Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

19 February 2020

 

Post No. 131

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Support Human Protection and Humanitarian Relief in Burkina Faso

• Week beginning 17/02/2020: Chemicals and Waste

• Poverty Reduction Networks and Nature’s Network

 

… and much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ Support Human Protection and Humanitarian Relief in Burkina Faso in 2020

 

After conducting an in-depth review of 2019 Light Appeals and Projects, it has been resolved to renew our call for the support of the peoples of Burkina Faso who are still suffering from violence and insecurity despite the Silence-the-Guns policy in Africa.

The aim of the in-depth review was to identify the nature, severity and criticality of the situation in places and countries on whose behalf we made appeals last year; with respect to armed conflicts, natural disasters and other unexpected life-threatening events.  

The data and news we got from local people on the grounds and from multilateral agencies suggest that there is a need to ask for support for security-deprived and displaced people in Burkina Faso.

In practical terms, it means that our Light Season and Projects continue with an appeal to support the victims of armed attacks in Burkina Faso.   The Burkina Faso is part of our second wave of appeals (or In-life Blaze of Hope) making our Light Appeals and Projects.

The appeal is about Bringing and Lighting a Blaze of Hope for the Victims of Armed Attacks and Conflicts in Burkina Faso.

We always advocate for preventive development and we do not seek for destructive events to happen.  However, when events like the one in Burkina Faso happen, CENFACS can advocate in helping to reduce any adverse effects and impacts erupting from events like this. 

CENFACS is looking forward to your support to deliver this Wintry Appeal.  Thank you!

Under the Main Development section of this post, you will find further details about this appeal.

 

 

 

~ Week beginning 17/02/2020: Chemicals and Waste

Minimizing the adverse impacts of chemicals and all waste throughout the cycle, on human health and environment (Goal 12; Target 4)

 

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG) 12 is about Responsible Consumption and Production.  Within this goal, there is a target (target 4) which is related to Chemicals and Waste.  This week, we are looking at this target and its progress in terms of shift towards a more sustainable consumption and production patterns in Africa than ever before, since this target has to be reached by the end of 2020. 

In particular, we are looking at the extent to which there has been reduction of material footprint in Africa; material footprint being defined within the sustainable development literature as ‘the total amount of raw materials extracted to meet final consumption demands’. 

We are examining the reduction of material footprint as the population in Africa continues to grow while economic output is not growing at the same rate.  In fact, we are studying together African population, material footprint and gross domestic product growth index.  We are as well working on the domestic material consumption in Africa.  Domestic material consumption is defined within the sustainable development literature as ‘a measure of the total amount of materials directly used by an economy to meet the demands for goods and services from within and outside a country’.

All these concepts or jargons enable to get the extent to which Africa is minimizing the adverse impacts of chemicals and all waste throughout the cycle, on human health and environment.

Still as part of our work on chemicals and waste, we are studying the results of the Third Conference of the Parties to the Bamako Convention, which took place from 12 to 14 February 2020 in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. 

The Bamako Convention prohibits the dumping or incinerating of hazardous waste in inland water and oceans, promotes the control of transboundary movement of hazardous waste within Africa and seeks to ensure that waste disposal is conducted in an environmentally sound manner.

The theme of this February Conference was: “From Decisions to Action: Working for Africa with a Safe Chemicals and Waste Future”.

It is a good news to learn that the Third Conference of the Parties (COP 3) to the Bamako Convention adopted a set of decisions reaffirming the Parties’ commitment to strengthen the Convention in order to prevent African countries from receiving unwanted hazardous waste in their territories as well as promoting sound management of chemicals and waste produced within the continent.

One can hope that the decisions taken and actions which will follow will enable Africa to reach the UNSDG 12 and target 4 by the end of 2020 as planned.

 

 

 

~ Poverty Reduction Networks and Nature’s Network

 

We are still in CENFACS month of Sustainable Development.  As part of it, we are discussing poverty relief networks and nature’s network, and trying to understand how both networks work and why the first type of network should refrain themselves from upsetting the second.

A poverty reduction network is an interconnecting group of people having a set of values in terms of dealing with poverty and poverty reduction.  It is a group of people making sure they live above the poverty line; meaning as well they have a voice, access to productive assets and economic opportunities; women’s empowerment; connections to resources, etc.    A poverty reduction network can build and maintain healthy relationships with nature’s network for mutual benefits.

Nature’s network is a group or system of interconnecting natural things such as animals, plants, water, air and weather systems.  They can interact and exchange information while developing natural contacts.  As Peter Wohlleben (1) puts it in his book:

‘The natural world is a web of intricate connections, many of which go unnoticed by humans.  But, it is these connections that maintain nature’s finely balanced equilibrium’.

So, humans in their activities and approach to reduce poverty need to take into account nature’s network or finely balanced equilibrium as argued by Wohlleben.  In order to meet their poverty reduction aim and goals, poverty reduction networks run by humans do not need to destroy or upset or adversely affect nature’s network.  They should try to avoid interfering in the ability of the nature to restore itself.

Briefly, a sustainable development approach to poverty reduction requires that human poverty reduction networks do take care of the needs of nature’s network.  This is because human networks depend as well on the health of nature’s network and natural resources.

(1) Wohlleben, P. (2018), The Secret Network of Nature: The Delicate Balance of All Living Things, Random House

 

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ Energy Connections Project: Donate, Gift Aid and Make a Pledge

 

You can donate; make a gift aid declaration or a pledge so that your action can bring energy to those in need in Africa. 

Energy Connections Project (ECP) is a contemporary sustainable renewable energy solution to energy poverty and the poor.  Your donation or gift or pledge will help to achieve triple benefit as follows:

(a) Reduction of poverty, particularly but not exclusively energy poverty

(b) Helping poor people transition to clean or renewable energy

(c) Reduction or mitigation of the adverse impacts of climate change

You can be one of the energy connectors for the energy poor in helping them to meet their basic life-sustaining needs of energy.

Please bring that helpful energy difference they desperately need to run and save their lives.

Thank you!

 

 

 

 

~ Circular Economic Solutions to Poverty

 

In this post, we are also talking about our Extended Community Services Support; particularly our service related to Circular Economic Solutions to Poverty from our 2020 Poverty Reduction Tools Box.

Indeed, a linear economic model of take, make and throw away has shown us its limits.  The circular economic approach helps to overcome these limits as it curbs pollution and mitigates global warming.  It helps us to decouple our household economy and natural resource use in order to reduce poverty or simply meet our basic life-sustaining needs.

For those who want to work with us by adopting circular principles to reduce poverty, CENFACS will welcome them with their circular economic needs.  Through advice, tips and hints; we can together with them find ways of

√ Recycling resources and items

√ Reducing waste and energy loss

√ Creating circular economic opportunities and resources for their needs

√ Saving money, assets and resources

√ Cutting down their carbon footprint, etc.

We can as well work with those who want to make circular economy investments.

If anyone needs circular economic solutions to their problems or poverty, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

~ Implications of Covid-19 for Poverty Reduction in Africa

 

Because of the seriousness of the Covid-19, we continue to discuss its implications for poverty reduction in Africa.  As mentioned in one of our previous posts, China was Africa’s largest investor in terms of foreign direct investment until 2018 from the available data.  As Covid-19 has affected China and does not show any sign of calming, this could impact Africa’s poverty reduction work both on short and long terms.

There are many factors and hypothesis that need to be considered.  If China reduces its investment in Africa and there is no substitute to China’s investment in the areas it is intervening in Africa, there could be a vacuum to fill.  Although, there are already many African countries that start to assess the coronavirus threat to their own health systems regardless of what China could bring to their economies, thoughts are still going on about the effects of Covid-19 on other sectors of African economies.  All will depend on the speed of recovery from China and the world as well the global control of this deadly disease.

Let’s hope that Covid-19 will be put under firm control and its effects will be nullified on poverty reduction work in Africa before it is too late.  The thought on Covid-19 continues…  

 

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• Support Human Protection and Humanitarian Relief in Burkina Faso

 

Our Season of Light Appeals and Projects continue with this new appeal for the peoples of Burkina Faso who are experiencing waves of armed attacks on their daily lives.

Before looking at this support, let us recap on last year’s appeals for Burkina Faso, in particular the February 2019 Burkina Faso Appeal and the 3-Frontier Area Appeal of November 2019.

 

=> The February 2019 Burkina Faso Appeal

 

In our post of 13 February 2019, we launched an appeal to bring Hope for the Victims of Armed Attacks in the Burkina Faso and its Neighbourhood.  They were some initiatives taken to stop these attacks.  Notably, the collaborative initiative taken by the G5, which is the group of five countries made of Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad; is a project of working together to stop and end atrocities on the ordinary peoples of Burkina Faso and their region.  Following this initiative and other ones, the situation stabilised a bit.

In November 2019, we conducted a review of our 2019 humanitarian appeals, we found that the Burkinabe problem of insecurity and violence still persisted.  We even realised that those insecurity and violence were not only in Burkina Faso; but in the borders with its two other neighbours (Mali and Niger) in what is called the 3-frontier area.

This new situation led us to make an inclusive appeal under the umbrella of 3-Frontier Area to deal with the worrying developments regarding the insecurity situation in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.  In some parts of these three countries, civilians were killed and displaced and there was no sign of peace. 

 

 

=> 3-Fontier Area Appeal of 20 November 2019

 

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

3-Fontier Area is geographical area made of parts of three West African countries (which are Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger) where there were some high levels of insecurity and threats to human life.

3-Fontier Area Appeal was about supporting the victims of continuing insecurity and displaced persons in some parts of the above named three countries.  In these three countries, there were continuing armed conflicts between local armies and security forces on the one hand, and armed groups on the other.

As a result, there was a decline of the security situation, an increase in instability and ethnic violence.  According to local sources, more than 1,500 civilians were killed in Mali and Burkina Faso, and more than 1 million internally displaced people.

There were some peace processes or initiatives that took place in the region to reduce and end insecurity and violence.  However, many of these processes or initiatives were unsuccessful.  This has resulted in violence and insecurity resuming in the Burkina Faso, this year.

 

=> Support Human Protection and Humanitarian Relief in Burkina Faso in 2020

 

After recently conducting an in-depth review of the Light Appeals and Projects, we found that the data and facts indicated that there was very little, if no, progress at all regarding the situation in Burkina Faso.  This last review was an analytical study by CENFACS aiming at identifying and assessing how critical and severe the situation was in these countries in relation to armed conflicts, natural disasters and other major events.  The review has found that there has been a worsening violence against civilians in the provinces of Soum, Sanmatenga, Seno and Sourou.  Therefore, there is need to Protect and Relieve people in Burkina Faso.

 

==> Data that speak for the victims of violence and insecurity in Burkina Faso

 

According the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2), there are

 

<> 948,000 people who need protection in 2020 in Burkina Faso

<> 2.2 million people are relying on humanitarian aid and lacking access to healthcare in 2020

<> 318,000 pupils lacked access to education in January 2020

<> 2,410 schools were closed because of insecurity

<> 614,000 people were forced to flee their homes because of violence

<> Around 56% people were internally displaced and live without shelter

 

(2) https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/operations/burkina-faso/infographic/burkina-faso-aper%C3%A7u-de-la-situation-humanitaire-au-06-f%C3%A9vrier

 

 

==> What CENFACS wants you to do

 

CENFACS wants you to create a magic by providing life-saving gift to the victims of this insecurity without giving money.  How?

We are appealing to you again to try to do something about what is happening in Burkina Faso so that the poor civilians can enjoy peace and internally displaced people can safely return to their homes.

We often argue that there are always some little things one can do to try to change a very complex situation on the grounds without sometimes giving money, although there is a say that Money is King.  These little things may include the following:

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

√ Networking, campaigning, responding to a petition, and so on can make a significant impact

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

√ Raising your voice about the crisis in Burkina Faso at a peace talks or gatherings

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

Etc.

These kinds of simple things that one can do matter a lot for those whose life is at risk.  It is not surprising if Wangari Maathai said that “It is the little things citizens do that is what will make the difference” (Wangari Maathai, Environmental Activist and Nobel Peace Prize Winner). 

CENFACS hopes you will act upon this humanitarian February 2020 appeal and create the magic of life-saving gift without giving money so that the sufferers in Burkina Faso can rediscover their way to sustainable and inclusive peace. 

Thank you for your readership and for considering delivering on this support.

 

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 as a New Year’s resolution.

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!

12 February 2020

 

Post No. 130

 

 

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Energy Connections Project

• Sustainable Development Goal 8 and Target 6: Substantially Reduce the Proportion of Youth Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET)

• Data Poverty in African Countries Confronting or Emerging from Conflicts

 

… and much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ Energy Connections Project (ECP)

 

ECP is the continuation of the main theme of the 66^th Issue of FACS, CENFACS’ bilingual newsletter; issue entitled as ‘Energy for the Poor’ and sub-entitled as ‘How to Meet Poor People’s Renewable Energy Needs in a Changing Climate’.  ECP is a practical response in the form of project planning, development and implementation regarding the energy issues raised within the 66^th Issue of FACS.

As a practical answer, ECP is a contemporary sustainable energy initiative that helps to connect local people and communities in Africa to the world and wealth of renewables while reducing energy poverty or precariousness amongst them.

Under the Main Development section of this post, we have further presented this initiative.

 

 

 

~ Week beginning 10/02/2020: Sustainable Development Goal 8 and Target 6 – Substantially Reduce the Proportion of Youth Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET)

 

The reduction of the proportion of youth NEET is one of the selected areas of work for our month of Sustainable Development.  This area of work is scheduled to start from week beginning 10 February 2020 as indicated above.

The proportion of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) is used as an indicator for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the United Nations in 2015 – specifically for target 8.6, which calls for the proportion of youth with NEET status to be substantially reduced by 2020.

In its World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2020, the International Labour Office (1) states that “in 2019 the youth unemployment rate was 30.2 per cent in North Africa, compared with an aggregate unemployment rate of 12.1 per cent (i.e. for all workers aged 15 and older); and 8.7 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa, compared with 59 percent on aggregate”.  (p.44)

The Office argues that “In North Africa in particular, 36.1 per cent of young women had NEET status in 2019, as against 18.1 per cent of young men. In sub-Saharan Africa, the female NEET rate in the same year was 23.5 per cent, while the male rate was 14.5 per cent”. (p.44)

A number of factors have been found to causing the NEET in North and Sub-Saharan Africa.  They include: mismatching of skills and education, lack of wide coverage of vocational and technical training, shortage of both hard and soft skills that young workers need, low productivity and lack of entrepreneurial opportunities in some places, etc.

The population of Africa is expected to continue to remarkably grow in the years to come. Amongst this population, young people aged between 15 and 24 are expected to number 283 million by 2030 in sub-Saharan Africa alone.  There is a need to tackle the underlying issues that cause young people to be not in employment, education and training.

There is a need to reduce mismatching of skills and education to employment for young workers.  Likewise, there is a need to develop vocational, technical training to meet the employment needs of young workers.  Finally, there is a need to develop both soft and hard skills to prepare young workers for the employment market.

To enquire or add your input to this selected goal target, please contact CENFACS.

________

(1) International Labour Office, World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2020, Geneva

 

 

 

~ Data Poverty in African Countries Confronting or Emerging from Conflicts

 

Our work about the reduction of data poverty continues by taking a closer look at the data problems that African countries confronting or emerging from conflicts still face.

Indeed, it is known that when countries are in armed conflicts or wars, often infrastructures, structures and other ways of life are destroyed or damaged.  This destruction or damage often affects the availability of data, data infrastructures and institutions as well.  African countries do not make any exception from this problem of data availability or poverty.  Recently, countries like Burkina Faso, Central African Republic and Niger are going through this data availability issue.

