Feasibility Study Of Small Scale Income Generation Activities In Chouf, Lebanon

  General information on the mission   Context Following continuous internal and external political conflicts, a somehow stable government was set up in Lebanon late 2009 and lasted until January 2011 when PM Saad Hariri government was overthrown by the opposition. The resulting coalition in power (“March 8th“including mainly Hezbollah, the Free patriotic Movement and some allies) has been struggling to ensure an overall cohesion within the country with quite a limited success. The political scene in Lebanon remains extremely polarized and many issues create significant tensions within the overall social fabric of the country; among which:        The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (investigating the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri and other political figures in the country)        The weapons of Hezbollah present in Lebanon        The attempted assassination of prominent opposition leaders during 2012        The deadlock regarding electoral law        The Syrian crisis To summarize, the current political situation in Lebanon suffers from extreme instability and the tensions between stakeholders are very high although these tensions have not yet degenerated into significant violence. Economically speaking, the country suffers from a very high inflation rate (above 6% in general) and basic items’ prices increase regularly. The impact of the Syrian crisis and the overall instability in Lebanon have deterred many tourists from visiting the country during the summer 2012 thus heavily impacting the local economy and further deteriorating the overall economic situation. The perceived weakness of the central government (currently caretaker government), the economic situation and the overall political issues that polarize the Lebanese society have escalated into a general restlessness of the population pushing many groups to organize regular demonstrations, sit-ins, road blockages… This general restlessness creates an additional factor of instability that may escalate easily into violence Finally, it’s to be noted that the Syrian crisis has had a significant impact on the overall situation in the country. This impact is twofold:        The first one is linked to the influx of refugees into all parts of the country. The first response to the needs of the refugees was done by the host communities and the Lebanese civil society and charity organizations. This first response has been a significant strain on the already weak economic situation of the Lebanese population in the areas of refuge. Also, the influx of Syrian refugees, providing cheap unskilled labor force, has further deteriorated the income situation of the host communities. The provision of aid to Syrian refugees and their big numbers in the areas of refuge have started to create jealousy and tension with the host communities. The situation has not yet escalated into violence but the risk of further escalation is significant.        The second one is linked to the internal political scene which is completely split between pro and against the Syrian regime. This split has generated important tensions whether between political groups or communities and the tensions have escalated into violence in several cases (among which the ongoing armed conflict between Bab El Tabbaneh (pro-Syrian revolution) and Jabal Mehsen (pro-Syrian regime) communities in Tripoli). To be noted that the split is also following religious splits in Lebanon thus generating significant tensions between religious groups in the country: tensions that are historically the fuel for violence and armed clashes. PU-AMI’s strategy/position in the country PU-AMI’s strategy in Lebanon is focused on the following main axes:        Continue providing support to Palestinian refugees in camps and informal gatherings through the implementation of Shelter Rehabilitation and WASH projects        Continue the up-scaling of the emergency response projects for Syrian Refugees in the North, in Beirut, Mount Lebanon and in the South (Saida) with a focus on Shelter, WASH, Food Security and Health activities        Target the most vulnerable communities in Lebanon (remote underdeveloped rural areas, marginalized ethnic groups…) through rural development, livelihoods and infrastructure (Shelter, Schools…) rehabilitation projects        Roll out a multi-sector emergency response capacity enabling a timely and relevant response to acute extremely urgent needs in all areas of intervention   History of the mission and current programs   Since 1996, PU-AMI has been adapting its humanitarian response to Lebanon's ever-changing context. During and after the main crisis that affected Lebanon (the Israeli operation «  Grapes of Wrath» in 1996, the war of July 2006, and the crisis in the Palestinian camp of Nahr El Bared in 2007), PU-AMI conducted emergency relief operations such as :        Food distributions        Water distributions        Hygiene kits distributions        Mobile clinics : consultations and medicine distributions        Installation of water treatment units for the production of drinking water Furthermore, PU-AMI has been involved since 2002 in supporting the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and has become a major stakeholder regarding this protracted humanitarian crisis. PU-AMI has been implementing several types of programming, among which:        Rehabilitation of houses damaged during conflicts,        Rehabilitation of houses for the most vulnerable families,        Construction of housing units to facilitate the return of displaced populations,        Rehabilitation of water and sanitation systems in unofficial Palestinian gatherings,        Economic recovery through the provision of professional tool kits. Currently, PU-AMI is implementing Shelter rehabilitation and WASH projects in Palestinian informal settlements in Saida and Beirut cities and emergency response activities for the population affected by the Syrian crisis in the North of Lebanon, Beirut, Mount Lebanon and Saida (Syrian refugees, Palestinian Refugees from Syria, host communities…) The emergency response projects integrate Food Security, Shelter rehabilitation and support, Health and emergency WASH components. The main activities covered within this response are the following: Rehabilitation of individual and collective shelters Cash for rent Collective Shelter management Distribution of emergency shelter weatherproofing kits Distribution of household water filters Setting up of water tanks Construction / Rehabilitation of sanitation facilities Hygiene kits distribution  and hygiene promotion sessions Voucher for food distributions Support to Primary Health Centers Configuration of the mission budget forecast 2014 30 000 000 EUR bases Beirut (Coordination) Beirut (Operational), North (Akkar), South (Saida) number of expatriates 24 (expected) number of national staff 200 (expected) number of current projects 6 main partners ECHO, UNHCR, BPRM, UNICEF, WFP, AFD activity sectors WASH Shelter Health Food Security and Livelihoods expatriate team on-site HoM, DHoMP, DHoMQ, Shelter Coordinator, Health Coordinator, Logistics Coordinator, M&E Coordinator, KCCB Coordinator, WASH Coordinator, Logistics Supply , ERM Health PM (11).     