Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

22 May  2024

 

Post No. 353

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Basic Trading Skills Development Project

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 4: Stories of Building Connections and of Forming Systems (From Wednesday 22/05/2024)

• Conflict- and Natural Disaster-related Internally Displaced Persons in Africa Need Your Influence Now!

 

… And much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

• Basic Trading Skills Development Project

 

Basic Trading Skills Development Project (or Trading Skills Project) takes to a practical level some of the information we provided in CENFACS’ Issue No. 83 of FACS this Spring 2024, which is titled Charity Trade, Investment and Poverty Reduction in Africa.  It takes it at the level of people and communities working with our Africa-based Sister Organisations and who would like to engage in trade or to improve the way they are trading in order to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.  To understand how it takes at their level, it is better to explain what Trading Skills Project is.

Trading Skills Project is an initiative that will help to reduce poverty by providing new skills to or reskilling or skilling up those who are looking forward to trade to make ends meet or to improve their enterprising model in the African context.

Trading Skills Project is as well a systemic resilience response to some of the issues that prospective poor traders and those poor people who would like to join the world of trading to reduce poverty may face in a case there is a crisis or shock from a trading ecosystem they are part of.

Trading Skills Project will deal with skills that those who would like to engage with trade in order to make ends meet as it will provide them with the skills and algorithm they need to trade confidently and consistently.

As ‘mytradingskills.com’ (1) puts it

“Trading is like any skill, it takes time, effort, and commitment to get good enough at it to deliver the outcomes new traders want”.

Trading Skills Project will help tackling skills gap in trade in Africa by providing beneficiaries with critical skills to scale up trade to deliver poverty reduction on a large scale.

Briefly speaking, Trading Skills Project will be achieved through the development of trade capacity and capability building to trade and reduce poverty.  As it stands, the project is not only about developing trade skills, but also reducing poverty through the skills acquired or at least putting project beneficiaries in the right direction to reduce poverty.

More details about Trading Skills Project can be found under the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 4: Stories of Building Connections and of Forming Systems (From Wednesday 22/05/2024)

 

The last series of our two-story programme is on Stories of Building Connections and of Forming Systems.  What are these stories?  Let us explain each of these sets of stories.

 

• • Stories of Building Connections

 

Giving these stories is more than just listing them.  It is about understanding connection and knowing the goal in building connections.

 

• • • Understanding Connection and the Goal in Building Connections

 

Connecting is about learning to develop better relationships with others.  According to ‘betterup.com’ (2),

“Connecting is about more than socializing – it is a transferable skill that can help you grow professionally and personally”.

The same ‘betterup.com’ provides 10 tips to help you build and strengthen connections with people.

However, connections cannot happen without goal.  The goal in building connections is, according to ‘berkeleywellbeing.com’ (3),

“To find the people that make us feel really good about ourselves, less lonely, and well-supported”.

So, understanding connections and the goal in building connections can lead to Stories of Building Connections.  What are these stories?

 

• • • What are Stories of Building Connections?

 

Stories of Building Connections are the tellings of building genuine connections to reset systems – our poverty reduction system. 

By referring to the argument of ‘berkeleywellbeing.com’ (op. cit.), Stories of Building Connections are those of

 

√ building personal connections

√ making family connections

√ forming other healthy connections

√ interpersonal communications

√ activities to build connections

√ constituting your networks

√ creating meaningful relationships

etc.

 

By drawing from the 10 tips provided by ‘betterup.com’ (op. cit.), Stories of Building Connections are those of

 

1) being your authentic self

2) respecting people’s boundaries

3) staying focused

4) moving past the surface level

5) sharing the conversation

6) being genuine with your admiration

7) being a good listener

8) scheduling your time

9) maintaining eye contact

10) offering a smile.

 

If you are a member of CENFACS Community and have these types of story, please do not hesitate to tell and share your stories with CENFACS.  If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Building Connections, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

• • Stories of Forming Systems

 

Perhaps, the better way of understanding these stories is to know what a system is.

 

• • • What is a system?

 

The website ‘madlymused.com’ (4) states that

“A system is a series of steps that you go through the same way every time you do a task.  This standardized process help you reach the same result every time.  It ensures quality and efficiency”.

The same ‘madlymused.com’ explains that

“Systems can be complex processes you use in your business, or they can be simple routines that you use in your daily life.  We develop many of the systems we already have in our lives so naturally that we don’t even notice them”.

Systems can be created.  At the beginning of our two-story series (i.e., System Reset and Change Stories), we argued that systems can be reset.  However, if a system is no longer fit for resetting purposes, it can be changed.  If the system is failing the people it is supposed to serve and is no longer fit for resetting purpose, then change may be required.  In other words, one can create or form a new system to replace the broken or unfit one.

As part of system change, CENFACS has been advocated for years for a New International System for Poverty Reduction (or World Anti-poverty System) to modernise the old institutions of Bretton Woods.  Taking the same line of reasoning, Africa asked for systemic financial reforms to the global financial architecture.  CENFACS‘ advocacy and Africa’s ask are the demand to form new systems.  In CENFACS‘ case, it is about a new system to serve the poor and bridge the gap in the institutions of Bretton Woods.  In the case of Africa, it is about expressing the argument for systemic reforms to a global financial architecture that is not fit for the need of the poor.

Knowing what systems are and making a demand for a new system provide stories to tell and share.

 

• • • What are Stories of Forming Systems?

 

Stories of Forming Systems are the reports of forming a new system.  They are also those of creating systems.  If you refer to simple 4-step model of creating systems as provided by ‘madlymused.com’ (op. cit.),  Stories of Forming Systems are those of

 

√ making a list of tasks needed to create a new system

√ writing down the steps required to complete those tasks

√ writing on a detailed description of each step

√ incorporating checks and balances into the systems to add accountability.

 

Briefly speaking, Stories of Forming Systems are those of creating a set of interconnected parts to form a complex whole.

If you are a member of CENFACS Community and have these types of story, please do not hesitate to tell and share your stories with CENFACS.  If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Forming Systems, please contact CENFACS.

Let us conclude these All in Development Stories Telling Series of May 2024 by saying that stories can motive others on the road of reducing or ending poverty.  And System Reset and Change Stories do not escape from this attribute about what stories can do to their listeners.  In other words, your pieces of System Reset and Change Stories can motivate others to improve their lives.  If you have these stories, please do not hesitate to tell and share them.

 

 

• Conflict- and Natural Disaster-related Internally Displaced Persons in Africa Need Your Influence Now!

 

Conflicts and natural disasters continue to displace peoples and communities in Africa.  According to this month’s report by the ‘api.internal-displacement.org’ (5), African countries with the most internal displacement in terms of conflict (and violence) and disasters during 2023 were the ones mentioned on the following table:

 

As table 1 shows, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo recorded the second-highest figure in terms of displacement triggered by conflict and violence.  According the same ‘api.internal-displacement.org’ disasters also triggered six million displacements across Africa.

Yet, it is possible to reduce the rise in displacements, the causes of both new and older wars and drawn-out conflicts.  It is feasible to help the internally displaced persons in Africa (IDPA) to start returning home.  It is not impossible to prevent new crises of this kind to happen.  It is even probable to strengthen resilience capacity building of peoples and communities in Africa by promoting durable solutions to displacement.

 

• • The Internally Displaced Persons in Africa Need Your Positive Influence

 

Because of these possibilities and probabilities, the Internally Displaced Persons need your positive influence to act on the forces that are leading to human displacement in Africa.  You can use your influence on those who hold the key to conflicts in Africa.  You can as well put your influence on the man-made factors that contribute to natural events like droughts, storms, earthquakes, wildfires and other geophysical events.  These events continue to cause displacement in Africa.

Because of the impacts of these events, the IDPA who are bearing the brunt of this crises or events need your Positive Influence to end their suffering.  Your Positive Influence can deliver meaningful tangible and life-saving outcomes than what you may not think.

 

• • What Your Positive Influence Can Achieve for them

 

Your Positive Influence can help

 

√ To support the Humanitarian Response Plan for IDPA 

√ To stop violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law

√ To encourage the return of displaced persons

√ To end gender-based violence (e.g. violence against young girls) amongst IDPA 

√ To enhance the implementation of life-saving responses

√ Briefly, to alleviate the suffering of the vulnerable IDPA.

 

• • Who Your Positive Influence Will Benefit

 

The beneficiaries of your Positive Influence or Influencing Donation will be

 

√ Those who are bearing the brunt of this continuing conflicts and natural disasters

√ Those who are experiencing the life-threatening effects of violence and insecurity

√ Those who are without or with limited access to basic services such as water, sanitation and hygiene

√ Those who are the victims of gender-violence such as young girls

√ Those who are suffering from increased vulnerability and eroded livelihoods

√ In brief, the IDPA because of conflicts and natural disasters that threatened their lives.

 

You can donate your Positive Influence to reduce poverty in Africa where displacements are happening because conflicts and natural disasters.

To donate, please contact influential persons (or those having the keys) to reduce or solve the life-threatening effects from the continuing displacement crisis that the African countries are suffering from and make these influential persons reduce or end these damaging effects on them.

You can as well influence the things or factors that play in the continuity of this displacement crisis in order to create lasting favourable conditions for a return to life normality.

Please also let CENFACS know about your influencing work or contribution  you are or will be making and its outcomes on behalf of the people of Africa.

To let us know, you can contact CENFACS as follows:

 

*over phone

*via email

*through text

*by filling the contact form on this site. 

 

On receipt of the outcome of your influencing donation, CENFACS will contact you for record and thank you for any influencing donation made.  However, should you wish your influencing support to remain anonymous; we will respect your wish.

Thank you in anticipation for your willingness to give your Positive Influence to alleviate the suffering that the IDPA are facing from the continuing displacement crisis.

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Volunteers’ Stories of Actions across All Fronts of System Reset and Change

• Activity 4 of Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty: Art and Design about Benefit-Sharing Mechanisms (From Week Beginning Monday 27/05/2024)

•  Fundraising and Journaling Your Run to Reduce Poverty in Africa  during This Event Season

 

 

• Volunteers’ Stories of Actions across All Fronts of System Reset and Change

 

These stories could be related to actions generally taken in volunteering capacity to help people and communities in need in four ways of resetting the system to

 

a) Change their mindset

b) Create new metrics

c) Design new incentives

d) Build a genuine connection.

 

They could also be actions in which a volunteer got specifically involved and at the fronts of the four strategies or tips for changing a system, which are

 

a) seeing the whole system rather just its parts

b) looking at patterns of change rather than static snapshots

c) understanding key interconnections within a system and between systems

d) forming a new system (e.g., a new system of poverty reduction).

 

Both system reset and system change stories from volunteers respond to our model of two-story sequences. 

To tell, share and provide opportunity for learning development through your story of volunteers’ actions across all the fronts of system reset and change; please contact CENFACS.

 

 

• Activity 4 of Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty: Art and Design about Benefit-Sharing Mechanisms (From Week Beginning Monday 27/05/2024)

 

Like the previous activities, Activity 4 falls under the scope of target 19 of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (6) adopted at the Fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.  Before highlighting it, let us explain benefit-sharing mechanisms.

 

• • What Are Benefit-Sharing Mechanisms?

 

According to ‘cifor-icraf.org’ (7),

“Benefit-sharing mechanisms are a broad term that encompasses all institutional means, structures and instruments for distributing finance and other benefits from REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries)”.

The website ‘cbd.int’ (8) goes further  by explaining that

“Access and benefit-sharing refer to the way in which genetic resources may be accessed, and how the benefits that result from their use are shared between the people or countries using the resources (users) and the people or countries that provide them (providers)”.

Knowing what benefit-sharing mechanisms mean, we can now state the aim of this activity.

 

• • Aim of Activity 4

 

This activity aims at the creation of works of beauty and making drawing/model showing how the sharing of benefits derived from biodiversity conservation can be beneficial for indigenous and other local peoples.

Because it is about creating the works of beauty and making drawings/models, let us speak about benefit-sharing images.

 

 

• • Images of Art and Design about Benefit-Sharing Mechanisms

 

Participants to Activity 4 will look at and share the images of benefit-sharing mechanisms, as well as discuss how these shared images can help in understanding biodiversity conservation and nature issues.  They will draw their own images, compare them and choose the best ones responding to the benefit-sharing theme.

For those who would like to engage with Activity 4, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

To conclude the fourth series of Nature Projects, let us repeat ourselves by saying that to implement biodiversity strategy and action plans, it requires financial resources.  The notes produced for the four activities give some clues and tips on how having a financial dimension inside biodiversity can be useful to protect it.  

The next series (fifth series) of our work on Nature Projects will be announced in due course.  In meantime,  for those who would like to find out more about Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty, they can communicate with CENFACS.

 

 

•  Fundraising and Journaling Your Run to Reduce Poverty in Africa  during This Event Season

 

Let us start with fundraising aspect of your Run Project, then writing aspect of it – its journal.

 

• • Introducing a Giving Feature in the Run Activity

 

For those who are running events in the context of Triple Value Initiative of ‘Run to Reduce Poverty in Africa in 2024’, they can use the opportunity of the event season to introduce a giving feature in their Run activity.  They can ask those who are involved in the run with them to support good causes, including CENFACS‘ noble and beautiful ones.  This ask for support concerns both in-person and virtual runs.

 

 

• • • Keeping Run Activity Cost-effective with a Fundraising Feature

 

They can make their Run activity cost-effective with a fundraising feature while running with or without others.  Once the fundraising element has been inserted, it is wise to evaluate their fundraising drive.  To evaluate it, they can proceed with the evaluation steps suggested by ‘classy.org’ (9), steps which include analysis of fundraising data, tracking of numbers and performance, staying focused on the mission of their Run project, evaluation of fundraising results and to be forward thinking.

However, they must remember that the aim of the CENFACS’ Run to Reduce Poverty in Africa is to select or find the African best runner of poverty reduction in 2024, rather than raising money.

 

• • • Having Problems in Installing or Inserting a Fundraising Feature

 

For those who may be having or are experiencing some problems in installing or inserting a fundraising feature in their runs, there are resources both online and in print on how to organise a fundraising event for a Run Project.  Amongst the resources is the one provided by ‘donorbox.org’  (10).  It is worthwhile looking at this resource as it provides eight steps to realise your fundraising event.

For those who would like to involve or talk to CENFACS about their Run Project, they can speak to CENFACS.

 

 

• • Journaling the Run Project

 

They can as well journal and develop a story about their Run activity.   They can share the contents of their journal and story of run with us and others.

Journaling their Run Project can have benefits.  To get those benefits, one needs to have a goal and plan activities/achievements.

 

• • • Benefits of Journaling your Run Project

 

The journal will help you to capture the moments of your Run Project via expressive writing and story.  It can have other benefits such as setting goals, tracking or measuring their progress on Run Project, recording and celebrating achievements and gaining both general and specific perspectives of your Run Project.  They can even show their style and express their feeling or character through their writing.  Another good thing of journaling their Run Project is that it makes things easy when it comes to report to CENFACS and others before the deadline of 23 December 2024.

 

• • • Journaling the Goal of Run Project

 

The goal is basically to explore and enrich one’s Run Project through creative writing.  This goal does not stop users of Run Project to have their own journaling goal.  Besides their journaling goal, they need to add what their journal can help achieve.

 

• • • What one’s Journal of Run Project can achieve

 

It can achieve many things including the following:

 

∝ Solve problems encountered in the cycle of your Run Project

∝ Enhance one’s health and wellness via Run Project

∝ Improve Run Project outcomes.

 

For those who are undertaking a Run Project and would like to write a journal about their activity, they can do it.  There are many online and print resources available on the matter.  Please select resources that are concise and have some links with your Run Project.

For those who would like to approach CENFACS for help and support to write a Journal of Run Project or to select appropriate resources, they are welcome to do so.

To discuss your progress regarding your Run Project, the fundraising feature and Journal of your Run Project or any other issues relating to All Year Round Projects (Triple Value Initiatives), please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

 

• Les personnes déplacées intérieurement par les conflits et les catastrophes naturelles en Afrique ont besoin de votre influence maintenant!

Les conflits et les catastrophes naturelles continuent de mettre en évidence les peuples et les communautés en Afrique.  Selon le rapport de ce mois-ci du ‘api.internal-displacement.org’ (5), les pays africains ayant enregistré le plus de déplacements internes en termes de conflits (et de violence) et de catastrophes en 2023 étaient les suivants: le Soudan, la République Démocratique du Congo, la Somalie, l’Éthiopie et le Burkina Faso.

Ces pays ont respectivement enregistré les chiffres suivants en termes de personnes déplacées par un conflit et de personnes déplacées par des catastrophes naturelles:

~ le Soudan: 6 039 000 et 58 000

~ la République Démocratique du Congo: 3 772 000 et 133 000

~ la Somalie: 673 000 et 2 043 000

~ l’Éthiopie: 794 000 et 618 000

~ le Burkina Faso: 707 000 et 24 000.

Comme les chiffres ci-dessus l’indiquent, le Soudan et la République Démocratique du Congo ont enregistré le deuxième chiffre le plus élevé en termes de déplacements déclenchés par les conflits et la violence.  Selon le même «api.internal-displacement.org», les catastrophes ont également déclenché six millions de déplacements à travers l’Afrique.  La Somalie ayant le chiffre le plus élevé en termes de déplacements engendrés par les catastrophes naturelles.

Pourtant, il est possible de réduire l’augmentation des déplacements, les causes des guerres nouvelles et anciennes et des conflits prolongés.  Il est aussi possible d’aider les personnes déplacées en Afrique (PDA) à commencer à rentrer chez elles.  Il n’est pas impossible d’empêcher que de nouvelles crises de ce genre ne se produisent.  Il est même probable de renforcer la résilience des peuples et des communautés en Afrique en promouvant des solutions durables au déplacement.

• • Les personnes déplacées en Afrique ont besoin de votre influence positive

En raison de ces possibilités et probabilités, les personnes déplacées à l’intérieur de leur propre pays ont besoin de votre influence positive pour agir sur les forces qui conduisent au déplacement humain en Afrique.

Vous pouvez user de votre influence sur ceux ou celles qui détiennent la clé des conflits en Afrique. 

Vous pouvez également exercer votre influence sur les facteurs d’origine humaine qui contribuent aux événements naturels tels que les sécheresses, les tempêtes, les tremblements de terre, les incendies de forêt et autres événements géophysiques.  Ces événements continuent de provoquer des déplacements en Afrique.

En raison des impacts de ces événements, les PDA qui portent le poids de ces crises ou événements ont besoin de votre influence positive pour mettre fin à leurs souffrances.

• • Ce que votre influence positive peut leur apporter

Votre influence positive peut aider à

√ Soutenir le plan de réponse humanitaire pour les PDA

√ Mettre fin aux violations et aux atteintes aux droits de l’homme et au droit international humanitaire

√ Encourager le retour des personnes déplacées

√ Mettre fin à la violence sexiste (par exemple, la violence à l’égard des jeunes filles) parmi les PDA

√ Améliorer la mise en œuvre des interventions qui sauvent des vies

√ Brièvement, alléger les souffrances des PDA vulnérables.

• • À qui votre influence positive profitera-t-elle?

Les bénéficiaires de votre Influence Positive ou de votre Don d’Influence seront

√ Ceux ou celles qui portent le poids de ces conflits et catastrophes naturelles qui se poursuivent

√ Les personnes qui subissent les effets mortels de la violence et de l’insécurité

√ Ceux ou celles qui n’ont pas ou ont un accès limité aux services de base tels que l’eau, l’assainissement et l’hygiène

√ Les personnes victimes de violence sexiste telles que les jeunes filles

√ Ceux ou celles qui souffrent d’une vulnérabilité accrue et d’une érosion des moyens de subsistance

√ En bref, les PDA en raison de l’insécurité et des menaces qui pèsent sur leur vie.

Vous pouvez faire don de votre influence positive pour réduire la pauvreté en Afrique où les déplacements se produisent à cause des conflits et des catastrophes naturelles.

Pour faire un don, veuillez contacter des personnes influentes (ou celles qui ont les clés) pour réduire ou résoudre les effets mortels de la crise de déplacement continue dont souffrent les pays africains et faire en sorte que ces personnes influentes réduisent ou mettent fin à ces effets néfastes sur elles.

Vous pouvez également influencer les choses ou les facteurs qui jouent dans la continuité de cette crise de déplacement afin de créer durablement des conditions favorables à un retour à la vie normale.

Veuillez également informer le CENFACS de votre travail d’influence ou de votre contribution que vous apportez ou apporterez et de ses résultats au nom du peuple Africain.

Pour nous le faire savoir, vous pouvez contacter le CENFACS comme suit:

*par téléphone

*par e-mail

*par texte

*en remplissant le formulaire de contact sur ce site.

Dès réception du résultat de votre don d’influence, le CENFACS vous contactera pour enregistrement et vous remerciera pour tout don d’influence effectué.  Cependant, si vous souhaitez que votre soutien d’influence reste anonyme; nous respecterons votre souhait.

Merci d’avance pour votre volonté d’exercer votre influence positive afin d’alléger les souffrances auxquelles les PDA sont confrontés en raison de la crise continue des déplacements.

 

Main Development

 

• Basic Trading Skills Development Project (or Trading Skills Project)

 

The following items provide the key information about Trading Skills Project:

 

σ Definition of Trading Skills Project

σ The Aim of Trading Skills Project

σ Potential Beneficiaries of Trading Skills Project

σ Types of Trading Skills to Be Developed

σ Planned Outcomes 

σ Indicators for Measuring Trading Skills Project

σ Funding Status of Trading Skills Project

σ Impact Monitoring and Evaluation.

 

Let us summarise each of these items.

 

• • Definition of Trading Skills Project

 

Trading Skills Project is an initiative that will help to reduce poverty by providing new skills or reskilling or skilling up those who are looking forward to trade to make ends meet or to improve their enterprising model in the African context.

Trading Skills Project is a model of working together with local people and/or their representatives in order to reach out to those who are uneducated or less educated, uninformed or less informed and lacking skills as far as trading is concerned.

Trading Skills Project will identify life-changing steps that its beneficiaries will go through.  Through training and skills development to be provided from this micro-project, it is hoped that beneficiaries will improve their trading skills, knowledge and wellbeing.  They will also enhance their means of living and enterprise so that they can increase the way they contribute in their community or society.

 

• • The Aim of Trading Skills Project

 

Trading Skills Project aims at reducing poverty and hardships in Africa, poverty due to the lack of basic skills to confidently and consistently trade.  This reduction of poverty as the lack of essential trading skills will be done through training, education and basic supply of trading technologies and tools to potential project beneficiaries.

 

• • Potential Beneficiaries of Trading Skills Project

 

Amongst the types of people in need who could benefit from Trading Skills Project as defined above are:

 

√ those looking to enter the field of trading or expand their skillset

√ those who would like to feed their families through trade

√ those wanting to make ends meet or reduce poverty via trading

√ those seeking trading skills to reduce poverty

√ those who see trading as a potential way of reducing conflicts that adversely affect poor people

√ project beneficiaries engaged or planning to trade

√ those looking for a formal technical and vocational education and training in trading skills development

etc.

 

• • Types of Trading Skills to Be Developed

 

Basic training and education in the field of trade can enhance beneficiaries’ interpersonal skills.  There are several ways or skills through which one can become a professional trader in their field.

Amongst the skills are those listed by ‘cleartax.in’ (11), which Trading Skills Project will provide.  These skills are

 

a) research and analytical skills

b) concentration skills

c) self-control skills

d) error-free record-keeping skills.

 

To the above-mentioned skills, we can add the 8 skills required for trading given by ‘blog.bettertrader.co’ (12), which are:

 

1) minimally understanding some basic maths

2) fundamental and financial analyst skills

3) focus

4) research

5) record keeping

6) adaptability

7) mental toughness

8) independence.

 

However, the same ‘blog.cleartax.in’ explains that

“The ability to learn these attributes and skills attests to the fact that successful trading is in your hands and is not determined by your genes”.

Through the learning of the above-mentioned skills, we hope to identify changes that project beneficiaries will go through.

 

• • Planned Outcomes 

 

After the implementation of Trading Skills Project, it is expected that there will be changes and effects.  These changes and effects will be directly linked project users and others relating to their community.

 

• • • Outcomes in project users

 

After using the Trading Skills Project, users will:

 

√ feel more secure and stable in earnings some income to make ends meet

√ have the potential for entrepreneurship

√ develop the strengths for wealth creation opportunity

√ be able to reduce poverty and hardship as a lack of trading skills

√ have the opportunity to learn transferable skills to adapt to and embrace new opportunities

√ improve their ability to perform trading tasks

√ ameliorate their participation to trade negotiations

√ increase their ability to deal with questions linked to trading matter

√  be in a position to diversify their trading model

√  enhance their trading capacity and capability

√ refine their trading skills if they are women

etc.

 

Briefly, users will have a better opportunity to run their trading lives and improve their personal/family wellbeing.

 

• • • Outcomes in the community

 

The results for the community they belong to could be as follows:

 

√ making tangible impact on the community

√ contributing to the overall wellbeing of the community

√ supporting the community

√ building a better world for future generations.

 

• • Indicators for Measuring Trading Skills Project

 

The measures below will help find out whether or not the project will reach its desired objectives and progress towards meeting its defined aim:

 

√ the number of poor people who will embrace trade to reduce poverty

√ the number of poor people who will be educated and informed in trading matters as well as becoming competent in handling trading matters and technologies 

√ the number of people who become less vulnerable to poverty as a lack of trading skills after having trading capacity building support

√ the performance and the confidence amongst project beneficiaries in handling trading matters or issues

√ the number of surveyed poor people who are happy (optimistic) or unhappy (pessimistic) to the support provided or offered to them via Trading Skills Project

etc.

 

To conclude, Trading Skills Project is an initiative that will help to reduce poverty by providing new skills or reskilling or skilling up those who are looking forward to trade to make ends meet or to improve their enterprising model in the African context.

The skills, knowledge and capacities to be acquired will help the project beneficiaries to understand the world of trading, make informed choices regarding their own trading wellbeing and improve trading risk management insights for themselves.

 

• • Funding Status of Trading Skills Project

 

So far, this project is unfunded.  This means we are open to any credible funding proposals or proposition from potential funders or donors.  Those who would like to support this project will be more than welcome.

To fully or partly fund this project, please contact CENFACS.

 

• • Impact Monitoring and Evaluation

 

As part of impact monitoring, there will be routine and systematic gathering of information on all aspects of the project.  In other words, we will systematically collect and analyse information to keep regular checks and balances on the project.

Likewise, we shall assess what the project will achieve in relation to the overall objectives it was set up.  This is to say that both outcome and impact evaluation will be conducted regarding the efforts spent on this project to find out whether or not these efforts are value for relief as far as poverty reduction is concerned.

In proceeding in this manner, we will be able to measure the impact or at least the outcomes from this project.

The full project proposals including budget are available on request.

To support or contribute to this project, please contact CENFACS.

For further details including full project proposals and budget about the Trading Skills Project; please contact CENFACS.

_________

 

• References

 

(1) https://mytradingskills.com/about (accessed in May 2024)

(2) https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-connect-with-people (accessed in May 2024)

(3) https://www.berkeleywellbeing.com/building-connections.html (accessed in May 2024),

(4) madlymused.com/creating-systems/ (accessed in May 2024)

(5) https://api.internal-displacement.org/sites/default/files/publications/documents/IDMC-GRID-2024-Global-Report-on-International-Displacement.pdf (accessed in May 2024)

(6) https://www.cbd.int/article/cop15-press-release-final-19dec2022 (Accessed in May 2023)

(7) https://www.cifor-icraf.org/publications/pdf_files/factsheet/4258-factssheet.pdf (accessed in May 2024)

(8) https://www.cbd.int/abs/infokit/brochure-en.pdf (accessed in May 2024)

(9) https://www.classy.org/blog/properly-evaluate-fundraising-campaign/# (accessed in May 2023)

(10) https://donorbox.org/nonprofit-blog/organize-a-charity-run (accessed in May 2023)

(11) https://cleartax.in/glossary/trading-skills-essentials/ (accessed in May 2024)

(12) https://blog.bettertrader.co/2021/04/21/what-are-the-8-skills-required-for-trading (accessed in May 2024)

_________

 

• Help CENFACS Keep the Poverty Relief Work Going This Year

 

We do our work on a very small budget and on a voluntary basis.  Making a donation will show us you value our work and support CENFACS’ work, which is currently offered as a free service.

One could also consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the future.

Additionally, we would like to inform you that planned gifting is always an option for giving at CENFACS.  Likewise, CENFACS accepts matching gifts from companies running a gift-matching programme.

Donate to support CENFACS!

FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ NOBLE AND BEAUTIFUL CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.

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

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

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

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2024 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

15 May  2024

 

Post No. 352

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Rebuilding Africa in 2024

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 3: Stories of Designing Incentives and Understanding Interconnections (From Wednesday 15/05/2024)

• Activity 3 of Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty: Workshop on Biodiversity Offsets and Credits (From Week Beginning Monday 20/05/2024)

 

… And much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

• Rebuilding Africa in 2024

 

CENFACS does not only work in bringing and lighting a Blaze of Hope for the victims of destructive wars, natural disasters and other major crises (like the coronavirus shock or the cost-of-living crisis).  CENFACS takes the process of working with these victims further in helping them  to overcome underlying poverty and hardships induced by these events as well as supporting them to build their future.

CENFACS works with them and or their representative organisations to alleviate poverty and hardships as the lack of hopes and expectations.  In the process of relieving poverty as the lack of hopes and expectations, the next step or phase of our advocacy is Rebuilding or Renewing Lives.  We call it Rebuilding Africa.

 

• • The Focus for This Year’s Rebuilding Africa

 

This year, our Rebuilding Africa advocacy will focus on Building Systemic Resilience with Communities and Africa-based Organisations.  There are many ways of approaching systemic resilience, depending on systems theory one my use.

 

• • • Approaches to Systemic Resilience

 

There are various approaches to systemic resilience, but we are going to limit ourselves to the following ones.

Resilience will be viewed in the perspective of Ann Masten, quoted by ‘Justiceinspectorate.gov.uk’ (1).  Masten defines resilience as

“The capacity of dynamic system to adapt successfully to disturbances that threaten system function, viability, or development.  The concept can be applied to systems of many kinds at many interacting levels, both living and non-living, such as a micro-organism, a child. a family, a security/system, an economy, a forest, or the global climate”.

The same Ann Masten comments in her book Ordinary Magic Resilience in Development in 2014 that

“There is growing recognition that resilience in children is interconnected with the resilience of families, communities, governments, economies and ideologies”.

Systemic resilience will also be approached in terms of economics.  Hynes et al. (2) provide the economics perspective of systemic resilience.  They explain that systemic resilience can be achieved by design and intervention.  Endogenous reorganisation in the economy is an example of systemic resilience, while systemic resilience by intervention is characterised by exogenous measures such as bailouts, stockpiles and building buffers.