To reach out to all those in need in these countries, there is a need to get the real picture of their data.  So, reducing data poverty allows knowing for example the extent of rebuilding work for these countries, whether or not people are on track or off track in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development and related targets, etc.

To enquire about or support our work about the reduction of data poverty in African countries confronting or emerging from conflicts, please contact CENFACS.    

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ Poverty Reduction and 2020 African Elections

 

Last week, we went out of our way in asking you to think and discuss, via CENFACS’ be.Africa Think-together Initiative, the implications of Coronavirus disease (newly named as Covid-19) for poverty reduction in Africa. 

This week, we are again going above and beyond in our efforts to ask for poor people’s needs meet in 2020 electoral projects in Africa.

It is known that elections are seen as something of hope by many people, especially by the poorest ones.  The elections that are due to take place in Africa this year will not escape from this feeling or dream from ordinary people.  However, for this dream to materialise, electoral projects need to include poor people’s aspirations, requests and needs.  Also, there should be balances and checks following the electioneering period and results. 

In recent years, we have seen how democratic transitions in Africa have been still struggling to provide for the poor.  Whether it is in the context of democratic transitions or of continuing democratic processes, the building and development of poverty reduction institutions and administrations are keys to the delivery of popular hopes and expectations, especially when these hopes and expectations come from poor people.  In this respect, one can expect that the incoming African elections (in countries such as Burkina Faso, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Niger and so on) will seize the opportunity to go along this path to meet the request of ordinary people by converting their electoral projects into real actions to reduce poverty.

To add your input or to enquire about the 2020 African elections and their impacts of poverty reduction, please contact CENFACS.  

 

~ In-depth Review of 2019 Light Appeals or Projects

 

We are still carrying out an in-depth Review of 2019 Light Appeals or Projects as we continue to receive more information and updates about what is happening in the areas and countries for which we launched appeals in 2019.  We are as well following the development on the grounds of some of the places in Africa that are experiencing insecurity or are potentially at risk of either of conflicts or natural disasters or any other events that may disrupt their ways of life. 

As previously thought, the in-depth review is meant to provide us some credible information and data about the gaps that needed to be filled up or unmet needs that require further advocacy.  Should be any need for additional advocacy, we shall not hesitate to conduct it. 

 

 

 

~ Transitional Needs Assessment

 

Since we opened our 2020 Poverty Reduction Tools Box, we are conducting a needs re-assessment of the community as the UK economy entered a transitional phase following the country’s process of exiting from the EU Regional Economic Integration model.   

If anyone in the community feels that their needs or situation have been affected or will be affected as a result of this exiting process, we would be pleased to hear from them to tell us how this process has affected them or will affect them.  They can as well tell us the type of support they may need.  It is safe to move with the transition and incoming changes as they happen rather than wait late. 

All they need to do is to contact CENFACS by telling CENFACS three things as follows:

(a) What has changed or will change in terms of their circumstances as a result of the exiting process

(b) Their current or future needs or situation in relation to the exiting process

(c) The type of support they may seek with regard to the exiting process

They can text CENFACS or email or fill the comments box on our website with their contact details so that we can get back to them.

Thank you.

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• Energy Connections Project (ECP)

Please find below the aim, objectives, planned activities, potential beneficiaries, anticipated results, monitoring and evaluation about the ECP.

 

ECP Aim

ECP is a low carbon-intensive project that aims at reducing renewable energy poverty and hardships amongst poor people and communities in Africa by helping them to gain access to a network and development of renewable energy support (such as tools, skills, knowledge, capacity development, etc.) in order to reduce pressures on natural resources (forest resources and exploitation) and biodiversity.

 

ECP Objectives

To achieve the above intended result, the following steps have been identified:

√ Facilitate people and communities access to solar, water and wind energies

√ Educate and train people to understand that renewable energy is nearby them

√ Help people and communities to progressively transition from fossil fuels to renewables

√ Undertake cultural preparation for a smooth cultural shift to embrace renewable energy, if possible, in everyday life

√ Support local design and initiatives about low carbon intensive economy

√ Reduce pressures on forest resources and exploitation

√ Protect local biodiversity

 

The above objectives show how the aforementioned aim will be achieved.  They are SMART (that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound).

 

ECP Activities

The specific actions to be taken in order to deliver the ECP will include the following:

√ Run local awareness campaign about renewable energy

√ Organise local workshops or working community sessions about renewable energy (e.g. the use of energy mix made of solar and wind power)

√ Leafleting (distribute leaflets to a target audience) about renewable energy

√ Deliver digital messages for those who have access to a mobile phone about the benefits of renewable energy

√ Local volunteering and outreach by local energy connectors or people to own the process and the project

√ Run neighbourhood meetings and attend local events to engage local people about renewable energy

√ Communicate information and resources about renewable energy prior to events

√ Help people and communities to write down their renewable energy budgets and plans, and so on.

 

ECP Beneficiaries

The project targets poor people and communities as well as community facilities as follows:

√ Women using woods to cook and carry out other household duties

√ Local farmers, villagers, sheep breeders

√ Health centres, schools

√ Local African voluntary organisations

√ Poor households greenhouse gas emitters

 

ECP Outcomes

The user-perceived benefits in terms of results or consequences of the implementation of the ECP are as follows:

√ Reduction of the carbon footprint for ECP end users

√ Protection and restoration of local biological diversity (biodiversity)

√ Preservation of forest resources and values

√ Improvement in women’s health and protection, especially those exposed to fire and smoke

√ Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions within and outside households

√ Improvement in the quality of air locally

√ Gaining of better skills, knowledge and capacity about renewable energy

√ People and communities will become better informed and have an increased access to energy solution problems

√ Reduction of energy poverty and precariousness

The long term impact or the desired result about ECP will be to bring change to the lives of people and communities to better.

 

ECP Monitoring & Evaluation

In collaboration with local people and our Africa-based organisations, we will be systematically collecting and analysing information which will allow keeping a regular check on what will be done about ECP.

In terms of evaluation, one can hope that ECP will meet its terms of reference or contract, deliver value for money, and bring about organisational learning and development.

On a concluding note, the overall goal of ECP is to connect poor people and communities to a wealth and network of information, services support and resources (including skills, knowledge and capacities) so that they can make informed decision and choice to transition from fossil fuels to renewables while preserving their cultures, ways of life and values.  In this respect, ECP is an orderly  and people-friendly energy transition project.

For an enquiry about full project proposals including budget, project approach and time schedule of events, 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 as a New Year’s resolution.

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 February 2020

 

Post No. 129

 

 

The Weeks’s Contents

 

• African Children’s Climate and Sustainable Development Goals (Generation Global Goals Project): Reduction of Data Poverty

• Sustainable Development Goal 4 and Target 9: Substantially Expand the Number of Scholarships Available to African Countries

• 2020 Poverty Reduction Tools Box: Extended Community Services Support (Tool 6) and Transition Leads (Tool 4)

 

… and much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ African Children’s Climate and Sustainable Development Goals (Generation Global Goals Project): Reduction of Data Poverty

 

Sustainable Development Month with the Reduction of Data Poverty

February is our Sustainable Development month, according CENFACS development calendar or planner.  It is the month during which we revisit our works related to sustainable development.  In particular, we try to look at again the United Nations’ Seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their related 169 targets.  We normally select one of the topics within the set of SGDs and targets; and try to work on it.

To tackle the month of sustainability, we have selected four targets from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and 2030 Agenda; targets that were initially meant to be reached by the end of 2020.  We will be dealing with each of the selected targets every week throughout this month.  Under the Main Development section of this post, you will find these selected areas of work.

Normally, the project that carries this month of Sustainable Development is African Children’s Climate and Sustainable Development Goals (ACSDGs).  It is also known as Generation Global Goals (3G) project. 

3G project is the impact level in CENFACS’ process of advocating that global goals work for children and not way around.  It is indeed the testing of the gains that global goals claim to achieve and of their impact on the welfare and well-being of children.  This is regardless whether these children are in spaces and times of peace or lack of peace (like conditions of wars, areas stricken by virus or epidemics and time of natural disasters). 

For this year, our 3G project will focus on the Reduction of Data Poverty.  Under the Main Development section of this post, we have provided more details about this focus.

 

 

 

 

~ Week beginning 03/02/2020: Substantially Expand the Number of Scholarships Available to African Countries (Sustainable Development Goal 4 and Target 9)

 

Substantially expand the number of scholarships available to African countries, is one of the four selected SDG targets we are working on this week.

In order to build capacities and develop sustainably, African countries need well trained and educated human resources.  There is a relationship between educational development for any country (here African ones) and sustainable development.

Yet, it has been noticed that the generations of Africans of the 20^th Century benefited from scholarships and grants whereas the generations of the 21^st Century of Africans have been forced to take loans with high interests and pay high educational fees in order to educationally develop themselves.   In some fields, grants and scholarships do no longer exist for Africans.  There are even in the scholarships market, organisations that claim to be scholarship- or grant-giving organisations, but they simply do not give any scholarships or grants, or give it to a very tiny number of students.  Yet, there is a high number of well qualified Africans who are searching for scholarships and grants.

In order to tackle this type of poverty in scholarships given, there is a need to get all the facts and data right regarding the substantial expansion of the number scholarships to Africans.  So, this week we are starting our Sustainable Development month by looking at the number of scholarships to African countries.

 

 

 

~ Poverty Reduction Tools Box: Extended Community Services Support (Tool 6) and Transition Leads (Tool 4)

 

We have already opened our box of 2020 Poverty Reduction Tools.  This week, we are extending our community services support, and continuing to provide leads to deal with economic transition.

As previously said, CENFACS provides basic community support which is a package of services to help those in need.  From 2020, we are including circular economic solutions to work with those who want to reduce hardships and improve their lives through a circular economic model.  They can choose to reuse, recycle and save natural and household resources.  This will enable them to use their little money to cope or meet with other life-sustaining needs.

As the UK’s intention of exiting the European economic integration model has become clear, we are in the process of re-assessing the needs of the community in this transitional phase.  A transitional needs re-assessment will be conducted to find out the changing and emerging needs of the community as well as new and improved tools to meet both changing and existing needs in a new setting of a transitional economy.  For those who want to volunteer by telling us how the transitional economy has affected their circumstances and will change their needs, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS and or to reply to our needs re-assessment request.

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ Poverty Reduction Mission in a Sustainable Development Month

 

Our poverty reduction Mission continues in the month of Sustainable Development.  Indeed, in trying to meet needs to reduce poverty, humans often use natural resources.  If that use does not deplete natural resources that future generations may need, it is fine.  If the use does compromise future generations to meet their needs, then there is a problem. 

In our Mission, we need to make sure that people do not overexploit or exhaust or waste resources.  In this respect, there is a link between sustainability and poverty reduction.  As some of you are aware, CENFACS works with local people to develop sustainable initiatives to help reduce poverty.  As such, we need to ensure that the link between sustainability and poverty reduction is a healthy one. 

Since we are in a year of Poverty Reduction Mission and in a month of Sustainable Development, we need to preserve this healthy relationship between sustainability and poverty reduction.  Therefore, all we are demanding from our users and supporters is anything they do to reduce or help to reduce poverty should be bound with the underlying principles of sustainable development.

To support CENFACS’ Year of Poverty Reduction Mission in a month of Sustainable Development, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

~ Triple Value Initiatives, All Year Round Projects: Extra Support

 

Last week, we announced the kick off for our Triple Value Initiatives, initially known as All Year Round Projects.  For those who are interested in engaging with these initiatives, we would like to highlight the following three points.

 

=> Triple-Value-Initiatives Start up

It is better to start up early, although people can always join at any time.  The earlier you start the better.  This is because everybody is busy with their lives and has other things to do.  Also, the earlier you start, the earlier CENFACS can help if one encounters any problems.  Briefly, the message is start up early.

 

=> Triple-Value-Initiatives Fundamentals

You need to get the fundamentals about All Year Round Projects right from the beginning.  You need to clearly sort out the principles and bases of these projects so that you move to the right direction early without being forced to change course as you progress or repeat from scratch.  Briefly, the message is get the fundamentals right.

 

=> Triple-Value-Initiatives Goals

Whether you play or run or vote for poverty reduction and sustainable development, the all exercise is for you to reach your goal of delivering the objectives you set up from the onset.  It means you need to be clear in your mindset about what you want to achieve.  Again, if you have any problems in setting up clear goals and objectives, CENFACS can be of help.  Briefly, the message is be clear about what you want to achieve.  

You can select a theme to run, create your play station game and watch people to vote.  This is what Triple Value Initiatives or All Year Round Projects are all about.

 

 

 

~ Halving Poverty for and with the Educationally Needy Congolese Children

 

Our Halving Poverty campaign continues as well.  It is often argued that education is one of the most powerful and proven vehicles for sustainable development.  In this month of Sustainable Development at CENFACS, supporting the Halving Poverty campaign means backing progress in achieving the target of universal primary education, especially for ordinary children in educational need (like those the Democratic Republic of Congo); children who are from poor households and in vulnerable situations.

For those who want to support this campaign, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS with your support.  This project is open to any levels of support as there is no limit as to what people can give.  Supporting the ordinary Congolese Children through this campaign means that you value the place of education in children’s lives regardless of their backgrounds and origins.  It also means that you enhance CENFACS’ Mission Year of Poverty Reduction in a month of Sustainable Development. 

For those who would like to enquire about this campaign, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.   To support, please go to http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/ and contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• African Children’s Climate and Sustainable Development Goals (Generation Global Goals Project): Reduction of Data Poverty

 

Before working on the focus of this year’s African Children’s Climate and Sustainable Development Goals (ACCSDGs), let us recap what happened last year about this project.

 

• • Last Year February’s work on SDGs: 2019 ACCSDGs (3G) Advocacy: In Search for New Forms of Data

 

In 2019, our 3G project was still at the impact level.  Our advocacy work about the impacts of global goals (here climate and sustainable development goals) on the welfare and well-being of children, particularly but not exclusively on African children; focused on the new types of information to capture this impact.  This information could be quantitative (numbers) or qualitative (words) or both to test these impacts.   It was about capturing New Forms of Data regarding the application of Sustainable Development Goals.   

Capturing data regarding the coping and survival strategies as well as spatial and temporal activities of people and communities for their use of SDGs was the main 3G focus.  Spaces and times are important factors in data collection and analysis.  These users’ datasets about SDGs and their dynamics were used for our further advocacy work on this matter.  

Particularly, we searched new forms of data regarding for example the victims of wars and armed conflicts as well as for the sufferers of climate change in terms of their uses of SDGs.  Among them were children.  Data were about displaced children (displaced because of wars and natural disasters), street children, orphan children, children soldiers, children living in safety camps for humanitarian reasons etc.  Our new data work consisted of finding out whether these children were meeting SDGs or SDGs were failing them.  In some places, they were meeting them while in other they were not (like health data in places where Ebola virus struck).     

 

• • This February’s work on SDGs

 

This February’s work on SDGs will be mainly about the Reduction of Data Poverty.  Through this, we will try again to find out answers to the following. 

Are global goals (here CSDGs) working for children?  Are they positively impacting (strongly, weakly and averagely) child poverty or on children?  The answers to these two questions will feed our Better Impact advocacy in the context of 3G project, advocacy which is to demand not only an impact but a better impact from CSDGs on children

Besides that we have selected four Sustainable Development Goal Targets amongst others scheduled to be reached by 2020.  We shall as well bring about the problem of data for children in places of democratic transitions.

