Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

28 August 2019

Post No. 106

 

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• CENFACS Annual Review 2018/2019

• Trending in Poverty Reduction in a Changing Climate, In Focus from 26/08/2019: Clothes Donation as Poverty Reducer

• All-in-one Feedback (users’ and Supporters’ Experience): Report on Reports

 

…. and much more!

 

 

 

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ CENFACS Annual Review 2018/2019

 

CENFACS Annual Review 2018/2019 is a snapshot of what we did between 1 July 2018 and 30 June 2019.  As it is stated, it is neither a statutory annual report nor an annual return.

It is a summary of the year 2018/2019 in the life of CENFACS that reports back to our supporters, users and other stakeholders the impact we have made; impact through stories, quantitative and qualitative data.  It is as well a performance review and annual review story of our finances.

For more on this review, please read under the Main Developments section of this post.

 

~ Trending in Poverty Reduction in a Changing Climate, In Focus from 26/08/2019: Clothes Donation as Poverty Reducer

 

The last episode in our trending series in poverty reduction in a changing climate is about the impacts that clothes donation can make on poverty reduction.

This trending activity, which is part of our Summer triple pack, deals with unwanted and unneeded clothes donated to good and deserving causes to reduce clothing poverty and other types of poverty related to clothes.

Under the Main Developments section of this post, we have given further details about this serial trending analysis.

 

~ All-in-one Feedback (users’ and Supporters’ Experience): Report on Reports

 

Last month was our Analytics month.  As part of the Analytics month, we asked some of you to report or give some feedback in your words and numbers on the experiences you had about the projects and programmes we delivered in the last financial year.  Some of you responded and others did not.  We would like to thank those who responded.  

After analysing the information you provided and looking back what happened in the last financial year, we would like to share with you some key information from the preliminary findings about your say and our look at last year’s poverty relief work.

The key news we want to share with you are as follows:

<> There will be some changes in our projects starting from Autumn 2019. 

<> We will reinforce our contact and networking platforms

<> Some of the projects will disappear as they have been completed or the need has been met or even they are not any more required. 

<> We will progressively introduce new projects to meet emerging and or unmet needs and demand of the community.  One of them will be a new advocacy which will be about Sustainable Trajectories for the Nature.

<> We will also follow the global trade rounds to support small African traders 

When these changes come into force, we shall let you know. 

However, the main household brand projects making the poverty-relieving pitch at CENFACS will remain.

Please note that the above preliminary news is not the full project and programme reports neither an annual report.

 

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ Summer Triple Pack

 

This pack is made of Track, Trip and Trending.  While we are doing trending the other two elements (Track and Trip) of this pack continue this week.  If you are engaged with the other two, please do not forget to record what you are doing. 

We would like you to share if you can the shareable parts of your track and trip activities in the form of feedback. 

If you have any concern about sharing, please let us know.

 

~ “Quandranscentennial” (Q) Challenge with 25 Life-changing projects to find

 

Our investigative work to find the 25 Life-changing projects within CENFACS continues this week through the Q Challenge; projects that provide the cartography of CENFACS’ poverty reduction work.

All we are asking in this Q Challenge is to search and find 25 Projects that change people’s lives.  Beware, most projects can deliver good outcomes but not all of them do transform or change lives for better ones. 

To take part in this CENFACS Q Challenge, please contact CENFACS.

 

~ Lake Chad Basin Appeal: One Year On, What Happened?

 

Since we launched the Lake Chad Basin Appeal last year, we are reviewing this week the progress that has been made on the grounds regarding this Basin.  Our appeal was about supporting the displaced people around the Lake Chad region as a result of ongoing deadly conflict between armed militancy and predatory armies of the region.

The appeal was not an awareness-raising campaign about poverty, but it was an appeal to do something against poverty and hardships in the Lake Chad Basin.

This week, we are looking at how much has been done so far.

To discuss or share your views about the Lake Chad basin, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

Main Developments

 

• Annual Review 2018/2019

 

• • Activities Review – What Start, What Activities and What End

 

~ What Start

 

This summary covers CENFACS’ financial year 2018-2019, which we started with a July 2018 consultation of our supporters and users about what we did in the last 11 months and two weeks preceding the above financial year. 

While July 2018 consultation was going on, we also held our 7 Days of Development Festival of Thoughts and Actions in July with a focus on the Effects of Trade Tariffs on Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development.  The days provided us the opportunity to think that it was possible to capture the share of gain from tariff to reduce poverty and improve the state of sustainable development.

 

~ What Relief Activities

 

Every year, we dedicate the civil year to a particular theme.  Since 2018 was devoted as a CENFACS’ Local People Year, we ran a Local Year campaign to that effect and most of projects and activities were framed to reflect this feature.

As most of you are aware, CENFACS’ development calendar is made of four seasons:  Summer of Happiness, Autumn Fresh Start, Winter Lights and Spring Relief. 

During the Summer season of Happiness, we normally run Summer programmes which are comprised of two parts: Happiness projects (Part I) and Humanitarian Relief Appeal projects (Part II) for Africa.  We did the same for Summer 2018 as we appealed to the generosity of funders to relieve human suffering in Africa in four areas of children’s needs: child care giving, children’s sustainable development through sport, child poverty, child’s health and well-being, and child protection. 

As to Happiness projects, we provided resources, tools, boosters, and tasters for poverty relief to help multi-dimensionally poor children, young people and families (CYPFs) build the holiday they wanted and enjoy together.  To build on happiness theme, we raised the issue of climate finance and insurance for African children through what we called the financial odyssey.

The issue of happiness concerns not only children.  This is why we launched an appeal to help those who lacked peace, food and water in the region of Lake Chad Basin in Africa.  Since then, displaced persons and the victims of the conflicts in this basin got some peace, and access to food and water.

The end of Summer of Happiness takes us to Autumn of Freshness.  Autumn give us the first act of tracking of our records related to what our users and we did during last Summer.  In Autumn of Freshness 2018, we asked to our users, supporters and ourselves to report on Summer 2019 activities. 

Still in Autumn 2018, we also carried out another appeal to support projects for needy people and organisations.  This second type of appeal covered the following five areas of poverty relief and human development provisioning: infrastructure project, fauna and flora, people and market, hardships after summer holidays, and financial justice.   

What we do as an organisation depends not only on us but also on what happens around us and in the world.  In recent years, mobile money has become a common currency for some people living in poverty in Africa.  Because of that, we raised awareness on the possibility of making the impacts of mobile money and financial digital inclusion on poverty reduction in Africa clearer.  As a result, some our Africa-based organisations working on mobile money schemes started to produce tangible outcomes from these schemes.

As the issue of the adverse effects of climate change continued to be a matter of concern for everybody including our users, we framed our November 2018 Women and Children First Development Day to reflect this. Our development day was dedicated to women, children and the circular economy. 

Without reinventing the wheels, one can agree that there are many ways of relieving poverty and one of them could be through oral tradition.  To test the validity of this way of relieving poverty, we used the universal October Black History Month to research oral history of Africa.  Hence, our theme for 2018 Making Memorable Difference, CENFACS’ October history project, was on Oral History.  It was about how oral history helped to preserve local values, creations, dialects, cultures and customs.  In doing so, alleviating local poverty and enhancing local sustainable development.

As the issue of climate change has always been at the heart of what we do as an organisation and an area of concern for us regarding its impacts on African Children, we continued to follow the global climate talks through our Climate Talks Follow-up project.  In October 2018, we kept advocating a climate stake for the African children through the project CPSAC (Climate Protection and Stake for African Children), Phase 2, with Katowice Implements Paris being our climate advocacy theme. 

Because of the change of the regulatory framework about data protection, we updated the Data Bank of Skills for the CENFACS Community in line with the new General Data Protection Regulations.  The data bank is CENFACS’ repository of information containing the skills of the CENFACS Community. 

We then ended Autumn of Freshness 2018 with the integration of financial literacy skills and digital literacy skills to tackle poverty induced by the lack of these skills and banking eligibility criteria.

Generally, we end the civil year (here 2018) with two types of projects: a project of celebration to end the civil year (2018) and a planning project to prepare the new civil year (2019).  Our project of preparation for the start of 2018 was Winter e-discussion on Volunteering in a New Climate Economy.

To celebrate the end of year 2018, we took our skills project further miles to acknowledge CENFACS as a charitable organisation that is a community of skilled people as well.  As such, we acknowledged our known and hidden individual skills to reduce poverty.  Our individual skills put together become a Community of Skilled People – the CENFACS Community.  We celebrated this distinctive feature of in our project of celebration at the end of 2018. 

These preparation and celebration initiatives helped us to enter Winter Lights season. 

Being an advice-giving organisation, this puts us in a position to know the community’s needs.  We provide advisory help to our project beneficiaries on ways of building and boosting income to reduce income poverty.  This is what we did at the start of Winter Lights. 

Additionally, sharing skills and knowledge on ways of consuming sustainably, responsibly and economically to save the environment and money as well as reducing poverty linked to bad consumption decisions and induced by climate change was part of our work around December 2018 and January 2019 Festive seasons.  The focus was then on anti-pollution consumption.

To highlight the issue of sustainable consumption, the 62^nd Issue of CENFACS’ newsletter (FACS) focused on ways of creating and sustaining agricultural markets for African small scale farmers and farm produce in 2019 and beyond.  While we were trying to deal with agricultural markets, we did not stop to use our new media programme the IT and online security issues to reduce poverty as part our digital and social media campaign.

To mark the Winter Lights season in full swing, we brought and lighted a Blaze of Hope for the Children Victims of Conflicts in the Central African Republic and Region of Africa.  The appeal was aiming at making the Central African Republic a normal place for children to live, grow and stay.

Rebuilding Africa is another area of operation.  As 2019 has been the year of unprecedented elections and democratic transitions we set up a new transitional development programme to work with our Africa-based Sister Organisations in places moving from instability (abnormality) to stability (normality).  As a result, we launched another DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) appeal for sustainable peace, rebuilding infrastructures and lives.

Having seen what was happening in the Central African Republic with children suffering, we advocated for the Halving of Child Poverty by Halving the Number of Children War Victims through the Halving Poverty campaign.  The history of CENFACS’ work for the protection, well-being and welfare of African Children and other children is a long standing one.  You also know that CENFACS is a resilient advocate of the causes of CYPFs in various programmes, projects, processes and settings of development and poverty relief. 

As we saw the pain that children were having in places of war and climate change (like the Central African Republic), we started to search for new forms of data to understand what was happening.  Our ACCSDGs (African Children, Climate and Sustainable Development Goals) or 3G project focused on finding new forms of data to see if the children living in those places were meeting these goals.

The crisis in North Africa continued to make the lives of ordinary North Africans difficult even impossible whilst the pressing needs to reduce poverty were become self-evident, it appeared self-explanatory for us to make a special Spring 2018 appeal for peace in Algeria with hope for a peaceful transition to political democratisation processes.

Since 2019 is the year end of our Twenty-tens Programme (2009-2019), it did make sense to review it and start the conversations about a new programme (that is, the Twenty-twenties programme) for the coming decade.     

April 2019 was dedicated at CENFACS as the Month of Protections as usual.  In this respect, our April 2019 Reflection Day reflected on this dedication by focusing on the Protection of Women and Children in Places of War-torn Zones and Natural Disaster-stricken Areas.  

To keep momentum with our rebuilding work, the theme for our May 2019 project of Development Stories Telling – All in Development Volunteers’ Stories – was about Life-renewing Stories.  Likewise, we kept recalling for the rebuilding of forest protection in the DRC.

 

~ What end

 

Like any other organisation, we create.  We do it all over the year but June is the month we acknowledge our Creations and activities around them.  To put this into practice and perspectives, we ran activities about creation and innovation in the context of economic uncertainty.  Our project of Art and Design for poverty reduction and sustainable development also added value to the creation month.  Centre staging climate issues in our mobilisation campaign – the World Anti-Poverty System or the International System for Poverty Relief – was another addition. 

June 2019 was once more about CENFACS as a sustainable creation together with people making and thriving our community.   Together we thought about ways of Preserving Sustainable Creations.  This last act concluded our financial year 2018-2019.  All in all, we launched four major seasonal fundraising campaigns (in Summer and Autumn 2018, and in Winter and Spring 2019), six humanitarian relief appeals; and we requested two reports (an overall Summer-of-Happiness report covering the first season of CENFACS’ development calendar and an All-in-One feedback covering the entire preceding financial year).   

 

• • Achievements

 

We would be indebted if we end this review without mentioning or adding to the above work carried out these three achievements (historical, digital and analytical):

 

1/ Historical achievement: the celebration of the 25 years of the idea of CENFACS since it was created in 1994; celebration done through the “Quadranscentennial” Project.  The five “Quadranscentennial” Acts that we presented in our previous online communications or posts clearly explain this historical achievement.

 

2/ Digital achievement: Setting up an Online e-charity Store for people to donate goods and shop to help reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.  Although, there is still much to be done to make this e-store fully functioning, it is nevertheless an opportunity to change poor lives for a better one.

 

3/ Analytical achievement: CENFACS’ Analytics Dashboard is a real management tool to help Africa-based organisations to improve on the way they are trying to help reduce poverty.  It is also a supportive control panel that can help them to boost their skills, increase awareness of their work, and win more and better support from funders and grant makers. 

 

• • Performance review

 

In terms of our performance this year, we would like to let you know that our cash funds continue their positive trend.  This year, there has been a decrease in both our receipts and payments reflecting the uncertainty and transition in the economy.  This decrease did not stop us to increase our cash by 22%.  This upwards trend of cash means that we are continuing to meet our key performance targets and indicators.  In this respect, we can point out that our performance is getting better.