Their resilience analysis with incorporation into economic systems can explain how Africa transfers resources between entities to protect itself from exogenous shocks and how Africa evolves and modifies itself over time in terms of self-organisation.  As part of the need of Africa to organise itself, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General (3) makes remarks that

“We need systemic reforms to a global financial architecture that today is not fit for purpose -and that remains too short-term oriented, crisis-prone, and fundamentally-skewed towards the interests of the rich”.

So, building resilience to climate shocks, taking systemic approach to reduce credit risk in the market, addressing systemic imbalances to improve representation in decision making process of the International Monetary Fund’s Special Drawing Rights, carrying systemic financial reforms to a global financial architecture, dealing with systemic challenges, building environmental resilience, etc. are all part of building systemic resilience in Africa.  However, what we are concerned with is building systemic resilience with communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations.

 

• • • Building systemic resilience with communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations

 

Building systemic resilience with communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations will be about building systemic approach to or adapting our system of poverty reduction with both of them to any potential disturbances that may threaten this system.

Let us further explain the two processes of building systemic resilience.

 

• • • • Building Systemic Resilience with Communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs)

 

This first process of building systemic resilience will be based on the broad sense of systemic resilience.  Resilience is perceived in the terms of Chris Park (4) as

“The rate at which a system regains structure and function following a stress or perturbation” (p. 380)

The same Chris Park explains systemic as

“Affecting or spread through the whole body (for example a plant or animal, not localised” (p. 443)

Building Systemic Resilience with Communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) will be about working with communities and ASOs to regain structure and function of their entire body following a stress or perturbation.

 

• • • • Building Resilience of Our System of Poverty Reduction with Communities and ASOs

 

The second process of building systemic resilience will specifically deal with the resilience of our system of poverty reduction.

Our system of poverty reduction is simply the collection of components that work together to perform function or produce poverty reduction.  Poverty reduction is conceptualised as any effort deployed or action taken to cut down the state of not having or having little financial and material possessions.  Our current Financial Resilience Programme for Households is an example of how we are trying to build and track resilience of our system of poverty reduction with the community.

In both building systemic resilience processes, we are going to use the three parts of systemic resilience as suggested by ‘practiceplan.co.uk’ (5).  These parts are:

1) The responsibility of everyone in building resilience

2) The insurance that our interactions with others do not make life harder for them

3) Our contribution to other people’s resilience.

 

• • Where Rebuilding Africa Can Take Place

 

Rebuilding Africa can take place in any place in Africa that needs to be rebuilt or built forward.  CENFACS‘ ASOs can be part of this rebuilding process.

There are ways in which ASOs can play their role in the rebuilding process as highlighted in the following examples.

Where countries are expecting that elections and strengthening of democratic transition will improve poverty reduction outcomes and impacts, ASOs can play a supportive role in making the voice of the poor to be heard.

Where countries came out of destructive natural disasters, ASOs can lend their hands to reduce poverty caused by climate-driven humanitarian crises and help the victims of natural disasters to rebuild their lives.

Where countries are undergoing peace transition after destructive wars, ASOs can assist in the making of this transition process just and sustainable.

Where countries are searching for way to remake themselves from the hunger brought by the cost-of-living crisis, ASOs can participate in this remaking hunger-free process.

The above examples indicate where rebuilding Africa can take place as well as ways in which ASOs can play their bit in the rebuilding process of Africa.

So, there are many places where rebuilding work is needed and where our ASOs can be part of this rebuilding work.

Further details about this advocacy work on Rebuilding Africa can be found under the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 3: Stories of Designing Incentives and Understanding Interconnections (From Wednesday 15/05/2024)

 

Our two-story series reaches Serial 3.  In this third serial, we are dealing with Stories of Designing Incentives and Understanding Interconnections.

Let us highlight each of these stories.

 

• • Stories of Designing Incentives

 

To understand these stories, one may need to know what incentives and incentive design are.

 

• • • What are incentives and incentive design?

 

The website ‘sahilbloom.com’ (6) explains that

“Incentives are anything that motivates, inspires, or drives an individual to act in a specific manner.  They come in two forms: intrinsic (internal) and extrinsic (external)”.

As to incentive design, it is defined by M. Gunkel (7) as

“A careful process of crafting a system that connects performance measurement with performance rewards, with the goal of motivating employees to perform according to the expectations of the organisation…Incentive design is a means of aligning the interests of an organisation’s employees and owners”.

Although Gunkel speaks about employees and owners, incentive design can happen outside employee-owner or employee-employer relationship.  It can happen in the context of families, households, communities, community groups, charities, etc.

If you are one of CENFACS Africa-based Sister Organisations, you may be aware of what to do when designing new incentives within your system in order for example rewarding those who produce or deliver poverty reduction outcomes.

If you are an individual or a family or a household making the CENFACS Community, you should also know that when you design incentive for others (like your family or household members) it is better to make sure that they are fairly rewarded in your system.

New incentives and incentive design can provide stories to tell.

 

• • • Stories of Designing Incentives

 

The histories of designing new incentives can be found everywhere there is any an effective incentive design plan.

For example, ‘cogentanalytics.com’ (8) provides ten keys to developing and implementing a successful incentive programme.  From its ten recipes, one can extract the following types of Stories of Designing Incentives, which are those of:

 

1) designing solid metrics system that provides reliable quality and productivity data

2) basing the incentive on achieving specific cost goals

3) rewarding superstars or heroes and those who are improving

4) combining individual and workgroup incentives

5) frequency of incentive distribution

6) making incentive accessible

7) clarifying key performance requirements

8) explaining the formula determining access to incentive

9) seeking inputs in incentive plan

10) communicating incentive plan beforehand.

 

Briefly speaking, Stories of Designing Incentives are those of designing an effective incentive plan, of difficulty of incentive design, of implementing incentive system and of inherent problems with designing incentive systems.  They are the narratives of measure or metrics which will enable to judge people, of target or level of the measure at which a reward or punishment will be initiated.  They can also be the tales of cash incentives to save lives like in humanitarian relief mission, or financial incentives that can lead to long-term behavioural change and decisions (e.g., healthier decisions).

If you are a member of CENFACS Community and have these types of story, please do not hesitate to tell and share your stories with CENFACS.  If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Designing Incentives, please contact CENFACS.

 

• • Stories of Understanding Interconnections

 

To tell these stories, it is better to know interconnection.

 

• • • What is interconnection?

 

Interconnection is “The fact or state of being connected or linked with one another”, according to ‘dictionary.com’ (9).

Whether it is about physical or virtual interconnection or interconnectedness, there are benefits for those connected to the system.  One can think of how we are all interconnected through globalisation. 

Speaking about the benefits of interconnection, ‘blog.consoleconnect.com’ (10) explains the following:

“The interconnection allows businesses to optimise the sharing of data and resources from multiple sources, including processing power, storage, and data archives”.

These benefits can be applied to other types of organisations like charities, community groups, voluntary organisations, civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations.  Individuals, families and households can as well benefit.

Being interconnected provides stories to share.  What are those stories to tell?

 

• • • Stories of Understanding Interconnections

 

They are the anecdotes of understanding key interconnections within a system and between systems.  They are the stories of ‘holding things together’ and seeing connections.  Interconnected issues (like poly-crises) pose problems to our system of poverty reduction.  We need to able to see connections and hold things together.

The Stories of Understanding Interconnections are in fact those of

 

√ changing relations within and between human communities

√ changing relations with ecological and climatic conditions

√ shifts in technology-human connections

√ understanding risk mechanisms within a system and between systems

√ opportunity within a system (opportunity for cooperative solutions when we are working together) and between systems

etc.

 

For example, one may try to understand our financial or economic interconnection within our financial system and between real economy and financial economy.  Without necessarily taking a Marxist line, one can use constructivist view to understand why and how capital or properties or wealth move from one hand to the other or between the same people not the poor.  Likewise, one can try to understand how the systemic forces of poverty reduction work.

To sum up, the Stories of Understanding Interconnections are those of ‘holding things together’ and seeing/recognizing connections.

If you are a member of CENFACS Community and have these types of story, please do not hesitate to tell and share your stories with CENFACS.  If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Understanding Interconnections, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

• Activity 3 of Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty: e-Workshop on Biodiversity Offsets and Credits (From Week Beginning Monday 20/05/2024)

 

Our work on scaling finance for nature and biodiversity will continue as we will be holding e-workshop on Biodiversity Offsets and Credits.  To participate to this workshop, it could be better to carry out some preliminary research about the concepts of biodiversity offsets and credits.  It means trying to understand what they mean.

 

• • Meaning of Biodiversity Offsets and Credits

 

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (11) explains that

“Biodiversity offsets are measurable conservation outcomes that result from actions designed to compensate for significant, residual biodiversity loss from development projects.  Biodiversity offsets are economic instruments and are based on the pollution pays approach.  They aim to internalise the external costs of biodiversity loss from development projects by imposing a cost on the activities that cause adverse impacts to biodiversity”.

In short, the literature review on biodiversity offsets indicate that they are payments made by a business to compensate for its damaging impacts on location-specific ecosystems.

As to biodiversity credits, the World Resources Institute (12) defines them as

“An economic instrument that allow private companies to finance activities, such as forest conservation or restoration, that deliver net positive biodiversity gains”.

Both definitions will help in engaging workshop.

We can now state the aim of this workshop and what it will be based upon.

 

• • Aim of Activity 3

 

This is a course or work for those interested in biodiversity to study how organisations can engage and finance activities that deliver net positive biodiversity gains.  The study or work is also an opportunity for them to dive deep into biodiversity offsets and credits as way of providing funding for nature protection and restoration.

 

 

• • What the e-Workshop on Biodiversity Offsets and Credits Will Be Based On

 

We will be e-working on the following points:

 

σ the inclusion of all players, especially indigenous people and local communities, not only conservation organisations and project developers in decision making process relating to biodiversity offsets and credits

σ biodiversity credits as a way of scaling up private finance for nature

σ the double counting problem in biodiversity finance

σ the role of voluntary biodiversity markets in mobilising capital

σ biodiversity itself as a market

σ ecosystem-related risks

etc.

 

For those who would like to engage with Activity 3, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

For those who would like to find out more about Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty, they can also communicate with CENFACS.

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Story Submission and Permission

• E-workshop for Gamers of CENFACS’ Poverty Reduction League: Create a Poverty Reduction League Table

• CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum E-discusses a Just and Sustainable Transition in Africa

 

 

• Story Submission and Permission

 

• • Story Submission 

How to make your stories reach CENFACS and others in the community

 

Before submitting your story, it is better to check our Short Story Submission Rules.

 

• • • Short story submission rules

 

Basically, these rules request any storyteller or giver to proceed with the following:

 

∝ Check CENFACS submission guidelines and deadlines

∝ Be mindful of CENFACS storytelling terms and conditions

∝ Include a short pitch of your story (approximately 32 words)

∝ Be concise and simple.

 

 

• • • Means or ways through which you can submit or donate your story

 

There are many means or ways in which you can submit or donate your story or impact story.  In the context of this Serial 3, there are ways that one can use to do it, which include written text options, phone calls, audio storytelling and listening, short film experiences, and video options.  Let us highlight each of these means.

 

• • • • Written text options

 

You can write your story in a textual format.  You can use email, mobile phone, text messing system and CENFACS’ contact form; and send your story in the form of text.  To do that, you need basic typing skills, not special skills.

 

• • • • Phone calls

 

You can call CENFACS and give your story via phone.

 

• • • • Audio storytelling and listening

 

You can use the capacity of audio to tell your volunteering story.  Audio storytelling (with short digital narratives, podcasting, social media and online streaming) can help create and share the impact of the change you made or have made.

 

• • • • Short film experiences

 

You can make short films to support your storytelling experiences and create a social impact.   You can make film on your smart phone with a video content.  Shooting interviews with story participants can also help to create experiences that maximise social media and essential story contents.

 

• • • • Video options

 

You can use audio High Definition video calling (for example Skype video calls or Google Meet for video conferencing options) to tell and share you story with CENFACS and others.

If you are going to use video options, it is better to use a free option and non-profit programme, as they are accessible to everybody to join in with at home or wherever they are.  By using this free option, you do not add any financial costs to anybody who wants to listen or follow your story.

Some of our users and members may not be able to afford to pay for some types of video options on the market.  That is why it is better to use something which is accessible by the majority of people.

For the purpose of data protection, please use the security tips attached to your chosen option.

If you know you are going to tell your story via video calling or conferencing option or storytelling tools that are unfamiliar to the majority of people, and you want CENFACS to participate or join in, you need to let us know at least three days before your story calling or conferencing start so that we can plan ourselves.

You need as well to inform us about the date, time and possibly participants.  You can email, phone, text or complete the contact form to let us know as we are busy like you.

If you have a story, you can tell and share with us and others via the above named means.  And if you do not mind, we will circulate – with your permission – your stories within the CENFACS Community.

 

 

• • Permission to Share a Story with CENFACS

 

Generally, when we ask people’s stories, we also seek permission to share their stories.  This is because telling us your story does not necessarily mean that you have given us the permission to share it.  Your permission could be verbal or written.

We review the conditions of permission in the light of the law.  Our story telling and sharing policy includes as well images or any infographics making these stories.  Our story telling and sharing policy is available to story tellers on request.

To keep our Story Month within the spirit of this policy, we are dealing with copyright law, permissions and licensing in order to share your story contents.  We are particularly working on copyright permissions that story donors need to give to us in order for us to share their stories.

Working on copyright permissions is about staying copyright compliant as far as permissions to share your story is concerned.  In simple terms, it means we will ask you whether or not, you agree for us to share your story including imaging or infographic parts of your story.

We are as well responding to any questions linked to copyrights relating to sharing stories.

For those who may have any issues to raise with story telling and sharing in the context of CENFACS’ AiDS Telling and Sharing Programme, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

• E-workshop for Gamers of CENFACS’ Poverty Reduction League: Create a Poverty Reduction League Table

How to create your African Countries’ League Table when gaming for poverty reduction

 

As part of CENFACS’ All Year Round Play Project (that is, CENFACS Poverty Reduction League), we can work together to support you (as a gamer) create your league table as you play.  To create a league table, there are steps or tasks to undertake.

 

• • Process and Procedure for Creating a League Table

 

You can create a poverty reduction table showing the following:

 

√ Your selected African team countries

√ The number of criteria/indicators you can assess them against

√ The number of criteria/indicators any of them has passed

√ How many of them they average

√ How many of them they under-perform

√ How many of them they score against the opposition

√ How many of them they concede against the opposition

√ Points they earn or share for each game.

 

By systematically and continuously recorded the results, scores and actions of your game fixtures via this table, you will in the end know which African country that would best reduce poverty by the end of 2024.

To process and proceed with a league table, one needs to have some economic indicators as criteria for measuring the performance of each country making CENFACS’ League of Poverty Reduction.

 

• • Example of Poverty Reduction Indicators to Create a League Table

 

For example, those who would like to go extra miles in the workshop, they can work with us using classes of indicators (that is, input, process and impact) for monitoring and tracking the poverty reduction performance as provided by the World Bank (13).  Poverty indices like headcount index, poverty gap index and squared poverty index can be utilised when dealing with your league table.  They can also include rural terms of trade and unskilled wage index in their table.

To access this e-workshop and get the grips with skills and techniques to create your poverty reduction league table, just contact CENFACS.

 

 

• CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum E-discusses a Just and Sustainable Transition in Africa

 

As part of the dedication of 2024 as a Year of Transition within CENFACS, we are e-discussing the recent United Nations Economic Commission for Africa’s Economic Report on Africa 2024 titled ‘Investing in a Just and Sustainable Transition in Africa’ (14).  In particular, we are e-debating the following two items, which can be found on page 22 of this report:

a) How a just and sustainable transition in Africa can prioritize prosperity and human development while respecting global resource and carbon constraints

b) How Africa can undertake the following systemic shifts: from a growth-centred to well-being-focused economy, from an extractive to a productive production system and circularity, from scarcity and excess to sufficiency, and from regulatory to collaborative governance.

Additionally, we are looking at the implications of the contents of this report for our system of poverty reduction.  This is because the report contains a wealth of information for those working on poverty reduction and sustainable development issues in Africa.

The above two items, which are shaping the main line of thought for our e-discussion for this week, are open to anyone to join in.  For those who would like to join in, it is advisable to first read the above-mentioned report.  CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum would like to hear what you think.

Those who may be interested in this e-discussion can join in and or contribute by contacting CENFACS’ be.Africa, which is a forum for discussion on matters and themes of poverty reduction and sustainable development in Africa and which acts on behalf of its members in making proposals or ideas for actions for a better Africa.

They can contact us at our usual address on this site.

 

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

 

• Le Forum ‘Une Afrique Meilleure’ de CENFACS discute en ligne d’une transition juste et durable en Afrique

Dans le cadre de l’année 2024 en tant qu’année de transition au sein du CENFACS, nous sommes en train de discuter en ligne du récent ‘Rapport Economique sur l’Afrique 2024’ de la Commission Economique des Nations Unies pour l’Afrique, rapport intitulé «Investir dans une transition juste et durable en Afrique» (14).  En particulier, nous débattons en ligne des deux points suivants, qui figurent à la page 22 du rapport sus-mentionné:

a) Comment une transition juste et durable en Afrique peut donner la priorité à la prospérité et au développement humain tout en respectant les contraintes mondiales en matière de ressources et de carbone

b) Comment l’Afrique peut entreprendre les changements systémiques suivants: d’une économie centrée sur la croissance à une économie axée sur le bien-être, d’un système de production extractif à un système de production productif et circulaire, de la rareté et de l’excès à la suffisance, et de la gouvernance réglementaire à la gouvernance collaborative.

En outre, nous examinons les implications du contenu de ce rapport pour notre système de réduction de la pauvreté.  En effet, le rapport contient une mine d’informations pour ceux et celles qui travaillent comme nous sur les questions de réduction de la pauvreté et de développement durable en Afrique.

Les deux points ci-dessus, qui constituent l’axe de réflexion principal de notre discussion en ligne de cette semaine, sont ouverts à tous/toutes.  Pour ceux/celles qui souhaitent participer, il est conseillé de lire d’abord le rapport susmentionné.  Le Forum ‘Une Afrique Meilleure’ de CENFACS aimerait savoir ce que vous en pensez.

Ceux ou celles qui pourraient être intéressé(e)s par cette discussion en ligne peuvent se joindre à nous et/ou contribuer en contactant le Forum ‘Une Afrique Meilleure’ de CENFACS, qui est un forum de discussion sur les questions et les thèmes de la réduction de la pauvreté et du développement durable en Afrique et qui agit au nom de ses membres en faisant des propositions ou des idées d’actions pour une Afrique meilleure.

Vous peuvez nous contacter à notre adresse habituelle sur ce site.

 

 

Main Development

 

• Rebuilding Africa in 2024

 

The following three sub-headings explain our advocacy about Rebuilding Africa in 2024:

 

a) Rebuilding as a Next Step after Bringing and Lighting a Blaze of Hope

b) Systemic Resilience Rebuilding Projects

c) Systemic Resilience Rebuilding Activities.

 

Let us briefly explain the contents of these sub-headings.

 

• • Rebuilding as a Next Step after Bringing and Lighting a Blaze of Hope 

 

As argued in the Key Messages, Rebuilding is the next step in our process of helping in reducing the impacts and effects of war and natural disaster events or any other major crises or shocks.  Saying that we are going to rebuild Africa, it does not mean that we are going to remake all the sectors of Africa from scratch.

Rebuilding in the context of our poverty relief work has to be placed in the perspective of working with and helping poor people and their organisations to overcome the ill effects of wars and natural disasters or any other major crises (like misinformation, disinformation, extreme weather events, and social polarization).  It is down to Africans to rebuild Africa, not CENFACS.  CENFACS as a charity just gives a helpful hand to them to reduce or better end poverty.

 

• • • What Rebuilding Africa is about

 

Rebuilding Africa addresses the legacies left by destructive wars and natural disaster events or any other major crises or shocks like the coronavirus and the cost-of-living crisis.  Every year, many human and wild lives as well as other ways of life have been destroyed as a result of wars, armed conflicts, economic shocks  and environmental disasters.  These events often lead to humanitarian catastrophes, emergencies, contingencies, crises and responses.

What’s more, where there is destructive war, there is always a destruction of the environmental life.  Examples of these Destroyed Lives are what happened in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Chad, in the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Mali, etc.

Rebuilding Africa initiative is a response to these events by undertaking projects planning and development activity within CENFACS, with communities and in association with our Africa-based sister organisations. 

What will Rebuilding Africa initiative will about for this 2024 year?

 

• • • Rebuilding Africa in 2024

 

Rebuilding Africa in 2024 will be about building systemic resilience with communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations.  Let us explain below what we mean by that.

 

• • • • Building Systemic Resilience with Communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations

 

Building systemic resilience with communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations will be about building systemic approach to or adapting our system of poverty reduction with both of them to any potential disturbances that may threaten this system.

In the process of building systemic resilience, we shall have two types of building as highlighted below.

 

• • • • • Building Systemic Resilience with Communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations (BSRCA)

 

BSRCA will be based on the broad theme of systemic resilience in our process of Rebuilding Africa in 2024.

By referring to Ann Masten (op. cit.), this level of building systemic resilience is about working to adapt the capacity of dynamic system to disturbances that threaten our systems of poverty reduction and sustainable development.

By resorting to the model of systemic resilience in economics of Hynes et al. (op. cit.), BSRCA means working with both communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations on factors that underpin systemic resilience.  Systemic resilience with them will be achieved by design and by intervention.  We can endogenously reorganise our systems of poverty reduction and sustainable development; just as we can exogenously reorganise them via external intervention.

 

• • • • • Building Resilience of Our System of Poverty Reduction with Communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations (BRSPRCA)

 

BRSPRCA will specifically deal with the resilience of our system of poverty reduction (like financial resilience of our community members).  Our current Financial Resilience Programme for Households is part of it.  It means developing resilience-building initiatives or projects.  Before looking at these projects, it is better explain projects planning and development.

In both building processes (BSRCA and BRSPRCA), we are going to use the three parts of systemic resilience as suggested by ‘practiceplan.co.uk’ (op. cit.).  These parts are:

1) The responsibility of everyone in building resilience

2) The insurance that our interactions with others do not make life harder for them

3) Our contribution to other people’s resilience.

Let us now explain projects planning and development.

 

• • • What this Projects Planning and Development is about

 

Project planning can be approached in many ways.  According to ‘coursera.com’ (15),

“Project planning is the second stage of the project management lifecycle.  The full cycle includes initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, controlling, and closing.  Project planning refers to the phase in project management in which you determine the actual steps to complete a project.  This includes laying out timelines, establishing the budget, setting milestones, assessing risks, and solidifying tasks and assigning them to team members”.

In terms of Projects Planning and Development process within CENFACS, this process enables us to know the needs on the grounds and reach out to those in most need in Africa.  It also assists to improve our way of doing development work, to rethink and exchange new ideas, avenues, approaches, theories and projects to systematically respond to the following:

 

√ New economic pressures and influences that can lead to the destruction of human and wild lives as well as other livelihoods or ways of life

√ New emerging threats and risks (like the coronavirus, geo-economic confrontation and the cost-of-living crisis)

√ New types of needs to systematically rebuild destroyed lives (including infrastructures) in Africa

√ Future risks and crises (including systemic risks and crises) that are likely to happen and to cause human sufferings or systemic impacts (like failure to climate change adaptation, societal polarization, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse).

 

As the World Economic Forum (16) argues, alongside global risks, lie unique opportunities to rebuild trust, optimism and resilience in our institutions and societies.

However, we can only do it by undertaking planning and development.  This planning and development process is within the context of enhancing our African Rebuilding and Sustaining Infrastructures and Lives programme.  More details about this programme can be found from CENFACS.

Our Projects Planning and Development for Systemic Resilience Rebuilding contains projects and activities as follows.

 

 

• • Systemic Resilience Rebuilding Projects 

 

Systemic Resilience Rebuilding Projects are systemic responses to assist in Rebuilding Africa in the Context of Fragile Economic Recovery to Reduce Extreme Poverty like at the moment.  In this respect, projects planning and development for systemic responses include environmental and war events as well as near future risks and crises.  In other words, we undertake projects planning and development linked to three events: wars, natural disasters, and future risks or crises.

 

• • • Project developments linked to environmental events

 

Project developments linked to environmental events are those dealing with the systemic nature of environmental risks and the cascading impacts of environmental disasters in Africa.  They may systematically respond to the following:

 

∝ Short-term environmental strikes

(E.g., Recent deadly sea rise and landslides caused by historical rising water in the Lack Tanganyika in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo)

∝ Disasters linked to climate change cycles

(E.g., Lingering impact of floods in Burundi and prolonged and severe drought in Djibouti)

∝ Long-term environmental storms and catastrophes.

(E.g., The prospect for oil spills to poison agriculture, waterways, and the atmosphere with hazardous chemicals in oil exploiting African countries; the risk of freshwater sources to be contaminated in some parts of Africa by viruses, germs, parasites and pollutants creating water scarcity; the likelihood of further amplification of pressure on biodiversity because of continued deforestation for agricultural processes with an associated demand for additional cleared cropland, especially in subtropical and tropical Sub-Saharan Africa with dense biodiversity).

 

• • • Project developments linked to war events

 

Project developments linked to war events are systemic response to life-threatening and destructive impacts of open state of armed conflicts where there is great need of humanitarian assistance to save lives.  These project developments may try to deal with the following:

 

∝ Short-term crises, and armed conflicts and disputes

(For instance, the propensity of escalation of conflict between state and non-state armed groups over territory and natural resources in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo leading to worsening humanitarian conditions and heightened regional conflicts; the intensification of violence and worsening of humanitarian crisis in the Sahel particularly in the tri-border of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger)

∝ Wars linked to economic trends and business cycles 

(For example, the possible geo-economic tensions between African Continental Free Trade Area and other trading blocs; the attempt of the United States of America to rival economic influence of China in Africa or the bid of Russia to curtail the French and British interests in Africa)

∝ Long-running and permanent wars and structural warfare.

(E.g., African State system as the underlying cause of systemic conflict, a system made of juridical statehood, neo-patrimonial politics and strained centre-periphery relations as described by James J. Hentz (17); the continuing deterioration of the conflict situation in Sudan with the possibility of long-running civil wars).

 

• • • Project developments linked to future systemic risks and crises

 

Project developments linked to future systemic risks and crises are those can address systemic imbalances and challenges stemming from dissymmetrical distribution of the catastrophic impacts of future risks and crises.  These project developments may try to deal with the following:

 

∝ Natural disasters and extreme weather events leading to systemic conflicts (for example, climate change has led to the emergence of terrorist groups and conflicts in Africa)

∝ Infectious diseases (for instance, the emergence and re-emergence of infectious disease outbreaks like coronavirus, Ebola, cholera, dysentery, yellow fever, meningitis and other zoonoses that can contribute to morbidity and mortality)

∝ Natural resource crisis (such as rising prices of energy and food due to the Russian-Ukraine conflict; crop yields falling in volume and nutritional value due to heat, changing weather patterns, dry and wet precipitation extremes)

∝ Geo-economic confrontation or interstate economic relations fracture as a consequence of Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has partly led to the current cost-of-living crisis and the weaponization of economic policy between globally integrated powers

∝ Failure to mitigate climate change (for instance, to make less severe deadliest weather disasters in Africa)

∝ Failure to climate-change adaptation (e.g., as climate changes through time, there will be shifts to the distribution of insects, pests and diseases.  Failure to adaptation by these organisms can make them have problems with their surrounding environments)

∝ Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse (for example, extensive farming techniques, fast urbanisation, infrastructural development and illegal trafficking pose threats to Africa biodiversity).

∝ Economic and financial crises (e.g., any crises arising from a sovereign debt default, currency free falls and collapse of output that can severely impact our users and ASOs).

 

Project developments linked to environmental, war and future events will be a process of projects planning and development that has a triple systemic response to environmental, war and future events for short, medium and long running crises.  This planning will include also the organisation of specific activities to help the rebuilding process.

 

 

• • Systemic Resilience Rebuilding Activities 

 

Systemic Resilience Rebuilding Activities are the tasks to be undertaking to help Rebuild Africa in the Context of Fragile Economic Recovery to Reduce Extreme Poverty.  Rebuilding Africa in the Context of Fragile Economic Recovery to Reduce Extreme Poverty as advocacy includes four types of activities:

 

∝ Activities to end the bad past (or bad systems and structures) that led to the current crises (Advocacy to manage endings)

∝ Activities to manage just and sustainable transition (to turn endings to new beginnings)

∝ Activities to manage new beginnings

∝ Activities to manage the future.

 

• • • Activities to end the bad past (Advocacy to manage endings)

 

To build forward with communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations, it is better to successfully manage the end of or close any system that was not good.  Systems can be reset.  But, if a system is no longer fit for resetting purposes, then system change may be required.  In other words, it is better not to return to or not to build back the systems and structures (e.g., endemic structural disadvantages and inequalities) that led to the current problems or crises.

However, building better is a backward and forward process.  Even if one is in the process of building forward, they can still refer to the good things of the past to check if there is any link with the process of building forward.  It is about curating your activities by leaving behind what did not work and taking forward what did work.

In this process of ending the bad past, we can refer to what Dr David P. Helfand (18) suggested in his book about career change.  He outlined four coping mechanisms for coping with an ending, which include disengagement, disidentification, disenchantment and disorientation.  These individual coping strategies can be extended to the area of dealing with endings of bad systems and structures that led to the cost-of-living crisis for many people.

For example, if one wants to rebuild Africa by ending the bad past of the cost-of-living crisis, they can break away from the context that brought it, look for a new self-identification, recognise disenchantment, and create a new vision and new orientation for Africa.

 

• • • Activities to manage just and sustainable transition (to turn endings to new beginnings)

 

Before highlighting these activities, let us briefly explain just and sustainable transition.

 

• • • • Just and Sustainable Transition (JST)

 

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (op. cit.) provides two definitions of JST.  The first definition comes from UNDESA (2023), which defines a JST as

“A process of transitioning towards a more sustainable society, economy, and environment in a fair and equitable manner”.

The second definition is from the African Development Bank, which explains JST in Africa as

“A process of improving the lives of the most vulnerable while building low-carbon, resilient economies”.

These two definitions will be taken into account in the design and implementation of the activities to manage JST.

Additionally, the activities to manage JST will include the three stages of transition as described by the Centre for Creative Leadership (19), which are:

“accepting the ending, living in the neutral zone and reach your new beginnings”.

These activities will help to turn endings to new beginnings.

To conduct these activities, we are going to look at transition cycle.  We shall as well recall the Elizabeth Kübler-Ross (20) change curve; in particular where changes can be integrated in renewed individuals.

