December 14, 2021 (Lebanon) – Expertise France – the French public agency for international technical cooperation, has implemented economic recovery projects for the NMSMEs (nano, micro, small and medium enterprises) and individuals impacted by the Beirut Blast. Falling under the Shabake project, these activities targeted over 380 families, 300 individuals and 247 businesses who received different types of support.
Al Majmoua; Basmeh and Zeitooneh; LebRelief Council (LRC); ShareQ; SHiFT (SHiFT Social Innovation Hub) and; the consortium formed by arcenciel, Live Love Beirut and DPNA (Development for People and Nature Association) were the NGOs involved in the Recovery Response component of the Shabake project. The assistance ranged from cash support and shop repairs, to capacity building sessions as well as assistance through advertising strategies. The projects included as well digitization and the integration of vulnerable populations in the labor market. Beneficiaries took part in more than 499 training days in topics related to crisis management, marketing, digital literacy and work readiness. Women, people with disabilities (PWD) and vulnerable individuals were among the targeted beneficiaries. The support was constant throughout the Recovery Response project lifetime and helped the NMSMEs establish long-lasting economic activity and individuals to obtain sustainable income. Circa $950 thousand were disbursed.
Al Majmoua provided cash support and business coaching sessions. LRC repaired shops, helped beneficiaries replenish their stocks and provided technical support and capacity building sessions. Basmeh and Zeitooneh created income generating activities to vulnerable women by helping them set up their own dairy production businesses and provided over 40 businesses with in-kind grants. The consortium arcenciel, Live Love Beirut and DPNA revived the economic loop in certain neighbourhoods within the blast area by setting up digitization projects for NMSMEs whereby 350 families were provided with digital vouchers to be used in the shops supported by the project.
ShareQ facilitated the employment of PWDs by providing wage incentives schemes to companies and training sessions to the PWDs on work readiness combined with training sessions for companies on inclusive recruitment. « By providing a holistic approach with persons with disabilities or financial challenges on one hand, and supporting employers on the other hand, ShareQ program within Shabake enabled sustainable impact on employed candidates and their families », commented Samer Sfeir, ShareQ founder.
SHiFT provided marketing consultancies and business strategies training sessions to NMSEs in addition to in-kind donations and cash support. « I believe that localization of aid is key to strengthening local coordination and decision-making, which enormously helps us to further support the SMEs in Beirut under the implementation of the Economic Recovery component within Shabake, all leading to a sustainable impact in the long term », said Rabih Omar, Executive Director of SHiFT.
The Recovery Response component of the Shabake project will come to an end in April 2022. The neighbourhoods which benefitted from the program covered all the Beirut Blast area and include: Bourj Hammoud, Saifi, Medawar, Quarantina, Rmeil, Bachoura, Mazraa, Basta, Furn El Hayek, Geitawi, Gemmayze, Mar Mikhael, Moussaitbe and others.
The Economic Recovery Response component of the Shabake project contributed to strengthening the resilience of Lebanese Civil Society through the improvement of its crisis prevention and management. The Shabake project aims at reinforcing the leadership and decision-making roles of Lebanese CSOs in crisis prevention through capacity building and vulnerability reduction activities, making them thus more sustainable and independent organizations.
Shabake is a three-year capacity development project designed within the framework of the localisation of aid agenda and the need to support Lebanese Local NGOs L(NGOs) to become lasting, key players in mitigating the effects of the multiple crises impacting Lebanon today. Throughout the project’s implementation, Expertise France is working on supporting the integration of the Shabake partners into the development-aid eco-system by connecting LNGOs and introducing them to funders; establishing coordination and discussion platforms as well as aiming at fostering the development of a multi-donor framework that is adopted towards a coordinated localisation actions and capacity development in Lebanon.
The Shabake project is funded by the Agence Française de Développment (AFD) and Danida (the Denmark’s development cooperation). The Shabake project contributes in bringing the conversation around the localization of aid in Lebanon to the forefront, engaging NGOs and the donor community alike to promote a coordinated national approach. Expertise France is in charge of the implementation of the project.
Expertise France is the French public agency for international technical cooperation. It designs and implements projects that sustainably strengthen public policies in developing and emerging countries. Governance, security, climate, health, education… It operates in key areas of sustainable development and contributes alongside its partners to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
The Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group is a public entity that funds, supports and accelerates the transitions towards a fairer and more sustainable world. In Lebanon, AFD takes action to reduce vulnerabilities and assist the country towards a more balanced and sustainable development path in a context of regional crisis.
The Denmark’s development cooperation (Danida) aims to combat poverty through promotion of human rights and sustainable economic growth. It operates under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