 

=> 2020 ACCSDGs (3G) Advocacy: Reduction of Data Poverty

 

This year, we are interested in the reduction of data poverty which should not be confused with poverty data.  The reduction of data poverty is in itself the continuation of our work on search for new forms of data.  The only difference is that it includes all types of data, old and new ones.  In this sense, there is a problem in getting data about poverty.  It is possible to produce primary data, but secondary data is still a problem as many data services and institutions in developing countries of Africa are still ill-equipped to produce reliable and robust datasets.  Many development organisations also raise the issue of data related to the Sustainable Development Goals. 

The lack of quality and reliable data about poverty or people living in poverty, we call it data poverty, continues our work on new forms of data for children living in places of wars and environmental disasters.  There is a need to reduce data poverty in order to better reduce poverty itself.  In both cases (of data poverty and new forms of data), we are relating them to children.  In this sense, we need new forms of data about poverty regarding people living in difficult places like of wars and natural disasters to measure how they are meeting SDGs.  Likewise, we need to reduce the lack of data (or data poverty) in order to capture the effects of SDGs.

 

=> Selected Sustainable Development Goal Targets to be reached by 2020

 

We will be working over this month on the following SDG Targets initially planned to be reached by the end of 2020.

 

Week beginning 03/02/2020        

Substantially expand the number of scholarships available to African countries (Goal 4; Target 9)

Week beginning 10/02/2020        

Substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training (Goal 8; Target 6)

Week beginning 17/02/2020       

Minimizing the adverse impacts of chemicals and all waste throughout the cycle, on human health and environment (Goal 12; Target 4)

Week beginning 24/02/2020        

Integration of ecosystems and biodiversity values to poverty reduction strategies and accounts (Goal 15; Target 9)

 

Our work will be about what data say about these issues and in the relations with poverty.

 

~ Data for children in places of democratic transitions

 

Last week, when we made the case of ordinary Congolese children, we told you we had some problems in getting the full picture of their educational needs since there has been a lack of robust and wide data.  As we are discussing data poverty, let’s take this opportunity to include in our working model of the reduction of data poverty, the problem of data for children living places of democratic transitions (like in the Democratic Republic of Congo). 

This lack of data provides us another compelling evidence of the need to reduce data poverty.  So, there is a problem to find data for children in places of democratic transitions.  We hope the work we are doing on this matter with organisations on the grounds will help to resolve data poverty in the future so that needs are properly assessed and met.

To raise the issue of data poverty in places of democratic transitions and to support us with data about children in need in those places, please contact CENFACS.

To support and or enquire about CENFACS’ Sustainable Development Month, 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 as a New Year’s resolution.

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 in the New Year and New Decade as well.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

29 January 2020

 

Post No. 128

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Halving Poverty for and with the Educationally Needy Congolese Children

• Making Wasteful Consumption our Mission

• Donor and Stewardship Development

 

… and much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ Halving Poverty for and with the Educationally Needy Congolese Children

 

In this 2020, children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continue to suffer the draconian effects of austerity and structural adjustment policies of the 1980s, the long DRC post-cold wars and mismanagement of previous administrations.  Since last year, DRC moved into liberal democratic transition processes. 

However, the benefits of these processes are taking time to materialise in the educational lives of ordinary Congolese children, let alone other sectors of the economy.  Schools and ordinary parents are still struggling to make educational ends meet.  There is a need to help ordinary Congolese people to help themselves in reducing or halving educational poverty. 

CENFACS would like to work with those who would like to halve poverty by supporting ordinary Congolese children to meet their educational needs.   

Under the Main Development section of this post, you will find some details about halving poverty for and with the educationally needy Congolese children.

 

 

~ Making Wasteful Consumption our Mission

 

Our month of Responsible Consumption will end this week.  We cannot end it without reflecting to it the theme of this year’s dedication, our Mission Year.  In particular, how can we work together with people living in poverty to embrace together a poverty-relieving mission in helping themselves in consuming responsibly? 

We can do it by working together with them to understand that poverty reduction goes hand in hand with responsible consumption.  By using the theme of this year’s edition of CENFACS’ Consume to Reduce Poverty and Climate Change; we can together build on our Mission.  We can build it through the reduction of negative wasteful and unneeded consumption. 

People can eliminate negative waste in their ways of consuming goods and services while doing something positive to save the environment and reduce the adverse impacts of climate change (or their carbon print).  It is in this way we can make wasteful consumption our mission; that is working together to develop ways of reducing consumption that creates and sustains negative waste for humans and the nature.   We can together save resources and create peace with the nature and everything in it.

To enquire and support the CENFACS’ Mission Year and this particular mission, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

~ Donor and Stewardship Development

 

Last year, we introduced and made solicitation to some of you as donors and /or stewards of poverty relief, particularly those who wanted to build bond and loyalty to CENFACS and CENFACS’ work.  It was an opportunity given to those who wanted to engage and develop their interests in CENFACS’ work.

As a result, we created a donor status to enable those who want to commit themselves on regular basis to giving or boosting their status as donor to have the opportunity to do so.

This year, we are moving towards the same direction by developing what we created last year and in inviting those who want to commit themselves as funder or donor to do so.    You can do it by supporting CENFACS with a silver donation, a great relief and a product booster.

 

=> Free for Supporters: Silver Status

 

Silver status is the legacy of CENFACS’ “Quadranscentennial” Year (2019).  Support our projects as you can or as you choose if you visit them or if you happen to be within the area of them. This will boost your support and help you to win a silver status as CENFACS’ Supporter in a CENFACS Mission Year.  Alternatively, you can fund CENFACS’ Mission year to win the same status and continue CENFACS’ legacy.

 

=> Want to provide Great Relief as a Supporter

 

You can provide great relief by becoming a regular giver or supporter, adding value to you support and boosting your support.

Please contact CENFACS for details about becoming great reliever.

 

=> Need to boost your support or stewardship

 

You can choose a particular sustainable initiative or programme or even CENFACS as your boost product.

You can support 3 projects or 2 projects and CENFACS

You can support 3 programmes or 2 programmes and CENFACS.

This will elevate your position as a project or programme funder or a product booster

For further details about boosting your support or stewardship, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~  In-depth Review of 2019 Light Appeals/Projects

 

This week, we are also conducting an in-depth review of 2019 Light Appeals or projects.  We have already done the annual review of 2019.  In our annual review, we briefly included some of the appeals we made in 2019 including Light Appeals.

The current review is different in its aim, scope and scale as it is in depth and detailed.  It is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of our Light Appeals in terms of what changes happened since we launched these appeals.  Changes may have happened in those countries and peoples on whose behalf we made an appeal.

If changes happened, we should not always say because of our appeal.  Likewise, if they did not happen we should not simply argue that our appeal did not change anything.  We should instead find out what progress has been made on the grounds regarding the previous situations and how we could still help and move things forward.

In this respect, the in-depth review is meant to provide us some credible information and data about the gaps that needed to be filled up or unmet needs that require further advocacy.

To enquire and or support us in this review, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

~ Gifts of Peace, Edition 2019-2020: Ends 31 January 2020

 

Gifts of Peace for Edition 2019-2020 are coming to an end this Friday.  If you have not yet supported, there is still two days to go.  You can still do something for poverty relief.  Every support counts to help reduce and end poverty.  You want to support, just contact CENFACS or go to http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/ .

 

 

 

~ 2020 All Year Round Projects: Play, Run and Vote for Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development

 

CENFACS’ Triple Value Initiatives, the All Year Round Projects, are now back for this year.  You can play, run and vote to reduce poverty this year again.

The 2020 Edition of All-year Round Projects has kicked off.

You can Run or Organise a Run Activity to Reduce Poverty in 2020. 

You can Play the CENFACS League for Poverty Relief.

You can Vote your 2020 African Poverty Relief Manager.

Before proceeding with one of the All Year Round Projects, it is good to speak to CENFACS.  We can discuss together you plan or the way you want to participate.

 

=> How CENFACS can help you to engage with Triple Value Initiatives

 

The following examples show what we can discuss together before you start.

 

Example 1: Run Themes

For example, let’s take Run to Reduce Poverty.  There are Run Themes.  You can Run alone or Run as group or even Run for fun.  You can do Seasonal Run or Run to raise money or even Run to raise awareness.

There are ways of making your Run event simpler.  To do that, you can contact CENFACS before you plan your event.  CENFACS can help you to select your theme.  You need to confirm the date and time with CENFACS.

There are other things to consider as well such as: location, engagement in activities, prizes (rewards for participants), health and safety issues, child protection policy if children are involved, insurance cover, etc.

 

Example 2: Play station Game

Let’s take another example: Playing CENFACS’ League for Poverty Relief

You can create your own play station game with CENFACS’ League and run your own tournament and matches.  You can even involve colleagues, friends and families sharing the same passion about how the selected African countries are working to reduce poverty.  You can group or rate these countries according to poverty reduction performance (showing which one comes on top, middle and bottom).  You can as well use game theories.

 

Example 3: People to Watch

Let’s take the last example: Voting your Poverty Relief Manager

You can create your own list of 20 Top People to Watch throughout the year.  One or two of them will be potentially the best managers of 2020.  You can collect data and facts about, follow their annual performance and vote the best at the end.

After running or organising a run activity, playing the CENFACS’ League and voting your Manager of the Year 2020; we would like you to share with us and others your news, events, experiences, stories and reports regarding these projects.  The end product of your share will be a kind of Action-Results report 2020.

 

=> What we would like to hear at the end of this process

 

We would like to hear from you the following three bests

The Best African Countries of 2020 which will best reduce poverty

The Best African Global Games Runners of 2020

The Best African Development Managers of 2020

The deadline to tell us your bests is 23 December 2020.

 

As we progress throughout the year, further information will be released for CENFACS’ Triple Value Initiatives.

For more information about these projects, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

Main Development 

 

• Halving Poverty for and with the Educationally Needy Congolese Children

 

In the years 1980s, draconian austerity measures were imposed on the DRC by international financial institutions to put back its economy on track.   In order to reduce public spending to comply with structural adjustment policies, there were budget cuts.  In those cuts, some sectors were targeted such as health, education, transport, etc.  

These measures were followed by three decades of economic and political instability characterised by one of the longest African wars (two waves of wars in DRC where many foreign armies were involved) and processes of democratic transition.  These processes led to presidential and parliamentary elections last year.  The newly elected administration has reinstated free primary education for all the Congolese children.  

Although primary education is now free, the new administration has not got the resources to pay for its policy as the Congolese State was impoverished.  The dividends of democratic transition are taking time to materialise and bring expected benefits to the primary education of Congolese children.  Yet, there are acute and urgent needs to be fulfilled and educational requests to be responded.  There are data that tell the story of Congolese children.  There are as well results or outcomes that are expected for any support given. 

The following summarises those data, request, use and outcomes that briefly make the case for halving poverty for and with the educationally needy Congolese children.

 

Basic data for primary education in DRC

It is difficult to get a considerable and accurate amount of data about primary education in DRC.  The data we have used refer to only part of the DRC.  Research from the United Nations Children’s Fund (1) found that attendance in early childhood education is still low in DRC and children have less learning material (such as books) at home. 

According to the United Nations Development Programme (2), inequality in education was 28.5% (p. 311) in 2018 in DRC, while the mean years of schooling making the gender development index was 5.3 years for female and 8.4 years for male for the same year (p. 314)

In its Global Education Monitoring Report 2019, the UNESCO (3), argues that in terms of education opportunities the Gender Parity Index in gross enrolment rate was 0.99 in DRC in primary while Gender Parity Index in completion rate in primary was 0.88 still in DRC.

(1) https://www.unicef.org/media/63016/file/SOWC-2019.pdf

(2) United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report 2019: Beyond Income, beyond average, beyond today: Inequalities in human development in the 21^st Century, New York, USA

(3) United Nations Educational, Science and Cultural Organisation, Global Education Monitoring Report 2019

 

The needs

Although the new administration has made primary education free, there is still a gigantesque challenge to meet primary educational needs, which are as follows:

<> Extra 4 million children joined primary education since September 2019

<> Almost 200,000 teachers are unpaid and some of them had to walk 4 km from their homes to their work places to teach as they do not have money to pay for the local motorcycle taxi to carry them

<> In a class of 50 pupils, children share 2 books only to read amongst them

<> In some classes, half of the children are following lessons standing up

<> There are lacks of benches, desks, school supplies, cabinets for books, etc.

<> Besides these lacks, there are as well problems with sanitation and health facilities in some of the schools.

 

The request

CENFACS is asking to those who can to donate whatever they can to help HALVE POVERTY FOR AND WITH THE EDUCATIONALLY NEEDY CONGOLESE CHILDREN.  Any support will be welcome. 

Your support will help to reduce child poverty, assist early childhood development and fill the gaps in education funding needs of children in democratic transitions like the DRC.

Many thanks!

 

The use and beneficiaries

Your support will help

√ To buy educational books for children

√ To build new classes and increase absorption capacity of schools to cope with the high number of children who are standing to follow lessons

√ To support unpaid teachers

√ To cut down the ratio teacher/pupils, which is about 1 to 50 in many classes

√ To equip deprived primary schools

√ Where appropriate, to introduce digital learning facilities to cope with this huge educational demand and market, etc.

 

The outcomes

One can hope that the following results will be achieved through their giving:

√ Reduction of educational books shortage

√ Reduction of the ratio teacher to pupils from (1 to 50) to (1 to 25)

√ Doubling of literacy and numeracy skills amongst children

√ Introduction of digital learning skills

√ Improvement of working conditions for teachers and support staff

√ Halving the number of children following lessons standing up

 

To enquire and or support CENFACS’ Halving Poverty for and with Educationally Needy Congolese children, please contact CENFACS.   Thank you!

 

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 as a New Year’s resolution.

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 in the New Year and New Decade as well.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

22 January 2020

 

Post No. 127

 

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Key Summaries of FACS Newsletter, Issue No. 66 entitled as Energy for the Poor

• Digital and Social Media Campaigns – Level 3: Digital Infrastructure, Security and Defence

• Gifts of Peace: Only 9 Days to Create Life-Changing Magic of Peace

 

… and much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ Key Summaries of FACS Newsletter, Issue No. 66 entitled as…

Energy for the Poor –

How to help poor people help themselves in meeting their sustainable energy needs in a changing climate

 

The 66^th Issue of FACS, which is about Energy for the Poor (How to help poor people to help themselves in meeting their renewable energy needs in a changing climate), is now ready for your readership.

In our post no. 124 of the 1^st of January 2020, we introduced this 66^th Issue.  In this week’s post, we have summarised the key contents making the pages of this Issue.    Under the Main Development section of this post, you will find the key summaries of the Issue.  For those who would like to learn more about the Issue and beyond these key summaries, please free to contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

~ Digital and Social Media Campaigns – Level 3: Digital Infrastructure, Security and Defence

 

As part of level 3 of digital and social media campaigns, we are working on affordable budget to help people build basic digital infrastructure, security and defence.

Digital infrastructure is understood as the permanent services and equipment needed to be able to function digitally.  They include: computers, laptops, internet connections and networks, software and hardware, tablets, phones, etc.

Digital security is the protection from digital harms; against attacks, threats and theft of any kinds (such as hacking, spyware, etc.).

Digital defence is equipment or method or even means to protect against attacks and threats of any kinds.

The above three areas of the level 3 of our Digital and Social Media Campaigns can be translated into a budget; that is plan specifying the way money will be coming and spent or allocated for these three areas.  In the context of this budgeting exercise, we have provided an example of a basic personal expenses budget for digital infrastructure, security and defence (Figure 1).

  

 

~ Gifts of Peace: Only 9 Days to Create Life-Changing Magic of Peace

 

Our Gifts of Peace highlighting the Season of Giving will soon reach the deadline.  We continue to appeal to those who did not have the opportunity to donate by telling them that there are only nine days remaining to create a Life-Changing Magic of Giving something for sustainable peace. 