By referring to her model of change, we can argue that people have already accepted and integrated the cost-of-living crisis in their mind sets as the 1960s theory of the five stages of grief or model of change curve by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross tells us.  We have accepted that change is inevitable; so we could now return to where we were before the cost-of-living crisis with changes rather than against them.  We can now move on with change and transition.

These advocacy activities to manage just and sustainable transition will be based on wellbeing economy, inclusiveness and safety to manage the process of coming out the cost-of-living crisis.

For example, we can advocate with ASOs so that they are not left behind in Africa’s recovery efforts from the negative effects of the polycrises (i.e., the lingering effects of the coronavirus disaster, the cost-of-living crisis, climate change catastrophe and human insecurity).  Our advocacy message could be that talks about financial recovery should include ASOs.

 

• • • Activities to manage new beginnings

 

The activities relating to the management of new beginnings will help to work with communities and ASOs to set up new goals, to identify opportunities and threats in the new development landscape (like the post-cost-of-living-crisis era).  We shall work with them via advice, tips and hints to manage a new beginning.

For example, we can revisit ASOs’ mission and vision in the new era of post-cost-of-living reconstruction and in the Context of Fragile Economic Recovery to Reduce Extreme Poverty.

So, the activities to manage new beginnings will empower communities and ASOs to navigate their ways to improve in those areas where polycrises have brought a new window of opportunities and scope to learn and develop.  It is an advocacy work to freshly start and plan future.

 

• • • Activities to manage the future

 

By using futuring and visioning methods, it is possible develop scenarios, horizon scanning and trend monitoring/analysis to help build forward better.  These activities will enable us to better equip to minimise the likely harmful impacts of future systemic risks and crises.  As Stephen Millett (21) puts it

“[But] building future planning into your everyday practices is not only vital – it’s eminently doable”

The activities will be conducted to help communities and ASOs to meet their goals of Build Forward Better Together to a Greener, Cleaner, Safer, Inclusive and Climate-Resilient Future’ within the context of Fragile Economic Recovery in Africa.

For any enquiries and queries about any of these activities, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

For further details about  Rebuilding Africa in 2024, please also contact CENFACS.

_________

 

• References

 

(1) Justiceinspectorate.gov.uk/hmiprobation/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/04/Academic-Insights-Chard-Systemic-Resilience/pdf (accessed in May 2024)

(2) Hynes, W., Trump, B. D., Kirman, A. et al. Systemic resilience in economics. Nat. Phys. 18, 381-384 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-022-01581-4 (accessed in May 2024)

(3) Ungar, M. 2028. Systemic resilience: principles and processes for a science of change in contexts of adversity. Ecology and Society 23 (4): 34. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-10385=230434 or https://www.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/ungar-systemic_resilience-ecology_society_2018.pdf (accessed in March 2024)

(4) Park, C. (2011), Oxford Dictionary of Environment and Conservation, Oxford University Press, Oxford & New York

(5) https://www.practiceplan.co.uk/blog/practice-management/hr-team-development/what-is-systemic-resilience-and-how-can-it-help-you-and-your-employers/ (accessed in March 2024)

(6) https://www.sahilbloom.com/newsletter/the-6-principles-of-incentive-design (accessed in May 2024)

(7) Gunkel, M. (2018). Incentive Design. In: Augier, M., Teece, D. J. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopaedia of Strategic Management. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-00772-8_693 (accessed in May 2024)

(8) https://www.cogentanalytics.com/knowledge-center/strategic-planning-blogs/how-to-design-incentive-programme-that-work (accessed in May 2024)

(9) https://www.dictionary.com/browse/interconnection (accessed in May 2024)

(10) https://blog.consoleconnect.com/what-is-interconnection-and-why-is-it-important-to-enterprises (accessed in May 2024)

(11) https://www.oecd.org/environment/resources/Policy-Highlights-Biodiversity-Offsets-Web.pdf (accessed in May 2024)

(12) https://www.wri.org/insights/biodiversity-credits-explained (accessed in May 2024)

 (13) https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentationdetail/27201468765605934/indicators-for-monitoring-poverty-reduction (accessed in May 2023)

(14) https://repository.uneca.org/bitstream/handle/10855/50162/612042717.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y (accessed in May 2024)

(15) https://www.coursera.org/articles/project-planning (accessed in May 2023)

(16) https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-risks-report-2024/ (accessed in March 2024)

(17) Hentz, J. J. (2019), Toward a Structural Theory of War in Africa at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19392206.2019.1628449?journalcode=uafs20 (accessed in May 2023)

(18) Helfand, D. P. (1995), Career Change: Everything You Need to Know to Meet New Challenges and Take Control of Your Career, Careers Series/VCM Career Horizons, the University of Michigan

(19) Centre for Creative Leadership at https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/adapting-to-change-its-about-the-transition/ (accessed in May 2023)

(20) Kübler-Ross E., 1969: On Death and Dying, New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc.

(21) Millett, S. at https://www.triarchypress.net/managing-the-future.html (accessed in May 2023)

 

_________

 

• Help CENFACS Keep the Poverty Relief Work Going this Year

 

We do our work on a very small budget and on a voluntary basis.  Making a donation will show us you value our work and support CENFACS’ work, which is currently offered as a free service.

One could also consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the future.

Additionally, we would like to inform you that planned gifting is always an option for giving at CENFACS.  Likewise, CENFACS accepts matching gifts from companies running a gift-matching programme.

Donate to support CENFACS!

FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ NOBLE AND BEAUTIFUL CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.

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

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

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

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2024 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

08 May  2024

 

Post No. 351

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Financial Resilience Programme for Households (FRP4Hs) – In Focus for Wednesday 08/05/2024: Outcome and Impact of FRP4Hs on Households

• All in Development Stories (AiDS) Serial 2: Stories of Creating Metrics and Looking at Changing Patterns (Starting from Wednesday 08/05/2024)

• Goal of the Month: Make Poverty Reduction Happen through Stories 

 

… And much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

• Financial Resilience Programme for Households (FRP4Hs) – In Focus for Wednesday 08/05/2024: Outcome and Impact of FRP4Hs on Households

 

The last theme of our work on financial asset holdings of households or economic resources that households possess to help them stay resilient against shocks focusses on the Outcome and Impact of Financial Resilience Programme for Households (FRP4Hs) on Households.

Indeed, one thing is to set up and deliver a programme, another thing is to check that this programme results in short-term positive changes and effects on its intended beneficiaries (here households) as well as in broader and long-term changes on the same beneficiaries.  In programme planning jargon and parlance, the two operations or steps are called outcome and impact.

In practical terms, if you are a household and has been followed the FRP4Hs, you may want to know what this programme is going to achieve for you in short, medium and long term.

In short term, it is possible to get some results from the implementation of the programme at household level.  In the long term, it may take sometimes to know if what happens to a particular household is the result of the FRP4Hs or not.  Also, regardless of the length of the term, one needs to have household data and use metrics or indicators in order to argue about outcome and impact.  However, before these outcome and impact happen we can work with households to inform them what could be the outcome and/or impact of a programme such as FRP4Hs if they apply it.

In this last theme, we are thus looking at the possible outcome and impact that may result from the application of the FRP4Hs.  Bearing in mind that each household is different and specific.  They have their own financial problems, strengths, weaknesses, capacities and capabilities to be or not to be resilient from income or expense shocks when these shocks occur.  What FRP4Hs is trying to do is to increase their financial strengths while reducing their financial weaknesses or vulnerabilities.

To find out more about the possible outcome and impact of the FRP4Hs, please read under the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

• All in Development Stories (AiDS) Serial 2: Stories of Creating Metrics and Looking at Changing Patterns (Starting from Wednesday 08/05/2024)

 

Our two-story series continues with Serial 2, which covers Stories of Creating Metrics and Stories of Looking at Changing Patterns.  Let us highlight each of these stories.

 

• • Stories of Creating Metrics

 

To understand these stories, one may need to know the meaning of metrics.

 

• • • Brief explanation of metrics

 

To explain metrics, we are going to refer to what ‘chisellabs.com’ (1) argues about them, which is

“Metrics are quantifiable measurements used to assess performance, track progress, and measure the success of various processes, initiatives, or entities.  They provide objective and tangible data that allow organisations to make informed decisions, identify improvement areas, and monitor strategies’ effectiveness”.

Additionally, ‘digitalocean.com’ (2) explains why metrics are useful in these terms:

“Metrics are useful because they provide insight into the behaviour and health of your systems, especially when analysed in aggregate”.

For ‘digitalocean.com’, metrics related to system can include host-based metrics, application metrics, network and connectivity metrics, server pool metrics, external dependency metrics, etc.

Metrics can help to monitor our poverty reduction system.  In this respect, ‘batimes.com’ (3) argues that

“Metrics can be a powerful tool for informing and guiding decision making at all levels of an organisation… In order for metrics to deliver value rather than distraction, they must be clearly defined, completely understood and broadly communicated, as well as focused on the areas that are most important to the success of an organisation”.

Knowing what metrics are, it is possible to extract the Stories of Creating Metrics.

 

• • • Stories of Creating Metrics

 

Stories of Creating Metrics are the narratives of creating new metrics to reset systems – our poverty reduction system.

They are those of

 

√ factorizing into the development of metrics or quantitative methods the culture and needs of the people in need

√ educating people before adopting metrics

√ aligning metrics with the vision, mission and goals of any poverty reduction system.

 

If you are part of a media organisation and drawing from, for example, what ‘mediashift.org’ (4) explains, telling the stories of creating metrics would be about sharing your experiencing stories on the following:

 

~ how to identify the metrics that matter for your organisation

~ how to make metrics useful – where useful equals actionable

~ how to report smarter, not harder.

 

If you are a member of CENFACS Community and have these types of story, please do not hesitate to tell and share your stories with CENFACS.  If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Creating Metrics, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

• • Stories of Looking at Changing Patterns

 

To deal with these stories, let us clarify the concept of patterns of change.

 

• • • Clarification of the concept of patterns of change

 

This clarification has been provided by Raulo et al. (5), who argue that

“Patterns of change describe how success and composition of every entity, from species to societies, vary across.  The notions of change, such as birth, death, growth, evolution and longevity, extend across reality including biological, cultural and societal phenomena”.

Another explanation of the concept of patterns of change comes from ‘britannica.com’ (6).  For ‘britannica.com’, patterns of change are studied by social scientists or theoreticians who recognise three traditional ideas of social change – decline, cyclic change, and progress.  Still from the view of ‘britannica.com’, short-term tends to be cyclic while long-term change tends to follow one direction.

By looking at the patterns of change in our system of poverty reduction, we can ask ourselves if the patterns of change are cyclic or one-directional.  However, if our task is to look at patterns of change over the long term , then we can follow the model or theory of long-term cyclic changes, which is birth, growth, flourishing, decline, and death of a system.

From the above definitions and observations, we can develop our Stories of Looking at Changing Patterns.

 

• • • Stories of Looking at Changing Patterns

 

Stories of Looking at Changing Patterns are the plots of looking at patterns of change rather than static snapshots.

 

They are the stories of

 

√ recognizing models or patterns (for example, if our system of poverty reduction is patterned, then one needs to recognise it)

√ acknowledging that situations repeat themselves over and over again

√ vicious circle in some systems of poverty reduction

√ failing to change the way in which a system works

√ going around in circles to deal with a system

√ resolving the problems linked to the way a system is patterned or operating

√ seeing patterns of change problems as an opportunity rather than a misfortune

√ listening your feelings and intuition to recognise patterns

√ overcoming difficulties in understanding patterns

etc.

 

Briefly speaking, Stories of Looking at Changing Patterns  can tell us if a system is in decline, cyclic change, and progress.

If you are a member of our community – the CENFACS Community – and have these types of story, please do not hesitate to tell and share your stories with CENFACS.  If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Looking at Changing Patterns, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

• Goal of the Month: Make Poverty Reduction Happen through Stories 

 

Our poverty reduction goal for May 2024 is Making Poverty Reduction Happen through Stories.  It is about telling and sharing stories that can pitch or lead to poverty reduction and sustainable development for the poor and those CENFACS Community members who may need inspiring and motivational stories to navigate their ways out the problems they have.  In other words, by listening, viewing and learning from inspiring stories they can develop their own strengths to gradually find their own pace and tune towards the reduction of poverty and the enhancement of sustainable development.

To put this into perspective, Pullanikkatil and Shackleton (7) give the example of Poverty Reduction through Non-Timber Forest Products.  Referring to the work of Pullanikkatil and Shackleton, Sarah Feder (8) explains that

“Stories can amplify the voices of people who are not often heard, and make their experiences relatable to people in wildly different contexts”.

Likewise, Angela Wood and John Barnes (9) are in favour of

“Amplifying poor people’s voices by combining alternative media such as community radio, oral testimonies and community theatre with the involvement of the media”.

It is possible to deduct from these two quotations that stories can have the following attributes:

 

σ to amplify poor people’s voices

σ to provide a voice for the voiceless people

σ to create opportunity for these people to narrate from their own perspective

σ to learn lessons to be used in poverty reduction policies, practices and strategies

σ to create and sustain poverty reduction and sustainable development.

 

Those who can help to make poverty reduction happen through stories, they can be supportive of this goal.  We expect our supporters and audiences to support this goal as well.

For further details on this goal including its support, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• All-year Round Projects Cycle (Triple Value Initiatives Cycle) – Step/Workshop 12: Impact Evaluating Your Play, Run and Vote Projects

• Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty – From Week Beginning Monday 13/05/2024: A Survey on Green Bonds (Activity 2)

• ReLive Issue No. 16, Spring 2024: Will You Help The Conflict-related Acute Food Insecure in Africa to Rebuild and Renew Their Lives?

 

 

• All-year Round Projects Cycle (Triple Value Initiatives Cycle) – Step/Workshop 12: Impact Evaluating Your Play, Run and Vote Projects

 

In Step/Workshop 11 of your Play, Run and Vote Projects, you conducted an outcome evaluation by measuring your behaviour, participation to and achievement following the delivery of these projects.  Now, you can proceed with an impact evaluation.  An impact evaluation will help to evaluate the effect of your Play, Run and Vote Projects on you and the environment surrounding you.  But, what is an impact evaluation?

 

• • Basic Understanding of an Impact Evaluation

 

The definition we have chosen to understand an impact evaluation comes from ‘betterevaluation.org’ (10).  According to ‘betterevaluation.org’,

“An impact evaluation provides information about the impacts produced by an intervention.  The intervention might be a small project, a large programme, a collection of activities, or a policy”.

The same ‘betterevaluation.org’ states that

“A impact evaluation can be undertaken to improve or reorient an intervention (i.e., for formative purposes) or to inform decisions about whether to continue, discontinue,  replicate or scale up an intervention (i.e.,  for summative purposes)”.

In other words, an impact evaluation tries to measure the difference between outcomes with an intervention and without it in a way that can attribute the difference to the intervention, and only the intervention.  For instance, an impact evaluation of  your Run Project will assess changes in your wellbeing that can be attributable to your Run Project.  The figure below is an impact evaluation exercise showing how your all-year-round project can impact on you.

 

 

To carry out an impact evaluation, one needs to answer/know the why, when, what and who to engage in the evaluation process.  Also, one can base its impact evaluation on a particular way of thinking or a theory.

 

• • Theories to Be Used in Your Impact Evaluation 

 

To simplify the matter, an all-year-round project beneficiary will use a theory of change that will guide them to causal attribution or to answer cause-and-effect questions; meaning that changes in outcome are directly attributable to an intervention (here your Play, Run and Vote Projects).  Therefore, you need to better plan and manage your impact evaluation.

 

• • Example of Planning and Managing the Impact Evaluation of Your All-year Round Projects

 

To better plan and manage the impact evaluation of Your All-year Round Projects, you can proceed with the following:

 

σ Describe what needs to be evaluated

σ Identify and mobilise resources for your evaluation

σ Decide who will conduct the evaluation and engage it

σ Set up an evaluation methodology/approach/technique

σ Manage your evaluation work

σ Implement your evaluation work

σ Evaluate the result/impact of Your All-year Round Projects on you and/or others

σ Share your evaluation results/report.

 

The above is one of the possible ways of impact evaluating your All-year Round Projects.  For those who would like to dive deeper into Impact Evaluation of their Play or Run or Vote project, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

• • Concluding Note about This 12-week Workshop Programme

 

To conclude this 12-week workshop programme, we would like to thank those who have been engaged with it.

We would like to ask to those who can to measure the impact and effectiveness in working with them/you on how to plan, execute and evaluate your All-year Round Projects. 

For example, they/you can state that on overall they/you have positive or negative impacts from this programme.  They/you can send your statement to CENFACS‘ usual contact details as given on this website.

Those who need help for any aspect of the plan of their All-year Round Projects, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

Good luck with their/your All-year Round Projects!

 

 

• Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty –

From Week Beginning Monday 13/05/2024: A Survey on Green Bonds (Activity 2)

 

To introduce Activity 2 of the fourth series of Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty, let us summarily define green bonds.

 

• • What Are Green Bonds?

 

To understand green bonds, it is better to know bonds.  According to the World Bank (11),

“A bond is a form of debt security.  A debt security is a legal contract for money owed that can be bought and sold between parties”.

What are green bonds?

Our understanding of green bonds comes from ‘weforum.org’ (12), which explains that

“Green bonds work like regular bonds with one key difference: the money raised from investors is used exclusively to finance projects that have a positive environmental impact such as renewable energy and green buildings”.

The above-mentioned definitions will be used in our survey.

 

• • Aim of Activity 2

 

This is an exercise in which we intend to look at in detail debt securities with a view that the money raised from investors is solely used to fund projects with positive impact on the environment.

For example, it is known that the issuance of bonds together with the development of green, social and sustainable bond market are important in Africa in the fight against climate change and in the upkeep of nature.  They represent investment opportunities to protect the nature and generate resources for poverty reduction and sustainable development in Africa.  In particular, green bonds can finance a portfolio of environmentally friendly investments and fund climate change initiatives.

 

• • What the Survey Is about

 

The survey is about the market pricing of green bonds.  It is as well dealing with the economic and environmental effects of green bond financing on poverty reduction and sustainable development.  The survey focuses on the challenges and opportunities for developing and sustaining green bonds in Africa.

 

• • Participating to the Survey on Green Bonds

 

As part of the survey, we are running a questionnaire which will contain some questions to be answered by those willing to respond.  You can contribute your answer and respond to the survey.

Participation to this survey is voluntary.

For those who would like to engage with Activity 2, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

For those who would like to find out more about Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty, they can also communicate with CENFACS.

 

 

• ReLive Issue No. 16, Spring 2024: Will You Help The Conflict-related Acute Food Insecure in Africa to Rebuild and Renew Their Lives?

 

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

It means donors or funders have 14 Gifts of Renewing Lives to choose from and 20 Reliefs to select from to make helpful differences to the food insecure.

In total, our Spring Relief campaign is providing to potential supporters 14 GIFTS of rebuilding lives in the three African Countries (i.e., Central African Republic, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 20 RELIEFS to make this happen.

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

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

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

 

• Activité/Tâche 5 de l’année/du projet Transitions (t) : Raconter des histoires inspirantes de transitions pour sortir de la pauvreté

La cinquième activité/tâche du projet «t» consiste à partager avec ceux/celles qui en ont besoin des histoires inspirantes sur la transition vers la sortie de la pauvreté.  Selon les circonstances de la vie, les gens peuvent entrer dans la pauvreté et en sortir.  Cette transition peut être courte ou longue.  Ce qui nous intéresse, ce sont les transitions pour sortir de la pauvreté et leur inspiration en termes d’histoire.

• • Transition pour sortir de la pauvreté

De nombreux facteurs peuvent déterminer la sortie de la pauvreté.  Ann Huff Stevens (13) en donne quelques-unes dans le cas des États-Unis d’Amérique.  D’après elle,

«Les changements dans les revenus et la structure familiale sont associés à la sortie de la pauvreté».

Elle soutient également qu’elle dépend d’une pauvreté circonstancielle à court terme ou d’une pauvreté à long terme associée à des limitations permanentes des revenus, de l’emploi et de la structure familiale.

S’inspirant de l’argument d’Ann Huff Stevens, l’activité/tâche 5 de l’année/du projet Transitions (t) consiste à fournir des histoires de transitions hors de la pauvreté.

• • Fournir des histoires inspirantes de transitions pour sortir de la pauvreté

Il s’agit de donner des témoignages édifiants sur vous ou sur des personnes que vous connaissez qui sont sorties de la pauvreté.  L’histoire doit mentionner depuis combien de temps elles sont sorties de la pauvreté et combien de temps dure la transition.

Par exemple, on peut raconter des histoires sur les changements dans la structure des ménages ou sur les changements sur le marché du travail et sur la façon dont ils ont aidé à sortir de la pauvreté.  Des histoires comme celles-ci peuvent en inspirer d’autres.

Ce qui précède est l’objet de l’activité/tâche 5.  Pour ceux/celles qui ont besoin d’aide avant de se lancer dans cette activité/tâche, ils/elles peuvent s’adresser au CENFACS.

Pour toute autre question ou demande de renseignements sur le projet «t» et la dédicace de cette année, veuillez également contacter le CENFACS.

 

 

Main Development

 

• Financial Resilience Programme for Households (FRP4Hs) – In Focus for Wednesday 08/05/2024: Outcome and Impact of FRP4Hs on Households

 

The following items cover the Outcome and Impact of FRP4Hs on Households:

 

σ What Are Outcome and Impact?

σ What Are Outcome and Impact in the Context of FRP4Hs on Households? 

σ Types of Changes and Effects that FRP4Hs Can Bring to Households

σ How to Measure Changes and Effects from FRP4Hs for Households: Key Indicators of Financial Resilience

σ Working with Households on Effects and Changes from the Application of FRP4Hs

σ Final Words about FRP4Hs for Households

 

Let us develop each of the above-mentioned points.

 

• • What Are Outcome and Impact?

 

Outcome and impact are part of the steps in any programme or project planning and implementation.  Because of that, it will be wrong for us to speak about financial resilience for households without explaining what could be the result on them.   So, what is outcome and what is impact?

According to Sally Cupitt with Jean Ellis (14),

“Outcomes are all the changes and effects that happen as a result of your work.  Impact is the broad, long term effects of your work” (p. 3)

As one can notice, there is a difference between the two.  This difference is stressed by ‘impactio.com’.

Highlighting the difference between ‘Impact’ and ‘Outcome’ in Research Findings, ‘impactio.com’ (15) explains that

“The outcomes are directly correlated to the findings.  Outcomes drive a short-term or immediate change in the reader as a result of the information that came from the research itself… An impact, on the other hand, is a more significant, wider change.  Impacts are the result of the outcome being put into place in society or the academic world”.

The above-mentioned definitions can be applied to households.

 

• • What Are Outcome and Impact in the Context of FRP4Hs on Households?

 

Outcomes are the short- and medium-term effects that households would like to see as a result of the application of FRP4Hs.  Impacts are long-term effects to be produced by the FRP4Hs. 

For households following the FRP4Hs, outcomes can be they become more confident and aware in the way they approach financial resilience.  There could be as well that they improve their financial communication and skills as they feel motivate and aspire on the way they can tackle potential income or expense shocks.

For households following the FRP4Hs, impacts can be health impact, consumption impact, well-being impact, impact on children for those that have kids, housing impact, etc.  There could also be a shift in the way they think and behave regarding financial matters, as well as in the way the design their household financial policies and rules.

 

• • Types of Changes and Effects that FRP4Hs Can Bring to Households

 

Financial resilience outcome and impact for households can be expressed in many ways as highlighted below.

Expressed as short- and medium-term effects, it is when households can

 

√ improve their skills to manage budgets and their savings

√ widen their access to affordable credit

√ understand financial risks and contexts

√ make good financial decision

√ learn the range of liquidities and how to access them to offset any potential financial risks, particularly for liquidity-constrained households

√ improve their sense of financial wellness or subjective financial well-being

√ mitigate the impacts of income or expense shocks

√ buffer themselves against these shocks

etc.

 

Expressed as long-term effects, it is when households can

 

√ become less financially vulnerable and distressed to the problems of getting to the end of month and/or the inability to face unexpected expenses

√ be without or with less unsecured debt (e.g., consumer credit)

√ be less impulsive with good financial and spending behaviour

√ reduce the effects of unexpected negative income or expense shocks, especially for low-income ones which may experience these shocks at disproportionally high rates

etc.

 

 

• • How to Measure Changes and Effects from FRP4Hs for Households: Key Indicators of Financial Resilience

 

Many of the measures to be used here fall under the scope of financial resilience.  We are limiting ourselves to key indicators.  Amongst them are Financial Resilience Index, Households’ Savings to Income, Households’ Debt to Income.  Let us consider Financial resilience Index and the other measures.

 

• • • Key Indicators of Financial Resilience

 

• • • • Financial Resilience Index

 

This index can be perceived in many ways.  From the perspective of Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (16),

“Financial Resilience Index shows a council’s position on a range of measures associated with financial risk highlighting where additional scrutiny may be required”.

Although the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy speaks about council, the spheres of implementation of its view on financial resilience can be extended to include households.  So, Financial Resilience Index for Households shows a household’s position on a range of measures associated with financial risk highlighting where additional scrutiny may be required.

 

 

• • • • Other Measures of Financial Resilience

 

Amongst the other indicators that can use to improve the ability to recover from financial shocks are:

 

a) The value of savings and liquid financial assets that could be drawn on in times of need

By using financial ratios, this value can be expressed as follows:

 

Savings / Income  or Liquid financial assets / Income

 

b) Subjective assessments of the ability to cope with financial shocks

c) Measures of financial literacy, numeracy, communications and technology (e.g., financial awareness, use of e-finance, ability to make financial decision, etc.)

d) Measures of financial capability (e.g., soundly managing money, surviving financial shock waves)

e) Measures of capturing financial anxiety, distress or from difficulty, which can be written in the form of financial ratios like

 

Financial Assets / Debt   or   Credit / Income

 

f) Over-indebtedness measures

Etc.

 

Many of these measures can be found in the work of Abigail McKnight and Mark Rucci (17).

What is important is not to list these measures.  What is meaningful is for households to understand the key indicators of financial resilience and help them stay resilient if they follow the underlying advice contained in these indicators.

 

 

• • Working with Households on Effects and Changes from the Application of FRP4Hs

 

Working with households on the effects and changes resulting from financial resilience programmes is about helping them to avoid costly financial mistakes.  It is also about reassuring them that there is always support for those households that would like to learn to shield themselves from income or expense shocks.

For example, if liquidity-constrained households are not sure how financial resilience programmes can help them, we can conduct financial resilience needs assessment to determine whether or not this type of programmes can be beneficial to them as well as the areas of their finances that need support in the form of advice and guidance.

The above is the fourth and last theme of our FRP4Hs.

Those households that would like to access the FRP4Hs so that this programme can positively affect and change their life to stay resilient, they can work with CENFACS.

For any queries and/or enquiries about the theme of Outcome and Impact of FRP4Hs on Households, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

• • Final Words about FRP4Hs for Households

 

Financial Resilience Programme for Households is about improving the financial ability and capability to recover from income or expense shocks as explained by Salignac et al (18), or enhancing the ability in coping with financial shock or recovering from financial difficulties as argued by McKnight and Rucci (op.cit.).

It is further about working together with liquidity-constrained households through an arsenal of financial tools or weaponry they need so that they can stay resilient or embrace financial resiliency.  In doing so, it increases their financial strengths while reducing their financial weaknesses or vulnerabilities.

It is finally about reducing, avoiding and ending asset-based poverty amongst them and their future generations.

For further details about Financial Resilience Programme for Households, please contact CENFACS.

_________

 

• References

 

(1) https://chisellabs.com/glossary/what-are-metrics/ (accessed in May 2024 )

(2) https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/an-introduction-to-metrics-monitoring-and-alerting (accessed in May 2024)

(3) https://www.batimes.com/articles/creating-implementing-and-managing-effective-metrics/ (accessed in May 2024)

(4) https://mediashift.org/2017/11/telling-stories-metrics-inside-news-organisation/(accessed in May 2024)

(5) Raulo A, Rojas A, Kröger B, Laaksonen A, Orta CL, Numio S, Peltoniemi M, Lahti L, Ζliobaitè I. 2023 What are patterns of rise and decline? R. Soc. Open Sci. 10:230052. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.230052 (accessed in May 2024)

(6) https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-change/Patterns-of-social-change (accessed in May 2024)

(7) Pullanikkatil, D. and Shackleton, CM. (2019), Poverty Reduction Through Non-Timber Forest Products: Personal Stories, Sustainable Development Goals Stories, Springer at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75580-9 (Accessed in May 2023)

(8) Feder, S., (2020), The Power of Stories: Poverty Reduction Through NTFPs at https://medforest.net/2020/02/26/that-power-of-stories-poverty-reduction=through-ntfps/ (Accessed in May 2023)

(9) Wood, A. and Barnes, J., (2007), Making Poverty the Story: Time to Involve the Media in Poverty at https://gsdrc.org/document-library/making-poverty-the-story-time-to-involve-the-media-in-poverty-reduction/# (Accessed in May 2023)

(10) https://www.betterevaluation.org/methods-approaches/themes/impact-evaluation (Accessed in May 2023)

(11) https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/400251468187810398/pdf/99662-REVISED-WB-Green-Bond-Box393208B-PUBLIC.pdf (accessed in May 2024)

(12) https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/11/what-are-green-bonds-climate-change/ (accessed in May 2024)

(13) https://poverty.ucdavis.edu/sites/main/files/file-attachments/policy_brief_stevens_poverty_transitions_1.pdf (accessed in April 2024)

(14) Cupitt, S. & Ellis, J. (2003), Your project and its outcomes, Charities Evaluation Services, Community Fund 2003

(15) https://www.impactio.com/blog/defining-the-difference-between-impact-and-outcome (accessed in May 2024)

(16) https://www.cipfa.org/services/financial-resilience-index-2022 (accessed in May 2024)

(17) McKnight, A. & Rucci, M. (2020). The Financial resilience of households: 22 country study with new estimates, breakdowns by household characteristics and a review of policy options. CASE/219, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, London School of Economics and Political Science, May http://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/case  (accessed in May 2024)

(18)Salignac, F.; Marjolin, A.; Reeve, R.: Muir, K. (2019). Conceptualising and measuring financial resilience: A multidimensional framework. Social Indicators Research 2019, 145, 17-38 (accessed in May 2024)

 

_________

 

• Help CENFACS Keep the Poverty Relief Work Going this Year

 

We do our work on a very small budget and on a voluntary basis.  Making a donation will show us you value our work and support CENFACS’ work, which is currently offered as a free service.

One could also consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the future.

Additionally, we would like to inform you that planned gifting is always an option for giving at CENFACS.  Likewise, CENFACS accepts matching gifts from companies running a gift-matching programme.