 

• • Thank you

 

The work of CENFACS is a collective endeavour that relies upon the voluntary contribution of others, a key to our success.  As such, there is a number of people and organisations who contributed to the realisation of our financial year 2018-2019. 

We would like to indiscriminately acknowledge them.  Without their helpful support, we would not be able to achieve the above.  We are grateful to our volunteers, users, website/blog readers and supporters. 

Furthermore, we would like to acknowledge those who posted their comments and responded to our advocacy appeals and other development campaigns. 

We would like to thank all of them for their unwavering commitment and impactful support for helping us to voice and bring once again our poverty reduction message into the world in development.

Many thanks for making 2018-2019 another deservingly memorable year at CENFACS.

 

• Trending in Poverty Reduction in a Changing Climate, In Focus from 26/08/2019: Clothes Donation as Poverty Reducer

 

Clothes donation goes far beyond the simple giving of clothes which can be given to those in clothing need or to be sold to raise money to reduce poverty and hardships.  Clothes donation can have some implication for other types of poverty as follows.

 

~ Clothes donation and types of poverty

 

Clothes donation can have connotations with

<> Poverty linked to deforestation induced by the production of cotton for the textile industries

<> Poverty created by factories using poor cheap labour and exploiting poor people while paying low wages

<> Clothes poverty gap featured by the seemly extra supply of clothes over their demand, which needs to be resolved through the redistribution of this extra

<> Poverty related to the adverse impacts of climate change  

However, clothes donation should not be seen as an end to poverty reduction.  It is just a way amongst the many ones to help reduce poverty and hardships.

Going beyond the simple relationships between clothes donation and poverty reducer can mean as well considering the changing climate.

 

~ Clothes donation as poverty reducer in a changing climate

 

Our theme of changing climate can apply to clothes donation in its relationship with poverty reduction.  As explained above, clothes donation can help reduce poverty (by giving donated and or selling clothes donated). 

Clothes donation can as well deal with the issue of changing climate.  A changing climate can force humans to cloth differently to suit the weather and health; but also to reduce pressure on the environment by using more raw materials such as cotton.

To follow this trend with CENFACS, please let us know.

 

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.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

21 August 2019

Post No. 105

 

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• TRENDING in Poverty Relief in a Changing Climate: Clothes Donation as Contributor to the Circular Economy 

• “Quadranscentennial” (Q) Challenge with Virtual 4 km RUN to Reduce Poverty in a Changing Climate

• Summer Volunteering TRIPS to the Need in a Changing Climate

 

  …   and much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

Our Summer Triple Pack made of Track, Trip and Trending continues this week.  The key message we would like to get across this Triple Pack is to try to help reduce poverty by undertaking any of these three activities: running, visiting projects and analysing trends.

 

~ Trending in Poverty Reduction in a Changing Climate

 

In Focus from 19/08/2019: Clothes donation as contributor to the circular economy

Our serial trend in poverty reduction in a changing climate is now in its third week.  We are following the direction of poverty reduction by looking at the contribution of clothes donation to the circular economy.

In this follow-up process, we are as well considering the adverse effects of climate change through what we call a changing climate.  Climate change can impact on the donation of clothes made and the contribution of clothes to the circular economy.

More on this element of our Triple Pack, the trend element, can be found in the Main Developments section of this post.

 

~ Q Challenge with Virtual 4 km Run to Reduce Poverty in a Changing Climate

 

CENFACS’ Q Challenge with Virtual 4Km Run continues this week.  You can virtually run or walk from any location you choose.  You can run, jog, or walk on the road, on the trail, on the treadmill, at the gym or on the track (or even at another race).  You can run your own race, at your own pace, and time it yourself.

Virtual Run broadens the scope of our physical activity project of running to reduce poverty.  It brings into our project the running activities carried out in the virtual world or digital and computer worlds or other worlds; activities that may contribute to our efforts in helping to reduce poverty. 

Our focus on physical aspect of the Run project still remains the same including its key spirit, which is of undertaking a basic physical activity of running to help reduce poverty.  However, in real world there are people who would like to do things physically, but for various reasons they may not be able to do so.  Because of that, there is an alternative to do it virtually with CENFACS. 

All we are asking in this Q Challenge is to complete 4 Km Run wherever you want to do them.  Before doing it, please let CENFACS know.

For further details and to inform us about your virtual Run, refer to the notes under the Main Development section of this post.

 

~ Summer TRIPS to volunteer for needy people and communities

 

These are the kinds of experiences we expect people to do over the Summer period especially for those who want to spend their Summer time differently, particularly but not exclusively, by doing something about poverty.  These experiences include field service activities carried out when visiting a project and which people can report their findings. 

We recommend this type of experiences under our volunteering scheme known as All in Development Volunteers Scheme(AiDVS).   Under CENFACS’ AiDV Scheme, one can take seasonal opportunities like of Summer to volunteer or do some internship on poverty relief and sustainable development. 

Where the person decides to go far away to visit needy communities or volunteer to our Africa-based projects, CENFACS would facilitate and liaise with its Africa-based Sister Organisations where the projects are based to smooth the volunteering process or visits to the projects under mutually agreed arrangements and conditions.

For details about AiDVS, contact CENFACS.  If you have visited or volunteered for projects recently and would like to share with us your experience, please contact us as well.

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ “Quandranscentennial” (Q) Challenge with 25 Trends to Identify

 

Our investigative work to find the 25 trends of CENFACS continues this week through the Q Challenge; trends that provide the cartography of CENFACS’ poverty reduction work.

All we are asking in this Q Challenge is to complete to search and find 25 Trends that made CENFACS an organisation it is today.  To take part in this CENEFACS Q Challenge, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

~ 2019 Climate Talks Follow-up with Taking Climate Protection and Stake for African Children at the Implementation level: Santiago Makes It Work

 

TCPSACI (Taking Climate Protection and Stake for African Children at the Implementation level) or Climate Protection and Stake for African Children (CPSAC) – Phase 3 has already started by our preparation to follow the Climate Talks to be held in Santiago (Chile) at the 25th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 25) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is expected to take place from 11 to 22 November 2019.  Therefore, our next climate talks follow up is Santiago Makes It Work.

Santiago Makes It Work will look at how previously agreed measures will help to protect children especially when reporting and verifying emissions-cutting efforts. 

Our position is explained by the fact that there is still a missing element which is stepping up targets on child protection in relation to cutting emissions.

One can hope that when the United Nations will meet in Santiago (Chile) in November 2019, this will be an opportunity to sort out the final elements of the Paris rule book and begin work on future emissions targets.  In doing so, this will provide us some clarity about climate protection and stake for children.

TCPSACI or CPSAC – Phase 3 will also help us to prepare for the United Nations Climate Summit, which is scheduled for 23 September 2019.

As the agendas for COP25 and the UN Climate Summit will become clear, we shall release further information about our advocacy work on both events; work which includes TCPSACI or CPSAC – Phase 3 and the Follow up of the Climate Summit.  In meantime, we are doing our preparation for these follow ups.

 

 

 

 

~ The Great Beasts Campaign

 

As the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) is currently evaluating regulations and species protection listings at its Summit in Geneva, we are resuming our campaign work to protect endangered species while keeping an eye on this Summit of the Sixth Mass Extinction. 

We are doing it through the Great Beasts campaign (GBC) which extends of Big Cats campaign, cats being part of beasts. The GBC campaign aims at helping to protect endangered species such as African elephants, rhinoceros form extinction and exploitation.   Although the GBC will last until the end of the CITES Summit (on 29/08/2019), it will not stop at this date.  It will be resumed when we start our a la une (Autumn Leaves of Action for the Upkeep of the Nature in Existence) campaign this coming Autumn.

For further about the Great Beasts campaign, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

 

Main Developments

 

• Trending in Poverty Reduction in a Changing Climate

 

In Focus from 19/08/2019: Clothes donation as contributor to the circular economy

 

Clothes donation can have a good effect on the circular economy in many ways.  However, what do we mean by circular economy?

 

~ What is a circular economy?

 

There are many circular economy schools of thought and definitions of circular economy.  For the purpose of our development day, we are going to borrow the definition of circular economy from Ellen McArthur Foundation (1) which defines it in these following terms.

‘Looking beyond the current take-make-dispose extractive industrial model, a circular economy aims to redefine growth, focusing on positive society-wide benefits. It entails gradually decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources, and designing waste out of the system. Underpinned by a transition to renewable energy sources, the circular model builds economic, natural, and social capital. It is based on three principles: a) Design out waste and pollution b) Keep products and materials in use c) Regenerate natural systems.’

This definition can be extended to family life and framework where those making this family use clothes or garment and textiles.  Because our trend analysis is about people and among them women/mothers and children, let’s say where women or mothers and children are concerned;  their involvement is in their handling or customizing the above three principles.  In other words, in terms of family settings, we/they will be trying to think how they can design out waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use such as clothes, and help regenerate natural systems in their ways of dealing with natural resources. 

Our preliminary interest is on these people and their adaption to the principles of the circular economic model and their transition to this model.  Our main interest is on the contribution of clothes donation to the circular economy. 

 

~ How clothes donation can contribute to the circular economy

 

The donation of clothes to good and deserving causes can contribute not only to the maintenance of these causes, but also to the circular economic model.  There are many works that demonstrate this contributing or causal relationship between clothes donation and circular economy.

Here below are some of the contributions we found:

 

√ Prolong the life of clothes and materials made of

√ Reduce consumption of clothes

√ Help the circular textiles value chains

√ Promote circularity generally

√ Reduce the consumption of raw materials

√ Extend life cycles of clothes

√ Create revenue stream

√ Decrease waste

√ Maintain the value of fibre materials in circular

Etc

 

From the above, it is worthwhile mention the role of clothes donors, collectors and sorters in making this contribution happens.  It is as well useful it insert the climate change dimension in the it affects the use clothes are stocked, used and recycled.

 

~ Clothes donation in a changing climate

 

In recent years, there has been continuous change in the climate with repeated high temperatures in many places of the world.  This changing pattern of climate can affect the stock and use of clothes that one can keep to meet their clothing and climate needs.

This could mean destocking and donating unneeded clothes in a particular climate where one’s is located.  It could also suggest the same clothes are needed for all weathers and seasons.  Clothes can be sent to places that are mostly needed for a typical weather variation.

As stock costs to run, unneeded clothes can be donated to be recycled or reused in the current situation since the world is undergoing a situation of clothes supply is greater than their demand.

So, donating clothes can help to deal with clothes supply and demand in a changing climate.

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

 

(1) https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/concept (accessed on 09/11/2018)

 

• Q Challenge with Virtual 4 km Run to Reduce Poverty in a Changing Climate

 

CENFACS’ Run to Reduce Poverty is a physical activity project that aims at improving physical activity and mental health and well-being of the participants while helping to reduce poverty.   However, for various reasons they are people who would like to support the relief efforts about poverty through run, but they may not be able to do it if the only way of doing it is through physical activity. 

These people who may be experiencing handicap to do physical activity of running to help reduce poverty could include the following:

√ People/parents caring for very young children

√ Pregnant women

√ Elderly people

√ Disable people

√ Those who are not physically fit or mobile to run

√ Those who do not have opportunity to physically run

 

Under certain conditions and circumstances, we can also consider those who use outdoor and indoor fitness equipment to virtually run.

For these deprived-to-physically-run people, they can virtually run to help reduce poverty with CENFACS.  If you are organising this kind of virtual activity or event, let us know.  It is also better to advise us that the people participating in the virtual run are the physically deprived ones we listed above or they have a serious handicap prohibiting them to undertake any physical engagement.  

Whether it is physical or virtual, Run to Reduce Poverty should be done by considering climate change factor.  There is a need to take into account the changing pattern of climate which may or may not influence where one chooses to carry out their running activity.

Rising temperatures and sea levels, forest fires, disproportionate floods, repetitive droughts, cyclones etc remind us that everywhere we do our run activity, we should include climate factor.  Climate change is not any more an exceptional phenomena, but it has become a common living pattern within the human system of living and working.

So, running to reduce poverty could be well done when a climate change dimension is part of it.  It is in this way the runners of poverty reduction will be also aware of changing climate and be climate advocates.  They can make sure that their run activity does not adversely the health of the environment (such as not to increase carbon foot print through running activity).

All we are asking in this Q Challenge is to complete 4 Km Run wherever you want to do them.  Before doing it, please let CENFACS knows.

 

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.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

14 August 2019

Post No. 104

 

 

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• FACS, Issue No. 64: Inequalities of Poverty Reduction in Africa – Make them disappear

• Trending in Poverty Reduction in a Changing Climate, In Focus from 12/08/2019: Contribution of Clothes and Clothing Industry to Poverty Reduction

• Quadranscentennial Year and Project – In Focus on 19/08/2019: CENFACS as a Model of Working, Building and Sustaining Together

 

… and much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

The top content of this week’s post is Inequalities of Poverty Reduction in Africa. This top content makes the 64^th Issue of FACS, CENFACS’ bilingual newsletter.

 

~ FACS, Issue No. 64: Inequalities of Poverty Reduction in Africa – Make them disappear

 

The 64^th Issue is organised in two parts.  The first part treats Inequalities of Poverty Reduction (IPR) related to each type of poverty; poverty defined in a generic term.  These types of poverty relate to income, consumption, work, health, energy, shelter, education, freedom etc.  These are the kinds of poverty that can be measured with metrics (such as international income poverty line).

The second part looks at IPR faced by poor or groups of people or communities such as children, women, ethnic minority groups, the elderly and disable people.   These groups are amongst the most vulnerable in many societies including of Africa.

