Anne Fransen Fund 2021 Projects Announced
Consumers International is delighted to announce that six of our members have been chosen to receive funding through the Anne Fransen Fund (AFF). This year’s winners are from Chile, Colombia, Fiji, Nepal, India, and Vietnam.
About the AFF
The Anne Fransen Fund is an annual grant prize which aims to promote the growth of the consumer movement in developing countries. Grants of €9,500 are awarded to consumer organisations in developing to carry out projects linked to one of the eight consumer rights.
The fund was founded in 1988 in memory of Anne Fransen, the first director of our Dutch member, Consumentenbond. Since then, Consumentenbond has provided nearly a million euros in funding to consumer groups in developing countries, enabling these groups to have a greater impact and to enhance their institutional capacity.
This year’s winners
Chile – ODECU: The aim of Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios de Chile’s project is to improve consumer awareness and around food safety. ODECU will analyse 12 popular canned tuna brands to test the safety and nutritional quality of the product. As a result consumers will be able to make more informed choices, opting for the best and safest products available on the market.
Colombia – Educar Consumidores: The project seeks to guarantee the rights of consumers to safety, information, choice, education and a healthy environment, around food. Educar Consumidores will design and execute a digital campaign to highlight the bad practices and promotion of ultra-processed food aimed at young people in Colombia. At the same time they will inform consumers about healthy eating options in the country.
Fiji - CCF: The Consumer Council of Fiji’s project will empower Fijian consumers to become knowledgeable and to encourage them to make more healthy choices in the type of foods that they purchase. The CCF will raise awareness and educate targeted villages and communities about diabetes and its risk factors and how their choices including behavioural change can contribute towards combating diabetes. They will develop a community environment that inspires and supports healthy lifestyles to fight against diabetes by mobilising rural consumers.
India - CERS: The Consumer Education and Research Society’s project will empower consumers with information about the importance of consuming and demanding iodised salt. Awareness programmes on Iodine Deficiency Disorders, its health impacts on families and how checking the iodine level in the salt, will ensure that they start exercising their consumer rights, more importantly right to choose and right to be informed.
Nepal – SEWA: The Socio Economic Welfare Action for Women and Children’s project will develop emerging digital skills and digital literacy of local farmers and urban consumers. Consumers will develop digital literacy skills related to online purchasing, financial transaction, and existing fraudulent activities. The project will also train local farmers to sell and promote their products on e-commerce platforms. It will also build digital literacy skills of consumers and farmers to access information from facilities provided by the Nepal Government, financial institutions and other sectors.
Vietnam – VINASTAS: The Vietnam Standards and Consumers Association’s project will increase access information, ensure consumers justice and protection in purchase for consumers. Traditional labelling, especially small products, is difficult to fully and clearly express the necessary information about the product to meet the needs of consumers and difficult to trace the origin of products. VINISTAS propose to supplement electronic labelling of the goods to give consumers access to full information about the goods they are interested in through online access. VINASTAS will engage stakeholders to create a legal framework and guidance for electronic labelling through proposing to supplement electronic labelling in a Government Decree.