Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

12 August 2020

 

Post No. 156

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• FACS, Issue No. 68: Essential Economy That Relieves Poverty In Africa

• Trending in Poverty Reduction in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance, In Focus from Week Beginning 10/08/2020: Social Networking as Connector…

• Planning Review of Summer 2020 Humanitarian Relief Appeal Projects

 

… and much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

• FACS, Issue No. 68: Essential Economy That Relieves Poverty in Africa 

 

The top content of this week’s post is the Essential Economy That Relieves Poverty In Africa. This top content makes the 68^th Issue of FACS, CENFACS’ bilingual newsletter.

 

Introductory Notes to the 68^th Issue of FACS

 

The 68^th Issue starts by clearing the way in making the difference between essential economy and the essentialist vision of the economy in Page 2.  In doing so, it sets clear the goalposts or the direction of travel in helping us to understand how essential economy as a revived economic model can help reduce poverty in Africa.

It then goes on in highlighting the role of Africa-based Sister Organisations in the essential economy, especially in the restoration of local production and in helping reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development at the time of the coronavirus pandemic.  It also stresses the importance of charitable activities in the post-Covid-19 recovery period.

The issue shows us that although essential economy is not an end of itself, it can be a solution to poverty problems in Africa if a pan-African supply chain of essential commodities can be established.

As usual, we have our two pages (5 & 6) in French.  The two pages are a kind of digest of the Newsletter FACS (of the 68^th Issue) in French as they condense what is said in English by retelling it in French in a few and other words. 

Page 5 highlights the essentialness of networking and the renewal of engagement by African organisations to their project beneficiaries via essential economy. 

Page 6 speaks about the role of essential economy in the process of building back better Africa in the post-coronavirus era, while looking at essential economy as a way of connecting people to the local essential.

Our coverage of the 68^th Issue also includes the caring attributes of essential economy as an economy that serves the poor and does not leave anyone behind.  An essential economic project (“Essentia” Project) concludes this Issue in Page 10.

Besides these introductory notes to the Issue, there are key summaries of the pages making the 68^th Issue of FACS, which can be found under the Main Development section of this post.  They shade more lights about this lead content.

 

 

• Trending in Poverty Reduction in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance

In Focus from Week Beginning 10/08/2020: Social Networking as Connector for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development

 

To run this second note of our trending activity, we will start with the definition of social networking.  To define it, we are going to use a simple online and non-academic definition given by the website www.investopedia.com.    

This website defines social networking as

“the use of internet-based social media sites [e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram] to stay connected with friends, family, colleagues, customers, or clients” (1)

One can refer to this definition and follow the social purpose of social networking. 

For example, one can follow how people are trying to reduce poverty and hardships they are experiencing through the use of social media platforms.  Likewise, people could share poverty relief stories, sustainable development opportunities, tales about recycling items, etc.  They can exchange information about jobs and accommodation while improving their skills about healthcare by following the Covid-19 messages or videos to protect against the virus.   

One can do their own evaluation of the use of social networking to find out if what they exchange with others has to do with poverty reduction and sustainable development or not.  In other words, they can assess if their social media connection leads to poverty reduction and sustainable development or not.     

These are the kinds of experiences that are interesting in following the social networking as a connector from the perspective of our trending activity.  It can connect those in need to a variety of information and resources to help them reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

So, we are continuing in following the direction of socials through social networking in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance. 

To follow this trend with CENFACS or to discuss it, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

• Planning Review of Summer 2020 Humanitarian Relief Appeal Projects

 

We are now nearly ready to add these projects to our Summer Humanitarian Relief Appeal Campaign as their planning review has been completed.  These projects include the following:

 

√ All Gifts for All Coronavirus-affected Poor

√ Iconic Young Career for a Coronavirus-free Environment

√ International Networking& Protection against Covid-19

√ ‘Covid-19 Secure’ ELCLASSICO International

 

They are now Covid-19 proof.

For further details and to support any of them, just contact CENFACS.

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Online TRACK to CENFACS e-charity Summer Shop for Summer Goods Donations and Buys

 

Every season is an opportunity to do something about the environment and poverty.  You can recycle or donate your unwanted or unused goods and presents to do something about the environment and or poverty.  You can also buy goods to meet the same ends.

This Summer you can online track CENFACS e-charity shop to help the environment and poverty relief.  If you are a fun of online tracking and shopping, you can take an online course of action or online path or even course of travel to save the environment and reduce poverty with CENFACS.

Instead of you physically going to physically shop or donate your goods, you can from the comfort of your home buy or donate goods to CENFACS e-charity shop to help the deserving cause of poverty relief and sustainable development.

To support us either by shopping or supplying us with products or goods you no longer want or use so that we can sell and raise the money for the good cause of poverty relief, please go http://cenfacs.org.uk/shop/

 

 

 

• Virtual Trips for Field Research

 

Trips to the local need this week include as well those travels made or to be made to conduct field work research in Africa and anywhere else in the context of poverty relief and sustainable development projects. 

Because of the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdowns it has generated, we recommend to those who want do trips for field work research to only do them virtually.  In exceptional circumstances whereby people have to physically visit coronavirus-affected people or related projects, it is in the interest of everybody that they wear appropriate personal protective equipment to protect themselves and others against the Covid-19.  They should also follow local, national and international rules related to the protection against Covid-19 such as social and physical distancing rules, personal hygiene (washing of hands with soaps at least 20 seconds), disinfecting of their own properties if they have been in any site, etc.

These field work researches or practical experiences to gain knowledge and skills could be of varying forms such as observation and collection of raw data, interviews, group discussions, practical activities to support overseas development projects, etc. 

If you are a researcher and did or are doing some field work research on sustainable development and poverty reduction, and think that your work can enhance CENFACS’ work, you could share with us your experience, research findings or outcomes.

To share the experiences and results of your field work research, just contact CENFACS and CENFACS will get back to you.

 

 

 

• Mission Activity about Social Distancing Run to Reduce Poverty in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance

 

As part of CENFACS’ Mission Activity, you can virtually run or walk from any location you choose, including home.  You can run, jog, or walk on the road, on the trail, on the treadmill, at the gym or on the track (or even at another race).  You can run your own race, at your own pace, and time it yourself.

Again, one should follow the Covid-19 restrictions and guidance in order to protect themselves and the members of the public and those around them.

All we are asking in this Mission Activity is to complete 4 Km Run wherever you want to do them.  To do it, you need to wear the recommended personal protective equipment and to observe the social distancing rules.  Before doing it, please let CENFACS know.

 

 

Main Development

 

• FACS, Issue No. 68: Essential Economy That Relieves Poverty in Africa

 

• • Page summaries (p. 2 – p. 10)

The following are the key summaries of each page making the contents of the 68^th Issue of FACS.

 

The difference between essential economy and essentialist vision of the economy in the fight against poverty (p. 2)

 

The literature review about essential economy shows that there are no many definitions about it.  There are definitions of essential economy that are linked to the situation of lockdown.  Some use a pragmatic or circumstantial definition to define essential economy as ‘any economic activity that has been allowed to stay open and functioning during the period of lockdown of the economy linked to the coronavirus pandemic’. 

The above politically-oriented definition has some anomalies or irregularities as it is restrictive and timely limited.  Essential economy should not only be defined with reference to the lockdown as this was an exceptional or temporary situation.  Yet, essential economy is the economy of everyday.  We heard it from people saying this: buy only what is essential.  But what does essential economy really mean?

Understanding essential economy

To understand essential economy, we are going to refer to a dictionary definition of the economy and link this definition to the word essential.  This definition has been chosen because not everybody making CENFACS’ audience is an economist or understands complex economic jargons. 

Collins English Dictionary (2) defines economy as

‘the system by which the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services is organised in a country or community’ (p. 267). 

This system can become essential if it is based on absolutely important or indispensable goods and services for life sustenance.  This system can then operate at any time and does not need the time of lockdown to be made relevant.  Because it is based on what is essential or fundamental to maintain any life, it is close to those who are in most need to maintain their life, the poor and neediest.

Essential economy is different from the essentialist economic view

Arguing about the need of essential economy is different from having an essentialist view of the economy.  Essential economy is different from essentialist vision of the economy, just as one should make a difference between protection and protectionism. 

Indeed, the essentialist thinking of the economy is the belief or doctrine that the different entities or components of the economy have their attributes that make them what they are or their essence.  This kind of way of thinking can lead to status quo.  If one thinks like this, there will not be any progress in the reduction of poverty. 

In order to reduce poverty, one needs to remove both ideological or mental and material barriers that keep poor people always poor.  If one wants to reduce and end poverty, one needs to make progress in their thinking or mind set. 

So, we are approaching essential economy from the perspective of reducing poverty and sustainable development while recognising positive aspects of the essentialist theories or bodies of analysis.    Our approach is an economic and sustainable development one in the fight against poverty and hardships.  In this respect, our view lies in the progress of the essential economy in its capacity to pull out people out of poverty.  It is this view which has been reflected in the different parts of the contents of the 68^th Issue of FACS.

Below you find more contents about this Issue.

 

 

Africa-based Sister Organisations, Essential Local Production and Natural Resources (p. 3)

 

The experience of Covid-19, which is still to come, in restricting local people to shop locally and in accessing products, is in itself a call for Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) working in the field of production to have a local focus, while preserving natural resources in the fight against poverty and hardships.

Some people can see it as a post-coronavirus strategy.  However, in a realistic world local production should be part of any efforts to reduce and end poverty.  Whether it is part or not of a post-coronavirus strategy, ASOs can work with their beneficiaries to restore essential local production sometimes destroyed or disregarded because of a number of reasons or factors such as armed conflicts, environmental decay, climate change, pressure from global businesses (like multinational corporations, etc.) in search of sources of natural resources.  They can do it while working on the preservation of natural resources in the fight against poverty and hardships.        

There are many examples whereby ASOs are trying to restore essential local production in rural areas while helping local people to stay home during the lockdown in many African countries.  These examples of local production include: home-made facial masks, craft-made soaps and sanitising products to slow the spread of the coronavirus and protect local community health.  In this process, they involve the preservation of natural resources by using only what is essential for this type of local production.

For further details and examples about this ASOs model of restoring local essential production while caring for the environment, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS. 

 

Sustainability of Essential Charitable Activities Run by Africa-based Organisations in the Post-Covid-19 Era (p. 3)

 

The question that one may be asking and trying to answer could be this one: How to maintain essential charitable activities in order to stay open and sustain locally in the post-Covid-19 era?

Charities are part of the essential economy, especially those working for the relief of poverty and hardships.  Many of them run essential activities such as helping …

a) the homeless

b) the poor to access safe drinking water, primary healthcare and education

c) those in most need of food and drink

d) the unemployed people, refugees and asylum seekers, etc.  

During the lockdown, there has been a soaring level of financial hardships and charities that work on financial advice can enormously help with advice. 

During the Covid-19 outbreak and lockdown, there have been a lot of discussions about what is essential and what is non-essential.  Given what has been said earlier, many of the activities run by charities are essential as they are absolutely important for the lifeline of those in need of them and who need them the most.  Yet, many of their activities have been shut down because of the adverse effects and impacts of Covid-19 and the lockdown. 

One could hope that in the post-Covid-19 area, the deserving activities that charities (like those of ASOs with charitable status) will be properly appreciated in keeping their place within the essential sector or economy.

 

The Supply Chain of Essential Commodities and Progress on Poverty Relief in Africa (p. 4)

 

Covid-19 has exposed the extreme vulnerability of Africa to the international supply chains of goods and services including those on which poor people depend upon.  Redeveloping the continental supply chain of essential and critical commodities that poor people can access and improve their life outcomes and chances will help progress the relief and end of poverty. 

In this respect, the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement needs to include a great deal of essential economy.  This African model of continental free trade agreement could have that part of the economy that is closer to the poor and those in most needs.  As many studies suggested, this model of working together can have trade corridors that allow the free flow of essential economic commodities (or goods and services) to both mitigate the Covid-19 impacts and poverty.  This continental free trade model would be better than the temporary lifting of tariffs on essential products and services. 

So, the supply chain of essential goods and services can be improved under a wide model of working together so that poor people can access essential goods and services at any time (Covid-19 and no Covid-19 times).  This way, progress on poverty relief in Africa can be made widely and regardless of the Covid-19 situation. 

Further discussion on this topic can be addressed to CENFACS.

 

Making Essential Economy as a Solution to Poverty Problems (p. 4)

 

There are many discourses and models or solutions to poverty.  In the context of this Issue, solving the problem of poverty could mean providing to poor people essential economic means to fight and sustain against poverty.  These means could include: essential education, health, housing, employment, energy, income, consumption, skills, knowledge, opportunity, etc. 

In all these matters, it is all about what constitutes the essence of them.  Let’s take essential health, what is the essence of it or what is absolutely important for people to enjoy the kind of health that can be called indispensable.  Let’s take another example like of essential housing: what constitutes essential living.

So, essential economy can provide solutions to poverty by providing to people essential accommodation, level of education, monetary income, sanitation, skills to find jobs, etc.  It is an economy that has a real essence like in the theories of modalities.  It is possible to make essential economy as a solution to poverty and hardships.

 

Is Essential Economy a Gender Affair in Africa? (p. 4)

 

Where our Africa-based Sister Organisations operate, essential economy does not choose between men and women.  Both men and women make up the essential economic system.  There is no such difference being a man or woman trying to produce and consume within this system.  In this respect, essential economy is not gender-biased.  

However, one can hear some saying that these activities are essential for women or for men.  This could be related to the gender role in the society rather than a difference by virtue of essence of the economy.  In other words, by essence the essential economic system is not engendered to create difference between men and women in Africa.  If there is any gender disparity, it is not because the essential economy in itself is a gender affair by essence or nature.  In fact, one of the virtues of essential economy is the caring of others.  If one cares about others, they would not create a disparity against them.

Briefly, it is possible to argue that the essential economy does not discriminate between men and women as both need essential goods and services.  If there is a gender disparity as far as the essential economy is concerned, this will not be to do with the nature of essential economy, but will be to do with humans’ own makings and behaviours. 

For those who would like to further discuss this matter of essential economy and gender disparity, they can let CENFACS know.

 

Organisations africaines et leurs engagements sur l’économie essentielle  (p. 5)

 

L’une des leçons à tirer du coronavirus est sur la capacité des organisations africaines à renouveler leurs engagements respectifs avec les bénéficiaires sur le plan de l’économie essentielle.  Ce renouveau des engagements aura des effets bénéfiques pour les deux parties (organisations et projet bénéficiaires). 

Le renouvellement des engagements à travers le modèle de l’économie essentielle peut permettre de réaliser plus de résultats en matière de réduction de la pauvreté et de faire des avancées sur la réalisation des objectifs du développement durable. 

En effet, la crise du coronavirus a montré les limites de l’économie non-essentielle sur beaucoup de plans surtout sur celui de réduction de la pauvreté.  Ces limites sont entre autres  le non-essentiel qui pousse au gaspillage des ressources, et en particulier celui des ressources naturelles et rares.  Ce non-essentiel ne fournit pas toujours des biens et services utiles à la réduction de la pauvreté. 

En gros, en revalorisant le modèle de l’économie essentielle auprès de leurs usagers, cela permettre de préserver ensemble les acquis et réaliser davantage de résultats sur la réduction de la pauvreté.  Cette  revalorisation passera par la préparation ensemble des projets économiques essentiels visant à la réduction de la pauvreté.

 

Les organisations africaines, le réseautage en ligne et la réduction de la pauvreté (p. 5)

 

Il y a plusieurs manières d’appréhender le concept de « réseau ».  Dans le cadre de cet article, nous l’appréhendons à  travers les flux d’informations et de données que les organisations africaines échangent avec les autres membres de leurs réseaux. 

L’établissement et le développement des flux d’informations et de données sur les réseaux sociaux avec les mêmes parties participantes à ces réseaux peuvent permettre de réaliser davantage de résultats collectifs sur la réduction de la pauvreté.  Etant donné que nous sommes dans une situation de la pandémie de coronavirus, des tels flux et liens intégreraient le facteur sanitaire lié au Covid-19, si l’on veut qu’ils soient efficaces.  Ces réseaux d’échange et de partage des informations et données sur le Covid-19 et sur les expériences en matière de réduction de la pauvreté seront un cadre idéal dans un monde et une Afrique où les distanciations sociales et confinements causés par le coronavirus ont démontré les limites du modèle de réseaux basé sur les contacts humains physiques.

En bref, les organisations africaines peuvent utiliser les vertus du réseautage en ligne pour non seulement échanger des informations entre elles, mis aussi pour se protéger contre le Covid-19 et partager des expériences de réduction de la pauvreté qu’offre le secteur essentiel.  

 

Mieux reconstruire l’Afrique après le Covid-19 (p. 6)

 

Mieux reconstruire l’Afrique de l’après Covid-19 implique l’inclusion de l’économie essentielle aussi.  Pendant la crise du coronavirus et la période du confinement, l’économie essentielle est devenue l’économie courante ou la règle du jeu de tous les jours du confinement.  L’économie non-essentielle quant à elle, elle a été reléguée au banc des économies d’exception ou des réserves. 

Si les organisations africaines veulent vraiment mieux reconstruire l’Afrique après le Covid-19, alors il y a lieu qu’elles pensent à rehausser la place et la valeur de l’économie essentielle au même piédestal que les autres économies.  En effet, l’économie essentielle a fait ses preuves par exemple en matière d’approvisionnement des produits et services essentiels pour toutes les catégories de revenus (modeste, essentiel, moyen, élevé, etc.).  Elle a su démontrer qu’elle est une économie pour tout le monde et qu’elle ne laisse personne derrière. 

Pour qu’elles le fassent, cela implique qu’il faudrait développer une stratégie et des politiques pour l’économie essentielle.  Au niveau de nos sœurs organisations africaines, il y a lieu qu’elles montent aussi des politiques et projets de réduction de la pauvreté afin qu’elles prennent des opportunités offertes par la démonstration que l’économie essentielle a faite.  Cela nécessite des créations et des innovations sur les manières de réduire la pauvreté fondées sur les vertus de l’économie essentielle. 