As usual, we have our two pages (5 & 6) in French.  Page 5 gives a kind of digest of the 64^th Issue in French as it condenses what is said in English by retelling it in French in a few words.  Page 6 speaks about the challenge that democratic transitions in Africa have in overcoming IPR.

Our coverage of the 64^th Issue also includes the discussions and planning of the 2020s Programme and ends with a sustainable initiative to help address IPR.   

Besides these introductory notes to the Issue, key summaries of the pages making the 64^th  Issue of FACS, which can be found under the Main Developments section of this post, shade more lights about this lead content.

 

~ Trending in Poverty Reduction in a Changing Climate

 

In Focus from 12/08/2019: Contribution of Clothes and Clothing Industry to Poverty Reduction

Our serial trend in poverty reduction in a changing climate is now in its second week.  We are looking at the contribution of clothes, textile and clothing industries to poverty reduction.

Garment or textile and their industries contribute to the alleviation of poverty.  Clothes and their industries can provide the following benefits related to poverty reduction:

√ Raise incomes for those working in the clothing industry

√ Create job opportunities for poor people

√ Increase consumer demand for goods and services produced by the textile industry

√ Reduce the price of clothes

√ Increase clothes supply

√ Support child education

Etc.

 

The above benefits are happening.  However, we found in this trending there are stories of some clothes producers or makers who did or exploit cheap labour including child labour and trafficking.  These practices do not have their place in this world as clothes makers and producers should respect workers’ human rights.

As the world is experiencing a changing climate with sometimes huge variations and records in temperatures in some places, we are as well following the direction of clothing industry in making clothes to help people adapt and mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change.   

So, we are continuing in following the direction of clothes is developing or changing the reduction of poverty in a changing climate. 

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

 

 

~ “Quadranscentennial” Year and Project – In Focus on 19/08/2019: CENFACS as a Model of Working, Building and Sustaining Together

 

Our presentation of the Acts making the “Quadranscentennial” (Q) Year and Project continues this month after reviewing the preceding Acts (Acts 1, 2, 3 and 4). 

The final Act of this Q Project and Year is CENFACS as a Model of Working, Building and Sustaining Together with Local People.  It is the Togetherness Act (Act No. 5)

Under the Main Developments section of this post, we have presented the 5^th Act of the Q Year and Project.

 

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ Online TRACK to CENFACS e-charity Summer Shop Summer goods donations and buys

 

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

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

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

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

 

~ Trips for field research

 

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

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

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

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

 

 

 

 

~ Q Challenge with Virtual 4 km Run to Reduce Poverty

 

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

All we are asking in this Q Challenge is to complete 4 Km Run wherever you want to do them.  Before doing it, please let CENFACS knows.

 

 

 

 

Main Developments

 

• FACS, Issue No. 64: Inequalities of Poverty Reduction in Africa – Make them disappear  >  Key Summaries

 

• • General summary

 

What the 64^th Issue of FACS is about (page 2)

 

It is about dealing with inequalities of poverty reduction.  To understand what is at stake in this Issue, it is better to explain the concepts we are using although one may have their own understanding of them.

We are using the definition of economic inequality as given by the Equality Trust (1) on their website on How is Economic Inequality defined?

They make the difference between poverty and inequality.  They argue that poverty is both absolute and relative term while inequality is always a relative term.

The Trust defines inequality as

 “the difference between levels of living standards, income etc, across the whole economic distribution”.

As to poverty reduction, from the literature review we had we can argue that it is a set of measures having the objectives of tackling current and future poverty, of lifting as many poor people as possible out of poverty including those in chronic poverty, and of tackling the causes of poverty and their symptoms.

The Issue deals with the difference levels of reducing the lack of means of surviving and the lack of physical means of living and improving one’s life.

The 64^th Issue deals with poverty as lack of choice or capability as defined by Amartya Sen (2).  From the perspective of this Issue, poverty also includes deprivation in health, education, nutrition, security, empowerment, dignity and vulnerability.

The Issue does not deal with voluntary poverty for those who make the vow of poverty.   

By arguing about the Inequalities of poverty reduction, our approach is to distance ourselves from approaches that use the theme of inequality in order to justify the status quo to protect their privilege, social status and rent seeking behaviour. 

It is about approaching inequality against what Stiglitz (3) argues in the preface of his book entitled “the Price of Inequality” when discussing inequality in the USA.  He talks about “the flawed economic theories and ideology that manage to exacerbate inequality” (p. xxvii).

Our approach is finally echoing what Wilkinson and Pickett (4) think when they argue that

“In [poor countries] a more equal distribution of resources will mean fewer people will be living in shanty towns, with dirty water and food insecurity, or trying to scrape a living from inadequate land-holdings” (p.30)  

As our Issue is about Africa, we can add that inequalities of poverty reduction are expressed by qualitative and quantitative data.  The Brookings (5) website gives the following data as it argues that

“Today, four countries already have poverty rates of below 3 percent: Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Mauritius and Seychelles….While the absolute numbers of poor will increase by some 20 million in Nigeria and by almost 2 million in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)”.

Although the first four countries are small ones compared to the other two ones (Nigeria and DRC), it is right to argue that there is inequality of poverty reduction between the two sets of countries.

So, the above is the conceptual framework that underpins the contents of this Issue.  The summaries of the other pages making it are given below.

 

• • Other page summaries

 

Inequality of Poverty Reduction (IPR) in income (Page 3)

It is known that there is income inequality between people, families, communities and nations.  What this Issue is trying to address is not the difference in income between let say 10% and 90% of the population in any country or region of Africa.

According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (6), Africa has the second highest income inequality in the world, after Latin America (p. 156) 

The Issue is trying to discuss the IPR and advocate tackling income disparities.  For example, why there is IPR between some rural and urban areas in Africa.  Difference in levels of poverty reduction income can exacerbate inequalities themselves.

Projects such as income generation activities by Africa-based organisations in Africa (ASOs) can help reduce the IPR.

 

Inequality of Poverty Reduction in Consumption (Page 3)

 

Again, it is known that every night many people, let alone children, go to bed without a meal.  They cannot afford to consume what is required for a daily diet to be healthy.

While we support any measure that tackles consumption of food poverty, we equally advocate for the reduction of the IPR in consumption.

There are some pockets of Africa that have their food poverty reduced quickly and faster than others.  Many communities in Africa are struggling to overcome hunger, malnutrition and undernourishment.  This difference in the levels of PR should be tackled.

Food sustenance projects run by some of our ASOs are the kinds of initiatives that move into the direction of eradicating this type of poverty reduction in food and consumption.

 

Inequality of Reduction of in-Working Poverty (Page 4)

 

There is a lot of talks about employment inequality whereby some get a good job and a good pay while others do not have a job or get paid peanuts.  There are even places in Africa where people work and wait for months and months to get their pay if they are lucky.

While a fair economic system and society should always provide a fair occupational retribution for every human (woman and man), it is also right to recognize that many people work for jobs which do not pay for their costs of living; jobs that keep them poorer and poorer.  This is to such an extent there could be a gender or ethnic gap pay.  Yet, they have (and we all have) to work with the hope of changing lives and keeping the economic system running.

There are places in Africa that have managed to reduce this in-working poverty while others have not done so.  The 64^th Issue deals with these disparities between places (and organisations) in reducing in-working poverty and finding way forward to close the inequality gaps.   

Training and skills development projects run by our local organisations in Africa can help to alleviate some of these issues.

 

Inequality in the reduction of the lack of sustainable energy (Page 4)

 

Energy poverty or precariousness is now becoming common in many poor families’ household budgets where the energy costs (like water, electricity, gas, charcoal, woods etc.) take a large part in those budgets.  This is to the extent that many of these poor families have nothing left to live in a given month.

It is even difficult now as many families have been told to use or consume sustainable energy to reduce deforestation and adverse climate change.  Yet, many of them cannot afford the price of getting sustainable energy.

However, our discussion is not about that.  Our work in this 64^th Issue is about the efforts that some places and organisations have made and succeeded in reducing energy poverty while others have not done so.

So, there is a disparity in the reduction of the lack of sustainable energy; disparity that needs to be resolved.

Afforestation projects to replant the forest and trees as well as projects to reduction the cutting down trees and burning of forest by local organisations can provide alternative means for sustainable energy.    

 

Réduire la réduction inégale de la pauvreté en Afrique (Page 5)

 

La réduction de la pauvreté ne se fait pas au même rythme, ni à la même ampleur et selon le même contenu ou la même vitesse.  Il y a des pays et régions d’Afrique qui ont fait plus de pas dans la direction de réduction de la pauvreté.  Il y a en d’autres qui ont d’énormes problèmes pour réduire la pauvreté.  Entre les zones qui ont réalisé des progrès en matière de réduction de la pauvreté et celles qui éprouvent des difficultés  en la même matière, se créent des écarts.  Ces écarts ne sont pas seulement ceux de niveau et contenu de pauvreté, mais aussi ceux du développement inégal.  

Il est vrai que chaque partie d’Afrique a son histoire, son Etat et son mode de fonctionnement.   Néanmoins, il y a lieu de faire des efforts pour équilibrer ou rééquilibrer les efforts entrepris en la matière.  Le nivèlement ou la réduction des inégalités grandissantes de réduction de la pauvreté a des avantages qui peuvent être les suivants:

√ La réduction des flux migratoires des personnes pauvres à la cherche des opportunités économiques

√ L’évitement des effets de contagion de pauvreté

√ La neutralisation de l’insécurité qui peut pousser les démunis de zones de précarité ou pénurie à la recherche des moyens de survie vers des zones affluentes

√ L’effacement de violation des droits humains (la pauvreté étant en elle un manque de droits de se nourrir, se vêtir, se soigner, s’éduquer, ainsi de suite)

√ L’épargne de création ou d’aggravation de situations de pôles de croissance d’une part et de périphéries de pauvreté de l’autre part

√ La possibilité de développer des projets communs de réduction de la pauvreté

√ La chance de prévenir de conflits potentiels et des guerres civiles ou interethniques

√ L’éventualité de combattre ensemble les effets néfastes résultant des changements et réchauffement climatiques

√ La probabilité d’établir des réseaux d’informations sur la pauvreté et d’échange des moyens pour réduire cette pauvreté 

Etc.

Ce qui précède ne doit pas être seulement conçu au niveau national.  Ces phénomènes de manque de réduction des disparités en matière de réduction de la pauvreté doivent être surtout appréhendés au sein des ensembles locaux.  Ce sont des phénomènes que des organisations avec lesquelles le CENFACS travaille avec vivent quotidiennement et essaient de résoudre à travers de projets de réduction de la pauvreté.

Le 64^e numéro de FACS est donc un plaidoyer pour un rééquilibrage de la réduction de la pauvreté en Afrique.

Pour une lecture substantivée de ce qu’on a brièvement décrit ci-haut, s’il vous plaît contactez le CENFACS.

 

Des transitions démocratiques en Afrique face à des inégalités de réduction de la pauvreté : Peuvent-elles tirer leur épingle du jeu? (Page 6)

 

Par inégalités de réduction de la pauvreté, nous entendons le défaut d’uniformité en quantité et qualité en matière de diminution et même de la disparition d’états des personnes qui manquent aussi bien de ressources monétaires et financières que matérielles, ou simplement qui ont des moyens de vivre insuffisants. 

S’il y a un défaut d’uniformité de réduction de la pauvreté, cela demande que les transitions démocratiques ou pouvoirs montants s’attaquent à cela.  Que ça soit dans des pays qui ont connu leurs premières élections politiques cette année dans ce siècle (comme la République Démocratique du Congo et la Tunisie) ou des pays qui tentent d’améliorer leurs systèmes électoraux (tel que l’Afrique du Sud), il y a ce besoin de rééquilibrer les réductions de pauvreté.  Autrement dit, des pays qui ont réussi à réduire la pauvreté de façon substantielle et continuelle peuvent servir de modèle d’exemples pour les autres.

Ce rééquilibrage bénéficiera à tous y compris des organisations sœurs en Afrique de CENFACS; organisations travaillant avec des populations locales et pauvres.  C’est en relevant ce défi de la différence sur le niveau et la manière dont la pauvreté est réduite que les nouvelles transitions démocratiques feront elles mêmes une différence positive contre la passé ou encore tireront leur épingle du jeu de réduction de la pauvreté. 

 

Inequality of Poverty Reduction for Women and Girls living in Poverty (Page 7)

 

We are aware that there is inequality between men and women at many levels, which the world is trying to address.  However, what the 64^th Issue of FACS is dealing with is the level of IPR.   In other words, one can ask themselves this: why some places in Africa have managed to lift more women and girls out of poverty while other ones are still struggling or not interested in doing so?

According to the United Nations Development Programme (7), the Gender Development index in Burundi has a value of 1.002 in 2017 while Central African Republic has 0.780 for the same.

There is inequality of poverty reduction in this respect.  More and better efforts need to be deployed to bridge the inequality gaps of poverty reduction between places.  This is despite the fact that each place has its own history, colonial legacies, culture, ethnicity and system of governance in terms of treatment of women and girls. 

Digital literacy projects and project to provide a means of communication (like a mobile phone) for women run by our Africa-based Sister Organisations are just one of the few examples to address uneven reduction of poverty between women from different places.

 

Inequalities in the reduction of child poverty (Page 7)

 

These inequalities exist in many parts of Africa.  Some areas in some countries have successfully reduced child poverty if one looks at metrics such child literacy rate, safety drinking water for children, tropical diseases affecting children, sanitation facilities at school, etc.  Other areas are still underperforming when it comes to child poverty.

Levelling or simply reducing them in to the level of those areas which are performing better than others is good for the well-being and welfare of African children.  This could be as well a major step in meeting the sustainable development goals and targets for children by the 2030.