We hope you will keep these Gifts of Peace in your minds and help us reinvigorate the giving season through your donation or Gift of Peace.

 

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ Transitional Development Programme and Africa-based Sister Organisations in Democratic Transitional Places of Africa

 

This week, we are also looking at how Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) operating in democratic transitional places (like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Algeria) are doing.  As part of this exercise, we are trying to find answers about the following questions:

Is democratic transition working for them and their project beneficiaries?

What obstacles are they facing and is there any new space or window of opportunities for their work since the process of transition began?

How can we support them in their difficult mission of helping to reduce poverty, especially as we are in Mission Year at CENFACS?

As everybody knows, every process (like democratic transition) comes with opportunities and threats.  It can work some people and organisations; just as it may not work for others.    This is what we are trying to find out through our Transitional Development Programme. 

For those organisations working in places that are undergoing democratic transitions in Africa, we would be more than pleased to hear from them their experiences of democratic transitions so far, especially on how it has impacted their work.

If you have experience to share from democratic transition places in Africa, please do not hesitate to share it with CENFACS.

 

 

~ News from the Field

 

Some of our Africa-based Sister Organisations are arguing that democratic transition in Africa is a long process in order for it to be translated into tangible benefits on the grounds.  Places or countries which are in transition (like the Democratic Republic of Congo), they still need institutional change and some fresh or retrained human resources.  The institutions and administrations of poverty reduction need to be rebuilt and resourced. 

While the rebuilding is going on, the dividends from democratic transitions may take time to be translated into concrete poverty reduction on the grounds.  However, this does not stop ASOs to continue their work in supporting those in need. 

ASOs also admitted as governing systems open up to the public and public scrutiny, the box of poverty Pandora is opened as well; that is the scale and magnitude of poverty problem become more visible as dictatorial administrations were tried to hide these problems.

They finally highlighted some other issues such as the disruption of transition and poverty relief work by the eruption of sectarian conflicts and climate change issues, the rebuilding of poverty reduction infrastructures and structures, governance issues as some administrations continue to behaviour like in the past, the longer the democratic transitions take the more delay in poverty reduction work (in countries like Algeria). 

The above is just the news from the field we have so far.  For those who have been doing fieldwork or visited projects in Africa, if you have any news; we would be grateful if you could share it with us.  Thank you!

 

 

~ Mission Year and Energy for the Poor

 

As we announced at the start of this year, 2020 is CENFACS’ Mission Year and we shall reflect this missionary feature on most of the work we will carry out this year.

As an example of the application of the Mission Year, we are going to reflect this year’s dedication to the general theme of the 66^th Issue of FACS newsletter, theme which is energy poverty.  In this respect, we can work with energy poor to help them come out energy poverty.

Apart from other works we have scheduled for this week, we have embarked on a mission to help relieve energy poverty.  To do that we need to understand what energy poverty means. 

To understand it, we are going to borrow its definition from the European Commission (1) that uses the “Grenelle II” Act which defines energy poverty as

“a situation in which a person has difficulty obtaining the necessary energy in their home to meet their basic needs because of inadequate resources or living conditions”.

From this definition, our poverty-relieving mission would revolve around finding out answers to the following two questions:

Who is energy poor within our community?

How can we work together with energy poor and help them to help themselves to meet their sustainable energy needs in a changing climate?

The above is the kick start of our Mission Year and Project.

(1) https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/content/possible-approach-define-energy-poverty-inability-keep-home-adequately-warm

 

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• Key Summaries of FACS Newsletter, Issue No. 66 entitled as…

Energy for the Poor –

How to help poor people help themselves in meeting their sustainable energy needs in a changing climate

 

• • Contents and Pages

 

• African People and Access to Electricity (Page 2)
• The Price of Woods on African Forests and Biodiversity (Page 2)
• Women, Health, Energy and Carbon Print in a Changing Climate in Africa (Page 3)
• Energy Choices by Poor People (Page 3)
• Africa-based Sister Organisations, Solar Resources and Poverty Reduction (Page 4)
• Africa-based Sister Organisations, Production of Energy Technologies, Energy Transition and Poverty Reduction (Page 4)
• Africa-based Sister Organisations, Less Carbon-intensive Poverty-relieving Path and Poor People (Page 4)
• Comment réduire les pressions sur l’exploitation forestière aux besoins en énergie en Afrique (Page 5)
• Comment faire que l’abondance africaine de ressources en énergies renouvelables atteigne les pauvres (Page 6)
• Comment assurer un développement moins carboné qui répond aux besoins énergétiques des pauvres en Afrique  (Page 6)
• Africa-based Sister Organisations and the Development of Basic Affordable Renewable Energy Infrastructures to Combat Climate Change and Poverty (Page 7)
• Africa-based Sister Organisations and the Development of Local Energy Technologies to Combat Poverty and Precariousness (Page 7)
• Integrating Renewable Energy and Mobile Money Payment for the Poor (Page 8)
• Redrawing the Map of Poverty in Africa through Investment in Biofuel Energies (Page 8)
• Natural Resources, Renewable Energy Technologies and Poverty Reduction (Page 9)
• Energy Transition is a Key to Poverty Reduction in Africa (Page 9)
• Energy Connections Project (Page 10)

 

 

• • Key Summaries

 

Please find below the key summaries of the 66^th Issue of FACS from page 2 to page 10.

 

African People and Access to Electricity (Page 2)

It is argued that half of African population has no access to electricity.  For example the World Bank (2) argues that

“Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the largest access deficit… 573 million people – more than one in two – lack access to electricity”. (p.4)

The same institution says that

“In 2030, around 40% of the access-deficit population will reside in Sub-Saharan Africa”. (p.67)

If this is the case, then there is a need to meet the electricity needs of the electricity-deprived people in Africa.  However, if they are using an alternative source of power to cover the lack of access to electricity, then these poor people may have problem to transition from those sources to electricity.  This could require energy projects or schemes that make electricity affordable for them (e.g. electricity access token scheme for basic needs of cooking).

 

The Price of Woods on African Forests and Biodiversity (Page 2)

Research found that 2/3 of African population depends on coal from wood to cook at the expense of forests and biodiversity.  In other words, woods have been cut in forests and biodiversity has been altered in order to make human needs of energy for cooking.  If this is done at a rate and pace that do not destroy the environment or lead to further increase in greenhouse gas emissions, that is fine! 

At the moment, this is not the case and does not solve the problem of poverty.  In reality, the way in which woods are cut, forests have been exploited and biodiversity has been treated continue to put an heavy price on the African environment and on the future generations, let alone natural events such as forest fires because of heat due itself to climate change.

 

 

 

Women, Health, Energy and Carbon Print in a Changing Climate in Africa (Page 3)

In rural and urban areas of Africa woods are often used as source of energy to make fire to cook and heat.  There is a tendency to use polluting fuels and technologies for cooking.  For example, the Word Bank thinks that

“In Sub-Saharan Africa, around 900 million people would still rely on polluting fuels and technologies for cooking in 2030”. (p.105)

Amongst those who use woods for household purposes are women.  They use it cook since cooking is part of women’s role in most African societies.   Often these women are exposed to smokes from the fire.  This exposure can even be worst when the meal is prepared for a large number of family members who include extended families.  It is as well worst when the meal is cooked for a family or community event. 

Regular exposures to smokes can cause breathing (respiratory diseases) and eye problems.  Besides this human health issue, there is also the environmental health issue linked to greenhouse gas emissions because of regular smokes.  This does not create a carbon neutral place for those living in this type of environment.

In the context of changing climate and life-threatening impacts of climate change, it is possible to improve the source of energy used by these women so that they can cook by using non-polluting fuels and technologies.  It is possible to support those populations through various forms of renewable energy so that they can transition to a less carbon way of cooking their meal.

 

Energy Choices by Poor People (Page 3)

Whether we speak about fossil fuels or carbon neutral energy, it is all about choices.  Those who are poor and difficult-to-reach may not have choices, but to take the option dictates by their conditions of life.  Amongst them are the peoples without access to clean cooking solutions.

However, there are things that can be done to create a number of choices or options for them.  These choice-creating initiatives could include things such as boosting their incomes, energy education of the poor, income-generating activities geared towards energy choices, raising awareness of energy choice to help them to access energy mix, etc.

We can continue to list these initiatives, but at the end of the day, one needs to develop a clear inclusive strategy that gives energy choices for poor people while making sure that this strategy is deliverable.

 

Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs), Solar Resources and Poverty Reduction (Page 4)

It is well known that Africa is rich in solar resources.  It is also a matter of fact that poverty is higher in Africa compared to other regions of the world.  Given the two facts, ASOs need to continue to work with beneficiaries and interested people and communities so that they can match the richness of solar resources to the high level of poverty within these communities.  They can align their outputs with their efforts to reduce poverty via solar projects or activities (that use energy from the sun) within those communities in need.  For example, communities can invest in solar cooking through solar oven.

 

Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs), Production of Energy Technologies, Energy Transition and Poverty Reduction (Page 4)

It is said that Africa has the potential to produce critical technologies for energy transitions.  As a home to these technologies, Africa also faces the challenge of reducing poverty.  ASOs can continue to work with local people and communities to produce those critical technologies needed for energy transitions.  These technologies are also required to reduce poverty within the same communities. 

They can set up energy transitions projects to that effect.  To keep track on that direction, resilience and close cooperation are needed between these organisations and the community they serve or work with.

 

Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs), Less Carbon-intensive Poverty-relieving Path and Poor People (Page 4)

Less carbon-intensive path for the reduction of poverty is one of the campaigns many would like to see in the work of our ASOs.  ASOs could keep helping poor people reduce poverty by using a path or scheme that involves less the use of carbon. 

Many organisations are already engaged in this kind of work or path.  We hope many others will follow suit.   Those who are already engaged in this model of poverty reduction would recognise that poor people try and find difficult to adjust to this model as the means do not always justify the ends. 

For example, switching from charcoal to solar energy is not always obvious.  This effort requires as well energy education of the local population while developing some incentive initiatives to motivate them.  One of these incentives could be to create local heroes in clean energy or a voucher system to encourage people to use clean energy.

 

Comment réduire les pressions sur l’exploitation forestière aux besoins en énergie en Afrique (Page 5)

Pour des populations qui ne sont pas aussi industrialisées comme les autres et qui dépendent largement de l’agriculture, l’exploitation naturelle ou  forestière représente le moyen primordial de remplir les besoins de première nécessité tels que ceux d’énergies, d’aliments, de vêtements, etc. 

L’approvisionnement en énergie pour ces populations tente d’être basé sur l’utilisation ou l’exploitation naturelle.  Ce qui est le cas en Afrique là où il y a des forêts immenses et des richesses forestières.  L’exploitation forestière en soi n’est pas mauvaise.  Cette exploitation devient un problème quand ces mêmes populations commencent à exercer des pressions sur des richesses forestières pour remplir des besoins énergétiques, et si ces pressions créent des problèmes sur l’environnement;  problèmes tels que l’effet de serre ou les feux de brousse ou le dérèglement climatique.

Dans ce cas là, il y a lieu de réduire ces pressions sur les ressources et réserves forestières en développant des solutions alternatives en matière d’énergie pour subvenir à ces mêmes besoins énergétiques.

Aujourd’hui avec des recherches et la montée des technologies énergétiques nouvelles, il y a un éventail d’alternatives pour assurer les besoins énergétiques.

 

 

 

Comment faire que l’abondance africaine de ressources en energies renouvelables atteigne les pauvres (Page 6)

L’afrique regorge pas mal des ressources énergétiques renouvelables telles que hydro-électriques, biomasses, géothermiques, solaires, etc.  Le barrage hydro-électrique d’Inga dans la République Démocratique du Congo est un exemple parmi tant d’autres qui constitue un cas frappant de cette abondance.

Néanmoins, ces énergies n’atteignent pas toutes les couches de populations, et en particulier les pauvres; ressources que contient l’Afrique.  Cela étant, pour effectivement réduire la précarité ou pauvreté énergétique en Afrique, il faut faire en sorte que la distribution ou répartition des énergies atteigne les couches des populations les plus démunies d’énergie.

Dans le siècle passé, il y avait des projets et discours sur cette question.  Néanmoins, la plupart de ces travaux ou tentatives sont restés letter morte ou ont abouti à des échecs.  D’aucuns peuvent penser que la nouvelle décennie peut être celle non seulement de la transition énergétique en Afrique, mais aussi celle des énergies renouvelables et durables pour tous et toutes en Afrique.

 

Comment assurer un développement moins carboné qui répond aux besoins énergétiques des pauvres en Afrique  (Page 6)

Il y a plusieurs modèles de développement.  A l’heure des inquiétudes des effets néfastes des changements climatiques, la majorité des économistes de l’environnement se tourne vers un développement moins carboné, c’est-à-dire à un processus de changement meilleur qui implique de moins en moins l’utilisation des produits et activités créant l’effet de serre.

Assurer que ce type de développement se réalise est une chose et non pas une fin en soi.  Une autre chose, c’est de faire en sorte que ce processus répond aux besoins et attentes, particulièrement mais pas exclusivement, énergétiques des pauvres.  Autrement dit, point n’est besoin d’embrasser un modèle de développement de-carboné qui ne répond pas aussi bien aux besoins de la nature qu’à ceux de ceux qui souffrent.

Pour y parvenir, il faudrait que ce modèle intègre la dimension réduction de la pauvreté.  Cette intégration se fera sur des bases saines en ayant clairement défini ses prémices, fins, prémisses, régime ou mode de fonctionnement, objectifs et buts finaux.  Car, c’est seulement en adoptant une approche intégrative ou holistique que le développement moins carboné répondrait aux attentes des générations humaines d’aujourd’hui et d’avenir. 

    

Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) and the Development of Basic Affordable Renewable Energy Infrastructures to Combat Climate Change and Poverty (Page 7)

To fight the adverse impacts of climate change and to reduce poverty, it requires the development of infrastructures.  While major infrastructures (such as hydroelectric powers and plants) could be the domain or responsibility of governments, small scale infrastructures and capacities could be done by individuals, small organisations and local communities. 

ASOs could work together with local people and communities to set up basic renewable energy infrastructures and structures that can help these energy-deprived communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to the type of energy they use.  This can as well help to reduce energy poverty and other types of poverty (such as income, consumption, multi-dimensional, etc.).  This is because in the fight of climate change and poverty, small initiatives but well planned and better implemented can make a big difference to those living in poverty and being the victims of the negative impacts of climate change. 

It is in the development of this kind of infrastructures and structures that sustainable energy needs of these poor people can be met in a changing climate.

 

Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) and the Development of Local Energy Technologies to Combat Poverty and Precariousness (Page 7)

To combat poverty and hardships, it requires an arsenal of tools, strategies or solutions.  One of them is the creation of new ideas and technologies at local and people levels to help reduce poverty. 

Developing local energy technologies can help to respond to some of the energy challenges.  So, ASOs that are working together with local people in the development of sustainable and renewable energy micro-projects can help alleviate poverty. 

Working with locals on energy matters could make energy cheaper as energy products and services are made and run by locals, local organisations and from local resources.  This is even obvious when local energy has a competitive and comparative advantage.

 

Integrating Renewable Energy and Mobile Money Payment for the Poor (Page 8)

There are countless problems that poor people face in Africa.  In this article, we would like to highlight two of them which are: money and the way of the paying for renewable energy.

The mobile money account or system can help alleviate this as it facilitates the transfer of money to poor people while enabling to pay for renewable energy if they can afford and have money in their account.  An example of this integration scheme or process is with solar panel.

 

Redrawing the Map of Poverty in Africa through Investment in Biofuel Energies (Page 8)

Investing in biofuel energies can help to get the picture of poverty and those experiencing it.  It can allow having more data about poverty, especially fuel poverty.  It can help to find out those who have access to clean fuels and technologies and those who do not have. 

