CALL FOR PROPOSALS - SHABAKE 2 - EMPOWERING ORGANIZATIONS TO BETTER SUPPORT VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES AND KEY POPULATIONS IN LEBANON

SHABAKE 2 PROJECT

 The multiple crises that have impacted Lebanon for several years have led to a serious deterioration in the standard of living of the population and increased the risks of economic, social and political instability in the country. With the onset of the Syrian crisis in March 2011, over one million people had to seek refuge in Lebanon. This influx of refugees has had significant human, social, economic and political repercussions and has weakened the structures of assistance to fragile populations. The last two years have been marked by the collapse of the economy, the October 2019 protests, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Port of Beirut explosion. This accelerated series of social, economic and humanitarian crises has led to a dramatic increase in poverty levels among displaced populations and vulnerable host communities. Local NGOs play an essential role in crisis contexts in Lebanon, through their proximity to the most vulnerable populations and their presence in the most affected areas of the country. Their activities contribute to improving access to basic services in a context of saturation of public services. They also play a key role in strengthening social cohesion with the growing risk of community tensions. Promoting their role and strengthening their capacities remains a major lever for the sustainability of crisis response actions in the country, and has been a key objective for the SHABAKE project implemented in Lebanon by Expertise France since 2019. The second phase of the project, “SHABAKE 2” pursues the same objective which is to build the capacities of local NGOs to play an active role in the development of Lebanon and respond to the series of crises affecting the country, mainly through three components: (i) Vulnerabilities-reduction project (VRP), (ii) developing local NGOs capacities and integrating partners into the aid ecosystem, as well as (iii) promoting the aid localization agenda in Lebanon. Reflecting on the lessons learned from the first phase and allowing greater adaptation to the current crisis context in Lebanon, SHABAKE 2 will focus even more on the rapid and concrete effects that could be achieved on the ground through the awarded grants. Partner NGOs’ capacity development will be oriented towards empowering them to properly implement the awarded grants and respond to the multiple crisis that affected vulnerable population in Lebanon As stated within recent assessments reports and crisis response plan documents1 , the recent multiple crisis has led to even greater gender inequity. Women are more vulnerable to the devastating effects of the economic crisis looking specifically at issues of job loss and unemployment. The reduction of gender inequality and education, and the empowerment of women and girls are central to Shabake project and therefore a priority for this call for projects. For a lasting impact, the Shabake project will promote NGOs’ collaboration with municipalities and cooperation among technically-sound NGOs to ensure better learning and dialogue on ways for reducing vulnerabilities. A greater effort will be exerted to ensure a broader awareness among potential partners of the project across Lebanon, by deploying a network of field agents who will also have the role of providing individualized support to partner NGOs through coaching and dedicated trainings, further to ensuring the project implementation follow-up. 1 2021 MSNA Lebanon – April 2022; Lebanon Crisis Response Plan 2022-2023 CALL FOR PROJECTS RULES Page 5 of 26

1.2 Program objectives and priorities SHABAKE project aims to empower mission-driven, technically-sound and locally-rooted NGOs and ensure that they stand greater chances to withstand the crisis, access greater financial autonomy and contribute to the recovery of Lebanon. The overall objective of the Shabake project covered by this call for projects is to support social cohesion, peace and stability and promote gender equality by engaging civil society organizations to play a vital role in crisis management and to provide sustainable support to vulnerable host communities and Syrian refugees. The project is structured around three sub-objectives that cover all NGOs’ needs, allowing them to provide a relevant response to the current crisis and to gain skills:

 Sub-objective 1 (SO1): To enable NGOs to be trusted partners in the implementation of vulnerabilities-reduction projects and thematic actions.

 Sub-objective 2 (SO2): To support local NGOs in their efforts to efficiently respond to the emergency situations and ongoing crises in Lebanon.

 Sub-objective 3 (SO3): To enhance technical and organizational capacities of partner NGOs for an improved localization of aid for the benefit of vulnerable populations.

The specific objectives of this call for projects are to select and financially support Lebanese nongovernmental organizations which are able to offer vulnerabilities and gender inequalities reduction actions, benefiting Lebanese populations and Syrian refugees, as well as responses to thematic priorities.

This call for proposals is situated primarily within Sub-objective 1, with NGOs benefitting from subobjective 3 throughout the duration of this partnership. Through this call for projects, the funding mechanism for local NGOs aims to provide a long-term response to the crisis, by enhancing the resilience of vulnerable communities and tackling economic and social vulnerabilities which are the causes of the repeated crises affecting host populations and Syrian refugees. Under this funding scheme, partner NGOs must implement projects aimed at preventing and mitigating conflicts and promoting social and economic inclusion of populations, in particular youth, women, refugees and marginalized populations, in line with the overall project aim of crisis prevention and management, and with potential for rapid and concrete impact on sustainable recovery. This call for proposals is focused on 3 thematic priorities that are aligned with AFD and EF’s strategy of intervention in Lebanon.

Projects should focus on one or more of the priority areas below, in line with the strategy of France in Lebanon.

1. Livelihoods Support to income-generating activities, particularly for the most socio-economically vulnerable, including but not limited to: stimulation of local economic growth and market systems, by fostering retention and creation of jobs particularly in Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) and cooperatives; supporting nano and microbusiness initiatives, placement of job seekers, particularly women and persons with disabilities, by strengthening skills development and access to micro finance; promoting the social business model and seed funding to social enterprises; technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) interventions.

2. Food Security (Economic Revival Support) In the current context, as the crises have shed their effects on different sectors in Lebanon and severely damaged all people, the aim to support sustainable approaches for food security has become more in need. Food security projects might include, but not limited to, Interventions that aim to develop Lebanese territories, support sustainable agriculture projects and ensuring the country’s food security. Throughout these interventions, the aim is to strengthen social resilience and natural resource management. Moreover, such projects, will encourage economic regeneration and building stronger partnerships to support sustainable local food security initiatives.

3. Access to quality education Education sector has been severely impacted by the crisis (Syria crisis, economic deterioration, Covid-19 pandemic) resulting in important learning gaps. Adapted response and collaboration with other sectors (social assistance, protection, etc.) and with relevant authorities are needed to ensure that the needs of children, families and communities are responded to, in order to facilitate children’s access to education and ensures that girls and boys needs are met, especially for the most vulnerable including children with disabilities.