enable them to find out an ideal International Poverty Reduction and Development Manager who is helping or who helped people and communities to both meet sustainable development goals and reduce poverty the post-pandemic era.

 

• • How to find out your IPRDM

 

To research your International Poverty Reduction and Development Manager (IPRDM), you need to take some steps before casting your vote.  They include the following:

 

√ Write down your IPRDM job description

√ Write down your IPRDM person specification

√ Organise a timescale for each activity and set up a completion date

√ Watch or observe as many candidates as you can (watch work they are doing)

√ Do not watch only their actions, but also watch their numbers or statistics

√ Check their CV, credentials and references

√ Assess their progress and achievements

√ Search your ideal three International Poverty Reduction and Development Managers within potential candidates you have been watching and match the best three candidates (after shortlisting) with job description, person specification, and their achievements in terms of poverty reduction and sustainable development goals

√ Select one amongst the three who comes on top

√ Vote your IDPRM.

 

• • Who is your IPRDM? 

 

He/she is a person who would have met the defined person specification and job description in terms of helping those in most need and most vulnerable to achieve defined areas of sustainable development goals and reduce poverty in the post-pandemic era.

He/she is a person who has been helping those in need to navigate their way out of the cost-of-living crisis.

He/she is a person that can help poor people to meet their utility or welfare under the difficult context and constraint of soaring prices of energy, food, housing, money (interest rates), water, etc.

Please remember, whatever your ideal/virtual Manager is doing or will do, he/she needs to help people meet sustainable development and poverty reduction goals in the post-pandemic era.

Good luck in search of your IPRDM!

For any enquiries or queries about this e-workshop, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

• Zero Income Deficit Campaign

In focus: Tackling Negative Budgets

 

As part of CENFACS‘ Zero Income Deficit Campaign, we are working with users on negative budgets for households.  We are doing it since many households within our community are struggling to have positive budgets at this time of the cost of living crisis.  But, what is a negative budget?

 

• • Basic understanding of a negative budget

 

According to Jasmin Matin and Joe Lane (2), a negative budget appears in household accounts

“When a [Citizens Advice debt] adviser does an SFS [Standard Financial Statement] with someone in debt and they have £0 or less after living costs – but before any debt repayments are considered” (p. 6)

The two authors argue that

“Having a negative budget means people aren’t able to make any debt
repayments. Often it means they will have to go without essentials, for example cutting back on spending on food and utilities, and are far more likely to fall into arrears with essential payments such as rent and council tax” (p. 6).

This notion of negative budget is important at this time of the cost of living crisis as many people, including our users, are struggling with their household budgets.  To be on their side, CENFACS will be working with those who want.

 

• • Working together with the community on negative budgets

 

Our work with the community on the negative budget matter will be with those of our members failing to cover basic living costs or those who do not have enough money to meet essential living costs.

Our work with them will cover the following areas:

 

√ Causes of a negative budget

√ Symptoms of a negative budget

√ Ways of easing the burden of negative budget on households making our community

√ How to make sure that a negative budget does not lead to further poverty or to feeding poverty for households

√ An action plan to tackle a negative budget and poverty linked to the cost-of-living crisis

√ Support and resources available on the market for households in negative budgets

Etc.

 

For those members of our community having negative budgets and looking forward to working with us on this needful issue, they are free to contact CENFACS.

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

Le Mois du développement économique créatif a commencé.

Au cours de ce Mois du développement économique créatif, nous allons travailler avec la communauté – à travers le projet Jmesci (qui signifie mois de juin des initiatives environnementales et durables) – pour essayer de créer et d’innover afin que nous soyons tous en mesure de mieux relever les défis et de surmonter les obstacles apportés par les crises actuelles (c’est-à-dire la crise du coût de la vie, la crise russo-ukrainienne, la crise des ressources naturelles, etc.).

Dans ce processus de création et d’innovation, nous examinerons certaines des idées, propositions et outils créatifs et innovants qui ont été proposés jusqu’à présent pour aider les pauvres à réduire la pauvreté et les difficultés, ou du moins à gérer la crise du coût de la vie.

Notre travail portera sur les types de création et d’innovation dont la communauté CENFACS a besoin pour continuer à faire face aux séquelles de la pandémie de COVID-19 (par exemple, la pauvreté induite par le COVID-19), pour poursuivre avec les utilisateurs et les sympathisants le travail visant à faire avancer mieux ensemble plus vert, plus propre et plus sûr après le coronavirus; tout en s’attaquant à la crise actuelle du coût de la vie.

Pour donner suite à ce que nous avons dit, le Mois du développement économique créatif  est organisé comme suit.

A partir du mercredi 01/06/2022 : Créations et innovations post-pandémiques pour poursuivre le processus de construction future

A partir du mercredi 08/06/2022: Créations et innovations post-pandémiques pour faire face à la hausse des prix de l’énergie

A partir du mercredi 15/06/2022 : Créations et innovations post-pandémiques pour faire face à la hausse des prix des denrées alimentaires

A partir du mercredi 22/06/2022 : Créations et innovations post-pandémiques pour répondre à la crise du coût de la vie

Ce qui précède est notre organisation pour réaliser le Mois du développement économique créatif.  Pour toute question ou demande d’information supplémentaire concernant l’organisation ci-dessus, veuillez contacter le CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• Creative Economic Development Month and Jmesci (June Month of Environmental and Sustainable Initiatives) Project 2022

 

To compose the key message of this post, we  have been considered the following points:

 

Basic understanding of the creative economic development, what 2022 June Month of Environmental and Sustainable Creative Initiatives (Jmesci) project will be about, the kinds of creative economic development projects we will be dealing with, the way in which we are organised to deliver the Creative Economic Development Month and the featuring of other environmental activities or events outside but closer to CENFACS’ work. 

Let us look at these points one by one.

 

• • Understanding the creative economic development

 

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 the definition given by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).  UNCTAD (4) 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”.

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

 

• • • Creative economy from the perspective of sustainable development

 

From this perspective, one needs to include the definition of sustainable development as given by World Commission on Environment and Development (5), 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.  Since, we are pursuing CENFACS’ Programme of ‘Build Forward Better Together Cleaner, Greener and Safer’; these activities need to be clean, green and safe.

 

• • What June Month of Environmental and Sustainable Initiatives 2022 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 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 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.  It is the project that features or carries the Creative Economic Development Month.

This year’s Jmesci will be about creations and innovations that help cure crises (e.g. the cost of living crisis, natural resource crisis, geo-economic crisis, etc.) as well as those that help prevent future crises, shocks and disasters to be harmful or destructive for people and communities we serve.

We have already started these creation and innovation processes since we kicked off the Covid-19 Campaign in 2019 to deal with the coronavirus crisis.  As this month is about creation and innovation, we are going to continue and deepen these processes.  To know how we are going do it, please continue to read the next communications in the following weeks starting from this Main Development section of this post.

 

• • 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 while enhancing sustainable development.  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 development that is clean, green and safe.

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 clean, green and safe aspects of sustainability).  As we continue to unveil these projects throughout this month, these values will become apparent and self-explanatory.  This will as well determine the manner in which the Creative Economic Development Month will be approached and delivered through the month.

 

• • The way in which the Creative Economic Development Month will be delivered

 

To deliver on what we have argued so far, the Creative Economic Development Month (CEDM) is organised as follows.

 

⇒ From Wednesday 01/06/2022: Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Continue the Process of Building Forward Better

 

The Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations are the general theme that introduces the Creative Economic Development Month.  They are the creations and innovations relating to the current post-pandemic period and are meant to help reduce post-COVID-19-induced poverty and enhance sustainable development.

More on these Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations can be found below.

 

⇒ From Wednesday 08/06/2022: Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Deal with Rising Energy Prices

 

As argued earlier, rising energy prices can only be properly dealt with via creations and innovations.  There are creations and innovations that are undertaken by energy providers and authorities to support energy consumers.

