DONATION OF HEALTH KITS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THE SPREAD OF COVID19

On September 17, 2020, Pauline Effa, Managing Director of the NGO Partenariat France Afrique pour le Co-développement (PFAC) took part in the distribution of health kits at the Mbalmayo central prison, Cameroon.

The Covid-19 pandemic caused a double health and economic crisis in Cameroon.

In this national context of search for solutions, the Network of Mayors of Cameroon for Social and Solidarity Economy (REMCESS) called upon the NGO PFAC. The "program to combat the spread of COVID 19 through the support and mobilization of women and youth cooperatives" is the result of several observations:

- Local populations do not have enough durable masks that comply with the standard developed in Cameroon for health safety;

- Some municipalities have neighbourhoods where access to water remains limited;

- Prisons are overcrowded and the lack of masks available to inmates increases the risk of contagion;

- Refugee camps in border areas are vulnerable to the virus.

The NGO PFAC has therefore mobilized the member cooperatives of the Local Networks of Social and Solidarity Economy (RELESS) for the production of sanitary kits. The RELESS, accompanied by organizations such as the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF), launched an operation called "5,000,000 masks against COVID 19 within the RELESS".

Some of the masks produced were used to make up health kits distributed by REMCESS to vulnerable populations.

The kit per Commune and per prison consists of 1500 protective masks, 10 boxes of soaps (i.e. 500 soaps per Commune), 5 boxes of hydroalcoholic gels, and 12 hand washing devices.

This initiative recalls and highlights the central role of women and young people in the development of the Social and Solidarity Economy, and the weight of SSE in the fight against the pandemic.

INDUSTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS: PROXIMITY & SOCIAL ECONOMY

On Friday 18 September 2020, in the framework of the European Coronavirus Alliance webinars, the European Commission, the European Clusters Alliance and the European Associaton of Development Agencies, co-organized a workshop on "Industrial Ecosystems: Proximity and Social Economy".

The webinar brought together presentations from three Cluster organizations on their work in the field, in order to feed into the reflection on the post-Covid19 recovery plan.

The presentation by Bernard Lahure from Ecotransfaire, the company that is piloting the SSE Cluster Grande Région project, emphasized the cross-border nature of this project where four countries are involved (Luxembourg, France, Germany, Belgium), each bringing an original perspective. This cluster forms a support community for the development of the local economy, supporting social entrepreneurs whose structures are on a human scale and are mostly involved in the social sector. This support is based on the triptych community, project and territory and is very pragmatic and solution-oriented, thanks to a presence in the field and listening to the members. The labels help political decision-makers to direct their support, but in the field SMIs do not have the time to obtain the label. This is why the Cluster is above all looking at the strong social impact in the field and has adopted a charter in order to deepen the means of working together. The social enterprises that belong to this community operate in the fields of local food distribution, social purchasing, the social economy, and the reuse of construction materials, as part of the circular economy.

Jan Willem Wennekes, from the Impact Noord organization in the Netherlands, presented the constitution of this cluster as a two-pronged project: aimed at both social and solidarity economy enterprises and traditional enterprises wishing to become a social enterprise. He recalled that impact enterprises have basic needs for visibility, representation, networking and development opportunities. Faced with these challenges, the active regional network that has been set up has proven to be an effective solution, bringing organizations together and facilitating partnerships with institutions (banks, universities) and local governments. The Cluster has assigned itself three roles:

- The representation ;

- Member Services ;

- Ecosystem development

It has grown from 13 to 56 members (impact companies) and from 2 to 11 partners (mainly regional players). The main challenges remain continuity and growth.

In the case of the Cluster of Social Enterprises in Vojvodina (KASPEV) presented by Siniša Tešić, the starting point for its creation lies in a desire to facilitate access to employment for vulnerable people (women, people with disabilities, etc.). The cluster works to create links between the economy, the educational institution and the research organization on social economy in order to support the social economy in Serbia, to train and strengthen the capacities of the cluster members, to educate, to imagine new services, to deploy social innovation.

