Consultant Capitalization Study

Amel Association International seeks an experienced consultant to prepare a capitalization of lessons learned and best practices Study for an 18-month project, and organize and lead a seminar for the capitalization.

The Capitalization study will be conducted among 1 principle target group (Male and Female 15-25 years old) in Lebanon. Data collection will be split between the following regions: Akkar (Halba), Bekaa (Ersal and El Ain), Beirut / Mount Lebanon (Chiyah, Hayye Sellom, Mar Elias Camp) and South Lebanon (Saida).

Amel invites all interested and qualified candidates to submit a resume, a brief proposal for the Capitalization study (including tasks, timeline and a tentative budget) and a letter of interest, clearly explaining how their experience meets required qualifications by Monday 20^th November to the following contact: [email protected]

<!--break-->

1. 1.     Background

1.1.            Organization Overview

Amel is a Lebanese and non-sectarian NGO created in 1979. Amel has been working through 24 centers and 6 mobile medical units for more than 35 years in the poorest regions of Lebanon, from Beirut and its South Suburbs to Mount Lebanon, Bekaa and South Lebanon. Amel offers accessible services for all in following fields: medical, psychosocial, professional training, rural development, child protection and human rights promotion.

1.2.            Intervention Summary

 The project Empowering Women and Youths in Lebanon Now! (EMPOWERING NOW!) is implemented by Amel in partnership with Akkar Network for Development, Culture and Science Foundation and Youth for Development. It is part of Amel’s response to the Syrian crisis in relation with the livelihood sector.

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the enhancement of the socio-economic and livelihoods conditions of the most vulnerable populations affected by the Syrian crisis in Lebanon, particularly women and youth.

The specific objective of the project is improve this target group’s access to the labour market through vocational training schemes, work related experience, support to business start-up/cooperatives and psycho social support.

The target group is at least 6500 women and youths (employing a gender balanced approach and targeting both Syrian refugees and host communities); 10 women led cooperatives / community based organizations and at least 15,000 individuals (family, relatives, etc.) who will benefit from improved socio-economic conditions of their family members.

The estimated results are: (Result 1): 1 Targeted vulnerable population is supported to be economically active through professional and life skills capacity building and placement/internship opportunities (Result 2): Targeted vulnerable women are supported to be self-reliant and engaged in productive activities. (Result 3):  Targeted vulnerable population is empowered to be economically and socially resilient through psychosocial support, community events and counselling.

The main activities of the project are: (A1.1) technical training; (A1.2), vocational and life skills training; (A1.3) work-related experience; (A2.1) marketing, accounting and quality / production course; (A2.2) coaching for women producers and cooperatives; (A2.3) provision of 10 grants to women producers and cooperatives to develop their business; (A3.1) psychological group and individual counseling; (A3.2), recreational and community events.

1. 2.     The Capitalization

2.1.            Capitalization Objectives

The overall objective of the capitalization is to document the success stories, best practices and lessons learned gained during the implementation of the project entitled “Empowering NOW!!” and to provide external appreciation of the project and lessons learned for its replication by Amel, its partners and other agencies involved in the livelihood and protection sectors.

2.2 Key research questions

The following are key questions that should be covered by the research. They are given as a guideline for the consultant to propose a methodology. New questions may arise throughout the research and should be discussed with the team in AMEL.

Beneficiaries outreach and commitment

•           Which processes should be used to outreach youth beneficiaries and avoid their drop-out (criteria for selection, mobilization activities..)?

•           Which areas/districts in Lebanon are not outreached by livelihood activities

•           Which age group are least targeted by livelihood activities in Lebanon

Provision of Vacational Trainings

•           What would be the reasonable time period for providing youth with needed skills for VET?

•           What types of VET are recommended for youth in Lebanon?

•           How to encourage youth to choose a VET out of the systematic social gender roles

Psychosocial  Support activities and lifeskills training

•           To which extent does the PSS contribute in the improvement of the socio-economic situation of youth and their families?

•           What kind of PSS activities/interventions is needed by the refugees and the host communities in Lebanon?