In the context of CEDM, we shall mostly cover initiatives that can be undertaken by CENFACS and the community it represents to deal with rising energy prices.  We shall as well take action about energy poverty.

 

⇒ From Wednesday 15/06/2022: Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Tackle Food Price Increases

 

Our community members may not have control over the way in which food market prices are fixed, but they can work with CENFACS so that together we can create and innovate ways to keep meeting needs and to respond to food price increases.  In our work with them, we shall make sure that food price increases do not lead to a rise in food poor and poverty within our community.

 

⇒ From Wednesday 22/06/2022: Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Respond to the Cost of Living Crisis

 

When one talks about creations and innovations to manage rising prices of energy, food, and any other essential living items; it all comes down to meeting basic living costs.  When these costs become so high to the extent that they turn into a crisis like it is now with the cost of living crisis; then creations and innovations could be the answer.

Creations and innovations will further assist to avoid that the cost of living crisis to trend from cyclical to structural issue within the members of our community.   In other words, creations and innovations will help avoid that poverty that could be transitory because of rising prices of goods and services to become permanent or intergenerational or simply stay in the long term.

The above is our organisation to deliver CEDM.  For any queries or enquiries about the above organisation, please contact CENFACS. 

 

 

• • Post-pandemic Creations and Innovations to Continue the Process of Building Forward Better (From Wednesday 01/06/2022)

 

These first post-pandemic creations and innovations kick off the Creative Economic Development Month.  Let us try to understand what they mean, what the types of creations and innovations they are, and how CENFACS will be working with the community to create and innovate to continue the process of building forward better.

 

• • • What are post-pandemic creations and innovations?

 

Post-pandemic creations are the makings, inventions and productions following the period after the coronavirus period.

Post-pandemic innovations are the changes, alterations and reforms introduced after the coronavirus period of disaster.

In the context of CENFACS’ Creative Economic Development Month, the creations and innovations in which we are interested would be those that help our members to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

 

• • • Types of post-pandemic creations and innovations to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development

 

• • • • Types of post-pandemic creations and innovations to reduce poverty within the community

 

Without distinguishing creations from innovations, post-pandemic creations and innovations to reduce poverty within our community could include the following:

 

√ Delivering online services to support people from where they are, like it was during the coronavirus period

√ Adjusting poverty reduction services to the community’s new or emerging challenging post-pandemic needs and behaviour changes during the coronavirus crisis

√ Reducing the asymmetry in the distribution of the post-pandemic effects within the community between different groups (young and adults), between genders, between those who have economic activity and those who do not have.

Etc.

 

• • • • Types of post-pandemic creations and innovations to enhance sustainable development within the community

 

Post-pandemic creations and innovations to enhance sustainable development within our community could include the following:

 

√ Promoting eco-friendly services

√ Innovating with the community to reduce food waste at this time of the cost of living crisis

√ Researching and identifying alternative sources of energy that are affordable and efficient for the community

√ Increasing acceptance of net zero path by the majority of members of our community

Etc.

 

• • • Working with the community to create and innovate to continue the process of building forward better

 

To create and innovate to build forward better, we require the inputs of everybody making our community and cherishing our noble causes of poverty reduction and sustainable development.  We need everybody because the post-pandemic creations and innovations are not designed by and for CENFACS alone.  They are made by and for the community, our users and Africa-based Sister Organisations.

It is all of us working together so that we can create and innovate to continue the process of building forward better together cleaner, greener and safer.  Together we can have and share building better poverty reduction experiences.  This is why during this month, we shall appeal to poverty-reduction content creators and innovators to come forward and support the Creative Economic Development Month.  We will work with them under specific creative economic development projects, such as projects relating to reducing energy, food and cost-of-living crises.

 

• • 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 and one activity 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 manage the cost of living crisis.

For example, we normally run Art and Design for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development as a creative economic development 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 “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature”.  The construction will echo the World Environmental Day’s celebratory theme on 05/06/2022.

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 on 17/06/2022.  The theme of 2022 Desertification and Drought Day is “Rising up from drought together”.

So, those who wish and want can design and post an e-card or e-object to feature the theme of “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature” relating to World Environment Day, and/or the theme of “Rising up from drought together” 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.

 

• • Inclusion of other environmental activities into Jmesci 2022

 

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 which we have already mentioned:

 

∝ The United Nations World Environment Day to be held on 05/06/2022 under the theme of “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature“

∝ The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2022 to be held on 17/06/2022 under the theme of “Rising up from drought together“.

 

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, please contact CENFACS.

 

_________

 

• References

 

(1) https://www.wfp.org/countries/chad (accessed in May 2022)

(2) Matin, J. and Lane, J., (2020), Negative Budgets: A New perspective on poverty and household finances at www.citizensadvice.org (accessed in May 2022)

(3) https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/agriculture/brief/food-security-update (accessed in May 2022)

(4) https://unctad.org/en/Pages/DITC/CreativeEconomy/Creative-Economy-Programme.aspx (accessed in May 2022)

(5) Brundtland et al. (1987), Our Common Future, World Commission on Environment and Development (The Brundtland Report), Oxford University Press, London

 

_________

 

• 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 CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.

JUST GO TO :Support Causes – (cenfacs.org.uk)

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

Thank you as well to those who made or make comments about our weekly posts.

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2022 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

25 May 2022

 

Post No. 249

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 4: Stories of Green and Climate Alignment in the Post-coronavirus Era (From Wednesday 25/05/2022)

• Stories of Those at Risk of Being Left Behind Build Forward Better from the Coronavirus Disaster and its Variants

• Stories of Coping with the Cost-of-living Crisis

 

… And much more!

 

 

 

Key Messages

 

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 4: Stories of Green and Climate Alignment in the Post-coronavirus Era (From Wednesday 25/05/2022)

 

The last episode of our series of AiDS (All in Development Stories) Telling and Sharing Programme is on Stories of Green and Climate Alignment.  The latter are the serialised experiences or anecdotes of actions that do not cause harm to the environment and help continuity over the long term period without adverse effects.

The stories to be told, shared and learnt will be of rebuilding forward better while making sure that your process of rebuilding lines up with the greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals and targets in the interest of the commons.  These serialised stories are part of the process of building forward better greener, cleaner and safer.

To join and / or steward the programme by telling and sharing your story, please contact CENFACS.

Under the Main Development section of this post, you will find notes highlighting this Serial 4.

 

 

• Stories of Those at Risk of or Being Left Behind Build Forward Better from the Coronavirus Disaster and its Variants

 

The process of building forward better may not do justice to everybody for various reasons which are sometimes difficult to identify.  There are people and / or members of our community who have been accidentally left behind in the process of building forward better from the coronavirus disaster and its variants.

The notion of being left behind applies to individuals and households in our community.  This notion also refers to those of them living in “left behind neighbourhoods” as defined by the Local Trust (1).

We would like to hear the narratives of these people and community members who are feeling or being left behind so that advocacy can be activated and stepped up to do something about their situation. 

Like the stories of those living in left behind neighbourhoods as described by the Local Trust (op. cit.), the stories in which are interested will be those of…

 

√ Not having  a place or space to meet, to connect and to actively engage with the community

√ Having poor socio-economic outcomes in the process of building forward better

√ Falling behind the realisation of key metrics (such as in health, education, skills, income, etc.) of poverty reduction and sustainable development

√ Isolation and loneliness

√ Lack of connectivity to key services, facilities and digital infrastructure

√ Not receiving a fair share of the amount of support needed to move forward

Etc.

 

We are as well taking the stories of those at risk of being left behind in the process of building forward better; left behind because of their age, gender, ethnicity, race, and migration and disability status.

