2011 annual progress report

Project Code & Title: Post-War Socio-Economic

Rehabilitation Programme in Beirut Southern Suburbs

Responsible Officer: Marie-Helene Kassardjian Implementing Partner: …………………….............................

ANNUAL PROJECT PROGRESS REPORT

Period: 1st January – 31

st December 2011

FORM No......

1

EXPECTED PROJECT OUTPUTS &

INDICATORS

MAJOR PLANNED ACTIVITIES

ACTUAL ACHIEVEMENTS, PROGRESS AGAINST

OUTPUTS, INDICATORS & ANNUAL TARGETS

PENDING ISSUES/

REASONS FOR

ADJUSTMENTS

Expected Output: Post-War Socio-Economic conditions in Beirut Southern Suburbs are rehabilitated and improved through supporting youth mobilization, increasing

livelihood opportunities, strengthening local governance structures for effective formulation and implementation of local development plans.

Activity 1: Youth at risk in BSS mobilized to reduced inter-communal tensions and empowered for peace

and development initiatives

Target Year 2011

- 30 youths engaged in civil and

community development activities

- 50 youths participating in UNDP

activities and implementing relevant

development initiatives

-At least 2 CSOs operational in BSS

engaged in joint initiatives

Indicators:

-Number of youths engaged in civil

activities and community development

-Number of youths participating in

UNDP activities and implementing

relevant development initiatives

- Number of youth acquiring new skills

and benefiting from the Vocational

training component

- Number of youths with access to

credits facilitated by the ART GOLD

LEDO

-Number of CSOs engaged in joint

initiatives

1.1. Conduct needs assessment about youth

issues in BSS tackling education,

employment, social problems, and other

determined factors.

Household Survey of the Municipality of Furn Al

Chebabck:

The personnel of Social Municipal Office of Furn Al Chebback

(SMO-FC), composed by 3 social workers, have been trained in

order to undertake a household survey targeting 8500 units of

the municipality.

The household survey started on the 3rd

of December 2011.

Drop Out Assessment of the Municipality of Al Mryejeh:

The personnel of the Social Municipal Office of Al Mreyjeh

(SMO-M), composed of 2 persons, has been trained in order to

undertake an assessment targeting drop out students of 2010-

2011 academic year from 6 public schools.

A preliminary document was prepared on drop out in Lebanon

including data on the schools in particular public schools in

order to be the baseline for the study.

The project will end in May/June 2012






st December 2011

FORM No......

2

1.2: Establishment of 3 focus youth groups to

operate in the various target areas

The Social Municipal Office of Haret Hreik (SMO-HH),

organized summer activities targeting 27 youths (girls and

boys) between the ages of 10 and 15. The activities lasted 11

days throughout the months of June and July 2011. These

social and psychological activities, including focus groups on

several topics, aimed at developing the health / psychological

state of being of the participants.

The SMO of Furn Al Chebbak organized a summer camp from

the 18th of July until 18th August 2011 targeting 150 children

and youth aged between 5 and 14 years old. The social

animators organized focus groups on drug abuse, conflict

resolution at school and at home with youth of 14 and 15 years

old for a total number of 20 youth, .

Both actions are the result of the technical assistance that the

SMOs obtained within the collaboration of Tuscany Region in

terms of methodologies and planning.

1.3.Implement 6 Community based youth led

projects in partnership with Grassroots

associations and municipalities through the

social municipal offices

The Thematic Working Group on Education of Al Mreyjeh that

is working in order to support vulnerable youth applied through

the municipality of Al-Mreyjeh for a call for proposal for the

European Union fund and won. The project, co-financed by

UNDP, consisted of the establishment of a Choir as a cultural

dialogue and promotion among the students of Beirut Southern

Suburbs public schools.

The partners are Furn Al Chebback and Al-Chiah

municipalities and the students from Al Mreyjeh, Al Chiah,

Furn Al Chebback, Bourj Al Barajneh, Al Hadath , with a total

of 120 students fom different communities

The songs (national, Christians and Muslim) were selected and

approved by the public schools

12 out of 25 training sessions were undertaken for those

students.