 

Inequalities of the reduction of poverty experienced by ethnic minorities (Page 7)

 

Our theory or model of uneven poverty reduction can apply to ethnic poverty as well. 

Some places in Africa have done well in reducing poverty amongst their ethnic minority groups or between different ethnic groups making their area.  On the contrary, others are still struggling to eradicate ethnic poverty.

Spending on social and social protection reduce inequalities and the underlying causes of social tensions and violent conflicts between communities like the one we saw in countries such as the Central African Republic in recent years.

African organisations working with marginalised groups or excluded communities in various forms are trying to respond to this kind of challenge in dealing with poverty they face.    

 

Inequalities of poverty reduction for disabled people (Page 8)

 

It is undisputable that many places in Africa face serious challenge in meeting their needs of their disabled people.  While there are many types of support for able bodies, there is nevertheless less or no support for disabled people in some places.

There are those parts of Africa that have managed to reduce poverty amongst the disable population.  Some of them had to rely on the family networks and foreign philanthropic organisations to survive and live.

On the contrary, there are other places where the disabled people are abandoned or simply rejected by the society and have to beg on the streets to make ends meet.  In these places, the rate of reducing poverty among disable people is lower compared to others. 

Despite the difficulty of meeting the needs of disabled people, there are Africa-based organisations that are trying to alleviate poverty amongst the disabled community.

 

Inequalities of poverty reduction amongst elderly people (Page 8)

 

The average life expectancy in Africa is low compared to the developed nations.  According to the United Nations Population Fund (8), life expectancy at birth is 64 years in East and Southern Africa and 58 years in West and Central Africa.

Those people who manage to make it above the average life expectancy in Africa struggle to get the support they need.  They often have to rely on their children and extended family to survive. 

In many of these places without support for their elderly people, the pension system is broken or do not exit.  If they exist they do not pay for the retirees.    Despite this general gloomy picture, some places manage to reduce poverty amongst their elderly while many others are still lagging behind.

Projects run by Africa-based organisations can help make a world of difference for poor elderly by reducing poverty amongst them in a place without a genuine insurance policy or a credible pension scheme.  

 

Regional Value Chains in Africa and Reduction of Inequalities of Poverty Reduction (Page 9)

 

There are many definitions of value chains.  In this article, we have chosen to use the business dictionary.  From the online dictionary definition (9) we have selected, value chain is

“inter linked value-adding activities that convert inputs into outputs which, in turn, add to the bottom line and help create competitive advantage.  A value chain typically consists of [1] inbound distribution or logistics, [2] manufacturing operations, [3] outbound distribution or logistics, [4] marketing and selling, and [5] after-sales service.  These activities are supported by [6] purchasing or procurement, [7] research and development, [8] human resource development, [9] and corporate infrastructure”.

Africa-based organisations participating in the same regional value chains can use the value chains theory and elements to help reduce the inequalities of poverty reduction.  They can use these components to add value to the poverty-reducing activities and projects undertaken. 

They can even preserve and create competitive advantages in the field of poverty reduction and sustainable development.  They can learn from regional economic integration community they belong to and seize the window of the opportunity they have through value chains to rip off the benefits of reducing uneven poverty reduction.

 

Africa-based Organisations and Inequalities of Poverty Reduction (Page 9)

 

There are many examples of ASOs trying to tackle inequalities of poverty reduction.  These include helping local poor people to access health facilities and drugs to deal with malaria, and other tropical diseases.   There are cases of local poor people to access sustainable energy.  The same examples can be found in the areas of housing, education, sanitation, etc.

These examples should not be only what everyone is doing to reduce poverty.  They should go and/or are going beyond that to reduce inequalities of poverty reduction between different places.  This is despite each place has its own history, way of tackling poverty and hardships.

 

The 2020s Conversations (Page 10)

 

The discussions and planning about the 2020s Programme are still running.  As part of these conversations, we have included ways of tackling inequalities in quantity and quality of poverty reduction.  We are as well running a small survey on the types of projects and activities reflecting on the needs of the community that one would like to see us run in the 2020s.

To converse or engage with the planning process about the 2020s programme, please contact CENFACS.

 

Inequalities Reducer as a Project (Page 10)

 

This is a sustainable development initiative aiming at reducing the difference in levels of poverty reduction by working with local poor people in parts of Africa where there is uneven poverty reduction in order to establish equal right and address the roots and causes of this type of inequality in a sustainable way.

Although, the project includes various aspects or definitions of poverty, the lack of economic means to survive and live or simply to meet basic life-sustaining needs (such as education, health, food, shelter, environment etc.) as humans is central to the project.

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

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

For a paper copy and or enquiry about this Issue, contact CENFACS.

(1) https://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/how-economic-inequality-defined (accessed on 31/07/2019)

(2) Sen, A. (1983): Poor, relatively speaking, Oxford Economic Papers 35 , reprinted in Sen, A. (1984) Resources, Values and Development, Blackwell, Oxford

(2) Sen, A. (1985): Commodities and Capabilities, North Holland, Amsterdam

(3) Stiglitz, J. A.  (2013): The Price of Inequality, Penguin Books, London & New York

(4) Wilkinson, R. & Pickett, K. (2010): Why equality is better for everyone, Penguin Books, London & New York

(5) https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2019/03/28/poverty-in-africa-is-now-falling-but-not-fast-enough (accessed on 31/07/2019)

(6) United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (2019): Economic Report on Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

(7) United Nations Development Programme (2018): Human Development Indices and Indicators 2018 Statistical Update

(8) United Nations Population Fund (2019): State of World Population 2019, Unfinished Business – the pursuit of rights and choices FOR ALL

(9) www.businessdictionary.com/definition/value-chain.html (accessed on 31/07/2019)

 

 

 

• CENFACS as a Model of Working, Building and Sustaining Together (Togetherness Act)

 

We started alone in 1994, but as we progressed in our work we broke our loneliness to work with others both within and outside CENFACS.  These others were the people sharing our vision, aims and objectives; as well as organisations having similar values and working on similar matters like ours.  Since then, our work on poverty relief has been a collective endeavour, a team working, building and sustaining together.

Working, building and maintaining together have meant a lot for us.  Being a model of working together, CENFACS has been an example to follow in terms of collaborative effort towards common goal. 

 

~ CENFACS as a model of working together

 

This implied for us and continues to be the following:

 

. Achievement of common goal of ending poverty

. Generation of synergy

. Maximisation of our strengths

. Minimisation of our weaknesses

. Speaking together on matter pertaining our common development

 

~ CENFACS as a model of building together

 

CENFACS has been not only about working together; it is as well about building together ways forward from poverty and hardships.  This is why we have the programme called “Building Bridges, Building Bonds”. 

Building together also implied and continues to signify the following

 

. Networking for poverty relief

. Sharing best practices

. Standing up together against poverty and hardships

. Sharing platforms for discussions on matter of mutual interest   

 

In both situations of CENFACS as a model of working and building together, we worked with a variety of individuals and organisations from all walks of life.  In our poverty relief journey, we met and worked with people from different origins, of all backgrounds, capacities and abilities as well as organisations from variant sizes and specialities. 

In that journey, our approach has been and still is people-centred development.  The feature that commended CENFACS’ model of working and building together is leadership and outside factors or surroundings.

However, the work we did and what we built were not only for short term purpose.  We built to sustain, to help the generations to come.  That is why we speak about the development of sustainable initiatives.  Our model of working and building is a lasting or sustainable one.  It is a model that helps to sustain together.

 

~ CENFACS as a model of sustaining together

 

This entailed for us and the generations to come the following

 

. Look after our togetherness

. Keep our bonds of unity going over the long term while dealing with all sorts of adverse risks and threats to our togetherness

. Support each other

. Renew our resources

. Prolong what we have built together

 

So, sustaining together made us to become a sustainable community, that is a community that maintains its growth without adverse effects. 

To highlight our month of Track, Trip and Trend in our Q celebration; we would like also to say that the Togetherness Act, which is indeed a Companionship Act, contains the following four pieces: outreach, tracking, trip and trend analysis.

CENFACS as an outreach organisation has been communicating and meeting people from where they are over the last 25 years so that they can access services and or get involved where they are.

An example of this outreach service is when we went in a number of occasions to meet asylum seekers and refugees living in bed and breakfast and hostels to help them access our training and translation services.

CENFACS as a tracking organisation has been creating a number of opportunities for people and organisations to undertake or organise physical activities of running to help reduce poverty.  This was and has been a way of empowering them.

CENFACS as a walker as it has been walking to needs, to the people and community in need of help.  Visiting projects or getting in touch with the needs on the grounds is an exceptional experience of knowing what was and has been happening in the real world of poverty and hardships.

CENFACS as a trend analyst has been collecting data to spot the recurring pattern in terms of poverty reduction.  In doing so, this enabled us to identify new opportunities and ideas for poverty relief products and services.  This was our way of following the direction of poverty reduction in the last 25 years.

The Togetherness Act is further about reducing the poverty of loneliness.  It is the state of being close to those in need.  We accompany them on a poverty relief journey.  That makes it the Companionship Act. 

So, the Q Project is therefore a celebration of this model of working, building and sustaining together.  We could only do the changes we managed to do in the last 25 years if we did work, build and sustain together.

More on this Act No.5 will be done on the day of remembrance, the 19^th of August 2019.

 

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.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

07 August 2019

Post No. 103

 

 

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Track, Trip and Trending Month

• CENFACS Community: Summer 2019 Updates

• CENFACS Analytics Dashboard: Usability Testing Week

 

 

…. and much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ Track, Trip and Trending Month

 

August is CENFACS’ Track, Trip and Trending month.

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

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

We thirdly deal with Trending in August as we spend time looking at what we can call Trendy Development. Trending in Poverty Reduction helps us to follow the direction of poverty reduction work. This August we are going to follow this direction by looking at Clothes in reducing poverty and enhancing sustainable development.

This Summer has been all about changing climate at CENFACS.  Therefore, we are going to apply this feature to these three activities of August as follows: Track, Trip and Trending in a Changing Climate.

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

 

 

 

~ CENFACS Community: Summer 2019 Updates

 

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

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

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

We hope that everybody is keeping well and enjoying the Summer weather.

For those who are in holiday during this Summer, we wish them well with their holiday time.

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

 

~ CENFACS Analytics Dashboard: Usability Testing Week

 

We are inviting Africa-based organisations that wish to test their performance, to diagnose their poverty relief and assess their poverty relief metrics; to let us know.

Usability tests through key performance indicators, poverty relief diagnostics and metrics can help them improve on the way they are trying to achieve their poverty relief goals as well as help their people.

Usability testing of the above components making CENFACS Analytics Dashboard can help boost their credentials and generate further and better support.

To ask for usability tests and / or auditing of your poverty relief system, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ Track, Trip and Trending in a “Quadranscentennial” (Q) Year and Project

 

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

√ Run 2.5 miles (nearly 4 km) for poverty relief this month

√ Name 25 projects or activities of CENFACS that one has been in touch with or supported or think they made change to the lives of those in need

√ Provide 25 trends of CENFACS related to poverty relief and sustainable development in the last 25 years.

The above three types of activities are our way of remembering the 25 years of CENFACS this August.

To undertake any of the above mentioned activities or the “Quadranscentennial” Challenge, please let CENFACS know.  These activities can only be done with the arrangement and agreement of CENFACS terms and conditions.

 

 

~ Record your Summer Telling Moments to Report Back

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

~ August Work Review: Poverty Relief in Transitional and Uncertain Times

 

This month, we are reviewing the works or discussions we had sometimes ago about economic transition and uncertainty.

In the previous discussions about the exiting economies, we separately dealt with the issue of doing poverty relief work in a transitional economy from doing it in economic uncertainty.  This month, we are integrating both economic transition and uncertainty in a single piece of poverty relief work. 

We previously explained economic transitions happen when economies exit from regional economic integration models (like the EU).  There is a transition for the exiting economy and remaining bloc.  Economic uncertainty can occur when there is a disagreement or no deal between the exiting and the remaining economies of the bloc.     

In both cases (of economic transition and uncertainty), we are looking at the room for manoeuvre in order to pursue poverty relief work.  This is important as small organisations working on poverty relief sometimes do not count for the big picture of mainstream development policy.  Yet, these are the organisations that are mostly closer to those in need than the biggest ones.

So, this month we are looking at how both economic transition and uncertainty could play part in our work and the work of the organisations we are working with.

To add your input or support our August Work Review, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

Main Developments

 

• Track, Trip and Trending in the Summer of Happiness in a Changing Climate

 

Our thematic and working model of Summer of Happiness in a Changing Climate will continue this month through the three activities of Track, Trip and Trending.

 

• • Track to reduce poverty in a changing climate

 

This is delivered through the project Run to Reduce Poverty and Vote your African Manager of Poverty Reduction. These are all-year round projects.

However, because of the weather conditions (sunshine) and nature of August (holidays time for many of our supporters) we put a particular emphasis on the Run aspects of these all-year round projects, over this month.  This Summer, this emphasis is increased as we are talking about Tracking to reduce poverty in a changing climate

We expect those who sign up to the Run element to take actions and run it by themselves.  After summer, they can report back to us or at any convenient time before the end of the year.

 

• • Trip to the needs in a changing climate

 

This is the second aspect or part of work over the month of August at CENFACS. We expect and advise our supporters to visit some of our projects and initiatives whether in the UK or in Africa during and around the month of August. 

Because we are talking about Trip to the needs in a changing climate, our Trip this year will be to see how climate change affects local people and local needs.