This kind of investment can signal the level of poverty that some people may face.  For those of our Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) that want to take that path, it will be interesting through this kind of investment to draw a map showing those who receive or not this investment and measure the chance or probability that each of them has to come out from poverty or at least energy poverty.

 

Natural Resources, Renewable Energy Technologies and Poverty Reduction (Page 9)

It is possible to reduce poverty by drawing on rich natural resources and advances in renewable energy technologies to meet the energy demand of the poor in Africa.  The revenues from the sales of natural resources (such as oil, gas and minerals) can help to develop or acquire renewable energy technologies to reduce poverty.

Those working on poverty reduction can advocate for a fair share of revenues from the sale of natural resources to be allocated to the development of renewable energy technologies.  African organisations can step up a case for this to happen, especially in places where this is not seen as priority. 

This matter provides an opportunity to campaign and prioritise the fair share of revenues from the sale of natural resources to be allocated to new and improved renewable energy technologies conducive to the reduction of poverty.  In doing so, one can begin to see the causal link between revenues from natural resources, renewable energy technologies and poverty reduction in Africa or elsewhere.

 

Energy Transition is a Key to Poverty Reduction in Africa (Page 9)

Energy transition is the move from fossil fuels (i.e. non-renewable resources such as coal, oil and natural gas) to renewable energy (that is, materials and energy sources that can be used over and over again).

Moving from fossil-based to zero-carbon economy can help to reduce poverty in Africa.  Indeed, by restructuring the way in which energy is produced, consumed and distributed (especially in shifting to renewable and sustainable forms of energy); this can enable to create a balanced energy that could reach poor people.  However, this move requires a preparation to avoid both cultural and psychological chocks, even social conflicts like the ones we are seeing in France with the so-called yellow vests. 

African voluntary organisations can take the lead on this and set up a model of energy transition projects to help move in that direction.  In any transition, there are opportunities and challenges.  African organisations need to take these opportunities.  In the long run, may be the benefits resulting from opportunities used will overweigh the threats and risks linked to challenges.

 

Energy Connections Project (Page 10)

This is a low carbon-intensive project that aims at reducing renewable energy poverty and hardships amongst poor people and communities in Africa by helping them to access to a network and development of renewable energy support (such as tools, skills, knowledge, capacity development, etc.) in order to reduce pressures  on natural resources (forest resources and exploitation) and biodiversity.

For details including full project proposals and budget, please contact CENFACS

The full copy of the 66th Issue of FACS is available on request.  For any queries and comments about this Issue, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

(2) https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/2019_tracking_sdg7_reportpdf

 

 

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 as a New Year’s resolution.

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 in the New Year and New Decade as well.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

15 January 2020

 

Post No. 126

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Appeal to End Insecurity in the African Sahel

• CENFACS 2020 Poverty Relief Tools

• Review of Blog Readers’ and Web Visitors’ 2019 Comments

 

… and much more!

 

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ Appeal to End Insecurity in the African Sahel

 

This appeal is about asking Africans to help themselves in helping to end the insecurity situation in the African Sahel, particularly in the three-frontier area made of parts of these countries: Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.  Innocent lives have been unnecessarily taken since armed attacks and violence on civilians began last year.

The appeal is part of CENFACS’ Light Projects.  We hope through this appeal one will be able to Light up a Blaze of Hope for the innocent victims of these attacks and violence. 

CENFACS is calling to those who can to do something, especially those who have influence on the grounds to do what they can so that the peoples of African Sahel can enjoy peace and security.

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

 

 

 

~ CENFACS 2020 Poverty Relief Tools

 

As said in our last week post, we will be having new and improved tools to help reduce poverty in 2020.  This week, we are highlighting these implements.  They are a combination of skills and means designed to help us to achieve poverty reduction goal in the challenging environment of 2020.  Although, in our development calendar/planner we placed them in March 2020, some of these tools have already started.  By the time we reach March 2020, we hope that most of them would be in action. 

You can find the highlights about these tools under the Main Developments section of this post.  

 

 

 

~ Review of Blog Readers’ and Web Visitors’ 2019 Comments

 

We would like to thank and value all the comments that readers and visitors do make.  Just to let you know that we do not expect those who make the comments to please us.  We prefer they freely say what they think and feel.  Their free thoughts and feelings will support us to improve in what we are doing since we are not a perfect organisation.

We would like as well to apologise to those who made some comments and expected us to reply straightway to them, but we did not.  We receive many comments; it is always difficult to reply to each of them however worthy and sensible they may be.  This is why we seize the opportunity of the end of the year or beginning of the New Year to do a review of the comments we received throughout the ended year. 

Under the Main Developments section of this post, you will find the 2019 Review of Readers’ and Visitors’ Comments.

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ All in Development Winter e-Discussion (2019-2020): Volunteering in the 2020s – Feedback

 

This is a summary of responses and reactions to the last All in Development Winter Winter e-Discussion which was held between 05 December 2019 and 05 January 2020 with a focus on Volunteering in the 2020s. 

The key contents of this e-discussion are as follows.

We welcome the buoyant views and comments expressed about the changing roles of volunteers at all levels of CENFACS to match the evolution of the development landscape and the needs of users.

The evolving roles include all types of tasks that individuals involved in giving their time for free, whether they are from within CENFACS (like members) or coming from outside to volunteer, will perform at various functions of CENFACS. 

The e-discussed ideas also revolved around the following:

Involvement of volunteers in some aspects of the 2020s programme particularly in the voluntary section of this programme; the development of steps to make voluntary work rewarding through an award-giving scheme inside or outside CENFACS; volunteering for other organisations through sub-contracting agreements; increasing volunteering budget; creating a transitional volunteering scheme to match the exiting process of the UK economy; improving digital volunteering  and its monitoring and evaluation; involving volunteers through intrapreneurship skills by giving new ideas and ways of working to help CENFACS.

The discussions went back to street fundraising and home fundraising by volunteers using online and digital technologies or people using their own devices (such as mobile phones, tablets etc.) to carry out voluntary tasks. 

There were some suggestions on the way of overseeing and monitoring this kind of way of volunteering initiatives, as well as of improving checks on street and home volunteers (such as credit score and report, criminal record checks etc.). 

To sum up, in a changing role of volunteers and in evolving development landscape  volunteers have their place to make the change that is needed in the lives of those in pressing needs.

We would like to thank everybody for their inputs; inputs that will help to improve our volunteering policy and practice while adjusting and developing our All in Development Volunteer scheme.

 

 

 

 

~ Gifts of Peace continue…

 

Our Season of Giving through the Gifts of Peace has not yet finished.  We still have almost two weeks to go until the end of this month. We are making a plea to those who have not yet managed to support to keep these gifts in their mind.

Although the deadline for the Season of Donation for these gifts is 31 January 2020, we will still accept any donations made after this deadline as there are always pressing needs that desperately request support. 

For further details about these Gifts of Peace and or to support, go to http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/  

We look forward to your support.  Thank you!

 

 

 

~ The Season of Giving continues with SHOPPING and DONATIONS at http://cenfacs.org.uk/shop/

 

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

You can donate or recycle your unwanted and unneeded goods gifts you received over the festive days to CENFACS’ Charity e-Store, the shop built to help relieve poverty and hardships. 

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

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

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

You can DONATE or SHOP or do both:

√ DONATE unwanted Festive GOODS GIFTS and PRODUCTS to CENFACS Charity e-Store this January and Winter

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

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

This is what the Season of Giving is all about.

 

 

 

 

Main Developments

 

• CENFACS 2020 Poverty Relief Tools

 

We have put together eight tools to help reduce poverty this 2020. They are as follows: CENFACS Analytics Dashboard, Mission Year/Project, Digital Accounts and Finance, Transition Leads, Advocacy for Digital Social e-Commerce or Digital Trade, Circular Economic Solutions, Reformed Services and the 2020s Programme.

 

Tool Highlights

 

Tool 1: CENFACS Analytics Dashboard

Last year, we presented CENFACS Analytics Dashboard as a management tool in what it can do to help both individuals and organisations in terms of poverty reduction as well as an implement for improving the way we are working together with them.

This year, we will be taking a further step in improving this tool so that it can be a real office assistant in our work with people and organisations. 

CENFACS Analytics Dashboard is an information management tool that tracks, analyses and displays key performance indicators, 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 finally helps to retrieve information from CENFACS repository about the resources to help users and supporters.

For more on CENFACS Analytics Dashboard, please contact CENFACS.

 

Tool 2: Mission Year/Project

A set of words that collectively define our mission, called it mission statement, can be considered as tools.  Mission can be a means by which we can realise our poverty reduction work.  Every time we refer to it, we find the value and strength that make us an organisation.  As a result, there will be a number of activities and events to carry out our Mission Year/Project. 

 

Tool 3: Digital Accounts and Finance

The all process of dealing or managing basic household accounts and finances is becoming more and more digital.  In order to make sure that our users and those living in poverty are not left behind in 2020 in their daily lives, tool 3 will help us to work with them to help them to better handle their household accounts, budgets and finances through digital means.  In this way, their decision making processes to reduce poverty will be in line with the realities of today’s world in which they live in, a digital world.

 

Tool 4: Transition Leads

2020 is a crunch year as it has likely become clear the UK’s intention of exiting the European economic integration model.  To be in line with this change and to move with the flow, CENFACS will be working with users on transitional (or Post-Regional Economic Integration) leads, skills and support.

A transitional needs assessment will be conducted to find out the changing and emerging needs of the community as well as new and improved tools to meet both changing and existing needs in a new setting of a transitional economy.

 

Tool 5: Advocacy for Social e-Commerce and Digital Trade

More and more Africa-based Organisations are looking ways of breaking the barriers of traditional methods of providing services as the digital world makes it possible to do it.  To enable them move in that direction, tool 5 will enable them to embrace or if they are already in to improve the social e-commerce or digital trade.  In doing so, they can use digital trade to better and more reduce poverty.

 

Tool 6: Extended Community Services Support with Circular Economic Solutions

Generally, CENFACS provides basic community support which is a package of services to help those in need.  From 2020, we are including circular economic solutions to work with those who want to reduce hardships and improve their lives through a circular economic model.  They can choose to reuse, recycle and save natural and household resources.  This will enable them to use their little money to cope or meet with other life-sustaining needs.

 

Tool 7: Reformed Services

Besides the Basic Community Support, we normally have Consume to Reduce Poverty and Bridging Financial Information Gaps as running services and activities.  These services and activities are being reformed in order to take into account the realities of today’s life, climate economy and the development of the 2020s. 

For example, in future we shall include in the Consume to Reduce Poverty and Climate Change initiative energy transition.

 

Tool 8: The 2020s Programme

Like any programme, the 2020s will contain projects, activities and a schedule of events designed to embrace the challenges of the 2020s such as a changing climate world, the realisation of the UN Agenda 2030, Africa’s Agenda 2063, the implementation of the Paris Climate Treaty, the place of the digital economy in poor people’s lives, the new UK-Africa relations or Investment framework, etc. 

Although the 2020s has not been yet launched, it will be an important tool, if not central, through which many of our work will be channelled or realised in this new decade.  It will be an exciting and poverty-relieving development that will deal with many of the questions that we may face in this new decade.  Without anticipating what it can offer, let’s wait and see until it comes to live.

The above tools are not exhaustive.  They are simply the ones we have worked out and we thought would be in demand from 2020.  As we go along this year, there could be more tools to help us help reduce poverty.

For any enquiries about these tools, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

• Review of Blog Readers’ and Web Visitors’ 2019 Comments

 

This is more than just a year in review.  We are going to tell you what blog readers and visitors of CENFACS’ Website said in 2019.  We are as well going to respond to their comments instead of just listing them.  In this respect, we could have a two-way communication, which is more engaging than a monologue. 

For the purpose of this review and responses to readers, we have selected three comments only.  Due to new data protection regulations, the identities of these readers will not be revealed.

 

What our readers and visitors said in 2019

 

First selected reader’s and visitor’s comment

The first reader and visitor made some comments about creating an e-book or guest authoring on other websites.

CENFACS’ response to this first reader and visitor

We would like to thank this reader for the comments made and their readership and visit.  We would like as well to say this.  We have already a number of readers and visitors who made the same kind of suggestions and we are open for discussions and look in depth the e-book and guest authoring proposals.  However, those who made them tend to be not contactable.  For security and data protection reasons, we need to know who we are dealing with. 

 

Second selected reader’s and visitor’s comment

This reader and visitor said that the Home page of CENFACS is kind of boring.  That we could look at Yahoo’s home page and watch how they create article headlines to grab viewers’ attention.  We could as well add a video or picture.

CENFACS’ response to this second reader and visitor

We welcome this reader’s and visitor’s comments and would like to say this.  There are many ways of improving CENFACS website.  We are aware of the impact of digital technologies can make to any organisation.  Our website does not speak about all we do.  It is just one of the other means we use to engage the public and supporters.  There are websites in the market which do not really tell their customers or public what they do or stand for, except bouncing some video clips, pictures and images.  At least, CENFACS’ website tells our readers and supporters what we do and will do, how we do it, as well as mostly what we stand for.   

 

Third selected reader’s and visitor’s comment

Our last selected reader argued that our posts are very short for starters. 

CENFACS’ response to this third reader and visitor

We value this reader and visitor comments and would to answer this.  The length of posts depends on what is going on rather than the amount of information we want the readers to have.  What is more important the substance (quality) rather than the quantity of information.  In a fast-moving world, people do not always time to read much information unless they are expert in the field or have a particular interest in the topic.  Some readers told us we provide too much information.  Others like you argue the opposite.  Briefly, it is all about the content and event that dictate the length of the post.  Thank you!

We hope the above responses will satisfy the above readers and visitors.  

However, if they need further clarification, they should not hesitate to contact us.  

Many thanks!

 

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 as a New Year’s resolution.

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 in the New Year and New Decade as well.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

08 January 2020

 

Post No. 125

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• What is new in these New Year and New Decade?

• The Season of Light continues in the Month of Responsible Consumption (with a Focus on Reduction of Wasteful Consumption)

• Light Projects: Post-War and Post-Disaster Appeals

  

… and much more! 

 

 

 

 

Key Messages

  

~ What is new in these New Year and New Decade

  

⇒ The Twenty-twenties (2020s) programme

 

Since we moved into a new decade (the 2020s), we will be having a new poverty relief programme for this 2020 decade.  Since last year, we already started some rounds of reflections and conversions about this new programme of our poverty relief work. These rounds of discussions, thoughts and consultations with CENFACS’ stakeholders will enable to shape up the future of our poverty relief work. 

From March 2020, we hope to start implementing this new programme once its blueprint is ready.  If these discussions, thoughts and consultations move quickly enough, we would be able to implement it even before March 2020. 

 

 

 

 

⇒ 2020 as the Year of Poverty Relief Mission (the Mission Year) for CENFACS

 

Each year, we try to find the best way to meet the needs of our project beneficiaries while remembering some of the key works we did with them and exploring innovative ways to re-engage with stake holders.  We do it by dedicating the year to a particular memorable theme.  As result, 2020 has been declared as the Mission Year for CENFACS.

After celebrating the 25^th anniversary of the concept of CENFACS last year, it is worth revisiting what we stand for in terms of CENFACS foundations.  If we stand for the relief of poverty and it was on the basis of these principles that CENFACS secured its charitable objects in 2002, it is then worth eighteen years later for us to reincarnate this value as we start a new year in a new decade. 