Donate to support CENFACS!

FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ NOBLE AND BEAUTIFUL CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.

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

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

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

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2024 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

01 May  2024

 

Post No. 350

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• May 2024 Stories – All in Development Stories: Stories of Systems Reset and Change

• All in Development Story Telling Series/Programme 2024

• Activity/Task 5 of the Transitions (t) Year/Project: Provide Inspiring Stories of Out-of-poverty Transitions

 

… And much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

• May 2024 Stories – All in Development Stories: Stories of Systems Reset and Change

 

Story telling is our main content for the month of May.  It is the month and time of the year we dedicate ourselves to telling and sharing poverty relief and sustainable development stories.

 

• • Why Do We Tell and Share Stories? 

 

This is because in whatever we do to help reduce poverty and appeal for support to enhance the development process we are engaged in, there is always a story to tell and share from various places we intervene and from different individuals and communities or organisations involving in our work.

 

• • How Do We Tell and Share These Stories?

 

We do it through All in Development (AiD) Stories project, which is our storytelling project.  There is an explanation about this project that can be found under the Main Development section of this post.  Every year, there is a different theme for this storytelling project.

 

• • This Year’s Theme for AiD Stories Project

 

This year, the theme for AiD Stories Project is about Stories of Resetting and Change Systems, our system of poverty reduction.  They are the stories of a system which can be reset to meet people’s (poor people’s) needs.  But, if the system is failing the people it is supposed to serve and is no longer fit for resetting purpose, then change may be required.  And stories can make this change to happen.  In which case, system change stories may be needed.

 

• • • What are System Reset and Change Stories?

 

Let us first explain Stories of Resetting Systems, then Stories of Changing Systems.

 

• • • • System Reset Stories are

 

a) about how people and communities are trying or have tried to bring things back to their default settings or initial state

b) of

∝ changing our mindset

∝ creating new metrics

∝ designing new incentives

∝ building a genuine connection.

 

• • • • System Change Stories are

 

a) those relating to  how people are trying to change the system if resetting is not suitable or desirable

b) of

∝ seeing the whole system rather just its parts

∝ looking at patterns of change rather than static snapshots

∝ understanding key interconnections within a system and between systems

∝ forming a new system (e.g., a new system of poverty reduction).

 

Both stories (system reset and change stories) are the tales of physical, social, environmental and economic settings and how we try to deal with systems, in particular our system of poverty reduction.

 

• • • When will these stories start?

 

Entries for May 2024 Stories were opened since last March when we announced the general theme of Spring Relief 2024, which is ‘Build Forward Better Together to a Greener, Cleaner, Safer, Inclusive and Climate-Resilient Future’ within the context of Squeezed Household Spending”.  So far, some people have shown some interests.  For those who have not yet submitted or told us their stories, this is the month to do it.

These stories are based on a principle.

 

• • Underlying Principle of AiD Stories Project

 

The principle of AiD Stories Project is that it is about stories told by volunteers or people who are giving their stories not for money or not being paid for their experience they had in relation to the story theme.  However, this principle does not stop anybody to provide a story even if what they are saying come from their paid position.

Besides this general principle, we have two criteria we would like to highlight about the theme of AiD Stories Project for this year.

 

• • Criteria for The Theme of AiD Stories Project 2024

 

~ 1st Criterion

For this year’s AiD Stories project, we are mainly interested in Stories of Build Forward Better Together to a Greener, Cleaner, Safer, Inclusive and Climate-Resilient Future within the context of Squeezed Household Spending, as mentioned above.  They are the stories of those who hit rock bottom of poverty because of squeezed household spending and are trying to bounce forward in a sustainable way.

 

~ 2nd Criterion

We are registering people’s personal experiences of being or at risk of being left behind in the process of building forward within the context of squeezed household spending .  Experiences show that in many crises, there is always a possibility that aid/help/transfer to household expenses/expenditure/spending does reach everybody or if its does it does not reach them proportionally or equally.  For those who have not been reached, their personal stories need to be heard as well.

Additionally, we would like to select amongst submitted stories the best ones.

 

• • Selecting the Top Real True Story of the Month

 

This year, we would like to select the top three stories of poverty reduction of the month and the real true story of poverty reduction of the month.  To do that we will use impact story approach.  This approach is often used when monitoring and evaluation are restricted.  What do we mean by that?

We mean what ‘civicus.org’ (1) says about impact stories, which is:

“Impact stories are a useful way to systematically documenting anecdotal evidence that expected activities occurred, and the perceived results thereof”.

Our storytelling assessors will try to capture elements of storytelling that respond to our storytelling criteria.  Stories that build inclusion and inspire people to reset or change have more change to win more votes/points than other ones.

To facilitate and organise ourselves in the way of telling these stories, we are going to do it through a series or programme or a timeline of scripts.  There is more information about this series below.

For more information on AiDS project and this year’s storytelling focus and scripts, please read under the Main Development section of this post.

To tell your story of change for change to CENFACS, please contact CENFACS for story telling terms and conditions.

 

 

• All in Development Story Telling Series/Programme 2024

 

The 2024 series of AiDS Telling Programme starts from the 1st of May 2024, every Wednesday afterwards and will last until the end of May 2024.  These series, which are part of May 2024 Stories, are a timeline of scripts or a set of notes arranged in line to tell and share Stories of System Reset and Change.  But, these stories do not need to be linear (that is, problem > action > solutions).  We take non-linear stories as well.

To arrange this programme, we referred to the four ways of resetting the system proposed by the World Economic Forum (2), which are:

 

a) Change our mindset

b) Create new metrics

c) Design new incentives

d) Build a genuine connection.

 

We are also referring to what the World Resources Institute (3) argues about systems change, which is

“Systems change can be defined as shifting component parts of a system – and the pattern of interactions between these parts – to ultimately form a new system that behaves in a qualitatively different way”.

This definition provides four strategies or tips for changing a system, which are

 

a) seeing the whole system rather just its parts

b) looking at patterns of change rather than static snapshots

c) understanding key interconnections within a system and between systems

d) forming a new system (e.g., a new system of poverty reduction).

 

From the above-mentioned four ways and four strategies, we can organise our stories line.  There is no single logic or model of organising a story.  We thought that to make it easier, our storytelling series for systems resetting and change will follow these four plus four (4+4) or two-story sequences:

The four plus four (4+4) or two-story sequences can be linked each other in a sequential way.

For further details about these two-story sequences or timeline of AiD scripts, please continue to read under the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

• Activity/Task 5 of the Transitions (t) Year/Project: Provide Inspiring Stories of Out-of-poverty Transitions

 

The fifth activity/task of the “t” Project is about sharing with those in need some inspiring stories about transitioning out of poverty.  Depending on circumstances of life, people can transition into and out of poverty.   This transition can be short and long.  What we are interested in is transitions out of poverty and their inspiration in terms of story.

 

• • Transitions out of Poverty

 

There are many factors that can determine out-of-poverty transitions.  Ann Huff Stevens (4) gives some of them in the case of the United States of America.  According to her,

“Changes in income and family structure are associated with transitions out of poverty”.

She also argues that it depends on short-term, circumstantial poverty or long-term poverty associated with permanent limitations on earnings, employment and family structure.

Drawing on Ann Huff Stevens’ argument, the Activity/Task 5 of the Transitions (t) Year/Project is about providing stories of out-of-poverty transitions.

 

• • Providing Inspiring Stories of Out-of-poverty Transitions

 

It is about giving the uplifting accounts of you or people you know who transitioned out of poverty.  The story needs to mention how long they have been out of poverty and how long the transition lasts.

For example, stories about change in the household structure or changes in the labour market and how they have helped to transition out of poverty can be told.  Stories like these can uplift others.

The above is what activity/task 5 is about.  For those who need any help before embarking on this activity/task, they can speak to CENFACS.

For any other queries and enquiries about the ‘t‘ project and this year’s dedication, please contact CENFACS as well.

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Financial Resilience Programme for Households – In Focus for Wednesday 01/05/2024: Intervention Strategies for Households

• Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty: Working Plan for the Fourth Series of Nature Activities

• All-year Round Projects Cycle (Triple Value Initiatives Cycle) – Step/Workshop 11: Outcome Evaluating Your Play, Run and Vote Projects

 

• Financial Resilience Programme for Households – In Focus for Wednesday 01/05/2024: Intervention Strategies for Households

 

Our work on financial asset holdings of households or economic resources that households possess to help them stay resilient against shocks continues.  This week, we are dealing with Intervention Strategies for Households, which are the third theme of our Financial Resilience Programme for Households (FRPHs).

 

• • What Are Intervention Strategies?

 

They are involving actions designed to help reduce the financial vulnerabilities of the members of CENFACS Community and their families, and empower them to provide for the essential needs of their households.  These interventions can include savings boosts, emergency loans, cash assistance, insurance claims, etc.

These interventions can be short, medium and long term.  Focussing on short-term interventions, the website ‘Assetfunders.org’ (5) argues that

“The goal of short-term interventions is to provide a bridge to get people over the shortfall and back on the road toward their financial goals, but not expose them to repeated financial risks”.

‘Assetfunders.org’ provides short-term interventions which include four options: buffer, borrowing, benefits and backstop.

Involving interventions linked to resilience can include working with these households on how they can get and spend money, find way of building savings, setting up an income-generating activity, etc.  Below are the types of intervention strategies that can be used to work with the community.

 

• • Types of Intervention Strategies 

 

They include and are about reassessing household capital structure, redefining household’s liquidities and their financial risk while examining how much households are protected from income shocks by their financial assets (such as current accounts, savings and investments) or other forms of support (like state benefits, friends and families).

We can briefly summarise each of these interventions.

 

• • • Reassessing household capital structure

 

Like a firm, household capital structure is made of savings, debts and equity.

Reassessing household capital structure is about looking at how much they hold in terms of assets (e.g., percentages of cash, of net worth or the property they own, of investments in shares and bonds) and debts (e.g., mortgage).  It is also about advising them how they can build a better capital structure.

 

• • • Redefinition of household’s liquidities

 

It is about reexplaining households that they need cash to meet short-term and immediate obligations.  It is also about working with them to find assets that can be easily and rapidly convertible into cash.  This implies working out their liquidity ratio, which refers to the number of liquid assets to overall assets.

 

• • • Re-explaining household’s financial risk

 

FRPHs helps households to avoid financial mistakes.  Taking disproportionate financial risks can be one of the mistakes.  Re-explaining and understanding these financial risks can be financial life-saving. 

Among the risks are negative coping financial strategies like resorting to costly loans, running down or low savings, cutting back on insurance, etc.

 

• • • Examination of households’ protection from income shocks

 

FRPHs can assist households to protect themselves from income shocks.  Examining households’ protection is about looking at how households can use their financial assets (such as current accounts, savings and investments, trusts and bonds), to protect them from income shock.

 

• • • Resorting to other forms of support 

 

FRPHs  can as well support households by checking with them if they are entitled to support from government benefits, employers, and voluntary organisations/charities to protect them from income shock.  This includes crowdfunding schemes, friends and families.

It is possible to work with households making the CENFACS Community to apply the above-summarised strategies.

 

• • Working with Households on Intervention Strategies

 

Working with households on financial strategies is about helping them to avoid costly financial mistakes.  There are reasons to work with them, particularly if they are poor.  It is known that poor households tend to have very little property or financial wealth, debts exceeding assets, physical assets to make up a much higher proportion of the overall wealth and lower capacity to save for retirement due to low income.

Because of all these reasons, FRPHs is one of the ways to help them navigate their way to financial protection.  It can help them release trapped cash and working capital.

For example, if a household does not realise the type of financial risk it is taking in resorting to costly coping strategies, CENFACS can work with this particular household to find cheap strategy to stay resilient.  In this process of working with this household, we can as well discuss their liquidity ratio and capital structure.

The above is the third theme of our FRPHs .

Those households that are looking for suitable financial strategies in order to stay resilient, they can work with CENFACS.

For any queries and/or enquiries about the theme of Intervention Strategies for Households as well as Financial Resilience Programme for Households (including how to access this programme), please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

• Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty: Working Plan for the Fourth Series of Nature Activities

 

To implement biodiversity strategies and action plans, it requires financial resources.  The fourth series of Nature Activities deals with financial resources.

This fourth series of these activities, which will start from the 6th of May 2024, falls under the scope of target 19 of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (6) adopted at the Fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.

The highlights of the fourth series of the nature activities to be carried out are given below.

 

• • Highlights of the Fourth Series

 

Activity 1: E-discussion on Payment for Ecosystem Services

 

This is an online conversation about the ways of giving something monetary or non-monetary in return for benefiting from nature.  Giving something can help for the upkeep of the nature.

 

Activity 2: A Survey on Green Bonds

 

This is an exercise of looking at in detail debt securities with a view that the money raised from investors is solely used to fund projects with positive impact on the environment.

 

Activity 3: Workshop on Biodiversity Offsets and Credits

 

This is a course or work for those interested in biodiversity to study how organisations can engage and finance activities that deliver net positive biodiversity gains.

 

Activity 4: Art and Design about Benefit-sharing Mechanisms

 

This activity consists of the creation of works of beauty and making drawing/model showing how the sharing of benefits derived from biodiversity conservation can be beneficial for indigenous and other local peoples.

As said above, the contents of the above-mentioned four nature activities stem from the nineteenth target of nature goals making the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (op.cit.), which was agreed in December 2022.

 

 

• • Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty –

From Week Beginning 06/05/2024: E-discussion on Payment for Ecosystem Services

 

Before giving the aim of this activity and what will be about, we would like to let or remind the prospective participants to this activity what the payment for ecosystem services means.

Ecosystem services are simply the benefits that people get from nature.  These services are supporting, provisioning, regulating and cultural.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (7),

“Payment for ecosystem services is the name given to variety of arrangements through which the beneficiaries of environmental services, from watershed protection and forest conservation to carbon sequestration and landscape beauty, reward those lands provide these services with subsidies or market payments”.

This definition will help the e-discussion.

 

a) Aim of Activity 1

 

The aim of this Activity 1 is to help the community to discuss and explore way of finding innovative solutions to pay for the benefits that people get from nature.

 

b) What the e-Discussion on the Payment for Ecosystem Services Will Be about

 

We will be e-debating current innovations and latest developments on the matter.

The e-discussion will be online exchange among the participants to reflect on the question of the payment for ecosystem services.  It will take place between the 6th and 12th of May of 2024.

You can contribute your answer and respond to others by agreeing or disagreeing, sharing your evidence and raising relevant issues surrounding the payment for ecosystem services.   CENFACS facilitator or moderator will summarise the points to be made by participants.

For those who would like to engage with Activity 1, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

For those who would like to find out more about Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty, they can also communicate with CENFACS.

 

 

• All-year Round Projects Cycle (Triple Value Initiatives Cycle) – Step/Workshop 11: Outcome Evaluating Your Play, Run and Vote Projects

 

Normally, at the beginning of a project or activity, planners of this project or activity will indicate how they plan to evaluate it.  Planners can think of pre-project evaluation, ongoing project evaluation and post-project evaluation.  However, what is project evaluation for them?

 

• • Basic Understanding of Project Evaluation

 

To simplify the matter, we are referring to what Anna Allen and Catriona May (8) say about it, which is:

“Evaluation is a process of assessing what an activity or project achieves, particularly in relation to the overall objectives” (p. 36)

There are many types of evaluation depending on the areas of emphasis.  Evaluation can be before the project starts (pre-project evaluation), when the project is in progress (ongoing evaluation) and when the project is finished (post-project evaluation).  Evaluation can also be formative, process/implementation, outcome/effectiveness and impact.  It all depends on what you want to achieve in evaluating a project.

In the Step/Workshop 11, we are interested in Outcome Evaluation.

 

• • • What is an outcome evaluation?

 

To understand outcome evaluation, one may need to know outcome.   Outcome has been described in the United Nations Development Programme’s Guidance on Evaluation (9) as

“The intended changes in development conditions that result from the interventions of governments and other stakeholders, including international development agencies such as UNDP.  They are medium-term development results and the contributions of various partners and non-partners.  Outcomes provide a clear vision of what has changed or will change globally or in a particular region, country or community within a period of time” (p. 3)

Knowing what is outcome, it is possible to explain outcome evaluation.  According to ‘evalcommunity.com’ (10),

“Outcome evaluation is a type of evaluation that focuses on measuring the results or outcomes of a programme or intervention.  It is a systematic and objective process that involves collecting and analysing data to determine whether the programme is achieving its intended goals and objectives, and whether the outcomes are meaningful and beneficial to the target population”.

The same ‘evalcommunity.com’ states that there are many types of outcome evaluation which include impact evaluation, outcome-focused evaluation, process evaluation, cost-benefit analysis, and realist evaluation.

In this Step/Workshop 11, we are dealing with outcome-focused evaluation.

Let us exemplify this.

 

• • Example of Outcome Evaluating Your All-year Round Projects

 

Let us assume that one of our users decides to organise a 4-Km-a-day Run Project to raise money for CENFACS’ one of its noble and beautiful causes of poverty reduction, which is to support Africa-based Sister Organisations currently helping displaced persons in the south borders of Sudan.

In order to outcome evaluate the 4-Km-a-day Run Project, our all-year-round project user will proceed with the following:

 

∝ Ensure that their project is on course and identify the problems as they come up

(Type of problems could be if everybody taking the run manages to run 4 kilometres or not)

∝ Measure progress towards their objectives

(E.g., if one of the objectives was to raise £500 on a particular day, they will check fundraising progress about this objective)

∝ Seize new window of opportunities

(For instance, if more people turn up than initially expected, our all-year-round project user can think of the possibility of running the activity again another day)

∝ Deal with any challenges during project implementation

(Like to organise a networking/talk session for the extra number of attendees who could not take part in the run because there is a restriction on the number of runners)

∝ Recognise success and failure

(I.e., our all-year-round project user will find out what went wrong or well during the Run Project)

∝ Give some recommendations for the future run of the project

(I.e., ask participants to make suggestions or tell them how you will improve the project if you decide to run it again)

∝ Keep all records

(Of the number of participants/runners, all the people involved, money raised, incidents, accidents, reports, etc.)

∝ Conduct a progress review

(If it is the second time to run your project, you will review the progress made in comparison with the previous run)

∝ Complete evaluation in due course

(I.e., remember to tick all the boxes of you evaluation sheets/forms when you finishes your project).

 

The above is one of the possible ways of outcome evaluating your All-year Round Projects.  For those who would like to dive deeper into Outcome Evaluation of their Play or Run or Vote project, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

 

• Programme de Résilience Financière pour les Ménages – Gros plan du mercredi 01/05/2024 : Stratégies d’Intervention pour les Ménages

Nos travaux sur les actifs financiers détenus par les ménages ou sur les ressources économiques dont disposent les ménages pour les aider à rester résilients face aux chocs se poursuivent.  Cette semaine, nous nous penchons sur les Stratégies d’Intervention pour les Ménages, qui constituent le troisième thème de notre Programme de Résilience Financière des Ménages (PRFM).

• • Qu’est-ce qu’une stratégie d’intervention?

Il s’agit d’actions visant à réduire les vulnérabilités financières des membres de la communauté CENFACS et de leurs familles, et à leur donner les moyens de subvenir aux besoins essentiels de leurs ménages.  Ces interventions peuvent inclure des coups de pouce à l’épargne, des prêts d’urgence, des aides en espèces, des réclamations d’assurance, etc.

Ces interventions peuvent être à court, moyen et long terme.  Le site web «Assetfunders.org» (5) fait valoir que

« L’objectif des interventions à court terme est de fournir un pont pour aider les gens à surmonter le manque à gagner et à se remettre sur la voie de leurs objectifs financiers, mais pas à les exposer à des risques financiers répétés. »

Le programme «Assetfunders.org» prévoit des interventions à court terme qui comprennent quatre options : 1) coussin de sécurité, 2) emprunt, 3) prestations et 4) filet de sécurité.

L’implication d’interventions liées à la résilience peut inclure le travail avec ces ménages sur la façon dont ils peuvent obtenir et dépenser de l’argent, trouver des moyens de constituer une épargne, mettre en place une activité génératrice de revenus, etc. 

Veuillez trouver ci-dessous les types de stratégies d’intervention qui peuvent être utilisées pour travailler avec la communauté.

• • Types de stratégies d’intervention 

Il s’agit de réévaluer la structure du capital des ménages, de redéfinir les liquidités des ménages et leur risque financier, tout en examinant dans quelle mesure les ménages sont protégés contre les chocs de revenu par leurs actifs financiers (tels que les comptes courants, l’épargne et les investissements) ou d’autres formes de soutien (comme les prestations de l’État, les amis et la famille).

Nous pouvons résumer brièvement chacune de ces interventions.

• • • Réévaluation de la structure du capital des ménages

À l’instar d’une entreprise, la structure du capital des ménages est constituée d’épargne, de dettes et de capitaux propres.

La réévaluation de la structure du capital des ménages consiste à examiner le montant qu’ils détiennent en termes d’actifs (p. ex., pourcentages de liquidités, de valeur nette ou de biens qu’ils possèdent, de placements en actions et en obligations) et de dettes (p. ex., hypothèque).  Il s’agit également de les conseiller sur la façon dont ils peuvent construire une structure de capital.

• • • Redéfinition des liquidités des ménages

Il s’agit de réexpliquer aux ménages qu’ils disposent d’argent liquide pour faire face à leurs obligations à court terme et immédiates.  Il s’agit également de travailler avec eux pour trouver des actifs qui peuvent être facilement et rapidement convertibles en espèces.  Cela implique de calculer leur ratio de liquidité, c’est-à-dire le nombre d’actifs liquides par rapport à l’ensemble des actifs.

• • • Réexpliquer le risque financier du ménage

Le PRFM aide les ménages à éviter les erreurs financières.  Prendre des risques financiers disproportionnés peut être l’une des erreurs.  Réexpliquer ces risques financiers peut sauver des vies financières. 

Parmi les risques, il y a les stratégies financières négatives telles que le recours à des prêts coûteux, l’épuisement ou la faiblesse de l’épargne, la réduction des assurances, etc.

• • • Examen de la protection des ménages contre les chocs de revenu

Le PRFM peut aider les ménages à se protéger contre les chocs de revenu.  L’examen de la protection des ménages consiste à examiner comment les ménages peuvent utiliser leurs actifs financiers (tels que les comptes courants, l’épargne et les investissements, les fiducies et les obligations) pour les protéger contre les chocs de revenu.

• • • Recours à d’autres formes de soutien 

Le PRFM peut également soutenir les ménages en vérifiant auprès d’eux s’ils ont droit à un soutien de la part des prestations gouvernementales, des employeurs et des organisations bénévoles/caritatives pour les protéger contre le choc de revenu.  Cela inclut les programmes de financement participatif, les amis et les familles.

Il est possible de travailler avec les ménages faisant partie de la Communauté CENFACS pour appliquer les stratégies résumées ci-dessus.

• • Travailler avec les ménages sur les stratégies d’intervention

Travailler avec les ménages sur des stratégies financières permet d’éviter des erreurs financières coûteuses.  Il y a des raisons de travailler avec eux, surtout s’ils sont pauvres.  On sait que les ménages pauvres ont tendance à avoir très peu de biens ou de patrimoine financier, que les dettes excèdent les actifs, que les actifs physiques représentent une proportion beaucoup plus élevée de la richesse globale et que la capacité d’épargner en vue de la retraite est plus faible en raison d’un faible revenu.

Pour toutes ces raisons, le PRFM est l’un des moyens de les aider à naviguer sur leur chemin vers la protection.  Cela peut les aider à libérer les liquidités et le fonds de roulement piégés.

Par exemple, si un ménage ne se rend pas compte du type de risque financier qu’il prend en recourant à des stratégies d’adaptation coûteuses, le CENFACS peut travailler avec lui pour trouver une stratégie peu coûteuse pour rester résilient.  Dans ce processus de travail avec ce ménage, nous pouvons également discuter de leur ratio de liquidité et de la structure de leur capital.

Ce qui précède est le troisième thème de notre PRFM.

Les ménages qui recherchent des stratégies financières adaptées pour rester résilients peuvent travailler avec le CENFACS.

Pour toute question et/ou demande de renseignements sur le thème des Stratégies d’Intervention pour les Ménages ainsi que sur le Programme de Résilience Financière pour les Ménages (y compris comment accéder à ce programme), n’hésitez pas à contacter le CENFACS.

 

Main Development

 

• May 2024 Stories – All in Development Stories: Stories of Systems Reset and Change

 

The items making the contents of May 2024 Stories include the following:

 

∝ What is All in Development Stories Project?

∝ May 2024 Stories: Stories of Systems Reset and Change

∝ Story Telling Sequences or Series

∝ Nature-based Solutions inside Your Stories of Systems Reset and Change

∝ AiDS Serial 1: Stories of Changing Mindsets and Seeing Wholes (Starting from Wednesday 01/05/2024)

∝ Further Information about May 2024 Stories.

 

Let us highlight each of these elements.

 

• • What Is All in Development Stories Project?

 

All in Development Stories (AiDS) is a life story building, developing, telling, sharing and learning project set up by CENFACS in 2009 in order to give opportunities to volunteers, interns and other development supporters and enthusiasts to inspire others and spread the good news and will of better change to the community.  The project, which is run during the month of May, has five properties as follows:

 

√ AiDS is a telling and sharing story

 

It is about telling and sharing with us your experience and achievements made in the fields of local (UK) and International (Africa) developments.

 

√ AiDS is a learning and development process

 

It is also about learning from volunteers and interns how they improved their own life, changed deprived lives and reached out to the needy communities.  After learning, one can try to develop strengths and better practices to solve problems.

 

√ AiDS is an inspirational and motivational support network

 

After all, the project seeks to inspire and motivate others on the road of change for better change; especially for those (who are part of our network and those who would like to be part of it) who might prepare and use their summer break or any other occasions to take up volunteering and or internship roles and positions.

 

√ AiDS is a building storytelling skills initiative

 

It helps story tellers to develop skills to tell and supply stories (stories generation) to meet the demand of stories listeners (stories heard) in order to connect those in need to poverty reduction.  These stories that connect to poverty reduction can be linear and non-linear as well as deliberately action-oriented.

 

√ AiDS finally is a state-of-the-art project 

 

It is the art of poverty relief telling story that enables us to get up-to-date information, knowledge and thinking in the fields of poverty reduction and sustainable development from those who went on the grounds to learn and experience real-life development works.  They return with volunteering stories to tell and share.  As the National Storytelling Network (11) puts it in these terms:

“Storytelling is the interactive art of using words and actions to reveal the elements and images of a story while encouraging the listener’s imagination”.

This year’s storytelling and sharing will be about Stories of System Reset and Change.

 

• • May 2024 Stories: Stories of System Reset and Change

 

• • • What are Stories of System Reset and Change?

 

To understand these stories, it is better to explain system reset and system change.

 

• • • • What is system reset?

 

Reset is simply set again (12).  It is about bringing something back to its default settings or initial state.  In the information technology world, the verb reset is used for computer to mean erasing the entire drive and recreating the factory setup.

According to ‘dictionary.cambridge.com’ (13),

“Reset is the act of returning a piece of equipment to its original settings, usually by turning it off and on again: A hard reset will erase all of the device’s applications”.

Another use of reset can be found during and after the coronavirus disaster when some people spoke about resetting our systems.  Amongst the voices that stood up for global resetting was that of Klaus Schwab, the Founder and Executive Chairman of World Economic Forum.

Klaus Schwab (14) spoke about the Great Reset of Our Systems.  Schwab meant the revamping of all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions.  In his view of resetting our systems, he mentioned seven ways of doing it, which are:

1) shaping the economic recovery 2) harnessing the fourth industrial revolution 3) strengthening regional development 4) revitalizing global cooperation 5) developing sustainable business models 6) restoring the health of the environment and 7) redesigning social contracts, skills and jobs.

From what has been argued about reset, it possible to describe Stories of System Reset.

 

• • • • What are Stories of System Reset?

 

System Reset Stories are simply about how people and communities are trying or have tried to bring things back to their default settings or initial state. Following what the World Economic Forum (op. cit.) argues about the four ways of resetting the system, System Reset Stories are:

 

• the sequencing tales of changing our mindset (Stories of Changing Mindsets)

• the narratives of creating new metrics to reset systems – our poverty reduction system (Stories of Creating Metrics)

• the histories of designing new incentives (Stories of Designing Incentives)

• the tellings of building genuine connections to reset systems – our poverty reduction system (Stories of Building Connections).

 

In short, System Reset Stories are those of giving tools to direct economic recovery, driving sustainable growth, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement in the process of resetting systems.  They are the tales of physical, social, environmental, financial and economic reset of systems.

However, if the current system is no longer fit for the resetting purpose, then there could be a need to change it.

 

• • • • What is system change?

 

The World Resources Institute (op. cit.) argues that

“Systems change can be defined as shifting component parts of a system – and the pattern of interactions between these parts – to ultimately form a new system that behaves in a qualitatively different way”.

The world Resources Institute also contends that there are no linear models or plans to change systems.

Additionally, ‘ssir.org’ (15) explains that

“The work of systems change involves seeing systematically – looking at the elements, interconnections, and wider purposes of systems – and acting systematically.  Story plays a vital role in helping us do both of these things.  Story has many different qualities that make it useful for the work of systems change”.

 

• • • • What are Stories of System Change?

 

System Change Stories are

 

• the accounts of seeing the whole system rather just its parts (Stories of Seeing Wholes)

• the plots of looking at patterns of change rather than static snapshots (Stories of Looking at Changing Patterns)

• the anecdotes of understanding key interconnections within a system and between systems (Stories of Understanding Interconnections)

• the reports of forming a new system (Stories of Forming Systems).

 

Briefly speaking, System Change Stories are the says of navigating interdependent webs of systems with complex interconnections and relationships.

Both System Reset and Change Stories will be presented via AiD Story Telling programme.

We are running 4+4 or two-story series of AiD Story Telling programme during this month of May, programme that will revolve around the process of ‘Build Forward Better Together to a Greener, Cleaner, Safer, Inclusive and Climate-Resilient Future’ within the context of Squeezed Household Spending.

For those who want to tell their Stories of Resetting and Changing Systems; they can choose among the following sequences to tell their stories.

 

• • Story Telling Sequences or Series

 

AiD Story Telling Series: Starting on 01/05/2024 and after every Wednesday until the end of May 2024

 

The following two-story series or sequences have been planned for this month of storytelling (May Stories).

 

σ Serial 1: From Wednesday 01/05/2023: Stories of Changing Mindsets and Seeing Wholes

Stories of Changing Mindsets are the sequencing tales of changing our mindset, while Stories of Seeing Wholes are the accounts of seeing the whole system rather just its parts.