The final event is foreseen at the end of March 2012.






st December 2011

FORM No......

3

Target Year 2011

-Needs assessment report about labor

force, market demand and vulnerable

groups developed.

-At least 20 vulnerable persons (women,

unemployed, former detainees, war-

injured persons, fishermen) from various

affected areas in BSS are empowered

Indicators:

-Number of businesses revived for

vulnerable groups

-Number of beneficiaries in the

vocational training

- Number of projects implemented

following the trainings and the business

development plans

Activity 2: Livelihoods of vulnerable population (with special focus on women, fisherman, war-injured

persons and former detainees) improved and socio-economic opportunities increased for peace and

development.

Security constrains

didn’t facilitated the

assessment of the

SMEs

2.1: Develop needs assessment: Labour force,

Market Demand and vulnerable groups –with

special focus on women, unemployed,

fishermen, former detainees & war-injured

persons.

Assessment of SMEs

An assessment Questionnaire targeting the SMEs was prepared.

The interviews were conducted with 10 SMEs out of 74

nominated by the municipalities.

The process was delayed in order to get the clearance from the

local authorities.

3 municipalities Al Chiah, Furn Al Chebback and Al Mreyjeh

approved the questionnaire and gave the clearance.

The interviews will start on January 2012 and will last 6

months.

2.2: Develop the Accelerated Vocational

Training and Capacity development

Programme according to the identified needs

This action was cancelled as it will be included in the training

program of the LEDA of BSS that will start in 2012.

2.3: Establish one regional inter-municipal

centre for job search assistance (data base,

public announcements)

The steering committee of the LEDA decided to set an office

within the LEDA for:

i) matching between demands and offers for job

opportunities,

ii) establishing a data base of enterprises searching for

personnel and available to provide technical skills,

iii) networking between local and international SMEs.

The SMOs will have an important role in providing information

to the office of the LEDA.

During 2011, 3 women from BSS were hired by Sara bags.

2.4: Implement rehabilitation programme for

former detainees and war injured population in

BSS

This action was cancelled by the program.






st December 2011

FORM No......

4

Target Year 2011

-Needs survey about existing local

governance structure attained.

-Capacity assessment for 4

municipalities developed.

-Regional working group active and

operational

Indicators:

Number of municipal officials (current

municipal council as well as the

successive municipal council expected to

be elected in year 2010) and other public

and Grassroots associations officers

trained on local governance and

management

Activity 3:Local Governance structures strengthened for inclusive socio-economic development and

enhanced inter-cultural dialogue

3.1: Conduct needs survey of existing local

governance structures and capacity assessment

for 4 municipalities and existing Grassroots

associations (at least two Grassroots

associations in Hey Selloum given the absence

of municipality in the region).

Data collection on facilities in BSS

The municipalities of Haret Hreik, Furn Al Chebbak, Al Chiah,

Al Mreyjeh where SMOs were set up started to collect

information on the following facilities that are present on their

territory such as schools, health centers and hospitals, social

centers and NGOs.

PHCC of Bourj Al Barajneh

The Primary Healthcare Center of Bourj Al Barajneh had no

significant improvement in terms of upgrading as primary

health care approach during 2010 and first months of 2011.

The municipality decided to change the director of the PHCC

and some personnel of the center.

This initiative improved the quality of services offered by the

PHCC (at least 15 patients have access to the center per day)

but more needs to be done to improve the management of

chronic diseases , filing of medical records, within the

guidelines of WHO and to plan for prevention programs within

the community.

3.2: Implement training workshop targeting at

least 4 municipalities and 6 local grassroots

associations on different themes such as:

participatory approach, strategic planning,

proposal writing and development, resource

mobilization and awareness on the rights of

war-injured persons.

The expert from the University of Florence carried out a follow

up mission from the 29th of May until the 12th of June 2011.

During the mission, the expert finalized with the representatives

of the municipalities and the personnel of the SMOs the Role of

a “Social Municipal Office within the Municipality”:

The document titled “Towards an Effective Local Social

System” was sent to the municipalities in order to get their

suggestions and inputs before finalization.






st December 2011

FORM No......