Anyone who has these kinds of stories of the left-behinds, they can join in and steward the AiDS programme by telling and sharing them with us.

 

 

 

• Stories of Coping with the Cost-of-living Crisis

 

The prices of energy, food and fuel have dramatically gone up.  The hikes in energy, food and fuel prices have led to inflation in many parts of the world including the UK.  They have also made the cost of living dearer to such an extent that they have led to a crisis.  In those circumstances, there could be stories to tell on how people, and in particular those making our community, are navigating their way to make ends meet.

Amongst these stories, they are those of…

 

√ Being identified as individuals or households in need of financial help

√ Having helpful and supportive communications with food and energy providers or charitable organisations to help you successfully manage the cost-of-living crisis

√ Benefiting from loyalty programmes or plans that are helping you to cope with the cost-of-living crisis while building forward better

√ Getting support (from friends, families and organisations) to handle the cost-of-living crisis

√ Being well informed about the causes of the cost-of-living crisis and what to do cope with it

Etc.

 

Anyone who has these kinds of stories of coping with the cost-of-living crisis, they can join in and steward the AiDS programme by telling and sharing them with us.

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Stories of Volunteers’ Action across All Fronts of Build Forward Better (i.e. Restoration, Recovery, Transformation and Alignment)

 

These stories could be related to actions generally taken in volunteering capacity to help people and communities in need to restore, recover, transform and green align in the post-pandemic era.  They could also be actions in which a volunteer got specifically involved and at the fronts of restoration, recovery, transformation and alignment processes.

To tell, share and provide opportunity for learning development through your story of volunteers’ actions across all the fronts of restoration, recovery, transformation and alignment; please contact CENFACS.

 

 

• Stories of Building Forward Better from Natural Disasters (like the Volcanic Eruption of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Mount Nyiragongo)

 

Last year, we recorded Reconstruction Stories from Internally Displaced People and Returnees in Africa, particularly from drawn-out conflicts and violence (in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, etc.) and natural disasters (like intense cyclones, torrential rains and floods).

This year, we would like to hear similar stories, particularly of those who have returned to the vicinity of the natural disaster area to build forward life.  They are returning because of various reasons.  Among these stories, there are those of the victims of the Nyiragongo disaster where there were almost 32 tragedies.

The stories in which we are interested are those of…

 

√ Displaced persons living in host families and temporary camps

√ Lack of choice rather than to return to the disaster area to live and build forward

√ Respect for any prohibitions to return to a disaster area because it is still dangerous

√ Potential volcanic threats from the eruption of carbon dioxide in the volcanic area or nearby

√ Local support in terms of resettlement, rehousing and build forward livelihoods

Etc.

 

We are asking our Africa-based Sister Organisations working with the locals of Nyiragongo to provide factual stories.  They can share with us any of the above mentioned types of stories.

To share your story of working with the peoples of Nyiragongo to build forward their life, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

• Spring Project of Building Forward Better from the Coronavirus (SPBFBC)

 

You can help…

 

1) Rebuild resilient critical infrastructures, facilities and livelihoods required for the functioning of COVID-19 stricken people and communities in Africa

2) Restore basic life-sustaining health, economic and environmental assets, systems and activities of COVID-19 affected people and communities as well as align them to greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals and targets.

 

You can DONATE, PLEDGE AND MAKE A GIFT AID DECLARATION for any amount as a way of supporting the SPBFBC.

 

To donate, gift aid and or support differently, please contact CENFACS.

 

For further information about project aim, objectives, beneficiaries and outcomes; please go to: cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

 

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

Projet de sécurité énergétique (PSE)

Dans le cadre de PSE, nous travaillons sur les activités suivantes liées à ce projet :

√ Évaluation des besoins des utilisateurs de ce projet en matière de sécurité énergétique

√ Identification des options sur le plan de sécurité énergétique

√ Développement d’un filet de sécurité et d’une protection énergétiques

√ Examen du budget énergétique des ménages

√ Stratégie visant à accroître la résilience aux chocs et aux crises énergétiques

√ Gérance et conseils pour accéder à des services énergétiques de qualité, abordables, fiables et sûrs.

Pour les membres de notre communauté qui souhaitent participer à ces activités ou qui souhaitent discuter avec nous de l’une des activités mentionnées ci-dessus, ils sont invités à contacter le CENFACS.

 

 

 

Main Development 

 

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 4: Stories of Green and Climate Alignment in the Post-coronavirus Era (From Wednesday 25/05/2022)

 

To develop the notes relating to this Serial 4, we have assembled the following pieces:

 

∝ What is a Story of Green and Climate Alignment?

∝ Types of Stories of Green and Climate Alignment

∝ Role or Character in Role-playing Story of Building Forward Better

∝ Social Media as Story Tracking Tools

∝ Ways of Supporting All in Development Stories Telling Programme

 

• • What is a Story of Green and Climate Alignment?

 

To define a story of green and/or climate alignment, one needs to understand green and or climate alignment.

 

• • • Definition of green and climate alignment

 

Within the literature about alignment, we have selected two definitions.

 

The first definition of alignment is given by Xiaoyun et al. (2) when discussing global green taxonomy development, alignment and implementation.  For Xiaoyun et al., green alignment is

“Any effort made by national and international organisations to align various taxonomies to reduce market fragmentation and facilitate the cross-border flow of green capital” (p.3)

These authors pursue by arguing that

“Alignment can help to address information asymmetry at project and entity levels and can encourage clear disclosure and communications” (p. 9).

In the context of our stories of green alignment to tell and share, we are not going to speak about classifying anything to reduce market fragmentation and facilitate the cross-border flow of green capital.  We are instead interested in the stories of any classified assets that could enable the flow of green capital to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

 

The second definition of alignment is provided by Shravan Bhat & Lee Ann Barnett (3) who argue that

“Climate alignment is the process of bringing the global economy’s greenhouse gas emissions in line with 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature targets”

This second definition falls within the scope of our stories of green and climate alignment to build forward better.

 

• • Types of Stories of Green and Climate Alignment

 

From the argument of Shravan et al. (op. cit.), the stories of green and climate alignment that we are expecting will be those of…

 

√ Using low-carbon solutions to build forward better

√ Transitioning high-carbon assets to low-carbon ones

√ Replacing carbon-intensive assets with net-zero alternatives

√ Substituting high-emitting activities to net-zero emissions ones

√ Grabbing climate-aligned investment opportunities

√ Using innovative alignment-linked products and services

√ Addressing emissions from the production and purchase of goods and services

√ Engaging real economy to decarbonise 

√ Dealing with carbon-intensive way of living and working

√ Mapping your journey to green and climate alignment

√ Accountability to, transparency and aligning with market-driven forces that are low-emitting in greenhouse gases

√ Taking a science-based transformation pathway to reach net-zero emissions

√ Using metrics to measure your progress towards net-zero emissions goals and targets

Etc.

 

They are indeed the stories of…

 

√ Helping the real economy moves toward net-zero emissions

√ Supporting progress toward global climate goals in the real economy

√ Addressing barriers to green and climate alignment

√ Achieving net-zero emissions in the real economy

√ Building forward better that saves, preserves and conserves natural and non-renewable resources without depleting them.

 

• • Role or Character in Role-playing Story of Building Forward Better

 

In every role or character in role-playing story of building forward better, one needs to consider or have the net-zero emission thinking of alignment.  So, this thinking will be like a reminder for us and will help to make our experience or story is like the one that saves, preserves and conserves natural and non-renewable resources without depleting them.  It is finally about making story capable of continued life over the long term without adverse effects.

Those who may be interested in role-playing in the context of Stories of Green and Climate alignment, they can contact CENFACS for further discussion on the matter.