En résumé, mieux reconstruire l’Afrique après le Covid-19, c’est aussi mieux composer avec l’économie essentielle.   

 

L’économie essentielle et la connexion à l’essentiel local  (p. 6)

 

Comme toute économie, l’économie essentielle regorge des aspects positifs et négatifs.  En s’attelant sur ses aspects positifs, on peut citer notamment la connexion à l’essentiel local.  L’un des aspects positifs de cette économie est le recours et la revalorisation des ressources locales pour résoudre des problèmes locaux. 

S’agissant par exemple de la connexion à l’essentiel local, on a vu l’augmentation de l’intérêt aux installations locales ces derniers mois.  La plupart des personnes et familles ont tenté de connecter avec la nature locale, les parcs locaux et jardins publics, les magasins locaux, etc.   Alors que pendant la période d’avant le confinement, il y avait peu d’intérêts pour certains aux ressources locales.  Le local et l’essentiel sont ainsi devenus proches d’eux pendant le confinement. 

Les organisations africaines peuvent utiliser cet attribut de l’économie essentielle pour résoudre les difficultés que leurs usagers rencontrent en matière de réduction de la pauvreté.  Des difficultés qui sont de plusieurs ordres tels que les pénuries alimentaires, le manque d’accès aux produits de première nécessité, l’absence d’éducation essentielle, le manque de santé et de salubrité, le déclin de la connexion au local, ainsi de suite. 

On peut conclure que l’utilisation des aspects positifs de l’économie essentielle (tels que la connexion à l’essentiel local) par les organisations africaines peut avoir des effets bénéfiques pour la réduction de la pauvreté.

 

 

The Essentialness of the Poverty Reduction in Africa in the Age of Covid-19 (p. 7)

 

The quality of poverty reduction being essential is not only a matter of the usual known income poor people.  Indeed, having a poor health as a result of someone catching or being contaminating by Covid-19 is in itself a sign of poor health or poor sanitation.  This raises the question of the relativity or subjectivity of poverty rather than of the objectivity of it. 

An income rich person can also be a poor from the health point of view.  Covid-19 does not choose between the rich and the poor.  If this is the case, then it is essential to reduce any forms of poverty whether those who have been threatened by any of these forms are income poor or rich.  In this respect, Covid-19 is a reminder of the essentiality or essentialness of poverty reduction regardless of income status. 

For example, the essentialness of the poverty reduction in Africa in the Age of Covid-19 has gained its cause when rich and poor had to rely on the same essential domestic health systems and services as there were lockdowns everywhere.

In short, the essentialness of the poverty reduction in Africa in the Age of Covid-19 is about telling us the reduction of poverty (here sanitation poverty caused by Covid-19) is not only beneficial for the poor.  It is in everybody’s interest, rich or poor.

 

 

Care and Essential Economies That Help to Save and Protect Lives (p. 7)

 

One of the attributes of essential economy is that it provides space to care for others.  By only producing, consuming and using essential products and services, this shows that we care for others who also need the same goods, services and opportunities like us.  The other ones could be those in most needs, the ones who need more care and help in our society than anybody else.  In this respect, essential economy and care economy can intersect at certain point or area whereby essentiality could mean caring for others.

For example, one could have noticed during the lockdown how the store advertisement message of buying only what you need as essential was combined with the other message of caring for each other through social distancing rules.  This shows how close essential economy is to care economy.

Briefly, a caring and essential economy can help to protect and save lives, especially at this time of Covid-19 during which many lives are at risk. 

 

Sustainable Essential Economy and Poverty Reduction (p. 8)

 

Sustainable essential economy (SEE) is the absolutely necessary and sustainable management of available and scarce resources that can help to solve the basic economic problem of poverty and hardships.  SEE can help avoid the depletion and waste of natural resources while caring for the generations to come in terms of the resources which will be available for them.  In this respect, sustainability and essentiality go hand in hand as both can help to reduce poverty.

For further details and discussions on sustainable essential economy and poverty reduction, please contact CENFACS.

 

Essential Economy, Environmental Impacts and Poverty Reduction (p. 8)

 

Environmental impact is defined in the Dictionary of Environment and Conservation written by Chris Park (3) as

‘any positive or negative impact or effect that any activity, project and programme may have on natural resources and the environmental system’. (p. 152) 

Because of the nature of the essential economy, which is based on the essence of a thing and essential use of natural resources, the environmental impact from the essential economy can be lower than what one would expect, on what is extremely important and necessary. 

The essential economy will tend to use few natural resources and will stop waste.  This tendency can positively impact the reduction of poverty if poor people are able to save on the use of resources.  The saving made can help improve their essential gross domestic product per capita.

For any further discussion about the environmental impact of the essential economy, please contact CENFACS.

 

Survey on Essential Economy: Reconnection to the Essential Local (p. 9)

 

As part of its survey about people’s experience of using the essential economy during the lockdown, CENFACS is running a questionnaire for people to say what they think about their reconnection to the essential local in order to survive during the lockdown of the economy.

To take part in this survey and or to tell your feelings about your reconnection to the essential local, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

The Essential Economy as the Economy that does Leave No-one Behind (p. 9)

 

Those who have only basic or essential solvable income can be left behind.  They may not have the disposable income to purchase goods and services at a certain price due to the income constraint. 

The Covid-19 and subsequent lockdowns have shown how those who live only on basic or essential monetary income could not even afford to cover the extra costs of disinfection and sanitation brought by Covid-19 in their household budgets.  The financial bailout of those poor in some parts of the world is in itself the evidence of the lack financial means due to the suddenly change of cost of living for them.

In idealistic world where everybody has a basic or essential income to live, they can at least afford to buy essential goods and services.  Because the essential economy is based on essential activities, it tends to be inclusive of everyone who is looking for essential goods and services like we have seen during the lockdowns.  This inclusiveness and embodiment of the essential economy makes no-one to lag behind in the fulfilment of the needs of sanitation and health products to fight the coronavirus pandemic for example.

Despite the asymmetrical effects of lockdown between people, the essential economy itself does not differentiate people unless those who are running this economy choose to do so.  This feature of the essential economy makes it as a lasting system of production, consumption and distribution of goods and services that connects people including the poor to what really is indispensable for their life and survival.  This takes away from what is non-essential for everyday life.

For any query or enquiry about the inclusivity of the essential economy, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.   

 

The Essential Economy as the Economy that Serves the Poor (p. 9)

 

Serving the poor, under-served and un-served could mean a lot of things.  In the context of this writing, it simply means helping them to get out poverty and hardships.  Again, helping someone to get out poverty and hardships could also mean different things to different people. 

Getting out poverty and hardships could mean creating the conditions that are favourable to them to use their abilities and talents to resolve the basic problem of the allocation of scarce and limited resources to unlimited wants and needs.

However, creating those conditions may not be enough if only few of those in need are the only ones able to access them.  To make those created conditions useful, it is good to widen the entry to many of them as well as to work with them so that they can have the essential tools, means and capacities to access the conditions and environment created for them.  This will help them to succeed in the process of getting the service they need to escape from poverty and hardships.

This is one of the many ways of serving the poor.  It is also helping them to help themselves.  Because the essential economy is also a caring one, it can serve them in this way without putting a plate, cutlery and a glass on the table for them.

For further details and discussions about how the essential economy can serve the poor, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

“Essentia” Project (p. 10)

 

The “Essentia” project is a poverty-relieving initiative that uses the tenets and attributes of the essential economy in order to help people and communities in need to escape from poverty and hardships.  The project connects these people and communities to essential activities while motivating them to use non-polluting ways of resolving their long standing problems of poverty and hardships.

The project will be run by local organisations in Africa in alliance with CENFACS.

To support and or for full project proposals, please contact CENFACS.

For a paper copy and or enquiry about the 68th Issue of FACS, contact CENFACS.

 

(1) www.investopedia.com (accessed August 2020)

(2) Collins English Dictionary (2007), HarperCollins Publishers, Glasgow (www.collins.co.uk)

(3) Chris Park (2011), A Dictionary of Environment and Conservation, Oxford Press University, Oxford and New York

 

Help CENFACS keep the Poverty Relief work going in 2020.

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 consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the future.

Donate to support CENFACS!

 

FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ PROJECTS, JUST GO TO http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

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 2020 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

05 August 2020

 

Post No. 155

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Track, Trip and Trending in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance

• Mid-Summer 2020 Review and Update

• Happiness under the Constraint of Face Coverings

 

…. and much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

• Track, Trip and Trending in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance

 

August is CENFACS’ Track, Trip and Trending month.

We do Track at CENFACS as we think that every one of us can undertake basic physical activity of running or racing to help reduce poverty. Our project known as Run to Reduce Poverty is designed to meet that end.

This Summer, we are going to do Social Distancing Track.  This is due to the coronavirus and its associated impacts and effects.

August is also the month we carry out some Trips to our projects. We visit our projects all over the year, but August is the time we highlight this. It is the month of the year we walk again and reach out to the need, to the people, communities, organisations and livelihoods in need.

This Summer, we are going to undertake Virtual Trips.  This is also due to the coronavirus pandemic and its associated impacts and effects.

We thirdly deal with Trending in August as we spend time looking at what we can call Trendy Development.  Trending in Poverty Reduction helps us to follow the direction of poverty reduction work. This August we are going to follow this direction via ‘Social’ and ‘Virtual World’ in reducing sanitation poverty and enhancing health and safety aspects of sustainable development.

Again, due the coronavirus pandemic and its related impacts and effects, we are going to follow this direction via online, video, phone, screen and digital technological means of communication rather than on papers (print) or physical visits.

This Summer has been all about Covid-19 and its impacts.  Therefore, we are going to integrate Covid-19 and the theme for Summer into these three activities of August as follows: Track, Trip and Trending in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance.

More details about CENFACS’ Track, Trip and Trending month for this year is given under the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

 

 

• Mid-Summer 2020 Review and Update

 

This is a review and update about what has been happening within CENFACS in terms of the running of activities, projects and programmes.  The review and update cover the period from the 1^st of July 2020 until now and is divided into areas of work dealing with the CENFACS Community, Africa-based Sister Organisations and the two of them.

 

=> Areas of work dealing with the CENFACS Community

 

Regarding the CENFACS Community, we would like to mention the following.

We have reopened the Charity e-store while following to letter the restrictions and guidance related to the control of Covid-19 .

Our Covid-19 Campaign continues with the mantra of “STOP COVID-19 NEGATIVE IMPACTS AND SURGE”.

There are advisory sessions on holiday, happiness and healthiness budgets to be accessed by the community via an appointment.

We have unveiled our 6 Healthiness Projects for poor children, young people and families; projects that are run under the theme of a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance.

We have recently set up a Covid-19 Hub for Poverty Reduction as a point of collection and treatment of CENFACS’ work and information on Covid-19-induced poverty and hardships.

We held the 12^th edition of our Summer Festival of Thoughts with a focus on Health Economics.  This festival was a wonderful and unique opportunity to look into the issue of Covid-19 as being at the same time an economic and health threat, especially as the world is the middle of the global coronavirus pandemic.

The above is not just a list, but it is what has been going on so far since the beginning of July 2020.  To find out more about this review and update, please contact CENFACS.

 

=> Areas of work dealing with the Africa-based Sister Organisations

 

Concerning the Africa-based Sister Organisations, we would like as well to keep you inform by stating the following.

We heard the African Voices about the areas of improvement in the work we do together as some of you have expressed it in our consultation related to All-in-one Impact Feedback.  Where possible and within our capacity, improvement will be initiated.  We will set up an improvement plan to that effect.

The survey about the impacts of Covid-19 shock is still running.  We are asking to those who have not yet responded to do so.  It is in our mutual interest to respond to the survey.

The Rebuilding Africa Advocacy has been held with a focus on rebuilding healthiness in the phases of low spread and growth of the epidemiological curves of Covid-19 in Africa.

Data Analytics and Impact Activities have been carried out as scheduled.  However, due to the delay in getting all the feedbacks or reports from various sections of CENFACS, we are a bit held behind compared to our initial plan.

The African Sahel Humanitarian Corridors Appeal (that is an appeal to end food insecurity, water shortage and income decline exacerbated by Covid-19) is now trending.

 

=> Areas of work with the CENFACS Community and Africa-based Sister Organisations

 

To both the CENFACS Community and Africa-based Sister Organisations, we would like to add the following to what is trending within CENFACS.

We are still working in making CENFACS’ 2020s Development Agenda, Poverty Reduction Programme and Tools Box Covid-19 secure.

Under the project known as African Children and Sustainable Development Goals (Generation Global Goals or 3G Project), we are as well continuing to work on the Impact Analysis of Covid-19 Shock on African Children’s realisation of climate and sustainable development goals.  

We have recently embarked on the Impact Monitoring and Evaluation of CENFACS’ 2019-2020 Humanitarian Appeals for Africa, which we conducted.

 The two parts of our Summer Programme (i.e. Appeal and Healthiness projects) are still running.   If there is any query about these projects and / or any of our projects, please contact CENFACS.

To support the Appeal projects, let CENFACS know at http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

To access Healthiness projects, contact CENFACS at facs@cenfacs.org.uk and or by completing the comment form on our website.

We hope that this Mid-Summer 2020 Review and Update will give you a glimpse and the state of improvement of our activities, projects and programmes.  It is our way of keeping you informed and engaged around the Summertime.

We also hope that everybody is looking after each other in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance while enjoying the Summer weather.

For those who are in holiday during this Summer, we wish them a healthy holiday time.

For those who are working this Summer, we also wish them well with their work and whatever they are doing.

For those who are planning to go for holiday, we would like as well to wish them well with plans.

 

 

 

• Happiness under the Constraint of Face Coverings

 

Our Season of Happiness is still on track as we are trying to discuss and find answers about the difficulty that some members of the CENFACS Community are facing in covering the cost of buying masks or coverings, let alone the cost of hygienic and cleaning products to disinfect households.

The usual happy face with a smile that represents our Season of Happiness has been taken away by Covid-19.  Covid-19 has forced us to wear face masks or coverings instead of keeping our face and mouth free with a smile.  We are therefore asking the following questions.

What is happiness today in this context of Covid-19 adding more costs to our health budget while taking away our smile?

How can we find true enjoyment and joy with a smile under the Covid-19 restrictions?

What relieves better sanitation poverty: is it a face mask to protect us against Covid-19 or a smiling free face that gives us natural breath and a deep feeling of relief?

To discuss about Happiness under the Constraint of Face Coverings, please contact CENFACS. 

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Track, Trip and Trending in a “Mission” Year and Project

 

As part of CENFACS’ “Mission” Year and Project and of the month of Track, Trip and Trending; we would like those who can and want to proceed with either of the following “Mission” Activities:

√ Social Distancing Run 2.5 miles (nearly 4 km) for the relief of sanitation poverty or just poverty this month

√ Undertake Virtual Visits or Tours of 3 projects or activities related to Covid-19 hit local people or communities

√ Do online search to find 6 Social Trends in health poverty alleviation and health-enhancing aspects of sustainable development

The above three types of “Mission” Activities are our way of linking our “Mission” Year/Project and the month of Track, Trip and Trending together.

To undertake any of the above mentioned “Mission” Activities, please let CENFACS know. 

CENFACS will be pleased if you could share with us, your experience in undertaking these “Mission” activities.

 

 

 

• Record your Summer Telling Moments to Report Back

 

Whether one has a Summer break or is working over this Summer, it is always a good idea to record your telling moments or just what you are doing.

After Summer, we often ask people or the community to report their Summer experience back.  If you record what you are doing this Summer, after Summer it will be easier to share what you may judge is a shareable part of your Summer experience or story. 

If you decide to record your Summer activities or experiences, please do not forget to take photos and pictures, make a video, record your voice, podcast etc.    It is also useful to write down dates, places and names of people involved in your projects or experiences.  You can plan the way you want to report back whether you want to use words or numbers or tables or graphs, figures, etc.

Reporting back your experiences can sometimes inspire others, especially if your experiences contain poverty-relieving elements.

We hope you will take our message of recording to report seriously.  Thank you any way!

 

 

• Integration or Factorisation of Covid-19 Impacts into Le Dernier Carré (the Last Square of Poverty Relief)

 

The Last Square of Poverty Relief (or le Dernier Carré) is CENFACS’ four step model of poverty relief that deals with four types of poverty: income poverty, consumption poverty, energy poverty and in-working poverty.  It is also the square of escape or inescapability from poverty, a four-dimensional poverty. 

Multi-dimensional poverty requires multi-dimensional approach to tackle it.  CENFACS’ Le Dernier Carré (the Last Square of Poverty Relief) model is an example of multi-dimensional approach to poverty reduction.  The model is mostly in action when using CENFACS’ League of Poverty Reduction as it enables to classify team countries according to their efforts in reducing poverty.   

Covid-19 and its associated impacts do not leave our four step model of working on poverty untouched.  We are looking at the best possible of integrating or factorising the coronavirus pandemic impacts into this model.  This integration or factorisation could mean taking into account sanitation poverty or health poverty in the Last Square of Poverty Reduction.

To find out more or get the progress about this process of integration or factorisation of Covid-19 into the Last Square of Poverty Reduction, please contact CENFACS. 

 

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• Track, Trip and Trending in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance

 

Our thematic and working model of Summer of Healthiness in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance will continue this month through the three activities of

1/ Social Distancing TRACK to help reduce poverty

2/ Virtual TRIP to Covid-19 hit local people

3/ Online TRENDING in health poverty alleviation

 

• • Track, Trip and Trending 2020 Activities

 

(1) Social Distancing Track to reduce poverty in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance

 

This is delivered through the project Run to Reduce Poverty, Gaming to Reduce Poverty and Vote your African Manager of Poverty Reduction. These are All-year Round Projects or Triple Value Initiatives.