In other words, poverty reduction has never been an end business for as long as people are still poor.  It is therefore normal for us to go back to that mission we set up ourselves (of helping in poverty reduction) and how we can apply it to the current and new settings of the changing development landscape due to a changing climate in 2020 and the 2020s.  2020 is also a year to revisit the mission statement of CENFACS and see how relevant it is today in the world of 2020 and beyond.  

As we travel along 2020, we shall reflect this Mission Year in our works, projects and programmes.  However, if any of you wants to know more about this year’s dedication, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.  We hope you will continue to support CENFACS during this Mission Year.  

 

⇒ New Tools for Poverty Reduction in 2020

 

New Year and new decade could mean that we come up with new or improved instruments to deal with the same or new or even emerging types of poverty.  New tools will include the following with built-in reliefs:

√ Tools to help you transition from a regional economic integration to the exigencies of an exiting economy

√ Advocacy for e-commerce sites as poverty relief tool for Africa-based organisations

√ Reforms of some the services provided for the CENFACS community to take into account the realities of the 2020s

√ Help users to improve digital finance skills through the use of mobile money devices

√ Extending community support beyond the mantra of our generic services while staying specialised and focussed on what we are good at doing

√ New programme of poverty reduction with the 2020s programme

√ An improved CENFACS Analytics Dashboard

√ Last but not the least, a renewed poverty relief mission.

 

Although we have scheduled these tools for March 2020 in the above development calendar, we may start some of them this January, so hoping that in March 2020 most of them would be operational.  The details of these new tools will be unveiled as they become available.  

 

 

~ The Season of Light continues in the Month of Responsible Consumption (with a Focus on Reduction of Wasteful Consumption)

 

=> What’s on this January 2020

 

January is the month of Responsible Consumption for CENFACS.   The initiative featuring this month is our resource entitled Consume to Reduce Poverty and Climate Change.  The 8^th Issue of this resource will be about the “Reduction of Wasteful Consumption”.

Under the Main Development section of this post, we have given some highlights about this Issue.

Besides this resource, there are other initiatives as indicated in the above development calendar.  

 

=> What’s on this Season of Light

 

Our Season of Light continues with the Light Projects, as indicated on the above projects and programmes planner scheduled for January, February and March 2020. 

To put our Season of Light into practice, there will be two waves of advocacy work to support the victims of armed conflicts and destructive natural disasters in Africa. 

 

a) The first wave of action

The first wave of action will be on the past, the legacies of the very latest disaster and war events which hit poor people in some parts of Africa (this is our Africa Post-War and Post-Disaster Appeals). 

Examples of these events include: a growing insecurity, instability and ethnic violence in countries such as Burkina Faso; extreme weather and drought in Mali; extinction risk of the African tropical flora in south of the Democratic Republic of Congo; the impact of the Indian ocean dipole in Djibouti, etc.

As a result of these events, there have been problems of malnutrition, displacement of people, food crisis, pressure on biodiversity, etc.  They require a combination of support such as humanitarian assistance, the protection of the most vulnerable and defenceless and a systematisation of other types of support.

In the context of these legacies, we will appeal for the support of displaced persons, the victims of insecurity and natural disasters.   

 

b) The second wave of action

The second wave of action will be on advocating for support for the victims of the current and emerging armed conflicts and destructive natural disasters in Africa.  Because of the nature of the events that these appeals are dealing with, we may change the gear to take into account of the unpredictability of these events.

 

=> What’s new to this year’s Season of Light

 

What is new for the three first months of 2020 is also new for this year’s Season of Light.  As indicated in the above development calendar, there are three new initiatives which are: the 2020 Tools for poverty reduction, 2020 as Mission year and the 2020s Programme.

In addition to the above, we will be moved to the level 3 of our Digital and Social Media Campaign; level 3 (in 2020) which is about Digital Infrastructure, Security and Defence. The level 1 (in 2018) was about the Role of Mobile Phone as a Tool for Poverty Relief for Women and Children, while level 2 (in 2019) was about IT and Online Security. 

Other initiatives making the 2020 Season of Light

Generation Global Goals project is an online discussion regarding the impacts of the global goals on children.  It will be conducted under CENFACS be-Africa forum.

Another feature of the current Season of Light is the continuing implementation of the project ABCD (Adaptation for Building Capacity and Development), project that enables us to get our mindsets, skills and capacities ready while the on-going negotiations regarding the process of UK exiting (or not exiting) from the European Union are underway.

Briefly speaking, the above 2020 Projects and Programmes of the Season of Light are Top Quality Reliefs for those in need.  They are made with a selection of hard to find poverty relief products and services as 2020 kicks in.

 

 

 

 

~ Light Projects in 2020: Post-War and Post-Disaster Appeals

 

This Winter 2020, our Lights projects will focus on two parts or two waves of action as said above: 

1/ post-war and post-natural disaster developments

2/ current and emerging armed conflicts and environmental catastrophes

 

A Blaze of Hope for post-life following armed conflicts and natural disasters

When there are environmental disasters and armed conflicts, there are pledges and commitments to end the effects of wars and disasters.  For various reasons, some of these pledges do not materialise.  The post-war and post-disaster developments are sometimes left without support until the conflicts and disasters return and or strike again.  

As it is not a good idea to wait for the return or repeat of the same wars and disasters, our first Blaze of Hope (Post-life Blaze of Hope) will go this Winter to the unfinished business of previous destructive wars and natural disasters as we did last Winter.  We call it the Post-War and Post-Disaster Appeal.

 

A Blaze of Hope for the eruption of any armed conflicts and natural disasters

We always advocate for preventive development and we do not seek for destructive events to happen.  However, our preparedness and readiness should make us to assemble as quickly as possible advocacy tools should any effects and impacts erupt from unpredictable wars and natural disasters in Africa. 

So, our second wave of intervention or In-life Blaze of Hope will go this Winter to erupted effects of armed conflicts and natural disasters in the areas of our interest in Africa.  This is our Appeal related to Live Conflicts and Disasters.   

The Details of this second appeal will be released as events appear and unfold.  One of these events is what happened in Burkina Faso at the end of December 2019 where lives of innocent civilians were taken in armed attacks.  CENFACS would like to you to support its appeal for peace and dialogue between the conflicting sides.  

With these two waves of action over this Wintry Season, we hope to enlighten the lives of those in need.

CENFACS look forward to your support to deliver these Wintry Appeals.

 

 

 Extra Messages

 

~ All-in-Development (AiD) Winter e-Discussion on Volunteering in the 2020s

 

Our AiD Winter e-Discussion on Volunteering in the 2020s is now closed.  We would like to take this opportunity to thank those who supported or contributed to these discussions, especially for taking pain to stay over the Festive Season for the discussions.

We are studying all the contributions made and will stage a process for putting them together in order to see how they can add value to our volunteering scheme.

Once again, thank you for your support.

 

 

 

~ The Season of Giving continues with SHOPPING and DONATIONS at http://cenfacs.org.uk/shop/

 

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

You can donate or recycle your unwanted and unneeded goods gifts you received over the festive days to CENFACS’ Charity e-Store, the shop built to help relieve poverty and hardships. 

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

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

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

You can DONATE or SHOP or do both:

√ DONATE unwanted Festive GOODS GIFTS and PRODUCTS to CENFACS Charity e-Store this January and Winter

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

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

This is what the Season of Giving is all about.

 

 

 

 

~ Digital and Social Media Campaign – IT (Information Technology) and Online Security to Reduce Poverty

 

Level 3: Digital Infrastructure, Security and Defence

This campaign is part of our Digital and Media Programmes.  It is the continuation of our 2018 work on the Role of Mobile Phone in Reducing Poverty and Hardships amongst Women and Children (Level 1) and 2019 work on IT and Online Security (Level 2).   

IT and Online Security is not anymore a matter of security experts only.  Anyone handling IT equipment and using online services needs to have basic (not necessarily expert one) knowledge and skills to protect themselves and other vulnerable people (such as children) and do their work without fears and threats. 

The IT and Online Security is a part of our digital social media campaign to help protect vulnerable and poor people and families using IT and online technologies against various types of online threats and digital risks (such as scams and illegal and malicious practices). The campaign includes the use the e-safety tools and advice.  This level 2 of our digital and social media campaign takes us the level 3, which is Digital Infrastructure, Security and Defence. 

The work on Digital Infrastructure, Security and Defence (Level 3) is our awareness raising campaign about the digital infrastructure, security and defence for the poor.  The campaign looks at these matters at the individual level rather than at community or national level.  In other words, we shall work with users to help them build basic life-sustaining infrastructures, security and defence to protect themselves against online threats and risks. 

This digital campaign is a fight against poverty and vulnerability in these three areas.  Through this campaign, we can together fix some of the security flaws and provide setups and updates at individual level.  It helps as well to understand what security in the field of poverty relief as far as the digital world is concerned.

The campaign will be done without undermining the value of our community or collective infrastructure, security and defence.  We all benefit from collective or national protection.  We are stronger together.  To add a value to our togetherness, we need as well to reinforce individual protection.  The sum of our individual protection makes up or gives a total or a community of protections. 

For further details and to support the three levels of our Digital and Social Media Campaign, contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• Consume To Reduce Poverty and Climate Change

 

Issue No. 8: Reduction of Wasteful Consumption

 

Key highlights, Tips & Hints

 

What is Wasteful Consumption?

The 8^th Issue of CRP is dealing with the satisfaction from and spending by consumers on final goods and services that do not generate waste.  This is a kind of consumption that does not involve any material unused or rejected as worthless or unwanted or that involves only a tiny piece of this material.

This Issue is dealing with the process of consuming resources to satisfy human wants and needs in making sure that products and services bought have less waste or by-products that are free from harming health, wildlife, the nature and environment.

It means that before consuming, care must be taken to check and avoid products and services that have harmful waste.  It is said and proven that carbon is a negative example of waste from a by-product of hydrocarbon combustion.

 

Non Wasteful Consumption Shopping Basket

Using the internet, e-mail, social networks and other communication technologies; it is possible to get enough information about products and services that reduce wasteful consumption and poverty at the same time.  It is as well possible to find resources and websites that compare these kinds of products, services and prices.  People can then choose products and services that do not create negative waste and add them to their online shopping basket.  

 

Reduction of Wasteful Consumption and Poverty

Individual and family strategies of reducing the state of having little or no money or even no material possessions are not incompatible with the reduction of wasteful consumption.  Individuals and families (including the poor ones) can consume products and services that do not have negative waste.  People and families can leapfrog poverty reduction to the reduction of wasteful consumption.

 

Non Wasteful Consumption and Circular Economic Model

Embracing the recipes of the economic model that decouples (bad) exploitation of natural resources and the desire to meet human needs and wants (circular economy), can help improve consumer behaviour against harmful waste.  It is said that all processes create waste.  However, the circular economic model helps to deal with improper disposal of waste; in doing so it benefits humans to fix, reuse, reduce and save resources.

 

Non Wasteful Consumption and the Growing Climate Economy

The process of using resources in a frugal way to satisfy human wants and needs can goes hand in hand with an organised system for the production, distribution and use of goods and services that takes into account the changing weather conditions.  In other words, consuming anti-wasteful products and resources can help reduce adverse climate change.  As climate economy continues to grow, it can bring new climate educational opportunities, economic savings and improved well-being for the poor.  These attributes of the Growing Climate Economy can help them consume goods and services that have less or no harmful wasteful materials.

 

Reduction of Wasteful Consumption in the Context of Changing Climate and Life-threatening Impacts of Climate Change

Maybe enough has been said about the impacts of changing climate.  If not, then one area of work could be for humans to rethink about the negative waste that their consumption can create.  If there is such harmful waste for some types of consumption, then there could a need to reduce it for the sake of the environment and the nature on which we all depend. 

 

Budgeting for Wasteful Consumption

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

 

Waste indication on products for verification, identity and authenticity

It is a good idea for any consumer rich or poor to check non wasteful features on their buys and other specifications and read other people’s testimonies, reviews or comments about it.  Also, one needs to be sure that the messages for a proper disposal of negative waste are advertised and marketing match products results and tests, and customer’s satisfaction. 

 

Security and Guarantee 

When buying anti-wasteful products and services (whether using online or physical store), one needs to check, compare and contrast products, terms and conditions of business, buying terms, prices etc.  There is a need to check as well guarantees and safety policies against harmful waste.

If you are buying online, before you sign up, add to your anti-waste shopping basket and purchase an item; you need to read, discuss and check what you are agreeing on.  You may even take more precautions when selecting items, filling up buying forms to enter your personal, financial information and sensitive details. 

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

To support Responsible Consumption and get the full issue 2020 of Consume to Reduce Poverty and Climate Change, 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 as a New Year’s resolution.

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 in the New Year and New Decade as well.

With many thanks.

 

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

01 January 2020

 

Post No. 124

 

 

The New Year’s Week Contents

 

• Year 2019 in Review  

• Consumption that Reduces Poverty and Enhances Sustainable Development in 2020 

• The New Year’s and Next Issue of FACS (The 66^th Issue): Energy for the Poor

 

… and much more!

 

 

 

The New Year’s Key Messages

 

New Year, New Hope & New Relief

Happy New Year and Welcome back to Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development in 2020 and in the 2020s!

 

~ Year 2019 in Review  

 

At the start of every year, the recurring question one can ask is: what is the best way to start the year?  There is no a classic answer to this question. 

Perhaps, the best way to start the year with CENFACS is look back on what happened the previous year; that is 2019.  Possibly, we may or may not learn something about it.  But, it is still worth reviewing 2019.  This is our 2019 in Review.

2019 in Review is a poverty-relieving story of what work CENFACS did from January to December 2019.  This story is given under the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

~ Consumption that Reduces Poverty and Enhances Sustainable Development in 2020

In focus for 2020: Reduction of Wasteful Consumption

 

As we are already in January, this month is our month of Responsible Consumption following CENFACS development calendar.  It means that the theme for January is Sustainable Consumption and the monthly project carrying this theme is Consume to Reduce Poverty.   

It is the month we act against consumption-based poverty and we deal with measures of poverty through consumption.  It is also an opportunity to act to preserve a good relationship between the way and products we consume on the one hand and the reduction of climate change on the other.  In particular, January is a climate reminder month as it is the month in which we raise awareness of the relationships between humans and the nature through sustainable consumption; that is consumption that does not destroy the nature.

Consume to Reduce Poverty (CRP) is our users’ New Year supporting information and accompanying booster that focuses on Buying and Consumption elements conducive to the reduction of poverty and hardships.  It is indeed a complimentary support to our Autumn Festive Income Boost resource.

The Festive Income Boost is an income-generating resource while CRP brings in a consumption-led look in our fight against poverty.  The next issue (issue no. 8) of CRP will be on the Reduction of Wasteful Consumption.

Indeed, in 2019 our focus was on Anti-pollution consumption.  We were and continue to be against any buy and consumption that create harmful effects on the environment and the nature.  This January 2020, we are prolonging our work on harmful effects by including harmful waste. Emitting carbon is in itself a negative example of waste from a by-product of hydrocarbon combustion.  This is why there is a need to reduce this kind of negative wasteful consumption.

We will be working on various alternatives to negative wasteful way of consumption. We will be dealing with ways of fixing, reusing, reducing and saving resources.  January 2020 Reduction of Wasteful Consumption is a Zero Waste campaign of the month within CENFACS.

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

 

 

 

~ The New Year’s and Next Issue of FACS: The 66^th Issue

 

Coming this Winter is the 66^th Issue of FACS which will be entitled as:

Energy for the Poor –

How to meet poor people’s sustainable energy needs in a changing climate.

 

The problem of renewable and sustainable energy is one of the burning subjects to watch in the New Year and New Decade.  Energy is not only about production, consumption and price (or market).  It is also about transition and changes of habits and behaviour that humans may be forced or need to agree to embrace in order to reduce negative energy waste.  We have already seen in some parts of the affluent world the overreaction against energy transition in order to reduce the adverse impacts of climate change.  What about the poorest world?

