Business Consultant

Background Information

Background on context

According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) around 914,000 Palestinians were displaced between 1947 and 1949 as a result of the establishment of the state of Israel. The refugees fled to the Palestinian territories as well as to the neighbouring countries Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Demographic growth has led to more than 5 million Palestinian refugees registered by UNRWA today. About a third of these refugees live in the 58 camps administered by UNRWA in the region. 450,000 Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA in Lebanon since 1948, of which today approximately 260,000 – 280,000 still reside in the country. Roughly two thirds of them (62%) live in 12 camps while the rest lives in 42 informal settlements called ‘gatherings’ spread over five areas (Tyre, Saida, North Lebanon, Central Lebanon -including Beirut-, and the Bekaa Valley). The overall socio-economic situation of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon is dire and levels of food insecurity and poverty follow an increasing trend. More than 69 years after their arrival in Lebanon, Palestinian refugees are still deprived of many basic rights. Among other factors, they are denied the right to own property and face restrictive labour market policies. Almost two thirds of the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are considered poor and discriminatory laws hamper their ability to improve their living conditions. As a result, Palestinian refugees are forced to rely on UNRWA as their primary service provider. The pressure has become more severe since the beginning of the war in Syria. About 40.000 Palestinian refugees from Syria have fled to the camps in Lebanon. The intersection of these two marginalized refugee populations has produced additional material struggles and conflicts of identity. Organisational structures on local level are neither well established nor representative. Furthermore, they are only connected to other organisations on meso- and macro-level in a very limited way, which makes it impossible for them to properly represent the interests of the refugees. Due to the lack of legitimacy, unclear responsibilities and inefficient structures there are tensions and conflicts between the organisations themselves and in the refugee camps. Because of this, the Palestinian refugees and their representing organisations are not able to sufficiently participate in social processes targeting the improvement of their living conditions.

About Facilitating Social Participation of Palestinian Refugees (FASPAR)

The project Facilitating Social Participation of Palestinian Refugees (FASPAR) is commissioned by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ in the Palestinian Territories, Jordan, and Lebanon since September 2014. From August 2017 until January 2019, the FASPAR components for Lebanon are co-financed by the European Union (EU) and are summarised under the title “Preventing instability in Palestinian camps in Lebanon”. The aim is to mitigate tensions within the Palestinian refugee community in Lebanon by facilitating social participation of refugees at three levels: a) within the refugee camps and the refugee community; b) between refugees and host communities; c) within relevant dialogue and mediation processes at national and regional levels.

FASPAR Lebanon consists of three components: 1) capacity development for the UNRWA Camp Improvement Plan (CIP) team and the corresponding working group in the Palestinian refugee camp Beddawi, North Lebanon; 2) strengthening the outreach of the Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee (LPDC) to Palestinian youth; and 3) developing a youth platform including 22 socially and politically active Palestinian youth from all over Lebanon.

Basic information about the project

As part of the capacity development for CBOs FASPAR support Sanabil Project for strengthening the psychosocial wellbeing and the social participation of elderly persons in Rashedieh camp. The project focuses on Palestinian and Lebanese elderly refugees as well as on Syrian elderly refugees who have been recently displaced. Its need-based plans focus on promoting social integration and autonomy of elderly as active members in the community. In line with the participation approach Sanabil targets youth, women and elderly from inside and outside the camp. Its core services are socio-cultural, psychological, artistic, and nutritional and health interventions implemented through awareness sessions and interactive activities for PRL and PRS elderly in Rashedieh Camp and their local community.

Purpose of the Consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical expertise to develop a business and fundraising plan that will be used to catalyse funding opportunities and provide support for implementation.

Tasks

The consultant will undertake the following tasks:

Review the current operational modality including its structure, scope and coverage of existing work, cash flow, sources of funding and cost containment strategies, and propose modifications as required;

Identify national and international sources for funding and develop an outreach plan for networking;

Develop a comprehensive business plan in order to find sustainable funding for the Sanabil project ;

Identify the fixed and variable costs to sustain the current level of service and the investments required to accommodate the needs;

Support in drafting possible new proposal to be submitted to relevant national and international organisations;

Coordinate with technical project consultant, Sanabil team members, the Women Program Center in Rashedieh and the umbrella organisation “Women Program Association” for the project;

Guide and support the team in looking for new ideas and opportunities for funding.

Qualifications

Academic Qualifications:

 A University degree (BA in Business Development, or Social Development, or related fields)

Experience:

From 5 to 10 years of experience in the related field;

Relevant working experience in community engagement and social activism; peace building and fundraising for social projects;

Previous experience with Palestinian Community and social work is a plus;

Competencies:

Knowledge in use of computer software packages for word‐processing, Excel, Power Point, and the internet;

Being proactive, organized, responsible, and having the proven ability to work well with a team;

Sound knowledge of the social development field, partners and trends in the Eastern

Knowledge or experienced in the Palestinian camps and/or gatherings;

Excellent communication skills, teamwork, facilitation skills, hardworking, works well under pressure, flexibility;

Fluent in Arabic and English as a working level.

Deliverables/Outputs

Output

Deliverables

Target Due Dates

Review and Approvals Required

Develop an outreach plan (written in English and in Arabic) to national and international organisation for fundraising

Outreach plan

2nd month

GIZ FASPAR Advisor

Develop a comprehensive Business Plan written in English and in Arabic for Sanabil project

Business Plan

3rd month

Compile results and documentation written in English and in Arabic to GIZ

Interim and Final Report

4th month, end of contract

Minimum of two finalized proposals for potential donors

Two project proposals

By the end of the contract

Place(s) of Assignment

The contractor is required to work inside Rashedieh Palestinian camp, in Sour and conduct other relevant work in other places of Lebanon, including Beirut.

Timeframe

The consultant is expected to provide his services during the period of June 2018 to January 2019. In total the consultant is expected to work up to 49 days during this timeframe.