However, because of the weather conditions (sunshine) and nature of August (holidays time for many of our supporters) we put a particular emphasis on the Run aspects of these all-year round projects, over this month. 

This Summer, this emphasis has changed due to the coronavirus pandemic.  Because of that, one can only do physical run out and indoor if they respect the coronavirus guidance in terms of social and physical distancing rules.   

We expect those who sign up to the Run element to take actions and run it by themselves while following to letter the UK Government restrictions, the NHS advice and the World Health Organisations guidance.  After summer, they can report back to us or at any convenient time before the end of the year.

 

(2) Virtual Trip to the needs in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance

 

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are restrictions and travel bans about non-essential trips although some parts of the world are easing the lockdown.  For those who cannot physically visit projects on the grounds, arrangements can be made between the physical visitors and the organisations to be visited so that they can organise a virtual trip or viewing. 

This requires that the visitors and visiting organisations have the technology that enables this virtual tour to happen.  If this is possible we expect and advise our supporters to virtually visit some of projects and initiatives whether in the UK or in Africa during and around the month of August.  Because of the circumstances we are all in at this time of Covid-19, it could be a good idea if this trip can be done to Covid-19 hit areas, people and communities. 

Since we cancelled all non-essential physical trips, CENFACS All in Development Volunteers can do virtual trips.  These virtual trips can still help us to check if we are on the right track at helping to reduce poverty and at tracking our records for the work on the ground.

Because the theme of trending for this Summer is about Socials, we are going to link Trip to the need with social and virtual world.

 

(3) Online Trending in Health Poverty Reduction in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance

 

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdown effects, it has been noticed that market economy has scaled back while the state economy and social economy have remarkably increased their size through the financial bailout and various socio-economic measures to protect the health systems and the economy. 

Additionally, there has been an increase in the ways of e-working, remote working, e-education and so on via the virtual world.  Because of that, we are going to add to our trending activity the virtual world. 

During this August we are dealing with online Trending in health poverty reduction by following the direction of Social and Virtual World and their capacity of lifting people out poverty. We mean by that we are following the direction of poverty reduction by using social.  This social can include: social media, social networking, social skills, social responsibility, social sciences, social distancing rules, etc.   

We will be observing what social and the social sector are doing to hep to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.  We will be looking at the extent to which social can be poverty reducer. 

We will be doing it while integrating the Covid-19 as it affects the way we are happy or not happy, we eat, we entertain ourselves, we pass our summer holiday, we dress, we socialise, etc. to reduce health poverty.

So, social and its respective impacts on health poverty reduction in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance are what will be trending at CENFACS, as given below.

 

• • August 2020 Trending Activities/Programme 

 

=> Week beginning: Monday 03/08/2020:

Social distancing rules as life saver and protector

=> Week beginning: Monday 10/08/2020:

Social networking as connector for poverty reduction and sustainable development

=> Week beginning: Monday 17/08/2020:

Social health as enabler for poverty reduction

=> Week beginning: Monday 24/08/2020:

Virtual world as a means to online interaction to reduce poverty

 

If you are interested in this trending programme, please share with us your experience or comments about it.

Further explanation about this August month’s activities can be obtained from CENFACS.

 

• • Socials as our Online Trending in Health Poverty Reduction in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance

 

In focus from Week beginning 03/08/2020:  

Social distancing rules as life saver and protector

 

With what is happening now with the measures against the spread of Covid-19, one can hope everybody understands what Social Distancing Rules (SDR) mean. 

SDR are simply the guideline to keep a safe space between non-members of the same household in order to avoid the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.  It is a disease control tactics.   SDR help to protect and save lives against the threats, harms, damages and dangers posed by the Covid-19.

As a life-protector, a SDR is a social and physical defence against the life-threatening and damaging impacts and effects of the coronavirus pandemic.  In this respect, the practice of SDR contributes to the maintenance of healthy conditions of life for all and specifically for the most vulnerable and people at risk of catching the Covid-19 disease.

As a life-saver, a SDR is a social and physical gesture that can preserve or rescue lives from the Covid-19 disaster.  In this respect, the practice of SDR is a way of taking care of each other in the difficult times of Covid-19.  By taking care of each other, this contributes to the prevention of mass life tragedy or fatality that can be brought by Covid-19. 

What is more is that SDR as life-saver can enable to stop the threat of extinction of a generation like the one we have seen with Covid-19 whereby the 65 plus generations have been the most vulnerable.     

In the context of our Online Trending in Health Poverty Reduction in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance, we are following the direction of health poverty through social distancing rules.  What does it mean?

It basically means that we are trying to observe how people are applying this rule (the social distancing rule) in order to either stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic or escape from sanitation/health poverty. 

Indeed, one can look at how people are trying to comply with this rule in order to protect and save their own life and the life of others.  On can as well observe how the same people or other ones are trying to use this life-protecting and –saving rule in order to reduce or end sanitation/health poverty. 

The above is our trending activity for this week; activity which has already started. 

To follow with us the direction of sanitation/health poverty reduction via social distancing rule, please contact CENFACS.

 

Help CENFACS keep the Poverty Relief work going in 2020.

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 consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the future.

Donate to support CENFACS!

 

FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ PROJECTS, JUST GO TO http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

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 2020 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

29 July 2020

 

Post No. 154

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Essential Highlights of Healthiness Projects in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance

• Happiness and Healthiness Budgets 2020 – Holiday Budget Deficit: How to Sustainably Manage Budget Deficit in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance

• The African Sahel Humanitarian Corridors Appeal Continues…

 

 

… and much more!

 

 

 

Key Messages

 

• Essential Highlights of Healthiness Projects in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance

 

Last week, we introduced the theme making the second part of our Summer 2020 Programme, part which consists of Healthiness Projects.  This theme is Healthiness in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance.

This week, we are giving essential highlights of the Healthiness Projects.  These highlights can be found under the Main Development section of this post.  The full details of these projects are also available on request from CENFACS, including ways of accessing and using them. 

To access and or support them, just contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

• Happiness and Healthiness Budgets 2020 – Holiday Budget Deficit:

How to Sustainably Manage Budget Deficit in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance

 

We are continuing our tips and hints on Happiness Budget by looking at holiday budget deficit.

A deficit is generally defined as the amount by which expenditure is greater than real income.  In terms of holiday budget deficit, it simply means that one’s holiday expenditure is more than holiday income.  It is a negative balance which could suggest that there could be a need to finance it (here holiday budget deficit). 

Yet, speaking about holiday budget deficit could seem bizarre since we are talking about poor people or those in need.  These are the people who often struggle to make ends meet.  They are the ones who often are short of money to tie the knots of the two ends of the month.  Despite that any sensible humans should do some budgeting, here holiday budgeting. 

Budgeting is forward thinking process that can help to coordinate the different areas of household life while defining responsibility and delegating powers within the same household.  It is indeed an instrument for household control as well as a basis for decision making process and changing plans where there is a need to do so.

We will be working on the budgeting process on the budgeting process with those who are struggling to make ends meet.  We will be working on how to avoid and sustainably manage holiday budget in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance. 

For those who are familiar with online tools, they can find countless examples of family/household budgets sometimes in the form of Microsoft Application Spread sheets.  For those who are not familiar with these free available online resources, they can use CENFACS’ line of financial advisory support.

With the particularity of this Summer during which the Coronavirus is still threatening lives, there is a need to take into account the Covid-19 in dealing with budget deficit.  So, we will be checking with them on which part of this deficit is attributable or not attributable to Covid-19.  This exercise enables to take into consideration the way in which Covid-19 is affecting their holiday budget in what they eat, drink, cover or uncover their body, entertain, shelter, etc.

To learn or seek support on how to avoid and sustainably manage holiday budget deficit or negative budget balance in Summer of Covid-19 dominance, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

• The African Sahel Humanitarian Corridors Appeal (The African Sahel Summer 2020 Humanitarian Relief Appeal by CENFACS)

 

Our Appeal for Humanitarian Corridors for the Peoples of African Sahel continues this week.  The Appeal is about asking to establish channels of communication and transportation for dispatching relief goods and services to the peoples of the African Sahel who are suffering from the lockdown effects.  It is about reducing the trade threatening and destroying effects resulted from the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. 

We understand that tough measures have to be taken to control the life-threatening and destroying impacts of Covid-19.  However, precaution has to be taken to avoid the situation in which one virus (here Covid-19) is being fought while the method used to fight it creates another virus which is even more deadly or claims more fatalities than the first one. 

As many humanitarian organisations on the grounds are pointing out, the African Sahel is moving from the coronavirus to the hunger virus.  Therefore, creating and sustaining humanitarian corridors to insure the supply of foods, drinks, medicine and other essential items in the African Sahel is life-saving act.

There is a possibility to help for this to happen.  There are ways of helping this to be achieved.  How?

One way of doing it is through the online and virtual technological means.  Indeed, when one speaks humanitarian people always think it is about asking money.  In this case, CENFACS is not asking you to donate money.  CENFACS is simply asking to use the same technology that helps many to e-work, to e-educate, to join a video conference meeting, etc. in order to challenge the adverse impacts of Covid-19, to create humanitarian corridors in the African Sahel. 

CENFACS is asking to those who can to use the same technology to reach those who have the key to the situation on the grounds so that humanitarian corridors can be open to safe lives in the African Sahel.

It is possible to use online and digital technologies to effectively communicate like many have brilliantly shown it during the lockdowns to distance work and stay connected to bring down the barriers of misery for the peoples of the African Sahel.    

Additionally, we always argue that to save lives one does not need to do grandiose things.  They can just do little things that create BIG IMPACTS.  Reaching out to those who have the keys to the situation on the grounds can be done via a mobile phone, video conference meeting, email, text messages, etc.  Seriously speaking, these are not a big deal; but they can have a BIG IMPACT such as saving lives from hunger and tragedy.

To support this Appeal or mobilise online resources to help, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

Extra Messages 

 

• Feedback on Virtual Summer Festival 2020 (the Seven Days of Development in July 2020 Festival): Health Economics – How to make health economics work for the poor and neediest

 

Our Summer 2020 Festival of Thoughts and Actions is now closed. 

We would like to thank all those who made contributions.  Seven days were many days to think but if we want to do something about sanitation poverty and transform lives into healthy ones, we need more times and days to work.

We would like as well to apologise to those who wanted to attend or join our virtual sessions, but were denied the opportunity to interact with us through video conference meeting.  We hope that in the future, the technology will be on all sides to allow us to implement our virtual sessions as scheduled.  We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused. 

Although the Festival is closed, we would like to ask you again to provide a feedback about the experience you have had with it.  You could also say if you can, something about the previous Festivals so that we can improve the ways these days of thoughts and actions on poverty relief and sustainable development are prepared and run. 

As part of this improvement, this year we have tried to run virtual sessions, but we were unlucky that our plan did not go as thought.  Despite this setback, we managed to achieve our event aim and goals while re-communicating our anti-poverty message as usual.

We will continue to work with you to make our Summer Festival and future events of this kind as an opportunity for better change, for adding our thoughts and voices for the building of the world as a better place for everybody, especially for those in most need. 

Our feedback formula remains the same as for the Analytics month.  It consists of you using your own words and numbers to tell and share what you think of the Festivals.  We would like you to keep your freedom to tell us what you think. 

You can feedback via email at facs@cenfacs.org.uk and or by completing the comment form on our website. 

 

 

 

• All-in-one Impact Feedback: Only Two Days to Go!

Supporters’ and Users’ Experiences, and Africa-based Sister Organisations’ Voices

 

Our Analytics month of bringing light to what worked, what did not work and of measuring what we achieved in our last financial year is coming to an end in two days.  We are for the fourth time appealing to you to tell us in your own words and numbers your perceptions, feelings and experiences about the programmes and projects we ran in the last 345 days preceding the beginning of July 2020.

Although we have selected 12 initiatives for Impact Feedback One and 9 ones for Impact Feedback Two for monitoring and evaluation purposes, we are not expecting people to provide feedback on all of them.  People can only feedback on the project(s) and programme(s) they benefited from, supported, recommended users to us or interacted within.  We again suggest picking up ONLY 1 or 2 initiatives for feedback.

Please feel free to say what you experienced.  

Again, thank you for your experiential support!

 

 

 

• Summer 2020 Humanitarian Relief Appeal Projects

 

Our Summer 2020 Humanitarian Relief Appeal campaign is made of five projects, which are:

(1) Distress-free Life from Coronavirus in Africa

(2) All Gifts for All Coronavirus-affected Poor

(3) Iconic Young Carer for a Coronavirus-free Environment

(4) International Networking and Protection against Covid-19

(5) ‘Covid-19 Secure’ ELCLASSICO International      

 

We have already launched one of these Humanitarian Appeal Projects to support poor children, young people and families over this Summer of Covid-19 Compliance.  The launched project is the Distress-free Life from Coronavirus in Africa.

As a humanitarian reliever, Distress-free Life Coronavirus in Africa brings hopes and dreams to multi-dimensionally distressed children, young people and families in dire need of help in Africa by enabling them to move out poverty in the summertime and beyond.

You can donate any amount that you can afford to help relieve the continuing pressing needs in Africa at this time of Covid-19 Compliance.

To donate, just contact CENFACS at http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

 

As far as the other four remaining Summer 2020 Humanitarian Relief Appeal Projects are concerned, we are conducting a project planning review for them.  This review is meant to integrate the coronavirus factor into them so that they can be Covid-19 proof.  Once this review is completed, they will be actively added to our Summer Humanitarian Relief Appeal campaign.

For enquiries about this review, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

Main Development

 

• Essential Highlights of Healthiness Projects in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance

 

CENFACS Healthiness Projects include:  1) Healthy Summer Break 2) Holiday without Coronavirus 3) Summer Harmony with Nature 4) Hot Barriers against Covid-19 5) Networking for Protection and Safeguarding against Covid-19 6) Community Care and Health Responsibility for Covid-19 Control.

As argued last week, there is a link or relation between the six projects.  We can briefly present them one by one as follows.

 

• 1) Healthy Summer Break (Family Healthiness Mini-Guide)

 

Being healthy means running a healthful lifestyle to reduce the possibility or risk of getting disease.  Having a good rest over Summer can help achieve that. 

Healthy Summer Break (HSB), which is CENFACS’ Family Healthiness Mini-Guide, is designed to this disease-free healthful lifestyle to happen.  HSB is an effort to keep our diet, lifestyle, and ways of consuming goods and using services healthy.  It means healthy life in foods, drinks, hobbies, entertainment, etc.

To find out more and or get this Family Healthiness Mini-Guide, please contact CENFACS.

 

• 2) Holiday without Coronavirus (Holiday & Covid-19 Information Manager)

 

One of the concerns for many people and families is how to pass this Summer without getting infected by Covid-19; Covid-19 as a life-threatening disease and economic threat.

Holiday without Coronavirus or Covid-19 Information Manager is CENFACS’ resource that adds value to the health and hygienic support to the already known World Health Organisation guidelines, the UK Government’s rules and the NHS guidance on the protection against the coronavirus pandemic. 

This Covid-19 Information Manager helps to practise, comply and reinforce the exiting anti-coronavirus restrictions and measures in a user-friendly manner.  It is a Covid-19 compliant support in a user-friendly way.

For further details about this Covid-19 Information Manager, please contact CENFACS.

 

• 3) Summer Harmony with Nature (Summer Campaign over Nature)

 

Summer of Healthiness is also of accord with nature with its creatures.  Keeping a harmonious relationship with plants, animals, landscapes and surrounding natural species (like trees, plants, waters, parks, etc.) and resources adds a great value to our healthiness. In other words, it is about equating our needs of healthiness to those of the nature.

Living in harmony with nature means that we do not need another spike of Covid-19 outbreak or a lockdown to happen in order to be silent by the nature.  Humans can pre-emptively take the lead by keeping their relationships as harmonious as possible for future virus or lockdown not to happen.

 Need to keep harmony with nature, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

• 4) Hot Barriers against Covid-19 (“Barrier-gesture” Project)

 

Since there is no vaccine or specific medicine against Covid-19, it is important to keep tight control of fences or barriers to stop or prevent the circulation of Covid-19.  Removing our elevated barriers against Covid-19 can open up the possibility of Covid-19 spikes within any community.

Hot Barriers against Covid-19 or “Barrier-gesture” Project is a life-saving and sustaining gesture for our own and public interest and goods.  Barrier-gestures (like physical and social distancing) must be kept elevated during this Summer as the Covid-19 threat is still around.

To find out further about this Healthiness Project, please contact CENFACS.

 

• 5) Networking for Protection and Safeguarding against Covid-19 (Covid-19 Social Media Platform)

 

It is not enough to carry out our individual actions against Covid-19 unless we sum up them by coming together in the form of social connections as human chains.  Such connections or network will help to exchange information and data for the mutual interest.

Networking for Protection and Safeguarding against Covid-19 or Covid-19 Social Media Platform is a means to access and facilitate the flows of information about the protection and safeguarding against Covid-19.  Through this means, one can receive and pass on protective and safeguarding information about Covid-19 within a networked community.

To network for protection and safeguarding against Covid-19, please let CENFACS know.

 

• 6) Community Care and Health Responsibility to Control the Virus (Personal/Family Healthcare Plan)  

 

Community Care and Health Responsibility to Control the Virus (CCHRCV) is a combination of the support to people to live with care and dignity in our community on the one hand, and our shared responsibility for the public health on the other.

Through CCHRCV, we will try to reduce lifestyle-induced diseases for ourselves and others while promoting our own health without adversely impacting the health of others and future generations.  Health care and responsibility imply as well whatever we do we must comply with Covid-19 restrictions.  For example, when we do physical exercising we must maintain Covid-19 restrictions.

We can use this Healthiness initiative to create a Covid-19 Proof Wellness or Healthcare Plan.  Such a plan will include the following: health vision and goals, lifestyles habits, follow-up tips and checks.

For further details about the CCHRCV, please contact CENFACS.