The problem that energy poses is even serious when it comes to meeting life-sustaining needs of energy by the poor in this particular era of changing climate, which continues to affect the way consumption decisions are made and their reactions.   The 66^th Issue deals with this problem of energy for the poor if we put it like this in simple terms.  Particularly, it raises the issue of the systematic impacts of low carbon energy transition on poor people.  In this respect, the Issue will treat the question of sustainable energy not only as a market product or service; but also as a livelihood or way of life and living. 

Under the Main Development section of this post, we have provided the abstract about the 66^th Issue of FACS.

 

 

 

 

The New Year’s Extra Messages

 

~ The UK Economy in the 2020s Era and Africa in the 2020s 

 

=> The UK Economy in the Era of Post-European Economic Integration and CENFACS

 

Much of what we do depends on the health of the UK economy and its direction.  This year, if we are allowed to say it, the UK economy is now virtually in the process of exiting the European Union.  This means that the UK economy will be entering a transitional phase of Post-European Economic Integration; what we called Post-Regional Economic Integration Era.  

To take into account the circumstances in which the UK is in and the probable effects of its positioning on work, our ABCD project will be the sustainable development initiative that will help us to deal with some of the unpredictable situations of this era, at least for the start of the year 2020.

A great deal of our work is as well linked to what is happening and may happen in Africa.  As such we need to look at beyond our lenses and sometimes to speculate about the future or simply the months or even years ahead.  This is why we have identified some challenging trends for a better change in Africa in 2020, the Various Challenges That Africa Faces In 2020 To Change.  Some of them are the usual ones (like poverty); others are new ones (like energy transition).  We have brought these challenges under the same pot in what we call Africa in 2020.

 

=> Africa and CENFACS in the 2020s

 

Africa 2020 is the one which will manage to deal with many of the challenges that poor people are suffering or will suffer from in their daily lives.  This is not about saying that one is undermining some of the big projects like Africa’s Agenda 2063.

For small and poor people, it is their daily problems that can help to make those giant leaps that many are thinking of like an African single market.  What are those daily challenges poor people are facing in 2020.  We could for example include:

=> Insecurity and lack of protection like in the recent event we saw in Burkina Faso where poor and defenceless civilians have been killed without mercy

=> Data poverty: the lack of data (both qualitative and quantitative) about people, people living in poor conditions poses an enormous barrier to the reduction of poverty, to the extent there is a bridge gap in data

=> Demographics: the population of the poor people continues to grow, however the distribution of income towards this population is not growing accordingly, as well as there is a problem of long-term economic growth to support this population trend

=> Life-threatening impacts of climate change and changing climate: Like anybody else, poor people are trying to be resilient to the distributional negative effects of climate change and changing climate; but they have very limited choices in what they can do to adapt and mitigate these impacts or effects in their daily lives

=> The relationships between political democratisation and poverty reduction or between political democratisation and sustainable development: even in countries that have already embraced political democratisation processes, it is difficult to spot some clear signs of an improvement of these relationships 

=> Environmental challenges notably land degradation, deforestation, biodiversity, loss and extreme vulnerability to climate change.

We can continue to list and discuss a number of challenges that Africa faces in 2020 and in the 2020s.  That is not the point here.  What is important is to expect Africa to improve on the reduction of poverty and in tackling these challenges. 

If anyone wants to discuss the challenges that Africa faces in 2020 and the 2020s, they can contact CENFACS’ be.Africa, which is a forum for discussions, ideas and actions on matters pertaining to Africa.  

 

 

 

 

The New Year’s Main Developments

 

• CENFACS’ 2019 Year in Review

 

CENFACS’ Year in Review tells a story of poverty relief and sustainable development in 2019 in our own words and numbers on a monthly-based development calendar.  It shines a light into CENFACS’ work over the last twelve months from the 1st of January to the 31^st of December 2019.  It is presented to you as an informal summary of voted initiatives that made 2019.  We have deliberately chosen to omit pictures and images in the presentation of this factual review.  The selected initiatives are the ones that had the most votes in terms of their influence on work in general.

   

2019: A Year in Review

 

We started together 2019 with anti-pollution consumption as a focus of our Consume to Reduce Poverty project.   As some of you (our users) were experienced IT and online security issues; we stepped up our digital and social media campaign to help overcome these issues.  Getting accurate data (both quantitative and qualitative) about people living in poverty in Africa is still a challenge.  Thanks to the help of supporters, we asked and searched for new forms of data in the context of our children project known as African Children, Climate and Sustainable Development Goals (or Generation Global Goals).

2019 was not an easier one for some parts of Africa making our area of work.  As natural disasters struck in places like Central African Republic, we were able together to appeal for the reduction of the impacts of torrential rains in that country. 

 

2019 as a “Quadranscentennial” or “Q” Year

Some of you know that every year we dedicate the year in course to a particular theme or remembrance.  2019 did not miss this CENFACS tradition.  2019 was indeed dedicated as a “Q” year, as an historical year of the legacy of CENFACS for the 25 years of the existence of the idea of CENFACS.  To mark this legacy, we set up a “Q” project to deliver all the aspects, activities and plans for it.

 

2019 as an electoral and electioneering year in Africa

A quite significant number of countries held elections in Africa, with some hopes that these elections would further up poverty reduction work.   Having watched what was happening in countries like Algeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in terms of fragile democratic processes with a risk of social backlash, we launched together an appeal so that peace and wisdom could prevail in these political liberalisation processes or democratic transitions in these countries so that poor people were not left behind.

 

2019 as of the need for a multi-dimensional protection

The issue of protection resurfaced in 2019 in various forms and shapes at many places for those living in poverty and having hardships.  To respond to this remerging phenomenon, together we featured it and raised awareness about it, particularly but not exclusively for women and children living in places of wars and natural disasters such as in Congo-Brazzaville (where women were raped during wars) and in Togo (where children faced the challenge of getting safe drinking water). 

2019 was as well a year of insecurity and displacement for poor and defenceless people in Africa in countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.  And this insecure situation continues as we write this review.  As a result, we expanded our advocacy to include the protection of the hungry and insecure people in these parts of Africa (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger).  To express our solidarity with them, together we launched the 3-frontier area appeal; so lighting a blaze of hope that sent a message to them that they are not alone.

We continued our fight for protection by following the global climate talks which were held in Madrid this December 2019.   We did it through Climate Protection and Stake for African Children, the 3^rd phase of our Climate Talks Follow up project. 

 

2019 as a year of uncertainty and of wait-until-they-decide

Uncertain and transitional times like of exiting economies until they decide, require bold action against poverty and hardships.  That is why we undertook to create and innovate ways of dealing with poverty and hardships differently.  During this kind of times, one needed to be a bit innovative to help reduce poverty.  Our project design and art for poverty relief and sustainable development was also instrumental in finding those ingenious imaginations of expressing our skills and pushing poverty away from our users in these difficult times.

 

2019 as a year of changing climate and of life-threatening impacts of climate change

In a year through which the climate continued to change, our perception of happiness could be affected as well.  This led us to make humanitarian appeal to Africa in a changing climate.  Appealing for happiness for the victims of Ebola virus in the DRC was one of the health-enhancing ways to respond to changing climate.

In the context of life-threatening impacts of climate change, it is difficult to do poverty relief work as usual.  We had to adapt our Autumn Fresh Start Help so that we could meet the needs of the community in this particular context.

Besides these particularities or features of the year 2019, we did as well carry out other works.  Amongst these works, there was our finances resource.  Indeed, not all our users felt confident in dealing with their finances in difficult times of economic uncertainty.  So, providing them with the financial information and skills helped to empower them with financial skills and knowledge. 

Furthermore, there are always lots of expectations on what transitional democracy can achieve for people, especially for the poor ones.  Our summer festival of thoughts gave us an opportunity to test the ideals or capacity of transitional democracy to transform poor people’s lives in Africa. 

Poverty is not reduced at the same level, rate, speed and pace everywhere.  There is a problem of reduction in quantity and quality between different places and different people.  In this respect, together we argued to make these inequalities of poverty reduction disappear. 

However, to be able to effectively and efficiently reduce poverty and hardships, it requires not only descriptive or generic skills and knowledge, but also analytical tools, techniques and methods.  This is why we put together CENFACS’ Analytics Dashboard to assist us and our Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs).  Thanks to our volunteers, we were able to imporve CENFACS’ Analytics Dashboard; so creating an additional impactful way of working together with our users and ASOs.

We convened our Development Day as usual.  Thanks to the support that we received including space to hold it, we were able to give back to the community in the forms of re-communicating our anti-poverty message, interaction with the members of the public about our work and by giving away clothes to support other deserving causes and those in need of clothes in the community.

At the heart of all our campaigns, projects and programmes; there is an unforgettable piece, which is an underlying poverty-relieving value.  So, examining how this value is created and distributed is important for us.  This importance of poverty-relieving value has led us to look at together the extent to which micro-industrial activities by ASOs could help to integrate the voluntary economy into regional value chains. 

Our poverty relief action did not stop there.  Indeed, everybody seems to agree to enable poor people and organisations to meet the climate goals, there could be a need to invest in climate projects.  However, many of our African associates do not simply have the capacity to absorb a certain level of climate investment.  To support these organisations lacking this kind of capacity or having a weak capacity in the matter, we advocated together for the development of capacity for absorbing climate investment.  In doing so, the goals and targets set through this investment could be well reached.      

We can conclude that at the start of 2019, we dedicated 2019 as a “Q” year.  While keeping it “quadranscentennial”; throughout and in the end 2019 seemed to reveal many features: a year of uncertainty, of life-threatening impacts of climate change, of changing climate, of multi-dimensional protection, of wait-and-see economic exit factors, etc.

Despite this range of exogenous factors, we tried to keep 2019 as a “Q” year as possible as we could while responding to the needs of users in the proportion of these exogenous factors.  Briefly, we stayed focused and resilient to our chief goal for the year 2019 and managed to deliver on what we planned together despite these external conditions.    

We could only do it, thanks to the many supports we received.   Therefore, we would like to say thank you to all our Year 2019 Makers and Enablers!

 

• The New Year’s and Next Issue of FACS (The 66^th Issue)

 

Energy for the Poor –

How to meet poor people’s sustainable energy needs in a changing climate

Until recently, it was easy for the poor people, especially for those living in rural areas where there is forest to get woods or buy coal and create fire for cooking or heating their homes or for just catering for other energy needs. 

Today, because of the global obligations or demands of reducing the greenhouse gas emissions; even a small community of the world that emits only a tiny fraction of carbon emissions has been appealed to make an effort to reduce the adverse impacts of climate change through for example the use of energy from renewable sources as well as promote energy efficiency and conservation.  

Everybody has been asked to use renewables (such as solar, winds, geothermal, biomass, hydroelectric, etc.) instead of using fossil fuels (like oil, coal and gas).  This demand is to such an extent that people have been sometimes forced or expected to transit to non-polluting or inexhaustible energy.  Yet, some of these people are already using renewable energy or even renewable energy is their way of life.

This could mean their energy needs have to be met in a different way in a new setting of changing climate and life-threatening impacts of climate change.  This new setting puts further pressure on finding the means, especially financial and infrastructural, if this type of energy and transition are beyond their earning power. 

So, the 66^th Issue of FACS will deal with the way in which those needs of energy, especially the pressing and acute ones, can be satisfied in the context of non-polluting environment.  In other words, the Issue will take us to the thorny debate over energy transition that poor people also are part of.  The Issue goes far in considering that energy is more than just a market product or service that has a price and cost.  It is as well a way of living or culture. Therefore, transiting to a new method of energy consumption could mean as well changing someone his/her way of living.

This is a short presentation of the 66^th Issue of FACS.  To enquire or place an order about or even to get further details about this 66^th Issue of FACS, 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 as a New Year’s resolution.

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 in the New Year and New Decade as well.

With many thanks.

 

 

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

23 December 2019

 

Post No. 123

 

 

Festive Week’s Contents

 

• Festive Season’s Arrangement

• Peace, Hope and Charity e-Store

• Thanking Year 2019 Makers and Enablers

 

 

… and much more!

 

 

 

 

Key Festive Messages

 

~ Festive Season’s Arrangement

 

The following is the arrangement we have made for the remaining days of 2019.

 

=> Queries and enquiries

 

During the Festive holidays, we will only handle online queries and enquiries until the 7th of January 2020.  However, our Winter e-discussion on Volunteering for the 2020s is still on until the 5th of January 2020 as planned.

 

=> Festive Donations

 

Our Festive campaigns highlight not only the projects and activities that are related to CENFACS’ demand, but also and mostly the needs of those living in poverty around this time of the year.

Those who want to donate to our fundraising campaigns and projects (such as Gifts of Peace and End-of-Year 2019 Support), they are welcome to do so. 

With their festive support or donations, these will help bring a Blaze of Hope and Peace to those in need.

As well as donating, there are other ways one can support from giving their say to CENFACS’ incoming 2020s programme to visiting our online store for shopping and or donating goods.

All the above initiatives can create magical reliefs during this Festive Season.

 

=> Season of Light

 

Our Season of Light continues as planned.  However, some of our services and activities (such as advice-giving, advocacy etc.) as well as development campaigns are scaled down around this period until the above mentioned return date.

 

=> What’s on for the rest of December 2019

 

For those who want to get a further picture about what has been happening at CENFACS during the remaining days of December 2019, we recommend them to read our three last posts on the Blog page of this site.

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

 

=> Emergency and exceptions

 

In case of emergency or exceptional circumstances, please do not hesitate to text/phone; we will respond to your text/phone as soon as we can. 

We apologize for any inconvenience or upset this may cause. 

We thank you all for your invaluable and sustained support during 2019 and look forward to your continued and further support in the New Year and New Decade.

We wish you a Very Happy and Peaceful Festive Season!

 

 

 

 

~ Peace, Hope and Charity e-Store

 

=> Peace and Hope

 

Our celebratory theme for the Season’s Reliefs is Peace and continues to be alive to the end of this season.Our theme for the Season of Light is Hope and is still featuring what have planned to achieve over this season.   

 

=> Charity e-Store

 

CENFACS’ Charity e-Store is opened like any online shop during the festive period for either to shop or donate goods.

Every time you shop or donate goods at CENFACS’ Charity e-Store, you make a helpful difference to people in need over this festive time and beyond it.  

The above are the Season’s Triple Reliefs.  We can only help reduce and possibly end poverty if you help us to do so.   And this time of the year is a unique opportunity for you once a year to change lives through your invaluable support however small it may be.  Please, don’t miss this marvellous end-of-year opportunity!

 

 

Extra Festive Messages

 

~ Festive Income Boost, All year round projects and The CENFACS Community

 

=> Festive Income Boost

 

For children, young people and families in need on whose behalf we relentlessly advocate, we can expect that they have managed to generate some little extras incomes they need to cover the extra expenses of the Season’s financial pressures.  More importantly than anything else, they will manage to exercise their right to decent and deserving festive celebrations.

 

=> All year round projects

 

As our all year-round projects (i.e. Play, Run and Vote for poverty relief and development) come to a close, we would like to take this opportunity to thank those who responded to our call for Action-Results 2019.

 

=> The CENFACS Community

 

We would like as well to express our gratitude to those who replied to the Community Value Chains, the CENFACS Community, by adding their talents and skills to our register.

 

 

 

Main Festive Development

 

• Thanking Year 2019 Makers and Enablers

 

The work and produce of CENFACS are collective endeavour.  The end of the year gives us an opportunity of the many to thank all those who directly and indirectly contributed to the year 2019, either as year maker or enabler or even both.