5

School based Oral Health Education Laziosanita experts in collaboration with 2 directors of public

schools from Mreyjeh, 14 teachers from public schools of Haret

Hreik, Al Mreyjeh and Furn Al Chebabck, 3 social workers

from Al Mreyjeh, Haret Hreik and Furn Al Chebabck, health

assistant, dentist and doctors from Haret Hreik worked together

in order to prepare a manual on oral hygiene for primary public

schools.

The manual is at the national Committee of the Ministry of

Education and Higher Education MEHE for the endorsement.

3.3: Establish database for development

projects, implemented and needed, to be

managed by the LEDA in BSS.

Not yet started

Main challenges experienced during the past year:

1- Impact of the administrative elections of May 2010

The impact of the implementation of the projects in partnership with the municipalities, where the municipality councils have changed more than 90% of the

members during the administrative elections of May 2010, has been severe.

The municipality of Al Hadath decided to stop the implementation of the SMO and to freeze the participation in the establishment process of the LEDA.

The municipality of Bourj Al Barajneh had difficulties in the implementation of the primary health care program and in the active participation in the LEDA.

In the first case, after several meetings the municipality expressed its interest to become a member in the LEDA and to actively participate in the establishing

process.

In the second case, the continuous meetings of the team of UNDP with the mayor and deputy mayor facilitated the dialogue in order to find solutions for the

problems and to plan for 2012.

2- Involvement of the Ministries

The weakness in a systematic approach at national and local level leads to the fragmentation of the programs. It is evident that means and tools used can be

different from one stakeholder to another but the final goal has to be common in order to build a national strategy in any sector.

In BSS, Primary health care and social programs governed by local authorities have been the main important undertaken actions aiming to increase access to

health and to support vulnerable categories for social integration. The effective involvement of the National level has been weak.






st December 2011

FORM No......

6

What are the key activities (if any) of soft assistance undertaken by the project?

1- Household Survey of the Municipality of Furn Al Chebabck:

The household survey will continue in 2012 and the presentation of the results will be towards the end of the year. The undertaken activities will be:

- Finalization of the interviews (5 months)

- Data Entry (2 months)

- SPSS analysis

- Preparation of the report on the results

2- Drop Out Assessment of the Municipality of Al Mryejeh:

The assessment on drop out will end in May 2012. The results of the study and the guidelines on education will be presented in September 2012.

3- Choir

The final event is foreseen for the end of March 2012. The patronage of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education is a must. It will be a good opportunity to

organize a visit of representatives from the Ministry MEHE, UNDP and the European Union for the rehearsals on Saturdays.

4- Finalization of a draft document: “Glossary On Social Inclusion”

The personnel of the 3 Social Municipal Offices of Furn Al Chebbak, Al Chiah and Al Hadath Municipalities in addition to Social workers and Psychologists of the

Primary Health Care Center of Haret Hreik Municipality and staff of the Local development Office of Ghobeiry Municipality and a representative of Burj

Hammoud Municipality were in involved in several meetings for the preparation of the two documents:

The objective of the inter-municipal workshops/meetings was to share definitions and concepts on social work in order to define a common language on social

inclusion among different institutional and social actors in BSS.

The document “Glossary on Social Inclusion” is a draft and will be shared in 2012, with other actors such universities, Ministry of Social Affair and Ministry of

Public Health and active NGOs of the sector in order to be finalized and produced.

5- Finalization of the School based Oral Hygien Education

After the endorsement of the Manual by the MEHE, a pilot action will be carried out in the public schools. The MEHE is asking for 1200 copies for

dissemination in the public schools all over Lebanon.






st December 2011

FORM No......

7

Lessons learned:

The building of trust and credibility between UNDP ART GOLD BSS and the involved Municipalities is key for the programme to succeed. This trust is manifested in

the actions of the municipalities’ members, such as in their commitment to the programme in terms of attendance, participation and follow up in addition to their

openness of accepting highly sensitive issues such as assessments and/or survey in different sectors.

Prepared by Marie- Helene Kassardjian Approved by

Date 3 January 2012 Date

2011 annual progress report

Documents