The above six interlinked ways/projects of creating and sustaining Healthiness in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance are not an end for themselves.  They do not replace any good advice and practice (like the ones produced by statutory health organisations on Covid-19 matters).  They just add value to what it is already in place.  They are to be used in conjunction with the existing health and safety measures.

For further details about any of them, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS. 

 

Help CENFACS keep the Poverty Relief work going in 2020.

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 consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the future.

Donate to support CENFACS!

 

FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ PROJECTS, JUST GO TO http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

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 2020 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

22 July 2020

 

Post No. 153

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Healthiness Projects in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance

• Virtual Summer Festival (Seven Days of Development in July 2020) – In Focus for this Year: Health Economics – How to make health economic work for the poor and neediest

• Happiness and Healthiness Budgets 2020

 

… and much more!

 

 

 Key Messages

 

• Healthiness Projects in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance

 

Healthiness Projects are the second part of our Summer Programme; the first part being Appeal Projects.  The Appeal Projects are currently running under the banner of Humanitarian Relief Appeal to Africa.  One of these Appeal Projects is Distress-free Life from Coronavirus in Africa.

CENFACS’ Distress-free Life from Coronavirus in Africa, which is a Health-enhancing Appeal, will help to alleviate distress and hardship by bringing hopes and aspirations to the distressed Children, Young People and Families in dire need of help during this turbulent time of Covid-19 and beyond.

Further information about this Health-enhancing Appeal and the way of supporting it can be found at http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

As to the Healthiness Projects, we have integrated the Covid-19 constraint in them.  This integration implies that each of the projects making healthiness this Summer will be Covid-19 secure and compliant.

For more on the 2020 Healthiness Projects, please read them under the Main Development section of this post. 

 

 

 

• Virtual Summer Festival (Seven Days of Development in July 2020) – In Focus for this Year: Health Economics – How to make health economics work for the poor and neediest

 

The 12^th Edition of our Summer Festival is starting today as scheduled.  This week’s five days of the Summer Festival starting from today will be devoted to the following:

Day 1: Understanding of Health Economics (22/07/2020)

Day 2: Formulation of the argument that Covid-19 is a health and economic threat (23/07/2020)

Day 3: Evidence or data gathering about Covid-19 induced poverty and hardships (24/07/2020)

Day 4: Argument testing (25/07/2020)

Day 5: Healthcare policies and poverty (26/07/2020)

 

Part of the Festival will be set for virtual sessions.  We have planned to have virtual sessions on the 22^nd, 23^rd, 24^th, 27^th and 28^th of July 2020.  On the 25^th and 26^th of July 2020, there will not be online video meet-up or virtual sessions.  However, the Festival will be still open for participants to provide their thoughts and comments via e-mail, contact form and text messages.

For those who are making any contributions in the form of thoughts and comments, it will be good to stick to the daily themes as planned.  Likewise, it makes easier for the good running of the festival to be short and precise in making thoughts or comments.  This will allow to quickly capturing the impact they will be making.   This will facilitate to measure the Festival’s aim and objectives as well.

People can still join the thoughts at any time and day once started.  They can as well share the festival views with those who may be interested in. 

Thank you!

 

 

 

• Happiness and Healthiness Budgets 2020 – 

Budgeting and Delivering Happiness and Healthiness in a Summer of Covid-19

 

In our project planning process of Summer of Healthiness Projects, we started a few weeks ago by budgeting Summer Holidays with what we call Happiness Budget.  In that process, we included the Covid-19 effects into a family budget.  We publicised two examples of budget planning: a Covid-19 Family Protection Expenses Budget, and a Covid-19 Secure and Happiness Budget for an Ordinary Family.  

This week, we are continuing the budgeting process while starting to deliver on other parts of the Happiness Projects as Summer Holiday has just begun for most children, young people and families.  In this continuing process, we are going to take into account other economic factors (like inflation, currency price, the effect of economic recession, purchasing power parity, etc.) when constructing your Happiness and Healthiness budgets. 

We understand that not everybody does understand some of the complex jargons and the mechanics of household financial statements like balance sheet, profit and loss account, budgets, etc.  Likewise, we appreciate that not everyone can grasp all the financial information on the other financial documents they receive (such as bills, receipts, bank statements, etc.). 

This is why we are available to discuss people’s Happiness or Healthiness or Summer Holiday Budgets for those who want us to do so.  For those who are struggling with their Happiness or Healthiness Budgets especially the numerical aspects, CENFACS is prepared to look into their Summer Budgets. 

We can handle all of the areas or items of their Happiness Budget.  However, we will put a particular emphasis on the following six areas of Happiness Budget which are: income, health, lifeline support, giving or recycling, credit payments and refunds, and unrestricted (freedom) payments and receipts.

The above six accounts cover the six items of happiness which make our Season of Happiness. Where possible, the effects of climate change will be included to reflect a budget of a changing climate as well. 

Those who would like to discuss with us their Happiness or Healthiness Budget, please feel free to contact CENFACS.  

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Covid-19 Hub for Poverty Reduction

 

CENFACS’ Covid-19 Hub for Poverty Reduction is a newly set up point where most of CENFACS’ work on Covid-19-induced poverty and hardships will be regrouped.  The new hub will hold and provide information and serve as a directory of inquiries about CENFACS’ work on Covid-19 for both internal and external purposes.

For those who would like to know the state of progress about CENFACS work on Covid-19 (such as the Campaign for Resilience against Covid-19); they can check it through CENFACS’ Covid-19 Hub for Poverty Reduction. 

For further details about Covid-19 Hub for Poverty Reduction, please contact CENFACS. 

 

 

• All-in-one Impact Feedback: Only One Week to Go!

 

We have almost one week left for our Analytics month.  We are for the third time appealing to you to tell us in your own words and numbers your perceptions, feelings and experiences about the programmes and projects we ran in the last 345 days preceding the beginning of July 2020.

Although we have selected 12 initiatives for Impact Feedback One and 9 ones for Impact Feedback Two for monitoring and evaluation purposes, we are not expecting people to provide feedback on all of them.  People can only feedback on the project(s) and programme(s) they benefited from, supported, recommended users to us or interacted within.  We again suggest picking up ONLY 1 or 2 initiatives for feedback.

Please feel free to say what you experienced.  

Again, thank you for your experiential support!

 

• Building Back Better Africa in Happiness

 

Covid-19 may have disrupted happiness in Africa.  To be happy and healthy in Africa may have changed in the new Age of Covid-19.  Africa may need to build back better with happiness in the post-lockdown period.

So, as part of our Season of Happiness in a Summer of Healthiness, we are questioning and searching ways in which Covid-19 has affected happiness in Africa and how Africa can build back in happiness.  There could be some changes in happiness in Africa due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Before the coronavirus pandemic stroke; there were debatable arguments about happiness in Africa.  For example, Helliwell et al. argue in their 2020 World Happiness Report (1) that

“Sub-Saharan Africa is not only the areas in the world with low happiness scores, but also a region in which happiness differences between the city and countryside are most pronounced in favour of city life” (p. 40)

The report goes on in explaining that African countries with most pronounced urban-rural differences in life evaluation include: Angola, Congo Brazzaville, Benin, Central African Republic, South Africa, Gambia, Niger, Liberia and Egypt.

Now that Africa is battling Covid-19, what is the state of happiness in Africa?

Building Back Better Africa in Happiness implies taking into account the variables of predictors of life evaluation.  One of these predictors is healthy life expectancy.  Making sure that the components of healthy life expectancy are part of the strategy for building back better Africa could help to insure happiness in Africa today and tomorrow.

To enquire or make queries about Building Back Africa in Happiness, please contact CENFACS.

 

(1) Helliwell, J., Layard, R., Sachs, J. & De Neve J. E. (2020), World Happiness Report (2020), New York: Sustainable Development Solutions Network

 

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• Healthiness Projects in a Summer of Covid-19 Compliance

 

• • Understanding CENFACS’ Healthiness Projects

 

Covid-19 has challenged our perception of happiness and healthiness.  It has shaken the fabric of our poverty-relieving systems.  Happiness and healthiness can have different meanings for those in most in need and poverty in today’s prevailing conditions of Covid-19.

Despite that, it is possible to find health relief and happy fulfilment while still controlling the Covid-19 factor this Summer 2020.  It is possible to make the conditions of being physically, mentally and socially sound better this Summer.   

This Summer, we are going to focus on ways of finding this health relief, on Healthiness in a Summer of Covid-19.  In other words, our centre of interest is on what will keep children, young people and families healthy (or unhealthy) over Summer and beyond in the conditions of Covid-19, especially its far-reaching and adverse effects on many aspects of life.  In order to keep them healthy, there is a need to budget and deliver Healthiness or Healthiness Projects.

CENFACS’ Healthiness Projects are poverty-relieving responses to bring freedoms from diseases (including epidemics, virus like Covid-19) while reducing misery for poor children, young people and families over the summer period and beyond. 

The underlying principles or philosophy of these life evaluation projects are in line with the main factors or indicators that define happiness as both a social and personal concept as explained in successive World Happiness Reports edited by Helliwell et al. (2). 

These editors distinguish the social foundations of happiness from personal happiness, although the two are complementary.  They argue that the science of measuring and understanding subjective well-being and happiness indicates that to be happy, one needs to meet the following six key variables or predictors that explain happiness differences among countries which include: income (Gross Domestic Product per capita), healthy life expectancy at birth, social support (having someone to count on in times of trouble), generosity, freedom to make life choices and trust (perceptions of corruption).  

When talking about key determinants of happiness and misery, they again argue that happiness is caused by factors such as income, employment, health and family life.  

CENFACS Healthiness Projects address the issues encapsulated inside the above variables and factors, particularly healthy life expectancy in this Summer 2020.  The projects will help to keep in mind the needs of the CENFACS Community in terms of healthiness. 

Keeping people healthier is to reduce as much as possible health and sanitation poverty and misery among them.   Healthiness is about ending poverty and misery.   As we have brought in the exceptional sanitary circumstances the world is facing with Covid-19, Healthiness is finally about ending poor health and poor sanitation amongst children, young people and families in an era of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

(2) Helliwell, J., Layard, R., Sachs, J. (2017, 2018 & 2019), World Happiness Reports (2017, 2018 & 2019), New York: Sustainable Development Solutions Network

 

• • Delivering Healthiness with 6 Projects for 3 Beneficiaries

6 Projects to bring Healthiness to 3 beneficiaries: Poor Children, Young People and Families

 

Summer is a holiday season of the year during which most of the schools are closed and families with children and young people in much needed help are forced to stay with them and or use this time of the year to take holiday.  The usual routine of educational/academic establishments with their recreational activities is scaled down. 

This Summer is even special since many children, young people and families (CYPFs) were and have been forced to stay home during the lockdown due to the Covid-19 outbreak.  Yet, these CYPFs are in need of seasonal activities and programmes for improving their well-being, healthiness and happiness. 

There are ways of ensuring that summer stays an interesting and enjoyable period for Multi-dimensionally Poor Children, Young People and Families.  There are things that can be done to make summertime a season of Happiness, Peace, Vulnerability-free, Healthiness Protection and Sustainability.  There should be projects that can help them to adapt and mitigate the adverse effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The following CENFACS suite of summer 2020 initiatives can help in achieving some healthful and helpful summer plans, goals and outcomes in the new Age of Covid-19. 

CENFACS Healthiness Projects include: 

1) Healthy Summer Break 

2) Holiday without Coronavirus 

3) Summer Harmony with Nature

4) Hot Barriers against Covid-19

5) Networking for Protection and Safeguarding against Covid-19

6) Community Care and Health Responsibility for Covid-19 Control

There is a link between these six initiatives.  For example, in order to have a holiday without coronavirus one may need healthy break, build harmonious relationships with the nature, keep human barriers of protection against Covid-19, network for protection and safeguarding and act in a responsible way in the interest of their own health and public health.

These projects are the combination of skills, knowledge, resources, tools, tactics,  boosters and tasters for the relief from Covid-19-induced poverty and hardships.  In the preparation of our Summer 2020 programme for CYPFs, we have considered the effects of Covid-19.  The consideration of the effects of Covid-19 all across is what makes Summer 2020 so special.  All the six Healthiness Projects will be Covid-19 Secure and Compliant.       

This is done to help improve life evaluation while taking actions to enhance the same life in the context and constraint of Covid-19 dominance.  In this way, Summer can be a season of Healthiness NOT of Misery for un-served and under-served children, young people and families who are at the same time victims of the adverse and far-reaching effects of Covid-19. 

They are the victims of adverse and far-reaching effects of Covid-19 because Covid-19 is an economic and health threat.  It has taken them economically and healthily in hostage by affecting the way they dress, eat, house, educate, entertain, care for their health and body, look after their homes, and above all the way they pass their Summer holiday. 

For details about CENFACS Healthiness Projects 2020 and to access them, contact CENFACS.

 

Help CENFACS keep the Poverty Relief work going in 2020.

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 consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the future.

Donate to support CENFACS!

 

FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ PROJECTS, JUST GO TO http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

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 2020 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

15 July 2020

 

Post No. 152

 

 

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Virtual Summer Festival (Seven Days of Development in July 2020) – In Focus: Health Economics

• Coming out this Summer 2020: The 68^th Issue of FACS Newsletter, Issue to be Entitled as Essential Economy That Relieves Poverty in Africa

• July 2020 Data Analytics and Impact Activities

 

… and much more!

 

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ Virtual Summer Festival (Seven Days of Development in July 2020) – In Focus: Health Economics – How to make health economics work for the poor and neediest

 

Last week, we explained that this year’s Seven Days of Development in July (7DDJ) will be about further exploring the CENFACS argument that the coronavirus pandemic is both an economic and health threat.  This exploration will be done through Health Economics.  In other words, we are going to refer to Health Economics in order to grasp and further think about the CENFACS’ argument.

Our thoughts will focus on the way health economics can work for the poor and neediest while still having in our mind set the CENFACS argument about Covid-19.

The Festival will prolong our Campaign for Resilience against Covid-19.  In this respect, if one wants to stop the negative effects of Covid-19, then they need to know what kind of threats Covid-19 has posed and will pose.

This week, we are given more information about the make-up of the 7DDJ.  This extra information can be found under the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

 

~ Coming out this Summer 2020: The 68^th Issue of FACS Newsletter, Issue to be Entitled as Essential Economy That Relieves Poverty in Africa

 

The following is the abstract of the 68^th Issue.

Abstract of the 68^th Issue –

When the coronavirus pandemic stroke many people in need in Africa and elsewhere rediscovered the true nature of the economic systems they rely upon to make their ends meet, as well as the state of their health systems.  They also found how their every day’s economies were full of non-essential activities and goods that do not always help them to meet their essential life-sustaining needs.

However, for these ordinary people and in most needs what is important was not so much the rediscovery of the essentiality of their economies and the state of their health systems.  But, what is in their interest was the possibility and opportunity that the rediscovered essential economy can work for them during the pandemic time and afterwards. 

Following on their interest, the 68^th Issue is a quest for the rehabilitation of our current organised systems for the production, distribution and consumption or use of material goods and services to bring in essentiality, particularly meaning in terms of poverty reduction and sustainable development.

The 68^th Issue of FACS will deal with the reduction of poverty in Africa via essential economy.  But, what is exactly essential economy?

It is the absolutely necessary and careful management of available and scarce resources that can help to solve the basic economic problem of poverty and hardships.  It does it while saving expenses, time, energy, the environment and natural resources.  It is indeed a revived economic paradigm which is deep-rooted in sustainable vision of development and which deals with the problem of scarce resources to be allocated to unlimited wants via essentialist approach.

Through the 68^th Issue, we are going to explore ways of making essential economy as an economy that serves the poor and vulnerable people as well as the generations to come.  By arguing this, it does not mean that other types of economy cannot help the poor nor the poor should solely rely on essential economy.  It just means that the essential economy could be an appropriate response to poverty and hardships in Africa and elsewhere.

By centre staging essential economy in the fight against poverty, this raises some stakes on the prospects of improving this economy so that it can be not only a poverty reducer, but also a poverty finisher and a sustainable development enhancer.

Essential economy has many attributes and qualities.  As J. L. Pratt (1) of Sweet Water Foundation puts it in the following terms:

“Most importantly, Essential Economy restores our connection to that which is essential in our daily lives – building, caring for others, growing food, making art, and engaging in community and culture”.

Using these qualities of the essential economy, we are going to approach poverty reduction in Africa via this perspective while acknowledging the work carried out by Africa-based Sister Organisations and local people in Africa in identifying those positive aspects of essential economy that can help them further relieve poverty and hardships.

The 68^th Issue will lay down an approach to essential economy that seriously takes the needs and aspirations of those in most needs, especially in the Age of Covid-19.  Although, it will not specifically treat Covid-19, it will increase our understanding of sustainable development subjects related to Covid-19 and particularly its relationships with poverty reduction.

In the light of the experience that Africa has having with the Covid-19 Outbreak, the Issue will help come out from the broad and national definition of the word economy to embrace it at the micro-economic level of charitable organisations.  In doing so, the Issue will hope to provide some foundations to extirpate the poverty-relieving capability and power of this economy. 

The Issue will also show that the essential economy has always been there.  But, it has for long time been ignored in terms of its potentials, credentials, capacity and power to relieve poverty and change lives for a better one. 

It is in the recognition of the essential economy and its poverty-relieving ability that the Issue will look at how this revived economy will score within the charitable sector in responding to poor people’s urgent and acute needs and aspirations for relief. 

Without anticipating the contents of the articles and other materials that will make the 68^th Issue, let us simply conclude that the essential economy is the economy of everybody, the economy that does not leave anyone behind.       