 

σ Serial 2: From Wednesday 08/05/2024: Stories of Creating Metrics and Looking at Changing Patterns

Stories of Creating Metrics are the narratives of creating new metrics to reset systems – our poverty reduction system, while Stories of Looking at Changing Patterns are the plots of looking at patterns of change rather than static snapshots.

 

σ Serial 3: From Wednesday 15/05/2024: Stories of Designing Incentives and Understanding Interconnections

Stories of Designing Incentives are the histories of designing new incentives, while Stories of Understanding Interconnections are the anecdotes of understanding key interconnections within a system and between systems.

 

σ Serial 4: From Wednesday 22/05/2024: Stories of Building Connections and Forming Systems

Stories of Building Connections are the tellings of building genuine connections to reset systems – our poverty reduction system, while Stories Forming Systems are the reports of forming a new system.

 

Both Systems Reset and Change Stories will help us Build Forward Better Together to a Greener, Cleaner, Safer, Inclusive and Climate-Resilient Future’ within the context of Squeezed Household Spending.

 

• • Nature-based Solutions inside Your Stories of ‘Build Forward Better Together to a Greener, Cleaner, Safer, Inclusive and Climate-Resilient Future’ within the Context of Squeezed Household Spending

 

There are many solutions or recipes in order to build forward from the squeezed household spending.  In the context of AiD Stories, we would like to hear stories of building forward better using nature-based solutions.  What do we mean by nature-based solutions?

There are many ways of defining nature-based solutions.  The EU Commission (16) defines nature-based solutions as

“Solutions that are inspired and supported by nature, which are cost-effective, simultaneously provide environmental, social and economic benefits and help build resilience. Such solutions bring more, and more diverse, nature and natural features and processes into cities, landscapes and seascapes, through locally adapted, resource-efficient and systemic interventions”.

For those who would like to tell or submit their stories, it will be a good idea to bring out storying aspects of nature-based solutions making part of their stories.

 

 

• •  AiDS Serial 1: Stories of Changing Mindsets and Seeing Wholes (Starting from Wednesday 01/05/2024)

 

We have two stories from our two-story model: Stories of Changing Mindsets and Stories of Seeing Wholes.  Let us look at each of them.

 

• • • Stories of Changing Mindsets

 

To present these stories, let us first try to briefly explain mindset.

 

• • • • Brief explanation of mindset

 

Our explanation of it comes from ‘leanscape.io’ (17) which states that

“A mindset is a pattern of thought that allows us to approach change in a certain way”.

Similarly, ‘mindmotionacademy.com’ (18) argues  that

“It is not always easy to change your mindset.  It can be hard to let go of the old way of thinking that have been a part of you for so long.  But if you want to change your life trajectory, it is essential to start by changing your mindset”.

Although these explanations of mindset relate to individuals, they can be applied to systems.  To reset systems, one needs to change their mindset whether or not they would like to do it.

The above views about mindset can lead to certain stories.

 

• • • • Stories of Changing Mindsets

 

From the above-mentioned views, we have identified four stories of changing our mindset in order to reset systems, our system of poverty reduction.  These stories are

 

a) the transition stories of opening up yourself to new possibilities

b) the storytelling infographics of allowing yourself to explore different options

c) the fables, written or spoken, made of words, voices and tones of considering new opportunities

d) the tales of believing that anything is possible.

 

If you are a member of our community and have this type of story, please do not hesitate to tell and share your story with CENFACS.  If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Changing Mindsets, please contact CENFACS.

 

• • • Stories of Seeing Wholes

 

These are the stories to do with systems thinking.  What is system thinking?

 

• • • •   Short explanation of system thinking

 

On the website ‘nhselect.nhs.uk’ (19), system thinking is defined as

“A way of changing our mindsets and by looking to see the word a new to better deal with the complexities that we face”.

The same ‘nhselect.nhs.uk’ quotes Peter Senge who argues that

“System think is a discipline for seeing wholes.  It is a framework for seeing interrelationships rather than things, for seeing patterns of change rather than static snapshots”.

From this short explanation of system thinking, what are Stories of Seeing Wholes?

 

• • • • Stories of Seeing Wholes

 

They are

 

a) the accounts of seeing the whole system rather just its parts

b) the anecdotes of stressing the interrelationships between components of a system

c) the narratives of unlocking system-level change to change it

d) the records of tones of voice that can influence policy decisions and change the landscape in reducing the incidence of shocks and emergencies on poor people

e) the tales of appeals to increase supportive services to help the people in need.

 

These stories can be used to communicate the impact of community-led system change work.

For example, these stories can help to know how those involved in community-led systems can change initiatives by telling compelling stories about the nature and impact of their work or how these stories can be used to enable and celebrate community-led systems change work.

If you are a member of our community and have this type of story, please do not hesitate to tell and share your story with CENFACS.  If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.

To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Seeing Wholes, please contact CENFACS.

 

• • Further Information about May 2024 Stories

 

• • •  2024 Story Areas of Interest

 

We normally take stories that cover any areas of poverty reduction and local and international sustainable developments.

 

• • •  Contexts of Stories

 

Stories could come from any level of project/programme cycle (i.e. planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and review) as long as it is to do with poverty reduction and sustainable development.

They could also be a result of research and field work activities or studies.

They could finally be an experience of everyday life.

  

• • •  Call for 2024 Entries

 

As said above, the 2024 Edition of AiDS has already kicked off.  For those who want to enter their stories of life renewal, please note you are welcome to do so.

Just read below the annotated timetable for story submission and CENFACS’ storytelling terms and conditions.

We await your responses to our call.

 

• • •  Annotated Timetable for Story Submission in 2024

 

∝ Start of online (e-mail) and paper-based submission (01/05/2024)

∝ Story submission deadline (31/05/2024)

∝ Notification of receipt/acceptance (by 17/06/2024)

∝ Submission of revised stories (01 to 31/05/2024)

 

• • • Storytelling Check List

 

Before submitting, please check that your story meets the following:

 

√ Relatable

√ Relevant

√ Engaging

√ Inspiring

√ Building inclusion

√ Poverty-relieving

 

• • •  CENFACS Story Telling & Sharing Terms

 

To tell and/or share your May story, please let us know the following:

 

√ who you are

√ where and when your experience took place 

√ and of course the story itself.

 

You could also

 

√ text

√ twit 

√ record voice/video

√ send some forms of supporting materials/resources to back up your story.

 

Should you wish not to be name, please let us know your decision.

Please see below our story telling, sharing and learning terms.

 

• • • CENFACS story telling, sharing and learning terms

 

1) We welcome told, untold, linear and non-linear stories

2) Inside, witness, news, behind the scenes and case stories are eligible

3) We only take real life stories, not fiction stories or fake news

4) Tell true and evidence-based stories only, not lies

5) If possible, back up your stories with facts and data (numerical or textual or voice or video or even infographics)

6) Mention location, dates and names of events in the story

7) We accept photos, images, pictures, videos, info-graphic materials, audios and other forms of resources (e.g. digital or e- technologies) to support, capture and communicate the impact of your story

8) Plagiarism, prohibited, offensive, violation of copyrights and unlawful/illegal materials are not accepted

9) Hacking, flaming, spamming, scamming, ransom ware, phishing and trolling practices are not accepted as well

10) We greatly consider stories building on inclusion, inspiring people to change, containing poverty-relieving elements and highlighting nature-based solutions to poverty and hardships.

 

For further clarification, contact CENFACS.

 

Tell and share your storyline of change for change by communicating the impact you make!

CENFACS is looking forward to engaging with you through your story.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to CENFACS at facs@cenfacs.org.uk.

_________

 

• References

 

(1) https://www.civicus.org/monitoring-toolkits/toolkit/impact-story/ (Accessed in May 2023)

(2) https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/08/building-blocks-of-the-great-reset/ (accessed in March 2024)

(3) https://www.wri.org/insights/systems-change-how-to-top-6-questions-answered (accessed in April 2024)

(4) https://poverty.ucdavis.edu/sites/main/files/file-attachments/policy_brief_stevens_poverty_transitions_1.pdf (accessed in April 2024)

(5) https://assetfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/Measuring_Financial_Resilience_AFN_2021_Single_1.13.21.pdf (accessed in April 2024)

(6) https://www.cbd.int/article/cop15-press-release-final-19dec2022 (Accessed in May 2023)

(7) https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/black_sea_basin/danube_carpathian/our_solutions/green_economy/pes/ (accessed in April 2024)

(8) Allen, A. & May, C. (2007), Setting Up For Success – A practical guide for community organisations, Community Development Foundation, London (Great Britain)

(9) web.undp.org/evaluation/documents/guidance/UNDP_Guidance_on_Outcome-Level%20_Evaluation_2011.pdf (accessed in April 2024)

(10) https://www.evalcommunity.com/career-centre/outcome-evaluation/ (accessed in April 2024),

(11) https://storynet.org/what-is-storytelling/ (Accessed in May 2023)

(12) https://www.thefreedictionary.com/reset (accessed in April 2024)

(13) https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/reset  (accessed in April 2024)

(14) https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/now-is-the-time-for-a-great-reset/ (accessed in April 2024)

(15) https://ssir.org/articles/entry/using_story_to_change_systems# (accessed in April 2024)

(16) https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/research-area/environment/nature-based-solutions_en (Accessed in May 2023)

(17) https://leanscape.io/change-management-mindset/ (accessed in April 2024)

(18) https://mindmotionacademy.com/what-is-mindset-and-why-is-it-important? (accessed in April 2024)

(19) https://www.nhselect.nhs.uk/uploads/files/1/what%20is%20system%20thinking.pdf (accessed in April 2024)

_________

 

• Help CENFACS Keep the Poverty Relief Work Going this Year

 

We do our work on a very small budget and on a voluntary basis.  Making a donation will show us you value our work and support CENFACS’ work, which is currently offered as a free service.

One could also consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the future.

Additionally, we would like to inform you that planned gifting is always an option for giving at CENFACS.  Likewise, CENFACS accepts matching gifts from companies running a gift-matching programme.

Donate to support CENFACS!

FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ NOBLE AND BEAUTIFUL CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.

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

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

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

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2024 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

24 April  2024

 

Post No. 349

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• FACS Issue No. 83 of Spring 2024 Titled as Charity Trade, Investment and Poverty Reduction in Africa

• Burundi’s Flood Victims Ask for Your Aid

• Financial Resilience Programme for Households – In Focus for Wednesday 24/04/2024: Households’ Liquid Assets

 

…And much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

• FACS Issue No. 83 of Spring 2024 Titled as Charity Trade, Investment and Poverty Reduction in Africa

 

The 83rd Issue of FACS is about trade and investment run by Africa-based Sister Charitable Organisations to help reduce poverty and hardships amongst those in need.  It also includes trading activities carried out by the members or beneficiaries of these organisations, who are engaged in trade to reduce poverty or simply to make ends meet.  Amongst these people are those poor who cross borders on a daily basis to sell goods and services to make ends meet.  The 83rd Issue of FACS focus on these organisations and individuals selling goods and services for the purpose of coming out poverty.

The 83rd Issue of FACS inspects contemporary theories of trade and the space they provide to explain trade in the charitable and voluntary sector, particularly in Africa.  Far from being a simple theoretical account of these theories or models, the 83rd Issue of FACS aims at providing the justifications or cases for trade within the charitable and voluntary worlds.  One of these justifications comes from International Trade Council (1) which argues that

“Economic growth spurred by international trade can directly contribute to poverty reduction.  As countries export goods and services, they not only generate income but also create employment opportunities, which can uplift people out of poverty”.

The 83rd Issue of FACS  deals with intra-regional trade carried out by Africa’s charities and how this trade is helping to reduce poverty.  As a treaty of intra-regional trade, the 83rd Issue of FACS envisages cases of trade within the region of Africa and the space given by African Continental Free Trade Area with all the advantages and disadvantages that area contains.  In doing so, the 83rd Issue of FACS does not undermine the value of trade conducted beyond Africa’s borders.

The 83rd Issue of FACS is a story of trade creation, rather than trade diversion, in order to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.  From this perspective, the 83rd Issue of FACS is an illustration of how Africa-based Trade Charitable Organisations are trying to capture the window of opportunities provided by a free trade regime to reduce poverty in various sectors of human empowerment.

In practical terms, the 83rd Issue of FACS is a handy piece of work explaining how poor and vulnerable beneficiaries are trying to create usable means to live off and push poverty away.  To push poverty away via trade, these beneficiaries need trade skills.  So, investing in these beneficiaries to acquire or improve these skills has been dealt within the 83rd Issue of FACS, just as the transmission and sharing of trade skills.

Key summaries and highlights of the 83rd Issue of FACS are given under the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

• Burundi’s Flood Victims Ask for Your Aid

 

This is an appeal to light a blaze of hope for those who have been affected by El Niño in Burundi.  Indeed, El Niño has severely impacted the Lake Tanganyika with landslides, heavy rains, and violent winds, according to the information received from Burundian local sources.

In addition to this information, ‘reliefweb.int’ (2) explains that

“Since 13 March 2024, the water level of Lake Tanganyika has risen by 776.76 meters, exceeding the normal level by 1.76 meters, making the most severe increase in sixty years.  The rising waters of Lake Tanganyika have impacted 10 communes across 4 provinces affecting all households in the vicinity”.

The website ‘relief.int’ also presents the following list of damages as a result of El Niño:

∝ Nearly 1, 344 houses have been flooded

∝ 300 houses have been threatened with 34 households displaced

∝ More than 300 Ha of fields in Bujumbura have been damaged

∝ 65 Ha of fields have been damaged around the disaster

∝ Road from Bujumbura to the Democratic Republic of Congo has been damaged.

The cartography of the damages is also given by the local people and the victims themselves who argue the following:

∝ 200,000 people have been affected by the effects of El Niño phenomenon

∝ 20, 000 people have been left homeless

∝ 40,000 hectares of crops have been washed away 

∝ 29,000 class rooms have been severely damaged in towns bordering the Lake Tanganyika.

As a result of these damages, there are many threats like of spread of epidemics, hunger, malnutrition, poor sanitation, lack of safe drinking water, etc.

Yet, it is possible to help limit the life-threatening and -destroying damages of the El Niño phenomenon on the Burundians.   It is practically feasible to mitigate the adverse impacts of bad weather and natural catastrophes (like rising lake level) caused by El Niño.

You can support the Flood Victims of Burundi who Need Lighting a Blaze of Hope.

You can Light up a Blaze of Hope for them.

You can also donate £5 or more since the needs are urgent and pressing.  Through this appeal and your support, CENFACS aims to reach the Flood Victims in Burundi.

You support will help

√ alleviate the suffering of the El Niño-affected communities

√ reduce the side effects of the chaos brought by El Niño

√ respond to the flood victims’ need of food, shelter, safe drinking water, clean sanitation, health and education.

These flood victims need your life-saving humanitarian response right now.

To donate or light a blaze of hope, please get in touch with CENFACS.

 

 

 

• Financial Resilience Programme for Households – In Focus for Wednesday 24/04/2024: Households’ Liquid Assets

 

This week, we are carrying on the work on financial asset holdings of households or economic resources that households possess to help them stay resilient against shocks, like financial crisis that affect financial assets and other values.

To start this second theme of our Financial Resilience Programme for Households (FRPHs), theme which is Households’ Liquid Assets, we are going to briefly explain the meanings of households’ liquid assets.

Since one of the objectives of this programme is to help reduce liquid asset poverty, we are going to elucidate what this type of poverty means.  Then, we will illustrate how households’ liquid assets can contribute to their financial resilience, and how CENFACS can work with them regarding liquid assets matter.

 

• • What Are Household Liquid Assets?

 

To understand household liquid assets, one may need to first know the meaning of asset.  

The definition of asset used here comes from Ford in 2004, quoted by Caroline Moser (3).  This definition is:

“An asset is identified as a stock of financial, human, natural or social resources that can be acquired, developed, improved and transferred across generations. It generates flows or consumption, as well as additional stock”. (p. 5)

The concept of asset can include tangible and intangible ones.  Assets can also be aspirational, psychological, productive, political, environmental, etc.  However, what we are interested in is liquid assets. What are liquid assets?

According to ‘sapling.com’ (4),

“Household liquid assets are its cash and equity assets.  These assets include the cash that you have on hand in the household, plus any bank accounts, retirement accounts, certificates of deposit, and saving bonds or other bonds you own.  Equity assets also include the cash value of any life insurance you own”.

Focussing on the conversion and speed properties of these assets, the website ’embracehomeloans.com’ (5) speaks about  their ease of conversion into cash and the speed at which they can be sold or traded without any significant loss of values.  For this website, liquid assets – which are equal fast, easy access to cash – include: savings accounts, stocks, bonds, and shares of company which can be easily sold (liquidated) and converted into cash, annual tax refund.

The understanding of these assets provides the basis for dealing with poverty linked to them.  In other words, households that do not have these assets can be considered as liquid asset poor.

 

• • What Is Asset-based Poverty?

 

There are many ways of defining it.  Using the definition given Carlotta Balestra (6),

“A household/individual is asset-poor whenever their wealth holdings are not sufficient to secure them a given standard of living for a certain, usually short, period of time”.

The study conducted by Carlotta Balestra under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development differentiates income from assets, as well as distinguishes asset-based poverty from net worth poverty.

The definition of asset-based poverty and what it measures will help in studying the household net worth of CENFACS’ members, as well as to work out the percentage of these households or individuals in our community experiencing income and/or liquid asset poverty.

 

• • Contributions of Liquid Assets to Households’ Financial Resilience

 

Liquid assets like cash, savings, accounts deposits, money market funds, government bonds, etc. can contribute to households’ financial resilience in time of financial crisis or income shock.  Unfortunately, many low income families or households may not be able to have enough or lack liquid assets to face these crises or shocks.  For many of them, what they earn or receive as income from one hand goes away to the other hand as expenses, without having the possibility to retain some of this income as liquid asset.   They end up with nothing to keep as liquid assets.

This is why it is important to work with them on liquid assets as part of FRPHs and the Month of Protection within CENFACS, so that they can understand how it is life-saving to have liquid assets for your financial resilience and what can be done to create liquid assets.

 

• • Working with Households on Liquid Assets

 

Working with household on liquid assets is about operationalising the above-mentioned definitions.  It is also about using an asset-based approach to poverty reduction by focussing on assets vulnerabilities, capabilities and endowments.  It is further about developing policies (including advice, information, guidance services, etc.) to address the impacts of shocks by focussing on the assets and entitlements of these households.

For example, if liquid asset poverty is high for a particular household making our community, we can work with this household to address this issue so that when a crisis or shock appears this household could be ready to face it.  In this process of working this household, we can as well discuss their reserve target/policy.

The above is the second theme of our FRPHs .

Those households that are struggling to have liquid assets in order to stay resilient, they can work with CENFACS.

For any queries and/or enquiries about the theme of Liquid Assets for Households as well as Financial Resilience Programme for Households (including how to access this programme), please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

Extra Messages

 

• Protection Key Note 4 for Week Beginning 22/04/2024: Consumer Protection

• Supporting Networking and Protection against Poverty in 2024

• All-year Round Projects Cycle (Triple Value Initiatives Cycle) – Step/Workshop 10: Terminating Your Play, Run and Vote Projects

 

 

• Protection Key Note 4 for Week Beginning 22/04/2024: Consumer Protection

 

The last key note of our approach to protection from the perspective of spending/expenses/expenditures is on Consumer Protection.  To compose this note, let us explain consumer protection and how CENFACS can work with its community on this matter.  Since this is the last note, we shall as well deliver our final thought on theme of Spending Protection, theme of the Month of Protection.

 

• • What Is Consumer Protection?

 

To explain it, let us refer to what ‘aseanconsumer.org’ (7) argues about it, which is

“Consumer protection safeguards the well-being and interests of consumers through education, mobilization, and representation.  Consumer protection ensures that consumers make well-informed decision about their choices and have access to effective redress mechanism”.

From the perspective of this note, consumer protection will be approached from the consumer side rather than from what consumer laws tell businesses what are their customer rights.  From our point of view, it means working with the members of our community (here made by consumers) on their consumer protection or rights.

 

• • Working with the CENFACS Community Members on Consumer Protection

 

It is about making sure that consumer protection system designed for them work for them.  It means that they too can play their part in the system.

Therefore, working with them includes:

 

√ ensuring that they are informed about their rights

√ accepting to play the rule of the game as an informed consumer

√ informing them about consumer associations that can help them

√ playing their part in consumer protection system

√ guiding them to areas of consumer policies, laws and regulations so that they do not loose money through their spending because of the lack of protection 

√ explaining them the guarantee that businesses provide regarding the quality of their products and services

√ discussing with them the tools protecting their consumption

√ enhancing their knowledge in the areas of consumer protection

√ securing redress actions with them if required

etc.

 

The above are just some of ways CENFACS could support the community regarding consumer protection.  These support services or products make up our financial guidance service relating to consumer protection.

 

• • Final Thought on Spending Production

 

Dealing with poverty as basic expenditure insufficiency or poverty linked to the lack of spending protection is more than just resolving the problem of transferring consumption or purchasing power to those in need at a particular time of the history.  It is mostly about restoring and sustaining the human right relating to essential spending.  It means removing all the barriers stepping in the way of these people and their future generations so that they can enjoy freedom from poor or the lack of basic consumption.

Those who need help and support about financial guidance on spending protection and/or for any of the matters listed above falling within our capacity or relating to the Protection Month, they can contact CENFACS.

 

 

• Supporting Networking and Protection against Poverty in 2024

 

The Month of Protection within CENFACS is also a giving one towards protection.  It is the month of supporting CENFACS’ Networking and Protection Project.  To support this project, one may need to understand it.

 

• • What Is CENFACS’ Networking and Protection Project?

 

It is a child poverty reduction initiative designed to help and support the vulnerably poor children from HARMS, THREATS and RISKS from any forms of exploitation, neglect and abuse in Africa.  The project helps and supports them through the improvement of the flow of information, knowledge development, self-help activities, the increase and diversification of opportunities and chances together with and on behalf of these children.

One can back this project by Supporting Networking and Protection against Poverty in 2024.

 

• • What Supporting Networking and Protection against Poverty in 2024 Is about

 

It is about the following:

 

√ Improving the flow of information with and amongst the vulnerable people and communities for poverty relief

√ Preventing and responding to any forms of vulnerability threats and risks coming from close and global environments by using protection tools at our disposal

√ Re-empowering the vulnerable by increasing and diversifying opportunities and strengths amongst them.

 

• • What Your Support Can Achieve

 

It will help

 

√ To raise awareness and improve the circulation and dissemination of information for poverty reduction and vulnerability relief

√ To prevent human exploitation (particularly child exploitation) and respond to child protection and safeguarding issues

√ To re-empower and re-strengthen poor people and communities’ capacities and capabilities to protect young generations

√ To widen and diversify opportunities to the vulnerable to escape from poverty

√ To develop a well-informed base to reduce information gap and other types of vulnerabilities linked to the lack of networking, interconnectedness and protection.

 

• • How to Support Networking and Protection against Poverty in 2024

 

You can DONATE, PLEDGE AND MAKE A GIFT AID DECLARATION of any amount as a way of supporting Networking and Protection against Poverty in 2024.

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

You can donate

 

*over phone

*via email

*through text

*by filling the contact form on this site. 

 

On receipt of your intent to donate or donation, CENFACS will contact you.  However, should you wish your support to remain anonymous; we will respect your wish.

 

 

 

• All-year Round Projects Cycle (Triple Value Initiatives Cycle) – Step/Workshop 10: Terminating Your Play, Run and Vote Projects

 

There are various reasons that can lead to project termination.  ‘Taskmanagementguide.com’ (8) states that

“Failure and success are two basic reasons for terminating projects”.

The same ‘taskmanagementguide.com’ explains that success happens when project goals and objectives are accomplished on time and under budget, while failure occurs when project requirements are not met.

The above reasons for project termination can be related to the types of project termination to a certain degree; types which could be termination by addition or by integration or by starvation.  In the end, what is project termination?

 

• • Defining Project Termination

 

There are similarities in the definition of project termination.  To simplify the matter, let us refer to the definition of ‘taskmanagementguide.com’, which is

“Project termination is a situation when a given project is supposed to be closed or finalised because there’s no more need or sense for further continuation”.

Similarly, Project Management Institute (9) argues that

“Projects by definition are time bound, and must terminate”.

However, to effectively finalise a project, one needs to follow project closure procedures.

Let us follow project closure procedures to close out one of our all-year-round projects.

 

• • Example of Terminating Your All-year Round Projects: Case of Play Project

 

Realistically speaking, any of your All-year Round Projects close out just a week before 23/12/2024.  As explained above, there is a procedure for terminating them.  This procedure can be simple or complex depending on project.

Let say, you want to finalise your Play Project.  To do that, we are going to use a 8-step model of terminating a project as provided by ‘taskmanagementguide.com’ (op. cit.)

 

• • • Terminating Your Play All-year Round Project

 

To terminate your Play Project, you need proceed with the following:

 

a) Close any agreements you made with any third parties

(e.g., if you borrow materials from the library to research on poverty reduction performance of African countries, you need to close the given borrowing agreement by returning the materials, which can be a book, video, tape, etc.)

b) Handover responsibilities and accountabilities

(i.e., transfer assignments to your play mates)

c) If you have been playing with friends and family members, you will dismiss them

d) Release the resources used

(e.g., returning books to the lending library)

e) If you open a project book to record your results and accounts, you need to close it

f) Record and report your lessons learnt and experiences

g) Accept or reject your result which in this case should be the best African Country Poverty Reducer of 2024

h) Share your result with the community and CENFACS by 23/12/2024.

 

The above is one of the possible ways of terminating your All-year Round Projects.

For those who would like to dive deeper into Terminating their Play or Run or Vote project, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

 

• Programme de Résilience Financière des Ménages – Gros plan du mercredi 24/04/2024 : Les Liquidités des Ménages

Cette semaine, nous poursuivons nos travaux sur les actifs financiers détenus par les ménages ou sur les ressources économiques dont disposent les ménages pour les aider à rester résilients face aux chocs, comme les crises financières qui affectent les actifs financiers et d’autres valeurs.

Pour débuter ce deuxième thème de notre Programme de Résilience Financière des Ménages (PRFM), qui est les Liquidités des Ménages, nous allons vous expliquer brièvement la signification des Liquidités des Ménages.  Étant donné que l’un des objectifs de ce programme est de contribuer à réduire la pauvreté en liquidités, nous allons élucider ce que cela signifie. Ensuite, nous montrerons comment les liquidités des ménages peuvent contribuer à leur résilience financière, et comment le CENFACS peut travailler avec eux sur les actifs liquides.

• • Qu’est-ce qu’un actif liquide pour les ménages?

Pour comprendre les liquidités des ménages, il faut peut-être d’abord connaître la signification du mot « actif ».

Caroline Moser (3) cite Ford qui affirmait en 2004 que

« Un actif est identifié comme un stock de ressources financières, humaines, naturelles ou sociales qui peuvent être acquises, développées, améliorées et transmises d’une génération à l’autre. Elle génère des flux ou des consommations, ainsi que des stocks supplémentaires ». » (p. 5)

La notion d’actif peut inclure des actifs tangibles et immatériels.  Les actifs peuvent également être ambitieux, psychologiques, productifs, politiques, environnementaux, etc.  Cependant, ce qui nous intéresse, ce sont les actifs liquides.

Les liquidités des ménages sont, selon le « sapling.com (4),

« Leurs liquidités et capitaux propres.  Ces actifs comprennent l’argent que vous avez en main dans le ménage, ainsi que les comptes bancaires, les comptes de retraite, les certificats de dépôt et les obligations d’épargne ou autres obligations que vous possédez.

Les capitaux propres comprennent également la valeur de rachat de toute assurance-vie que vous détenez.

En se concentrant sur les propriétés de conversion et de rapidité de ces actifs, le site Web « embracehomeloans.com » (5) parle de leur facilité de conversion en espèces et de la rapidité avec laquelle ils peuvent être vendus ou échangés sans perte de valeur significative.  Pour ce site, les actifs liquides – qui sont synonymes d’un accès rapide et facile à l’argent liquide – comprennent : les comptes d’épargne, les actions, les obligations et les actions de la société qui peuvent être facilement vendues (liquidé) et converti en espèces, remboursement d’impôt annuel.

La compréhension de ces actifs constitue la base pour faire face à la pauvreté qui y est liée.  En d’autres termes, les ménages qui ne disposent pas de ces actifs peuvent être considérés comme pauvres en liquidités.

• • Qu’est-ce que la pauvreté fondée sur les actifs?

Il existe de nombreuses façons de le définir.  En reprenant la définition donnée par Carlotta Balestra (6),

« Un ménage ou un individu est pauvre en actifs lorsque son patrimoine n’est pas suffisant pour lui assurer un niveau de vie donné pendant une certaine période, généralement courte. »

L’étude menée par Carlotta Balestra sous les auspices de l’Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Economique (OCDE) établit une distinction entre le revenu et le patrimoine, ainsi que la pauvreté fondée sur le patrimoine de la pauvreté liée à la valeur nette.

La définition de la pauvreté fondée sur les actifs et ce qu’elle mesure aideront à étudier la valeur nette des ménages de nos membres, ainsi qu’à déterminer le pourcentage de ces ménages ou personnes de notre communauté qui vivent dans une pauvreté en matière de revenu et/ou d’actifs liquides.

• • Contribution des liquidités à la résilience financière des ménages

Les actifs liquides tels que les liquidités, l’épargne, les dépôts sur les comptes, les fonds du marché monétaire, les obligations d’État, etc. peuvent contribuer à la résilience financière des ménages en cas de crise financière ou de choc des revenus.  Malheureusement, de nombreuses familles ou ménages à faible revenu peuvent ne pas avoir suffisamment d’actifs liquides ou manquer de liquidités pour faire face à ces crises ou à ces chocs.  Pour beaucoup d’entre eux, ce qu’ils gagnent ou reçoivent comme revenu d’une part,  part de l’autre part en tant que dépenses.   Ils se retrouvent sans rien à conserver en tant qu’actifs liquides.

C’est pourquoi il est important de travailler avec eux sur les actifs liquides dans le cadre des PRFM et du Mois de la Protection au sein du CENFACS afin qu’ils puissent comprendre pourquoi il est vital d’avoir des actifs liquides pour leur résilience financière et ce qui peut être fait pour créer des actifs liquides.

• • Travailler avec les ménages sur les actifs liquides

Travailler avec les ménages sur les actifs liquides, c’est opérationnaliser les définitions mentionnées ci-dessus.  Il s’agit également d’utiliser une approche de réduction de la pauvreté fondée sur les actifs, en mettant l’accent sur les vulnérabilités, les capacités et les dotations des actifs.  Il s’agit en outre d’élaborer des politiques (y compris des services des  conseils, de l’information, des orientations, etc.) pour faire face aux impacts des chocs en mettant l’accent sur les actifs et les droits de ces ménages.