 

• • Social Media Platforms as Story Tracking Tools

 

To track the stories you are or will be telling and sharing with us, we have developed a certain number of tracking tools for monitoring and evaluation purposes.  One of these tools is our AiDST (All in Development Stories Telling) terms and conditions which we highlighted at the beginning of this programme.  We strongly recommend to those who would like to submit their stories to consider this tracking tool.

It is increasingly fashionable for people to tell and share their stories via social media platforms (e.g. twitter, Tik Tok, etc.).  If you are going to use these platforms, please let us know so that we can follow and track your story.

 

 

• • Ways of Supporting All in Development Stories Telling Programme

 

For any programme to continue, it needs support.  This need of support also applies to CENFACS’ All in Development Stories Telling Programme.  For us to continue this programme, we need your support.

The first life line of support for this programme is stories.  Without stories, there will not be a story programme.  The programme also requires human resources (e.g. volunteers).

Besides the above non-monetary support, the programme needs income-related help in order to store and share stories as well as to preserve the legacies of stories donated. 

People and organisations willing to support this programme can do it at any time.  For those wondering if there is any specific fundraising event relating to the programme in this month, we would like to inform them that we are holding two days (on 30 and 31 May 2022) event for them to give a story and/or to donate money or even gift the programme.

 

 

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of recovery, please contact CENFACS.

If you have a story of green and climate alignment in the process of building forward better, please do not hesitate to tell it to CENFACS.

We look forward to your story of green and climate alignment in the context of building forward better greener, cleaner and cleaner.

_________

 

• References

 

(1) https://localtrust.org.uk/policy/left-behind-neighbourhoods (accessed in May 2022)

(2) Xiaoyun, Xie, W., Deng, M., (2022), Global green taxonomy development, alignment and implementaion at https://www.climatebonds.net/files/reports/cbi_taxonomy_ukpact_2022_eng.pdf  (accessed in May 2022)

(3) Bhat, S. & Barnett, L., A., (2021), Climate-Aligned Finance 101: What Is It, and Why Should You Care? at https://rmi.org/climate-aligned-finance-101-what-is-it-and-why-should-you-care/ (accessed in May 2022)

_________

 

• 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 CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.

JUST GO TO :Support Causes – (cenfacs.org.uk)

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

Thank you as well to those who made or make comments about our weekly posts.

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2022 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

18 May 2022

 

Post No. 248

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Rebuilding Africa in the Post-pandemic Era

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 3: Stories of Transformation from the Coronavirus Disaster and its Variants (From Wednesday 18/05/2022)

• CENFACS’ All in Development Stories Library

 

… And much more!

 

 

 

Key Messages

 

• Rebuilding Africa in the Post-pandemic Era

 

As we argued in our previous communications, 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).  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.

 

• • Where Rebuilding Africa can take place

 

Rebuilding Africa can take place in the following types of countries:

 

√ Countries that are experiencing embryonic democratic transition or want to nurture their democratic transition (like the Democratic Republic of Congo)

√ Countries that came out of destructive natural disasters (for instance Madagascar)

√ Countries that are undergoing peace transition after destructive wars (similar to the current process in the Central African Republic)

√ Countries searching for a truly democratic transition (such as Algeria at the moment).

 

• • The focus for this year’s Rebuilding Africa

 

This year, our Rebuilding Africa advocacy will focus on how Africa is trying to recover itself from the coronavirus disaster under the current constraint of another crisis, the cost-of-living crisis.  The latter has been caused by a number of factors including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has led to rising prices of energy, food, money (interest rates), etc.

Further details about this advocacy work on Rebuilding Africa in the Post-pandemic Era can be found under the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

 

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 3: Stories of Transformation from the Coronavirus Disaster and its Variants (From Wednesday 18/05/2022)

 

We are going to start this Serial 3 by asking the following questions:

Has the coronavirus changed people (particularly our users) in their communities and organisations they work with in terms of their habits relating to the non-essential economy or their relationships with the nature?  Do people just want to get back on their feet by building back better their life as it was in the pre-pandemic era and keep their relationships with the nature like business as usual?

If people have changed and made the operation of building from the coronavirus not only as a way of getting/building back what was destroyed or lost, but also a process of looking or building forward; then there could be transformation.  And if there is transformation, there could be a story to tell and share about this transformation.  Stories of transformation can help to know, if not to measure, the change or transformation in the process of building forward better that people are undertaking.

However, before going any further, let us try to understand transformation, define stories of transformation and identify types of transformation stories to submit in the context of CENFACS AiDS Telling and Sharing Programme for this year.

 

• • Basic understanding of transformation

 

Our basic understanding of the word ‘transformation’ comes from Chambers’ Combined Dictionary Thesaurus (1), which states that

“Transformation is a change of form, constitution, or substance” (p. 1306)

From this definition of Chambers’ Combined Dictionary Thesaurus, transformation will be here approached from three perspectives, which are: economic, social and environmental. 

We are approaching it from these three perspectives because we would like to stay within the spirit of the work CENFACS does in sustainable development.  Let us look at each of these perspectives of transformation.

 

 

• • • Economic transformation

 

Economic transformation can be understood in many ways.  According to Hidalgo et al (2), economic transformation is

“A process of continuous upgrading of domestic capabilities and type of goods produced”.

As to Page and Shimeles (3), they argue that economic transformation is

“Significant changes in economic structure as factors of production moved from lower – to higher-productivity uses”.

From these economic arguments, our apprehension of economic transformation will be on what happened to people (here our users) and the organisations we work with in terms of economic transformation in the process of building forward better from the coronavirus and its variants.  Therefore, the stories we are seeking are those of economic transformation of these people and organisations.

 

• • • Social transformation

 

Our selected definition of social transformation stems from the online website ‘igi-global.com’ (4) which states that social transformation is

“The long-term change processes occurred in social norms, levels, and relationships of social structure”

On the same website, it said that

“Social transformation is a process that tends to meaningfully change a specified set of social relations”.

This definition will help to select stories of social transformation amongst our users and organisations working with us.  In these stories of transformation, we shall try to find out if there is any sustained process that can enable to identify a defined direction of social transformation.

 

• • • Environmental transformation

 

Transformation is perceived here from what Chris Park (5) explains in his Oxford Dictionary of Environment and Conservation, which is:

“Transformation is progressive change that removes evidence of an earlier state, such as the conversion of land from one use to another (such as deforestation)” (p. 457)

This definition will be used to tell and share stories of how people and organisations we work with strive to change their relationships with conditions, factors and influences that affect the life, development and survival of the natural world in which we live.

From these definitions of transformation, one can now try to understand stories of transformation.

 

 

• • Stories of Transformation to Build Forward Better

 

• • • What are Stories of Transformation?

 

To help some of our readers understand these stories, we would like to refer to what the ‘writepractice.com’ (6) argues about them, which is:

“Transformation stories examine the hero’s process of change as they evolve through the stages of the plot, reacting to events and stimuli, becoming a different person from how they started out”.

To develop stories of transformation, one may find this definition useful or simply operational.  One can define their hero in the process of building forward better.  They may perhaps have a theory or practice of change that is appropriate for their model or experience of transformation in order to capture and tell their stories from the reality of life.

 

 

• • Identification of types of post-pandemic stories of transformation to submit or share in the context of CENFACS AiDS Telling and Sharing Programme

 

The following could be eligible as stories to tell and share:

 

Stories of…

 

√ Scientific advice given by COVID-19 scientists/experts and how this advice helped the story teller and sharer to get on with the process of building forward better

√ Meaningful inclusion of the marginalised in the process of building forward

√ Science-policy processes that helped story tellers to reach their goal of building forward better

√ Being genuinely listened as a new voice

√ Local social conditions and responses that story tellers may have benefited in the process of building forward better

√ Improvement of social position and rights in the process of building forward

√ Shared networks that were or are supportive in the process of building forward

√ Promoting redistribution and sharing power and control-over decision-making, resources and benefits in the process of building forward

√ Digital transformation in story tellers’ life-making during the process of building forward

Etc.