The above is a brief statement of the main points that will shape the 68^th Issue of FACS.  For any enquiry or query about the above statement and the entire Issue, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

(1) Jia Lok Pratt (2020), It’s Time for the Essential Economy, Sweet Water Foundation, Chicago, USA (https://www.sweetwaterfoundation.com/stories/2020/4/2/welcome-to-the-essential-economy – Accessed 08/07/2020)

 

 

~ July 2020 Data Analytics and Impact Activities

 

Our work on User-generated Analytics Data which started last 8 July 2020 continues this week.  While we are doing it, we have started Covid-19 Data Gatherings.  Both User-generated Analytics Data and Covid-19 Data Gatherings are part and parcel of our July 2020 Data Analytics and Impact Activities as scheduled for this month. 

Additionally, we are carried on our Impact Activities which include the following: Impact Monitoring and Evaluation of 2019-2020 Programmes and Projects, Impact Assessment of Covid-19 on CENFACS and Impact Feedback of XX236.3F Programme.  As said earlier, these activities are supposed to be running throughout the whole July 2020.

For any query and or enquiry regarding the progress about both the Data Analytics and Impact Activities, please contact CENFACS on this website.

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ Impact Monitoring and Evaluation of 2019-2020 Humanitarian Appeals for Africa

 

As most of you know, analytics is a forward and backward process.  While some of you are feeding us with analytics information, we are as well processing the information we have already received and interpreting data we previously collected and throughout the 2019-2020 financial year. 

As part of this forward and backward process, we are working on humanitarian appeals we made for and on behalf of Africa during the above stated financial year.  The appeals are amongst programmes and projects making our All-in-one Impact Feedback II and which we have asked Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) to give their Voices or Opinions.  They are as follows: 

 

√ The DRC Happiness Appeal

√ Support for Children of Conflict and Climate Change-affected Areas in Africa in the New (September 2019) School Year

√ The 3-Frontier Area Appeal to Support the Victims of Insecurity and Displaced Persons in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger

√ Burkina Faso Appeal 2020: Bringing and Lighting a Blaze of Hope for the Victims of Armed Attacks in Burkina Faso and its Neighbourhood

√ Halving Poverty for and with the Congolese Children

√ Burkina Faso Appeal (February 2020) for the Support of Human Protection and Humanitarian Relief

√ Coronavirus Spring Project

√ Distress-free Life from Coronavirus for Children, Young People and Families in Africa

 

Giving opinions or comments on them will help very much in this forward and backward process of Analytics.  For those ASOs that would like to be heard regarding the above appeals, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS with your Voices. 

For further information about this Impact Monitoring and Evaluation of 2019-2020 Humanitarian Appeals for Africa, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

~ Covid-19 Secure Summer SHOPPING and DONATIONS at http://cenfacs.org.uk/shop/

 

Every occasion or season is an opportunity to do something against poverty and hardships.  Summer, which is a Happiness season at CENFACS, is a marvellous time to spread a little extra happiness to those who do not have.  Amongst them are all those sufferers of the severe consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. 

You can give your unwanted and unneeded goods to CENFACS’ Charity e-Store, the shop built to help relieve poverty.  You can buy second hand goods and bargain priced new items and much more. 

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

As you told you in our previous communications, we have gone out of our way an extra mile by taking exceptional precautions to keep your SHOPPING and DONATIONS SAFE and Covid-19 COMPLIANT.

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

You can make this Summer to be of Healthiness for the Covid-19 and lockdown sufferers.

You can DONATE or SHOP or do both:

√ DONATE unwanted GOODS and PRODUCTS to CENFACS Charity e-Store during the summertime and or any time of the year

√ SHOP at CENFACS Charity e-Store to support good and deserving causes of poverty relief during the Summer and lockdown period.

Your SHOPPING and or GOODS DONATIONS will help to shine the lives of those living in poverty with happiness and healthiness.

 

 

~ All-in-one Impact Feedback: Only Two Weeks to Go!

 

We only have two weeks left for our Analytics month.  We are for the second time appealing to you to tell us in your own words and numbers your perceptions, feelings and experiences about the programmes and projects we ran in the last 345 days preceding the beginning of July 2020.

Although we have selected 12 initiatives for All-in-one Impact Feedback One and 9 ones for Feedback Two, we are not expecting people and organisations to provide feedback on all of them.  People or organisations can only feedback on the project(s) and programme(s) they benefited from, they supported, they recommended users to us or interacted within. 

For the effectiveness and efficiency of this feedback exercise, we suggested ONLY select 1 or 2 initiatives for your feedback.

Please feel free to say what you experienced.  

Thank you for your experiential support!

 

 

 

 

Main Development

 

Virtual Summer Festival (Seven Days of Development in July 2020) – In Focus for this Year: Health Economics – How to make health economics work for the poor and neediest  

Welcome to the Seven Days of Development in July 2020 Festival,

CENFACS’ Summer Festival of Thoughts and Actions on Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development!

This year’s event feature is Health Economics 

 

THINK   ♦   ACT   ♦   SHARE    ♦   ADD VALUE    ♦   SPREAD

 

Before speaking about the make-up of the Virtual Summer Festival, let us briefly re-introduce it and make some clarifications.

 

• Brief Re-introduction and Clarification

 

Our Festival is about the following key elements: applied health economics, the poor and neediest.  In this respect, we are going to think on how poor people make decisions about healthcare and use it. 

Although we will be referring to the theoretical elements of health economics in the presentation of our Summer Festival, our approach in planning this festival is based on applied economics of health in decision making process.  Health economics as a science will be approached in practice, particularly in terms of how it can work for the poor and neediest. 

From the above perspective, our days of thoughts and actions will take into account the application of health economics in terms of the cost-effectiveness of healthcare provision to the poor.  We would like to anticipate some productive thoughts about economic evaluation of healthcare services for the poor and neediest in terms of inputs and outcomes. 

Because we are talking about economics, we also expect that they will be some contributions in the form of the increase in the health benefits to the poor population, population that is normally served from a limited amount of scarce healthcare resources.

The Festival will indeed be about how to allocate limited health resources in order to meet poor people’s demand for and need of healthcare services.  

Finally, there will be some thinking about how to get positive health outcomes amongst the poor and neediest under the Covid-19 and income constraints.

Having said that let us look at the make-up the Festival.

  

• Event Guide & Programme

 

• • 7DDJ Registration: FREE!

 

The entry to the 7DDJ2020 is FREE. 

For those who are busy and who can remotely and directly respond to the daily themes from their technological devices (e.g. laptop, desktop PC, tablet, phone, etc.) without having to attend any online sessions, there is no need to register. 

For those who will have the opportunity to join our online sessions (or video conference), they may be notified about the days and times these sessions may happen.  They will need to sign into their Google accounts to join if everything remains the same.

 

• • Daily Themes

 

Daily Themes (DTs) provide a daily opening thought or starting point of the broad topic/issue of Health Economics.  Each DT will last all day and the only day it is planned.

 

• • Responses to 7DDJ Contributors

 

Each respondent will receive a reply to their contribution in the form of either an acknowledgement of their participation or a reaction expressed as an argument to their responses or even both.  Also, they will be entitled to receive the summary report on this annual event.

 

• • Lead Thoughts

 

Lead thoughts are a general idea on the thought of the day.  There are designed to lead to or generate more thoughts, potential research paths or investigative grounds that can be further explored to shade some lights to our Summer Thoughts.  They are not an end for themselves.

 

MAKE YOUR IDEAS AND COMMENTS COUNT!

 

• • Daily Contents

 

Day 1: Understanding of Health Economics

The theories of production, efficiency, disparities, competition and regulation in helping us to understand the cost-effectiveness of health resources for the benefits of the poor

Lead thought: Day 1 will be about understanding health economic theories and models, and how they can help us to think about the argument that Covid-19 is both an economic and health threat for the poor.

(For example, how one can apply specific economic theories to explain the presumed economic and health threats Covid-19 is posing or one may argue Covid-19 is just an exception to the general theory in the explanation of potential threats)

   

Day 2: Argument formulation

CENFACS’ Argument is that Covid-19 is both an economic and health threat

Lead thought: The examination of the formulation of the argument about the coronavirus pandemic that it is both an economic and health threat.

(For example, some thoughts will revolve around the meaning of economic and health threats and ways of diminishing them.  Other thoughts could be about a comparative analysis of similar threats from an historical perspective)

 

Day 3: Evidence gathering

Accessing information, knowledge, facts and data institutions about the economic and health impacts and effects of Covid-19 to help build patterns in data collected as well as a reliable data bank and evidence

Lead thought: There is a need to collect enough evidence in terms of data in order to support or refute the above argument.

(For example, those who have data about Covid-19 in terms of its economic and health effects, they can use this 3^rd Day of the Festival to provide or publicise those data to stimulate further thoughts to the Festival) 

 

Day 4: Argument testing

Modalities and conditions of the workability of Covid-19 being a threat

Lead thought: From what is known so far about Covid-19, it is possible to accept, modify and refute the argument that Covid-19 is both an economic and health threat. 

(For example, those who have done some studies on Covid-19 can choose this 4^th Day of Festival to disseminate the findings of the research work to the Festival) 

 

Day 5: Healthcare policies and poverty

Promotion, protection and improvement of the health of the poor through better policies

Lead thought: Tackling policies that affect the health of the poor disproportionately in some areas like sanitation, education, housing, water, nutrition, etc. can help reduce the unknown effects of potential diseases, epidemics and viruses like Covid-19.

(For example, those who have applied healthcare policies in the context of poverty reduction can find the opportunity of this 5^th Day of the Festival to share their experiences in the areas of healthcare policies and poverty) 

 

Day 6: Relation between health economics and poverty reduction

The allocation of limited health resources to meet poor people’s demand for and need of healthcare services

Lead thought: Health economics as that part of economics dealing with aspects of health may or may not have some relations with poverty reduction.

(For example, those who worked in healthcare decision making process can intervene on the 6^th Day of the Festival by telling us how decision making process can improve the allocation in healthcare resources to the poor and neediest in different places like in Africa)

 

Day 7:  Effects of trade in health services

The effects of trade in health services are not neutral on the health and well-being of the poor

Lead thought:  It is possible to mitigate the adverse effects of trade in health services on the health of the poor and neediest in Africa

(For example, one may look back the effects of lockdown on the trade in health services and see if Covid-19 has trade creation or diversion amongst countries and people.  One can as well look at the impacts of money remittance services to the poor if the later could not access local health services because of the effects of Covid-19 and lockdown on money remitters).

 

• Supporting the 7DDJ2020 event

 

• • 7 Ways of Supporting 7DDJ2020

 

You could

√ Directly forward your thoughts, comments and views on any themes and topics of the event

√ Pass the message onto interested persons

√ Feedback on previous 7DDJF events

√ Promote the event around you and/or by using other means available to you and at your convenience

√ Help us re-cover the expenses of the event specifically and/or the running cost of CENFACS’ work generally

√ Regularly support CENFACS to enable us to continue our work

√ Support our new initiative about Health Economics for the Poor

 

• • 7 Ways of Proceeding with your Wish

 

Please choose below the kind of support you want to provide and let us know

√ Promote the event  

√ Feedback CENFACS on previous events

√ Spread the news about the event

√ Help in the recovery of 7DDJ 2020 expenses

√ Fund CENFACS for its deserving work              

√ Provide helpful and supportive comments/views

√ Support CENFACS in your own way

Please mail your intent to support and or support to CENFACS

Closing date for reply: 05/08/2020 

Please read the above event supporting information and mail us your comments and views (on the themes of your interest) to facs@cenfacs.org.uk

Thank you for your continued support.

With best wishes and full of inspiration and creativity throughout our dedicated days of Festival of Thoughts and Actions on: Health Economics – How to make it work for the poor and neediest

The 7DDJ2020 Events Team

 

 

Help CENFACS keep the Poverty Relief work going in 2020.

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 consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the furture.

Donate to support CENFACS!

 

FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ PROJECTS, JUST GO TO http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

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 2020 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

08 July 2020

 

Post No. 151

 

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• All-in-one Impact Feedback: Tell It in Your Own Words and Numbers!

• Coming this July 2020: Virtual Summer Festival of Thoughts and Actions with a Focus on Health Economics

• Rebuilding Healthiness in the Phases of Low Spread and Growth of the Epidemiological Curves of Covid-19 in Africa

 

… and much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ All-in-one Impact Feedbacks: Tell It in Your Own Words and Numbers!

 

Our July Month of Impact Monitoring, Evaluation, Review, Assurance and Analytics has already started with 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.

They can give us a feedback in the form of rating (numbers) and statement (words). 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)

 

There are 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, 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 we are working with them in particular and tackling African issues in general. 

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 they want 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 and textual statements.

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

The selected 2019-2020 programmes and projects for the purpose of feedback making our Impact Monitoring, Evaluation, Review and Analytics are listed in the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

 

 

~ Coming this July 2020: Virtual Summer Festival of Thoughts and Actions with…

Seven Days of Development in July (7DDJ)

In focus for this year’s 7DDJ: Health Economics

How to make health economics work for the poor and the neediest

 

Since the CENFACS argument about the coronavirus pandemic is that Covid-19 is an economic and health threat, we would like to further explore this argument through our Seven-Days-of-Development-in-July event.  In particular, we shall look at how health economics as part of economics that deals with aspects of health can be used to better help the poor and vulnerable, those in most need of our societies. 

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 2020.

The seven days of development in July are the days of thoughts and actions against poverty. The seven themes 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 Virtual Summer Festival of Thoughts and Actions.

 

 

 

~ Rebuilding Healthiness in the Phase of Low Spread of Covid-19 and Growth of Epidemiological Curves of Covid-19 in Africa

 

In our post no. 138 of 8 April 2020, we argued about saving and rebuilding lives in Africa, particularly by saving and rebuilding destroyed lives and the victims of the coronavirus pandemic.  We explained that there would be three waves of advocacy campaigns for saving and rebuilding lives in Africa during Spring 2020.  These waves were saving and rebuilding lives at the times of rise, peak and decline of the coronavirus pandemic in Africa.

At the moment, we are still at the time of rise of the coronavirus pandemic in Africa.  Covid-19 is slowly spreading and the epidemiological curves (“epi-curves”) of the same Covid-19 in different countries of Africa are differently growing.  However, the pandemic has not yet reached its peak in Africa.

After three months from 8 April 2020, we are still in the first wave of our planned campaign and shadowing model.  Yet, we are in Summer and talking about the Season of Happiness in a Summer of Healthiness. 

Given the slow spread and growth of the “epi-curves” of Covid-19 in Africa, there is a need to rebuild healthiness (or the capability of Africans to be or stay healthy) in Africa.  This can be done while still staying resilient and keeping the momentum in the fight against Covid-19.  In other words, it is possible to rebuild healthiness by shadowing the “epi-curves” of Covid-19 in Africa in the above mentioned phase.

To discuss and or enquire about rebuilding healthiness in Africa, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ The Impact Analysis of Covid-19 on CENFACS 2020 (s) Poverty Reduction Tools, Development Agenda and Programme

 

We are continuing the process of reassessing CENFACS 2020 (s) Poverty Reduction Tools, Development Agenda and Programme to make them adaptable to the new world of the coronavirus pandemic since we are in the situation and era of Covid-19 dominance. 

We have already initiated the adaptation process by protecting the CENFACS Community and others, by following the anti-coronavirus measures and guidance, by cancelling any physical events or activities,  and by producing our own virtual protective tools (such as facial masks, anti-bacterial hand gels, gloves, toilet rolls, etc.).

We also adjusted our advice service to take into account the changing needs of the CENFACS Community and the side effects of Covid-19 on poor and vulnerable people. 

What’s more, we designed a suite of six cubes of protection against the coronavirus pandemic.

We have introduced some elements of protection (such as physical and social distancing rules and protective equipment, etc.) into our All Year Round Projects (or Triple Value Initiatives).

All the above taken steps are meant to adapt ourselves as an organisation and mitigate the negative outcomes from the coronavirus pandemic, while making our systems of poverty reduction and sustainable development Covid-19 compliant.

In these adaptation and mitigation processes, we are now continuing the analysis of the Covid-19 and its impacts on CENFACS 2020 (s) Poverty Reduction Tools, Development Agenda and Programme.  After completion of these processes, we hope these upgraded tools, agenda and programme will be Covid-19 secure and compliant.

We will be progressively doing this impact analysis while prioritising the Impact Monitoring, Evaluation, Review, Assurance and Analytics of the last financial year for this month.

To find out about the current progress on the Impact Analysis of Covid-19 on CENFACS 2020 (s) Poverty Reduction Tools, Development Agenda and Programme; please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

~ Covid-19 ASOs Survey: a Survey for Africa-based Sister Organisations regarding the Impacts of Covid-19 Shock

 

It is known that the Covid-19 Shock is impacting everybody and sector.  In order to be more specific in the way is affecting Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) we are conducting a survey regarding the economic health of these organisations.

The survey is about finding how Covid-19 is impacting each ASO, particularly but not exclusively, those ASOs working on mining, ecological and sanitation issues.  The survey has the following three objectives:

(1) Finding out how (strongly or averagely or weakly) Covid-19 is impacting individual ASO and their users

(2) Development of ways of mitigating issues found and brought by Covid-19

(3) Starting gathering data for the preparation of the post-Covid-19 recovery strategies

As part of this survey, we are questioning ASOs to openly tell us, by using their own words and figures, the way in which the Covid-19 is affecting them.

They can directly answer to CENFACS by using our contact details on this website.

 

 

 

~ The Impact Analysis of the Covid-19 Shock on African Children’s Realisation of Climate and Sustainable Development Goals

 

We are as well pursuing another piece of work on the way Covid-19 is affecting African children, in particular in terms of the realisation of climate change and sustainable development goals.  We are doing it while recognising the issue of lack of data or data poverty regarding the Covid-19 impacts on children.  The lockdown situations and other measures to fight Covid-19 in many African countries do not make easier to get data as well. 

We need to remind our readers that although we are doing this impact analysis, the priority for this month of July remains the Impact Monitoring, Evaluation, Review, Assurance and Analytics of the last financial year.  The Impact Analysis of the Covid-19 Shock on African Children will be done beyond the month of July 2020 as Covid-19 lasts.