•           How can lifeskills training contribute to the employment and the enhancement of the socio-economic condition of vulnerable youth of Lebanon?

Work-related experience and employment

•           What are the main field of employment recommended in each of the 26 districts in Lebanon?

•           How can the civil society contribute in the creation of internship and job opportunities for youth in Lebanon?

•           How engaged are employers (businessman, factories and shop owners….) in creating internship and job opportunities for youth in Lebanon?

•           What role plays the relevant ministries in creating internship and job opportunities for youth in Lebanon?

•           What is the best procedure to organize internship for youth benefiting from the VET?

Women Empowerment

•           What are the main challenges facing activities supporting women producers and cooperatives?

•           How can NGOs contribute in the sustainability of their business projects?

•           What are the mechanism developed between national and international organizations to improve the socio-economic situations of vulnerable women in Lebanon.

•           What are the recommendations from business owners and women entrepreneurs to enhance the projects and trainings in this field?

Recommendations

What can be improved in the activities currently covering the livelihood sectors and specially the one organized by Amel Association such as:

-           Lifeskills trainings

-           VET trainings

-           Language and Computer literacy

-           Entrepreneurship

-           And other activities

2.3.            Audience

The audience of this capitalization is Amel Association International and other key stakeholders in the civil society such as NGOs, INGOS, UN, donors, and Ministries.

2.3.            Methods

The capitalization study will be done accordingly to the OECD/DAC criteria: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability, and through desk research and meetings and interviews with relevant people.

In order to prepare the Capitalization the research team/researcher should work in collaboration with the following actors:

1.         The Livelihood Coordinator at Amel, who will facilitate linkages with the project partners and team and provide all needed documents, data and information linked to the program.

2.         Civil Society actors engaged in the Livelihood Sector

3.         Members from the UN entities and other donors related and investing in the livelihood sectors

4.         Other socio-economy expert to be identified by the consultant

5.         Employers and Women entrepreneurs

3.     Implementation Information

3.1.            Amel Contact

The consultant will work closely with Amel’s Livelihood Coordinator and Program Coordinator.

3.2.            Location

Data collection will be done in 7 sites (Halba, El Ain, Ersal, Chiyah, Hayye Sellom, Mar Elias Camp, Miye w Miye – Saida)

3.3.            Deliverables

• A Capitalization plan detailing tasks, timelines and roles
• A draft report in English (with findings and basic frequencies analysis for surveys, and analysis for FGDS) to be revised by Amel
• A final report in English incorporating Amel’s comments
• Organize a workshop to present the capitalization

Analysis of all survey findings will be done from gender, age and urban/rural lenses. All findings will be segregated accordingly.

3.4.            Deadlines

• Deadline for consultant bidding: November 20th 2017  
• Deadline for consultant selection: November 22^nd 2017
• Deadline for contract signature: November 23^rd 2017
• Deadline for finalizing capitalization plan: November 26^th 2017
• Deadline for the draft report: December 20^th 2017
• Deadline for the final report: January 15^th 2018
• Deadline for delivering the workshop: December 28^th 2017

3.5.            Logistical Support

The consultant will be responsible for the logistical planning for the meetings, interviews and workshop delivery

1. 4.     The Consultant

4.1.            Role and Responsibilities of the Consultant

The consultant will be responsible for:

• Designing a capitalization plan
• Interviewing key stakeholders in the livelihood field
• Reviewing the relevance of the project’s activities with the LCRP 2018
• Finalized data collection tools and instruments
• Reporting on findings and analysis
• Implementing a workshop to represent the capitalization

4.2.            Consultant’s Qualifications

Amel seeks an experienced consultant with the following qualifications:

• Fluency in Arabic and English
• Knowledge and/or experience in the livelihood field
• More than 5 years of experience in project evaluation or the equivalent in M&E expertise, including collecting and analyzing data from interviews, surveys, FGDs, etc.
• Experience in working with NGOs
• Strong communication and writing skills
• Research and evaluation methods and data collection skills
• Ability to be flexible with time and work schedule
• Attention to detail and ability to meet tight deadlines