 

The above types of stories of transformation to  be told and shared would be  real stories of change from real people, not fiction or imaginary. 

They are of…

 

√ Lasting change from those we serve in our community, as these stories help to rebuild, enlighten and renew lives

√ Post-pandemic economic, social and environmental transformations

√ People and the community we serve as well as of those organisations we work with in Africa

√ Green, clean and safer transformations from the COVID-19 disaster and associated adverse impacts

√ Poverty reduction and sustainable development in the post-pandemic era.

 

The above notes are about transformation stories.

If you have a story of green, clean and safer transformation from the COVID-19 disaster and associated adverse impacts, please do not hesitate to tell it to CENFACS.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of transformation, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

• CENFACS’ All in Development Stories Library

 

CENFACS’ All in Development Stories (AiDS) Library is an inspirational, motivational, learning and development place for CENFACS‘ members where we keep captured stories and tales of AiDS. 

 

• • What is this library about?

 

It is a database of stories told and /or donated since the inception of AiDS Telling Programme in 2009.  It is a resource or data bank for those members of the CENFACS Community and others who are looking for stories of poverty reduction and sustainable development.  Data stories are kept in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation.

Those who have stories falling within our eligibility criteria can add value to CENFACS‘ AiDS Library by donating stories to store.

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Permission to Share a Story with CENFACS

 

Generally, when we ask people’s stories, we also seek permission to share their stories.  This is because telling us your story does not necessarily mean that you have given us the permission to share it.  Your permission could be verbal or written.

We review the conditions of permission in the light of the law.  Our story telling and sharing policy includes as well images or any infographics making these stories.  Our story telling and sharing policy is available to story tellers on request.

To keep our Story Month within the spirit of this policy, we are dealing with copyright law, permissions and licensing in order to share your story contents.  We are particularly working on copyright permissions that story donors need to give to us in order for us to share their stories.

Working on copyright permissions is about staying copyright compliant as far as permissions to share your story is concerned.  In simple terms, it means we will ask you whether or not, you agree for us to share your story including imaging or infographic parts of your story.

We are as well responding to any questions linked to copyrights relating to sharing stories.  For those who may have any issues to raise with story telling and sharing in the context of CENFACS’ AiDS Telling and Sharing Programme, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

• Ways to Submit or Give your story

How to make your stories to reach CENFACS and others in the community

 

There are many means or ways in which you can submit or donate your story.  In the context of this Serial 3, there are ways that one can use to do it, which are:

 

• •   Written text options

 

You can write your story in a textual format.  You can use email, mobile phone, text messing system and CENFACS’ contact form; and send your story in the form of text.  To do that, you do not need special skills.

 

• • Phone calls

 

You can call CENFACS and give your story via phone.

 

• • Audio storytelling and listening

 

You can use the capacity of audio to tell your volunteering story.  Audio storytelling (with short digital narratives, podcasting, social media and online streaming) can help create and share the impact of the change you made or have made.

 

• • Short film experiences

 

You can make short films to support your storytelling experiences and create a social impact.   You can make film on your smart phone with a video content.  Shooting interviews with story participants can also help to create experiences that maximise social media and essential story contents.

 

• • Video options

 

You can use audio High Definition video calling (for example Skype video calls or Google Meet for video conferencing options) to tell and share you story with CENFACS and others.

If you are going to use video options, it is better to use a free option and non-profit programme, as they are accessible to everybody to join in with at home or wherever they are, especially at this time of the cost of living crisis.

Some of our users and members may not be able to afford to pay for some types of video options on the market.  That is why it is better to use something which is accessible by the majority of people.

For the purpose of data protection, please use the security tips attached to your chosen option.

If you know you are going to tell your story via video calling or conferencing option and you want CENFACS to participate or join in, you need to let us know at least three days before your story calling or conferencing start so that we can plan ourselves. 

You need as well to inform us about the date, time and possibly participants.  You can email, phone, text or complete the contact form to let us know as we are busy like you.

If you have a story, you can tell and share with us and others via the above named means.  And if you do not mind, we will circulate – with your permission – your stories within the CENFACS Community.

 

 

 

• E-workshop for Gamers of CENFACS’ Poverty Reduction League: Create a League Table

How to create your African Countries’ League Table when gaming for poverty reduction

 

As part of CENFACS’ All Year Round 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.  You can create a poverty reduction table showing the following:

 

√ Your selected African team countries

√ The number of criteria/indicators you can assess them against

√ 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.

 

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 2022.

To access this e-workshop and get the grips with skills and techniques to create your poverty reduction league table, just contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

Voies de soumettre ou de donner votre histoire

Comment faire pour que vos histoires atteignent le CENFACS et d’autres membres de la communauté

Il existe de nombreux moyens ou voies de soumettre ou de donner votre histoire dans le contexte  des histoires de ‘Tous dans le développement‘.  Vous pouvez utiliser les moyens suivants:

√ Options de texte écrit

Vous pouvez écrire votre histoire dans un format textuel.  Vous pouvez utiliser le courrier électronique, le téléphone portable, le système de messagerie texte et le formulaire de contact du CENFACS; et envoyer votre histoire sous forme de texte.  Pour ce faire, vous n’avez pas besoin de compétences particulières.

√ Appels téléphoniques

Vous pouvez appeler le CENFACS et donner votre histoire par téléphone.

√ Narration et écoute audio

Vous pouvez utiliser la capacité de l’audio pour raconter votre histoire de bénévolat.  La narration audio (avec de courts récits numériques, des podcasts, des médias sociaux et du streaming en ligne) peut aider à créer et à partager l’impact du changement que vous avez apporté ou accompli.

√ Expériences de courts métrages

Vous pouvez faire des courts métrages pour soutenir vos expériences de narration et créer un impact communautaire.   Vous pouvez faire un film sur votre téléphone intelligent avec un contenu vidéo.  Les entretiens de tournage avec les participants  à votre histoire peuvent également aider à créer des expériences qui maximisent les médias sociaux et les contenus essentiels de l’histoire.

√ Options vidéo

Vous pouvez utiliser les appels vidéo audio haute définition (par exemple, les appels vidéo Skype ou Google Meet pour les options de vidéoconférence) pour raconter et partager votre histoire avec CENFACS et d’autres.

Si vous envisagez d’utiliser des options vidéo, il est préférable d’utiliser une option gratuite et un programme à but non lucratif, car ils sont accessibles à tous pour participer à partir de chez-soi (la maison) ou où qu’ils se trouvent, en particulier en cette période de crise du coût de la vie.

Certains de nos utilisateurs et membres peuvent ne pas avoir les moyens de payer pour certains types d’options vidéo sur le marché.  C’est pourquoi il est préférable d’utiliser quelque chose qui est accessible par la majorité des gens.

Aux fins de la protection des données, veuillez utiliser les conseils de sécurité joints à l’option que vous avez choisie.

Si vous savez que vous allez raconter votre histoire par appel vidéo ou par conférence et que vous souhaitez que le CENFACS participe ou se joigne à vous, vous devez nous le faire savoir au moins trois jours avant le début de votre appel ou de votre conférence afin que nous puissions nous organiser.

Vous devez également nous informer de la date, de l’heure et éventuellement des participant(e)s.  Vous pouvez envoyer un e-mail, téléphoner, envoyer un SMS ou remplir le formulaire de contact pour nous le faire savoir car nous sommes occupés comme vous.

Si vous avez une histoire, vous pouvez la raconter et la partager avec nous et d’autres personnes par le biais des moyens susmentionnés.  Et si cela ne vous dérange pas, nous diffuserons – avec votre permission bien sûr – vos histoires au sein de la communauté CENFACS.