To know about the progress of this impact analysis, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

Main Development

 

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 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.

 

• 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.

Besides the above three activities (monitoring, evaluation 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.

 

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

 

There are many types or models of feedback.  In this exercise of feedback about the 2019-2020 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 will try to 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 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 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.

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:

 

CENFACS Analytics Dashboard (1)

The Great Beasts Campaign (2)

Back-to-relief Programmes and Projects (3)

Making Memorable Difference with a focus on African Health History (4)

Digital and Social Media Campaigns (5)

CENFACS 2020 Poverty Relief Tools (6)

EcoBio Days Event (7)

The Twenty-twenties (2020s) Development Agenda and Poverty Reduction Programme (8)

Women and Children Projects: Virtual Reflection Day (9)

CENFACS’ Cube of Protection against Coronavirus (10)

Rebuilding Africa by shadowing the “epi-curves” of the Coronavirus Pandemic (11)

Research and Development on Covid-19 (Covid-19 as a cause of poverty; Covid-19 as a delaying or preventive factor from sustainability) (12)

 

 

 

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

 

We have selected 9 initiatives for Feedback II as follows:

 

The DRC Happiness Appeal (1)

Support for Children of Conflict and Climate Change-affected Areas in Africa in the New (September 2019) School Year (2)

Making Zero Hunger Africa in the Context of Life-threatening Impacts of Climate Change and of Armed Conflicts (3)

The 3-Frontier Area Appeal to Support the Victims of Insecurity and Displaced Persons in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger (4)

Burkina Faso Appeal 2020: Bringing and Lighting a Blaze of Hope for the Victims of Armed Attacks in Burkina Faso and its Neighbourhood (5)

Halving Poverty for and with the Congolese Children (6)

Burkina Faso Appeal (February 2020) for the Support of Human Protection and Humanitarian Relief (7)

Coronavirus Spring Project (8)

Distress-free Life from Coronavirus for Children, Young People and Families in Africa (9)

The above selected 2019-2020 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 and numbers.

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 both. This is aptly up to you.

Remember, we can only help reduce poverty and do the changes we all want if you tell us what you think.

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 2020.

 

Help CENFACS keep the Poverty Relief work going in 2020.

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 consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the furture.

Donate to support CENFACS!

 

FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ PROJECTS, JUST GO TO http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

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 2020 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

01 July 2020

 

Post No. 150

 

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Analytics Month

• The Next Issue of Summer Financial Updates (Summer 2020 Edition) will be entitled: Managing Nature and Covid-19 Accounts

• Mission Year and Project Tracking

 

… and much more!

 

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ Analytics Month

 

July is CENFACS’ Analytics month as it is the time of the year during which we conduct the impact monitoring, evaluation and review 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 worked badly 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 true and fair reactions and feelings about our work.  From what they feedback and what we have collected as data, we can assess our performance against aims, goals and targets we set up at the beginning of the financial year.  This also guides us to adjust and redevelop our programmes and projects.  In doing so, this gives us the opportunity to predict and plan future activities while rebuilding and reconnecting with stakeholders. 

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

 

 

 

~ The Next Issue of Summer Financial Updates (Summer 2020 Edition) will be entitled: Managing Nature and Covid-19 Accounts

How to capture financial information linked to the nature and Covid-19 into your household accounts

 

The 2020 Edition of Summer Financial Updates (SFIs) is a good insight that builds on the relationship between human harmony with the nature and the sanitation measures we need to take in order to protect ourselves against Covid-19.  It deals with two types of accounts at household level which are: natural capital accounts and Covid-19 accounts.

Nature or natural capital accounts are related to the management and preservation of the nature at the level of household.  They can be expressed in terms of expenses and income saving related to natural resources and environmental assets management like water, soil, air, plants, animals and minerals.  They can be translated into expenses and incomes to cover these expenses which can help to build financial statements such as household balance sheets, profit and loss account, etc.  They are interesting since many people and families are adopting nature-based solutions to consume and produce.

The accounts linked to the protection against the coronavirus pandemic can include items dealing with hygiene, cleaning, sanitation, personal protective equipment, etc. to protect and save lives from the life-threatening and destroying impacts of the Covid-19.

The 2020 Edition of SFIs is a foundation for households to familiarise with the kinds of good accounting and management practice of including nature and Covid-19 effects into their family accounts and budgets.

The Issue does not stop there as it contains a few examples of nature and Covid-19 accounts and financial statements while providing some good leads for good management and control of household budgets in terms of comparative approach between ratios.

Finally, the 2020 Edition of SFIs facilitates our understanding of the complex information surrounding the current economic downturn led by Covid-19 while providing some tips and hints to adapt and mitigate the impacts of this downturn.

To find out more about this resource, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

~ Mission Year and Project Tracking

 

It is now almost six months since we kick started our Mission Year and Project.  Mission Year is our dedication of 2020 as the year of poverty reduction mission.  This month, we are doing some tracking in terms of priorities, tasks, deliverables, etc. about this dedication. 

The tracking concerns the following areas of work on which we have reflected our poverty reduction mission: energy, sustainability, climate action, protection, Covid-19 stories and experiences, and creation to help reduce health and sanitation poverty.

Briefly, the tracking will enable to know whether or not our poverty reduction message has helped or started to help people reduce poverty and hardships.  However, it takes time for any message received to be transformed into tangible actions and results. 

Also, we need to acknowledge that our poverty reduction mission has been disrupted by the Covid-19 and its associated devastating impacts.  Therefore, for any tracking we will do there is a need to be cautious in making any interpretations or conclusions.  This is due to the Covid-19 disturbance.

To enquire or make query about CENFACS’ Mission Year and Project Tracking, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ Reopening of CENFACS’ Charity e-Store

 

CENFACS e-Store has been reopened following the easing of lockdown and the unlocking of the charity retail sector.

We are following the strict restrictions and guidance regarding the control and surveillance of Covid-19 as well as the protection and saving of lives.

For the health and safety of everybody, all goods donations will be quarantined for at least 72 hours.

We have enhanced our sanitation and cleaning methods and practices. 

We hope you are doing the same in the interest of public health.

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 coronavirus pandemic.  Those who managed to survive, they need help.  We need help to help them come out poverty and hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

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

 

 

 

 

~ 100 Days of Covid-19 Campaign by CENFACS: Report about Your Say

 

CENFACS has welcomed your views and comments regarding the six areas of campaign consultation which are: leadership, contribution, engagement, support, creativity and vision.

A careful examination will be given to all the points made about the running and organisation of this campaign.  We shall make a judgement on how to reflect useful and helpful comments to the current and remaining phases of this campaign while drawing some learning for future development of the campaign of this nature.

There have been some positive and constructive points made.  In all, there is a consensus that there is a need to move forward and stop Covid-19 negative impacts.  We can work to together to stop Covid-19 adverse impacts to become an impediment against poverty reduction, sustainable development and for future generations.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who responded to the 100 Days of Covid-19 Campaign by CENFACS.

We have listened and read your views and comments.  Now, it is time to work together and take forward your messages so that we can together STOP COVID-19 NEGATIVE IMPACTS.

Many thanks! 

 

 

 

~ Happiness and Healthiness Budgets for Poor Children, Young People and Families

 

It is always hard to ask those (like poor children, young people and families) who experience poverty and literally have no income or income below the poverty line, to write a budget about anything, especially for their happiness or healthiness or even holidays. 

Whether or not a poor person is happy or healthy or takes holidays, they need happiness, healthiness, holiday budget or simply a budget to plan their sources of income and ways of meeting their expenses over a particular time of the year (e.g. Summer holiday).  The same person needs to plan how they are going to meet basic life-sustaining health costs. 

Although we have the NHS in the UK, there are other health costs which are not covered by the NHS.  These additional and basic life-sustaining health costs may include: personal hygiene, cleaning and disinfecting costs related to the protection against the Covid-19 and other bacteria.  These additional costs can be included into the happiness and healthiness budgets.

One can as well integrate other items of happiness (like health and life satisfaction) and the metrics of healthiness and well-being into their budget.  They can do it by putting together the items of income per capita (or monetary income) and non-monetary ones into happiness or well-being budget.

The happiness and healthiness budgets, or put it simply holiday and basic health accounts, help to assess where and how much help is needed.  Therefore, poor people and families need to do their income sums and build them into their happiness, holiday and basic health expenses budgets and accounts or simply Summer expenses budgets or accounts.

To discuss your happiness, healthiness and Summer holiday budgets, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• Impact Monitoring, Evaluation, Review and Analytics

 

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. 

Before giving the contents of the Analytics Month, let us explain the key words we are using for the purpose of this Analytics month.

 

• • Key Words for the Analytics Month

 

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

 

=> Impact

Normally, it takes a considerable time to get the 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 (1) 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’ 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. 

    

=> Monitoring and evaluation

We are going to use the definition of monitoring and evaluation as given by Kersty Hobson, Ruth Mayne and Jo Hamilton (2) 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.

 

=> Review

We have referred to an online source from method123.com (3) 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 last review.

 

=> Analytics

There are many approaches to analytics.  In the context of our July work, we have selected an explanation from an online dictionary (4) 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 and 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, CENFACS’ poverty relief league, etc. 

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

It provides as well charts 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 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.

 

• • All-in-one Impact Feedback and Assessment for July 2020

 

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

 

=> Impact monitoring and evaluation of the programmes and projects we run in the last financial year

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

 

=> Impact assessment of the coronavirus pandemic on CENFACS

We shall continue to seize the impact of Covid-19 on CENFACS, particularly on CENFACS’ 2020 Poverty Reduction Tools and Programme and Development Agenda.

 

=> 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 International Climate Change Agreement (or the Paris Treaty), the Istanbul Declaration, the United Nations 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals, and Africa’s Agenda 2063.  The four of them make up our XX236.3F programme.

We need to acknowledge that Covid-19 has not made and is 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, please contact CENFACS.

 

(1) https://www.oecd.org/sti/inno/what-is-impact-assessment-OECDImpact.pdf (accessed June 2020)

(2) https://www.geog.ox.ac.uk/research/technologies/projects/monitoringandevaluation.html (accessed June 2020)

(3) https://www.method123.com/initiation-phase-review.php (accessed June 2020)

(4) https://www.dictionary.com/browse/analytics (accessed June 2020)

 

Help CENFACS keep the Poverty Relief work going in 2020.

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 consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the furture.

Donate to support CENFACS!

 

FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ PROJECTS, JUST GO TO http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

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 2020 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

26 June 2020

 

Post No. 149

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Summer of Happiness – In Focus: Healthiness

• Thanksgiving Days: Supporters’ Days

• Distress-free Life from Coronavirus for Children, Young People and Families in Africa

 

… and much more!

 

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ Summer of Happiness – In Focus: Healthiness

 

CENFACS’ Summer of Happiness will focus on Healthiness, on healthy life expectancy as predicator of life evaluation.  We have chosen to focus on Healthiness because of the prolong impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

Under the Main Development section of this post, we have given a preview of projects and programme that will make our Summer of Healthiness.

 

 

 

 

~ Thanksgiving Days: Supporters’ Days

 

From 29 to 30 June 2020, we are 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 on 29 and 30 June 2020. 

As we are in CENFACS’ Month of Creation and Mission Year, we shall find all sorts of creative, innovative 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 and tweeting them with messages of gratitude

√ Telling thank-you stories

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

√ Making 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 since the coronavirus pandemic and its associated impacts restrict every physical contact, 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.

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.

For further details, contact CENFACS’ Thanksgiving-End-of-June-2020 Team.

 

 

 

~ Distress-free Life from Coronavirus for Children, Young People and Families in Africa

 

Distress-free Life from Coronavirus for Children, Young People and Families in Africa is one of Summer Appeal projects making the first part of our Summer Programme.  This appeal has been already launched.

The appeal is about supporting children, young people and families (CYPFs) in places in Africa where healthcare systems are vulnerable and weak, and cannot cope with the mounting pressure and damaging effects of the Covid-19.

Supporting this appeal means helping CYPFs to minimise and mitigate the impacts of Covid-19 on them. Your support will help to reduce the risks stemming from the economic and health threats that have been caused by Covid-19.  One can think of a child or young person without any dreams and expectations, what will be his/her future.

 

Yes!

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

You can help stop Covid-19 to become a structural constraint and handicap for that child.

You can help stop Covid-19 to create lifelong 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 Covid-19 to happen in Africa.

 

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

Details of this appeal and ways of supporting can be found at: cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

 

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ Arts & Design Project: 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 those carried out by poor families, children, young people and those who are left out of the economic growth or upturn.  Additionally, there are as works carried out by unknown and unnamed artists and designers who may be amateurs or not professionals or not just celebrities. 

All these small pieces of art and design works can help relieve poverty and enhance the process of sustainable development. 

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.  They are of all sorts of talents and abilities who can create and innovate to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.  Their works can help reduce Covid-19 induced poverty and hardships 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, are making in reducing poverty and hardships as well as in enhancing sustainable development.

 

 

 

 

~ Arts and Design Project: Skills in Art and Design

 

To carry on our Arts and Design project and Month of Creative Economic Development, we are as well dealing with the following three types of skills in art and design:

√ Skills for poverty relief

√ Skills for sustainable development

√ Skills in response to Covid-19 threats 

 

The focus in this activity is on finding out ways of helping people to develop skills in arts and design to communicate their messages about poverty relief, sustainable development and responses to Covid-19 threats. 

The interest in doing it is to explore ways of making Arts and Design Skills that poor people possess to use them in achieving tangible poverty-relieving and sustainable development outcomes, as well as in dealing with the economic and health threats posed by Covid-19.

Developing skills in arts and design can help to overcome poverty, enhance sustainable development and reduce the level of threats brought by the coronavirus pandemic.

 

# Arts and Design Skills related to poverty reduction, sustainable development and Covid-19 response

 

=> Art and design skills as a poverty fighter

 

Skills in art and design can be a rewarding way of fighting poverty and hardships by giving to the poor an artistic occupation or by buying their artistic makings to raise the funds they need to make ends meet, let alone helping them to make a career in the creative industry.

 

=> Art and design skills as an enhancer of sustainable development 

 

Art and design skills can help to create and innovate products and services that do not pollute, deplete or destroy the nature, while meeting poor people’s needs and reducing carbon prints.

 

=> Art and design skills as a response to the life-threatening and destroying impacts posed by Covid-19

 

To respond to coronavirus and its damaging effects, it requires skills.  In the context of our Campaign for Resilience against Covid-19, these skills could include those of saving lives, protecting healthcare infrastructures and reducing Covid-19 induced poverty and hardships.

These three types of skills could be handled on papers, digitally or physically with objects.

But, what are these art and design skills?

 

# General Art and Design Skills

 

=> Art or artistic skills consist of the following:

 

Drawing, composition, identifying colours, painting, dress making, dealing with shapes, digital art handling, and visual art management

 

=> Design skills can include:

 

Knowledge, observation, visualisation, experimentation, validation, communication, problem-solving and digital design, etc.

Also, as part of the Skills Data Bank run by CENFACS, one can registered their skills in art and design with the CENFACS Community.

For further details about Arts and Design for poverty relief, sustainable development and reduction of Covid-19 threats, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• Summer of Healthiness

 

At the beginning of Spring 2020, we argued that Spring 2020 was special because of the Covid-19 and its crippling issues.  Covid-19 has pushed us to adapt our Spring of Life Renewal to that of Life Salvation.  The same special feature of Spring 2020 has moved into Summer 2020.  The same adaptation exercise is happening with our Summer of Happiness which will be of Healthiness.

Generally speaking, Summer is a season of Happiness within CENFACS.  It is the season of happiness from most of our stakeholders after having a long busy period of working and educational activities like everybody.   They look forward to a long period of break which often happens during Summer, in the months of July and August.  Those of our stakeholders living in other parts of the world, this long waiting break can be in different months of the year.  The important thing is there are at least nearly two months of break.

However, Covid-19 has disrupted this habit and threatening human habits of breaks or holidays.  Because of Covid-19 disruptions and its continuing negative impacts, our Summer of Happiness will be centred on Healthiness. 

As the specific medicine and vaccine to eradicate Covid-19 have not yet been discovered, Covid-19 is still around.  This is despite the fact that its threat levels have been reduced in some places.  We still have to live in a physical and social distancing environment while disinfecting our living environment from the Covid-19 strains and maintaining special hygiene and cleanliness.  This is happening let alone the human and economic fatalities that Covid-19 is causing and a considerable amount of non-essential human and economic activities that it has taken in hostage. 

Because of the above, it makes sense to call our Summer 2020 a Healthiness one to reflect the predominance that health has in the last three months and will have during this Summer in our living memory, life and work.  Summer of Healthiness will focus on the physical, mental, social and economic health of our project beneficiaries and community as well as the Covid-19 ramifications in terms of less room for manoeuvre for poverty reduction and sustainable development, let alone the lack of spaces we have to share. 

Additionally, at the beginning and during our Covid-19 Campaign we have argued that Covid-19 is both a health and economic threat.  If this argument is solid, it will be premature to counterclaim that by saying this double threat has now completely disappeared given the devastating human and economic impacts and costs it has caused.  

Because of this enduring character of Covid-19 in terms of economic and health threats it embodies, our Summer 2020 will be of Healthiness.  Therefore, the projects and activities that we are preparing and have prepared for this Summer will reflect the theme of healthiness. 

In fact, our Summer 2020 will still have happiness in it.  When we define happiness, there is an element of health in it.  To be happy is also to be healthy or to have healthy life expectancy.  We shall expand more on this when we will present our Healthiness Projects; projects making the second part of our Summer Programme. 

During this Summer 2020, we will deal with both the freedom from illness or pain, and the freedom from the lack of monetary or material possessions.  Not being medical doctors or healthcare scientists, we will work in our capacity of specialists in poverty reduction and scientists in sustainable development together with local people in need to help them gain or regain their freedoms from illness and poverty while still assisting them to enhance areas of sustainable development within the context and under the constraint of Covid-19.    

