Economic Development Consultant – MSMEs Digitalization

The Shabake Project was designed in the framework of the localization of aid agenda and the need to strengthen Lebanese NGO capacities so that local recipients can take the lead in responding to crisis.

The project aims to help local and international Lebanese non-governmental organizations (NGOs) become lasting, key players in mitigating and ameliorating the effects of the Syrian refugee crisis on Lebanon and the subsequent crises that have emerged in the current context in Lebanon, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Beirut Port Explosions.

The NGO partners selected for the Shabake project are comprised of 13 local NGOs, each of whom will receive support in developing their organizational and technical capacities. They will also have an opportunity to put their new institutional changes into practice via a humanitarian project that reduce vulnerabilities and Economic Recovery projects that will improve the economic wellbeing of businesses in the Beirut blast area. In addition, each NGO partner will be invited to meet and directly interact with donors, aid providers, and public authorities working in the development-aid ecosystem. 

To this end, the Shabake capacity-reinforcement project is divided in four main component parts:

1. Building on the strengths, assets, capacities, and skills of the local Lebanese NGOs
2. Having each NGO partner implement a crisis-response project to reduce vulnerabilities.
3. Improving and/or integrating the participation of NGO partners in the development-aid ecosystem.
4. Local NGO partners have designed and implemented innovative economic recovery and livelihood projects post the Beirut Port Explosions.

The first component of the Shabake project aims at supporting select Shabake NGO partners in the development of their organizational and technical capacities through general and tailored support activities. The activities can range from basic trainings, to coaching, content and policy development, system set up, and advising. At the core of this effort is that they are participatory in nature, and that the NGO partners are deeply engaged with the experts assigned to develop the required deliverables. 

The fourth component of the Shabake project focuses on the different ways NGOs can contribute to economic recovery of the areas and communities affected by the explosion by supporting livelihoods, small businesses, and other areas that can allow for the restoration of economic self-sufficiency. Those projects will be reaching out to vulnerable groups such as women, migrant workers and impoverished Lebanese and refugees.

Expertise France is seeking the services of a consultant(s) to provide capacity development support in Economic Recovery to SIX  Shabake NGOs partners working on the Economic Recovery Component of the Shabake Project. This consultancy is composed of 2 main tasks:

1. Developing a digital media strategy guidebook for micro, small and medium enterprises ( MSMEs)
2. Conducting a training of trainers for NGO representatives on digitalization and businesses transition to social media.

For each task the consultant will be working with designated focal points, both at the NGOs receiving the service, the Shabake Project Manager at Expertise France throughout the duration of the consultancy.