KASPEV brings together 15 members from different economic sectors: leading industry, ecology, soda water production etc. It is one of the members of the Social Economy Council of the Vojvodina region.

- Spotlight on Innovation - Employ4all (platform for better employment of people with disabilities)

- Social EnterChangingShip - Board Game for Social Entrepreneurship Education

- Responsible - Website for a better cooperation Profit-making enterprises with the social enterprise KASPEV

The communities presented underline the holistic dimension of the SSE approach and its place in the construction of the post-Covid19 world. Responding to the need for support for SSE actors and strengthening their weight by expanding networks are key factors.

This is what ESS Forum International is working on through the Agora of Projects, a platform for promoting and supporting social and solidarity economy projects.

Find the video of the webinar, here.

3RD EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SOCIAL ENTERPRISES AND CSR

On June 29 and 30, Togo organized the 3rd edition of the International Conference on Social Enterprises and CSR on innovation and challenges.

The panels of the first day were organized in partnership with the MOUVES which presented the results of its Diagnosis of the Social & Inclusive Business Ecosystems of 16 African Countries, funded by the French Development Agency.

During two days, the discussions focused on the following panels:

- The response of African impact enterprises to COVID-19: agile and resilient models ;

- Post-COVID in Africa: the winning strategy for an inclusive, social and ecological transition ;

- Cooperation with "impact": the role of France ;

- Dialogue on the Manifesto Pact for Impact ;

- Social enterprises and value chains in the craft and food industries ;

- Digital transformation: what opportunities for social innovation?

Initiatives such as this Mobile Application and the anticoro.ci website in Côte d'Ivoire, the production of masks by women's cooperatives in Cameroon and in most African countries, the adoption of online sales are all examples of the adaptability and innovation capacities that social and solidarity economy actors, from start-ups to the smallest entities, have demonstrated.

As the Continent has suffered the full impact of the economic crisis even before the health impact of Covid-19, recovery is at the heart of all concerns. Programmes such as the European Mobilisation for Entrepreneurship in Africa (MeetAfrica), the actions of investors and partners, the financing platform Lita.co, or Collaborative for frontier finance bode well for the support that social entrepreneurs can count on. The Togolese State, which has already set up the national fund for inclusive finance and the Support Fund for Young Economic Initiatives, has also made a commitment to its population by proposing an extension of repayment deadlines on loans taken out by young companies that wish to do so, the setting up of an e-commerce platform, the creation of a financing platform for cash flow needs, the release of special credits for the agricultural sector, etc.

Pauline Effa, Executive Director of PFAC and Africa correspondent for SSE International Forum participated in the two-day event. She did not fail to recall that for the post-Covid world, the lesson to be learned is that SSE is an economic model that has a direct impact on families and communities. She stressed the need to boost it in order to perpetuate the activities created by the « petites mains » during the crisis, and allow the development of collective entrepreneurship. She encourages to follow the model of Local Networks of SSE (RELESS) that she is working to implement in Cameroonian municipalities. These RELESS enable the networking of SSE actors for job creation and access to more markets. Pauline Effa also supports the WYSSE initiative led by Apes Togo, another SSEIF member, which supports women and youth in their SSE projects.

This conference, and all the initiatives presented there, reminds us that Africa can and must rely on the SSE network in its territories in order to build a solid ecosystem and make this economic model a coherent instrument that is adaptable to the realities of countries in a plural Africa. To this end, the creation and maintenance of networks is a priority. Emphasis was also placed on the importance of education and training to foster greater entrepreneurial dynamism among young people.

On a more global level, SSE can be a tool for reaching SDGs since it places the community at the heart of its actions. It must not be forgotten in the debate on digital transformation, which must be an asset for impact companies, while making sure not to deepen existing inequalities.

To follow the debates, click here for the first day, and here for the second.

You can also share your opinion on the conference by filling in this survey.