To do that, we have planned the following projects and programme for Summer 2020.

 

• Preview of Projects and Programme for Summer 2020

 

• • June 2020

 

# Campaign for Resilience against Covid-19 (or Covid-19 Campaign)

 

We are continuing to implement the phase 2 of this campaign; phase which is about Impact Monitoring and Evaluation.

Depending on the level of threats posed by Covid-19 during this Summer and the evolution of the epidemiological curves of Covid-19, we shall reassess our Covid-19 Campaign and make a judgement whether or not we shall move to phase 3; that is the phase of Post-Covid-19 Rehabilitation Strategy.

 

# Thanksgiving Days: 29 & 30 June 2020

 

This year’s Thanksgiving Days will be virtually run on 29 and 30 June 2020.  Because of the coronavirus pandemic and its associated impacts and restrictions, we will not physically running Thanksgiving Days.

We have already released the contents of this year’s Thanksgiving Days; contents which are up within the Key Messages section of this post.

 

• • July 2020

 

# Financial Updates: Managing your nature accounts and Covid-19 accounts

 

The 2020 Edition of Financial Updates (a CENFACS’ Individual Capacity Building and Development resource for Summer) will focus on two sets of accounts: nature and Covid-19 accounts.

Nature accounts (or natural capital accounting) are those any household can run in their budget to keep their relationships with nature in harmony.  One can integrate ecosystems and biodiversity into their household budgets.  This can enable them to take responsibility towards nature or natural resources.

Covid-19 accounts are any items of household budgets related to the protection against the current wave of Covid-19.

Besides these two sets of accounts, the 2020 Financial Updates will update readers about the current financial and economic situation as economies are going into recession, due to the Covid-19 consequences.  The updates will go further in terms of financial and economic advice to resist economic recession and its potential damaging effects.

 

# 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 Covid-19 Campaign, which is due to continue

 

# Virtual Summer Festival with Seven Days of Development in July

 

In focus for our Summer 2020 Festival will be: Health Economics – How to make health economics work for the poor and the neediest

Since our argument about the coronavirus is that it is an economic and health threat, we would like to further explore this argument through our Seven Days of Development in July (7DDJ).  In particular, we shall look at how health economics as part of economics that deals with aspects of health can be used to better help the poor and vulnerable people, those in most need of societies.

 

• • July – August 2020

 

# 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.  Last year, we launched one integrated appeal that brought under one roof these projects.  This year, because of the Covid-19 and its associated impacts, we are going to launch selected appeals for of them with special emphasis on health. 

One of the selected appeals will be about helping CYPFs to be free from distress caused by the coronavirus pandemic and any health poverty associated with coronavirus.  The appeal – Distress-free Life from Coronavirus for CYPFs in Africa (DfLCA) – is also about helping poor CYPFs to boost their capability to be healthy from the coronavirus and other diseases as well as from economic threats created by the same coronavirus. 

Another appeal project that will have a particular attention and that is needed during the current health and sanitation is the Iconic Young Carer for a Coronavirus-free Environment (iYCCfE). 

The two projects fall under the scope of health (for DFLCA) and care (for iYCCfE).

 

# Children, Young People and Families (CYPFs) Summer Programme (Part II): Healthiness Projects

 

Healthiness projects are another set of Summer projects making the second part of our Summer Programme.  The same healthiness theme will apply to the second part of our Summer 2020 programme.  We shall release more details about Healthiness projects in due course.

 

# Summer 2020 Run, Play and Vote to Reduce Poverty

 

Because we are still under the rules and restrictions of lockdowns to protect ourselves and others, this year our Triple Value Initiatives (Run, Play and Vote) will be organised according to the state of progress in the fight against Covid-19.

Depending on the circumstances (related to Covid-19 and level of reopening economies), some of these activities may be held virtually.

Half-year actions and results about these activities will be sought from those who are using them.   

We shall ask those who undertook triple-value initiatives as Covid-19 recreational activities during the lockdowns to report on their actions and results as well.

 

# Integration or Factorisation of Covid-19 Impacts into Le Dernier Carré

 

We will be working on the integration or factorisation of Covid-19 into our four step model of poverty relief; that is the Last Square of Poverty Relief (Le Dernier Carré).

 

# Summer Track, Trip and Trending

 

Track and Trip activities will be run depending on the progress on the protection against Covid-19 and the restrictions which will be in place at the time.

Regarding Trending activity, we are going to follow the direction of poverty reduction via “social” and “virtual world”.  In other words, how both social and virtual world can help in reducing poverty and enhancing sustainable development.

For example, how social media, social networking, social skills, social responsibility, social sciences, social distancing rules, social services, etc. can help in reducing poverty and enhancing sustainable development.

The above is just an indicative plan of work for our Summer of Healthiness.  Depending on the progress about the fight against Covid-19 and results achieved in the reopening economies, we may review our Summer work plan.

 

Help CENFACS keep the Poverty Relief work going in 2020.

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 consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the furture.

Donate to support CENFACS!

 

FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ PROJECTS, JUST GO TO http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

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 2020 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

17 June 2020

 

Post No. 148

 

 

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Research and Development for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development

• Art and Design for Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development

• Boosting Africa’s Healthcare Capabilities by Shadowing the Epidemiological Curves of the Coronavirus Pandemic

 

… and much more!

 

 

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ Research and Development for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development

 

In the main screen representing our Creative Economic Development Month, Research and Development as a function is one of the six windows although we have not yet spoken about it.  This week, we would like to explain a bit how research and development contributes to our Creative Economic Development Month. 

At the moment, the research and development work we are conducting is about two spheres of operation.  Our first field of interest is whether or not Covid-19 causes poverty.  The second one is about whether or not Covid-19 causes the delay or prevents the progress of the realisation of sustainable development goals.

Under the Main Development section of this post, you find more details about Research and Development for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development within the context of and under the constraint of Covid-19.

 

 

~ Art and Design for Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development

 

As part of the Creative Economic Development Month, we also run Art and Design for Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development as a project.  One of the activities related to this project for this year would be to construct and post cards or objects as an expression of stopping the decline of existing arable land to echo the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.  They are two themes for 2020 card design.

 

# Themes for 2020 Card Design

 

We have two themes for card design this year: (a) Stop the decline of existing arable land, and (b) recycling of Covid-19 personal and protective equipment.

Theme 1: Stopping the decline of existing arable land

 

In order to resonate the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, those who wish and want can design a paper card (p-card) or electronic card (e-card) to feature the following:

√ Reduction of desertification

√ Stoppage of land degradation

√ Recovering and restoration of degraded lands

 

Theme 2: Sustainable recycling of Covid-19 protective items

 

You can as well design a p-card or e-card to educate people about a better way of recycling Covid-19 personal and protective equipment (such as disposable face coverings, plastic gloves, empty disinfecting plastic bottles, etc.). 

 

# Making and Sending a p-Card or e-Card

 

For those who are trying to design and send a 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 or sustainability message you are conveying is without confusion.

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

 

√ contributes to inclusive and sustainable development goals

√ is a driver and enabler of sustainable development processes

√ is evidence-based as an expression of realities

√ is capable of leading to new pathways for creative economy

√ reflects on creative economic development

√ connects with the different sectors of creative economy

√ 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

√ builds harmonious relationships with the nature

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

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

 

 

 

~ Boosting Africa’s Healthcare Capabilities by Shadowing the Epidemiological Curves of the Coronavirus Pandemic

 

Boosting Africa’s healthcare capabilities is the continuation of our Covid-19 Campaign and of our advocacy on Rebuilding Africa.  In the Covid-19 Campaign, we are still in phase 2 of Impact Monitoring and Evaluation, whereas for the Rebuilding Africa advocacy we are in ascending phase in shadowing the epidemiological curses (“epi-curves”) of Covid-19 in Africa.

As Covid-19 spread is accelerating in some parts of Africa, there is a need to keep our Covid-19 Campaign and Rebuilding Africa Advocacy on track by shadowing the “epi-curves” in advocating the boosting of Africa’s healthcare capabilities.

Boosting Africa’s Healthcare Capabilities may not help to stop the acceleration of Covid-19, but it can enable the control of its multi-dimensional impacts while saving lives and African economies.  However, what do mean by healthcare capabilities?  To understand that let us first clarify the notion of capabilities.

 

# Healthcare capabilities

 

We are referring to Amarthya Sen’s Capabilites Approach.  Sen (1) defines capabilities as

“the freedom that a person has in terms of the choice of functionings, given his personal features (conversion of characteristics into functionings) and his command over commodities”.  

He also defines functionings as

“what a person does (or can do) with the commodities of given characteristics that they come to possess or control”.

Through the notion of Sen’s capabilities, we are advocating about finding ways of expanding healthcare choices in African societies and people in order to win the battle against Covid-19.

 

# Boosting Africa’s Healthcare Capabilities

 

It is known that the majority of African countries had weak healthcare capabilities before Covid-19 reached Africa.  Since the preparation against the coronavirus started in Africa, there have been some efforts to build essential capabilities for healthcare or the capability to be healthy for Africans.  This has been done knowing the financial, structural and infrastructural challenges these countries face.

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases reported to the World Health Organisation has passed from 155,762 on 12 June 2020 to 181,903 on 16 June 2020.  As this number of confirmed cases of coronavirus is increasing, it makes sense to advocate for a boost in Africa’s healthcare capabilities. 

This boost will help to minimize Covid-19 constraints and cases while avoiding devastating impacts.  It could mean matching the rate of acceleration or growth of Covid-19 spread with the rate of increase in healthcare capabilities.  In that matching exercise, it is better to strive to push Covid-19 spread to a decelerating trend.

May be one can learn from what happened in the past.  In the last 10 years, Africa had enjoyed higher levels of economic growth.  However, very little of these high levels went to health and education.  As development economists argue, economic growth is not development.  None of any of African countries did allocate at least 1% of its Gross Domestic Product to health.  So, to keep tight control over the battle against Covid-19, boosting Africa’s healthcare capabilities could be one of the viable options.

For any queries and enquiries about the Boosting of Africa’s Healthcare Capabilities, please contact CENFACS.

(1) Amarttya Sen, Commodities and Capabilities (Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1985) and Development as Freedom (New York: Knopf, 1999)

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ Support the Economies of Africa-based Sister Organisations during the Sanitary Crisis through the Coronavirus-related Organisational Relief Programme (CrORP)

 

Since we launched the CrORP in April 2020 as part of a series of CENFACS’ responses to the economic fallout from the Covid-19 shock and disturbance, we did not undertake any fundraising campaign about it.  As the number of Covid-19 confirmed cases and fatalities keep growing in Africa, there is a need to appeal to those who can to support and work with Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) in order for them to erect adaptation and mitigation strategies as well as capacity to manage the Covid-19 shock and consequences.

CrORP is a programme conceived to provide essential humanitarian assistance to those ASOs affected by the coronavirus by helping them now and after once the coronavirus pandemic crisis is gone so that they can maintain and expand their not-for-profit services.  In this respect, the programme will help them to adjust and remain active and robust in front of the coronavirus pandemic.

In brief, the CrORP is about supporting ASOs to manage the long term impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and ensure that they continue their work towards poor and vulnerable people.

CENFACS would like to appeal to those who can to donate, pledge and make a gift declaration so that we can together support the coronavirus-stricken voluntary African organisations during and after this global health.

Your donation or pledge or gift will help to Support the Economies of Africa-based Sister Organisations during the Sanitary Crisis.

To donate or pledge or make a gift, just contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

~ World Anti-Poverty System (WAS): How Covid-19 Makes the Idea of an International System for Poverty Reduction even more Relevant

 

The international development community does not need Covid-19 to understand the relevancy of an International System for Poverty Reduction (ISPR).  What the world needs is to have an ISPR to avoid the domino effects of a global crisis like Covid-19 on the world’s poor.  The world may not be able to avoid the eruption of unpredicted crisis; but it can have a system designed to deal with global poverty at all times (including at a time of crisis and of peace).

In fact, leaders of the world’s nations (rich or poor, in Africa or anywhere else) have shown that it is possible to deal with economic and health threats and damages posed by the coronavirus pandemic.  If they are able to do so, then they should be capable to deal with poverty and hardships within a collectively designed international framework.  They do not need a gigantic crisis to remind them the necessity to have an ISPR. 

Covid-19 has revealed how economic, health and social systems across the world (and mostly in Africa) were weak or fragile to deal with poverty induced by the same Covid-19, let alone the weaknesses in many healthcare systems that the same Covid-19 has exposed. 

An ISPR would have made easier many responses to Covid-19 regarding poverty and hardships, such as:

√ Communications between Coronavirus-hit developing countries

√ Reduction or limitation of the Covid-19 impacts on the poor quickly and dramatically

√ Facilitation of lockdowns and protection measures (such as physically and socially distancing rules)

√ Smooth transition from lockdowns to reopening of economies

√ Better protection of the poor and vulnerable

√ Reduction of asymmetrical or differentiated effects caused by the lockdowns between people

√ Cutting down of the costs of financial bailout to the poor

√ Easy collection and exchange of data about poverty across the world

√ Minimisation of financial pressure on developing economies

Etc.

All these could have been achieved while still saving lives. 

Indeed, each time a poor economy massively borrows to meet the cost of crisis like Covid-19, it means an additional cost on future generations and poor people of this economy.  Whereas, if there was an ISPR in which poverty is constantly monitored and evaluated; measures would be taken in a coordinated way at international and global levels to better control poverty.  There would be better progress on poverty reduction than it is now. Developing countries, including those of Africa, would have been in a better position to control the life-threatening and -destroying impacts of Covid-19. 

So, Covid-19 makes the idea of an International System for Poverty Reduction even more Relevant today and tomorrow.  The world and Africa in it would have been a better place to fight the far-reaching impacts of Covid-19 on the poor and vulnerable.

To enquire or support the idea of a World Anti-poverty System or International System for Poverty Reduction, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

~ Covid-19 and Poverty Relief through the Technology of Screens

 

On the agenda for this week is also the discussion within CENFACS’ be.africa about the disputable impacts of display technologies (such as screens) on poverty reduction.

The question that we are trying to answer through our thoughts this week is the following: 

Does the screen (e.g. TV, mobile phone, PC monitor, tablet, laptop, camera, electronic paper, desktop, etc. screens) can help to reduce poverty?

During the lockdowns and in many occasions of life, people stay longer on any screens of devises such as TV, mobile phone, camera, laptop, watch, tablet, monitor or desktop, etc.   Can these screens help to reduce poverty?  If they can, can Africa get more of these screens to help people reduce poverty?

Please tell CENFACS’ be.africa what you think.

 

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• Research and Development for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development

 

Before looking at how research and development as a function contributes to our Creative Economic Development Month and to Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development within the context and under the constraint of Covid-19, let us define research and development.

 

• • Basic understanding of research and development

 

We are going to refer to the dictionary definition of research and development as given by Christopher Pass, Bryan Lowes and Leslie Davies in their Dictionary of Economics.  Pass et 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.  Research and development is both an important factor contributing to the competitive strength of the individual firm and, nationally, in promoting a higher rate of economic growth”. (p. 454)

This economic definition can be extended to not-for-profit organisations in which discoveries and applications of discoveries happen.  Research and development can contribute to the strength of charitable organisations and in promoting their work of for example poverty reduction and sustainable development. 

In this particular time of Covid-19 outbreak, charitable and voluntary organisations may need to discover new techniques and products in order to meet the needs of their beneficiaries and stay on the top of the poverty-relieving game or their aims and objectives. 

They also have to do research and development to find alternative and innovative ways to fund their activities and services since economies are undergoing into recessionary period.

They further need to make sure that their discoveries are applicable and can contribute to their own strength and locally in promoting for example poverty reduction, sustainable development, etc.

At this exceptional time of Covid-19, research and development can be any activity of discoveries and innovations that charitable organisations can do to save and protect lives.  Those that are well equipped and take medical issues as their core activity can even discover a new medicine and vaccine against the Covid-19.  The other ones that are not involved in the fields of discovery and innovation of new medicine and vaccine can still discover and innovate solutions to deal with issues related to the negative impacts of Covid-19. 

For example, CENFACS is trying to create and innovate poverty reduction fixes and sustainable development enhancements to respond to the Covid-19 challenge. 

 

• • Research and development at CENFACS

 

The function of research and development (R&D) is important 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 focusing on research and development related to coronavirus-induced poverty and hardships on the one hand, and the delay or prevention caused by Covid-19 in the progress of the realisation of sustainable development goals. 

 

 

• • • Research and development on Covid-19 as a cause of poverty

 

Our R&D on Covid-19 induced poverty and hardships is about finding out whether Covid-19 has caused poverty and hardships or its consequences (like lockdowns and measures such as physical and social distancing rules) have caused poverty or not.  Our R&D is based on the causality and attribution approach as part of the theory of change we are using.

In other words, what cause poverty within the context of and under the constraint of Covid-19?  Does Covid-19 cause poverty or not?  How much poverty can be attributable to Covid-19?  With the outbreak of Covid-19, are we in the new Age of poverty? 

These are the questions our research and development activity is trying to answer, although times and times we speak about coronavirus-induced poverty and hardships.

 

 

• • • Research and development on Covid-19 as delaying or preventive factor of sustainability

 

Since we work on sustainable development, researching whether or not Covid-19 can cause delay or prevent the progress of the realisation of sustainable development goals is our additional interest at the moment. 

Covid-19 has far-reaching impacts.  One of these impacts is perhaps the altering or prevention from the poor people to make progress in the realisation of the United Nations 17 sustainable development goals. 

We can even narrow our research to find out which goals amongst the 17 ones have been delayed or prevented at the moment to be achieved.  The impacts and effects of Covid-19 in terms of lockdowns and other security and protection measures (such as physical and social distancing rules to control the virus) have contributed to the slowdown of the progress of the realisation of sustainable development goals amongst our beneficiaries.   However, we need data (textual and numerical) to back our research and development. 