Trip to the need and project includes some of the experiences undertaken by CENFACS All in Development Volunteers through field work involvements and project visits, to reach out to unreached, underserved and unserved people and communities particularly those living in remote areas of Africa.  It is the kind of experiences that we recommend to future volunteers to have and report back in September or after. 

These trips also help us to check if we are on the right track at helping to reduce poverty and at tracking our records for the work on the ground.

Because the theme of trending for this Summer is about Clothes, we are going to link Trip to the need with Clothing Needs.  Some may call it clothing poverty.

 

• • Trending in poverty reduction in a changing climate

 

Sustainable development does not need to be trendy, but we can follow the trends in sustainable development and poverty reduction. 

During this August we are dealing with Trending in poverty reduction by following the direction of clothes and their capacity of lifting people out poverty. We mean by that we are following the direction of poverty reduction by using clothes.  

We will be observing what clothes and the clothing industry are doing to hep to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.  We will be looking at the extent to which clothes can be poverty reducers or how clothes can fashion poverty relief; following the trends between fashion and poverty relief, finding out the role of fashion designers and budget clothing retailers in the process of reducing and ending poverty. 

We will be doing it while integrating the change of climate in the way it affects the way we dress or cover our body to protect it or to reduce clothing poverty.

So, clothing and its respective impacts on poverty reduction in a changing climate are what will be trending at CENFACS as follows:

 

⇒ From 05/08/2019: Clothes as poverty relief trend (cloth/fashion trends and poverty relief trends)

⇒ From 12/08/2019: Contribution of clothes (or clothing industry) into poverty alleviation; cloth fashioners/designers and cloth makers as poverty relievers

⇒ From 19/08/2019: Clothes donation as contributor to the circular economy

⇒ From 26/08/2019: Clothes donation as poverty reducer

 

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

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

 

• Clothes as Trending in Poverty Reduction in a Changing Climate

 

In focus from 05/08/2019: Clothes as poverty relief trend (including cloth fashion trends and poverty relief trends)

 

There are many functions of clothing.  In the context of this first week and serial trend on clothing, we are following the direction of poverty reduction via clothes in their function of reducing poverty and hardships.  As we are dealing with clothes as poverty relief in a changing climate, we shall add the climate function of clothes. 

Thus, clothes can be a source or tool for poverty relief, particularly in helping to meet basic life-sustaining need of covering human body.  Clothes can also be a means to protect it against adverse climate conditions. 

 

~ Clothes as a poverty relief tool

 

Because we talking about poverty and poor people, it is right to argue that clothes can help poor people in a number of ways.   Clothes can help them

 

√ to protect from poor hygiene and avoid sanitation and health problems

√ to take off poverty status (labelling and stigmatisation) from them

√ to identify them as a normal human being with human rights

√ to integrate and give them the place they deserve in the society

√ to give them dignity and respect like any humans

√ to find a rewarding occupational activity

 

This list can go on about how clothes can help reduce poverty and hardships.  But, for the sake of this post, we are going to limit ourselves with the above features.

  

~ Clothes as a means of protection against adverse climate conditions

 

As we are working on poverty reduction in a changing climate, we can add the following protection attributes of clothes, which are:

 

√ Protection from the effects of weather such as sunburn, winds, torrential rains

√ Protection against adverse and extreme climate conditions like strong winds, precipitation, heat, water, snow etc.

  

The above are the two functions of clothes we are interested in.  We are therefore following the direction of poverty reduction by examining these two functions.  In other words, we are trying to find out how clothes (through these two of its functions) are helping to reduce poverty in a changing climate.  

 

Besides that, we are following the clothing fashion trends and poverty relief trends this week.  We are trying to find out if they evolve in the same direction or in different directions or are related to each other.

To follow with us the direction of poverty reduction via clothes, please contact 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.

 

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

31 July 2019

Post No. 102

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Summaries of Happiness Projects in a Changing Climate

• Happiness Budget 2019 – Holiday Budget Deficit

• Feedback on Seven Days of Development in July 2019 Festival

 

… and much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ Summaries of Happiness Projects in a Changing Climate

 

After introducing last week the general theme of our Happiness Projects for this Summer, theme which is Happiness in a Changing Climate, we are now highlighting them by providing you with their summaries. 

Their summaries have been given under the Main Development section of this post.  However, full details of these projects are available on request from CENFACS, including ways of accessing and using them. 

To access and or support them, just contact CENFACS.

 

~ Happiness Budget 2019 – Holiday Budget Deficit

How to avoid and manage holiday budget deficit in a changing climate

 

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

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

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

We will be working with them on how to avoid and manage holiday budget in a changing climate.  We are doing it while taking into consideration the way in which climate change is affecting their holiday budget in what they eat, drink, cover or uncover their body, entertain, shelter, etc themselves.

To learn or seek support on how to avoid and manage holiday budget deficit in a changing climate, please contact CENFACS.

 

~ Feedback on Summer Festival 2019, the Seven Days of Development in July 2019 Festival

 

In focus for this Year’s Summer Festival: Can Democratic Transition Transform Poor People’s Lives in Africa?

Our Summer 2019 Festival of Thoughts and Actions is now closed. 

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

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

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

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

 

Extra Messages 

 

~ All-in-one Impact Feedback ends today.

Stakeholders’ and Users’ Experiences Reporting in their own words and numbers

 

Our Analytics month of bringing light to what worked, what did not work and of measuring what we achieved in our last financial year has come to an end. 

We would like to thank those who responded to our All-in-one Impact Feedback. We shall look at and analyse all the responses received and appropriately reflect on some of the points raised by all feedback respondents.

For those who have not yet responded to our request, they can still submit their feedback by the 15^th of August 2019 while we are studying the information and feedback we have received so far. 

Again, thank you so much for your feedback support.

 

~ Humanitarian Relief Appeal to Africa in a Changing Climate

 

Our Summer Appeal to support poor children, young people and families over this Summer of a changeable climate is still running.

You can donate £4 or any amount that you can afford to help relieve the continuing pressing needs in Africa in the era of changeable climate.

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

 

 

 

~ Poor People’s Summer Holiday: Creating and Sustaining Happiness for the Future Generations

 

This week, we are interested in the way poor people prepare and pass their holidays, particularly their Summer holiday.   We are doing it knowing that they have not got any means to choose and enjoy their holiday like the non poor. 

Our interest is to find out their needs about holiday making and enjoyment so that happiness can be created and sustained amongst them, and possibly for the generations to come.

As part of this interest in the poor’s holiday, we are asking those who can to share their experiences on how poor people and families spend their Summer holiday.

In doing so, we hope to develop a campaign or advocacy to make future holidays happier for them compared to the ones they are currently passing.

To support us with your experience on how poor people and families pass their holidays, particularly Summer holiday, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• Summaries of Happiness Projects in a Changing Climate

 

The 2019 Edition of Summer of Happiness, Peace, Protection and Sustainability is out now. 

As explained in the last post last week, the 2019 Happiness Projects may have kept the same names like in the previous Summers, but their contents reflect this year’s theme of happiness in a changing climate. 

These projects are as follows:

1) Happy Summer Break 2) Holiday with Relief  3) Removing Vulnerability Peacefully  4) Sustainable Summer  5) VISIBLENESS and ONUS (Concept projects)  6) Networking for Protection & Safeguarding. 

 

They are the combination of skills, knowledge, resources, tools, boosters and tasters for poverty relief.  They consist of

√ two resource projects (Family Happiness Mini-Guide and Holiday Information Manager), 

√ one communication-protection project (Networking Platform for Happiness),

√ one advocacy project (Removing Vulnerability Peacefully),

√ one sustainable development initiative (Sustainable Summer) and

two concept-projects (VISIBLENESS and ONUS) working as one √

 

We have considered the effects of climate change all over our Summer 2019 Programme.  In other words, all the six Happiness Projects will have green, sustainable and climate changing contents.  The consideration of the effects of climate change all across is what makes Summer 2019 of its kind.   

This is done to help improve life evaluation while taking actions to enhance the same life in a changeable climate.  In this way, Summer can be a season of Happiness NOT of Misery for unserved and under-served children, young people and families who are at the same time the victims of the adverse effects of climate change. 

They are the victims of adverse effects of climate change because climate change affects the way they dress, eat, house, educate, entertain, care for their health, and above all the way they pass Summer holiday.

Here are the summaries of the Happiness Projects making the 2019 Summer Programme Part II.  As said previously, these projects can help in achieving some joyful, helpful and hopeful Summer plans, goals and outcomes.  

 

 

We would like to wish all multi-dimensionally Poor Children, Young People and Families Happy, Vulnerability-free, Peaceful, Safe and Sustainable Summer Days. 

 

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.

 

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

24 July 2019

Post No. 101

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Happiness Projects 2019 in a Changing Climate

• Summer Festival, Seven Days of Development in July 2019 – Days 1 and 2

• Happiness Budget 2019 

 

… and much more!

 

 

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ Happiness Projects 2019 in a Changing Climate

 

Happiness Projects are the second part of our Summer Programme; the first part being Appeal Projects.  The Appeal Projects are currently running under the banner of Humanitarian Relief Appeal to Africa.  Further information on them and the way of supporting them can be found at

As to the Happiness Projects, we have integrated the climate element or changing patterns of climate in them.  This integration implies that each of the projects making happiness this Summer will have a climate content in it.

For more on the 2019 version of Happiness Projects, please read them under the Main Development section of this post.  

 

 

 

~ Summer Festival, Seven Days of Development in July 2019 – In Focus for this Year:

Can Democratic Transition Transform the Lives of Poor people in Africa?

 

The 11^th Edition of our Summer Festival has started since Monday the 22^nd of July 2019 as scheduled.  The first two days have been devoted to Life transformation (Day 1) and Democratic transition experiences (Day 2) respectively.

For those who are making any contributions in the form of thoughts and comments, it will be good to stick to the daily themes as planned.  Likewise, it makes easy for the good running of the festival to be short and precise in making thoughts or comments.

This will allow to quickly capture the impact they are making.   This will as well in this way enable us to measure the Festival’s aims and the difference that it will make to the lives of those who are looking into democratic transitions to address their needs.

For those who have not yet engaged with Festival, they can still join the thoughts.  There are still four days to go and topics to think about.  They can as well share the festival views with those who may be interested in. 

Thank you!

 

~ Happiness Budget 2019 – 

Budgeting and Delivering Happiness in a Changing Climate

 

In our planning process of Summer of Happiness Projects, we started a few weeks ago by budgeting Summer Holidays with what we call Happiness Budget. 

This week, we are continuing the budgeting process while starting to deliver on other parts of the Happiness Projects as Summer Holiday has just begun for some children, young and families. 

We are still available to discuss people’s Happiness or Summer Holiday Budgets for those who want us to do so.  For those who are struggling with their Happiness Budgets, CENFACS is prepared to look into their Summer Budgets. 

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

The above six accounts cover the six items of happiness which we mentioned last week. Where possible, the effects of climate change will be included to reflect a budget of a changing climate. 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ Happiness Projects 2019 in a Changing Climate and “Quadranscentennial” Year

 

To the theme of Happiness in a Changing Climate for this year’s Happiness Projects, one needs to add that we are in CENFACS’ “Quadranscentennial” (“Q”) year.  Because of this, we may need to deliver Happiness Projects in a Changing Climate while being in a “Q” Year.  In other words, we can ask ourselves what makes poor children, young people and families happy (or unhappy) over Summer and beyond in the conditions of continuing change in climate like in recent times.  Likewise, questions should be asked and answered about what can be done for their happiness lasts longer beyond Summer, let say for at least 25 years or more?

This is our “quadranscentennialisation” of happiness projects in a changing climate.  However, maybe the climate may stop changing as the world is working hard (under the Paris Climate Treaty and each country’s own climate change goals) towards the reduction of adverse effects of climate change by 2050.  Before this happens, let us keep thinking and working together with these project beneficiaries for the well-being and welfare.

 

 

 

~ CENFACS Analytics Dashboard: Poverty Relief Diagnostics

 

We can work together with Africa-based Organisations (ASOs) to diagnose their poverty relief systems to find out if there is any fault or not.  We can carry out diagnostic tests or assessments on their poverty relief systems or models of working with others.

Poverty relief diagnosis is the discovery and identification of poverty relief issues from the examination of symptoms.

CENFACS’ Poverty Relief Diagnostics is a platform for data diagnosis to support ASOs to establish sound poverty relief practices and systems.  In our diagnostic process, we take the following steps.  We do the history of the poverty issue, examine it, conduct tests, confirm these tests and compare them to the defined cases. 

To take a trial to our Poverty Relief Diagnosis and or to enquire, please contact CENFACS.

 

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

 

We only have one week left for our Analytics month.  We are for the third time appealing to you to tell us in your own words and numbers your perceptions, feelings and experiences about the programmes and projects we ran in the last 345 days preceding the beginning of July 2019.

Although we have selected 22 projects for monitoring and evaluation, we are not expecting people to provide feedback on all of them.  People can only feedback on the project(s) and programme(s) they benefited from, they supported, they recommended users to us or interacted within.  Please feel free to say what you experienced.  

Again, thank you for your experiential support!

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• Happiness Projects 2019: Happiness in a Changing Climate

 

~ Understanding CENFACS’ Happiness Projects

 

This year, we are going to focus on Happiness in a Changing Climate.  In other words, our centre of interest is on what keeps children, young people and families happy (or unhappy) over Summer and beyond in the conditions of climate change, especially its adverse effects.  In order to keep them happy, there is a need to budget and deliver Happiness or Happiness Projects.

CENFACS’ Happiness Projects are poverty-relieving responses to bring joyful lives while reducing misery for poor children, young people and families over the summer period and beyond.  The underlying principles or philosophy of these life evaluation projects are in line with the main factors or indicators that define happiness as both a social and personal concept as explained in World Happiness Reports edited by Helliwell, Layard and Sachs (1). 