Perhaps, the best way of thanking could be to do it individually by naming every contributor.  There could be a risk of forgetting some supporters.  To avoid this risk, we are thanking them collectively although we may have mentioned here and there some names. 

Year 2019 has been an amazing one for CENFACS, thanks to the contribution of various individuals and organisations. In particular, we would like to mention the following contributors: users, volunteers, web readers and commentators, web reviewers, local people and families, Africa-based Sister Organisations, charitable organisations, non-governmental organisations, community groups, third sector organisations, recycling organisations, individuals etc.

Year 2019 will remain the one we remembered and acknowledged the 25 years of existence of this idea of CENFACS since its creation in 1994.  We called it a “Quadranscentennial” or “Q” Year.  During this year, we tried as much as we can to remember the work we did in order to help reduce poverty, as well the support we received during this year.

Year 2019 has been for us of digital, social media and online technology support as well.  This is an additional type of support that we already mentioned in our last year thank-you message.  We would like to repeat it this year without undermining the other valuable and traditional sources of support we normally receive.  We would like to thank, in particular but not exclusively WordPress.com, Easily.uk and Twitter.com. 

WordPress.com, Easily.uk and Twitter.com with their platforms have continued to give us as a charity a tremendous opportunity and learning experience to engage the public and other supporters as well as to enable us to re-communicate our anti-poverty messages and undertake our work on sustainable development.

Small charitable organisations do not always have the financial means to put their messages across.  Having the possibility of using free or sometimes affordable means of communications can enormously impact the work of these charities.   Free or cheap is not always poor quality or option, just as heavily paid option is not always the best one.  All depends on what you get and what it achieves.

This year, we would like to extend our gratitude to other living things.  To advocate for the peaceful relationship with the nature, the preservation of the biodiversity, the reduction of adverse impacts of climate change, the protection of endangered species of the fauna and flora and so on; we had to use images and pictures from the flora and fauna.  We would like to say thank you to those beautiful creatures of the nature that helped us to put our messages across.

To sum up, we are using the opportunity of the end of year to thank all those who made and enabled the year 2019 work for CENFACS, its beneficiaries and other deserving causes related to ours.

We would like to express all our feelings of thank you and best wishes of the Season’s Greetings to all our year 2019 Makers and Enablers.

 

Help CENFACS keep the Poverty Relief work going this festive season.

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.

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 in the New Year and New Decade as well.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

18 December 2019

 

Post No. 122

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Festive Trends

• Season of Light: Starts 21 December 2019

• Festive Gifting

 

… and much, much more!

 

 

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ Festive Trends –

December and End of Autumn 2019 Updates and Trends

 

The following updates and trends cover three initiatives: All in Development Winter e-Discussion, Gifts of Peace and Community Value Chains.

 

=> All in Development Winter e-Discussion

 

All in Development Winter e-Discussion is currently trending as planned amongst CENFACS’ December products and services.  This e-Discussion is in its second week.   So far, the items e-discussed are the poverty relief and sustainable development landscapes in 2020 and 2020s, low carbon energy markets in the coming years and progress in the implementation of Africa’s Agenda 2063.

To e-discuss volunteers’ matters related to the 2020s, contact CENFACS.

 

= > Gifts of Peace

 

Our Wintry fundraising appeal, known as Gifts of Peace, has now been launched. and is trending over this Season’s Reliefs.  If you are looking for fundraising appeals or projects to fund as festive gifts over this festive time, Gifts of Peace are something valuable you could consider.

To enquiry about and or fund Gifts of Peace, just contact CENFACS.

 

= > Community Value Chains, the CENFACS Community –

Festive celebration: CENFACS as a “Quadranscentennial” (“Q”) Community

 

Community Value Chains, the CENFACS Community’s festive celebration as a “Q” Community, is being prepared and trended.  As part of this preparation, we are as well doing an inventory of skills and are registering the talents and skills of the CENFACS Community. 

If you have not yet registered your skills to CENFACS’ Skills Data Bank, this is the opportunity to do it over this festive period.

To register or add your skills to the CENFACS Community’s skills register or database, just contact CENFACS.    

 

~ Season of Light: Starts 21 December 2019

 

Autumn Fresh Start to the Season of Light

The Autumn season officially ends this week.  The momentum we built from the beginning and throughout of Autumn Fresh Start season continues to galvanise our poverty relief action and is taking our relief journey into the Season of Light, which will start on the 21^st of December this week.

This week is thus the end of Autumn Fresh Start projects and programmes, and the beginning of the Season of Light; season during which we light up a Blaze of Hope for people and communities suffering from the effects and impacts of destructive wars and natural disasters in Africa. 

The Lights Appeal is the project that features the Season of Light, while the Gifts of Peace keep on giving the Festive Season.  At CENFACS the theme for the Season of Light is Hope which we try to bring through a Blaze, while the theme for the Festive Season’s Reliefs is Peace.

Under the Main Developments section of this post, there is more information about the Season of Light.

 

 

~ Festive Gifting

 

As part of the season of gifts, we are asking supporters to go extra mile in responding in these two fundraising appeals which are: Festive Gift Set and End-of-year Support.

 

=> Festive Gift Set

 

The remaining 13 days of this year starting from today are those of the last legacy of the Year 2019 as a “Q” Year at CENFACS.  To mark the end of and the Closing Act of our “Q” Year and Campaign, we are appealing to you to support of CENFACS’ year 2019 through a “Quadranscentennial” (“Q”) Gift.  Such a gift will help to knowledge the work of CENFACS since 1994 and keep its momentum over the festive period while carrying us in the New Year and new decade.

With the “Q” Gift plus the Gift of Light plus the Gift of Peace; the three of them give you a Gift Set of £5 or more.  The “Q” Gift represents the 25-year of poverty relief work and bond with poor people.  The Gift of Light symbolises hope for the victims of wars and natural disasters.  The Gifts of Peace creates long lasting relationships of a world without conflicts with other humans and the nature. 

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

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

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

 

 

=> End-of-year Support

 

As 2019 is coming to an end, we would like to ask you to donate as a legacy towards CENFACS’ efforts to help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

You can donate to support CENFACS’ anti-poverty message and to help reduce poverty and hardships this festive season and in the New Year. 

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

as a legacy for CENFACS’ work

Please make an end-of-year contribution today to help us continue to deliver the work of CENFACS in 2020 and the new decade.

This End-of-year Support is an inclusive relief sending a never-ending message from the giver that they are part of what we have achieved in 2019 and will do in the coming year and decade.

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

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ Climate Talks Follow-up project: Feedback

Climate Protection and Stake for African Children – Phase 3 with Madrid Makes It Work as a Working Theme

 

Our advocacy to make climate talks (like the COP25 Madrid) work for children continues despite the Madrid talks did not deliver to our key demand and many of the elements of CENFACS’ Compendium of Climate Advocacy.

The aim of the Madrid negotiations was to finalise the rule book for the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.  However, Madrid has been a missing opportunity for the protection and stake for children and future generations. 

Although the agreement reached amongst countries at COP25 failed to create the rules for trading carbon emissions credits and help developing countries to pay for climate damages; we will continue to follow up these negotiations in the New Year.

We will particularly monitor the following talking and stumbling points:

√ Article 6 of the Paris climate accord; article that governs international carbon markets

√ The need for international financing mechanisms for developing countries to deal with climate change

√ The mechanisms for financing climate change reduction in developing countries

√ The creation of a market-based system to preserve nature

√ The system for paying for climate-linked disasters

√ Inequalities in the mechanisms for financing climate change reduction

√ Financial mobilization to respond to climate impacts in vulnerable countries and for vulnerable children

 

We will also observe how the disagreements between climate vulnerable and emerging nations, and between rich polluters and developing countries will be resolved on pending issues such as the slashing of greenhouse emissions, the payment for loss and damage, climate emergency compensation, the double counting of climate emergency etc.

We will particularly check how the above mentioned points and issues will help in protecting children.

We will follow the next rounds of the United Nations climate negotiations scheduled in Bonn (Germany) in June and at the COP26 in Glasgow in 2020. 

One could hope that new climate pledges (made about curbing greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris climate agreement) will be respected by then.

One could also hope that you will continue to support CENFACS’ Climate Talks Follow-up project and the current phase (Phase 3) of this project, which is about Taking Climate Protection and Stake for African Children at the Implementation Level.

The details of our next follow-up will be unveiled in the New Year.  

Thank you for your support.

 

 

~ CENFACS Absorption Capacity Checker

 

As part of Capacity Development for Absorbing Climate Investment (CDACI), it is possible to have an organisation’s absorption capacity checked through 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 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 finally helps to retrieve information from CENFACS repository about the resources to help users and supporters.

For more on CENFACS Analytics Dashboard, please contact CENFACS.

 

What is CENFACS’ Absorption Capacity Checker?

It is an instrument of measure that CENFACS can use to verify the level and quality of skills, knowledge, capacity, resources, infrastructures and structures within an organisation that can make it to take up climate investment and utilise it effectively and efficiently, without waste and adversely impacting the natural environment while helping to reduce the negative impacts of climate change.

For further information about CENFACS’ Absorption Capacity Checker, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

~ All year round project: 2019 Verdict

 

The week is finally an occasion to remind the need to report on all year round projects which are:  Play, Run and Vote projects for poverty relief and development.   

Under the Main Developments section of the post, we have provided what those who supported all year round projects need to report or feedback on. 

 

 

 

 

Main Developments

 

• The Lights Season: Starts 21 December 2019

 

The Lights Season at CENFACS kicks off with the theme of Hope as said above.  We are going to deliver this Hope with sustainable lights and energy.  The 2019-2020 Season of Light is a transitional period to a new decade; a decade that will be of the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, of the realisation of the Paris Climate Treaty, and of the continuation of the implementation of Africa’s Agenda 2063.

In the light of the above expected achievements of the next decade, CENFACS will approach 2020 and the 2020s with a set of sustainable energy projects.  We started this approach in January 2019.  Next year, we will deepen our action on this approach. 

So, we will be developing sustainable lights and energy projects to help reduce deforestation and forest degradation while supporting the reduction of poverty induced by deforestation.

 

• • Lights Season and Projects, Sustainable Lights and Green Energy Projects

 

We would like to explain that there should not be confusion between the Lights season and projects on one hand, and sustainable lights and green energy projects on the other. 

Lights projects are appeals made during or after the Season of Light to support the victims of destructive wars and environmental disasters.  They are part of our humanitarian relief programme.

Whereas sustainable lights and energy projects are sustainable development initiatives developed or to be developed in the context of reducing deforestation and forest degradation while addressing the problem of poverty induced by this deforestation and other causes/factors.

Although the two types of projects are separate, they could have a link between them.  For example: when the victims of destructive wars and natural disaster face as well the problem of the use of forest resources to meet their life-sustainable needs of energy for cooking, shelter and clothing. 

 

• • Two themes to bear in mind this Festive Time: Peace and Hope

 

While the theme of Peace will be dominant over the festive celebrations period, the theme of Hope is the overall theme of the Season of Lights.  The theme of Hope is made of notes or pieces of sustainable lights and energy.   In this sense that we can bring a glimmer of hope through sustainable lights and energy over this Wintry season.

The Gifts of Peace are included in the Season of Light.  Peace is the festive theme we choose to spread the joy of Season’s Reliefs to those in need.   We try to help their wishes of poverty relief become true through the Gits of Peace that put a smile on their face with relief notes.

 

• • The Gift of Light that Keeps on Giving this Winter

 

=> A gift of light for every person in need everywhere!

The Lights season is the season we try to bring light or shine light to impoverished lives. We try to bring clarity, brightness to people who need to see clearly and accurately about their life.  It is about helping them see the light of relief so that they can see the world in a new relieved light.

 

=> A gift of light that ignites and sparks the life of those in need! 

This is why we have the Lights project at CENFACS; projects which enable us to bring lights to those in need.  Like the last Winter, this Winter 2019-2020, our Lights projects will focus on two parts or two waves of action: 

1/ post-war and post-natural disaster developments

2/ current and emerging armed conflicts and environmental catastrophes

 

=> A gift of light that helps people to find their own way out poverty with pride!

The Gift of Light is about helping people to help themselves.  By using the light, they can find their own way out poverty and hardships instead of we telling them what do.  They can act with self-esteem and self-respect.  In this respect, the Gift of Light is a blessing of empowerment.

 

=> A Blaze of Hope for post-life following armed conflicts and natural disasters

When there are environmental disasters and armed conflicts, there are pledges and commitments to end the effects of wars and disasters.  For various reasons, some of these pledges do not materialise.  The post-war and post-disaster developments are sometimes left without support even until the conflicts and disasters return and or strike again. 

As we cannot wait the return or repeat of the same wars and disasters, our first Blaze of Hope will go this Winter to the unfinished business of previous destructive wars and natural disasters.

 

=> A Blaze of Hope for the eruption of any armed conflicts and natural disasters

We always advocate for preventive development and we do not seek for destructive events to happen.  However, our preparedness and readiness made us to assemble as quickly as possible advocacy tools should any effects and impacts erupt from wars and natural disasters in Africa. 

So, our second wave of intervention or Blaze of Hope will go this Wintry season to erupted effects of armed conflicts and natural disasters in the areas of our interest in Africa. 

With these two waves of action over this Wintry Season, we hope to enlighten the lives of those in pressing need.

 

=> Examples of areas where a Blaze of Hope may be needed

For this December 2019, we have selected 3 areas that need lighting a Blaze of Hope, which are as follows:

Areas of vulnerable countries affected by torrential rains and cyclones that could cause enormous food insecurity such as Djibouti and the Democratic Republic of Congo

Areas of countries devastated by killing diseases like in North Cameroon with cholera and malaria in DRC

Areas of countries that are the victims of a high level of insecurity such as Burkina Faso and Niger

The selection will help to start our Light advocacy.   And we can count on you for supporting this advocacy.  Thank you!

 

• Run, Play & Vote projects 

 

As we are reaching the end of year 2019, it is now time to report on our three All-year Round Projects –which are Play, Run and Vote. 

We would like our users and supporters to share with us and others their experiences, stories and reports regarding these projects.

 

• • The Action-Results of 2019: Tell it!

 

You can feedback the outcomes or Action-Results of your…

… Run if you ran for poverty relief over the year 2019 (or organised a Run activity)

… Play if you played the CENFACS League for Poverty Relief

… Vote if you have already voted your 2019 African Poverty Relief Manager.

 

Remember!

If you are Playing the CENFACS Poverty Relief League and its sub-project Le Dernier Carrẻ, there are 16 team countries in this Poverty Relief and Development League playing each 32 matches/games each against the other. 

If you are Running for Poverty Relief and Development, you can do it alone or as a group. 

If you are casting your Vote for an International Development and Poverty Relief Manager of 2019, there are few days remaining until the end of the year 2019. 

Whether you are Gaming or Running or even Voting for Poverty Relief and Development, please keep a track record (including the facts, data, videos, audio tapes, reviews and images) of your activities to make and share your story with us and others. 

To do that, you do not need sophisticated technologies or a third party.  With your mobile phone only– if you have one – you can text, record voices, make a video, take pictures, phone and so on to capture and communicate the impacts of any event or activity you did, are doing or taking part by the end of this year. 

We would be more than happier to hear your Action and Results to feature and conclude CENFACS 2019 Year as “Q” Year.  Tell it!

 

• • What or who we want to hear

 

We would like to hear from you about one of the following Three Bests:

• The Best African Countries of 2019 which best reduced poverty
• The Best African Global Games Runners of 2019
• The Best African Development Managers of 2019

If you have not yet told us, have your say by 23 December 2019!  The Verdict is yours!

 

Help CENFACS keep the Poverty Relief work going 

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.

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 2019.

With many thanks.