Briefly, we are conducting research and development on Covid-19 as both a cause of poverty and as delaying/preventive factor of sustainability.  We are doing it using the causality and attribution approach.  This R&D, which is undertaken during the Creative Economic Development Month and after, is also part of our Campaign of Resilience against Covid-19 (the Covid-19 Campaign).

In both studies of the causality and attribution linked to Covid-19, quantitative and qualitative techniques and methods can be used.  For example, quantitative techniques and methods can be used to test if there is a correlation between Covid-19 and poverty.  The same or similar techniques and methods can also be used to determine the relationships between Covid-19 and the progress of the realisation of sustainable development goals.

For further details and or enquiries about this R&D activity, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

(2) Christopher Pass, Bryan Lowes and Leslie, Dictionary of Economics, 1988, HarperCollins Publishers, London

 

Help CENFACS keep the Poverty Relief work going in 2020.

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 consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the furture.

Donate to support CENFACS!

 

FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ PROJECTS, JUST GO TO http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

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 2020 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

10 June 2020

 

Post No. 147

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Week Beginning 08 June 2020: Innovations in Times of Covid-19-led Economic and Health Threats with a Focus on Projects of Innovation for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development

• Returnees’ Project or the “R” Project

• Coronavirus Spring Project (CSP): Only Two Weeks Remaining!

… and much more!

 

 

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ Week beginning 08 June 2020: Innovations in Times of Covid-19-led Economic and Health Threats with a Focus on Projects of Innovation for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development

 

Last week, we kicked off our Creative Economic Development Month with Creativity in Times of Covid-19-led Economic and Health Threats and a focus on Creative Economic Development Projects.  We worked out how creation could lead to happiness. 

This week, we are continuing with Jmesci project by putting an emphasis on Innovations in Times of Covid-19-led Economic and Health Threats with a focus on Projects of Innovation for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development.  Amongst the innovations we are dealing with, there are:

(a) Innovations to reduce Covid-19-induced poverty and hardship

(b) Innovations to integrate or factorise Covid-19 in the realisation of Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030

(c) Innovative work carried out by our Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) to manage the Covid-19 threats and disturbances.

These innovations could help to get the peace that the beneficiaries of these innovations may need amid the Covid-19 battle.

For more details about this first key message, please read under the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

 

 

~ Returnees’ Project or “R” Project

 

Do you need any help to move from lockdown to a reopened economy?

CENFACS can help you to manage the transitional process from lockdown to a reopened economy during this Covid-19 period.

 

How CENFACS can help

 

We can help with the following:

√ Basic transition advice

√ Information

√ Support

√ Essential protection advice against Covid-19

√ Guidance

√ Signposting

√ Advocacy

What’s more, we have a Back-from-lockdown Advisory Pack!

To access the “R” project, please contact CENFACS as follows:

=> Email: facs@cenfacs.org.uk  

=> Textphone: 07534781248

=> Complete the comments form on this website with your needs and submit to CENFACS.

To enable us to get back to you, please make sure that you give us your contact details (e.g. email or phone number or physical address).

 

More about “R” Project

“R” Project is a temporary initiative designed by CENFACS to help people come out poverty linked to economic inactivity caused by the Covid-19 and subsequent lockdown conditions.  The project can help them to start a smooth transition in returning from the situation of lockdown to that of a re-opened economy.

Through this project, they can rebuild confidence and reassurance, reconquer self-motivation and self-esteem, improve their opportunity to start from scratch, and find ways of re-socialising in a new socially and physically distancing environment during the lockdown exit and thereafter.

 

 

Who is eligible for the “R” project?

Those in most need and most vulnerable including the following:

√ People living in poverty and hardships

√ Those going back to education and training

√ Those going back to work

√ Those resuming any essential outside activity that is deemed to be useful for their health and economic wellbeing

For any queries or enquiries, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

~ Coronavirus Spring Project (CSP): Only Two Weeks Remaining!

 

The fundraising campaign about the Coronavirus Spring Project will end this month with the end of Spring season.  For those who have not yet supported this project, there are only two weeks to go until we close this fundraising campaign. 

We fully understand that Covid-19 and the lockdowns it has led have been a challenging experience for everybody.  Many people have lost their jobs, economies have been shut down and many incomes have disappeared, let alone the huge fatalities that Covid-19 has created.

However, for those who can help we are appealing to their generosity to do something.  The Covid-19 and the lockdowns it has led have asymmetrical consequences.  Those who are/were in poverty and hardships may be feeling the damaging effects of Covid-19 more than anybody else.  Particularly, in places where there is no financial bailout or if it exists it does not always reach or help the poorest of these societies, there is a need to appeal to the goodwill of international donors like you to try to assist where and when you can.

It is true we put a deadline for any of our fundraising campaigns.  However, this does not mean after the CSP deadline the devastating effects of Covid-19 on poor people will disappear.  The legacies of Covid-19 on the poorest are still to come.  This is why it makes sense to support now to mitigate or cut down these negative impacts on poor people. 

You can help those people who are in most need and vulnerable to avoid a total economic and human collapse in them.

To support, just go to: http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ Triple-value Voting Initiative as a Covid-19 Recreational Activity

How to break out the vicious circle of Covid-19 lockdowns

 

This week’s activity in order to help people manage lockdowns wherever they are is to try to Vote their International Development and Poverty Relief Covid-19 Manager (IDPRCM).

As part of this exercise, one can try to find out an ideal or virtual Covid-19 Manager (International Development and Poverty Relief Covid-19 Manager) who is helping or who helped people and communities to both meet sustainable development goals and reduce poverty within the context and constraint of Covid-19.

 

How to find out your IDPRCM

 

To research your International Development and Poverty Relief Covid-19 Manager (IDPRCM), you need to take some steps before casting your virtual vote.  They include the following:

√ Write down your Covid-19 Manager job description

√ Write down your Covid-19 Manager person specification

√ Watch or observe as many candidates as you can (watch work they are doing)

√ Check their CV, credentials and references

√ Search your ideal/virtual three Covid-19 Managers within potential candidates you have been watching and match the best three candidates (after shortlisting) with job description, person specification, their achievements in terms of poverty reduction and sustainable development goals

√ Select one amongst the three who comes on top

√ Vote your IDPRCM

 

Who is your IDPRCM? 

 

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 within the context and constraint of Covid-19.

He/she is a person that can help poor people to meet their utility or welfare under the difficult context and constraint of Covid-19.

Please remember, whatever your ideal/virtual Covid-19 Manager is doing or will do, he/she needs to help people meet sustainable development and poverty reduction goals during the Covid-19 lockdowns or period.

Good luck in search of your IDPRCM!

For any enquiries or queries about this activity, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

~ Protection of Poor People’s Creations and Innovations

 

This second week of June is as well about rethinking ways of protecting poor people’s creative and innovative works.  This is knowingly that poor people do not always have or have enough money to pay for protection of their makings. 

It is not enough for them to create and or innovate; they also need to protect their makings in the form of copyrights and other protection that other creators and innovators do enjoy.  One can think of the use of the internet and online technologies how they made it easier for some people sometimes to violate or infringe on poor people’s creative and innovative works and rights.

So, as part of the Creative Economic Development Month, we would like to work together and find out the best possible and affordable ways of protecting poor people’s creative and innovative works.

To support and or enquire about CENFACS’ initiative on the Protection of Poor People’s Creations and Innovations, contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

~ Covid-19 and Women in Africa’s Essential Care Economy

How to protect women making Africa’s essential care economy

 

Findings from textual data indicate that women make up 70 per cent of the healthcare in Africa as they work as nurses, laundry workers, midwifes, catering assistants, hygienists, etc.  Studying the distribution of nurses, the United Nations Women (1) states 65% of nurses in the African region are women compared to men only 35%.

They are the essential workforce of Africa’s essential care economy.   There is a need for Africa to protect the backbone of its care economy mostly at this exceptional time of Covid-19 disturbance. 

However, before thinking about the protection of African women carers, let’s try to define care economy.  To do that, we have chosen the definition of care economy given by the European Institute for Gender Equality (2), which argues that a care economy is

“part of human activity, both material and social, that is concerned with the process of caring for the present and future labour force, and the human population as a whole, including the domestic provisioning of food, clothing and shelter”.

From this definition, the care economy is more than just the healthcare workers we have mentioned above.  It includes the following as well: unpaid family caregivers, domestic workers, those who care for disable and elderly people, community-based health workers, etc.   They are all essential workers and make Africa’s essential care economy.  This is the economy that Africa is currently in bad need of in order to battle Covid-19. 

Given the essentiality of the care economy and of work African women are doing to fight Covid-19, there is a necessity to protect Africa’s women healthcare workers (WHCW).  This protection can be on a wide range of aspects which include the following.

Income protection: It is about better reward or pay to WHCW so that they can better focus on their work without worrying about how to tie the two ends of the month in their personal or family budget.

Health protection: WHCW have close and prolonged contact with sick (here Covid-19) patients, it is normal that they get the higher level of protection in terms of Covid-19 personal and protective equipment. 

Family protection: The protection of WHCW should not only be at work.  It should be as well where they live as they often live with family members and do another care work at home.  They and their family members need face coverings, water supplies, soaps for hands washing, cleaning products to disinfect homes from Covid-19 strains, etc.

Skills protection: Many of WHCW are skilful enough to deal with viruses since they have experiences or lessons from Ebola, Zika, SARS and HIV viruses.  They have counselling, communication and advisory skills that can help in the fight against Covid-19.

Protection against violence and insecurity:  Covid-19 has brought devastating health, socio-economic and security issues.  Some of these issues are linked to violence and insecurity against women and girls in Africa.  Women and girls need more and better security as Africa battles Covid-19.

Protection against misinformation: Not having access to internet and connectivity, as well as to good information about Covid-19 can mislead WHCW.  To protect them, there is a need to improve access to Covid-19 information.

We do not need to list all the areas of protection for anybody to understand how to protect women making Africa’s essential care economy.  We can instead continue to argue that Africa cannot bypass WHCW in its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.  Africa needs to protect and safeguard its essential care economic asset in order to win the Covid-19 battle. 

There should be re-evaluation of women care workers in African societies through better working conditions, pay, voice, medical support and leadership.  More than that, women who are essential healthcare workers can help other women mitigate the impacts of the Covid-19 crisis and avoid a differentiated treatment against Covid-19 between genders. 

As far as CENFACS is concerned, we are encouraging and supporting our ASOs to help their women care workers and beneficiaries who are social care workers so that they can have better protection in all those dimensions we have mentioned.  We also demand them to promote some of the jobs of the care industry (like domestic workers, laundry workers, unpaid family caregivers, cleaners, etc.) which are not highly regarded in some places; whereas they are very essential in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.   The Covid-19 thoughts continue… 

(1) https://data.unwomen.org/features/covid-19-and-gender-what-do-we-know

(2) https://eige.europa.eu./thesaurus/terms/

 

 

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• Week beginning 08 June 2020: Innovations in Times of Covid-19-led Economic and Health Threats with a Focus on Projects of Innovation for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development

 

One thing is to create in times of Covid-19-led Economic and Health Threats; another thing is to implement those creations.  In this second week of our creative and innovation activities, we are going to focus on three types of innovations as follows:

(a) Innovations to reduce Covid-19-induced poverty and hardships

(b) Innovations to integrate or factorise Covid-19 in the realisation of Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030

(c) Innovative work carried out by our Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) to manage the Covid-19 threats and disturbances.

 

• • Types of innovations making the focus for this week’s Jmesci

(a) Innovations to reduce Covid-19-induced poverty and hardships

These first types of innovations are the introduction of new ideas and methods to help alleviate poverty and hardships that may have been caused by or as a result of Covid-19. 

In normal times when there are no threats, it is straightforward to routinely handle new ideas and methods.  However, in threatening moments, innovations can become a matter of life and survival, especially if these innovations touch the lives of those who feel more the pain of threats than anybody else.  Many of these innovations related to Covid-19 outbreak would be for example about saving lives or protecting the economy or safeguarding health infrastructure.

As far as CENFACS is concerned, we have gone beyond our normal advice service to innovate by putting in place an innovation project called: Advisory Support for Coronavirus Rescue Income (ASCRI) project.

ASCRI, which is part of CENFACS’ Cube or Protection, is a non-face-to-face advice, support and information project to help those who lost their earning capacity or potential because of the destructive impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on their incomes and lives. 

The ASCRI project has a double objective:

1/ Helping deprived and vulnerable people impacted by Covid-19

2/ Supporting them through the alleviation of the associated social and economic hardship caused by the coronavirus crisis

To access and or gain the benefits of this project, one needs to contact CENFACS.

Innovating for poverty relief in times of life-threatening and –destroying impacts of Covid-19 could be a matter of saving lives as argued above.  It could as well be about developing new services and activities or upgrading existing services and activities that can help poor and vulnerable people to reduce or end the threats and destructions posed by the same factor, here Covid-19.  This is what CENFACS did by innovating through its advice service.

So, in difficult times of Covid-19 lockdowns and economies are shut down, innovations for those organisations (like CENFACS) involved in the work of poverty relief are crucial for them and their users to save their lives, survive, sustain and possibly thrive after the crisis.    

 

(b) Innovations to integrate or factorise Covid-19 in the realisation of sustainable development goals and Agenda 2030

 

Developing in a way of meeting the needs of both current and future generations does not happen itself.  For it to happen, humans need to work and innovate.  Innovations to integrate or factorise Covid-19 are about supporting sustainable initiatives from people and communities in need in adding value to their efforts so that they can come out poverty and hardships.  It is as well investing in initiatives that facilitate the development of sustainable initiatives and activities. 

However, in trouble times like of Covid-19 there could be mixed effects or reactions.  The lockdowns have partially contributed to the environmental sustainability with a decrease in CO2 emissions, less pollution from cars and factories, less noise, improvement in clean air, etc. 

On the contrary, there could be attitudes or mindsets that could feel the price to pay for sustainability could be higher at this time of Covid-19 than at any other time, since people are already paying the price through the lockdowns.  They may tend to psychologically abandon the virtues and practice of sustainable development or just be reluctant in doing sustainable development (for example in accepting energy transition or saving energy since the lockdown forces them to consume much household energy/electricity). 

Additionally, people have been forced to live in a physical and social distancing way while following the rules about hygiene and disinfection to control the virus.  All these types of demand can put psychological pressure on people and make them to feel a bit confused about measures to protect and save lives compared to the requirements of sustainable living.  Yet, there is no confusion between sustainable living on one hand and life-saving and protection on the other.  

One way to avoid this confusion is to integrate the consumption of Covid-19 products (e.g. plastic gloves, face coverings, other disposable items etc.) into sustainable consumption and use to see how people are meeting the realisation of sustainable development goals.  This is why during our May 2020 Stories Month, we brought into discussion the stories about the environmental impacts of Covid-19 in terms recycling or circular economy.

With innovations adapted to deal with Covid-19 threats, innovations to integrate or factorise Covid-19 could be a response to threats, uncertainty and difficulty rather than be problematic.  These innovations of new products only become an issue for the realisation of sustainable development goals when for example there are used plastic gloves and face masks that are disposed on the streets, in the seas and oceans without a proper recycling plan.  This means there should another type of innovation to recycle the Covid-19 waste.

Regarding CENFACS, the circular economic tips and hints which we provide as part of one of our projects known as “Consume to Reduce Poverty” can help people to find innovative ways to consume in era of Covid-19 without putting extra burden on the environment while developing harmonious relationships with the nature. 

For those who want to integrate or factorise Covid-19 into their consumption model but are having some problems to do that, they can e-work with CENFACS.

 

(c) Innovations carried out by our Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) to manage the Covid-19 threats

 

The month of Creative Economic Development is also of highlighting innovations conducted by CENFACS’ ASOs.  There is a variety of African innovations in Covid-19 response.  They are home-grown innovative solutions, a wealth of innovations in talents in Africa, without ignoring the research and development carried out in the fight against Covid-19. 

The innovations that we are talking about are not only about introducing a new medicine or vaccine to cure Covid-19 although it is very important.  But, these are efforts undertaken by our ASOs to innovate poverty reduction solutions within the context and constraint of Covid-19.  Among these innovations, we can highlight the health awareness campaign regarding the channels of transmission of the coronavirus pandemic; campaign designed to dispel or demystify the local or tribe beliefs on the mystique causes of Covid-19 in the Democratic Republic of Congo like it happened with the Ebola virus.

The above is just one of the many examples of innovative ways of working to develop sustainable initiatives by our ASOs.  They are trying to find and introduce new ideas and methods to tackle old, current and new problems that themselves and their users face. 

Whether we speak about innovations related to the reduction of Covid-19-induced poverty and hardships or innovations to integrate/factorise Covid-19 in the realisation of sustainable development goals and Agenda 2030 or innovations carried out by our Africa-based Sister Organisations to manage the Covid-19 threats; all these innovations can be translated into specific projects development and appraisal.  It means they can be planned, implemented, monitored and evaluated.  We can summarise them as innovation projects for poverty reduction and sustainable development.  What do we mean by innovation projects for poverty reduction and sustainable development in the Age of Covid-19?

 

• • Projects of Innovation for Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development

 

They are that are going to innovate current systems or practices with new things or bringing something to replace existing ones within a given scope.  They are designed to tackle poverty and meet the needs of current and future generations.  In this respect, innovation projects are instrumental in reducing poverty induced by Covid-19 and in reducing the adverse effects of Covid-19 on the realisation of sustainable development goals.

An example of these projects of innovation for poverty reduction and sustainable development is our Advisory Support for Coronavirus Rescue Income (ASCRI) project; example which we have already mentioned.

To support and or enquire about the week of innovations to tackle life-threatening and -destroying impacts of Covid-19, please contact CENFACS.

To become a CENFACS’ Creation and or Innovation Supporter, please contact CENFACS as well.

 

Help CENFACS keep the Poverty Relief work going in 2020.

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 consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the furture.

Donate to support CENFACS!

 

FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ PROJECTS, JUST GO TO http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/

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We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2020 and beyond.

With many thanks.