These editors distinguish the social foundations of happiness from personal happiness, although the two are complementary.  They argue that the science of measuring and understanding subjective well-being and happiness indicates that to be happy, one needs to meet the following six key variables that explain happiness differences among countries which include: income, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on in times of trouble, generosity, freedom and trust.  

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

CENFACS Happines Projects address the issues encapsulated inside the above variables and factors while keeping in mind first the needs of the CENFACS Community.  This is because we think the way to keep people happier is to reduce as much as possible poverty and misery among them.   Happiness is about ending poverty and misery.   As we have brought in the concepts of changing climate into our happiness projects, happiness is finally about ending poverty and misery amongst children, young people and families in an era of changing climate.

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

 

~ Delivering Happiness with 6 Projects for 3 Beneficiaries

 

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

 

Summer is a holiday season of the year during which most of the schools are closed and families with children and young people in much needed help are forced to stay with them and or use this time of the year to take holiday.  The usual routine of educational/academic establishments with their recreational activities is scaled down.  Yet, these families are in need of seasonal activities and programmes for improving their well-being and happiness. 

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

The following CENFACS summer 2019 initiatives can help in achieving some joyful and helpful summer plans, goals and outcomes in a changing climate. 

CENFACS Happiness Projects include: 

 

1) Happy Summer Break 

2) Holiday with Relief 

3) Removing Vulnerability Peacefully 

4) Sustainable Summer 

5) VISIBLENESS and ONUS (Concept projects) 

6) Networking for Protection & Safeguarding. 

 

The above Happiness Projects may have kept the same names like in the previous Summers, but their contents have to be placed in the context of happiness in a changing climate this year.  Last year, our Summer content was about the Locals since we were in the Local Year at CENFACS.  This year, the content revolves around the changing climate.

These projects are the combination of skills, knowledge, resources, tools, boosters and tasters for poverty relief.  We have considered the effects of climate change all over our Summer 2019 Programme.  The consideration of the effects of climate change all across is what makes Summer 2019 of its kind. 

Previously, this consideration was mainly and only made for Sustainable Summer project.  This year all the six Happiness Projects will have a green and sustainable content.   They will be a climate changing content in them.    

This is done to help improve life evaluation while taking actions to enhance the same life in a changeable climate.  In this way, Summer can be a season of Happiness NOT of Misery for unserved and under-served children, young people and families who are at the same time victims of the adverse effects of climate change. 

They are the victims of adverse effects of climate change because climate change affects the way we dress, eat, house, educate, entertain, care for our health, and above all the way we pass our Summer holiday. 

For details about CENFACS Happiness Projects 2019 and to access them, contact 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.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

17 July 2019

Post No. 100

 

 

 

The Week’s Contents

  

• “Quadranscentennial” Year and Project – In Focus on 20/07/2019: CENFACS As Analytical Centre (Act No. 4)

 

• Summer Festival, Seven Days of Development in July 2019 – In Focus for this Year: Can Democratic Transition Transform the Lives of Poor people in Africa?

 

• Coming out this Summer: The 64^th Issue of FACS Newsletter, Issue Entitled as Inequalities of Poverty Reduction – Make Them Disappear

  

… and much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ “Quadranscentennial”  (“Q”) Year and Project – In Focus on 20/07/2019: CENFACS As Analytical Centre (Act No. 4)

 

Our “Q” Year and Project continues this week and month with the fourth Act, which is CENFACS as Analytical Centre – the Analytics Act.  This Act is about the analytical work of CENFACS in its capacity to analyse poverty situation as well as examine the responses brought to poverty over the last 25 years.

It is also about the working tools, indicators, theories, models and frameworks we have been using over the last 25 years in order to measure poverty, results in terms of poverty reduction and prospects for policy development as part of the analytical work. 

We have assembled the various elements making this fourth Act for your readship, information which you can find under the Main Developments section of this post.

 

 

 

 

~ Summer Festival, Seven Days of Development in July 2019 – In Focus for this Year: Can Democratic Transition Transform the Lives of Poor People in Africa?

 

The 11^th Event of our Summer Festival, known as the Seven Days in Development in July (7DDJ), will focus for this year on Democratic Transition in Africa and its Transformative Effects on Poor People there. 

This year, Africa is undergoing a new political landscape whereby some countries would hold elections for the first time after so many years or decades of democratic vacuum.  This is the case of the Democratic Republic of Congo that is transiting to democratisation processes.  Other African countries would have enhanced their democratic processes with improved elections like Nigeria.  Others (such as Algeria) are still keeping on arguing on the best possible terms and conditions for their democratic process. 

Whether they reconnected with democracy through their first elections since sometimes or improved their electoral process or even are still discussing their idealistic electoral system; all these countries are in the process of democratic transition until they reach a full democracy model.  Democracy is unfinished business cycle that has different stages: a beginning, improvement, peak and maturity. 

However, in this democratic trajectory or experience there are expectations and demands to meet.  One of them is life transformation for or the needs of poor people.  Can these democratic processes which have started or been improved or even been in discussion deliver life transformation for poor people?  

This is main menu of our Summer Festival of Thoughts, Actions, Shares and Spreads for this year.  It is our Seven Days of Development in July 2019.  This Summer Festival of Thoughts and Actions against poverty and for sustainable development will be held between the 22^nd and the 28^th of July 2019.  

For more on this year’s Summer Festival including how to participate, please read the notes under the Main Developments section of this web post.

 

 

 

 

~ Coming out this Summer: The 64^th Issue of FACS Newsletter, Issue Entitled as Inequalities of Poverty Reduction – Make Them Disappear

  

For various reasons, support, services and products directed to reduce poverty do not always reach people in need in the same way, pace, speed, time and value everywhere.  This concerns as well the institutions, infrastructures, opportunities, resources, assets and systems to deal with poverty.  This can create inequality in poverty reduction wittingly or unwittingly.  This is not only between men and women. 

The 64^th Issue of FACS, CENFACS bilingual newsletter, will be dealing with the lack of equal support to the poor in the process of ending the lack of income, of material possession, sufficient consumption and energy, education, housing, etc.   

The Issue deals only with poverty issues created and exacerbated by economic  inequalities of support, institutions, infrastructures, opportunities, services, products, access etc.  These issues make the reduction of poverty slow, difficult and sometimes impossible.  The Issue does not deal with affluent people seeking more rights to maintain their lifestyle, image and social status. 

The Issue will discuss possible ways out by making these economic inequalities to disappear.  As it is said, these probable ways will be discussions and exploratory paths but not ready-made solutions to inequalities which are very complex matters, especially in developing societies like of Africa.

More about the Issue’s contents will be released in due course.  However, to enquire and or reserve a copy, please contact CENFACS.

 

        

 

Extra Messages

 

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

 

We only have two weeks left for our Analytics month.  We are for the second time appealing to you to tell us in your own words and numbers your perceptions, feelings and experiences about the programmes and projects we ran in the last 345 days preceding the beginning of July 2019.

Although we have selected 22 projects for monitoring and evaluation, we are not expecting people to provide feedback on all of them.  People can only feedback on the project(s) and programme(s) they benefited from, they supported, they recommended users to us or interacted within.  Please feel free to say what you experienced.  

Thank you for your experiential support!

 

 

 

 

~ CENFACS Analytics Dashboard: Key Performance Indicators

 

Besides Poverty Relief Metrics, we can as well measure the relationships of inputs to outputs, of support to outcomes and impacts as instruments giving information about the level of achievement in poverty reduction work.

We can work with Africa-based Organisations to measure their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) whereby we can together define and establish a set of KPIs to track and measure.

We can even green their KPIs by also tracking their sustainability and green indicators.  This could help them improve their green and sustainability policies on the road of reducing carbon print or emissions.

Measuring what they receive or buy to what they produce can enhance their organisational value as poverty-relieving and sustainability-enhancing organisations.  This can create or increase trust and further support for them.

   

~ Summer SHOPPING and DONATIONS at http://cenfacs.org.uk/shop/

 

Every occasion or every season is an opportunity to do something against poverty and hardships.  Summer, which is a Happiness season at CENFACS, is a marvellous time to spread a little extra happiness to those who do not have. 

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

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

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

You can DONATE or SHOP or do both:

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

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

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

 

 

 

 

Main Developments

  

• CENFACS as Analytical Centre

 

Our project of celebration of CENFACS’ 25 years since existence continues this month by looking at the analytical aspects of CENFACS.  This is the fourth Act of the “Quadranscentennial“ (“Q”) Year and Project (Analytics Act).

In the previous Acts (Acts 1, 2 and 3), we took an historical and storytelling approach to travel back to year 1994 to explain what made CENFACS an organisation it is today.  These were the Protection, Volunteering and Creation Acts respectively.

In this fourth Act, the Analytics Act, our approach will be explanatory and analytic while still keeping history in our mindset.   This July Act will be about how CENFACS as a centre analysed the poverty conditions of people in need we worked with and their organisations, poverty data as well as what we tried to do about these issues.

To proceed with the Analytics Act, we will be dealing with fourth areas of analytical remembrance: analytical attributes of CENFACS, the way in which CENFACS made patterns in data to speak and work for poverty reduction, data sharing and making sense of patterns in data management.

 

• • Analytical attributes of CENFACS

 

There are five as follows.

 

1) CENFACS as an analytical centre

 

Over the last 25 years, the particularity of CENFACS was and remains to be able to do research, interpret and communicate the findings and significant patterns in data (whether they are small or big ones) and applying these patterns towards effective decision making process in poverty relief matter.

CENFACS dealt and deals with a set of data that follows a recognizable form.  In other words, a series of data that repeats in a knowledgeable form.  In doing so, we tried to find out whether or not there was a link between two variables, whether or not certain groups have attributes.

In this process, we used and continue to use basic mathematics or numeracy, statistics, accounting, development theories and paradigms, models for planning and forecasting, learning and development to find patterns in data.  We produced charts, tables, metrics, reports and other analytic tools as part of dealing with patterns in data.

As a matter of fact, we analysed and summarised patterns in data about poverty issues in Africa.  We analysed for example the patterns in data of African children as international migrants.  We noticed there was a recognizable or common form in them regarding the migration reasons.  One of the reasons was the search for better life or as some may call it the syndrome of better life.

These analyses and summaries can be found in our newsletter titled FACS and in our various publications including our website.  Some of them are put in the public domain while others are designed for in-house purpose only.   We also used these findings in data to produce and conduct our advocacy work.  This is because to speak on behalf or with people, we need evidence (sometimes hard one) in the form of data.

 

2) CENFACS as a data researcher

 

Over the last 25 years, we researched and collected data as well as consolidated them into a single place that can be easily retrieved and instantly evaluated.  As a researcher, CENFACS did systematic investigation to collect information on meaningful patterns in data on poverty and sustainable development issues.

This is why research and development are central in what we do as an organisation.

 

3) CENFACS as a data interpreter

 

We did not only collect data.  We also made and continue to make sense to numerical data we collected while analysing them before presenting them.  In this process, CENFACS explained the meaning of patterns in data used for poverty relief and sustainable development as well as to formulate policies and enhance good practices.

An example of this use over the last 25 years was our ability to use data in our translation service (French to English and vice versa) to convey users’ idea of the meaning of poverty relief.  In this respect, our translation service was and continues to be a valuable tool for poverty relief. 

 

4) CENFACS as a data communicator

 

CENFACS was (and will remain) the place to be for the exchange of data from one place to another via computers, posts, e-mails, phones, digital messages etc.  We exchanged the data and information we analysed to make known the patterns in poverty relief.  We exchanged them within CENFACS, between CENFACS and other stakeholders (such as Africa-based organisations, African Diaspora organisations, UK non-governmental organisations, voluntary and community organisations, funders etc.).

It is not by chance that CENFACS won the Communication Awards in 2007.

 

5) CENFACS as a data decision maker and applying organisation

 

CENFACS did not only find patterns in data in the last 25 years, it also applied these patterns in data to complete its decision making process on poverty relief and sustainable development. 

Examples of this application can be found in most of our advocacy work where we constantly used patterns in data to guide and shape our advocacy.

 

• • Making patterns in data speak and work for poverty reduction

 

CENFACS did not let the data speak for themselves.  On the contrary, we made them speak and work for the poor.  We did it in alliance with them.  CENFACS made sure that the order or model of data was fitted for the purpose of poverty relief and sustainable development.

Examples of making patterns in data speak and work for poverty reduction include the ones we collected and analysed about the civil war in Rwanda in 1994, the wars in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1990s and the 2000s, floods crisis in various parts of Africa etc.

In this process of giving meaning to data, where we did not produce data ourselves we did not only rely on what organisations that produced them said about them.  We verified their data and analyses while comparing them with others from other reliable sources.

However, one of the drawbacks in dealing with data (both primary and secondary) was that we noticed repetitive lacks of available statistical apparatus or the lacks of local structures to produce reliable data in Africa, especially in situations where we were unable to produce our own statistics.

Sometimes, we had to rely on stories from local people, particularly on issues related to gender matters.  This is why we are recently looking for new forms of data in places of wars and environmental disasters where children have been affected to find out whether or not they are meeting sustainable development goals.

 

• • Data sharing and storage

 

The “Q” Project is also a celebration of data sharing.  We used both primary and secondary data.  Most of our primary data came from projects we run in the last 25 years.  For secondary data, we used statistics produced by multilateral agencies (such as the United Nations’ agencies), Africa development agencies, community and voluntary organisations and non-governmental organisations.  We also got data supplied by our own Africa-based Sister Organisations with whom we shared data.  We finally borrowed data from various academic sources working on similar issues like ours.