Par exemple, si la pauvreté en liquidités est élevée pour un ménage particulier qui fait partie de notre communauté, nous pouvons travailler avec ce ménage pour résoudre ce problème afin qu’en cas de crise ou de choc, ce ménage puisse être prêt à faire face.  Dans ce processus de travail avec ce ménage, nous pouvons également discuter de leur politique de réserve.

Ce qui précède est le deuxième thème de notre PRFM.

Les ménages qui ont du mal à avoir des liquidités pour rester résilients peuvent travailler avec le CENFACS.

Pour toute question et/ou demande de renseignements sur le thème des Liquidités pour les Ménages ainsi que sur le Programme de Résilience Financière pour les Ménages (y compris comment accéder à ce programme), n’hésitez pas à contacter le CENFACS.

 

 

Main Development

 

• FACS Issue No. 83 of Spring 2024 Titled as Charity Trade, Investment and Poverty Reduction in Africa

 

The contents and key summaries of the 83rd Issue of FACS are given below.

 

• • Contents and Pages

 

I. Key Terms Relating to the 83rd Issue of FACS (Page 2)

II. Members of CENFACS Who May Be Interested in the News about Charity Trade and Investment (Page 2)

III. Relationship between Charity Trade and Poverty Reduction, between Charity Investment and Poverty Reduction (Page 3)

IV. Relationship between Trade and Conflict Reduction (Page 3)

V. Tackling Skills Gap in Trade in Africa (Page 4)

VI. Informal Sector Trade Skills Development in Africa (Page 4)

VII. Protection et aide à la prise en compte de la dimension de genre du commerce effectué par les commerçantes pauvres en Afrique (Page 5)

VIII. L’entrepreneuriat féminin et la réduction de la pauvreté intergénérationnelle en Afrique (Page 5)

IX. Les petites et moyennes activités des femmes pour sortir de la pauvreté (Page 6)

X. Les femmes aident les organisations sœurs de la CENFACS basées en Afrique par le biais de micro-activités commerciales (Page 6)

XI. Survey, Testing Hypotheses, E-questionnaire and E-discussion on Charity Trade and Investment (Page 7)

XII. Support, Tool and Metrics, Information and Guidance on Trade and Investment (Page 8)

XIII. Workshop, Focus Group and Booster Activity about Charity Trading, Investment and Poverty Reduction  (Page 9)

XIV. Giving and Project (Page 10)

 

• • Key Summaries

 

Please find below the key summaries of the 83rd Issue of FACS from page 2 to page 10.

 

• • • Key Terms Relating to the 83rd Issue of FACS (Page 2)

 

There are three terms used in the context of this Issue of FACS.  These terms are charity trading, charity investment and poverty reduction.  Let us briefly explain these key terms.

 

• • • • Charity Trading

 

To explain this term, we are referring to what the Scottish Charity Regular says about trading.  According the Scottish Charity Regular (10),

“Trading usually involves the sale of goods or services for the purpose of making a profit.  Trading can be carried out directly by the charity, if it has the power in its governing document.  In some cases, it is advisable that any trading is carried out by a trading subsidiary”.

From the point of view of the same Scottish Charity Regular, trading can be primary or ancillary or non-primary.  Primary purpose trading helps advance the charity’s purpose (e.g., providing residential accommodation in return for fees).  Ancillary purpose trading compliments charitable purposes (e.g., sale of drinks and foods at charity events).  Non-primary purpose trading provides an income to support charitable activity (e.g., selling calendars to raise funds for the charity).

So, by following charity trading regulatory rules, trading is possible for charities.  Charity trade can help to back charities’ mission and charity objects like the reduction of poverty.  For example, according to ‘charityretail.org.uk’ (11),

“Profit contribution of charity retail to parent charities was £387 million between 2022 and 2023.  Social value generated by UK charity shops was £75.3 billion between January and December 2022”.

 

• • • • Charity Investment

 

Again, according to the Scottish Charity Regular (12),

“An investment is intended to generate a return – to give something back to the person or organisation that owns it.  In a charity context, investments are charity assets used to help the charity deliver its charitable purposes”.

Investments can bring the following: financial return (income), capital growth, social or environmental return, and so on.  It is not a surprise if Charities Aid Foundation (13) argues that

“Investing can make the most of your long-term funds and protect your charity’s money against the impact of inflation.  Investments may generate better returns than holding cash in the bank, so there is potential to grow your money and expand in the future”.

As the ‘charityintelligence.co.uk’ (14) explains in its ‘The Charity Intelligence Investment Fund Quarterly Review’, charities can have capital return and earn income from their investment in terms of mixed assets funds, UK equity funds, global equity funds, fixed interest funds, property and cash funds.

Briefly speaking, charities can trade and invest under charity laws, which need to be followed and complied with.  In other words, a charity that would like to trade and/or invest needs to first check what the charity laws say in its area of operation.

 

• • • • Poverty Reduction

 

To understand poverty reduction, there could be a need to know poverty.  John Scott and Gordon Marshall (15) sociologically explain that

“Poverty is a state in which resources, usually material but sometimes cultural, are lacking” (p. 588).

Poverty reduction is thus any measure or effort to decrease this state in which resources are lacking.

Looking at poverty reduction from the monetary perspective, Y. A. Bununu (16) thinks that

“Poverty reduction can be considered as the improvement of an individual’s or group’s monetary expenditure to an amount above the poverty line while improving access to education, healthcare, information, economic opportunities, security of land-tenure, all the other deprivations associated with it”.

Taking a historical and intertemporal view of poverty reduction, the website ‘borgenproject.org’ (17) argues that poverty reduction is evolving concept.  It evolves from a simple to complex concept throughout the time to mean the following:

σ financial contributions to governments of poverty-stricken nations

σ achieving the goal of lifting as many people above the poverty line as possible

σ the extended relief programmes and education programmes focusing on sustainability in target communities.

The goalposts of poverty reduction keep moving depending on the types of hardship people face at a particular time of the history.

The above-named definitions shape the contents of the 83rd Issue of FACS.  They also provide some indication about the types of audiences the contents of this Issue may be interested in.

 

• • • Members of CENFACS Who May Be Interested in the News about Charity Trade and Investment (Page 2)

 

Among the people with whom CENFACS work and who may be interested in charity trading and/or investing in our noble and beautiful cause of reducing poverty include the following:

 

√ Those who would like to feed their families through trade

√ Those wanting to make ends meet or reduce poverty via trade

√ Those who would like to raise funds for CENFACS‘ noble and beautiful cause via trading

√ Africa-based Sister Organisations engaged in or planning to trade and invest to help reduce poverty in Africa

√ Those seeking trade skills to reduce poverty

√ Those who see trade as a potential way of reducing conflicts that adversely affect poor people

√ Investment and fund managers of Africa’s charities

√ Those planning to impact invest in the poor people’s idea to trade

√ Those aiming at tackling skills gap in trade for good causes

√ Those looking to reduce gender gaps in trade and investment

√ Project beneficiaries engaged or planning to trade for CENFACS‘ noble and beautiful cause of poverty reduction

Etc.

 

All the above-mentioned persons (physical or moral) can find some interesting information in the 83rd Issue regarding their trading and investment plans or projects.  They may also want to know if there is any relationship between charity and poverty reduction, between charity investment and poverty reduction.

 

 

• • • Relationship between Charity Trade and Poverty Reduction, between Charity Investment and Poverty Reduction (Page 3)

 

The findings from many studies conducted on these relationship issues tend to suggest that there could be a link between charity trade and poverty reduction, an association between charity investment and poverty reduction.

For example, the World Economic Forum (18) argues that

“Open trade is particularly beneficial to the poor, because it reduces the cost of what they buy and raises the price of what they sell”.

This can be true for charity trade as well.

Equally, the British International Investment (19), which provides some studies on the relationship between investment and the rate of poverty reduction, states that

“Higher rates of private investment are associated with faster poverty reduction”.

Private investment in charities can have similar effects.

However, to prove that there is a positive relationship between charity trade and poverty reduction, or charity investment and poverty reduction, one may need to statistically conduct a correlation test with data in hands.  Statements are not enough to prove this sort of relationships.

 

• • • Relationship between Trade and Conflict Reduction (Page 3)

 

Trade can help to reduce conflicts between people, between neighbours. 

For example, if young unemployed people learn to trade and engage in trade, there could be chance that they would not be recruited into armed movements (like what is happening in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and criminal gangs or being candidates for illicit activities such as natural resources trafficking which could exacerbate poverty where these resources are illicitly taken.

In this respect, trade can help reduce the possibility of conflicts and wars in Africa, which can decrease the probability of increased poverty.  Again, one needs statistical evidence with data to back whatever they are saying.

 

• • • Tackling Skills Gap in Trade in Africa (Page 4)

 

Many poor beneficiaries can succeed or manage to set up income-generating activity to feed their nuclear family and the rest of their extended family.  However, there is still a challenge as many of them lack certain critical skills to scape up their trade to deliver poverty reduction on a large scale.  Many of them fail to develop scalable economies in their trading models.

Special attention can be paid to both soft and hard skills like marketing, communication, digital skills, etc. to tackle skills gap in trade in Africa.  Tackling them can help enhance poverty reduction in Africa.  There is a number of skills that poor traders need in order to improve their trading capacity and capability.  Amongst these skills are the ones we have just mentioned above plus the following ones: analytical, market research, marketing, focus, record keeping, communication skills, etc.

 

• • • Informal Sector Trade Skills Development in Africa (Page 4)

 

In 2014, ‘adeanet.org’ (20) found that

“In Africa, the majority of workers in micro and small enterprises learn their trade on the job in the informal sector rather than in the formal technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector”.

Yet, providing the entire spectrum of skills training in the form technical and vocational skills development for sustainable trade profession to those engaged in trade can increase and improve the way they trade.

Although, what ‘adeanet.org’ found was 10 years ago, it is still happening today in Africa.  Knowing the large size of the informal sector in Africa, there is a great need to train these workers who would like to engage in trade if one wants to further reduce poverty in Africa.

 

• • • Protection et aide à la prise en compte de la dimension de genre du commerce effectué par les commerçantes pauvres en Afrique (Page 5)

 

Dans les zones d’opération de nos organisations sœurs basées en Afrique, on remarque qu’il y a beaucoup de femmes qui font du commerce pour joindre les deux bouts.  Mais, elles rencontrent de nombreux défis et problèmes.  Bien qu’il soit difficile de saisir l’ampleur des flux de commerce informel (à la fois intrafrontalier et transfrontalier), il est possible de protéger et d’aider ces femmes.  Pour les protéger et les aider, il peut s’agir de:

√ Les aider à participer efficacement aux négociations commerciales

√  Leur donner les moyens d’analyser les questions liées au commerce (comme les programmes de financement pour passer à l’échelle)

√  Les accompagner dans la diversification de leur modèle commercial

√  Éliminer les obstacles qui empêchent les femmes de participer au commerce

√  Améliorer leur capacité à commercer

√  Lutter contre la violence fondée sur le genre dans le commerce

√  Leur fournir une infrastructure pour qu’ils puissent commercer comme des étals sur une place de marché

√  Mettre fin à toute forme de harcèlement, y compris de la part des agents du fisc ou des policiers.

√  Améliorer brièvement les conditions et le statut de ces femmes commerçantes.

Ce qui précède n’est que quelques exemples de moyens de protéger et d’aider ces femmes à s’engager dans le commerce. et si l’on veut prendre en compte de la dimension de genre du commerce effectué par les commerçantes pauvres.

 

• • • L’entrepreneuriat féminin et la réduction de la pauvreté intergénérationnelle en Afrique (Page 5)

 

L’entreprenariat féminin en Afrique est souhaité et désiré par les femmes elles-mêmes.  Il est également soutenu par ONU Femmes (21) à travers ses activités de réforme et de diffusion des lois qui sont bénéfiques pour l’entrepreneuriat féminin.  Cela est particulièrement vrai pour les femmes issues de milieux pauvres qui s’engagent dans des activités génératrices de revenus pour subvenir aux besoins de leur famille.

Ces opérations et activités leur permettront de sortir du secteur informel et de la pauvreté.  Cela profitera non seulement à ces femmes, mais aussi à leurs familles et à leur progéniture.  Cette sortie peut également avoir des effets bénéfiques en termes de réduction de la pauvreté intergénérationnelle.

Car l’histoire regorge d’exemples où le commerce passe des parents à leurs enfants et petits-enfants.  Si le transfert est bien assuré et réussi, il peut éviter une histoire de pauvreté intergénérationnelle.

 

• • • Les petites et moyennes activités des femmes pour sortir de la pauvreté (Page 6)

 

Ces activités comprennent les activités maraîchères itinérantes, la vente de pain, la gestion de petits commerces ou de petits dépôts, la vente de braises, la vente de poissons et de produits alimentaires, etc.  Ces activités se trouvent dans la plupart des endroits où nos organisations sœurs basées en Afrique opèrent.  Ces activités ont un impact sur la pauvreté.

Ces activités contribuent à assurer leur vie existentielle et sociale.  Elles aident d’une manière ou d’une autre à autonomiser ces femmes et à les libérer de la pauvreté.  Cependant, ces femmes, marchandes et commerçantes entreprenantes ont besoin d’être guidées et soutenues.

Il y a des organisations africaines de soutien au commerce qui peuvent leur apporter secours dans plusieurs matières (telles que le développement des produits and des parts de marché, le renforcenent des capacités à faire du commerce, etc.).  Parmi ces organisations, on peut citer les suivantes:

∝ Africa Trade Foundation (https://www.africatradefoundation.org)

∝ Africa Trade Fund (https://www.africatradefund.org)

∝ African Trade Policy Centre (https://www.uneca.org/african-trade-policy-centre)

Etc.

 

• • • Les femmes aident les organisations sœurs de la CENFACS basées en Afrique par le biais de micro-activités commerciales (Page 6)

 

Il y a un certain nombre de nos organisations sœurs basées en Afrique qui ont été aidées par des femmes locales et des bénéficiaires de projets dans de nombreux domaines tels que le volontariat, le commerce, la collecte de fonds, etc.

En nous concentrant sur le commerce, partageons ceci.  Selon les zones où les organisations sœurs basées en Afrique opèrent, certaines de ces organisations sont engagées dans la fourniture de biens et de services.  Il y en a qui le font avec l’aide de sympathisants locaux.  Parmi ces habitants, il y a des femmes qui aident à vendre, par exemple, des biens (tels que les savons, les aliments et les vêtements faits à la maison) fabriqués par elles-mêmes afin de collecter des fonds localement pour soutenir leur cause.

Ces activités commerciales apportent une certaine contribution aux organisations caritatives pour répondre aux besoins locaux tels que la santé, l’éducation, le développement local et d’autres besoins locaux.  Ces activtités leur permettront de sortir de la pauvreté.

 

 

• • •  Survey, Testing Hypotheses, E-questionnaire and E-discussion on Charity Trade and Investment (Page 7)

 

• • • • Survey on charity trade

 

Trading can provide to charities extra income to achieve their mission.

The purpose of this survey is to collect information from a sample of our users and community members regarding their perception of charity trading.

Participation to this survey is voluntary.

As part of the survey, we are running a questionnaire which contains some questions.  One of these questions is:

 

Q: Charity trading can contribute more to the relief of poverty than charity donation?

 

You can respond and directly send your answer to CENFACS.

 

 

• • • • Testing hypotheses about charity investments to poverty reduction

 

According to the Scottish Charity Regular (op. cit.),

“Charity’s investments can involve a range of assets, such as a building from which you receive rental income, cash placed on deposit which generated interest, a portfolio of stocks, shares and other assets, or a right to income from other asset, for example royalty income arising from owning the copyright to a book”.

Considering this spectrum of investments, one can conduct the following test:

 

∝ Null Hypothesis (Ho): There is a correlation between charity’s return on investments and its contribution to its cause.

∝ Alternative Hypothesis (H1): There is not a correlation between charity’s return on investments and its contribution to its cause.

 

The above test is for those of our members who would like to dive deep into charity’s investments and their impact on its cause.  In order to conduct these tests, one needs data on charity’s return on investments and to know the charity cause they are talking about.

 

• • • • E-question on your view about charity trading

 

Any of our readers and users can answer the following question:

 

Q: Is trading the right option for charities since trading involves the sale of goods and services for the purpose of making profit?

 

You can provide your answer directly to CENFACS.

For those answering any of this question and needing first to discuss charity trading, they can contact CENFACS.

 

• • • • E-discussion on resilience via trading and/or investment

 

Many of our members have their own view about what helps to stay resilient against global shocks.  Some think that trading can help.  Others do not agree as they believe that trading could be itself a transmission channel of global shocks, which impacts the people in need.  Others more argue that diversifying your risk through a good investment policy on your assets will shield you from global shocks.

For those who may have any views or thoughts or even experience to share with regard to this matter, they can join our e-discussion to exchange their views or thoughts or experience with others.

To e-discuss with us and others, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

• • • Support, Tool and Metrics, Information and Guidance on Trade and Investment (Page 8)

 

• • • • Ask CENFACS for Guidance regarding the reduction of poverty via trade and investment

 

Trade and investment can be a means to reduce and possibly end poverty.

For those members of our community who would like find out how trading and investing can help them to reduce or come out of poverty, they can contact CENFACS.

CENFACS can work with them to explore ways of trading and investing.

We can work with them under our Advice-, Guidance- and Information-giving Service.  We can as well signpost them to organisations working on trading and investing issues.

If you are a member of our community, you can ask us for guidance on trading and investing to reduce poverty.

 

• • • • Tools and metrics of the 83rd Issue of FACS

 

The 83rd Issue of FACS is concerned with four types of tools or metrics which are: return on investment, surplus margin, earned income and poverty gap ratio.

Let us briefly explain these tools or metrics.

 

 

• • • • • Investment tool and metrics: Return on Investment

 

The 83rd Issue utilises as tool Return on Investment. This return on investment (ROI) does not necessarily to be financial (income).  It can be capital growth, social or environmental return, happiness and so on.

If one chooses financial ROI, then they need to explain what it means and how to measure it.  Definitions of ROI tend to overlap.

For example, ‘corporatefinanceinstitute.com’ (22) defines ROI as

“A performance measure used to evaluate the returns of an investment or to compare the relative efficiency of different investments”.

Another definition comes from ‘forbes.com’ (23) that states

“ROI is a metric used to understand the profitability of an investment”.

There is also online ROI calculator for those who will be interested in it.

Because charities exist to delivery public benefit not profit, the 83rd Issue is also interested in non-financial ROI. Furthermore, the 83rd Issue considers the impact of your investments on poverty reduction.  In other words, it deals with impact investing.

 

• • • • • Surplus margin

 

The second metrics that the 83rd Issue uses is Surplus Margin.  What is it?

It is the following measure:

 

(Net income/Total income) x 100

 

The website ‘cranfieldtrust.org’ (24) explains that

“Generating a surplus allows a charity to invest in the improvement/expansion of charitable activities.  If the surplus marginal overall is positive, you have made a surplus and your reserves will be boosted”.

For example, this measure can be used to find out the surplus margin of African charitable trade organisations investors and their investment portfolios.

Additionally, one could consider the number of charitable trade organisations that are investors and the types of their investments. Do they invest in mixed assets funds or national equity funds or global equity funds or fixed interest funds or property and cash funds or green bonds?  What do their investment portfolios look like?  Do they achieve a surplus margin? What is the profile of their margins?

 

• • • • • Earned to unearned income ratio

 

The 83rd Issue also employs the ratio of earned to unearned income.  This ratio can be written as follows:

 

Earned Income / Unearned Income

 

The website ‘cranfieldtrust.org’ (op. cit.) argues that

“The ratio of earned to unearned income helps to show that the charity has developed diversified income as it has evolved.  It is useful for donors and funders”.

For example, our ASOs that would like to trade can utilise this ratio to compare income earn from trading to incomes from unearned sources.

 

• • • • • Poverty gap ratio

 

This is an interesting metrics of poverty as it measures the intensity of poverty.

The online ‘marketbusinessnews.com’ (25) explains that

“The poverty gap ratio or poverty gap index is the average of the ratio of the poverty gap to the poverty line.  Economists and statisticians express it as a percentage of the poverty line for a region or whole country…The poverty gap ratio considers how far, on the average, poor people are from poverty line”.

The above tools and metrics can be used in dealing with charity trading, investment and poverty reduction in Africa.  For example, one can use the poverty gap ratio to measure the average shortfall of the income of the poor women traders in Africa from the poverty line.

 

 

• • • • Information and guidance on charity trading, investment and poverty reduction

 

Information and Guidance include two types areas of support via CENFACS, which are:

a) Information and guidance on charity trading and poverty reduction

b) Signposts to improve Users’ Experience about impact investing and poverty reduction.

 

• • • • • Information and guidance on charity trading and poverty reduction

 

Those Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) that are looking for information and guidance on charity trading and that do not know what to do, CENFACS can work with them (via needs assessment conducted under CENFACS’ International Advice Service) or provide them with leads about other organisations, institutions and services that can help them.

 

• • • • • Signposts to improve Users’ Experience about impact investing and poverty reduction

 

For those who are looking for whereabout to find help about impact investing queries, we can direct them to the relevant services and organisations.

More tips and hints relating to the matter can be obtained from CENFACS‘ Advice-giving Service and Sessions.

Additionally, you can request from CENFACS a list of organisations and services providing help and support in the area of charity trading and investment, although the Issue 83 does not list them.  Before making any request, one needs to specify the kind of organisations they are looking for.

To make your request, just contact CENFACS with your name and contact details.

 

 

• • • Workshop, Focus Group and Booster Activity about Charity Trading, Investment and Poverty Reduction  (Page 9)

 

 

• • • • Mini themed workshop on trade skills to reduce poverty 

 

Boost your knowledge and skills about the reduction of poverty via trade skills with CENFACS.

The workshop aims at supporting those without or with less information and knowledge about trade skills and knowledge while improving the quality of their lives.  The workshop will provide recommendations for actions with options and opportunities for the participants.

To enquire about the boost, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

• • • • Focus group on impact investing

 

The focus group will deal with how to invest not only to realise a good return on your investment, but also to create a lasting impact.  Impact investing will be approached from the perspective of win-win.

To take part in the focus group, group that will use deliberative practice strategies, please contact CENFACS.

 

• • • • Spring activity: Becoming Charity Impact Investors

 

This user involvement activity revolves around the answers to the following question:

Q: What steps do you need to take to become a charity impact investor? 

Those who would like to answer these questions and participate to our Becoming Charity-Impact-Investors Activity, they are welcome.

To take part in this activity, please contact CENFACS.

 

• • • Giving and Project (Page 10)

 

• • • • Readers’ giving

 

You can support FACS, CENFACS bilingual newsletter, which explains what is happening within and around CENFACS.

FACS also provides a wealth of information, tips, tricks and hacks on how to reduce poverty and enhance sustainable development.

You can help to continue its publication and to reward efforts made in producing it.

To support, just contact CENFACS on this site.

 

• • • • Basic Trade Skills Development (deBASICTS) Project

 

deBASICTS is an initiative that helps to reduce poverty by providing new skills or reskilling or skilling up those who are looking forward to trade to make ends meet or to improve their enterprising model in the African context.

deBASICTS will be achieved through the development of trade capacity and capability to trade and reduce poverty.  As it stands, the project is not only about developing trade skills, but also reducing poverty through the skills acquired or at least putting project beneficiaries in the right direction to reduce poverty.

To support or contribute to deBASICTS, please contact CENFACS.

For further details including the implementation plan of the deBASICTS, please contact CENFACS.

The full copy of the 83rd Issue of FACS is available on request.

For any queries and comments about this Issue, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

_________

 

• References

 

(1) https://tradecouncil.org/exploring-the-relationship-between-international-trade-and-poverty-reduction/# (accessed in April 2024)

(2) https://reliefweb.int/report/burundi/burundi-floods-and-landslides-dref-operation-ndeg-mdrbio20-update (accessed in April 2024)

(3) Moser, C. O. N. (2006), Asset-based Approaches to Poverty Reduction in a Globalized Context: An introduction to asset accumulation policy and summary of workshop findings, The Brookings Institutions, Global Economy and Development Working Paper#01, Washington, DC, doi: 10.2139/ssrn. 1011176 (accessed in April 2024)

(4) https://www.sapling.com/7817240/household-assets (accessed in April 2024)

(5) https://blog.embracehomeloans.com/liquid-assets-vs-fixed-assets-understand-the-differences/ (accessed in April 2024)

(6) Balestra, C. (2018), OECD Statistics and Data Directorate, Social Situation Monitor Research Seminar, Brussels, March 2018

(7) https://www.aseanconsumer.org/cterms-consumer-protection (accessed in April 2024)

(8) www.taskmanagementguide.com/glossary/what-is-project-termination-.php (Accessed in April 2023)

(9) https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/project-termination-delay-1931 (Accessed in April 2023 )

(10) https://www.oscr.org.uk/guidance-and-forms/charities-and-trading-guide/1-types-of-charity/# (accessed in April 2024)

(11)  https://www.charityretail.org.uk/key-statistics/ (accessed in March 2024)

(12) https://www.oscr.org.uk/guidance-and-forms/charity-investments-guidance-and-good-practice/2-what-is-an-investment/# (accessed in April 2024)

(13) https://www.cafonline.org/charities/investment/getting-started-with-charity-investment (accessed in April 2024)

(14) https://www.charityintelligence.co.uk/media/139/2023-06-charity-intelligence-investment-performance-fund-quarterly-reviewpdf (accessed in April 2023)

(15) Scott, J. & Marshall, G. (2009), Oxford Dictionary of Sociology, Oxford University Press, Oxford  New York

(16) Bununu, Y. A. (2020). Poverty Reduction: Concept, Approaches, and Case Studies. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A., Brandli, L., Özuyar, P., Wall, T. (eds) Decent Work and Economic Growth. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer. Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71058-7_31-1 (accessed in April 2024)

(17) https://borgenproject.org/what-is-poverty-reduction/ (accessed in April 2024)

(18) https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/03/poverty-reduction-rests-on-trade (accessed in April 2024)

(19) https://www.bii.co.uk/en/news-insight/insight/articles/whats-the-expected-impact-of-investment-on-poverty-reduction (accessed in April 2024),

(20) https://www.adeanet.org/en/blogs/skilling-africa-the-paradigm-shift-to-technical-and-vocational-skills-development (accessed in April 2024)

(21) https://www.unwomen.org/fr/about-un-women (accessed in April 2024)

(22) https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/accouting/what-is-return-on-investment-roi/ (accessed in April 2024)

(23) https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/roi-on-investment/ (accessed in April 2024)

(24) https://www.cranfieldtrust.org/articles/top-10-financial-ratios-forcharities (accessed in April 2024)

(25) https://marketbusinessnews.com/information-on-credit/gap-ratio–definition-meaning (accessed in August 2023)

_________

 

• Help CENFACS Keep the Poverty Relief Work Going this Year

 

We do our work on a very small budget and on a voluntary basis.  Making a donation will show us you value our work and support CENFACS’ work, which is currently offered as a free service.

One could also consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the future.

Additionally, we would like to inform you that planned gifting is always an option for giving at CENFACS.  Likewise, CENFACS accepts matching gifts from companies running a gift-matching programme.

Donate to support CENFACS!

FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ NOBLE AND BEAUTIFUL CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.

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

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

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

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2024 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

17 April  2024

 

Post No. 348

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• Coming Next Week’s Saturday 27/04/2024: The 14th Edition of CENFACS Reflection Day with a Focus on Protection and Security of Women and Children against Societal Polarization

• Protection Key Note 3 for Week Beginning 15/04/2024: Spending Protection Provided by Organisations/Institutions Working on Protection

• Protection of Endangered Birds in Africa: The Case of Birds of Prey

 

… And much more!

 

Key Messages

 

• Coming Next Week’s Saturday 27/04/2024: The 14th Edition of CENFACS Reflection Day with a Focus on Protection and Security of Women and Children against Societal Polarization

 

On our Reflection Day, we will reflect on ways of tackling societal polarization.  Perhaps the starting point of the 14th Edition of CENFACS Reflection Day is to understand polarization.

 

• • What Is Polarization?

 

Let us refer to the definition provided by the Oxford Dictionary of Sociology (1) which explains that

“Polarization is the tendency towards concentration at two opposing extremes… The term polarization, however, strictly refers to the segregation and opposition of two unequal groups at opposite ends of a distribution of resources”. (p. 570)

Polarization viewed in this way tend to be associated with Marxist approach.  However, polarization can be political, economic, financial, social, etc.  Jennifer McCoy (2) finds that polarization rewards extreme positions and weakens centrist moderates, while affecting individual perceptions and is hard to reverse once in place.

From the above-mentioned understanding of polarization, what we are interested in is societal polarization.

 

• • What Is Societal Polarization?

 

According to the World Economic Forum (3),

“Societal polarization is ideological and cultural divisions within and across communities leading to declining social stability, gridlocks in decision-making, economic disruption, and increased political polarization” (p. 97)

The same World Economic Forum tells us societal polarization is the third-most severe risk over the short term and consistent concern amongst the groups it surveyed.  It is this risk that we would like to reflect upon on our Reflection Day.

 

• • What Our Reflection Will Be about

 

Our Reflection Day will try to look at ways of protecting and give sense of security to women and children from this third-most severe risk – societal polarization.  In particular, we shall reflect on ways of tackling polarization as suggested by the United Nations Development Programme (4); ways which are:

 

σ acting on people’s misperceptions about issues [of women and children] and about the groups that they do not affiliate with

σ enhancing cross-cutting social ties that transcend group divisions (or creating space to bridge divides)

σ addressing perceptions of insecurity.

 

Additionally, we shall reflect on rebuilding trust and a sense of shared values out of the context of polarizing rhetoric on our network and systems of protection and poverty reduction in the process of building forward better together greener, cleaner, inclusive, safer and climate-resilient future.  In doing so, we hope we can help reduce poverty linked to societal polarization.

More on the Reflection Day can be found under the Main Development section of this post.

 

• Protection Key Note 3 for Week Beginning 15/04/2024: Spending Protection Provided by Organisations/Institutions Working on Protection

 

This week, we are continuing to approach protection from the perspective of spending/expenses/expenditures.  From this point of view, we are currently dealing with organisations or institutions that help or can help the people in need to spend and/or consume in order to meet their basic life-sustaining needs.

We started the process of looking at these organisations and institutions last week when we spoke about spending protection needs of the people in need by others.  By others, we simply meant public and private bodies which help people in need through consumption transfers.  Amongst these organisations are the state/government, non-governmental organisations, charities, churches, businesses having charitable harms, etc.  Let us briefly highlight the kinds of spending protection provided by these organisations or institutions, and how the people in need cover they spending through them..

