Call for Partnership - Expression of Interest

Background:

Since 1987, Asmae has been actively dedicated efforts to four main strategic thematic areas: Access to quality education, socio-economic development and integration, child protection, and social cohesion.

Guided by our cross-sectoral approach, Asmae focuses on four key pillars: Rights-based approach, Gender equality, Participation, and Inclusion.

As part of the strategic vision of Asmae, the Youth for Change (YFC) programme, in its second phase over 3 years, remains dedicated to strengthening civil society organizations to address psycho-socio-economic challenges among youth and vulnerable communities. Being a crucial component of Asmae Lebanon, the YFC programme is funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and aligns with the aspirations of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. integrating gender equality, youth participation, inclusion, conflict sensitivity, advocacy, and climate change considerations,

This Expression of Interest call aims to provide equal opportunities to local civil society organizations that share our strategic vision and are enthusiastic about collaborating with Asmae in creating a better future for youth and vulnerable communities.

Overview of YFC program:

Phase 1 (January 2021 – December 2023)

YFC is a global program that started in January 2021 and will end in December 2023. In Lebanon, It aims to create opportunities for youth by enhancing their skills, socio-economic situation and overall well-being in Ein El Helwe camp, surrounding Lebanese grey areas, Naher El Bared Camp, and its surrounding grey areas. The grey areas share similarities with the camps in terms of poverty and living conditions and are characterized by a mix of nationalities. The Youth for Change Program also aims to strengthen intercultural understanding and mutual respect among the youth and their communities, enabling youth to take on leadership roles in serving their communities based on identified needs

The program targets directly youth from the Lebanese host communities, Palestinian Refugees from Syria (PRS), Palestinian Refugees from Lebanon (PRL), and Syrian Refugees (SR), with a focus on achieving a balanced representation of 60% females and 3% youth with disabilities, promoting gender diversity and inclusivity.

Asmae's intervention, in collaboration with its local partner Nabaa association has been centered around 3 objectives; all of the objectives focus on building resilience and capacity building of the youth and the local community members:

• Youth have skills and education to pursue productive futures
• Improve the psychosocial well-being of youth (12-22)
• Civil society has increased capacities and raised awareness to serve the need of youth and improve the inclusion

Phase 2 (January 2024 – December 2026)

During the second phase, the program aims to achieve key outcomes such as enhancing youth employability through vocational and computer skills training, providing entrepreneurship training and toolkits, and developing a tailored youth leadership advocacy toolkit/manual. These changes are expected to reduce youth unemployment, promote entrepreneurship, and foster civic engagement among the youth. The ultimate goal is to improve the psycho-social-economic situation of youth and strengthen the capacities of local partners in the North and South regions. The results of Phase 2 may lead to direct collaboration with private sectors for better youth inclusion in the labor force, and the trained youth will become community mobilizers and agents of positive change in their environment.

Asmae's main goal is to enhance and strengthen the governance, organizational, and technical capacities of both Nabaa and the selected CSO. this will facilitate sustainable programs that empower youth by enhancing their skills for income generation, improving well-being, and promoting gender equality and inclusion, Additionally, there will be a focus on mainstreaming cross-cutting issues, including conflict resolution and climate change topics.

The strategic objective of YFC-2 is to promote the Psycho-socio-economic situation of youth by supporting and strengthening their capacities as well as those of local partners accompanying them.

The specific objectives are the following:

1. 150 Youth have the skills and education to pursue productive futures in Saida and Tripoli
2. Improve the psychosocial well-being of 150 youth (12-22 years) in Saida and Tripoli
3. Strengthen the local communities' capacities and foster positive youth leadership roles in society using youth participatory approach

The synergy between both partners is highly required, while Nabaa will remain responsible for implementing the vocational training programs, career guidance, internship, and employment. In addition to providing PSS activities to the youth.

The second partner will be responsible for the following activities:

• Provision soft skills training to 150 youth who did the vocational training with Nabaa (50 youth per year)
• Train 150 youth on entrepreneurship in order to equip them with the required skills to run their own start-ups in the future (50 youth per year)
• Production of a youth leadership advocacy toolkit adapted to the context of Lebanon with a special focus on the targeted communities. The toolkit will include topics related to civic engagement, leadership, environment, negotiation, conflict resolution… (This may be done by an external consultant/ expert with the support of Asmae, depending on the available resources and level of expertise within the partner)
• Launch 3 5-day boot camps targeting 60 youth based on an open call for applications (20 youth per year)
• Train selected youth in the boot camp on the toolkit in order to equip them to conduct a participatory assessment, youth-led data collection, write a simple proposal and manage a youth-led community campaign in addition to the above toolkit topics
• Selection 2 winning community campaign proposals per year based on specific criteria
• Implementation of the community campaigns with the support of Asmae and the partner
• Reporting of the community campaigns by the youth

Although the responsibilities mentioned above are clear and precise, it is essential to highlight the significant level of collaboration and coordination among Asmae, Nabaa, and the second partner. This synergy will be achieved through mutual and regular coordination meetings, referrals, networking, and the exchange of experiences through training and workshops when necessary.

Eligibility Criteria

1. The organization is registered/accredited to work in the country by relevant authorities
2. The organization is non-governmental, non-religious, and non-profit.
3. The organization has clear objectives, vision, and/or mission statement linked to the humanitarian context and in alignment with Asmae’s mission.
4. The organization has clear structures, roles, responsibilities, and disaggregation of duties.
5. The organization has a transparent financial and procurement procedure.
6. The organization adheres to a transparent and democratic approach, ensuring that decisions are not solely controlled by one individual or influenced by political pressures.
7. The organization has a good reputation and acceptance among local stakeholders in the communities and areas of operation, as well as among the national actors.
8. The organization has a good understanding of the social and political environment.
9. The working area of the organization includes the areas where the project is going to be implemented in the North (Naher El Bared and surrounding areas) and South (Ein El Helwe and surrounding areas)
10. The organization had previous support from other international organizations or donors is a plus (For Asmae’s reference check).
11. The organization must have continuous activity in the humanitarian sector in the last 3 years.
12. The organization is experienced in the following thematic areas: Youth Empowerment, Participation and Leadership, entrepreneurship, advocacy, and campaigning, civic engagement, Child Protection, Gender Equality, and Inclusion.

Technical requirements for the program implementation:  

The selected organization should be able to:

• Implement the projects using gender-sensitive approaches.
• Identify, involve, and collaborate with community leaders, government agencies, and other stakeholders in the implementation of the project according to the donor requirements
• Reach the goals and targets of the project (quantitatively and qualitatively) and abide by the MEAL and reporting requirements of Asmae and the donor.
• Adapt project strategies according to the needs.
• Have commitment in attending all required trainings and other capacity-building plan components.
• Support youth to implement initiatives, that benefit their communities.
• Engage in advocacy around issues, that are of particular importance for youth leadership and well-being in these communities.
• Have a sustainability plan.

Partner Selection process

Based on the final assessment scores, the committee will make the partner selection. Following this, there will be further discussions to incorporate the partner's inputs and recommendations into the final proposal and budget. Once the proposal is approved, Asmae will sign a partnership agreement with the selected partner to begin implementation in January 2024.

Process Timeframe:

• Deadline for Submission: September 8^th, 2023
• Meetings and Assessments with shortlisted CSOs: September 25^th – September 29^th 
• Further discussion on Proposal: October 5^th – October 12^th.