Job Description   Overall objective   The consultant/firm will be responsible for preparing PU-AMI strategy of intervention in the livelihoods sector in Chouf District, Mt. Lebanon Governorate by developing an emergency livelihood prject targeting both refugees and host communities at household level through with a specific focus on household income generation activities. This will include a local market feasibility survey taking into consideration existing supply and demand for value added (processed) skilled and unskilled goods and/or services. Potential interventions should focus on capital inputs and skills needed by the persons of concern to conduct such activities. Taking into account the current funding opportunities, the priority will be put on sustainable local actions aimed at strengthening local capacities and will be implemented through operational partnerships with local stakeholders (NGOs, Community Based Organizations, local authoritities). A specific analysis will be done in order to define the most appropriate approach of IGAs regarding the targeting mechanisms (host communities and refugees) along with the feasibility and sustainability to support livelihoods.   Specific objectives and linked activities 1.          TO ASSESS THE LIVELIHOODS SITUATION IN CHOUF DISTRICT WITH A FOCUS ON SMALL SCALE INCOME GENERATING ACTIVITIES (IGAs) *   To conduct a desk study of secondary research and review of available material including existing food security surveillance systems and livlihoods needs for Syrian refugees and host communities (persons of concern or PoCs) *   To prepare the required methodological tools to be used for the identification of the needs related to livelihoods and existing IGAs in the district at both household and communal level *   To supervise the data collection process, as well as the entry and the analysis of the data *   To collect the data needed for the assessment through field visits, stakeholder consultations, households questionnaires, focus group discussions and meetings with local and international stakeholders *   To assess the existing skill sets and interests of PoCs, where training could be provided to meet interest in IGA and assess capital input needs *   To identify potential local partners for the implementation of the activities, according to their field of expertise, their willingness to endorse the project and their operational and organizational capacity   2.          TO CONDUCT A MARKET STUDY ON SMALL SCALE INCOME GENERATING ACTIVITIES IN THE VALUE CHAIN IN CHOUF DISTRICT *   To identify factors possibly preventing access for PoC from local markets (social exclusion, insufficient capital, lack of training, commercial process, etc.) *   To identify areas of potential intervention to support household-level or collective value-added income generating activities’ products and services (food processing or “ready made” foodstuffs, handicrafts, tailoring, packaging, etc.) within the market chain (production, trading, processing, retailing) with active community participation *   To identify limiting factors on market access in all areas (finance, transport, seasonalities, social context, gender, education, etc.) *   To assess current market activity of small IGAs in shops, souks, etc. and the overall demand chain in Chouf *   To assess the strength of local markets to promote and sell IGA products that are in demand and potential marketting strategies to create further/new demand   3.          PREPARE A REPORT PRESENTING THE STRATEGY OF INTERVENTION FOR PU-AMI IN THE LIVELIHOODS SECTOR IN CHOUF DISTRICT *   To define the main scope for PU-AMI intervention in this sector, linking market needs for household IGA to potential beneficiary activities and skills *   Determine specific area(s) of intervention to be targeted in Chouf, beneficiaries and caseload, overall and specific objectives to achieve, main reults to be reached and the activities to be implemented in order to address the identified IGA capital and skills needs, according to the context and PU-AMI operational capacities *   To define the means and resources to be allocated in order to implement the activities, through a joint work with the support departments *   To draft a document strategy to be shared at the mission level, validated by the person in charge at the mission and HQ levels *   To ensure the participation of target communities in the development of the strategy taking into consideration any potential negative impacts *   To draft a concept note summarizing these elements, in accordance with the related donor templates, to be shared and validated with the person in charge at both mission and HQ levels   Team management Number of people to manage and their status (national personnel) Direct management : 2 PU-AMI field officers (to be defined depending on offer)   Required Profile Required knowledge and skills   Required desirable Training   Technical training in economics, social science, agronomy would be a major asset *  Project management *  Training in in agriculture, economics, social science, rural development   Professional experience *   Humanitarian         *   International *   Technical     * Min. 3 years as a manager of humanitarian projects or similar livlelihoods studies/consultancies * Successful experience in team management and the management of FS&L * Experience in assessing needs and developing market studies in developing nations * MA in Economics, Agronomy, International Development or related field and/or comparable professional experience   Programs *  A fortiori *  Knowledge of livelihood programmes   * Experience with PU-AMI               Strong knowledge of various IGA modalities and techniques   Knowledge and skills     * Excellent writing skills * Strong knowledge of project management * Team management * Ability to work in unstable circumstances * Detailed knowledge of donors (OFDA, ECHO, AFD, UN agencies, etc.) Languages *   French *   English *  Arabic     X X         Software *   MS Office   X     Required Personal Characteristics (fitting into team, suitability for the job and assignment/mission) *   Leadership skills and an ability to make decisions. *   Ability to show authority, if necessary. *   Analysis  and synthesis skills. *   Adaptability. *   Organization, rigor and respect of deadlines. *   Great ability to listen and to negotiate. *   Good people person and good communication skills. *   Ability to remain calm and level-headed. *   General ability to resist stress, particularly in a changing environment.