Our programme entitled “Building Bridges Building Bonds” is about working in harmony with other organisations for mutual understanding on issues of poverty while sharing experiences and through that sharing data as well. 

In 2005, we embarked on advancing Africa’s cause and poverty issues by networking with African Diaspora and civil society organisations through ADVAD (African Diaspora Voices),  AFFORD (African Foundation for Development), Connections for Development and BOND (British Overseas NGOs for Development) and other community organisations from the Black and Minority Ethnic background.  This networking enabled us to access data and to pass on our data as well. 

Since then, we continued to share data and information with organisations working on similar issues while being mindful of the previous and new general data protection regulations.  

Our celebration is finally about data storage through our Skills Data Bank for the CENFACS Community.  Thanks to the various projects we ran in the past 25 years, we installed a data system whereby people or the community can voluntarily register their skills, abilities and talents so that when opportunities arise from the market we can match their skills to the market occupational opportunities offered. 

So, our “Q” Year is a remembrance of both data sharing and storage.

To sum up, the Analytics Act is the celebration on how CENFACS dealt with patterns in data in order to respond to its own need and the needs of those living in poverty in Africa and the UK. 

More on CENFACS’ analytical work will be given on the 20 July 2019.  In meantime, we would like to thank all those who helped us in our analytical journey until today. 

Thank you very much for their support.

 

  

• Summer Festival, Seven Days of Development in July 2019 – In Focus for this Year: Can Democratic Transition Transform the Lives of Poor people in Africa?

  

Welcome to the Seven Days of Development in July 2019 Festival,

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

 

This year’s event feature:

Can Democratic Transition Transform the Lives of Poor people in Africa?

 

THINK   ♦   ACT  ♦   SHARE    ♦   ADD VALUE    ♦   SPREAD

 

We have already introduced this Summer Festival.  We would like to add only the following.  This Summer Festival is about how poor people and their organisations (especially those from the voluntary and community sector) can use the space provided by democratic transition in Africa to meet the basic life-sustaining needs of education, shelter, food, health, sanitation, environment etc.

 

The focus will be on poor people and their representative organisations although other areas of democratic transition will make part of our thoughts. 

  

• • Event Guide & Programme

 

~ 7DDJ  Registration

 

Entry to the 7DDJ2019 is FREE.  There is no need to register.

 

~ Daily Themes

 

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

 

~ Responses to 7DDJ Contributors

 

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

 

~ Lead Thoughts

 

Lead thoughts are a general idea on the thought of the day.  There are designed to lead to or generate more thoughts, potential research paths or investigative grounds that can be further explored to shade some lights to our Summer Thoughts.

MAKE YOUR IDEAS AND COMMENTS COUNT!

 

• • Daily Contents

 

Day 1: Life transformation

Life transformation under democratic transition: From democratic transition to poverty reduction in transition

Lead thought: Day 1 will be about the expectation that transition to democracy can rise in terms of the improvement of people’s life including the reduction and ending poverty to an extent that there could be hope of poor people’s life transformation.

 

Day 2: Democratic transition experiences

Democratic transition experiences in Africa: Learning and development for poverty relief

Lead thought: Democratic transition opens up some spaces for freedoms and capabilities  for everybody to improve their own lives.  There could be something to learn from people who experienced this as well as something to look forward.

 

Day 3: Links between democracy and poverty reduction

Relationships between democratic liberalisation processes (or liberal democracy) and poverty reduction in societies in mutation

Lead thought: Theoretically speaking, it could be argued that there is a correlation between transition to liberal democracy and poverty reduction.  In practice, it will be advisable to check this link in case of African societies

 

Day 4: Poor people’s democratic experiences

Poor people’s lessons and experiences of local democracy in Africa:  How poor people can make democracy work for them

Lead thought: There are examples and legacies of local democracy across and in many parts of Africa including in deprived and poor areas.  It will be interesting to know the experiences of poor people in making them meet their ends and needs

 

Day 5: Rule by poor people

Rule by the poor people as a transformative force: its scopes and limits

Lead thought: By definition democracy is the rule by people.  Again, it will be interesting to know poor people, who are sometimes been assumed to be powerless, use their democratic power to transform their own lives for good.

 

Day 6: Poor People’s democratic aspirations

How democratic transition can or cannot achieve poor people’s aspirations for freedom from poverty and hardships

Lead thought: It could be simplistic to assume that every time there is a democratic transition, the meeting of the aspirations of poor people will follow.  It could be a good idea to investigate the conditions under which any form of democratic transition can help materialise the democratic aspirations of poor people. 

 

Day 7:  Democratic services and products by African organisations

How Africa-based Organisations can use the windows of opportunity created by democratic transitions to provide democratic activities, services and products to further reduce and or end poverty in Africa

Lead thought:  Democratic transition can come along with it a wealthy window of opportunities.  It could be worth to look at how African organisations use the new political space to provide democratic services and goods to tackle poverty and hardships

 

• • Supporting the 7DDJ2019 event

 

7 Ways of Supporting 7DDJ2019

You could

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

√ Pass the message onto interested persons

√ Feedback on previous 7DDJF events

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

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

√ Regularly support CENFACS to enable us to continue our work

√ Support our new initiative about Democratic Services and Goods for Poor People in a Changeable Political Landscape in Africa

 

7 Ways of Proceeding with your Wish

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

√ Promote the event  

√ Feedback CENFACS on previous events

√ Spread the news about the event

√ Help in the recovery of 7DDJ 2019 expenses

√ Fund CENFACS for its deserving work              

√ Provide helpful and supportive comments/views

√ Support CENFACS in your own way

 

Please mail your intent to support and or support to CENFACS

Closing date for reply: 05/08/2019 

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

Thank you for your continued support.

With best wishes and full of inspiration and creativity throughout our dedicated days of Festival of Thoughts and Actions on: How Democratic Transition Can Transform the Lives of Poor people in Africa

The 7DDJ2019  Events Team

 

 

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

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

10 July 2019

Post No. 99

 

 

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

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

• Summer Festival, Seven Days of Development in July Festival: How Democratic Transition Can Transform Poor People’s Lives in Africa

• Analytics Month Continues…

 

… and much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

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

 

Project Supporters’ and Users’ Experiences

Our Analytics month continues with this week’s Say by Project Supporters and Users telling us the experiences they have had with the programmes and projects we have selected to conduct monitoring, evaluation and review.

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

They can give us a feedback in the form of rating (numbers) and statement (words). This Say is about how they perceived and interacted with the products and services we presented to them over the last 345 days.

This feedback does not include the “Quadranscentennial” Project or Project 25 as this project is being monitored independently. We are separately carrying out the monitoring of the three Acts delivered so far for this project.

The selected programmes and projects for the purpose of monitoring, evaluation and review are listed in the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

 

 

~ Summer Festival, Seven-Days-of-Development-in-July Festival

 

This year’s theme is How Democratic Transition Can Transform Poor People’s Lives in Africa

With a number of elections taking place this year in Africa, many development experts and observers are questioning the impacts of these elections (or democratic transitions for some) on Africa’s development.

CENFACS alike is asking the impacts or simply the outputs or outcomes of these elections on the poor people’s lives in Africa.  In other words, CENFACS will be thinking on how democratic transition can or cannot transform poor people’s lives in Africa.

As usual, they will be seven themes for thoughts for seven days, one theme per day, starting from the 22nd to the 28th of July 2019.

The seven days of development in July are the days of thoughts and actions against poverty. The seven themes are the entry points in order to stimulate thoughts.

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

 

~  Analytics month continues…

 

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

We are still routinely gathering information on all aspects of these programmes and projects related to the above named period.  Likewise, we are assessing what these programmes and projects have achieved in relation to overall objectives we set up for them. Also, we are critically examining, reappraising or reconsidering our objectives and policies to achievements, and figuring out whether there is any progress or set back.

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

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

In meantime, we are inviting supporters and users to engage with us in responding and reacting to our poverty relief work in their own words and numbers.  They can rate and or provide a statement about these programmes and projects.

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ Humanitarian Appeal to Africa in a Changing Climate, and DRC Happiness Appeal

 

Our Summer Humanitarian Relief Appeal in a Changing Climate together with the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) Appeal are still active in our Summer campaign trail.

Our Appeals to help the Incapacitated Children and the Victims of Ebola virus as well as those at risk of it to live in happiness continue this week. Incapacitated Children are just a sample of those many children who desperately need happiness through any support they can receive this Summer.

Living in happiness for these children (in the DRC for example or somewhere else) could mean many things. However, we can agree that ending Ebola virus in their lives and communities in DRC could be the most wanted and precious relief.

The other things are to be happy in achieving the key variables of happiness which are: income, social support, healthy life, freedoms to make life choices, generosity and their perceptions of corruption.

You can support these Appeals by working together with CENFACS to deliver happiness to the incapacitated children in Africa as well as to the victims and those at risk of the Ebola in DRC.

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

 

~ Feedback in a Changing Climate

 

As you can notice from the above, our Summer theme of happiness in a changing climate is still on course. Our perception of happiness can also be affected by the climate change.  So do, the ways we can comment or feedback on programmes and projects that affect us and or others.

In the feedback regarding for example CENFACS programmes and projects, it is possible to say or add what is one’s feeling as well as how these programmes and projects affected one ‘s happiness in a changing climate.

To be more specific, let’s choose CENFACS’ Winter initiative of Consume to Reduce Poverty and Climate Change. Inside this initiative, we speak about responsible consumption. If someone has to report or feedback, their feedback may be impregnated by the way in which the idea of low carbon print has affected what is sustainable or unsustainable consumption.  One can report on anti-pollution consumption.  So, the changeable climate can affect the way in which we perceive consumption as well as production.

 

 

 

 

~ CENFACS Analytics Dashboard: Poverty Relief Metrics and Africa-based Organisations

 

We can use our Poverty Relief Metrics (PRM) to measure the way in which our Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) are trying to reduce poverty and hardships amongst their people.

This measurement can concern any levels of poverty (severe or acute, moderate, etc), any types of poverty (income, consumption, in-working, energy, gender, etc), and any other approaches to poverty (multi-dimensional, generational, human rights based etc.).

If you are an Africa-based Organisation and would like us to analyse your work on poverty relief, we can use our PRM to determine your efforts about poverty reduction.  This measurement can help boost your score as poverty-relieving organisation as well as attract more and better support towards your goals, business plan and work.

To request CENFACS’ Poverty Relief Metrics, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

Main Development

 

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

 

This exercise is meant to enable Supporters and Users (you might be one of them) to share with us and others the outcomes and learning experiences resulting from the use/application of the projects we have chosen from our Programmes for feedback purpose.

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

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

We would very much appreciate if you could provide us a feedback (via e-mail, text, phone, web comments or reviews etc.) in your own words and numbers regarding the way in which the named programmes and projects below have affected you and/or the people you recommended to use them.

You could to rate (by using numbers or percentages) these programmes and projects or provide a statement (by using words) or even both. This is aptly up to you.

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

Please consider our request for feedback and for your report.

 

8 EIGHT SELECTED PROGRAMMES AND 22 SELECTED PROJECTS TO FEEDBACK

 

To facilitate the matter, we have grouped projects under the programme they come under, although some of them may intertwine between two or three programmes.

Also, we would like you to know some of the projects selected may have the same title like the year before. However, the focus and contents for this year and each year are completely different.

We have selected the following programmes and projects for feedback, 8 Programmes and 22 projects for your SAY:

 

1/ Selected projects under African Integrated Sustainable Development programme

 

Autumn 2018 Appeal to Support Projects for Needy People and Organisations in Africa (1)

Summer 2018 Humanitarian Relief Appeal to Support Needy Children, Young People and Families in Africa (2)

 

2/ Selected projects under Peace, Protection and Sustainability programme

 

Climate Protection and Stake for African Children (Phase 2) with Katowice Implements Paris as a working theme (3)

African Children and Sustainable Development Goals, Generation Global Goals (3G) project – In focus for 2019: In Search of New Forms of Data (4)

Protection Month (April) and Weeks centred around the theme of Protection against Floods (5)

 

3/ Selected projects under African Rebuilding and Sustaining Infrastructures and Lives programme

 

Light Projects (6) –

Algeria Peace Appeal: Bringing and Lighting a Blaze of Hope for a Peaceful Transition to Political Democratisation Processes in Algeria

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

CARRA Appeal: Lighting a Blaze of Hope for the Victims of Conflicts in the African Central Republic and Region

DRC Appeal for Sustainable Peace, Rebuilding Infrastructures and Lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo

End Ebola in DRC: the DRC Health-enhancing Emergency Appeal

Lake Chad Basin Appeal: the lake Chad Basin Appeal for Peace, Food and Water

Rebuilding Africa (7) –

Rebuilding Destroyed Lives for the Victims of Climate and War Events – Rebuilding Appeal for Burundi, Madagascar and Niger

 

4/ Selected projects under Poverty-Environment programme

 

Climate Action Month (March 2019), Weeks and Themed Areas (8)

Save Flora and Fauna Projects (9)

“A la Une” (Autumn Leaves of Action to Upkeep the Nature in Existence) Campaign and themed activities (10)

 

5/ Selected projects under Individual Capacity Building and Development programme

 

Basic Community Support (Advice-giving Service) with Virtual Open days and Hours (11)

June Month of Environmental Sustainable Creative Initiatives: Create and Innovate in Uncertain Times (12)

All-in-Development Story Telling Series under the theme of Life Renewal (13)

Art and Design for Poverty Relief and Sustainable Development (14)

 

6/ Selected projects under the Twenty-tens Poverty Reduction Programme – Revised Version (2017 – 2019)

 

World Anti-poverty System (e-mobilisation call and days for the two mantras run) (15)

All-year-round projects (Play, Run and Vote) (16)

Track, Trip and Trending Initiatives (17)

 

7/ Selected projects under the New Media and Digital programmes

 

FIDILI Skills Development Project – Integrating Financial literacy and Digital Literacy Skills to Help People Help themselves (18)

CENFACS’ Online Store (19)

 

8/ Selected projects under Transitional Capacity Building and Development Programme: Support Infrastructures, Develop Capacities and Create Impacts

 

Adaptation for Building Capacity and Development (ABCD) project (the project has four components: adaptation to the new economic change, building of human capacity in a new economy in order to develop in a better and sustainable way) (20)

Project MISATU (Project M): Making Impactful Support to Africa Together with Users (21)

TRIANCONTADI Project (or Project 32 or The Simple Road to a Post-Regional Economic Integration Thriving Development World project): Together for Renewal of Infrastructures in Africa to Create Opportunities and Needed Transformations for Alternative Development Intergenerational (22)

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

 

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

Details and summaries of the above selected programmes and projects are available from CENFACS for request.