 

Main Development

 

• Rebuilding Africa in the Post-pandemic Era

 

The following two sub-headings explain our advocacy about Rebuilding Africa in the Post-pandemic Era:

 

a) Rebuilding as a Next Step after Bringing and Lighting a Blaze of Hope

b) Activities to Help Rebuild Africa in the Post-pandemic Era.

 

• • Rebuilding as a Next Step after Bringing and Lighting a Blaze of Hope 

 

As argued above, Rebuilding is the next step in our process of helping in reducing the impacts and effects of war and natural disaster events or any other major crises.  Saying that we are going to rebuild Africa, it does not mean that we are going to remake all the sectors of Africa from scratch.

Rebuilding in the context of our poverty relief work has to be placed in the perspective of working with and helping poor people and their organisations to overcome the ill effects of wars and natural disasters or any other major crises (like the coronavirus, the cost-of-living crisis).  It is down to Africans to rebuild Africa, not CENFACS.  CENFACS as a charity just gives a helpful hand to them to reduce or better end poverty.

 

• • What Rebuilding Africa is about

 

Rebuilding Africa addresses the legacies left by destructive wars and natural disaster events or any other major crises like the coronavirus and the current cost-of-living crisis.  Every year, many human and wild lives as well as other ways of life have been destroyed as a result of wars, armed conflicts and environmental disasters.  These events often lead to humanitarian catastrophes, emergencies, contingencies, crises and responses.

What’s more, where there is destructive war, there is always a destruction of the environmental life.  Examples of these Destroyed Lives are what happened in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Chad, in the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Mali, etc.

Rebuilding Africa initiative tries to respond to these events by undertaking projects planning and development activity within CENFACS and in association with our Africa-based sister organisations.

 

• • What this Projects Planning and Development is about

 

The Projects Planning and Development activity enables us to know the needs on the grounds and reach out to those in most need in Africa.  It also assists to improve our way of doing development work, to rethink and exchange new ideas, avenues, approaches and projects to better respond to the following:

 

√ New economic pressures and influences that can lead to the destruction of human and wild lives as well as other livelihoods or ways of life

√ New emerging threats and risks (like the coronavirus and the current cost-of-living crisis)

√ New types of needs to rebuild destroyed lives (including infrastructures) in Africa

√ Future risks and crises that are likely to happen and to cause human sufferings or impacts.

 

This planning and development process is within the context of enhancing our African Rebuilding and Sustaining Infrastructures and Lives programme.  More details about this programme can be found from CENFACS.

 

• • What are those projects or responses?

 

Projects planning and development for responses could deal with environmental and war events as well as near future risks and crises.  In other words, we undertake projects planning and development linked to three events: wars, natural disasters, and future risks or crises.

 

a) Project developments linked to environmental events

 

Project developments linked to environmental events may respond to the following:

 

∝ Short-term environmental strikes

∝ Disasters linked to climate change cycles

∝ Long-term environmental storms and catastrophes.

 

b) Project developments linked to war events

 

Project developments linked to war events may try to deal with the following:

 

∝ Short-term crisis and armed conflicts and disputes

∝ Wars linked to economic trends and business cycles

∝ Long-running and permanent wars and structural warfare.

 

c) Project developments linked to future risks and crises

 

Project developments linked to future risks and crises that are likely to happen and to have catastrophic impacts, may try to deal with the following:

 

∝ Infectious diseases like the coronavirus, the Ebola, etc.

∝ Natural resource crisis such as rising prices of energy and food due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine

∝ Interstate economic relations fracture because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has partly led to the current cost-of-living crisis.

 

Project developments linked to environmental, war and future events will be a process of projects planning and development that has a triple response to environmental, war and future events for short, medium and long running crises.  This planning will include also the organisation of specific activities to help the rebuilding process.

 

• • Activities to Help Rebuild Africa in the Post-pandemic Era

 

Rebuilding Africa in the Post-pandemic Era as advocacy includes four types of activities:

 

∝ Activities to end Build Back Better (Advocacy to manage endings)

∝ Activities to manage transition (to turn endings to new beginnings)

∝ Activities to manage new beginnings

∝ Activities to manage the future.

 

• • • Activities to end Build Back Better (Advocacy to manage endings)

 

To build forward better with communities and ASOs, it is better to successfully manage the end of or close build back better programme.  However, building better is a backward and forward process.  Even if one is in the process of building forward, they can still refer to the build back stage or programme to check if there is any link with the process of building forward.

 

• • • Activities to manage transition (to turn endings to new beginnings)

 

The activities to manage transition will include the three stages of transition as described by the Centre for Creative Leadership (7), which are:

“accepting the ending, living in the neutral zone and reach your new beginnings”.

These activities will help to turn endings to new beginnings.

To conduct these activities, we are going to look at transition cycle.  We shall as well recall the Elizabeth Kübler-Ross (8) change curve; in particular where changes can be integrated in renewed individuals.

By referring to her model of change, we can argue that people have already accepted and integrated the coronavirus pandemic in their mind sets as the 1960s theory of the five stages of grief or model of change curve by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross tells us.  We have accepted that change is inevitable; so we could now return to where we were before the coronavirus with changes rather than against them.  We can now move on with change and transition.

These advocacy activities to manage transition will be based on wellbeing economy, inclusiveness and safety to manage the process of coming out the coronavirus pandemic.

For example, we can advocate with ASOs so that they are not left behind in Africa’s recovery efforts from the negative effects of the coronavirus.  Our advocacy message could be that talks about financial recovery should include ASOs.

 

• • • Activities to manage new beginnings

 

The activities relating to the management of new beginnings will help to work with communities and ASOs to set up new goals, to identify opportunities and threats in the new development landscape (like the post-COVID-19 era).  We shall work with them via advice, tips and hints to manage a new beginning.

For example, we can revisit ASOs’ mission and vision in the new era of post-covid-19 reconstruction.

So, the activities to manage new beginnings will empower communities and ASOs to navigate their ways to improve in those areas where COVID-19 has brought a new window of opportunities and scope to learn and develop.  It is an advocacy work to freshly start and plan future.

 

• • • Activities to manage the future

 

By using futuring and visioning methods, it is possible develop scenarios, horizon scanning and trend monitoring/analysis to help build forward better.  These activities will enable us to better equip to minimise the likely harmful impacts of future risks and crises.  As Stephen Millett (9) puts it

“[But] building future planning into your everyday practices is not only vital – it’s eminently doable”

The activities will be conducted to help communities and ASOs to meet their goals of building forward together greener, cleaner and safer.

For any enquiries and queries about any of these activities, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

For further details about  Rebuilding Africa in the Post-pandemic Era, please also contact CENFACS.

_________

 

• References

 

(1) Chambers (1999), Combined Dictionary Thesaurus, Martin Manser & Megan Thomson (Eds.), Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh

(2) Hidalgo, C. A., Klinger, B., Barabasi, A.-L. and Hausmann, R. (2007), ‘The Product Space Conditions the Development of Nations’, Science 317 (5837): 482-487

(3) Page, J. and Shimeles, A. (2014), ‘Aid, Employment, and Poverty Reduction in Africa’, Working Paper 2014/043, Helsinki:UNU WIDER

(4) https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/the-polictics-of-social-media/64575 (accessed in May 2022)

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

(6) https://thewritepractice.com/write-a-transformation-story (accessed in May 2022)

(7) Centre for Creative Leadership at https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/adapting-to-change-its-about-the-transition/ (accessed in May 2022)

(8) Kübler-Ross E., 1969: On Death and Dying, New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc.

(9) Stephen Millett at https://www.triarchypress.net/managing-the-future.html (accessed in May 2022)

_________

 

• 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 CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.

