Anne Fransen Fund 2022 Projects Announced
Consumers International is delighted to announce that five of our members have been chosen to receive funding through the Anne Fransen Fund (AFF). This year’s winners are from Cabo Verde, India, Indonesia, Lebanon and Zimbabwe.
About the Anne Fransen Fund
The Anne Fransen Fund is an annual grant prize which promotes the growth of the consumer movement in developing countries. Grants are awarded to consumer organisations 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
- Associação para Defesa do Consumidor (ADECO), Cape Verde who focus on raising awareness on sustainable consumption, grounded in their belief that conditions must be created to inform and educate consumers, especially the most vulnerable. ADECO intends to create a Financial Office to instruct and guide consumers to make more conscious decisions.
- Voluntary Organisation in Interest of Consumer Education (VOICE), India whose project 'Sustainable Healthy Foods for Consumers: Right to Choose Healthy Food' will inform and educate consumers on the importance of Front Of Pack Labelling (FOPL) so consumers can make informed and healthy choices.
- Lembaga Konsumen Yogyakarta (Yogyakarta Consumer Institute), Indonesia whose mission is to raise consumer critical awareness and encourage strong and critical consumer groups to be created, to defend vulnerable consumers and fight for consumer justice. Their project will initiate 'consumer groups of healthy and safe food' in rural areas.
- Consumer Lebanon Association (CL), Lebanon will raise awareness on the eight consumers rights. Specifically, their project will work with the Next Generation across all regions to mobilise around the rights. The project will also promote how consumers can seek redress.
- Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ) whose project aims to educate 100 small business owners and 10 Consumer Action Clubs [CACs] on the tenets of consumer protection and their obligations under the Consumer Protection Act (CPA). This will be key to resolving consumer complaints between small businesses and consumers. It will also help to pilot and fine-tune a nation-wide consumer protection awareness initiative.