 

• • Spending Protection Provided by the State/Government as a Way of Meeting Basic Spending Needs

 

The State or Government can have social contract with poor people, particularly low-income families surviving at unacceptable levels of poverty.  For example, in the UK it was estimated in 2023 (5) that £6,000 a year was the annual cost of reducing poverty; that is the state of people struggling to buy sufficient food, energy and clothes, pay rent and every day bills.

As Human Rights Watch (6) explains,

“Governments around the world carry an immense responsibility to support people and help them reach an adequate standard of living”.

Governments do it by investing in resources and programmes to ensure that all people have access to what they need, in particular basic needs.  They ensure that everyone has adequate support to access food, housing, water, education and other essentials for a decent life like affordable internet access.

Briefly, government can provide spending protection via social safety nets, social security and social protection.

 

• • Spending Protection Given by Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs)

 

NGOs – whether they are international or business-friendly or religious or government-organised or civil society organisations) – protect the humanitarian right relating to spending for basic needs.

To further explains what NGOs in this area of protection, ‘ngofeed.com’ (7) states that

“NGOs directly support those in need by providing aid.  In destitute areas and combat zones where governments won’t aid, they open schools and clinics.  After natural disasters, NGOs provide food, shelter, and medical aid”.

The above explanation is one of the million ones on how NGOs (like Save the Children, Oxfam, ICRC, UNHCR, UNICEF, World Food Programme, etc.) supports people in need of covering their basic life-sustaining spending needs.

 

• • Spending Protection Covered by Charities

 

It is known that from the safeguarding duties for charities (8),

“Protecting people and safeguarding responsibilities should be a governance priority for all charities.  It is a fundamental part of operating as a charity for the public benefits”.

However, beyond and besides this level of protection, many charities provide invaluable services to support those who are unable to meet the level of spending they need to cover their basic life-sustaining needs.  These deserving services include practical protection, essential healthcare, food banks, shelter, education, support to refugees and asylum seekers, etc.

 

• • Spending Protection Offered by Businesses

 

Businesses play an important role in wealth creation and in protection through employers’ insurance, which they can offer to their employees.  They can as well make a difference by helping in the community.  How can/do they make this difference?

They can achieve a world of difference by undertaking the following:

 

σ Ensuring that what they pay to their employees is enough to cover basic spending needs or the essentials needed for survival like food, clean drinking water, clothing, rent, personal care, etc.

σ Supporting their employees through financial literacy, access to financial services to cover their basic spending needs

σ Dedicating their manufacture surplus or extra production to support local causes linked to spending protection

Etc.

 

People in need of spending protection can have their basic needs cover or consumption transfers via the above-named organisations or institutions.  The people in need can, not only have their spending covered, but also have their social status and rights enhanced while reducing their economic and social vulnerability.

The members of CENFACS Community, who are in need and who are interested in organisations and institutions that work on spending protection, but do not know what to do, can approach CENFACS to guide them.

 

• • CENFACS’ Guidance on Organisations/Institutions of Spending Protection

 

There is a number of ways that CENFACS can work with the members of its community to enhance their spending protection by accessing or improving the way they are trying to access spending protection run by organisations/institutions of protection.  Amongst these ways of working with the members of our community to enhance their protection include financial guidance.

Under this provision of financial guidance, we can support our members in the following ways:

 

σ Inform them about the various options available to them regarding spending protection agencies

σ Signpost them for support to organisations dealing with spending protection

σ Refer them to voluntary organisations dealing with spending protection matters.

 

The above are just some of ways CENFACS could support the community regarding spending protection benefit run by organisations/institutions of protection.  These support services or products make up our financial guidance service relating to spending protection run by organisations/institutions of protection.

Those who need help and support about financial guidance on spending protection and/or for any of the matters listed above falling within our capacity, they can contact CENFACS.

 

 

• Protection of Endangered Birds in Africa: The Case of Birds of Prey

 

This month, we are as well campaigning for the protection of endangered birds in Africa.  We are doing it since recent studies have indicated that the birds of prey in Africa are in decline.

 

• • What Has Been Recently Revealed about the Birds of Prey

 

According to the study produced by Nature Ecology and Evolution, study quoted by ‘weforum.org’ (9) reveals that

“Vultures, eagles, buzzards and kestrels are among the raptors identified as facing an extinction crisis on the African continent”.

They are in decline because of habitat loss and other factors.  More explanations about this decline have been publicised by many online birding sites or organisations like ‘peregrinefund.org’ (10) and ‘birdwatchinghq.com’ (11).

Our work on the Protection of Endangered Birds in Africa is part of our project known as “Mbulu” (12).

 

• • Protection of Endangered Birds in Africa as Part of “Mbulu” Project

 

“Mbulu” stands for Mobilising for Birds’ Useful Life for Us.  “Mbulu” Project is one of the groupings of projects making our “A la une” (Autumn Leaves of Action for Upkeep of the Nature in Existence) Campaign.

“Mbulu” is a SMART (that is, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) goal within “A la une” Campaign or a result that we are attempting to achieve.

“Mbulu” as a SMART goal helps…

 

√ Increase awareness within our community and the rest of the community about endangered bird species 

√ Get improved conversions in terms of new sustainable initiatives

√ Attract support to our noble and beautiful cause of reducing poverty by developing sustainable initiatives.

 

Birds of Prey are part of “Mbulu” Project.

Those members of our community who are interested in advocating with us for the protection of Birds of Prey in Africa, they are welcome to get involved in this advocacy drive.

Those African organisations working on bird matter and have the same concern like ours, they can share with us their experience and work on this matter of protecting the Birds of Prey in Africa.

To get involved or share your work about the protection of Birds of Prey in Africa, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• Financial Resilience Programme for Households

• All-year Round Projects Cycle (Triple Value Initiatives Cycle) – Step/Workshop 9: Reviewing Your Play, Run and Vote Projects

• Triple Value Initiatives (TVIs)/All-year Round Projects (AYRPs) Journaling Activity: Write a Journal of Your TVI/AYRP Cycle

 

 

• Financial Resilience Programme for Households

 

As part of continuously empowering households, particularly those making our community, we are running a new programme – Financial Resilience Programme for Households (FRPHs).  Although FRPHs is called programme, it is part of Financial Controls Project.

To understand FRPHs, let us first explain what is financial resilience.

In recent years, many households including those making the CENFACS Community have faced and dealt with various crises and shocks (like the coronavirus shock, the cost-of-living crisis, climate crisis, etc.).  Many of these crises and shocks have affected their finances while leading to income shock.  To handle this sort of shocks and their impacts, it requires some form of resilience, particularly but not exclusively financial resilience.  What is financial resilience?

 

• • Basic Understanding of Financial Resilience

 

According to ‘community.thriveglobal.com’ (13),

“Financial resilience is the ability to bounce back from life-altering setbacks that impact our personal finances (including investments, income and assets), such as the death of a spouse or loved one, divorce, disability, health issues, unemployment as well as events such as economic fallout from a pandemic, a national disaster or economic recession.  It is how well we can absorb, respond to and adjust to a financial shock”.

Households that are experiencing the impacts of the issues or episodic shocks mentioned in the above definition may need financial resilience and resourcefulness.  To support these households, we have put together this new programme – FRPHs.

 

• • What is FRPHs?

 

FRPHs is about working with households that are the victims of episodic financial shocks so that they can build their financial ecosystems, develop the tools and strategies to recover from financial setbacks they have experienced.

The programme will help them, especially those households transitioning in their budgets after being impacted by the above-mentioned shocks, to develop a financial policy to protect them from income shock and a savings policy to maintain and improve their current living standards.

The programme will assist them in keeping the cost of running their households low while generating high impact for their financial wellbeing.  It will align their finances with their strategic operational decisions and financial diversification.  In doing so, it will provide them security and peace of mind where they are in terms of their finances and forecast where they want to go in a sustainable way without being affected by the same events again.

To work with them, we have organised our work around four themes which will be developed every Wednesdays (starting from 17/04/2024) as follows:

 

a) Financial preparedness (17/04/2024)

It is about setting up advanced systems to deal with potential or unplanned income shocks or crises.

b) Households’ liquid assets (24/04/2024)

These are  cash or assets that are relatively accessible in case of urgency.

c) Intervention strategies (01/05/2024)

They are about reassessing household capital structure, redefining household’s liquidities and their financial risk while examining how much households are protected from income shocks by their financial assets (such as current accounts, savings and investments) or other forms of support (like state benefits, friends and families).

d) Financial resilience impact and outcomes (08/05/2024)

These are all the changes and effects that will happen as result of the implementation or use of FRPHs and how to measure them.

 

All this is part of the Month of Protection within CENFACS, although the running of this programme will go beyond April 2024.

Let us kick off the first theme of our FRPHs; theme which is Financial Preparedness.

 

 

• • Financial Resilience Programme for Households – In Focus for Wednesday 17/04/2024: Financial Preparedness

 

How financially prepared are households, particularly those making the CENFACS community, if there is any income shock?

Asset Funders Network (14) answers the question by arguing that

“By setting up systems in advance of a financial shock, families are prepared to handle a shortfall when it occurs”.

From their perspective, financial preparedness in the context of financial resilience includes saving money, building credit, connecting to networks and enrolling in insurance.

Financial preparedness implies developing strategies linked to it.  In terms of financial preparedness strategies, ‘mind4survival.com’ (15) recommends the following seven tips:

 

1) Establish an emergency fund

2) Craft a comprehensive budget

3) Tackle any debts or outstanding payments

4) Embrace investment diversification

5) Prioritise your essentials

6) Invest in skills

7) Regularly review and adapt your accounts.

 

There could be more strategies or tips than the seven ones we have just listed.  Financially resilient households will try to follow these strategies or similar ones to keep their financial health and wellbeing in good shape.

Those households that are struggling to financially prepare themselves in order to stay resilient, they can work with CENFACS.

For any queries and/or enquiries about Financial Preparedness as well as Financial Resilience Programme for Households (including how to access this programme), please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

• All-year Round Projects Cycle (Triple Value Initiatives Cycle) – Step/Workshop 9: Reviewing Your Play, Run and Vote Projects

 

You can start reviewing Your Play, Run and Vote Projects, while the monitoring and observability of the same projects are still going on.  But, what are project reviews?

 

•  •  Basic Understanding of Project Reviews

 

Project reviews can be explained in many ways depending on any approaches taken.  Referring to the explanation of ‘fox-plan.com’ (16),

“A project review is an evaluation of the current progress of a project at a specific point of the project (milestone)… A project review will provide you with a thorough knowledge of the current status of your project and if it is on track to meet your success criteria”.

There can be many or staggered reviews in a project depending on a project size, scope, scale, progress, complexity and resource availability.  These different reviews can include initial review, completion review, special review and follow-up review.  Also, to better review a project it is preferable to design a review process with guidelines, evidence and tools.

 

 

• • Example of Reviewing Your All-year Round Projects

 

Let us consider Voting Your 2024 International Development and Poverty Reduction Manager.

In order to review your Vote Project, you will proceed with the following three review tasks:

 

a) Examine and audit your planned tasks, activities, procedures, events and other work about the project

b) Identify if the amount of work you put in your project responded to your Vote Project requirements

c) Work out additional resources to help you complete the project.

 

The above is a simple version of project reviews.  For those who would like to dive deeper into Reviewing their Play or Run or Vote project, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

• Triple Value Initiatives (TVIs)/All-year Round Projects (AYRPs) Journaling Activity: Write a Journal of Your TVI/AYRP Cycle

 

You can write and reflect on what you are doing as TVI/AYRP user or beneficiary.  Journaling a TVI/AYRP (that is Play, Run and Vote) can have benefits.  To get those benefits, one needs to have a goal and plan activities/achievements.

 

• • Benefits of Journaling Your TVI/AYRP

 

The journal will help you to capture the moments of your TVI/AYRP via expressive writing and story.  It can have other benefits such as the following ones:

 

σ setting up goals

σ tracking or measuring your progress on TVI/AYRP

σ recording results and celebrating achievements

σ gaining both general and specific perspectives of your TVI/AYRP. 

 

You can even show your style and express your feeling or character through your writing.  Another good thing of journaling your TVI/AYRP is that it makes things easy when it comes to report to CENFACS and others before the deadline of 23 December 2024.

 

• • Journaling Goal of TVI/AYRP

 

The goal is basically to explore and enrich one’s TVI/AYRP activity through creative writing.  This goal does not stop users of TVI/AYRP to have their own journaling goal.  Besides their journaling goal, they need to add what their journal can help achieve.

 

• • What One’s TVI/AYRP Journal Can Achieve

 

It can achieve many things including the following:

 

∝ Solve problems encountered in the cycle of your TVI/AYRP 

∝ Enhance one’s health and wellness via TVI/AYRP 

∝ Improve TVI/AYRP impact and outcomes.

 

For those who are undertaking any of the TVIs/AYRPs and would like to write a journal about their activity, they can do it.  There are many online and print resources available on the matter.  Please select resources that are concise and have some links with your TVIs/AYRPs.

For those who would like to approach CENFACS for help and support to write a Journal of TVI/AYRP or to select appropriate resources, they are welcome to do so.

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

 

• Programme de résilience financière pour les ménages 

Dans le cadre de l’autonomisation continue des ménages, en particulier ceux qui composent notre communauté, nous avons organisé un nouveau programme – Programme de résilience financière pour les ménages (PRFM).  Bien que le PRFM s’appelle le programme, il fait partie du projet de contrôle financier.

Pour comprendre le PRFM, expliquons d’abord ce qu’est la résilience financière.

Au cours des dernières années, de nombreux ménages, y compris ceux qui font partie de la Communauté CENFACS, ont été confrontés et ont fait face à diverses crises et chocs (comme le choc du coronavirus, la crise du coût de la vie, la crise climatique, etc.).

Bon nombre de ces crises et de ces chocs ont affecté leurs finances tout en entraînant un choc sur leurs revenus.  Pour faire face à ce type de chocs et à leurs impacts, il faut une certaine forme de résilience, notamment financière.

D’après ‘community.thriveglobal.com’ (13),

« La résilience financière est la capacité de rebondir après des revers qui changent la vie et qui ont une incidence sur nos finances personnelles (y compris les placements, le revenu et les actifs), comme le décès d’un conjoint ou d’un être cher, un divorce, une invalidité, des problèmes de santé, le chômage ainsi que des événements tels que les retombées économiques d’une pandémie, d’une catastrophe nationale ou d’une récession économique.  Il s’agit de savoir dans quelle mesure nous pouvons absorber, réagir et nous ajuster à un choc financier.

Les ménages qui subissent les effets des problèmes ou des chocs épisodiques mentionnés dans la définition ci-dessus peuvent avoir besoin de résilience financière et d’ingéniosité.  Pour soutenir ces ménages, nous avons mis en place ce nouveau programme – le PRFM.

• • Qu’est-ce que le PRFM?

Le PRFM consiste à travailler avec les ménages victimes de chocs financiers épisodiques afin qu’ils puissent construire leurs écosystèmes financiers, développer les outils et les stratégies pour se remettre des revers financiers qu’ils ont connus.

Le programme les aidera, en particulier les ménages dont le budget est en transition après avoir été touchés par les chocs susmentionnés, à élaborer une politique financière pour les protéger contre les chocs de revenu et une politique d’épargne pour maintenir et améliorer leur niveau de vie actuel.

Le programme les assistera à maintenir le coût de fonctionnement de leur ménage à un faible niveau tout en générant un impact important sur leur bien-être financier.  Il permettra d’aligner leurs finances sur leurs décisions opérationnelles stratégiques et leur diversification financière.  Ce faisant, il leur apportera la sécurité et la tranquillité d’esprit où ils en sont en termes de finances et leur permettra de prévoir où ils veulent aller de manière durable sans être à nouveau affectés par les mêmes événements.

Pour travailler avec eux, nous avons organisé nos activités autour de quatre thématiques qui seront développées tous les mercredis (à partir du 17/04/2024) comme suit:

a) Préparation financière (17/04/2024)

Il s’agit de mettre en place des systèmes avancés pour faire face à des chocs de revenus potentiels ou imprévus.

b) Liquidités des ménages (24/04/2024)

Il s’agit de liquidités ou d’actifs relativement accessibles en cas d’urgence.

c) Stratégies d’intervention (01/05/2024)

Il s’agit de réévaluer la structure du capital des ménages, de redéfinir les liquidités des ménages et leur risque financier, tout en examinant dans quelle mesure les ménages sont protégés contre les chocs de revenu par leurs actifs financiers (tels que les comptes courants, l’épargne et les investissements) ou d’autres formes de soutien (prestations de l’État, amis et familles).

d) Résultats et impacts en matière de résilience financière (08/05/2024)

Il s’agit de l’ensemble des changements et des effets qui se produiront à la suite de la mise en œuvre ou de l’utilisation du PRFM et de la façon de les mesurer.

Tout cela s’inscrit dans le cadre du Mois de la Protection au sein du CENFACS.

Commençons par le premier thème de notre PRFM; qui est la préparation financière.

• • Programme de résilience financière pour les ménages – Gros plan pour le mercredi 17/04/2024 : Préparation financière

Dans quelle mesure les ménages, en particulier ceux qui font partie de la communauté CENFACS, sont-ils financièrement préparés en cas de choc de revenu?

Asset Funders Network (14) répond à la question en faisant valoir que

« En mettant en place des systèmes en amont d’un choc financier, les familles sont prêtes à faire face à un manque à gagner lorsqu’il se produit. »

De leur point de vue, la préparation financière dans le contexte de la résilience financière comprend l’épargne, l’établissement d’un crédit, la connexion à des réseaux et l’adhésion à une assurance.

La préparation financière implique l’élaboration de stratégies qui y sont liées.  En ce qui concerne les stratégies de préparation financière, « mind4survival.com » (15) recommande les sept conseils suivants :

1) Établir un fonds d’urgence

2) Élaborez un budget complet

3) S’attaquer aux dettes ou aux impayés

4) Adoptez la diversification des placements

5) Donnez la priorité à vos essentiels

6) Investir dans les compétences

7) Révisez et adaptez régulièrement vos comptes.

Il pourrait y avoir d’autres stratégies que celles que nous venons d’énumérer.  Les ménages financièrement résilients s’efforceront de suivre ces stratégies ou d’autres similaires pour maintenir leur santé financière et leur bien-être en bonne santé.

Les ménages qui ont du mal à se préparer financièrement afin de rester résilients peuvent travailler avec le CENFACS.

Pour toute question et/ou demande de renseignements sur la préparation financière ainsi que sur le programme de résilience financière pour les ménages (y compris sur la façon d’accéder à ce programme), n’hésitez pas à contacter le CENFACS.

 

 

Main Development

 

• Coming Next Week’s Saturday 27/04/2024: The 14th Edition of CENFACS Reflection Day with a Focus on Protection and Security of Women and Children against Societal Polarization

 

To help prepare for the 14th Edition of CENFACS Reflection Day, we have assembled protection materials and resources that have been grouped into the following two headlines:

 

∝ What is CENFACS’ Reflection Day?

∝  The 14^th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day.

 

Let us briefly explain each of these headlines.

 

• • What Is CENFACS’ Reflection Day?

 

CENFACS’ Reflection Day is a day to acknowledge the conditions of women and children in need, to reflect on attitudes and what can be done to improve the living conditions of women and children in need.

CENFACS’ Reflection Day is also a special eventful day to re-engage our mind set and spirit to deeply think about the fate of poor women and children, and engineer possible new solutions that can lift them out of poverty and hardships they are facing.  At this time of the world in multiple crises (or polycrises) and risks, they may be facing poverty induced by these crises and risks.  One of these crises and risks is Societal Polarization.

According to ‘weforum.org’ (op. cit.), Societal Polarization is the third-most severe risk over the short term and consistent concern amongst surveyed groups making the World Economic Forum’s The Global Risks Report 2024.  It features among the top three risks over both the current and two-year time horizons. It is this crisis that our 14^th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day would like to deal with.

 

• • The 14^th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day 

 

The following points will assist in explaining the 14^th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day:

 

∝ What is the 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day? 

∝ What Will Happen during the 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day?

∝ How the 14^th Edition of Our Reflection Day Will Be Run

∝ What Issues Our Reflection Day Will Try to Address

∝ What Areas of Thoughts Our Reflection Day Will Touch upon.

 

The above-mentioned points are explained below.

 

• • • What is the 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day? 

 

The 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day is a continuity of the theme about self-protection by women and children and/or protection of women and children by others against future risks or crises or polycrises.  In this case, the risk or crisis is Societal Polarization and poverty it can create or exacerbate.

The 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day is a day to think of the struggle these women and children have in face of societal polarization.  It also a day of meditating on solutions to reduce poverty generated by societal polarization.  Before going any further, let us try to recall the definition of societal polarization.

 

• • • • Re-understanding societal polarization

 

The World Economic Forum (op. cit.) explains that

“Societal polarization is ideological and cultural divisions within and across communities leading to declining social stability, gridlocks in decision-making, economic disruption, and increased political polarization” (p. 97)

The same World Economic Forum adds that societal polarization and economic downturn are seen as the most interconnected – and therefore influential – risks in the global risks network, as drivers and possible consequences of numerous risks.

Because societal polarization and economic downturn are influential forces that shape human conditions, particularly the conditions of women and children living in poverty, there is a need to elevate the fences of protection to shield them from the impacts of societal polarization entertained by misinformation, disinformation, distance between people, suspicion, etc.

Crisis stemming from societal polarization can also affect the security of women and children in need.  One can think of economic disruption linked to the supply of goods and services which has caused economic insecurity in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, especially for women and children there.  In this respect, our Reflection Day is also a day of economic security.

 

• • • •  What is economic security?

 

Economic security here has to be interpreted like what the International Committee of the Red Cross (17) argues about it as

“The ability of individuals, households or communities to cover their essential needs sustainably and with dignity.  This can vary according to an individual’s physical needs, the environment and prevailing cultural standards.  Food, basic shelter, clothing and hygiene qualify as essential need, as does the related expenditure; the essential assets needed to earn a living and the costs associated with health care and education also qualify”.

In our Reflection Day, we shall think of how the intensive use of polarizing rhetoric can affect economic security of those in need, particularly but not exclusively women and children in need.

 

• • • What Will Happen during the 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day?

 

During the 14th Edition of CENFACS’ Reflection Day, we will reflect on what can be done to improve the living conditions of women and children in the contexts of ideological and cultural divisions within and across communities.

The day is also about finding solutions to economic insecurity through inspirations, new thoughts and ideas to mitigate harmful consequences of societal polarization.

 

• • • How the 14^th Edition of Our Reflection Day Will Be Run

 

This year, the 14th Edition of our Reflection Day will be run in hybrid fashion (that; it will be organised  in-person and virtual).

There will be a physical gathering for those who want it.  There will also be a virtual reflection.  In the case of virtual reflection, every participant will be reflecting from the location which is suitable for them (that is, like a virtual reality or remotely).

 

• • • What Issues Our Reflection Day Will Try to Address

 

Our Reflection Day will try to address the following issues:

 

√ How manipulated contents split people according to opposing views that further develop societal polarization

√ The misperceptions of reality that intensify polarization with detrimental effect on women and children

√ How manipulative narratives that infiltrate the public discourse further up societal polarization 

√ What is the effect of falsified information on women and children in terms of bias and discrimination?

√ How hate crimes feed societal polarization against women and children

√ How harmful contents or subjects can impact on children’s behaviour, wellbeing and health

√ What can we do to end false information to widen fractures in societal views that affect women and children?

√ How can we stop the tools that spread and control misinformation and disinformation within our community?

√ What can we do to make the arbiters of truth to re-establish truth in information and protect women and children from falsified information that controls women and children?

√ Do we have the power to stop the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation within our society?

 

The above-mentioned issues are the ones we would like to deal with in our thoughts.  One Day of Reflection may be not enough to address all these questions.  But, one can try to deal with one or two of them as they are preparing to make the Reflection Day.

 

• • • What Areas of Thoughts Our Reflection Day Will Touch upon

 

The above-mentioned issues will help to frame areas of thoughts that one may want to engage in.  During our reflection, we will try to think of following matters as frames for thought:

 

√ Effects of negative disagreement over economic policies on the welfare and wellbeing of women and children (economic policies framework)

√ Ways of building and improving unity against societal polarization threats that create or exacerbate poverty (framework for unity and connection, instead of divisions and distances)

√ Security vulnerabilities posed to poor women and children when society’s main actors move from centrist to extreme positions or ideologies in their thinking and behaviour (security framework)

√ Ways of developing defensive capabilities to protect women and children from societal polarization (defensive capability framework)

√ Effects of societal polarization measures and values on educational and training opportunities for women and children (framework for measures, values and human rights)

√ Learning lessons and development experiences about societal polarization in terms of their effects on women and children in need (framework for skills development)

Etc.

 

The above is the main menu of our Reflection Day.  Besides this main menu, we shall have a side menu which is Reflection on the Effects of Societal Polarization on our Network for Protection and Community Security in the process of Build Forward Better Together to a Greener, Cleaner, Safer, Inclusive and Climate-Resilient Future within the context of Squeezed Household Spending.

To support or join the Reflection Day on the Protection and Security of Women and Children, please contact CENFACS.

After the References section of this post, we have appended a timeline about CENFACS’ Reflection Day for your information.

_________

 

• References

 

(1) Scott, J. & Marshall, G. (2009), Oxford Dictionary of Sociology, Third Ed. Revised, Oxford University Press, Oxford & New York

(2) https://www.icip.cat/perlapau/en/article/polarization-harms-democracy-and-society/ (accessed in April 2024)

(3) https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Global_Risks_Report_2024.pdf (accessed in April 2024)

(4) https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2023-24reporten.pdf (accessed in March 2024)

(5) https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/sep/04/poor-people-surviving-not-living-as-uk-social-contract-collapses-says-report (accessed in April 2024)

(6) https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/10/14/breaking-poverty-trap (accessed in April 2024)

(7) https://ngofeed.com/ngos-in-human-rights-protection/# (accessed in April 2024)

(8) https://www.gov.uk/guidance/safeguarding-duties-for-charity-trustees (accessed in April 2024)

(9) https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/02/birds-of-prey-extension-biodiversity-loss/ (accessed in April 2024)

(10) https://peregrinefund.org/africa-program-raptor-species# (accessed in April 2024)

(11) https://birdwatchinghq.com/birds-of-the-Democratic-Republic-of-the-Congo/ (accessed in April 2024)

(12) cenfacs.org.uk/2022/10/12/upkeep-of-the-nature-in-2022/ (accessed in April 2024)

(13) https://community.thriveglobal.com/what-is-financial-resilience-and-what-are-some-strategies-to-achieve-it/ (accessed in April 2024),

(14) https://assetfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/Measuring_Financial_Resilience_AFN_2021_Single_1.13.21.pdf (accessed in April 2024)

(15) https://mind4survival.com/7-tips-for-financial-preparedness/ (accessed in April 2024)

(16) https://fox-plan.com/docs/project-review/ (Accessed in April 2023)

(17) https://www.icrc.org/en/document/introduction-economic-security (Accessed in April 2023)

_________

 

• Appendix

 

• • Reflection Day Timeline

 

The Reflection Day is a day of thoughts by bringing together the two pillars of our network and protection programme, which are 3W and PPS.  Although they started in 2003, we only introduced a Reflection Day (RD) in them in 2011.

In 2016, we amalgamated 3W and PPS to become Women and Children projects as we noticed in some situations it was difficult to separate women’s and children’s needs.  Where their needs are separable or differentiated one to the other, we run either of the two brands (that is 3W and PPS) individually.  This is why these two brands of our network and protection are still alive despite their amalgamation.

The Reflection Day is a day of introspection to think in depth the ways forward for our systems of support network and protection for poverty relief and sustainable development in face of the current, new and emerging challenges ahead as well as the ever changing development landscape.

Since its inception, the following is the timeline of 3W and PPS

2011: Making Networking and Protection Even Better in 2011

2012: Raising Standards in Poverty Reduction for Improving Lives

2013: Place of Women and Children in the Post-2015 Development World (Part I)

2014: Women and Children in the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda (Part II) – A Stock Taking Reflection Event

2015: Doing Business to Lift Women and Children out of Poverty

2016: Improving Digital Protection for the Extremely Digitally Poor Women and Children

2017: Reducing Information and Communication Poverty for Multi-dimensionally Poor Women and Children

2018: Making Transitional Economy Work for Poor Families

2019: Protection of Women and Children in War-torn Zones and Natural Disaster-stricken Areas

2020: Protection of Women and Children in Times of Health or Sanitary Crisis like Covid-19

2021: Ring-fencing Protection for Women and Children to Become More Resilient and Vigilant in face of Future Risks and Crises

2022: Protection for Women and Children from Energy Crisis

2023: Protection and Security for Women and Children against Geo-economic Risks and Crises

 

For your information,

3W & PPS = Support Network and Protection for Poverty Relief and Development

Women and Children projects = amalgamation of 3W and PPS in 2016

3W (What Women Want) = a CENFACS support network scheme to enhance the lives of multi-dimensional deprived women and families

PPS (Peace, Protection & Sustainability) = a CENFACS child and environmental protection programme to support multi-dimensional vulnerable children, young people and families

KNA (Keep the Net Alive) = a motto that helps to keep our networking for protection running.

For more information on 3W and PPS or Women and Children projects, please contact CENFACS.

_________

 

• Help CENFACS Keep the Poverty Relief Work Going this Year

 

We do our work on a very small budget and on a voluntary basis.  Making a donation will show us you value our work and support CENFACS’ work, which is currently offered as a free service.

One could also consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the future.

Additionally, we would like to inform you that planned gifting is always an option for giving at CENFACS.  Likewise, CENFACS accepts matching gifts from companies running a gift-matching programme.

Donate to support CENFACS!

FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ NOBLE AND BEAUTIFUL CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.

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

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

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

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2024 and beyond.

With many thanks.

 

Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!

10 April  2024

 

Post No. 347

 

 

The Week’s Contents

 

• ICDP (Individual Capacity Development Programme) Resource, Holiday with Relief – In Focus for Spring 2024 Issue: Holiday with Restricted Budget

• Protection Key Note 2 for Week Beginning Monday 08/04/2024: Protection of Basic Spending Needs

• Goal of the Month: Reduction of Poverty as a Lack of Protection Linked to Spending

 

… And much more!

 

 

Key Messages

 

• ICDP (Individual Capacity Development Programme) Resource, Holiday with Relief – In Focus for Spring 2024 Issue: Holiday with Restricted Budget 

How to make your holiday plan with budgetary restrictions attached to it

 

The current Issue of our ICDP Resource entitled as ‘Holiday with Relief’ focuses on Holiday with Restricted Budget.  The Issue deals with limited spending for holiday, with a family’s or household’s immediate needs rather than wants during holiday.