JUST GO TO :Support Causes – (cenfacs.org.uk)

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

Thank you as well to those who made or make comments about our weekly posts.

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2022 and beyond.

With many thanks.

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

11 May 2022

 

Post No. 247

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 2: Stories of Recovering from the Coronavirus Disaster and its Variants (From Wednesday 11/05/2022)

• Africa-based Sister Organisations and Data-based Stories of Post-COVID-19 Recovery

• Goal for the Month: Reduction of the Lack of Storytelling Communication Skills

 

… And much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 2: Stories of Recovering from the Coronavirus Disaster and its Variants (From Wednesday 11/05/2022) 

 

Our Story Month continues with Serial 2, which is devoted to people-centred stories of regaining a former and better condition in the process of building forward better from the coronavirus and its variants.  These stories are those of setting again or returning to a previous stage or fixing what the coronavirus has destroyed, mostly from people in need.

Recovery is a process.  Like in any process, there are phases or stages.  In every stage or phase, there could be stories to tell and share.  Recovery can be economic, social, environmental, etc.  It can be in conservation, in disaster management, waste management, mineral processing, etc.

In the context of this Serial 2 of our May Month, we are interested in the storylines from disaster management; that is from the management of COVID-19 as a socio-economic and health disaster.  Disaster management is understood in Chris Park’s Oxford Dictionary of Environment and Conservation (1) as

“A comprehensive approach to reducing the adverse impacts of particular *disasters [natural or otherwise] that brings together in a *disaster plan all of the actions that need to be taken before, during, immediately after, and well after the disaster event” (p. 122)

One of the actions to be taken is recovery.  In the same dictionary, recovery is defined in disaster management as

“The coordinated process of supporting communities that have been affected by disaster in reconstruction of the physical infrastructure and restoration of emotional, social, economic, and physical well-being” (p. 373)

Because the coronavirus has been a disaster, a recovery action can be taken at the individual and community levels.  When recovery starts to happen, there are stories about it.

We are calling for submission of the stories of a coordinated process of self-support and /or supporting communities and people who have been affected by the coronavirus and trying to first return to their original state.

However, the recovery that we are dealing here is the one in the process of building forward rather than of building back.  In the building back situation, recovery is a process designed to get people back where they were in the pre-pandemic period.  Recovery in this situation is a static concept.

On the other hand, recovery in the building forward scenario is about looking forward to a better life rather than focussing on how lives and things were before disaster happened.  Recovery in the building forward context is dynamic.

Thus, the stories in which we are interested will be those of building/looking forward; that is lives and things that happened or are happening that will help to look or build forward in the future.

Since we are working within the framework of a recovery that is green, clean and safer; we are therefore looking for stories of recovery that include green, clean and safe elements in them.

Under the Main Development section of this post, there is more about this Serial 2 of our May Month 2022.

 

 

• Africa-based Sister Organisations and Data-based Stories of Post-COVID-19 Recovery

 

Our All in Development Stories Telling Programme includes the stories or experiences that our Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) are having with local people regarding their recovery from the COVID-19  and its variants.

Like in many parts of the world, the post-COVID-19 recovery has been hampered by many factors such as the impact of Russian invasion of Ukraine, the cost of living crisis, rising energy prices and interest rates.  These factors do not make the post-COVID-19 recovery easy.  This is let alone other variables like armed conflicts and climate change in Africa.

We continue to have reports of local people struggling to access basic life-sustaining needs (such as food, water, electricity, sanitation and financial support) in order to recover from COVID-19.  We had also reports of those who have successfully recovered from the health and economic impacts from the same coronavirus and its variants.

As we are in CENFACS’ Stories Month, we would like to include their tales or experiences of the post-coronavirus recovery.  We would like them to tell us their stories with data (i.e. textual, numerical, infographic and visual data).  There are advantages deriving from telling and sharing stories of post-COVID-19 recovery.

 

• • Advantages of sharing recovery stories

 

Stories can help their local people to get back on their feet and move forward.  They can accompany them in their recovery to build forward better.  They can as well assist in mobilising resources, capacities and other types of support to help deal with the issue of poverty at this challenging time.

For any of ASOs that would like to submit or donate their data-based stories of post-COVID-19 recovery, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

• Goal for the Month: Reduction of the Lack of Storytelling Communication Skills

 

All human beings have the skills to communicate.  However, are those in need effectively communicating their needs in order to achieve the poverty reduction goals they want or wish?

The lack of adequate storytelling skills to effectively communicate and express one’s feelings about poverty and hardships could be a barrier to reduce many forms of poverty.  Addressing this lack through the development of storytelling communication skills could be one of the vehicles to better empower those in need to better tell and share their stories.  It can also help in bridging the gap skills in this area of poverty.  Storytelling communication skills matter in the process of exploring or advocating solutions to their problems, as well.

For example, if you are a food poor or deprived, what are the things you need to say and the communication skills you need to deploy in your storyline so that you can win the minds and hearts of someone to support you in your journey to come out of food poverty and hardships?

So, this month we would like to deploy our efforts with our supporters to work with those suffering from the lack of relevant storytelling communication skills so that they can find the supportive skills they need to better tell their stories and effectively communicate in volunteering the types of solutions/responses they expect or may require.

The above is our poverty reduction goal for this month, which we are asking to our audiences and supporters to help or promote.

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Triple Value Initiatives (TVIs)/All Year-round Projects (AYRPs) Activity: Tell and Share your TVI/AYRP Story

 

You can tell and share what you are doing as TVI/AYRP user or beneficiary.  Telling and sharing your TVI/AYRP (that is Play, Run and Vote) story can have benefits.

 

• • Benefits of story telling and sharing 

 

We can list the following benefits:

 

√ To interact via words and actions to reveal the elements and infographics of what you are doing as TVI/AYRP

√ To track progress made so far and improvements you may need about what you are doing as TVI/AYRP

√ To learn and develop on what you are doing as TVI/AYRP

√ To motivate others who are working on similar or complementary TVI/AYRP

√ To make your story positively impact deprived lives and reach out to the needy communities

√ To record and celebrate achievements made so far of what you are doing as TVI/AYRP

√ To develop strengths and better practices to solve problems encountered in implementing what you are doing as TVI/AYRP

√ To inspire and motivate others on the road of change for better change via TVI/AYRP

√ To encourage others take up roles and positions as well as engage with your TVI/AYRP.

Briefly, telling and sharing your TVI/AYRP story will enable assess the value of your engagement with TVI/AYRP while helping you to know what has worked and not worked so far before its deadline in December 2022.

 

To tell and share your TVI/AYRP story, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

• Zero Income Deficit Campaign

How to Mitigate Rising Interest Rates on your Household Budget Equilibrium

 

The recent rise in interest rates which followed rising prices of other goods and services (like food, energy, shelter, transport, etc.) can only negatively impact household budgets, especially of those already struggling to make ends meet.

As part of CENFACS’ Zero Income Deficit Campaign, we are working with those of our users who may be interested in finding ways to mitigate or reduce the impact of rising interest rates on their household budgets.

Those members of our community who may be interested in this activity, they can contact CENFACS.  Also, for those ones who have stories to share on how they are coping in mitigating the rise in interest rates on their budget balances, they can share them.

 

 

•  Fundraising your Run to Reduce Poverty in Africa  during this Event Season

 

For those who are running events in the context of Triple Value Initiative of Run to Reduce Poverty in Africa in 2022, they can use the opportunity of the event season to introduce 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 causes.  This asking people to support concerns both in-person and virtual runs.

In this way, they can help revolutionise the Run activity with a fundraising element while running with or without others.  They can as well journal and develop a story about their Run activity.   They can share the contents of their journal and story of run with us and others.

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 2022, rather than raising money.

For those who may be having or are experienced some problems in installing or inserting a fundraising feature in their runs, they can speak to CENFACS.