This feedback is due by the end of July 2019.

 

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

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

03 July 2019

Post No. 98

 

 

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Analytics Month with All-in-one Impact Feedback

• Summer Financial Information Updates: How to Manage Finances in Economic Uncertainty

• Humanitarian Appeal to Africa in a Changing Climate

 

… and much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ Analytics Month

 

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

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

It is a feedback because we ask all our stakeholders to give their opinions about our work.  We expect them to provide us with their reactions and feelings about our work.  This guides us to adjust and redevelops our programmes and projects.  In doing so, this gives us the opportunity to rebuild and reconnect with them. 

For more on All-in-one Impact Feedback and CENFACS’ Analytics month, go the Main Developments section.

 

~ Financial Update: How to Manage Finances in Economic Uncertainty

 

This Financial Update is a financial aspect and part of our Individual Capacity Development programme (ICDP) resources and is meant to help with updated financial information and awareness conducive to reducing the lack of financial information, lack that could be a source of income vulnerability or simply poverty.  

The resource provides a basic financial guidance, but not a financial support or funds for multi-dimensionally poor children, young people and families (MDPCYPFs).  The 2019 Financial Information Updates resource is on How to Manage Finances in Economic Uncertainty.

What the 2019 Financial Information Updates resource is about

In times of uncertainty like economic indecision due to multiple factors, there is a great need to use all the available skills, knowledge and sources of information in order to manage household finances carefully and prudently. 

The 2019 Edition of Financial Updates resource from CENFACS deals with ways of managing well our finances to deal with economic uncertainty or difficult times. 

The Edition speaks about the types of scenarios that poor people may face in the context of economic uncertainty.

It then proposes the different alternative ways of managing finances in each type  of these kinds of circumstances.

The Edition goes on in highlighting some of the financial techniques that one may need to master as well as the key financial and economic indicators to watch in times of economic uncertainty.  This is beyond the economic news given on a regular basis.  

The Edition finally covers the financial skills and capacities needed to well manage finances in this particular situation of economic uncertainty.  In doing so, the Edition explores ways of customising these skills to the need and demand of the poor people.

More on these Updates will be released soon.

 

 

 

~ Humanitarian Appeal to Africa in a Changing Climate

 

We have already kicked off our Summer programmes with Happiness Appeal to support the Victims of the Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  We are continuing the implementation of the first part of Summer programmes with a second appeal, which is Summer Humanitarian Appeal to Africa.

Details of this second appeal can be found on the support page of this website at http://cenfacs.org.uk/supporting-us/ 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ Mid-Year Monitoring of “Quadranscentennial” Year and Project (Q Y/P) Activities

 

As our Q Y/P keeps progressing, we are as well routinely and systematically gathering information on all aspects of this project.  Particularly, we are looking at this month the information we have collected and gathered about the activities and three Acts held so far.

In this mid-year process of monitoring or checking, we are studying what the data collected is telling us about what we have done so far as well as the direction of this Q Y/P.

For those who are associated with this Q Y/P as well as those who are following it, they can tell us what they think for the activities organised so far. 

Thank you for your participation and help.

 

~ DRC Happiness Appeal

 

Our Appeal to help the victims of Ebola virus and those at risk of it to live in happiness continues this week.  Living in happiness for them could mean many things.  However, we can agree that ending Ebola virus in their lives and communities could be the most wanted relief.  The other things are to be happy in achieving the key variables of happiness which are: income, social support, healthy life, freedoms to make life choices, generosity and their perceptions of corruption

You can support this Appeal by working together with CENFACS to deliver happiness to the victims and those at risk of the Ebola in DRC.

 

~ Happiness Budget for Poor Children, Young People and Families

 

It is always hard to ask the people who experience poverty, who literally have no income or income below the poverty line, to write a budget about their holidays. 

Whether a poor person takes holidays or not, they need a holiday budget or simply a budget to plan their sources of income and ways of meeting their expenses over the Summer holidays.

The holiday accounts help to assess where and how much help is needed.  Therefore, they need to do their income sums and build them into their holiday expenses or simply Summer expenses.

To discuss your Summer holiday budget, contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

 

Main Development

 

• Monitoring, Evaluation, Review and Analytics

 

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

We have been routinely gathering information on all aspects of these programmes and projects during the above named period.  However, in July this monitoring exercise becomes more intense.  

In July, we also assess what these programmes and projects have achieved in relation to the overall objectives we set up for them.  The results of this evaluation fed back to improve these programmes and projects.

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

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

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

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

 

~ What is CENFACS Analytics Dashboard?

 

CENFACS Analytics Dashboard is an information management tool that tracks, analyses and displays key performance indicators, poverty 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.

 

~ All-in-one Impact Feedback

 

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

XX236.3F is our 2020 to 2030 to 2063 Follow up Programme.  We are following the implementation of the International Climate Change Agreement (or the Paris Treaty), the Istanbul Declaration, the United Nations 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals, and Africa’s Agenda 2063.  The four of them make up our  XX236.3F programme.

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

We shall publish soon the progammes and projects making this year’s Analytics.  In meantime, for any enquiries about the Analytics month, please contact 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

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

26 June 2019

Post No. 97

 

 

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Thanksgiving Days: Supporters’ Days

• DRC’s Happiness Appeal

• Arts and Design Project: Skills in Art and Design

 

… and much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

~ Thanksgiving days: Supporters’ Days

 

From 24 to 30 June 2019, we are thanking all our supporters (current and past ones).  We would like to take this opportunity to thank them (and you if you are one of them) for helping CENFACS IN ENHANCING AND SUSTAINING FREEDOMS AND CAPABILITIES BY WORKING IN ALLIANCE WITH LOCAL PEOPLE TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVES.  

For more information about these thanksgiving days, please read under the Main Developments section of this post.

 

 

 

 

~ Happiness Appeal for Children, Young People and Families Victims of the Ebola Virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo

 

After discussing last week (via CENFACS’ be.Africa Think-Together Initiative) the relationships between war (insecurity), health (via the outbreak of the Ebola Virus) and climate change; we are this week launching an appeal to support the victims of the Ebola virus and those at risk of it in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 

This Happiness Appeal, which kicks off our Summer Humanitarian Relief in a Changing Climate, is designed to support the victims and those at risk of the Ebola Virus in the North Kivu Province of the DRC.

According to the World Health Organisation (1) in its Ebola situation reports, the total cases of those affected by Ebola in DRC were 2204 on 19 June 2019 while the number of deaths for the same was 1479.  Although these may fluctuate, there is an emergency to beat this deadly disease.

As long as this deadly virus is still rampant and running, there will not be happiness for the families and individuals affected by the virus.  Likewise, there will not be happiness for other persons and families who may be at risk.

This Appeal is therefore about helping to end the Ebola virus and bring happiness to the victims of Ebola, particularly but not exclusively poor children, young people and families.   The Appeal is meant to help deliver the well-being and happiness outcomes that can be met through the following six key variables: income, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on in times of trouble like of the outbreak of Ebola, generosity, freedom and trust.  These variables are explained in World Happiness Reports edited by Helliwell, Layard and Sachs (2).

From the World Happiness Report 2019, DRC has a 2016-2018 ladder score of 4.418 and is ranked as the 127^th country of the world in terms of Gross Domestic Product per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity and perceptions of corruption. 

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

(1) https://www.who.int/ebola/situation-reports/drc-2018/en/

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

 

~ Arts and Design Project: Skills in Art and Design

 

To carry on our Arts and Design project, we are dealing with skills in art and design for poverty relief and sustainable development in this last week of June. 

The focus in this activity is on finding out ways of helping people to develop skills in arts and design to communicate their poverty relief and sustainable development messages. 

The interest in doing it is to explore ways of making Arts and Design Skills that poor people possess to use them in achieving tangible poverty-relieving and sustainable development outcomes.

For further details about this third key message, please read under the Main Developments section of this post.

 

 

Extra Messages

 

~ Summer Programme with Humanitarian Relief Appeal in a Changing Climate

 

Climate change has notoriously changed the way in which we dress, eat, house, care about health, and feel happy and unhappy.  It also changes the way in which poverty is relieved and our perception of poverty.  For example, cutting trees and burning woods at any times and any costs to get the fire to heat homes and cook meals are no longer regarded as a sustainable solution against poverty. 

Today, any humanitarian relief action conducted has to appeal as well to sustainable development.  In terms of this piece of work, it has to take into account the changing climate.  So, our humanitarian relief action for Summer 2019 needs to be sustainable or environmentally-friendly despite the pressing needs of the beneficiaries of this action.    The temporary support in terms of money, food, clothing, education, transport and so on given to people in pressing and special need should as well consider the changing climate, which in return may or may not change their needs.

In practical terms, when bring happiness to the victims of Ebola virus in the DRC, one needs to take into account the new needs that the changing climate pattern that influences upon those requiring this happiness.

For further information about this Summer programme, please continue to read CENFACS over this Summer.

 

 

 

~ Coming soon: Appeal to Support Projects for Needy Children, Young People and Families (Edition 2019)

 

Our Humanitarian Relief Appeal making Part One of our Summer Programme has kicked off with the Happiness Appeal for the victims of the Ebola Virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Sooner there will be another appeal, which is the main one, to support poor children, young people and families (CYPFs) in Africa over this Summer.

As usual the edition of Summer 2019 Appeal will focus on poor CYPFs who do not have any means to have a Summer of Relief because of poverty.  They get bound in their remote land and community without any hope.  They have never known any other ways of life except distress, hardship, desperation, vulnerability, helplessness and hopelessness.  

CENFACS’ appeal will be about asking supporters to bring some relief to them over this Summer.

Further information about this second appeal will be released soon as mentioned above.

 

 

~ “Quadranscentenniality” and Humanitarian Relief

 

Although humanitarian relief is a short term or temporary help, we can however have a “quadranscentennial” view of it.  Humanitarian relief is generally defined as a temporary support in terms of money, food, shelter or clothing given to people in special need.  We can “quadranscentennialise” humanitarian relief by making it the removal of distress or poverty for 25 years or more.

Humanitarian relief is conceived to deal with what appears to be an emerging or erupting crisis.  Relief (that is assistance in difficult time) should be as well as lasting endeavour so that people and communities affected by crisis do not go back to the same painful and distressful situation again. 

Therefore, there could be a need to “quadranscentennialise” relief by making it a lasting enterprise to a period of 25 years or more.  “Quadranscentennialised” humanitarian relief is more than just a painkiller or palliative.  It is a curative approach or cure against the disease of poverty, epidemics etc.  “Quadranscentennialising” humanitarian relief in this way is the most effective and efficient way of solving the problem of underlying poverty and hardships.

For more information about the possible link between “quadranscentenniality” and humanitarian relief, please contact CENFACS. 

 

 

 

 

Main Developments

 

• Thanking Days or Supporters’ Days

 

These are Special Days we would like to dedicate in thanking all those who contributed to our work for any types of support they have given us over this financial year.  This dedication is normally held in the last week of and by the end of June.  For this year, they are held from 24 June to the end of June 2019. 

As we are in CENFACS’ Month of Creation and “Quadranscentennial” Year, we shall find all sorts of creative, innovative and communicative ways of thanking our invaluable supporters and backers.  These thanking ways may include:

√ Conversing with our supporters over phones

√ Signing and sending thank you cards to them

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

√ E-mailing and tweeting them with messages of gratitude

√ Thank-you stories

√ Music and songs of thank you

√ Thank you videos and films

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

√ Free translation service (French to English and vice versa)

√ Telling African poems and poetry

√ Digital and technologically animated thank-you messages

√ Creative and design works symbolising thank you

√ Designed and hand crafted made objects and crafts of acknowledgement etc

If you are one of the CENFACS’ supporters, please we would like to let you know the Thanking Days at CENFACS are your Days.  Do not hesitate to get in touch, if you do not mistakenly hear from us, we will welcome your human touch, reconnect with you and thank you on the occasion for the helpful difference you made to our work and project beneficiaries.

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

We would like to express all our sincere gratitude to you for helping us to help reduce poverty.

For further details, contact CENFACS’ Thanksgiving End of June 2019 Team.

 

• Arts and Design Project: Skills in Art and Design

 

Developing skills in arts and design can help to overcome poverty and enhance sustainable development.

 

~ Art and design skills as a poverty fighter

 

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

 

~ Art and design skills as an enhancer of sustainable development

 

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

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

But, what are these art and design skills?

 

Art or artistic skills consist of the following:

 

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

 

Design skills can include:

 

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

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

For further details about Arts and Design for poverty relief and sustainable development, please contact 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