Holiday with Restricted Budget can happen in the following circumstances:

a) “When a family is on a restricted budget, it means it is limiting its spending “, according to ‘pocketsense.com’ (1)

b) When a funder or donor, who funds your holiday, adds restrictions to their gift by telling you that the funds you require for holiday must be used for the purpose agreed upon by you and whoever funds your holiday (here holiday funder or donor), according to ‘pairsoft.com’ (2)

c) If the person who sponsored your holiday project does it through a policy on restricted funds budget or a reserve of money that can only be used for holiday projects or purposes.

These restrictions can be permanent or temporary.  Many people or families on low income will have their holiday budget restricted to essential spending.  What essential spending does mean.  According to ‘count.co.uk’ (3),

“Essential spending refers to the unavoidable expenses that ensure your safety, health, and basic well-being”.

With restricted budget for your holiday, you have some challenges to deal with.

This year, ‘Holiday with Relief’ provides wealthy advice, tips and hints to overcome these challenges and find opportunities to finance your holiday.  Through this wealth of information, we will try to tackle holiday poverty or poverty linked to restricted or limited means to enjoy a decent holiday whether at home or away from home.

Therefore, the purpose of this year’s Issue of ‘Holiday with Relief‘ is to work with our users in order to find way of having enjoyable and streamlined poverty-relieving holiday experience by managing or reducing or even removing these restrictions that can bound up with their holiday plan/budget.  It is about creating freedom and flexibility for their holiday budget by managing or reducing or even removing any restrictions attached to it.

The resource is packed with Spring-like poverty-relieving ideas about how to reduce poverty linked to restricted means while being on holiday.  Although the contents of this year’s Holiday with Relief will be for holiday, they can be used at any other time of the year.

Key highlights or content summaries about the 2024 Issue of Holiday with Relief are given under the Main Development section of this post.

 

 

• Protection Key Note 2 for Week Beginning Monday 08/04/2024: Protection of Basic Spending Needs

 

Our work on approaching protection from the spending side instead of from income perspective continues this week.  Approaching protection from the spending side is about relieving people from spending deprivations, particularly for those who are not able to spend on basic needs or cannot spend enough to meet their basic needs.  There are ways of protecting these people.  Before looking at these ways of protecting them, let us first try to understand protection as a way of meeting basic spending needs.  We shall as well indicate how CENFACS can work with the community to protect their basic spending needs.

 

• • Protection as a Way of Meeting Basic Spending Needs

 

To understand protection as a basic need, one may want to explain protection.  According to Chris Park (4),

“Protection is defence against harm or danger: any activity (including insect and disease control, fire protection, and law enforcement) that reduces losses or risks, tends to maintain basic conditions and values, and reduces damage or injury to people and property” (p. 360)

This definition of protection can be extended to include the defence against hunger, famine, malnutrition, homelessness, disease, insecurity, unemployment, climate change, etc.  In the case of this week’s Protection, it is the defence against less or lack of spending on basic needs to sustain and increase life.

Protection as a way of meeting basic spending needs helps to increase the availability of resources and to expand choices through the provision of financial  and non-financial means to consume life-sustaining goods and services.  Those who lack this protection need support.  There are ways of protecting their basic life-sustaining spending needs.

 

• • Ways of Protecting People’s Basic Spending Needs

 

There are initiatives that can be undertaken to protect people, especially those in need, and to cover their basic spending needs.  These initiatives can come from themselves or others.

 

• • • Protection by People in Need Themselves of Their Basic Spending Needs

 

To protect their basic spending needs, they need to stick to or follow the basic spending rules.  One of these rules is the 50/30/20 budget rule (5), which states that you should spend up to 50% of your after-tax income on needs and obligations that you must have or must do.

There is another rule, which is 70-20-10.  The 70-20-10 budget formula (6) divides your after-tax income into three buckets: 70% for living expenses, 20% for savings and debt, and 10% for additional savings and donations.

There is a third rule which is 70/15/15 budget (7).  With this budget rule, you will spend 70% on needs, 15% on wants, and 15% on savings.

Depending on individual circumstances, one may opt for any of the three budget rules or any other budget splitting strategy (e.g., 75/15/10 budget rule) to deal with their basic spending needs.

Those living in poverty and having problem to meet their basic spending needs are required find budget rules or splitting strategies that can work for them.  They may have their budget almost 100% allocated to needs with nothing to wants.  However, they may still have some wants (e.g., entertainment, holiday, etc.) being financed if someone else funds their wants or asks them what they want and give them what they want.  They could find it difficult to be eligible for some support if they have savings, however small these savings may be.

Besides the above-named budget rules or splitting strategies, there is a free budget calculator from ‘moneyhelper.org.uk’ (8) that one can use.  This calculator will help them to know exactly where their money is being spent, and how much they have got coming in.  Those who have a bank account, they can use their bank’s app to learn to deal with spending.

Moreover, they can carry out spend management, instead of simply undertaking cost cutting exercise which will not work because their circumstances of life.  What is spend management?  According to ‘nanonets.com’ (9),

“Spend management is the process of planning, organising, and controlling an organisation’s expenses to optimize profitability, ensure cost efficiency, and support strategic decision-making”.

Those who having problem in meeting their basic spending needs can conduct spend management which can improve the way in which they make their spending decisions and spend their money.

Those who cannot protect themselves via the above-mentioned means can ask for protection support to others (like public and private organisations dealing with spending protection).

 

• • • Protection of People’s Basic Spending Needs by Others

 

Those who fail to protect themselves, they may be qualified for social protection.  According to Devereux and Sabates-Wheeler quoted by ‘assets.publishing.service.gov.uk’ (10), social protection is commonly understood as

“All public and private initiatives that provide income or consumption transfers to the poor, protect the vulnerable against livelihood risks and enhance the social status and rights of the marginalised; with the overall objective of reducing the economic and social vulnerability of poor vulnerable and marginalised groups”.

The same ‘assets.publishing.service.gov.uk’ also quotes Harvey and others who argue that

“Social protection is usually provided by the state; it is theoretically conceived as part of the state-citizen contract, in which states and citizens have rights and responsibilities to each other”.

So, under certain conditions, those who unable to meet their own basic spending needs can be qualified to benefit from social protection.  In developed countries, this is common.  In developing countries like of Africa, there is need to check country by country if social protection, in the way we defined it above, exists.  Even if it does, it is better to verify that it is enough to bridge the gap in meeting spending needs.

 

• • Working with the Community on Protection of Their Basic Spending Needs 

 

There are people within our community who can handle the problem of their basic spending needs by themselves.  There are others who need support or to work with somebody else in order to navigate their way to the solution about spending protection problems.  For those ones, CENFACS can work with them in order to find the level of protection they need to resolve their basic spending problem.

Working with them on basic spending needs can include things such as

 

√ Writing together their spending needs budget

√ Providing tips to protect their spending (such as shopping around to cut their bills, cutting back on non-essential spending, seeing all their spending in one place, etc.)

√ Recommending to them to check with their bank or any financial institution that deals with their money if there is any help and support about way of handling spending (e.g., bank apps)

√ Analysing their spending accounts

√ Advising them on spending issues (e.g., how to calculate essential spending, how to categorise your payments, etc.)

√ Finding spending counselling services appropriate to them

√ Recommending them to use free online budget calculator and bank apps

√ Providing basic spending advice about the types and levels of spending protection they may need

√ Making spending protection benefit enquiries on their behalf

√ Supporting them to make an application and apply online

√ Signposting them to specialists in social protection benefit 

√ Organising a drop-in sessions about social protection benefit

√ Running small and targeted spending protection clinics for those in need

√ Helping them to fill social protection benefit forms

√ Running a referral service on spending protection matters for them

√ Advocating their spending protection cases to services and organisations where they could be eligible

√ Keeping them informed, guided and updated about any changes in social protection benefit legislations

√ Translating and interpreting spending protection benefit documents or materials

√ Motivating them to become independent from social protection benefit as a long term solution

Etc.

 

The above are just some of the ways that CENFACS could use to support the community regarding basic spending protection.  Part of support services or products is the basic financial advice product/service we can offer in terms of financial protection, which contains both income and spending protection.

Those who need help and support about basic advice on spending protection and/or for any of the matters listed above falling within our capacity, they can contact CENFACS.

Those who would like to enquiry about any other spending protection issue that is not listed above, they can still check with CENFACS if there is any help.

Those who may have some questions about Protection of Their Basic Spending Needs and the Protection Month itself, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

• Goal of the Month: Reduction of Poverty as a Lack of Protection Linked to Spending Needs

 

There are many definitions of poverty.  During this month of April 2024, we are interested in poverty as a lack of protection, particularly but not limited to protection linked to spending needs.

 

• • What Is the Lack of Protection Linked to Spending Needs

 

The lack of protection on spending is in itself an indication of poverty.  It is an indicator relating to the inability either to spend on basic necessities of life or have a cover to spend on them.

It is one of the problems that many people in need face.  Some of these people may not have where to go to ask for support while they are failing to meet the necessities of life.  They could be lacking protection to spend.  In these circumstances, poverty as the lack of spending protection is simply the lack of means to cover part of their budget relating to needs.  It is also the lack of insurance to cover or consume part or all essential goods and services to maintain and increase their lives.  Our goal for the month of April 2024 is to help reduce this type of poverty.  There are implications for this goal.

 

• • Implications for Selecting the Goal for the Month

 

After selecting the goal for the month, we focus our efforts and mind set on the selected goal by making sure that in our real life we apply it.  We also expect our supporters to work on the same goal by supporting those who may be suffering from the type of poverty linked to the goal for the month we are talking about during the given month (e.g., April 2024).

For further details on the goal of the month and its selection procedure including its support, please contact CENFACS.

 

 

 

Extra Messages

 

• All-year Round Projects Cycle (Triple Value Initiatives Cycle) – Step/Workshop 8: Monitoring and Observability of Your Play, Run and Vote Projects

• Shop at CENFACS’ Zero Waste e-Store during This Spring Giving Season

• CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum E-discusses Energy Transition Minerals and Poverty in Africa

 

 

• All-year Round Projects Cycle (Triple Value Initiatives Cycle) – Step/Workshop 8: Monitoring and Observability of Your Play, Run and Vote Projects

 

To count what is happening and happened to your Play, Run and Vote Projects, you need to monitor and track them.  Monitors or trackers will help you to do that.  Likewise, observing your Play, Run and Vote Projects will assist in knowing what happened.  Before giving an example of monitoring and observability of your Play, Run and Vote Projects, let us first explain both monitoring and observability.

 

• • What Is Monitoring Your Play, Run and Vote Projects about?

 

It is the step during which you regularly observe and record the activities of your Play, Run and Vote Projects.  As part of this process, you will routinely and regularly collect information about the outcome of all aspects of your Play, Run and Vote Projects as the theory of monitoring suggests.  The monitoring exercise will help you to check your progress against your project plans.  You can plan specific dates for your project progression monitoring.  If your Play, Run and Vote Projects involve other participants; then you can ask them to tell you what they think about the projects.

 

• • What Is Observability of Your Play, Run and Vote Projects about?

 

According to ‘ibm.com'(11),

“Observability is the ability to understand a complex system’s internal state based on external outputs.  When a system is observable, a user can identify the root cause of a performance problem by looking at the data it produces without additional testing or coding”.

So, observability will inform what is happening, while monitoring will tell you when something is wrong in your Play, Run and Vote Projects.

 

 

• • Example of Monitoring Your All-year Round Projects

 

Let say you want to monitor your Run to Reduce Poverty in Africa.  To monitor it, you will need…

 

~ to cover all the activities making your Run

~ to find out what all the participants think about your project

~ to know who take part in the run, their number and the frequency of their participation

~ to find the met and unmet needs

~ to identify the problems you encounter in the process of running your project

~ to figure out the resources needed for the project and the costs of running it

etc.

 

• • Example of Observability of Your All-year Round Projects

 

You can observe your Run to Reduce Poverty in Africa.  Through its observability, you can

 

~ understand running issues

~ analyse the output data about your Run

~ detect the issues early and explore ways of resolving them

~ propose actionable insights to fix these issues

etc.

 

 

• • Recording Your All-year Round Projects

 

You need as well to keep all the records about the project and ask for the comments from anyone who gets involved with your Run Project.

You can do it on an outcome-monitoring sheet for effectiveness in the way you are collecting and keeping record.  An outcome-monitoring sheet can include any skills, any improvement in motivation and aspirations, any boost in confidence and self-esteem, etc. that you or your participants have gained or increased as a result of your project.

You need to record changes and effects as they happen.  You can keep notes of any success and failure about your project, the numbers of people involved in it and the numbers of those who benefited.

Please remember to make sure that the records you are keeping and the notes you are taking will help you to decide who is your Runner of Poverty Reduction in Africa 2024.

For those who would like to dive deeper into Monitoring and Observability of their Play or Run or Vote project, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.

 

 

• Shop at CENFACS’ Zero Waste e-Store during This Spring Giving Season

 

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

At this time, many household expenditures have been squeezed by the cost of living pressures mostly driven by the hikes in prices of basic life-sustaining needs (e.g., food, transport, housing, council tax, phone, etc.).  This is despite the fact that inflation is now low (almost between 3% and 4%) compared to last Spring’s figure (around 8.7%) , and the reduction of energy price in the UK.

The impacted of the cost of living pressures need help and support as prices and bills are still higher while real incomes are less for many of those living in poverty.

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

You can donate or recycle your unwanted and unneeded goods to CENFACS’ Charity e-Store, the zero waste shop built to help relieve poverty and hardships.

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

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

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

You can DONATE or SHOP or do both:

√ DONATE unwanted Easter GOODS, GIFTS and PRODUCTS to CENFACS Zero Waste e-Store this April and Spring.

√ SHOP at CENFACS Zero Waste e-Store to support noble and beautiful causes of poverty relief this April and Spring.

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

This is what the Season of Giving is all about.

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

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

We need help to help them come out poverty and hardships caused by these pressures.

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

 

 

• CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum E-discusses Energy Transition Minerals and Poverty in Africa

 

Energy transition in Africa goes through energy transition minerals that Africa possesses.  However, this transition via minerals that Africa has will be meaningful only if these minerals continue to serve poor people and poverty reduction causes in Africa.  But, what are these energy transition minerals?

 

• • Brief Understanding of Energy Transition Minerals

 

The United Nations Environment Programme (12) explains that

“Energy transition minerals are naturally occurring substances, often found in rocks, that are ideal for use in renewable technology… Lithium, nickel and cobalt are components of batteries, like those that power electric vehicles”.

These minerals of energy transition can fasten energy transition.  They are technological innovations developed to support energy transition.  They include cobalt, copper, lanthanum, lithium, for electric vehicles; platinum, palladium, rhodium for fuel cells; copper, neodymium, terbium for wind energy transitions, etc.

They are found in many countries including Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  However, there is a dilemma between where these minerals are found in Africa and poverty in Africa.

 

• • Dilemma Surrounding Africa’s Minerals and Poverty in Africa

 

A the moment, Africa has the world’s highest number of poor people and is the lowest emitter of greenhouse gases.  In other words, Africa ’emits’ more poverty than greenhouse gases.

Regarding Africa’s greenhouse gas emissions, a recent study conducted by Yolandi Ernst of the University of Witwatergrand in South Africa (13) reveals the following:

“Although the rate carbon emissions in Africa is increasing (because of natural ecosystems such as the soil and plants in grasslands, savannas and forests) are converted for agricultural purposes, Africa is still emitting less carbon emissions compared to the other regions of the world”.

This is when one considers both the natural and anthropogenic emissions.

Additionally, the website ‘globalissues.org’ (14) states that

“An estimated 3.8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are emitted by Africa, but only two percent of the proportion of renewable energy investment went to Africa in 2023”.

Concerning poverty in Africa, the website ‘statista.com’ (15) notices that

“In 2024, around 429 million people in Africa were living in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at 2.15 U.S. dollars a day.  The number of poor people on the continent increased compared to the previous years.  However, poverty in Africa is expected to decline slightly in the coming years, even in the face of a growing population. The number of inhabitants living below the extreme poverty line would decrease to 402 million by 2030”.

The same ‘statista.com’ (16) explains that

“In March 2024, over 11 percent of the world population in extreme poverty, with the poverty threshold at 2.15 U.S. dollars a day, lived in Nigeria.  Moreover, the Democratic Republic of Congo accounted for around 10 percent of the global population in extreme poverty.  Other African countries with a large poor population were Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar”.

If one believes in the above-mentioned figures of poverty, it means that in 2030 poverty will still be in Africa with a large number of extreme poor.  Yet, greenhouse gas emissions in Africa will be less in Africa compared to the rest of the regions of the world.

Because of the stubbornness of poverty in Africa, there is a need to argue that energy transition minerals would be meaningful to the eyes of this high number of poor in Africa only if they free these people from poverty, in particular energy and climate poverty.  In other words, it is good to expect energy transition minerals in Africa to do more in the fight against global adverse climate change.  Equally, it is greatly important to make sure that Africa’s energy transition minerals go the extra mile in reducing and perhaps ending poverty in Africa.  This argument makes up the focus of our e-discussion for this week.

Those who may be interested in this discussion can join in and or contribute by contacting CENFACS’ be.Africa, which is a forum for discussion on matters and themes of poverty reduction and sustainable development in Africa and which acts on behalf of its members in making proposals or ideas for actions for a better Africa.  They can contact us at our usual address on this site.

 

 

Message in French (Message en français)

 

• Magasinez sur la boutique en ligne Zéro Déchet du CENFACS pendant cette saison printanière des dons

La boutique en ligne du CENFACS est ouverte pour vos dons de marchandises de printemps et vos achats de marchandises.

À l’heure actuelle, de nombreuses dépenses des ménages ont été comprimées par les pressions exercées par le coût de la vie, principalement en raison de la hausse des prix des produits de première nécessité (nourriture, transport, logement, taxe d’habitation, téléphone, etc.).  Et ce, malgré le fait que l’inflation est désormais faible (près de 3 % à 4 %) par rapport au chiffre du printemps dernier (environ 8,7 %), et la baisse du prix de l’énergie au Royaume Uni.

Les personnes touchées par les pressions exercées par le coût de la vie ont besoin d’aide et de soutien, car les prix et les factures sont encore plus élevés, tandis que les revenus réels sont moindres pour de nombreuses personnes vivant dans la pauvreté.

Chaque saison ou chaque mois est l’occasion de faire quelque chose contre la pauvreté et les difficultés.  Ce mois d’avril est aussi un bon et excellent mois de l’année pour le faire.

Vous pouvez faire un don de ou recycler vos produits non désirés et inutiles à la boutique en ligne caritative de CENFACS, la boutique zéro déchet conçue pour aider à soulager la pauvreté et les difficultés.

Vous pouvez également acheter des biens d’occasion et des articles neufs à prix cassés et bien plus encore.

La boutique en ligne caritative du CENFACS a besoin de votre soutien pour les achats et les dons de marchandises.

Vous pouvez faire quelque chose de différent en cette saison des dons de marchandises en faisant du shopping ou en faisant un don de marchandises à la boutique en ligne de la charité CENFACS.

Vous pouvez faire un don ou magasiner ou faire les deux:

√ FAITES DON de MARCHANDISES, de CADEAUX et de PRODUITS de Pâques non désirés à la boutique en ligne Zéro Déchet du CENFACS en avril et au printemps.

√ ACHETEZ sur la boutique en ligne Zéro Déchet du CENFACS pour soutenir les nobles et belles causes de lutte contre la pauvreté en avril et au printemps.

Vos ACHATS et/ou DONS DE BIENS contribueront à l’entretien de la nature et à réduire la pauvreté et les difficultés causées par les pressions du coût de la vie.

C’est l’objectif de la Saison des dons.

N’hésitez pas à faire un don ou à acheter ce qui est disponible sur la boutique en ligne Zéro Déchet du CENFACS.

De nombreuses vies ont été menacées et détruites par les pressions exercées par le coût de la vie.

Nous avons besoin d’aide pour les aider à sortir de la pauvreté et des difficultés causées par ces pressions.

Pour faire un don ou acheter des biens, rendez-vous sur: http://cenfacs.org.uk/shop/

 

 

Main Development

 

• ICDP (Individual Capacity Development Programme) Resource, Holiday with Relief – In Focus for Spring 2024 Issue: Holiday with Restricted Budget

How to make your holiday plan with budgetary restrictions attached to it

 

Looking forward to building holiday budget with manageable restrictions?

You are in the right place as the following contents will show you:

 

∝ What Is Holiday with Relief (HwR)?

∝ What Is the Focus for This Year’s HwR?

∝ Reduction of Holiday Poverty 

∝ For Whom This Resource Is Designed  

∝ Types of Holiday Budget Restrictions

∝ Holiday Plan and Budget

∝ Ways of Dealing with Holiday Budget Restrictions

∝ Organisations Dealing with Holiday Budgets, Grants and Matters

∝ Needing Help and Support to Deal with Restrictions Attached to Your Holiday Budget.

 

Let us summarise these contents.

 

• • Content Summaries, Tips and Hints about Spring 2024 Holiday with Relief

 

• • • What Is Holiday with Relief?

 

Holiday with Relief (HwR) is an awareness, preparedness and solutions focussed Resource to Manage Information over holidays (e.g. Easter and Summer holidays).

As an Information Manager, HwR is a set of life-changing tips and tricks to help and enable vulnerably unaware people to plan and have their holiday or break with confidence in taking into account all aspects of life and by making sure that key areas of those life aspects are not adversely affected.

 

• • • What Is the Focus for This Year’s HwR?

 

The focus for HwR for this year is on Holiday with Restricted Budget.  It is about providing a set of life-enhancing tips and hints to support those who are looking for  simple but practical advice to reduce or manage restrictions linked to their holiday budget.

 

 

• • • Reduction of Holiday Poverty 

 

This Spring Season, we shall find ways of working with the members of our community who are likely to face holiday poverty because of various circumstances but in particular due to the lack of means to enjoy a decent holiday, whether they stay at home or are away from their home.  We hope that working together with them will help them avoid holiday poverty trap or to exacerbate it.

Through this wealth of information contained in the ‘Holiday with Relief’, we will try together to tackle holiday poverty, particularly poverty linked to restricted budget or limited means to enjoy a decent holiday whether at home or away from home.

 

 

• • • For Whom This Resource Is Designed

 

This resource is primarily designed for the CENFACS Community members and those related to them.

The resource also caters for the following:

 

√ Those who are looking for some basic ideas about how to build holiday budget that has restrictions

√ Those who are searching for holiday funding schemes and programmes with minimal or without restrictions

√ Those who are willing to create holiday plan and budget that meet funder/donor requirements or restrictions or prohibitions

√ Disabled people and their carers

√ Those looking to raise money for their holiday trips

√ Those wanting to fund their respite break as disabled persons and their carers

√ Anyone interested in funding for holiday with with budgetary restrictions.

 

 

• • • Types of Holiday Budget Restrictions

 

As briefly explained in the Key Messages, Holiday with Restricted Budget can happen in the following three cases:

a) “When a family is on a restricted budget, it means it is limiting its spending “, according to ‘pocketsense.com’ (op. cit.)

b) When a funder or donor, who funds your holiday, adds restrictions to their gift by telling you that the funds you require for holiday must be used for the purpose agreed upon by you and whoever funds your holiday (here holiday funder or donor), according to ‘pairsoft.com’ (op. cit.)

c) If the person who sponsored your holiday project does it through a policy on restricted funds budget or a reserve of money that can only be used for holiday projects or purposes..

Advice, tips and hints can help to manage or overcome some of these restrictions.

 

 

• • • Holiday Plan and Budget

 

The starting point to plan your holiday is to have a plan for your holiday and a budget for it.

Regarding your holiday plan, you need to include the following: 

where to go if not staying at home, when to go, how to go, who to go with, where to stay, what to do, what to eat, when to return, etc.

Concerning your holiday budget, the theory recommends to take inventory or stock of last year’s holiday accounts.  In practice, you will use your last year’s holiday expenses and divide them by 12 to obtain the monthly amount of saving or spending you need to budget for the next holiday.

To create your holiday budget, you can use the following steps as provided by ‘hrss.cpa’ (17):

Income evaluation, setting spending limit, review of past expenses, allocation of funds, expense monitoring, future planning, and adaptability to challenges.

However, you should bear in mind that there are economic factors (like changes in interest rate, exchange rate, inflation, the cost of living, the cost of holidaying, etc. ) you should include when working your numbers.  You budget will be adjusted for these factors.  You could as well use an online holiday budget calculator to do it for you.

 

 

• • • Ways of Dealing with Holiday Budget Restrictions

 

There is a number of ways or strategies that can be used to handle holiday budget restrictions and prohibitions, particularly when those restrictions come from holiday funders or donors.  These ways or strategies of handling holiday budget restrictions include the following:

 

√ Amending your holiday budget and getting it approved by your holiday sponsor

√ Making your holiday project expenditures not to exceed the budget agreed

√ Offering a choice of designation for a restricted holiday fund to be used to your holiday funder or donor

√ Asking a donor to reconsider their restrictions if and where possible

√ Seeking flexibility to your holiday donor about the allocation funds to your holiday, whether for temporary or permanent restrictions

√ Suggesting alternative use of unused or unspent holidays funds/grants

√ Rejecting holiday donation with restrictions you cannot comply with

√ Bringing your own restrictions direct to holiday donor

Etc.

 

The above-mentioned strategies or techniques show that it is possible to manage restrictions, whether temporary or permanent ones, in the context of holiday restricted budget.  It all depends on they types of restrictions, whether they are tough or soft, the value of the holiday donations, the level of flexibility of donor or funder as well as the flexibility your have in your own holiday budget.

 

 

• • • Organisations Dealing with Holiday Budgets, Grants and Matters

 

Paying for a family holiday is not always easy, especially for those families on low income brackets.  There are organisations that can help pay for your/family holiday, however their support can sometimes come with budgetary restrictions.  These organisations are specialised in holiday matters relating to people in need.

Some of these organisations provide grants, organisations like the following:

The Children Hope Foundation, Donna’s Dream House, Heswall Disabled Children’s Holiday Fund, Kids Cancer Charity, The Oliver Curd Trust, Sebastian’s Action Trust, Youth Cancer Trust, The Calvet Trust, Sandcastle Trust, Hannah’s Holiday Appeal, Brarretstown, After Umbrage, Tourism for All UK, etc.

There are organisations that give short breaks and holidays to families caring for a child with complex disabilities or health issues (e.g., www.togetherforshortlives.org.uk).

There are organisations that deal with family holiday grants or short break activities (e.g., The 3H Foundation, The Henry Smith Charity).

There are other organisations that are specialised in grants for disabled children and adults, adventurous holidays for adventurous families, etc.

Most of the organisations listed in this Spring 2024 Issue of Holiday with Relief are generally from the charity and voluntary sectors.  

For those who are interested in them, it will be a good idea to check their funding/grant requirement, size, length, decision timescale, deadline and qualifying criteria. 

For those who may be having some problems in finding these details, they can contact CENFACS for guidance and support.

 

 

 

• • • Needing Help and Support to Deal with Restrictions on Your Holiday Budget

 

CENFACS can work with the members of its community to find ways of handling restrictions on their holiday budget.  We can guide them/you to find help for restrictions removal from their holiday budget.  We can arrange for them/you to speak to specialists around restricted funding for holiday related to vulnerable people.  We can as well signpost them/you to organisations offering holiday funding service to those in need.

Additionally, there are charities and voluntary organisations that can help around holiday budget matters such as

 

∝ paying for a holiday via restricted or unrestricted support for holidays

∝ finding the right holiday for families with a member with a chronic condition

∝ finding a break and or respite.

 

CENFACS can as well work with the members of its community to streamline holiday budget processes and achieve better results in terms of spending by guiding them on the following matters:

 

∝ what to do with unused holiday funds

∝ how to use unrestricted/unassigned/undesignated/designated fund balance to help balance your holiday budget

∝ how to coordinate your needs of raising funds for your holiday and the necessities of accounting for the holiday money raised to be received

∝ what to do unspent holiday grants

etc.

 

We hope that the above content summaries will provide an insightful idea about this year’s Issue of Holiday with Relief.  

For those users who would like to dive into Holiday with Restricted Budget, we can provide them with online and print resources (e.g., a list of organisations providing holidaying support for those in need) relating to Holiday Budget.

To support Holiday with Restricted Budget and get the full Spring 2024 Issue of ICDP Resource (Holiday with Relief), please contact CENFACS.

 

_________

 

• References

 

(1) https://pocketsense.com/restricted-budget-8444362.html (accessed in April 2024)

(2) https://www.pairsoft.com/blog/nonprofit-budget-restricted-funds/ (accessed in April 2024)

(3) https://count.co.uk/essential-vs-non-essential-spending-how-do-you-prioritize/ (accessed in April 2024)

(4) Park, C. (2011), A Dictionary of Environment and Conservation, Oxford University Press Inc., Oxford & New York

(5) https://www.thebalancemoney.com/the-50-30-20-rule-of-thumb-453922 (accessed in April 2024)

(6) https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/70-20-10-budget (accessed in April 2024)

(7) https://www.miza.app/70-15-15-budget-rule (accessed in April 2024)

(8) https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/everyday-money/budgeting/budget-planner (accessed in April 2024)

(9) https: //nanonets.com/blog/what-is-spend-management/ (accessed in April 2024)

(10) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/57a089de5274a31e000013e/SocialProtection.pdf (accessed in April 2024)

(11) https://www.ibm.com/blog/observability-vs-monitoring/ (accessed in April 2024),

(12) https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/what-are-energy-transition-minerals-and-how-can-they-unlock-clean-energy-age (accessed in April 2024)

(13) https://theconversion.com/africa-now-emits-as-much-carbon-as-it-stores-landmark-new-study-226522 (accessed in April 2024)

(14) https://www.globalissues.org/news/2024/02/05/35910 (accessed in April 2024)

(15) https://www.statista.com/statistics/1228533/number-of-people-living-below-the-extreme-poverty-line-in-africa/ (accessed in April 2024)

(16) https://www.statista.com/statistics/1228553/extreme-poverty-as-share-of-global-population-in-africa-by-country/ (accessed in April 2024)

(17) https://hrss.cpa/budgeting-for-the-holidays-guide-to-keeping-your-finances/ (accessed in April 2024)

_________

 

• Help CENFACS Keep the Poverty Relief Work Going this Year

 

We do our work on a very small budget and on a voluntary basis.  Making a donation will show us you value our work and support CENFACS’ work, which is currently offered as a free service.

One could also consider a recurring donation to CENFACS in the future.

Additionally, we would like to inform you that planned gifting is always an option for giving at CENFACS.  Likewise, CENFACS accepts matching gifts from companies running a gift-matching programme.

Donate to support CENFACS!

FOR ONLY £1, YOU CAN SUPPORT CENFACS AND CENFACS’ NOBLE AND BEAUTIFUL CAUSES OF POVERTY REDUCTION.

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

Thank you for visiting CENFACS website and reading this post.

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

We look forward to receiving your regular visits and continuing support throughout 2024 and beyond.

With many thanks.