To discuss your progress in the run, the fundraising feature in the run or any other issues relating to All Year Round Projects (Triple Value Initiatives), please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

• Message in French (Message en français)

Notre mois de l’histoire se poursuit avec le feuilleton 2 qui se compose d’histoires de rétablissement.  Dans le contexte de ces histoires, nous recherchons des histoires qui peuvent entrer dans le cadre ou les exemples suivants.

• • Exemples d’expériences narratives de rétablissement

Les éléments suivants pourraient être admissibles en tant qu’histoires à raconter et à partager :

Histoires de…

√ Dépenses en biens et services de consommation en cours de développement

√ Gérer de manière optimale la crise du coût de la vie

√ Ne pas sombrer dans l’effondrement économique

√ Financement du recouvrement

√ Mobilisation du financement climatique

√ Bonne transition de la construction en arrière à la construction en avant

√ Commencer à faire un plan optimiste pour l’avenir

√ Confiance en tant que consommateur/consommatrice

√ Récupération du pouvoir d’achat

√ Revenu des gens qui revient au niveau d’avant la pandémie et même augmente

√ Se remettre sur pied de façon économique

√ Avoir une opportunité ou une ouverture pour aller de l’avant

√ Augmentation du revenu réel dans le parcours de rétablissement

√ Continuer à réduire considérablement la pauvreté induite par la COVID-19 et ses variantes

Etc.

Nous pouvons continuer la liste.  Cependant, l’important est que ces récits et ces voix du rétablissement doivent être inspirants, engageants et fondés sur des données probantes.

Pour raconter et partager votre histoire de rétablissement, veuillez communiquer avec le CENFACS.

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 2: Stories of Recovering from the Coronavirus Disaster and its Variants (From Wednesday 11/05/2022)

 

The notes highlighting this Serial 2 will be developed under the following three headings:

 

1) Telling and sharing stories in the context of AiDS Telling Programme 2022

2) Advantages of telling and sharing recovery stories

3) Tracking tools for recovery stories.

 

Let us see what each of the headings contains as notes.

 

• • Telling and sharing stories in the context of AiDS Telling Programme 2022

 

Under this heading, we are going to successively deal with the following:

 

∝ The contextual and conceptual meaning of recovery

∝ The kinds of recovery we are talking about

∝ Selection criteria about recovery stories

∝ Story identification

∝ Types of recovery stories

∝ Indicative examples of narrative experiences of recovery.

 

Let us consider each of them.

 

• • • Meaning of recovery in the context of AiDS Telling Programme 2022

 

As part of this context, recovery is looked at as the process of regaining a former and better condition after the socio-economic and health disturbances and disruptions brought by the coronavirus and its variants.  This recovery is part of a set of actions to be taken in the context of disaster management as defined by C. Parker (op. cit.). 

It is also in line with what the United Nations (2) argued in their General Assembly in 2016 which is

“Recovery is the restoring or improving of livelihoods and health as well as economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets, systems and activities, of a disaster-affected  community or society, aligning with the principles of sustainable development and build back better, to avoid or reduce future disaster risk”.

Although the United Nations speaks about alignment with build back better, our recovery goes further in resonating with build forward better.  In other words, we are more interested in stories about how people and communities are building forward rather than on how they built back.  This means that recovery has to be placed in the dynamic context of building forward better, with future in mind.  The stories of recovery are of course those of building forward better.

 

• • • Kinds of recovery stories expected

 

They are those of a sustained cycle or stage of post-COVID-19 disaster or shock period in order to improve people’s socio-economic and health conditions.

They are the stories of what happened to people, especially those in need, at the flattening or declining phase of the epidemiological curves of the coronavirus pandemic when they already built back and are now building forward better.

 

• • • Eligible criteria about recovery stories

 

The stories to be given or donated will be more appealing to the AiDS assessment team if they meet the following criteria:

 

a) They should be of recovering from the socio-economic and health impacts of the coronavirus shock/disaster and its variants

b) They have some highlights of green, clean and safer aspects in them.

 

• • • Identification of stories according to the phases of recovery process

 

As argued earlier, recovery can be a process or be done in different steps or phases.  In each step or phase, there could be a story to tell or share.

For example, in the field of emotion or trauma management after the coronavirus shock or disaster, there could be five stages that people who suffered from COVID-19 emotion or trauma may take.  These stages are:  pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance and termination.

Another example could be of a disaster-stricken community that can take three phases to recover, which are: post-impact relief, recovery and reconstruction, and transition.

In these above different phases or steps, there could be a story to tell and share from those who have been through any of them.  There could be as well stories to tell and share between stages or steps whether it is about an individual or a community.

Those who have a story to tell and share on any of these steps or stages, they can contact CENFACS.

 

• • • Types of possible recovery stories

 

From what we have so far described, recovery stories can be of various types depending on each community’s or each person’s circumstances with the impacts of COVID-19 and its variants.  These stories could include those of different stages of the recovery process as highlighted above.

To the above, one could also add stories of vision for recovery; recovery plan; recovery approach or methodology used; recovery funding; recovery of emotional, social, economic and physical well-being, etc.

 

• • • Indicative examples of narrative experiences of recovery

 

The following could be eligible as stories to tell and share:

 

Stories of…

 

√ Spending on consumer goods and services in the process of building forward

√ Optimally managing the cost-of-living crisis

√ Not going into economic or financial collapse because of COVID-19 

√ Financing recovery

√ Mobilisation of climate financing

√ Good transition from build back to build forward

√ Starting to make an optimistic plan for the future

√ Building confidence as a poor consumer

√ Spending power recovery and financial wellness

√ People’s income returning to pre-pandemic level and even increasing

√ Economically and financially getting back to your feet

√ Having a bright opportunity or opening to move forward

√ Increase in real income in one’s recovery journey

√ Being able to cope with the recent interest rise

√ Continuing to substantially reduce poverty-induced by COVID-19 and its variants

Etc.

 

We can continue the list of indications or signs of eligible examples of recovery in the context of building forward better.  However, the important thing is that these tales, voices and infographics of recovery need to be inspirational, engaging and evidence-based.

 

• • Advantages of telling and sharing recovery stories

 

The good thing in telling and sharing recovery stories is that these kinds of stories can bring four important outcomes to the community, which are:

 

√ Providing inspiration to others, particularly but not exclusively to the CENFACS Community members, suffering from the coronavirus induced poverty and hardships

√ Proofing that it is possible to recover from the adverse impacts of the coronavirus, particularly the types of poverty and unsustainable development it may lead to

√ Strengthening our infrastructure networks of protection and safeguarding from poverty and hardships through stories telling, sharing and stewardship

√ Stewarding CENFACS’ All in Development Stories Telling Programme and Stories Donor Development.

 

• • Recovery story tracking tools

 

To track the recovery stories you are or will be telling and sharing with us, we have developed a certain number of tracking tools for monitoring and evaluation purposes.  One of these tools is our AiDS terms and conditions which we highlighted last week.  We strongly recommend to those who would like to submit their recovery stories to consider this tracking tool.

Additionally, we may use other story trackers such as story focus, key message, contact person, contact information, etc.  Since we are in a digital world, we can also refer to digital trackers.

The above notes are about recovery stories.  If you have a story of green, clean and safer recovery from the COVID-19 disaster and associated adverse impacts, please do not hesitate to tell it to CENFACS.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of recovery, please contact CENFACS.

________

 

• References

 

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

(2) https://www.unisdr.org/files/53213_bbb.pdf (United Nations General Assembly, 2016)

 

_________

 

• 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 CAUSES OR POVERTY REDUCTION.

JUST GO TO :Support Causes – (cenfacs.org.uk)

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

Thank you as well to those who made or make comments about our weekly posts.

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2022 and beyond.

With many thanks.